#also side note but crazy that i have updated this comic over 50 times

[beannary]

Donnie has entered his Rapunzel era

This is part 55 of The Little Prince Separated AU

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[ellebabywrites]

Judas Kiss 4 - Mark Lee

Type : Series // Angst // Fluff // Future Smut // Gang!au

Warnings : Violence // Character Deaths // Cussing

Summary : There’s only one rule. You protect your own. None of you had chosen this life, but sticking together was the only way to survive it. When one of you dies and things start going wrong, the boy that saved you once on a whim, might be the only one who can keep you together.

Author Note : Finally an update, thank you for being so patient !! I’m posting this on my birthday and I worked super hard on it so please give this chapter some love and let me know what you think !! (Flashbacks are in italic!!)

Walt’s. A local diner just on the other side of the tunnels, open from 7-11 every single day for the last 50 years. Also the only place King would willingly drink something other than coffee, and even then, only to appease his friends’ worried stares. Yes ‘friend’, perhaps the only true friend King had. He had known Peter Walt since they were teenagers; King followed in his father's footsteps and Walt followed in his - in running the diner. Despite their differences as time went on, they never lost contact, never gave up on each other. Walt was always there to give King a fresh pot of coffee after every rough night and King had always protected the diner from gang activities. King spent most of his days at Walt’s. Having just returned to N.City from a long vacation, he was taking a moment to readjust to the harsh realities of life here; no matter how long he’d been involved in the gang world, he could never fully get used to it.

King was sitting at his usual table, in the back corner by the window, facing the front street. He was sipping on his second cup of black coffee while reading the newspaper and occasionally people-watching.

“That stuff will kill you y'know,” a deep voice came from beside him. He didn’t bother looking up, already knowing whom it belonged to.

“No faster than a bullet would,” he replies indifferently, taking another long sip as if to make a show of it.

“Jesus King, do you have to be so morbid this early in the morning?” The man sat down opposite him, topping up the now empty coffee cup despite his previous warning. His thin figure leaning back on the burnt seats, folding his arms and giving King a cold stare in mock-anger.

“Sorry Walt,” King says, flashing a smirk and putting down the paper so he could talk with his old friend, “how’ve you been?”

While Walt proceeds to fill King in on all the news he’d missed in his time away; his wife’s new craft project redecorating the living room; his nephew’s College acceptance etc etc - King’s attention drifts to the people outside the window. Walt doesn’t mind; he’s known King a long time, aware that despite his seeming uninterest, the ticks of his eyebrows and slight lift of his lips let Walt know he’s listening.

Across the street, sitting on a bench huddled together, were two kids. The taller boy takes a foil-wrapped sandwich out of his coat pocket and hands it over to the younger girl; encouraging her to eat and smiling warmly, but they didn’t look very warm. The winter was fast approaching and there was no way the two could possibly be okay in just those thin coats, King thought. Noticing King’s sudden lack of attention, Walt follows his gaze out the window. Spotting the two kids, he calls over one of his waiters and tells him to take them out two hot chocolates.

“Those poor kids,” Walt starts, shaking his head sadly and watching as his worker made his way over to the two of them, “They’re homeless, I try and give them a drink or some food y’know, whenever I see them; it just doesn’t seem enough.”

King looks back at Walt, his eyes showing slight worry, but keeping his composure. “It’s not safe for young kids like that on the street,” He says, more to himself; looking back through the window. The two kids were sitting closely, sipping on the warm drinks they’d just been given; the taller boy stopping to help the girl roll up her sleeves.

---

“This is the gym.”

It’s the first official day of Mark’s training; you brought him down to the gym on the lower level of the firehouse, ready to show him around.

Down in the pit, there was an old busted up boxing ring, ropes frayed and mat wearing thin.

“That’s the ring, Ty works with us in there,” you explain, walking him around the edges of the gym showing off all the different sections with pride, “he teaches us all these crazy military fighting moves he picked up in Iraq, it will absolutely kill you at first but once you get the hang of it, you’ll feel totally badass!” Mark likes it when you’re excited like this. Your eyes light up and lips stretch into a beautiful smile, one you try to contain by pulling them between your teeth, but fail. It’s obvious how much you love this place, these people. It makes him want to work hard enough to make you proud too.

There’s a row of windows along one of the walls that looks into a room adjacent.

“That’s the ‘shooting range’, it’s kind of small but there’s never more than three of us in there at once,” you explain, opening the side door to show him inside.

There’s a shelf next to a bench, loaded with weapons; rifles, handguns and knives.

“This is Rikky’s I’m guessing?” Mark asks with a chuckle, pointing at the broken skateboard lying by one of the shooting stalls. You giggle along with him and jump on top of the split wood.

“Yup, he always breaks them so he uses the pieces as steps now,” you jump down and stand next to Mark opposite, facing the target sheets on the far end of the room, “Rikky will show you how everything works when you’re in here with him. He may act like an idiot, but he’s the best shot I’ve ever seen.”

“What about you? Mark asks, shifting a little bit closer, “What do you do?” He wasn’t exactly sure what answer he was expecting, considering how he had met you, it honestly could have been anything.

“I am the resident thief,” you say; proudly smiling up at him, “I pick locks and get us in and out of… difficult, places.”

“Ahh so that night at Bangtan’s you were stealing something, no wonder they were mad,” Mark teases, nudging your shoulder playfully and laughing at the way your lips automatically fall out of the smile and into a pout. “I’m kidding, I’m kidding! So what exactly will you be teaching me?”

“Nothing now,” you grumbled, turning your face away from him. Mark teased you like Johnny teased you. He knew how to play with you without pushing it too far; it made you feel comfortable, like you’d found a piece of the puzzle that was missing from your heart.

“Nooo, Y/N I’m sorry, please teach me,” he whines, tugging on your arm to get you to face him again.

“I suppose I could show you a trick or two,” you sigh, ready to continue the teasing, but a sound coming from the pit interrupts you both.

“I swear to God Rikky, I’m not in the mood!”

“C’mon big guy, scared you can’t take it? C’mon, hit m… ouch!”

You and Mark look out to see Rikky following Ty around the gym, wearing boxing gloves too big for him and throwing punches into thin air. It was comical watching the two of them; Ty, a 6ft marine, whining and pushing away this tiny string bean of a man full of energy, relentlessly pining for his attention. You both look at each other for a split second before bursting into a fit of laughter.  

“Y/N!!” Ty called out, getting tired of dealing with Rikky and wanting to get away from him as quickly as possible, “Let’s go on a store a run! NOW!” you giggle again at his impatience.

“Time to save Ty,” you joke, poking Mark in the side when you move away, “I guess you’ll be with Rikky today, do you want anything from the store?”

In the background you can hear Rikky’s incessant chanting, ‘one two punch, one two punch, c’mon Ty just once, I’ve gotten so much better,’ followed by Ty calling out for you again, a heightened sense of urgency to his voice.

“No thanks, I’m think I’m good,” Mark says, feeling a little nervous about being here without you.

“Okay, I’ll see you later,” you wave goodbye, jumping onto Ty’s back when you reach him in the pit.

“Hey! Don’t forget my hot chocolate this time! It’s cold and you know my stomach is too delicate for that nasty coffee!!” Rikky yells behind you, making Mark laugh quietly, but of course that was his intention. Johnny made him feel at home a lot quicker by making him laugh, so he figured it would do the same thing for Mark.

“Yeah yeah, we got it!” Ty shouts back, halfway out the door already before Rikky can yell any more about his dietary requirements.

---

“Okay Mark let’s shoot some stuff!” Rikky came barrelling into the shooting range, a big smile on his face that in all honesty made Mark a little bit nervous. He’d never even touched a gun before, never thought he’d have to; now he had one of the best shooters around, according to you, showing him the ropes. Rikky grabbed a 9mm pistol off the shelf, checked the magazine and handed it over to Mark. “This is a pretty standard one to start you off with, it’s already loaded so just pull back the slider, aim at the target and,” Rikky moved Mark by the shoulders to stand in front of the target area and patted him on the back in encouragement, “squeeze the trigger.”

Swallowing dryly, Mark raises his arms up and takes aim. It’s a lot heavier than he imagined a gun would be; he almost doesn’t want to look as he pulls the trigger and hears a loud bang that definitely doesn’t sound right. Rikky’s hysterical laughter behind him is a pretty solid tell that he missed the target though.

“Jesus Mark, you might want to try keeping your eyes open next time!” Rikky is hunched over dramatically, still laughing his head off at Mark’s terrible first shot when he turns around.

“That was my first time, let me try again, I can do this,” Mark tried to pump himself up, when Rikky only laughs harder Mark decides he agrees with you - Rikky is a bit of an asshole. After a few more failed attempts and just a few half-decent ones, Rikky steps up to show him how it’s done; and that’s when Mark decides he also agrees that Rikky is one of the best.

“How the hell did you get so good at this!?” Mark asked, in complete shock at how Rikky hits every single shot dead centre. His mouth is gaped open and eyes wide, while Rikky just smirks, loving feeling like he was the best. It had been a while since anyone had had that kind of reaction to his talent.

“I used to run with a real bad crew,” he starts to explain, unloading the gun and putting it back on the shelf, “the kind of people I was with, if you didn’t learn quickly, you were dead .” His whole demeanour shifts slightly, no longer the joking ball of energy Mark had seen before, but now turning serious, almost sad, recalling the memories of his old crew. “It wasn’t like here with us. No one had your back, it was everyone for themselves. No one would come to save your ass if you were in trouble, no one cared. It was…. Dark.” Rikky handed Mark a bottle of water from his gym bag and sat down on one of the benches, Mark following him.

“Honestly, if I hadn’t gotten out when I did, I would be dead right now,”

It was total chaos. People rushing, shouting, shooting in every direction. Johnny grabs you by the arm and quickly pulls you behind a pillar just before a wave of bullets came darting passed your heads.

“KING !!!” Johnny shouts out over all the noise, “KING C’MON !!!”

All of a sudden everything stopped. An unsettling silence followed by the sound of bodies dropping to the ground.

“Okay kids it’s clear,” Lifting your head hesitantly, you see King standing among a pile of now deceased members of ‘The Pythons’, “Johnny, go take a look around back, see if we missed any hostages. Y/N, help me load these bags back into the van.” King ordered you both, grabbing one of the bags filled with cash and supplies, carrying it right out the front door.

“How did he do that?” you wondered out loud.

“C’mon Y/N, you know Kings’ bulletproof,” Johnny sends you a teasing smile before walking away to clear the back rooms. Back when you had first met King, you had been adamant he was some kind of iron man, the way he always managed to survive a shootout. Hence - bulletproof.

A month or so ago King had received a tip about a new crew from out of town, ‘The Pythons’, who were causing trouble. Kidnapping; arson; robbery - they were trying to move in on N.City and they were not being nice about it. It took three weeks to plan the take down; locating their current base; identifying the members and executing the whole thing. You’d rescued roughly 6 teenage girls from one of the storage rooms before it all kicked off. They were bloody and bruised, clothes torn and dirtied; you didn’t even want to think about what kind of things The Pythons made them do. You’re not ashamed to say that you all took great pleasure in putting them down.

Johnny circled round to the back rooms, using the barrel of his gun to push open doors enough to look inside. The door to the last room in the hall was slightly ajar; Johnny raises his gun and takes slow steps forward, ready for a sudden attack. But when he pushes open the door, what he sees is a man cowering in the corner; hands covered in blood and entire body shaking. Johnny recognises him from their surveillance photos, he was new, just a kid not much younger than himself.

“Hey, hey you’re Rikky right?” Johnny asks, crouching down in front of the trembling boy, “I’m Johnny. It’s okay, we’re not going to hurt you.” Rikky’s eyes were heavy and his breathing rapid, “no no no, buddy stay with me, it’s okay we’re getting you out of here! KING A LITTLE HELP!!”

“King carried me out in his arms. Y/N held me in her lap the entire ride back to base. Hell, Johnny wouldn’t stop telling me how it was all going to be okay and how I was safe now - even while I was drifting in and out of consciousness.”

Mark sits in awe listening to Rikky tell his story, he couldn’t imagine the strong, charismatic man in front of him being so broken and vulnerable. Maybe there really was more to the team then met the eye.

“What was Johnny like?” Mark asks carefully, noticing how Rikky’s eyes had started to glass over; but at the mention of Johnny, his whole face lights up.

“Oh man, Johnny...” he suddenly leans back smiling, wiping his eyes and letting out a small chuckle. “Johnny was my brother. Hands down one of the greatest people I have ever met, or ever will meet in my entire life. He dragged me out of that dark place kicking and screaming and put me back together with nothing but a bottle of mountain dew and FIFA,” Mark watches how Rikky’s face softens at the memories, “he..he taught me a lot. Johnny..Johnny was special,” after a beat of silence Rikky starts laughing again, “couldn’t shoot for shit though, still…better than you for a first try.” He nudges Mark’s leg teasingly, trying to lighten the mood.

“Hey! I’ll get better,” Mark promises, not being able to hide his shy smile behind a pout. Rikky reaches out to ruffle his hair before standing up again,

“I know you will, I’ll help you.”

---

There’s old Jazz playing, one of Ty’s vinyl's. King is busy chopping onions while you and Ty unload the groceries when Mark and Rikky walk in.

“Hey you two,” Ty calls out, handing you cups of ramen to put away, “How’d training go?”

You can’t ignore the way your heart skips a few beats when you see Mark walking in; he looks good; he’s smiling and joking with Rikky about something and there’s a small piece inside your chest that just clicks back into place.

“It was interesting,” Rikky answers, playfully shoving Mark towards you, where he instinctively starts helping unload the groceries. It’s cute, you think.

“Scratch that, it was absolutely terrible,” Rikky laughs, sending you a wink when you scowl at his teasing.

“Don’t worry Mark, you’ll get the hang of it in time,” King gives him an encouraging smile that makes Mark feel a more settled. He was still a little nervous around King, but I guess growing up hearing all the stories and legends would do that to you.

“Thank you, S-sir”

You all stifle a giggle, still not used to Mark’s over-politeness, but it was funny seeing him get so flustered over it.

“You don’t have to call me Sir Mark -” King starts,

“Yeah, Grandpa’ is fine,” but Rikky interrupts, earning a slap on the back of the head from King and a laugh from Ty when he dramatically falls to the ground.

“King, is fine Mark, Just call me King.”

You, Rikky and Mark all sit at the island, watching King and Ty cook; Rikky continuing to fill everyone in on their day of training, not leaving out how Mark may have made some new holes in the wall with his first few tries. “Yeah we’re definitely going to need a lot more training with Bangtan on our asses.”

“What exactly is all of this over?” Mark asks, eyes flickering to you next to him, “I mean, there are just so many different rumours.” That makes you smirk slightly. You’ve all heard the rumours, none of them true of course, but it made you feel like you were in some kind of reality show. If your talk with Mark on the way to the base was any indication, you could only imagine what kind of stories were running through his head now.

“You shouldn’t always believe the rumours Mark,” you tease, knowing full well that less than a week ago he was convinced King was some hell-sent demon dropping bodies left and right - when now he was making him spaghetti wearing the baby pink apron Johnny had gotten him for Christmas. While you and Mark lose focus, sending each other teasing looks and nudges, King get’s Rikky to help stir the sauce so he can prepare the spaghetti.

“We’re on good terms with most of N.City,” Ty explains, gaining the both of your attention once again, “Bangtan wanted to try and take one of our clubs-”

“They failed miserably obviously; King’s name’s too strong for them to take down,” Rikky adds, not really paying attention to his assigned kitchen duties and earning another nudge from King.

“They burned down one of our warehouses in retaliation,” you say, watching how intently Mark is listening to everyone.

“...a lot of our allies then cut ties with them, so now,” King finishes explaining, starting to plate up the food, “they’re looking for revenge.

A small silence falls over the room as Mark takes in everything; it’s a lot more straightforward than he’d expected, but nothing has been like how he’d thought it would here.

“They’ve been quiet for a while though,” Rikky turns off the sauce and brings it over to King, “They’re probably planning something.”

“There was nothing quiet about what they did to Johnny.”

Everyone looks at you. You’re staring down Rikky with such a harshness to your eyes that it makes Mark shiver. No one says anything for a moment, before King hands Ty a pair of plates and tells him to set the table.

“We’re going to have a nice, quiet, dinner to welcome Mark into the family - okay?” King’s voice is stern as he directs it at you; you clench your fists in anger that once again he’s pushing what happened to Johnny under the rug. You feel Mark’s warm hand gently tug onto yours, releasing you fists and pulling you towards the table where you all sit to eat.

It’s awkward to say the least, but not for long. Ty quickly bringing up a lighter conversation to try and dull the tension.

“Can you play FIFA Mark? We play a lot of FIFA here in our down time.”

When Mark shakes his head Rikky, who was sitting next to you, hits your shoulder making a joke that ‘I doubt you could be any worse than Y/N.”

“Actually….I remember Y/N absolutely destroying you the more than enough times Rikky,” King jests along with the group, raising his eyebrows and winking at Mark. Rikky’s incessant whining after that making everyone laugh again, nerves a little lesser.

---

Mark’s been training with you all at the base for the last couple of weeks; alternating between working with Rikky in the shooting range; Ty in the boxing ring and you teaching him other useful tricks. Today Mark was with Ty. The last few hours spent dripping in sweat and throwing punch after punch; quick footwork dodging Ty’s advances around the ring.

The gym was silent, bar from the sound of their heavy breathing and hands making contact. It was getting late but Mark kept going; he’d just started noticing improvements and didn’t want to stop.

The gym door opens with a slow squeak as you poke your head through, “Guys,” you call out, finally gaining their attention, “King’s out so we’re ordering pizza for dinner,”

Breathing heavily, Ty takes off his gloves and gives you a thumbs up, “Cool, We’ll wrap up.”

Shooting Mark a quick smile, you disappear again; leaving Mark staring at the door where you were stood. Ty picked up on Mark’s feelings for you pretty quickly, hell, it was obvious as anything even on the first day; he doesn’t miss the way Mark’s focus is still glued to the door even minutes after you’d gone and he’d started packing up.

“You like her,” he says plainly, as if it wasn’t this big secret Mark had been keeping for weeks.

“W-what, I mean, of course she’s great, she…” he looks adorable, cheeks flushed and stuttering over his words, damn he had it bad.

“No,” Ty interrupts, saving him from digging an even bigger hole, “you like like her.” Teasing Mark had become Ty and Rikky’s new favourite hobby, especially when it came to you. Even more so when you were there because of how it would rile you up too; it was all in love but still Ty worried. He cared deeply for you and didn’t want to see you hurt again.

Mark was just standing there, speechless, in front of Ty. Was he really that obvious?

“Look kid, I can see you care about her,” Seems he was, “but you need to be careful.”

“What do you mean?” Mark asks. You were one of the strongest people he’d ever met so Ty’s warning confused him.

“You’ve heard about Johnny?” Mark nods, “Well, when he died Y/N took it really hard, she was the one who found him,”

Johnny had been gone for a while and you were already running late for the mission, “King I’m going to grab Johnny!” you yell out before running out the door, picking up the discarded umbrella Johnny had left behind, and heading out in the rain.

The tunnels to the city are empty, as they usually are, but something about tonight made you feel on edge. Something was wrong. You didn’t get paranoid; living on the streets had taught you plenty about walking around in the dark; so why were you feeling so off?

The city is just as bad. There’s an eerie silence that makes the hairs of your arms stand up; again, normal, but something was definitely wrong

You start running through the streets, taking a few twists and turns till you get to where the store is; and then you see him.

You weren’t crying. Not yet. Why was he lying in the street? Maybe he fell asleep? He was gaming pretty late last night, yeah, he just fell asleep in the middle of the road in the pouring rain like an idiot. Yeah.

You’re frozen. You don’t want to move any closer, if you stay right here then everything will be fine, then Johnny will just be asleep, everything will be okay. But the rain is getting heavier by the minute and he’s getting wet, why isn’t he waking up if he’s getting soaked?

With slow steps you move forward, vision blurring when you see the ground is stained a deep red. You shake and whimper at the sight. He’s on his back, staring blankly at the sky, letting the rain wash away the blood surrounding him.

You take out your phone and call King.

“K-king,”

“Y/N where are you guys, we missed the….”

“K-king.” You can’t bring yourself to say it, that would make it real. You don’t need to though, just hearing your voice King knows something’s wrong and says he’s coming.

When they get there, you’re sitting on the floor, cradling Johnny’s head in your lap, combing his hair with your fingers and begging for him to wake up.

King, Ty and Rikky stand there, frozen just as you were, watching the scene. It was heart-breaking.

“Y/N,” King’s voice is soft behind you, he reaches for your shoulder but you’re quick to pull away, not wanting to be dragged into reality just yet.

“No!” you yell, “Johnny’s not waking up,” Your trying to keep your voice steady but all that’s coming out are whimpers, “He’s getting wet King, he needs to wake up,”

“Y/N,” Ty repeats, coming to kneel beside you, trying to get you to look at him. Rikky stays back, still in shock, unsure of what to do or how to help. He can’t see Johnny like that.

“Y/N we need to go, it’s not safe here,” Ty reaches for you but you push him back harshly, you can’t just leave him there.

“I said No!”

Ty looks up to King, his own eyes glazing over as well. When King gives him a subtle nod, he wraps his arms around your waist and forcefully pulls you away. He’d hear your screams every day for the rest of his life. Feel the hits and punches you attack him with every day. Remember the look on your face, before he wrapped you around him like a koala and pressed your head into his neck, forever. He carries you passed Rikky, back towards the base, taking you as far as possible so you didn’t have to see anymore.

King reaches down to close Johnny’s eyes, placing a hand on his forehead gently and choking back his own sobs. Rikky finally makes his way over and mutters out an ‘oh god,’ he’d seen plenty of bodies before, many worse off than Johnny’s, but it’s different when it’s your own brother on the ground.

“Let’s get him out of here.” King says blankly, turning to his ‘boss’ persona, keeping his feelings hidden.

“She passed out on the way back here,” Ty explains, “She didn’t wake up for two days; refused to leave her room for another two after that, then when she was finally getting back to herself, she went to Bangtans’.” Ty keeps his head down. It’s hard for him to think about that day, but Mark needed to know, to understand. You weren’t as strong as you seemed.

“Jesus,” Mark whispered, hearing about Johnny’s death for the first time, “They were close then? She always mentions him but never really talks about him too much,”

Ty nods eagerly, “Oh yeah they were each other’s other half's,” he goes on to explain, “they met in a foster home when they were just kids, apparently the place was a real shit show, tons of abuse, so they ran away. Lived on the streets till King found them. They’ve only had each other their whole lives - when Y/N lost Johnny, it was like she lost a part of herself.”

Taking a deep breath, Ty gets up and grabs his stuff, throwing Mark a water bottle in the process. When he’s packing up his gym bag, Mark spots a photo of a girl next to Ty, “Is she on the team too?” he asks curiously, he hadn’t heard any other names being mentioned.

“No uh, that’s Beth,” Ty grabs the photo and hands it over for Mark to get a closer look, “my little sister.” There’s a hint of sadness in his voice as he tells Mark about his sister, the reason he joined the team.

Walt’s is busy today. In the back corner at his usual table, King is waiting for Ty.

“Are you King?” Ty asks nervously, sitting at the table when he’s given a nod in confirmation and handing over a photo. “This is my sister Beth. I heard you could help me find her.”

King takes the photo in his hands and looks at the young girl, Beth, who couldn’t be much younger than you, he already knows he’s going to help but he needs to know more.

“What happened to her?”

With a nervous shuffle, Ty opens up his phone and shows King the messages between him and his sister, “I just got back from the Army and I get these messages, she says she’s coming to N.City with some new ‘friends’, and no ones seen or heard from her since.” King quietly listens, looking at the texts filled with emojis and kisses, swallowing hard when it reminds him of you. “She’s my little sister and she’s in trouble.”

“And why do you think I can help you? There are hundreds of people in the city and they’re not exactly the ‘friendly’ type,” Just as King starts to ask more questions, making Ty a little nervous, the door to the diner chimes open followed by a ‘Hey Uncle Walt!’

You and Johnny spot King at his table and immediately make a b-line to join him.

“Hey King, who’s this?” Johnny asks, shuffling next to Ty in the booth while you sit opposite next to King.

“I’m Ty,” he introduces himself, pocketing his phone feeling more nervous about this meeting than he had when he first walked in here.

“Ty needs our help finding his sister,” King explains, “She came to the city with friends a few weeks ago and hasn’t been seen since.”

“We can help!” Johnny buts in, giving Ty a warm smile, you eagerly doing the same, prodding King with your elbow to get him to speak.

“We’ll help you.”

“We looked for Beth for weeks but found nothing,” Mark almost regrets asking, seeing the look on Ty’s face, “That’s why I’m so protective over Y/N, I can’t lose another sister.”

“I won’t hurt her Ty,” Mark says, looking him in the eye, “I’ll protect her.”

“I know Mark.”

---

It must have been passed midnight when Mark woke up on the couch; training most days with Ty was exhausting him, but he could definitely see the changes it was making too. He forces himself to get up and make his way to his actual bed.

Dragging himself down the hall with heavy steps, Mark passes your room, noticing the door was open. Inside, you’re lying on your side tucked into Ty’s chest. His nose buried in your hair and arm hanging on your waist.

“Don’t worry about that,” Rikky’s voice came from behind him, noticing how Mark was just standing outside of your door looking flustered, “Y/N gets night terrors.” Rikky leans against the doorframe next to Mark, watching silently as you nuzzle further into Ty, searching for warmth.

“Johnny used to sleep in with her; since they went through stuff together on the streets, he could always calm her down. Since he died they’ve been getting worse, so Ty does it” he explains quietly.

Mark looks over at your sleeping figure again and notices the way you keep stirring, then he notices the way Ty holds you tighter each time you do and he can’t hide the slight jealousy that washes over him.

“She’s got it bad for you anyway dude,” Rikky teases, “she gets all googly eyed and mushy, it’s kind of gross,” he makes a disgusted face and they both laugh silently.

---

“Jesus Mark what did you do!?” you yell slightly, seeing Mark hunched over on the couch holding an ice pack to his face.

“I hit the practice dummy too hard and it hit me back,” he laughs at himself, it really was pitiful. Shaking your head your head you grab the first aid supplies and sit next to him, “at least it’s practice for when I really get punched.”

“Don’t make those jokes,” you can’t help but laugh a little with him though, how was he so clumsy? Since he’s been here he’s hurt himself half a dozen times already and that’s not including the training. “I’m sorry,” you whisper after the giggles have died down, taking the ice pack off of him and applying ointment to the bruise, “...for dragging you into this mess I mean, I’m sure this isn’t exactly what you wanted.” As much as you love having Mark around, you couldn’t help feeling incredibly guilty for bringing him into this life, no one chooses to be here, Mark’s only in danger because you were stupid enough to get caught at Bangtan’s, this was your fault.

“Hey,” he grabs your hand to make you stop and focus on him instead of his wounds, “I wasn’t going anywhere in N.City, I didn’t have anything, at least now I have you,” you both stared into each others eyes for a beat, cheeks slowly growing flushed ‘till you can’t help but let your eyes fall to his lips. 

“...The team… I mean,” he covers nervously.

“Oh, yeah of course.”

“How exactly did you get involved with this stuff?” Mark asks, trying to talk about something, anything, that would stop his ears from burning.

“There’s this diner in the city called ‘Walt’s’, when Johnny and I were on the streets, the owner would give us free drinks and stuff; then King noticed us and started getting us meals each day…”

“Johnny I don’t want to,” you were pulling on his arm, desperately trying to drag him the opposite direction, “that’s KING, the scary guy from the stories, it’s not safe Johnny!”

He agreed with you, but it had been days since you’d last had proper food and it would be a while yet before you could again.

“It will be okay,” he turns to you and kneels down to your level, holding your hands, “We need food Y/N, he’s Walt’s friend so he can’t be that scary right?” Johnny could always calm you down, it was like his super power, no matter the situation he would always make you feel safe and protected. “Besides, I’ll be with you the entire time, I’ll keep you safe.” Maybe he was just your superhero.

After a few meals with King, you both opened up to him exponentially. Like Johnny had promised, he stayed by your side and you both soon realised King wasn’t even half as scary as what people thought - at least not to you. Truthfully, King had started to see you both as his children; eating dinner together almost every day for years, it became harder and harder for him to watch you walk back into the streets afterwards. For some reason he felt the strong need to protect you both. Maybe he saw the innocence that still lingered somewhere beneath all the trauma and shattered glass. That’s when he decided he was going to take you in.

“...He took us in, gave us beds; clothes; food. He got Johnny the Xbox and taught us how to cook. He’s basically our father,” you smile. King really had done so much for you, sometimes you forget.

“Do you miss Johnny?” ‘Stupid question Mark of course she does’ he thinks as soon as he says it.

You look at him again and nod once, you never really talk about Johnny as him with anyone. Sure you’ve mentioned him in stories, much like the others had, but talking just about Johnny was hard, because it’s just a reminder of how you don’t have him anymore.

“So much,” you decide you won’t cry in front of Mark, he makes you feel safe, “he is my favourite person. He was the ‘rock’ of the team, everyone could go to him with any problem, anything at all, and he’d make it better. He brought us all together.”

This Christmas sucked. You all failed a mission two days before, leaving you all pretty beaten up; King was busy with meetings all day, the fridge was empty and none of you could stand long enough to get anything. Everyone was in a mood; hungry; tired and just over it.

“Right!” Johnny suddenly announces, hobbling up from the couches you were all sprawled across, “FIFA tournament, now! Rikky and Y/N vs Me and Ty, Winners get to choose the movie for movie night for the whole of January!”

Despite the initial reluctance, you all agreed and after a few rounds, it made things better. Suddenly the four of you were full of energy, hyping each other up and having to remember not to jump too quick on your bruised legs when you scored. Laughter, cheers and shouting soon filled the dull room.

“What’s with all the noise?!” King shouts, smiling when he walks in to see all of you huddled together around the tv, “I bought Ramen!” he shouts again, finally gaining your attention.

“...we ate ramen and played games all night that year; Johnny turned one of the worst Christmases in to the best, just by using his stupid football game as a way to make us watch 27 dresses every week for a month,”

Mark puts a hand on yours and rubs circles over your knuckles as you talk, still sitting impossibly close, he could feel you pouring your heart out to him and he was going to catch every piece of it.

“Can I speak to Mark for a moment please Y/N,” King had appeared behind you both and was giving you the look that told you to leave. You give Mark a sad smile before going, missing the warmth of his touch the second it’s gone.

“How are you doing Mark?” King asks, taking your place on the couch, though not sitting nearly as close as you were. “You’ve improved a lot, I’m proud of you.”

There was something to the way King had said it that made Mark feel good, he was proud of himself too, he was truly happy here.

“Thank you King Sir,” King smiles softly at the boy who still can’t seem to stop calling him ’Sir’, but he’d given up trying to correct him, he was starting to get used to it.

“Now Mark, I think you know by now that Y/N is like my daughter, she’s very precious to me,” it felt like he was about to get ‘the talk’ so Mark swallows dryly and nods along in agreement, “Y/N cares deeply for you, that makes you important to me too. I hope you know that whatever happens, you are apart of this family, you will always have a home here, that is a promise.”

Mark felt like he could cry. King was looking at him with such sincerity, opening his arms and welcoming him into his home, into his life - he’d never felt so at home before and it was overwhelming. To be wanted somewhere, to be apart of something.

“T-thank you, I-I, just thank you for everything,” Mark says, holding back the tears and smiling at the man who was giving him a fresh start in life, a life with meaning.

“If you’re thankful, how about helping me make tonight's dinner son, I’ll teach you how to make my famous Risotto,” King stands and gestures for Mark to follow, leaning in and whispering teasingly, “it’s Y/N’s favourite.”

[almaasi]

GISHWHES 2017 List Of Items

Yes, this archive post is a whole year late. Don’t judge me.

In 2017 the hunt ran from August 5th to the 12th, and winners went to Hawaii with Misha. (Misha scared everyone by implying it was The Last Ever Hunt, when it was actually just rebranding.) Under the cut: The entire item list from 2017, including item numbers, point values, and deleted items.

[ see also: 2011 list // 2012 list // 2013 list // 2014 list // 2015 list // 2016 list ]

Disclaimer: I am not personally affiliated with Misha Collins or any of the organisers of GISHWHES. This blog post is not official. And yes, I am allowed to post it.

#1 / PHOTO / 66 POINTS / Do you live near (or within a fun road trip’s length of) some sand dunes or a beach? If so, the time has come to fulfill your destiny. Make a massive portrait (must be larger than 20 square meters - the larger the better) of either someone who inspires you, or a message of hope beautifully written in sand. Use a drone to capture footage, if helpful. Make sure you are not working on protected or ecologically sensitive dunes.

#2 / PHOTO or VIDEO / 20 POINTS / There was a hobby or talent that you used to do when you were younger that you stopped doing for whatever reason. Do it again. Now.

#3 / PHOTO / 52 POINTS / Pancake art has come a long way, and the art form doesn’t get the respect it deserves. Let’s see pancake art of Guernica, Judith Slaying Holofernes, The Weeping Woman, anything by Hieronymus Bosch., or another famous work. (You may not do the Mona Lisa or anything abstract.)

#4 / PHOTO / 62 POINTS / As anyone who reads “Cosmopolitan” magazine knows, bohemian eco-chic weddings are all the rage. Let’s see a wedding dress made from recycled office paper.

#5 / PHOTO or VIDEO / 42 POINTS / Nobody likes elevator music in an elevator - unless it’s flute or pan flute music played by a wood nymph. (We must see unsuspecting passengers in the elevator with the wood nymph.)

#6 / VIDEO / 19 POINTS / Re-enact the experience of your birth, using (only) shadow puppets.

#7 / VIDEO / 44 POINTS / (Up to 2 minutes.) You love your grandparents, or your great-grandparents, but you've never heard their stories. Get one of them to tell you about the two most transformative experiences of their early life, before they turned 30. These must be experiences that shaped them into the people they are today. They may be difficult situations or lucky ones, but they must be transformative. Subject(s) must be more than 80 years old.

#8 / PHOTO / 82 POINTS / The year is 2021. Of all the unique and amazing human specimens on Earth, it was hard for the aliens to choose which ones to collect, but your team stood out as being excessively weird & worth “analysis". Your entire team was abducted and put into an alien specimen box. In grid form, show each member of your team along with a card explaining where they got you (city, country) and a word stating what special characteristic makes you unique.

#9 / PHOTO / 29 POINTS / I can assure you, THAT has never been frozen in jello before! How did you manage to do that?!

#10 / PHOTO / 51 POINTS / Pizza was invented in Italy in 997 AD to honor the Queen Consort, Queen Margherita. The next significant event in Italian history was the start of the Renaissance Period in the 14th century, which spawned a revival in art, architecture, science and learning. Let’s celebrate these two seminal moments in Italian history. Bake a Pizza decorated as a Renaissance painting that would make the Old Masters proud.

#11 / PHOTO or VIDEO / 82 POINTS / There are many old ghost towns (Note that Little Beaver Town on the list has been leveled. We're not sure what happened to the ghosts but they may be smaller/flatter) around the world. I’ve been told, however, that almost all of these are fake and do not contain real ghosts. I refuse to believe this. Help me prove them wrong. Let’s see ghosts (at least 6) doing typical small-town activities (shopping, dropping stuff off in the mailbox, porch sitting, walking ghost dogs, as crossing guards and school kids, etc.) in one of the actual ghost towns at the link above (or in another legitimately publicized ghost town). Provide a caption to your image or video with the name of the ghost town , and the State or Province and Country you’re in.

#12 / PHOTO / 29 POINTS / Many of us have lost pets in our lifetime. As a memorial to a loved pet that is now frolicking in the clouds chasing or sniffing whatever it was that pet liked to chase/sniff, write a poem or haiku about that loved one, or create a small shrine in nature comprised of items the pet loved and a photo of him or her.

#13 / PHOTO / 41 POINTS / (Side by side) A child drawing of their idea of happiness. Then, make it happen.

#14 / PHOTO / 48 POINTS / Over the years gishwhes has always been a supporter of first responders (firemen, paramedics, ER medics, nurses, police, etc.). Let’s give them one last treatment of a proper gishwhes “THANK YOU!” Find your nearest and dearest first responders and bring them The Most Epic Cookies or Pastries the World Has Ever Seen (MECOPWHES).

#15 / PHOTO / 23 POINTS / Groucho Marx a piece of fruit. No, we don’t know what this means either, but we’re excited to see what you come up with.

#16 / VIDEO / 29 POINTS / (Up to 2 minutes.) Take your parent back to the place where they lived when they were 10. Find someone they knew from then and ask them to recall a shared memory.

#17 / PHOTO / 69 POINTS / Spicy Art! Using the spices you have in your spice cupboard, make a picture of your favorite (1) comic book cover, or (2) cartoon character. Either submit it alone, or as a side-by-side image comparison.

#18 / PHOTO / 63 POINTS / Create or provide “gishwhes” welcome blankets (if it’s cold) or cold water and snacks (if it’s hot) for newly arriving immigrants… anywhere on the planet. Here’s some inspiration for you.

#19 / PHOTO / 38 POINTS / (Side-by-side image) A photo of your pet and a photo of the portrait of your pet that you have made from their own food and treats.

#20 / PHOTO / 41 POINTS / This family’s toys get into sweet, crazy escapades at night while the kids are sleeping. Your family’s toys make that family’s toys look like do-gooders. Let’s see what happened with your family’s toys while you slept last night.

#21 / PHOTO or VIDEO / 41 POINTS / Let’s see the world famous once-every-3000-years “Spectral Olympics”.

#22 / PHOTO / 50 POINTS / We finally have a confirmed sighting of a mythical beast from urban legends (Bigfoot, Nessie, Yeti, etc.) suffering the effects of climate change.

#23 / PHOTO / 39 POINTS / This morning, my daughter, Maison reported having seen a “moon fairy” while I was sleeping last night. As you know, the rarely-seen moon fairies are mischievous, nocturnal creatures who participate in synchronized, representational flight. Using a long exposure and flashlights (or other movable light sources) photograph these elusive beasts.

#24 / PHOTO / 43 POINTS / She wore a raspberry beret… Wear a beret made out of raspberries as you shop in a second-hand store.

#25 / PHOTO / 56 POINTS / Wombat poop is shaped like little bricks. Sounds like the perfect building material for a tiny house! Show us! If we can figure out the architectural style you chose from your structure - bonus points! You’ll probably have to go to a local zoo to ask for collections of this building material. Enjoy your visit while you’re there. Your image must contain a caption that shares a little known fact about wombats.

#26 / VIDEO / 101 POINTS / (Create an old-school STOP MOTION film - up to 1 minute.) A Romeo and Juliet story... Two young virile socks (unmatched) meeting, falling in love, being kept apart and finally ending tragically.

#27 / PHOTO / 48 POINTS / The Internet has brought us all closer together, so this should be really easy: find someone from one of the 10 smallest countries in the world. Have them send you a forced perspective photo of something very small that makes that object look huge in front of a famous public landmark or historical site in that country. Caption the photo with “Big things happen in the tiny nation of [insert country name].” Teams may not share submissions with other teams, so make sure your tiny country helper isn’t helping someone else.

#28 / PHOTO / 58 POINTS / Finger-painting is often thought of as unsophisticated and associated with preschool. But we know it can be deployed for much loftier purposes. Prove the art historians and elitists wrong by finger painting a sophisticated mural with complex messaging about an important global issue on the wall of a classroom. You may want to get a pre-schooler or two to help just to make sure you’re doing it right!

#29 / PHOTO / 37 POINTS / It is either winter or summer where you are. (If it is not, please contact our support so we can send NASA to find you.) There’s something you love to do outdoors in the winter or summer where you live. Do the activity you love to do in the opposite season that you are in.

#30 / PHOTO / 41 POINTS / THIS ITEM MUST BE POSTED ON SOCIAL MEDIA PRIOR TO THE END OF THE HUNT! NEW LEASH ON LIFE USA adopts otherwise unadoptable dogs and sends them through a unique training program. Shelter pets rarely get any attention and millions are put down each year. Many times this can be avoided if people on the Interwebs (who would like and could responsibly own a pet) were to see how cute, available, lonely and cuddly they are. Let’s save a pet or two (or thousands). Grab a friend or two and visit a shelter. Spend some time with one or more of the pets there. Post a selfie of your favorite pet looking for a “forever home” on Twitter (tagging @NewLeashUSA) or Instagram (tagging @NewLeashOnLifeUSA), using hashtag #adoptmeplease, and the social media handle or name of the shelter (so people can contact them). Submit the image you take on our site, but provide the link to your social media post link in the comment field of the submit page. // UPDATED: Updated tags and social accounts. (Original said “on Twitter or Instagram, tagging @NewLeashUSA”.)

#31 / PHOTO / 44 POINTS / You’ll find all you need to complete this item here: https://yung.cloud/index.php?a=track&id=29451

#32 / PHOTO / 50 POINTS / Visit a local bakery or food market. Get them to donate still-edible items to a women’s shelter. Speak to the women’s shelter first to make sure they will accept donations like this. Submit an image of you at the women’s shelter donating the food items. // UPDATE NOTE: Please don't take images that include any of the residents in the background out of respect to their safety & privacy.

#33 / PHOTO / 73 POINTS / From @gishwhes twitter feed: Everyone knows the most ticklish parts of planes are on the undersides of the wings (or "wing pits", to use proper aircraft terminology). Let’s see the wing pits on a full-sized airplane. You can go true bohemian, decorative, or high and tight groomer - but it must really look like (or be) hair to count.

#34 / PHOTO / 89 POINTS / As this is likely the last year of gishwhes we should probably do something to memorialize it. A lot of folks have been saying, “Save gishwhes!” But we say, “Shave “gishwhes”... into the back of your head.” Try to match the amazing logo that Olivia Desianti formed way back when - which we still use today. Bonus points if you include the current or a former gishwhes hybrid mascot in your masterpiece. The same design shaved into a thick matt of back or chest hair would be an acceptable substitute.

#35 / PHOTO / 44 POINTS / Hand a bouquet of flowers (or a single flower) to a person leaving a house of worship that is not your religion. For example, if you are a Christian, you could hand a bouquet of flowers to someone leaving a mosque. If you’re Jewish, hand flowers to someone at a Christian church, etc. With the flowers, attach a note saying something in your own words, but to the effect of: “I may not worship in the same building as you, and I may not pray to the same prophets, but I am grateful to be sharing this planet with you in peace.”

#36 / PHOTO / 23 POINTS / The dewey decimal system has long been responsible for keeping good books apart— books that clearly deserve to spend a life together on library shelves. For that matter, it seems so many libraries go out of their way to keep perfectly good literary companions apart as they separate fact from fiction, biography from archaeology, science fiction from politics. Be the matchmaker literature needs and get creative at your local library or bookstore. Show the spines of at least six books together in a library or bookstore (the more titles the better) the titles of which create the perfect oxymoronic sentence or phrase. - Monica Duff

#37 / PHOTO / 92 POINTS / No one talks about the fact that the destruction of the Death Star put thousands of Stormtroopers out of work. Luckily the Empire has a pretty robust social safety net and most of them have been retrained and placed in new jobs, the majority of which have been in the transportation sector. Let’s see a stormtrooper driving/flying a large passenger vehicle. Must be for mass transit, not just a car or a van. A subway, train, bus, ferry, plane, etc.

#38 / PHOTO / 43 POINTS / THIS ITEM MUST BE POSTED ON SOCIAL MEDIA PRIOR TO THE END OF THE HUNT! Pick a celebrity social media image post (or an advertisement) and recreate it with a subtle twist like Celeste Barber does here. Tweet, Instagram or FB post your image side-by-side with the original image, “#embracereality @gishwhes” and your team name. (You may also tag or mention the celebrity or brand you are satirizing.) Submit the image you take side-by-side with the original one, but provide the link to your social media post in the comment field of the submit page.

#39 / PHOTO / 29 POINTS / You’ve heard of Cabbage Patch Kids, Garbage Pail Kids, and the Pacific Garbage patch. Let’s see a Great Pacific Garbage Patch Kid, (a cabbage-patch kid made from garbage you pick up from your local beach or lakefront), complete with adoption certificate.

#40 / VIDEO / 51 POINTS / (Up to 30 seconds.) THIS ITEM MUST BE POSTED ON SOCIAL MEDIA PRIOR TO THE END OF THE HUNT!. Have a full church choir sing Carry on My Wayward Son while wearing dental cheek retractors. Please make sure that the video shows some of the singers’ faces up close. Then, share the video via twitter with the band Kansas (@kansasband) with @mishacollins @gishwhes.” Submit the video on our site but provide the link to your social media post in the comment field of the submit page. - Nicki Bentley-Colthart

#41 / PHOTO / 21 POINTS / Show us your own personal “Stairway to Heaven” -Dylan Cacador

#42 / PHOTO or VIDEO / 48 POINTS / You ever heard of “pond dipping”? “river bugging”? Neither have we - but let’s not let that stop us. Invent and show off your own *SAFE* summer wet, wild and messy activity and caption it with a clever name.

#43 / PHOTO / 39 POINTS / Never judge a book by its cover… or bread by its shape. Bake bread or cookies into the shape of something you would DEFINITELY not want to eat. (We hate to have to say this every year, but pornographic pastries will result in docked points.)

#44 / VIDEO / 56 POINTS / (Time-lapse up to 20 seconds.) A snail (or similarly VERY slow insect or worm) crossing a path or going up a wall. Put or stick objects in its path so it has to change directions multiple times. Then have it go through some “winner” gates at the end of its arduous trek. To make it a gripping adventure, you’ve dropped frames and turned this into a fast-paced adventure and set it to 1980s video game music, complete with a grand finale sound at the end when it makes it through the gates.

#45/ PHOTO / 72 POINTS / You may not be aware, but leather-clad, tattoo-covered biker clubs love to hang out and play in those inflatable bouncy castles. Catch them in the act!

#46 / PHOTO / 29 POINTS / THE FINAL “KALE” ART. (Please note that per Commandment #4 of the 2017 Hunt, this word and material as a Hunt item is not permitted. We are aware of this. That being said, we do not care. You still may not use the word “kale”. Henceforth, it shall be called [REDACTED] BUT you may use it as a material for this item.) Therefore, take a SINGLE glorious piece of [REDACTED] and, using whatever adornments or other decoratives, clipping patterns, etc., create a stunning, museum worthy piece of art that shall then be showcased (and submitted as such) as an ornamental headpiece on you.

#47 / PHOTO / 63 POINTS / Your strict neighborhood HOA (Homeowners’ Association) got replaced by a better HOA: the Hopeful Optimist’s Association. They’ve decided that your lawn isn’t quite up to regulations. Get your front yard up to snuff by building a large-scale, jaw-dropping sculpture or structure dedicated to Hope. Make it so magnificent that motorists backup & park to gaze at its beauty. (Conversely, it could be that YOUR neighborhood HOA got replaced by the Horrible Organization for Awfulness... You get where we're going with this, right?)

#48 / PHOTO / 48 POINTS / As most people know, roosters enjoy a good sunrise. But other farm animals enjoy sunrises and sunsets, too. Let's see a photo of you, some friends or companions (such as your dog), and a sheep, horse, cow, or other non-rooster barnyard animal, watching the sun rise or set together. Bonus points if the spectacular skies are reflected in water in front of you.

#49 / PHOTO / 37 POINTS / There’s something important that your local or national politicians are not attending to properly. Stand in front of something that represents the issue/right/minority group/etc. that you care about and that your politicians are not adequately protecting and hold a large, hand-written sign with a message to the powers that be. Tweet this image to an elected official with the power to do something to help tagged “#gishwhesrights”. Submit the image and a link to your tweet in the comments.

#50 / PHOTO or VIDEO / 51 POINTS / Have too much of a good thing, by which we mean a cream-filled balloon the size of a volley ball. Volley, volley, spike! Play a game of volleyball with it in the middle of a busy plaza.

#51 / PHOTO / 47 POINTS / Anyone who serves in the military is risking their life to serve their nation. Being respectful to not trespass on military grounds, stand in front of a large military craft, ship, tank, or plane with an inclusive sign of thanks to every service member of every kind. You may post this image on social media prior to the end of the hunt, if you choose. Submit the image with a link to your post in the comment section (if you chose to post it).

#52 / VIDEO / 41 POINTS / (Time-lapse up to 30 seconds.) Paint a dignified portrait of a President, Prime Minister, King, or Queen. But we don’t want you to waste canvas or paper! Paint this on a loved one’s bare back or abdomen. (use skin safe paints or edible “paint-like” food products!)

#53 / PHOTO / 33 POINTS / Write something in frosting on a cake that you’ve always wanted to say to someone, and deliver it to them.

#54 / PHOTO / 40 POINTS / THIS ITEM MUST BE POSTED ON SOCIAL MEDIA PRIOR TO THE END OF THE HUNT! Listen to this and be scared: http://www.radiolab.org/story/nukes/. But this bill has been introduced to try to solve this global risk. Let’s get it approved! Tweet ALL of your reps to pass the legislation to make congressional approval for first nuclear strike US law. Submit a screenshot of your post. Provide a link to the tweet in the comment field of the submit page. // UPDATE: Edited for clarity: Not senators but representatives.

#55 / PHOTO or VIDEO / 34 POINTS / Make a homemade Castiel kite with a child. We must see the kite in flight.

#56 / PHOTO / 41 POINTS / Sometimes things are just too comfy to leave, but you’re prepared for this! Let’s see you in your “Hammock Self-Containment Unit”. This, of course, would be you in a hammock with everything you need to live for one week, including all life preserving items, sanitation supplies and, of course, entertainment (live or otherwise). Make sure it’s clean, well organized, and designed for easy access to everything.

#57 / PHOTO or VIDEO / 52 POINTS / Show us a beautiful mermaid or sea creature performing a politically defiant modern dance solo to the beautiful music of the Sea Organ at Zadar. (Can’t make it to Zadar? The wave organ in San Francisco or the high tide organ in Blackpool may be substituted.)

#58 / PHOTO or VIDEO / 89 POINTS / It’s time to recreate the epic historic Great Zombie vs. Vampire World War II. As you recall, this particular battle took place with Nerf guns (homemade or otherwise) in an arena, forest or field, and was wild, gruesome, and featured multiple soldiers.

#59 / PHOTO / 59 POINTS / THIS ITEM MUST BE POSTED ON SOCIAL MEDIA PRIOR TO THE END OF THE HUNT! This item takes place on Friday, Aug 11th, in whatever city you’re in at 10am in your time zone. Stand in front of your state or province’s legislative building (the building where your laws are enacted) and with your friends, hold up a large sign showing an excerpt or summary of a law that protects civil rights. For example if you live in the US, you could hold up a sign with a portion of the 1st amendment of the US Constitution written on it. Use the hashtag #gishwhes4rights. Submit the image you take on our site, but provide the link to your social media post in the comment field of the submit page.

#60 / VIDEO / 51 POINTS / Up to 30 seconds - you may speed up or slow down the video if you need to.) Using only air-moving devices or machines, successfully navigate a balloon through a strange series of obstacles. It must be suspended in the air, without anyone or anything other than moving air touching it. It must travel at least 10 yards and culminate with your friend popping it with a needle sticking out from a hat they’re wearing.

#61 / VIDEO / 76 POINTS / (As long as it takes to complete the song.) THIS ITEM MUST BE POSTED ON SOCIAL MEDIA PRIOR TO THE END OF THE HUNT! James Corden hosts Carpool Karaoke in the US— a viral show that has celebrities singing songs with him in a car. (Yes, we realize this is typical lowbrow-American TV, but it works.) We want to upgrade carpool karaoke and make it more high-brow. Create your own carpool karaoke with a political or intellectual powerhouse. Your co-singer must be either a nobel laureate, MacArthur Fellow, a national elected official, Bill Nye, Jane Goodall, Neil deGrasse Tyson, or any past or present member of the Harlem Globetrotters. Oh, and your karaoke song must have sufficient gravitas and must be an 80s pop song. For example, “Like a Virgin” would do nicely. Shoot your video Carpool Karaoke style. Tweet the video to @JKCorden with #gishwhesloveskaraoke and mention who your passenger is in the post. Upload the video on our submit page but be sure to provide the link to your social media post in the comment field of the submit page.

#62 / PHOTO / 42 POINTS / Honeybees are a “keystone” species just like sharks. If they’re gone, we’re in big trouble. Unfortunately, there are currently “Colony Collapse Disorders” happening with honeybees throughout the world. This is when the majority of worker bees in a colony disappear, leaving the queen and immature bees to fend for themselves (most colonies completely die). This has major global food crop implications, as honeybees perform the magic of pollination of agricultural crops. If bees go by the wayside, we will have to find alternative pollination solutions, and that ain’t gonna be easy. But, let’s roll up our sleeves and give it a shot: Plant something in your garden (or plant a garden if you don’t have one) that is bee friendly (even if it’s just one plant in one pot on a patio). Spring - lilacs, penstemon, lavender, sage, verbena, and wisteria. Summer – Mint, cosmos, squash, tomatoes, pumpkins, sunflowers, oregano, rosemary, poppies, black-eyed Susan, passion flower vine, honeysuckle. Fall – Fuschia, mint, bush sunflower, sage, verbena, toadflax. Take a picture of yourself wearing some sort of bee-attire doing your part to pollinate your newly planted plant.

#63 / VIDEO / 265 POINTS / (Time-lapse up to 1 minute but preferably under 30 seconds.) Loo goes to space! A person named Loo won our NASA email contest last Fall, and Loo’s prize is out of this world. Write “Loo” on a paper airplane and launch it from the stratosphere (or higher). We must CLEARLY see you writing the name on the paper airplane and folding it, the paper airplane’s journey into space, and then the actual launch where the plane is released from the stratosphere from whatever vehicle has conveyed it to those heights (high-altitude weather balloons are an acceptable means of conveyance). Oh, and one more thing: the paper airplane must be decorated and must have a message on it about a secret, global conspiracy to make the world a better place. It should also have your team name written on it and the following email address: with the instructions: “If found please email picture of airplane and location found to: airgishwhes@gmail.com.

#64 / PHOTO / 58 POINTS / Quilt a gishwhes onesie out of underwear and/or gloves. Strike a pose in the lobby of a financial institution or bank. Bonus points if it’s the floor of a stock exchange.

#65 / PHOTO / 65 POINTS / You know SuperWhoLock? The amalgamation of Supernatural, Doctor Who and Sherlock? Well, that’s been done to death and everyone has moved on to the next big mashup. Let’s see 3D street art on a pavement or wall (in chalk!) that’s of a scene or setting from SuperWhoWatch (an amalgamation of Supernatural, Doctor Who and BayWatch)

#66 / PHOTO / 18 POINTS / Personify your favorite movie title. Include a caption on your image of the title of the movie in quotes. - Tanya Best

#67 / PHOTO / 43 POINTS / Banana Hammock. This year’s summer fashion elitists are all wearing the latest rage: Banana Bikini or Banana Briefs. Join them!

#68 / PHOTO / 51 POINTS / You finally have a use for all the naked bananas you now have sitting around! Bake as much banana bread as you can with “gishwhes” spelled out in bananas on the top & distribute it to your local nursing home.

#69 / VIDEO / 28 POINTS / You’ve been putting this off for far too long. Tell your parents something bad that you did as a child that they still don’t know about. Capture their reaction. This must not be staged. We have an Academy Award Winning Judge on staff that will determine if your parent has already heard this story and you will be docked points. - CJ and Lauren

#70 / VIDEO / 39 POINTS / (Time-lapse down to 20 seconds.) Sidewalk cafes are all the rage, but most “sidewalk cafes” are total posers. Set up a “sidewalk cafe” the way it was meant to be - on an actual sidewalk. Cook a delicious omelet using just a magnifying glass, a hot sidewalk, and the sun. Share your feast with a friend!

#71 / PHOTO or VIDEO / 45 POINTS / DELETED FOR REASONS // ORIGINAL: THIS ITEM MUST BE POSTED ON SOCIAL MEDIA PRIOR TO THE END OF THE HUNT! Rapper B. o. B. seems to think that the world is flat. Perform a highly scientific experiment that proves that it is not and tweet the results to him (https://twitter.com/bobatl). Submit the image or video you take on our site, but provide the link to your social media post in the comment field of the submit page.

#72 / PHOTO / 111 POINTS / I hate to say it, but this financial company is underwater. Let’s see the board meeting— with professionally dressed people at the table with chairs, paper, pens etc… all fully submerged at the bottom of a swimming pool.

#73 / PHOTO / 39 POINTS / Visit a local laundromat. Place decorated envelopes with enough money (in coins or bills, depending on the machines) for one load of washing and one load of drying on at least one machine with the note: “We swim together, we tumble together. Love, Gishwhes.”

#74 / PHOTO or VIDEO / 43 POINTS / Modify a grocery store shopping cart to be space-worthy. Put an alien being in the pilot’s seat and help them navigate the terrain of the “Earth produce” department to collect specimens.

#75 / PHOTO or VIDEO / 16 POINTS / They told me I couldn’t, so I did. Pose in front of a sign declaring a rule. Break that rule. A few notes: It must be safe (what you are doing), and it MUST NOT be a law or illegal where you are. It must only be a “rule”. For example, you might find a sign that says, “collared shirts only.” You would pose in front of that sign wearing a tank top. - Inspired by Emily Shulman

#76 / PHOTO / 39 POINTS / Have a caveperson demonstrate glass-blowing. - Jennifer Pierce

#77 / PHOTO / 24 POINTS / Personify or embody your team name. Caption your image with your team name. - Shannon

#78 / PHOTO / PHOTO or VIDEO / 48 POINTS / Being in the hospital can be scary and lonely for kids! Visit your local hospital to play a two-player video game with a pediatric patient. Be sure to dress thematically to match your game(s)! Take a picture of yourself in front of the children’s hospital. Do not take pictures with the kids unless they approve, their guardian(s) approve, and the hospital approves; we don’t want them to feel exploited. However, you MUST play with a child to get points for this item. This will be an honor system. You will have very bad karma if you cheat on this one. - Kristin Lindsay - Child’s Play charity.

#79 / VIDEO / 29 POINTS / (Up to 20 seconds.) Why would you move from the couch during a Supernatural binge watching session? Build a complex SPN-themed Rube-Goldberg machine to fill your empty glass, catapult you a snack, or to serve some other couch potato need. - Diane-Audrey Carlier

#80 / VIDEO / 73 POINTS / You’ve all seen “dog shaming memes” on the Internets. You know that crowd that lines up at the plaza of The Today Show and shows up on air? Let’s take it over with gisher-self-shaming signs. Hold up a large, colorful sign that details something you did that you probably shouldn’t have done (for example, “I drank milk straight of the carton and put it back in the fridge without telling my roommates”). Make it a light-hearted trivial violation, not a deep-seated personality flaw, actual violation of the law, or other serious offense. Share with us a clip of the AIRED FOOTAGE that shows your team’s sign and in the comments section of the item submitter, let us know which sign was yours. Do not add your team name or “gishwhes” anywhere on the sign… we want this to be a mystery.

#81 / PHOTO / 25 POINTS / Sometimes it feels like your boss expects you to be in more than one place at more than one time, but you’re a gisher so you know how to deliver. Using the panoramic photo function on your phone, insert yourself at least three times in the same picture in different positions and/or wardrobe to show yourself as you “multitask”. You may NOT Photoshop yourself into the image. (Hint: you have to run around the person taking the picture each time they pass you in the frame.)

#82 / PHOTO / 19 POINTS / In honour of Canada's 150th birthday, even though you may not be Canadian, you and a friend should clearly cover yourself in maple syrup and go roll in some maple leaves. - Jessica G.

#83 / PHOTO / 29 POINTS / Lets see your interpretation of fireworks using vegetables and spaghetti as mixed media. - Saty381

#84 / PHOTO / 52 POINTS / (Two Images side-by-side.) The first image is a photo of an illustrated page from a children’s book. The second image is your reenactment of that illustration in 3 dimensions. - Inspired by Sarah Trumbley

#85 / PHOTO / 47 POINTS / Let’s see LABSWHES. The Largest Awesome Balloon Sculpture the World Has Ever Seen. The themes this year are “insect” or “space”—or both. You must be in the middle of this structure.

#86 / PHOTO or VIDEO / 39 POINTS / Everyone thinks unicorns are beautiful, magical, gentle creatures. You know better. Prove it to the world! You may use any media you like, including Photoshop. - Traci Akierman

#87 / PHOTO / 41 POINTS / THIS ITEM MUST BE POSTED ON SOCIAL MEDIA PRIOR TO THE END OF THE HUNT! Tweet a picture of you or your child dressed as a bear in school to @betsydevos with whatever text you like and “#KeepSchoolsSafeFromBears #Gishwhes”. Submit the image you take on our site, but provide the link to your social media post in the comment field of the submit page. - Diedra Lookingbill

#88 / PHOTO / 60 POINTS / Three words: 10 Mannequin-pin Bowling. - Ariana Preis

#89 / PHOTO or VIDEO / 43 POINTS / Apply lipstick while jumping on a trampoline. - Emily Schulman

#90 / PHOTO or VIDEO / 42 POINTS / “Why did the chicken cross the road?” There’s no better crossing guard than a mother hen! Dressed as a chicken, offer to help people cross a busy street.

#91 / PHOTO / 31 POINTS / Leave a Yelp review of gishwhes after you deliver food to the homeless or to a homeless shelter.

#92 / VIDEO / 62 POINTS / (Up to 20 seconds.) It’s nice to see a serious sport finally get the recognition it deserves: http://www.euronews.com/2017/04/30/finns-compete-in-annual-hobby-horse-championship. Now, let's see video documentation of "Human NASCAR" complete with the speeding, lane changes, a pit-stop, crashes, etc. You & at least 5 friends must be drivers of "vehicles" of your own design, complete with corporate sponsorship logos. All vehicles must be motor-free and foot-propelled (ala-Flintstones) and all engine sounds must be vocalized by you and your friends. Just to be clear... this is Human NASCAR, not roller derby. All vehicles must be propelled on foot.

#93 / PHOTO / 72 POINTS / Get an elected official’s signature on a statement (written on official letterhead paper) declaring gishwhes an act of lawful resistance or civil disobedience. (Inspired by U of C Scav, 1987)

#94 / PHOTO / 44 POINTS / Camouflage yourself in a pet store.

#95 / VIDEO / 58 POINTS / (Up to 30 seconds.) The Silicon Gourmet has been teaching a neural network to generate recipes. Learning to cook is hard (as my son can attest)! In the interest of encouraging budding AI chefs everywhere, create a Food Network-worthy video preparing one of the recipes as described in the network’s cookbook. Make sure to sample the results on camera. Oh, and you must look and behave as if you were a droid, of course.

#96 / PHOTO / 38 POINTS / (Try to take a very close-up photo - a.k.a. “Macro” photo.) Nice grill! Combine the “tiny food” trend with urban fashion. Show someone cooking tiny hamburgers & hot dogs on a friend’s “grill” (the dental kind.)

#97 / PHOTO / 61 POINTS / Do something fitting in front of the Gereja Ayam (the abandoned Chicken Church of Indonesia). For example, you could play a game of Duck, Duck, Chicken! Or you could ponder the question: Which came first, the chicken or the egg? Or you could host an easter egg hunt… You get the picture.

#98 / VIDEO / 38 POINTS / A marionette show featuring a puppet of Trump being controlled by a Putin lookalike. Quintuple BONUS POINTS if Putin himself is the puppeteer.

#99 / VIDEO / 47 POINTS / Letterboxing (http://www.letterboxing.org/ or see https://www.atlasquest.com/) is a game where people hide small weatherproof boxes in publicly accessible spaces with a logbook & a stamp. They share the clues to find their box on the web or via word of mouth. Create a letterbox for your team & share clues so other teams can find it over social media. Leave a logbook with your team stamp on it in the box. Then, find another teams’ box and leave them a message of encouragement along with your team’s stamp in their log book. Submit proof that you found at least one other team’s book & the message you wrote. NO COLLUSION! (And that goes for you, too, Donald.) // UPDATE NOTE: Please either pickup your boxes after the Hunt ends or dedicate yourselves to maintaining them post-hunt.

#100 / PHOTO / 38 POINTS / Calliope. Clio. Euterpe. Erato. Melpomene. Polyhymnia. Terpischore. Thalia. Urania. Inspirational goddesses of literature, the arts and science in Greek mythology. On the steps of the National Gallery in Trafalgar Square, provide a visual representation of the muse that guides you in your art and/or life.

#101 / PHOTO or VIDEO / 80 POINTS / As I'm sure you’ve seen, over the years we have marketed gishwhes relentlessly and shamelessly (because we really want everyone to do it). This is the last gishwhes, so now it’s your turn to go ahead and show us how we should’ve marketed it. Create a gishwhes ad that no one would be able to resist. Note: you may make false or misleading claims if you so choose, but because we’re curious, you could even take a stab at a legit one. …

#102 / PHOTO / 74 POINTS / THIS ITEM MUST BE POSTED ON SOCIAL MEDIA PRIOR TO THE END OF THE HUNT! During the First Annual and Last Ever 2017 gishwhes Tea Party, we identified gishers based on their right-brush or left-brush toothbrushing statuses. Conduct a massive poll on your social networks for the gishwhes Institute of Vital Statistics to prove conclusively whether people brush their teeth starting on the same side of their mouth as their dominant hand or the opposite side. Because this is solid science, your sample size must have a minimum of 400 respondents. Submit a visually-compelling graph of your poll data and the number of votes and the winner. Use the hashtag #gishwhesteeth. Submit a screenshot of your post. Provide the link to your social media post in the comment field of the submit page.

#103 / VIDEO / 26 POINTS / Play hopscotch at one of the marker sites of Víddaflakk. (BONUS: Play Interdimensional Hopscotch.)

#104 / PHOTO / 90 POINTS / A far-right Republican senator and a far-left Democrat Senator (or two similarly “diametrically party-opposed” legislative makers in your country) co-wearing a very large (fits two people) “This is Our ‘Get-Along’ Shirt.” Caption the image with the names of the politicians.

#105 / PHOTO or VIDEO / 81 POINTS / We know a little girl that makes a different kind of Advent Calendar. As she marks off each day on the calendar, she gives something away. Make your own version of a reverse Advent calendar. On the first day of gishwhes, create a decorated Advent calendar whereby, for each day on the calendar, you depict something you’re going to give away. Then, each day of the Hunt, take a picture of you fulfilling your calendar item. Submit 7 pictures in a grid (or a video slideshow) showing what you’ve done. Then, continue on through the calendar period. (Yes, this will continue after the Hunt is over, but though gishwhes as we know it may be ending, its spirit will live on in you!) -Keegan Connor Tracy’s 10-year old daughter

#106 / VIDEO / 79 POINTS / The Lumbasumba region is being protected this year by Gishwhes. We gishers managed to purchase for permanent preservation more than 60 square miles of the Lumbasumba forest during the final weeks of registration in July! But the Lumbasumba area is more than just a forest. It’s also the hottest new dance craze. Show us how it’s done. (As all gishers know, you need to do it next to a REAL monkey, a parrot, or a camel to do it right.)

#107 / VIDEO / 92 POINTS / (Up to 45 seconds.) AMOK ITEM! Let’s virtually graffiti the world with kindness! Using a GPS tracking app (like Figure Running or similar), walk, jog, or run as large a path as you can to spell out a message of love, hope, or kindness. As you go, stop and perform acts of kindness and document them. You must show us the map with coordinates at the end of your path as well as the minimum of 3 documented act of kindness. - Inspired by Tia Pogue

#108 / PHOTO or VIDEO / 28 POINTS / The chickens have come home to Proust.

#109 / VIDEO / 71 POINTS / (Up to 22 seconds.) Wonder Woman being “Superman-splained” to.

#110 / PHOTO / 29 POINTS / The return of the Three-ingredient Challenge! Show us: Triptych, Transylvanian, takin.

#111 / PHOTO or VIDEO / 45 POINTS / A street vendor handing out toilet paper roses at the toilet fountain in Foshan, China.

#112 / PHOTO / 83 POINTS / A ballet troupe in tutus, engaged in a bar brawl - freeze framed at its most climactic moment.

#113 / PHOTO / 62 POINTS / Set up a Maximum Security Birdhouse in a beautiful public park.

#114 / PHOTO / 41 POINTS / DELETED FOR REASONS // ORIGINAL: Let’s see a TripAdvisor or Airbnb review of your mother’s womb as an “extended stay hotel”. Keep it suitable for work and any child’s prying eyes! // UPDATE: Item only needs listing, no review necessary. / UPDATE: Item deleted.

#115 / PHOTO / 83 POINTS / Make A Sunday Afternoon on the Island of Le Grande Jatte by Seraut into an elaborate dot-to-dot image.

#116 / PHOTO or VIDEO / 65 POINTS / Not many people know this, but the Kessel Run was actually a foot race. Let’s see at least 5 Star Wars characters competing in the Kessel Run in a shopping mall.

#117 / VIDEO / 65 POINTS / Driver picks the music, shotgun shuts his cakehole. Let’s see Dean Winchester driving a pedi-cab or quadricycle with Castiel & Sam as passengers.

#118 / PHOTO or VIDEO / 60 POINTS / Rumor has it that Amazon is teaming up with the Vatican for a bold new service: On Demand Drone Deliverance services. Show us a drone administering a wedding service, confession, last rites, communion or baptism.

#119 / PHOTO / 22 POINTS / Trump l’oeil. (This is not a typo.)

#120 / VIDEO / 91 POINTS / You’ve heard of a soap box derby, but the sofa bed derby is where it’s at. Let’s see two “race car” sofa beds, each with pajama-clad “drivers”, racing down an actual street. Be safe and complete this where there is absolutely no traffic!

#121 / PHOTO / 32 POINTS / The people of Iceland believe in Huldufólk, which are invisible elves. They build tiny houses and churches for them. But the Huldufólk deserve to have a nightlife, too! Let’s see a tiny Huldufólk nightclub in a busy urban area.

#122 / PHOTO / 40 POINTS / They say a rolling stone gathers no moss, but can moss gather a Rolling Stone? Make a portrait of one of The Rolling Stones out of moss.

#123 / PHOTO or VIDEO / 38 POINTS / As all gishers know, Saturday, August 12 is “Meet Another Gisher Day.” Meet up in front of the largest art museum in your town at 10:00 AM (of whatever timezone you’re in). It’s a pot-luck coleslaw brunch this year, so bring your favorite family recipe of coleslaw… and as much sidewalk chalk as you can. After brunch, decorate the pavement with a collaborative message to the world. In order for a meet-up to count you need to have representatives of at least 5 teams present, so this will require some organizing. Gishwhes is all about coming together, so teams may collaborate (gasp!) on this one, but your team’s image or video must still be all your own.

#124 / PHOTO / 21 POINTS / Be someone’s “rock” to get them through the hard times. Hand-paint small rocks with a message of kindness & leave them in areas that need a pick-me-up. (On the underside, please write “Pass it on.”) You must paint & hide at least one rock for each member of your team.

#125 / VIDEO / 41 POINTS / (Time-lapse under 20 seconds.) All good things must come to an end, and so it is with the Hunt. Create a “sand” mandala featuring images that symbolize the hunt to you… all using pixie sticks as your chakpur and sand. When it’s done, show us your masterwork and then, just like the Buddhist monks, sweep it away and get ready for what’s next.

#126 / PHOTO / 88 POINTS / DELETED FOR REASONS // ORIGINAL: Reward! I won’t say that Jensen & Jared are missing their balls, but they were last seen being sent into this quarry at Britannia Beach. Find them, take a photo, and put them back exactly where you found them for other teams to find. If you keep them, you will lose valuable karma & points. // UPDATE: Added safety advisory and strong caution based on reports. // UPDATE: Apparently Item #126, the one in which you are charged with finding Jared and Jensen’s golf balls is not going well. Now, granted, these are jared and jensen’s balls, so one would expect them to be quite hard to find. But it seems their balls are leaving a tremendous number of people unsatisfied as well. (To make matters worse, the owners of the quarry in BC have also installed a “no trespassing” sign since the hunt started and several bears have been spotted there by gishers as well.) So… I’m suspending this item. However, there will be a replacement item soon wherein you will be seeking out my golf balls, (which have never left an unsatisfied customer yet.) Also, if you have already completed item #126, you will be able to submit your photo of Jared and Jensen’s ball(s) for the new item and get full credit. The new item will be assigned the same number of points.

#127 / PHOTO or VIDEO / 64 POINTS / These Kung-Fu Nuns (dare we say “Nunjas?”) are biking through the Himalayas to stop human trafficking. (No, really.) In their honor, let’s see some tricks on a BMX bike. Rider must be dressed in a nun’s habit.

#128 / PHOTO / 84 POINTS / Get a Porcupanda or other gishwhes mascot included as an emoji on an official iPhone emoji list.

#129 / PHOTO or VIDEO / 57 POINTS / IMAGE or VIDEO. Pope St. Francis set up a laundromat to help the homeless get access to clean clothes. Follow his lead by setting up a service station to benefit the homeless or impoverished in your area (a “take what you need” public pantry, toiletries cabinet, water station, public shower, public toilet, laundry facility, open library, etc.).

#130 / PHOTO / 23 POINTS / A tactometer used to measure tact.

#131 / PHOTO / 33 POINTS / Make a collage that features things only locals from your town would know about. Display it prominently in a public space in your town.

#132 / PHOTO / 79 POINTS / Couch Surfing 2: The Revenge. Last year, in our infinite wisdom, we suggested “couch surfing: real surfing, real couch.” We quickly came to our senses and pulled the item for safety reasons, but it’s been a year and we don’t hold onto the past. Couch surfing: Let’s see it in the real surf with a BUOYANT (e.g.,inflatable) couch. You may not use a real couch as it’s too dangerous and bad for the ecosystem. Make it happen. (You may not leave any couches in any body of water and you must be super safe with this. If waves are too big, do not do it.)

#133 / PHOTO / 42 POINTS / Waste not, want not. Save every piece of non-biodegradable refuse that you would have normally thrown away from Days 1-5 of the Hunt and on day 6, use this material to create a sculpture of an endangered animal.

#134 / VIDEO / 21 POINTS / My wife is so trend-forward, she recently took a “goat yoga class” (it’s real; you can google it.) Without hurting, upsetting, or endangering ANY animal, show us the next trend in animal-infused yoga that she should get on board with.

#135 / VIDEO / 40 POINTS / THIS ITEM MUST BE POSTED ON SOCIAL MEDIA PRIOR TO THE END OF THE HUNT! (Up to 30 seconds.) Freeze frame on a picture of you (like they do at the end of movies) and then roll a credit sequence for your own life. Include a "here’s what happens to you in the future" sentence or two and then a listing of the people that have helped you get where you are now or where you are going and what their “titles” are. Post this on the social media channel of your choice with the hashtags #gishwhes #mylife. Submit the video, and in the comment field provide the link to the post.

#136 / PHOTO / 29 POINTS / Often misunderstood and rarely properly pronounced, chupacabras just need a good home. Adopt one and show us your favorite bonding moment.

#137 / PHOTO or VIDEO / 51 POINTS / Take an elderly person (at least 70 years old) on a joyride in their favorite car (same make and model and vintage) from their youth. The elderly person must be at least 70 years old; the car, at least 60 years old... and you and the senior must be dressed in period attire that reflects the era when the car was manufactured.

#138 / PHOTO / 52 POINTS / Prejudice is something we can easily see and call out in others. However, we all have biases and prejudices of our own that we are often blind to. You’re going to have to dig deep here - but you’re a gisher, so we know you can do it. Show us you taking a step to overcome one of your own prejudices.

#139 / PHOTO / 61 POINTS / Each member of your team must knit or crochet one piece of a quilted throw that, when combined, showcases your team emblem or symbol.

#140 / VIDEO / 51 POINTS / Everyone talks about drum circles, but they grossly underestimate the power of other shapes. Create a complex shape with as many sides, angles or curves as you can, and demonstrate the power of percussion geometry - with as many drummers as you can drum up.

#141 / PHOTO / 42 POINTS / At least 8 people walking in twos, on the Tiger & Turtle in Duisburg, Germany as if it were an actual roller coaster. They must keep their hands up as they walk the track, except for one of the front “riders” who is clenching an invisible lap bar, terrified. It’s okay to be nauseous.

#142 / VIDEO / 80 POINTS / As all gishers know, a Gish Gallop can only be performed by a Forbes 1000 CEO in the lobby of that CEO's company’s headquarters on a hobby horse or a live pony. Caption your video with the name of the company and CEO that we are watching as they Gish Gallop. // UPDATE: CEO list changed.

#143 / PHOTO / 41 POINTS / Sure, most Stormtroopers toed the line, but back in the 1960s there were a few draft-dodging peacenik Stormtroopers. Find a famous vintage photo of a peace sit-in or Woodstock-level love-in and flawlessly photoshop in one or more Stormtroopers. We must think it’s the real thing. As an alternative, you can stage your own “peace” picture and submit an “aged” stormtrooper sit-in image. YES, YOU MAY PHOTOSHOP THIS ITEM!

#144 / VIDEO / 37 POINTS / (Up to 30 seconds.) An impromptu concert consisting of a chocalho, an apito, a reco-reco, and a pandeiro. (Bonus points if you perform in front of, or in, the Teatro Amazonas.) Oh, and of course the musicians are playing Carry On my Wayward Son by @kansasband.

#145 / PHOTO / 71 POINTS / Oversized board games are a trend, with oversized Jenga and such. Let’s see a game of tiddlywinks being played— scaled up to giant-sized.

#146 / PHOTO / 40 POINTS / Two nice suburban monster moms out for a day of shopping at Hoxton’s Monster Supplies in England.

#147 / PHOTO / 28 POINTS / Paint an extraordinary portrait of your favorite gishwhes mascot with the brand “D2N” (with the 2 backwards) on the Werregarenstraat.

#148 / PHOTO or VIDEO / 38 POINTS / Dress up as a superhero and perform acts of “kindness” heroism at Hősök tere (Hero's Square).

#149 / VIDEO / 71 POINTS / (Time-lapse up to 25 seconds.) Canada's Prime Minister Justin Trudeau gets a lot of attention for being super hot. Frankly, it's starting to detract from his ability to govern. Cool things down by making a sculpture of Trudeau out of Canada's most ample resource: ice. A couple of caveats: the frozen water you use must have something added to it to make it opaque, and inside the ice must be something emblematic of canada that doesn’t melt (for example, a hockey skate). The timelapse must be of the sculpture melting revealing the object hidden inside. Make sure to frame your shot with a fitting or neutral background so that the final product really pops.

#150 / PHOTO / 33 POINTS / Ireland has the lowest reports of UFO sightings in Europe each year. Something must be done about this! Make and display a convincing UFO in a public place in Ireland to increase the number.

#151 / PHOTO / 54 POINTS / Visit Cat Island (Tashirojima, Japan) dressed as a dog. You must have at least 10 cats in the photo.

#152 / PHOTO / 42 POINTS / Decorate the exterior of your home like the Pan House, using whatever object speaks to you.

#153 / VIDEO / 72 POINTS / Not to be quixotic, but wind power and automation are the future of personal grooming. Create a wind-powered device to automate a self-care process. Could be a wind-powered shoe shining machine, a wind-powered, toothbrush, etc. (It must actually work and must actually be powered by wind.)

#154 / PHOTO / 33 POINTS / There’s a UFO Observation Deck (redmonkeygroup.com) in Slovakia. On Sunday, August 6 at 3 PM Slovakian time, grab your friends and dress up as your interpretation of extraterrestrials and go there. Bring luggage and queue up outside of it as though you're boarding to go back home (you don’t have to enter).

#155 / PHOTO / 40 POINTS / Over the years, we’ve had menstrual-hygiene supply sculptures of everything from dinosaurs to seagulls to puppies. We’ve also gotten a lot of flak for encouraging waste, and in protest gishers have donated thousands of menstrual pads to shelters, (which actually proves that in fact we at gishwhes can do no wrong). This final year’s list wouldn’t be complete without a menstrual-hygiene sculpture, so we’re ending this by splitting the difference: Create a tiny, perfectly sculpted statue of Michelangelo’s David or another famous historic sculpture of your choosing out of a SINGLE tampon, and then donate at least 1 box of menstrual hygiene supplies to your local shelter. Submit the image of your sculpture. The donation will be on the honor system. Remember, KARMA is a bitch.

#156 / PHOTO / 71 POINTS / Sure, Misha & HRH Queen Elizabeth II had a rocky year in 2016 with their “Brexit Breakup”, but despite a brief conscious uncoupling, theirs is a love that stands the test of time. Prove it by showing us Egyptian hieroglyphics, Greek urns, or other recently-unearthed archaeological finds that prove theirs is a love that has lasted through the ages. If you’re choosing to do a hieroglyphic, you may NOT permanently deface any stone - use chalk!

#157 / PHOTO / 38 POINTS / THIS ITEM MUST BE POSTED ON SOCIAL MEDIA PRIOR TO THE END OF THE HUNT! NASA is soliciting tweets to send to Voyager 1. Tweet your suggestion with #gishwhes. I suggest it be the following theme: Voyager 1 ran to the store and you are texting to remind it to pick something up at the store. But we will permit messages of any type so let your imaginations run wild. Submit a screenshot of your post. Provide a link to the tweet in the comment field of the submit page.

#158 / PHOTO / 22 POINTS / Thanks to “reactions” we can now communicate our feelings more clearly to one another! But Facebook limits us to just 6 reactions and we at gishwhes HQ believe that this limitation constraints our ability to express nuanced emotions to one another. Let’s see an updated version of the Facebook “reactions” with feelings like “silently judging you”, “reacting positively to your face but planning to gossip about this later”, and “I’m just not sure how to feel about this” and other more subtle emotions. You may photoshop this item.

#159 / PHOTO / 47 POINTS / Who said you couldn't Hunt while in hospital? Certainly not any of us! Show off your large-scale cartoon skills by writing the longest poem (or drawing the largest mural) you can, all about the adventures of a virus caught in a hospital, on a scroll made from a roll of exam table paper.

#160 / PHOTO or VIDEO / 41 POINTS / As you all know, my grandmother lives at Roland Park Place in Baltimore, MD. It’s a senior assisted-living home. She’s been hesitant to have the shenanigans of gishwhes descend, so let’s legitimize that fear... from Tuesday to Thursday 10AM to 4PM ONLY PLEASE! (DON’T SHOW UP AT ANY OTHER TIME OR IT WILL BE AN INCONVENIENCE TO THE GUESTS AT THE HOME and you will be docked points!) Let’s invade Roland Park Place literally! Show up dressed as an extraterrestrial on an interplanetary goodwill mission. Bring an offering of your home planet’s favorite treats or creature comforts (games, large print books, slippers, slip-proof socks, soft blankets, etc) and specimens of natural beauty from this planet (humans like that). You will get 25% bonus points if you perform this item at Roland Park Place (that’s the added value of nepotism), but you can get full credit if you perform this item at any retirement home/assisted living facility.

#161 / PHOTO / 87 POINTS / David LaChapelle is a renowned experimental photographer known for his kitsch-pop surrealist style. Recreate a well-known painting as a photograph in the style of David LaChappelle. Somewhere in your image there must be a banana, and you may not depict The Last Supper. (2X Bonus: get Dave Chappelle to star in your David LaChapelle homage.)

#162 / PHOTO or VIDEO / 33 POINTS / Lube luge. That's it. That's the item.

#163 / PHOTO / 60 POINTS / This Hunt’s must-have fashion trend: an aquarium hat with live fish. The aquarium hat must not endanger the live fish in any way.

#164 / PHOTO / 62 POINTS / DELETED FOR REASONS // ORIGINAL: Get a bonafide zillow listing for property on Mars.

#165 / PHOTO / 28 POINTS / https://twitter.com/zenxv/status/845474882607632384

#166 / VIDEO / 38 POINTS / (Time-lapse up to 30 seconds.) Follow a tomato back in time from the local co-op to where the farmer grew it. Thank them for their service by sharing a sandwich with them… one that has slices of that tomato in it.

#167 / VIDEO / 29 POINTS / (Time-lapse up to 20 seconds.) There are two things that science has proven unequivocally: 1) global warming is happening and 2) sucking the melting ice cream from a tiny hole in the bottom of a sugar cone is the greatest possible pleasure in life. (Minimum 5 rounded scoops on top and you must suck all the ice cream through the tiny hole.)

#168 / PHOTO / 66 POINTS / When the apocalypse comes and the power goes out you are going to be sorry you are so digitally-dependent! Have your social media page printed on microfiche… just in case.

#169 / PHOTO / 27 POINTS / Write "Ass butt" (in non-toxic kids finger paint or chalk!) on the hindquarters of an Ass. (This should go without saying, but be careful & safe. Approach from the side, never stand directly behind it, and try to keep the donkey happy so you don't get injured.)

#170 / VIDEO / 88 POINTS / Angels may be all-powerful, but they’re luddites (technologically behind the times) and it affects their productivity in the office. Let’s see an angel writing something on an old-school mechanical typewriter (not electric) featuring a working Enochian keyboard. (The keys and keystrokes must correspond to actual Enochian typeface.)

#171 / PHOTO / 41 POINTS / A stump grinder with a unicorn decal, with a child no more than 7 years old wearing a pink princess costume in the driver’s seat. // // UPDATE: Machine should not be operational during photo op. / AMENDED ITEM: A stump grinder with a unicorn decal, being pushed by a child no more than 7 years old wearing a pink princess costume. (Edited because Misha is not much into stump-grinding and thought a stump grinder was something else.) It should go without saying, but this is a photo op. The stump grinder should not be on or operational. Safety first!

#172 / PHOTO / 32 POINTS / Now that this may be the last gishwhes-as-we-know-it ever, it’s time to reflect on missed opportunities. Let’s see the Item List Misha SHOULD have made all these years. Give us your team’s ideal gishwhes Item List with a minimum of 10 Items. If the majority of the items you create look like no thought was put into them (and you were just quickly writing down items to get the points), you will receive zero points.

#173 / PHOTO or VIDEO / 55 POINTS / Complete one of the more challenging items on your team’s homemade gishwhes Item List.

#174 / PHOTO / 33 POINTS / DELETED FOR REASONS // ORIGINAL: An Airbnb listing for the gishbus.

#175 / PHOTO / 36 POINTS / Everyone knows “high noon” means “high tea”. Bring a little bit of civilization to the frontier with Wild West teacup and saucer holsters.

#176 / PHOTO / 33 POINTS / For our gish cousins in the antipodes where the days are short and the nights are cold: Establish a “TLC” station at Federation Square, opposite Flinders Street Station in Melbourne or on the steps of the Opera House in Sydney, and provide a little warmth – be it a coffee, a heat pack, or simply a smile – for those making their journey to work on the cold winter mornings. // UPDATE: Melbourne TLC location changed. (Original said “Establish a “TLC” station under the iconic clocks at Flinders Street Station in Melbourne”.)

#177 / PHOTO / 44 POINTS / A Scottish terrier in a Scottish kilt eating a scotch egg in front of an Irish monument.

#178 / PHOTO / 54 POINTS / The Prague Astronomical Clock – or Prague orloj – is the third oldest astronomical clock in the world, and the oldest one still operating. But imagine if this feat of mechanical engineering did more than mark the passage of time... Imagine it could actually take you back in time! Gather your teammates, friends, and family members together and show us the time period you would travel back to if this historic clock warped the time continuum. Note: You and your time-travelling companions must be pictured in front of the clock.

#179 / VIDEO / 36 POINTS / (Up to 45 seconds edited.) Share an audio dream diary of your first thoughts as you wake up every morning of the Hunt (so you cannot submit this until the last day of the Hunt!). It must be the first thing you do before you get out of bed.

#180 / VIDEO / 111 POINTS / (Up to 30 seconds.) Cinema has evolved, but some actors don’t. Let’s see a silent film actress against a 1920’s style black-and-white-set. The actor/actress must have exaggerated facial expressions and the score must be nickelodeon-style piano music. Suddenly, the music changes… It's hip hop and modern technology comes in with color and sync sound, but she's still black and white and still mouthing words with title card.

#181 / PHOTO / 87 POINTS / THIS ITEM MUST BE POSTED ON SOCIAL MEDIA PRIOR TO THE END OF THE HUNT! Let’s see a (SFW) 2,000 word essay published on twitter in 140 character bursts. (no attachments, etc.) about the best way to get pregnant for the 10th time. (I’m sorry, but I promised someone this would be an item.) Submit an image of the first post and then a link to this post in the COMMENT field of the submit page so we can check to make sure you “published” the whole thing.

#182 / PHOTO / 53 POINTS / THIS ITEM MUST BE POSTED ON SOCIAL MEDIA PRIOR TO THE END OF THE HUNT! Seamlessly modify using photoshop (or other digital altering software), a well-know oil painting by adding in an anachronistic element. For example, if it were a Monet, you might put one of the ladies under a parasol holding an ipad. YES, YOU MAY DIGITALLY ALTER THE IMAGE YOU ARE SUBMITTING… with a catch. The anachronistic element must be rendered seamlessly into the image in the style of the original painter or creator. It must look like a part of the original composition; we should not be able to tell it was added in later. Post the image on FB and/or Pinterest. Submit the image you take on our site, but provide the link to your social media post in the comment field of the submit page. #gishwhesModernMasterpiece

#183 / PHOTO / 53 POINTS / You are all soon going to be a part of a sinister plot to take over the world… in a unique way. But we need your help. Here’s the first thing you have to do: Decide what your favorite point of interest, historical site or national landmark is in your town or city and enter its address here: http://qrickit.com/qrickit_apps/qrickit_qrcode_creator_geo.php . Below the map on that webpage you’ll see an “optional text” field. Enter “Taken by CFG”. Then click “Qcreate” at the bottom. Download the QR code and submit it as your item. Stay tuned for what comes next...

#184 / PHOTO or VIDEO / 92 POINTS / (Up to 30 seconds if video.) Last year, we helped people around the world get access to clean water. But it's been a year and the problem certainly hasn't gone away. In fact, as global temperatures rise, the problem is only going to intensify. Work with your team to create a realistic (not a joke or parody) schematic or prototype of an easy-to-set up portable personal AWG (atmospheric water generator) system that could be used anywhere in the world. It must be cheap to build (aim for less than $10) with parts that can be found in any hardware store. It must be compact & light enough for a nomadic or homeless individual to carry around. Ideally, it would collect enough water in a day to sustain someone for that day.

#185 / PHOTO / 48 POINTS / Hug a national forest! Grab as many friends as you can and go to your favorite national forest or park and be tree huggers. Set the camera up so we can see all the tree hugging action clearly.

#186 / PHOTO / 46 POINTS / One of the biggest problems astronauts will face when they travel to Mars will be figuring out how to bring enough food for the three year journey. Porcupanda has offered the idea of making their spacecraft out of food. Show them how. Build an edible spacecraft using anything except “space ice cream” (Per our resident Director of Intergalactic Space Exploration, that stuff tastes like strawberry Styrofoam: “Bleecht!” as he so eloquently put it.)

#187 / PHOTO or VIDEO / 51 POINTS / Every year, the scientists at the NASA Jet Propulsion Lab make spectacular pumpkin carvings that put our humble Halloween jack-o-lanterns to shame (see https://www.wired.com/2016/10/watch-nasas-high-tech-pumpkins-action/). Whatever. What’s a rocket scientist got that you don’t have? Let’s see you out-do them! Show us your best and most outlandish WATERMELON-O-LANTERN carving. - Dave Lavery // UPDATE: Now PHOTO OR VIDEO submissions will be accepted.

#188 / PHOTO / 28 POINTS / For many years, military aircraft sported spectacular “nose art”— artistic homages to people, places, and ideas important to the aircraft crew. As aesthetically appealing as aircraft nose art may have been, we think they botched it on the choice of canvas. Show us your best nose art - but this time, get it right! All art must be on, around, or incorporate, your nose.

#189 / PHOTO or VIDEO / 32 POINTS / The World’s Worst Lawyer.

#190 / PHOTO / 51 POINTS / Oranges are the new black! Let’s see your most a-peeling cocktail dress all made out of - you guessed it - orange peels. Pose in a crowded urban bar.

#191 / VIDEO / 72 POINTS / (Up to 30 seconds time-lapsed and/or edited.) You didn’t think we were going to let all those oranges go to waste, did you? Wall Drugs has signs announcing Wall Drugs locations hundreds of miles before you get to the store, so drivers get to anticipate the goodness coming. Place signs along 5 miles of road leading up to an orange juice stand that speaks hyperbolically of the life-changing rejuvenation of the coming refreshment with a countdown of the miles. You must have a sign at least every quarter of a mile along the path. If this is insurmountable to you, at the very least, host a freshly-squeezed orange juice party in your backyard for all of your neighbors. You won’t get points for that, but you’ll use the juice and make some friends.

#192 / VIDEO / 47 POINTS / (Time lapse up to 25 seconds). In our busy world, people sometimes forget to slow down and see the beauty around them. Perform a task at work extremely slowly while everyone around you carries on at normal speed. When this is played back in in time lapse, you’re performing at normal speed and it’s the world around you that’s going too fast.

#193 / PHOTO / 10 POINTS / The Riemann hypothesis of mathematics includes the Riemann zeta function, which categorizes some zeros as “non-trivial zeros" and others as "trivial zeros." We think this unequal treatment of zeros, which are clearly all equal, is just wrong! Hold a protest in front of a university mathematics or computer science building with a sign that says something to the effect of "ALL ZEROS ARE EQUAL" or "NO ZEROS ARE TRIVIAL!"

#194 / PHOTO / 67 POINTS / Do you spend too much time indoors while you GISH? It’s time to get outside! Dust off your bicycle, grab a friend or two and go out and ride a 50-mile bike ride (this can be done over the entire period of the Hunt and may be done either on a long road trip somewhere or in different round trip legs to and from your house)! You must track your progress on a GPS drawing app. (Bonus points if you draw a picture of a gishwhes mascot with your path.) Oh, by the way - you need to be wearing part of a pineapple or banana (in some fashion) while you ride. Submit an image of your GPS drawing. Yes, it would be easy to cheat on this item, but let’s all take the high road and practice honesty on this one.

#195 / VIDEO / 235 POINTS / (This video can be as long as it takes to do the job, but we hope the job goes quickly and it is gobbled up fast so the video is short!) Using a steel shredder, shred a decommissioned bus. It must be a full sized bus with at least 10 rows. It may be a school bus or a municipal bus. It may not be a VW MiniBus; it must have been built to seat at least 30. Paint a message that conveys the fact that gishwhes recycled becomes CFG (we’ll explain later). For example, you could write: “Recycled gishwhes = CFG" in large font the side of the bus. Feel free to word this differently, but convey that message. The bigger the bus the better. Oh and paint the windows of the bus to show it’s passengers. (Obviously no living being is in the bus.) Although you should upload a video as your submission, be sure to take pictures of the event in case we need those for the coffee table book (we’ll email you for them).

#196 / PHOTO or VIDEO / 62 POINTS / THIS ITEM MUST BE POSTED ON SOCIAL MEDIA PRIOR TO THE END OF THE HUNT! THIS IS A TOP SECRET ITEM! DO NOT SHARE ITS CONTENT ON SOCIAL MEDIA UNTIL DIRECTED OR YOU WILL RUIN THE SURPRISE AND BE DELUGED WITH BAD KARMA. By now, most of you may know our friend Giles Duley. If not, watch the video at the top of this page. Then, watch here to see what he did with us recently: https://youtu.be/-tOt9LfZF9w ...and he’s doing something amazing with us again with us this year (which we’ll be announcing VERY soon). Giles inspires us and we want to thank him for all of his hard (and often thankless) work. So, we’re going to thank him... BUT WE’RE GOING TO SURPRISE HIM! SO PLEASE, PLEASE DO NOT POST ABOUT THIS UNTIL THE DESIGNATED TIME: On Friday, August 11th, at EXACTLY 9am PDT, we are going to give him a “thunderclap” of thanks on the Internet. Because Giles thinks EVERYONE can make a difference no matter their circumstances (and he’s a living embodiment of that), we’re going to prove it. Here’s your job: before the 11th, go out and do an act of kindness. But not just any act of kindness... Giles works hard to help refugee families and landmine victims, so your act of kindness should focus on expanding his work exponentially through the power of gishwhes and gishers. Do something that makes a meaningful, material difference in the life of either a refugee or someone who has been directly impacted by war. If you’re at a loss of how to do this, here are some suggestions: bring a care package to new refugees in your neighborhood, go to a refugee center and volunteer, bring a warm meal to a homeless veteran on the streets, volunteer at a soup kitchen where you know there are war veterans, make a donation to an organization that helps with reconstructive surgery and prosthetics for war victims, or sponsor a child made homeless by the war with a one-time or recurring donation. If you can’t manage to find or coordinate any of the above (but please try!), simply carry out a random act of kindness for another human being on the planet who could legitimately use some kindness. Dig deep on this one, guys. The goal is to cause a ripple effect from the work Giles is doing and expand it worldwide. Let's do this. Capture an image or video of this act. At 9am PDT on Friday, August 11th, post the image or video on Facebook with a detailed description of what you did and crosspost to Twitter. Be sure to mention Giles in the post. (For Facebook, tag @GilesDuleyPhotography and on Twitter, tag @gilesduley with #thanksGiles as the hashtag.) Submit the image or video you take on our site, but provide the link to your social media post link in the comment field of the submit page.

#197 / VIDEO / 24 POINTS / Play a few bars of a well-known tune on a well-known musical instrument—but not in the well-known manner. Play a cello tucked under your chin, a saxophone with mallets, or piano as a string instrument with a bow, that sort of thing. The more unexpected the utilization, the more points. -David Pogue

#198 / PHOTO / 108 POINTS / CHANGE A LIFE. "It gives me hope. I feel special when I'm doing it. If something bad happens to me, all I have to do is dance..." -Timarandarin (14 years old) / Last year gishwhes worked with the charity Random Acts and Giles Duley’s Legacy of War to forever change the lives of three refugee families by raising over $250,000 in just a few days. Anybody who has seen these families' smiles will know what an incredible impact we had working together. / This year, we are teaming up with Random Acts and Legacy of War again to grant the last wish of a dying woman, and in doing so, we will save the dreams of hundreds of children who live in some of the world's poorest conditions. / Fiona Sargeant, a former ballet dancer from England, founded and runs a ballet school in an impoverished township in South Africa that for years has provided ballet instruction, meals, education, safe refuge and ultimately hope for hundreds of children. She is not a doctor, nor running a large foundation or charity, but she does know how to dance and she wanted to give back to the world. She is the living proof that EVERYONE can make a difference, if their heart is behind what they’re doing. / Sadly, Fiona has terminal cancer and only has weeks to live. Once she passes, she expects the school to be shut down. But there is a plan in motion that, if funded, would carry on her legacy. Let’s grant her dying wish and BY THE END OF THE HUNT let her know that her children will be taken care of long after she is gone. / She has no idea we are going to do this! We are going to surprise her with this colossal random act of kindness at the end of the Hunt! / We’ve created a Crowdrise page here that tells her story. DONATIONS ARE 100% TAX DEDUCTIBLE AND 100% OF THE DONATIONS GO TO THE SCHOOL (for countries other than U.S., deductions are contingent on your laws). The Gishwhes Item here: create a fundraising “page” for your team on Crowdrise where family, friends and others can donate. Since this is Gishwhes and there’s always an extra twist with everything we do, here’s the deal: we also want you to get OTHERS to donate to your team’s Crowdrise page. We know you don’t need “points” as an incentive to help these kids, but since it is part of the Hunt, we want to maximize the power of these points to help. / Here’s your assignment: start a page and get at least 10 donations from people or businesses NOT on your team. You and your team members are welcome to donate to your campaign, but that is not a requirement for points— the Item requirement is to get at least 10 people to make a cumulative total of least 10 donations who are NOT on your team. There is no minimum amount to donate for GISHWHES purposes, but Crowdrise does require a minimum $10 donation be collected, and let’s all please encourage others to be generous above this so we can make a profound impact. SUBMIT a screenshot of your team’s page with a minimum of 10 donations on it. (To initially create a fundraising team, click the “Join the Team & Create Your Own Fundraiser“ button.) // UPDATE: You reached the goal of $150,000 in just TWO DAYS. Now we need to make it to $200,000… If we can do THAT, we will be able to fund multiple scholarships for the students, allowing them to travel to other countries to train, compete, and take their experiences and skills back to South Africa! If anyone can make it happen, it’s the gishwhes family… So let’s do this & make some dreams come true!

#199 / PHOTO / 44 POINTS / Breaker, breaker! Tune in for details: CB Channel 27 (Frequency 27.27500) broadcasting near Lacy Park, San Marino, CA. (Latitude: 34.1204167 Longitude: -118.1201348) DATE & TIME: 8/7 12 PM PDT & 4:30PM PDT or 8/9 9 AM PDT. Listen on Broadcast CB CHANNEL 32 (Frequency 27.32500) broadcasting near Hermann Park Conservancy, Houston TX (Latitude: 29.7160286 Longitude: -95.3886413) DATE & TIME: 8/11 NOON CT

#200 / PHOTO / 72 POINTS / THIS ITEM MUST BE POSTED ON SOCIAL MEDIA PRIOR TO THE END OF THE HUNT! She should run! First, research upcoming local, state, and federal elections in your area. Second, nominate, via social media posts, qualified female citizens you think should run for specific elected offices in those upcoming elections based on their qualifications and/or passion. Make a post on any or all of your social media handles, tag them (so they see it!), and explain why you want them to run, using the hashtag#SheShouldRun. But your nomination post is not what you submit on our site! IF you manage to get a woman to publicly commit to running in the next election cycle this week via their social media, submit two images side-by-side: an image of your post “nominating” them to run, next to an screenshot of their social media post committing to run, and provide a link to their post in the comments field of the submit page. Note: Candidate must not have already announced their intent to run for office. We have assigned a special prosecutor to scour the internet for your candidate’s previous declarations of intent-to-run and will vet them.

#201 / PHOTO / 61 POINTS / Outside US: 00-1-323-645-0703 Within US: (323) 645-0703

#202 / PHOTO / 46 POINTS / A gisher wrote me recently stating, “I started gishwhes in 2015 myself and my children all joined in and had the best week of our lives, so much fun, so much love, so much laughter. In December 2015 I was diagnosed with ovarian cancer… But I didn't let it beat me. We signed up for gishwhes 2016 and made beautiful art together and performed many acts of kindness to those around us and in need, my children now 10 & 8 have those lessons in their hearts now, to spread kindness and love to all around them! Unfortunately I am too sick to participate this year, but hope to still be here to see all the wonderful creations everyone makes, and if I'm not still here when gishwhes starts I will be watching down on you all, cheering everyone on.” Obviously, I cried when I read that. We emailed her back, but haven’t heard back… So this one's for you, S. (and your kids), with love from me & everyone in the gishwhes family: Find a local hospital or cancer center and coordinate with them to deliver a comfort bag(s) to a patient. Fill a cheerfully decorated canvas or cloth bag with items to provide palliative relief and comfort to a cancer patient: soft eye masks, scarves, a soft blanket, socks, ginger tea or candy, unscented natural lip balm, sudoku or coloring books, puzzles, poems, etc. Include a note of support or encouragement if you wish. (Please don't say "get well soon.” Phrasing like, "we're sending you our love" is better.) Please do not take a picture with the recipient... Just the bag. We trust you to deliver.

#203 / PHOTO / 40 POINTS / THIS ITEM MUST BE POSTED ON SOCIAL MEDIA PRIOR TO THE END OF THE HUNT! Bearby Von Bearamucci has an interview for a position as White House Communications Director on Saturday, August 12th at 8pm ET sharp! He was all set to drive the Gishbus across the country, but its engine wouldn’t start and he has a terrible fear of flying. He’s counting on gishers to help get him from Redding, California to 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, Washington, DC before his appointment (by passenger car or truck only. NO PLANES, TRAINS, SHIPPING SERVICES, OR BUSES). Your instructions are here. Coordinate with other gishers to pick up Bearby and take him at least 5 miles, but no more than 100 miles, from your starting point. On your leg of the journey, post a pic of you, Bearby, and the gisher you’re handing him off to at a diner, rest stop, or point of interest (please geo-tag the location). Tag @gishwhes, the next gisher, and @BearbyVonB and use hashtag #GetTheBearThere. You MUST hand Bearby off to the next gisher to complete your Item or you get zero points. Submit your photo with Bearby to us and provide a link to your post in the comments field of the submit page. You will get 40 points if you take a picture with Bearby and a sign with your team name on it, or 60 points if you take a photo with Bearby and transport him (please include side-by-side image of the map points as well). If he makes it to his appointment at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue in D.C. by 8 PM ET on August 12th, you will get an additional 50% in points (for a grand total of 60 points for photo only, 90 points for photo + transportation). Yes, we know how convoluted this item is and that it seems destined for failure— but I believe you’ll spit in failure’s eye and say, “Not today!” Sidebar: gishwhes HQ nearly came to blows as we debated over whether providing maps and tools to help facilitate your journey was “helping” and therefore “cheating”, but after a rousing bout of coleslaw-wrestling, “Team Give Them Maps” claimed creamy victory, and so you may use these resources to help you coordinate the journey. But feel free to ignore the map entirely. Because you’re better than that. IMPORTANT NOTES: 1. Members of the same team cannot collect multiple submissions for this item. 2. Make sure other teams get the chance to help Bearby! Yes, this means you can communicate and walk the line of “collaboration” in your hand-off attempts. 3. Individuals transporting Bearby must take him at least 5 miles or up to 100 miles in one trip. 4. You may NOT take him near your homes. We have a GPS locator on Bearby (due to past felonies) so we don’t want to compromise your home locations. 5. Do not exceed the speed limit by more than 5 miles per hour, because that’s what the cops are cool with, obviously. This isn’t Cannonball Run. Make it happen, gishers. Bearby is counting on you to help him land his dream job! // UPDATE: Mileage limit increased from 50 to 100 mile trip.

#204 / PHOTO / 40 POINTS / Escape Gishwhes! https://www.gishwhes.com/escape-room/. If you manage to break out of this wild ride of mystery and mayhem, you’ll be prompted to enter your Team Name to document your success via an online form. BEFORE YOU HIT THE SUBMIT BUTTON, take a screenshot showing your team name in the Text Input Field and save the image, THEN hit the SUBMIT button. Your submission will be uploading the screenshot on our item list (backed up by what the online form sends gishbot).

#205 / PHOTO / 28 POINTS / We've received a bit of criticism that the hunt is "not really a scavenger hunt, it's just Misha getting people to help him with his chores." I'm honestly shocked anyone would say that! Also, people have been complaining that there are "too many geographically specific items" (items that require you to show up at a certain place). I want you to know that I'm listening and processing your feedback! So, I'm adding the following item: Help me help you help me help myself. Show up at 10 AM PDT sharp on August 11th at this location in Bellingham, WA. Wear long sleeves (pants and shirt) and bring a small bucket. Pick at least ONE quart of blackberries and DEPOSIT them into my big vessel so I can make lots of jam. For the item submission you must do two things: 1) You must find the woman in the sock monkey hat with the sheet of paper who is taking down team names and 2) You must take a photo of yourself with your bucket of berries. We will cross-check our list with your submitted photo as your proof. No taking pictures with me, because last year we did that and it ended up taking forever. If no one one on your team lives nearby, you may assign a surrogate, but no surrogate may service more than one team.

#206 / PHOTO / 17 POINTS / We got this letter to our support gnomes:

Name: [REDACTED]

Message : Hello Gishpeople. I want to question why there are so many specific-locations-that-aren't-Sweden only items, and no Sweden only items. I speak for all Swedes when we say that we find this very saddening. We don't understand how you could miss out on an opportunity like this, since Sweden is a very beautiful country, containting great things such as Dalahästar.

We, as a nation, expect a formal apology for this, of course.

All our love, and some sad wonders,

[REDACTED]

Sweden, you're absolutely right! You are a beautiful country and it's time we stopped overlooking you. You deserve a formal apology as requested and so in the interest of international diplomacy, it's our duty to deliver and rectify this egregious oversight. With that in mind, (I hope you'll forgive me but this is a location-specific image to appease Sweden, guys): Take a picture of yourself in front of the biggest landmark or point of interest in your town while holding a beautiful hand-lettered sign that reads, "We Are Sorry, Sweden". This is a location-based item, so you may do this anywhere in the world... except Sweden.

#207 / PHOTO / 48 POINTS / Nothing says "good life choices" like a last-minute rush job tattoo. Get inked with a tattoo that includes "We create therefore we live" or another gishy quote written in any language other than English. Feel free to adorn it with mascots or other hunt-inspired iconography. PS: Don't try to repurpose an old tattoo— we'll be able to tell and your team will be docked points.

#208 / PHOTO / 18 POINTS / As you know, no one was able to successfully find Jared Padalecki or Jensen Ackles' balls in Canada. Misha's balls are a lot easier to find... maybe because they really get around. Find Misha's balls in any of the following locations & take a picture with them. Then put them back EXACTLY where you found them so another team can have a chance to get their hands on Misha's balls, too. LOCATIONS: near the Cathedral Basilica, Newark, NJ; outside Gatorland, Orlando, FL, near Rothko Chapel in Houston, Texas.

#209 / PHOTO / 77 POINTS / Gishwhes is over tonight! Forever! The crumbs of the great multi-year, wild and weird global feast are soon to be all that's left. Let's see you work magic on these crumbs (real bread crumbs or whatever other crumbs you wish to use) and turn them into a portrait of actor Misha Collins. -the Gish Gnomes

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1: when you have cereal, do you have more milk than cereal or more cereal than milk?More milk2: do you like the feeling of cold air on your cheeks on a wintery day?No, it's hell3: what random objects do you use to bookmark your books?Tissues, wrappers, receipts 4: how do you take your coffee/tea?Idk5: are you self-conscious of your smile?Yes, very6: do you keep plants?Yes!!! I had a fairy garden but one of the pots broke 😪7: do you name your plants?Yeah, I named the tree in our backyard Venosaur8: what artistic medium do you use to express your feelings?Oh, painting on canvas, or drawing with a pencil9: do you like singing/humming to yourself?Yes!! V v good stim!10: do you sleep on your back, side, or stomach?Side11: what's an inner joke you have with your friends?Fuckin...Furries12: what's your favorite planet?Earth, I love the animals and plants. She's so cute13: what's something that made you smile today?My friend said my story was good14: if you were to live with your best friend in an old flat in a big city, what would it look like?Probably kind of bright but also with some posters and nice decor and nice beds and a little window we can sit on.15: go google a weird space fact and tell us what it is!Space lightning is a thing16: what's your favorite pasta dish?Alfredo17: what color do you really want to dye your hair?Magenta, or turquoise 18: tell us about something dumb/funny you did that has since gone down in history between you and your friends and is always brought up.Oh I fell on my ass in the hallway and threw my MacBook. Only two people saw it19: do you keep a journal? what do you write/draw/ in it?Well not a conventional one but I've had journals before.20: what's your favorite eye color?Blue21: talk about your favorite bag, the one that's been to hell and back with you and that you love to pieces.It's this golden and red bag and it's soft22: are you a morning person?Hahahahaha funny. Next question23: what's your favorite thing to do on lazy days where you have 0 obligations?Make art or browse tumblr24: is there someone out there you would trust with every single one of your secrets?Yes25: what's the weirdest place you've ever broken into? I haven't broken in anywhere26: what are the shoes you've had for forever and wear with every single outfit?I don't have any shoes like that27: what's your favorite bubblegum flavor?Blue raspberry28: sunrise or sunset?Sunrise (ironic)29: what's something really cute that one of your friends does and is totally endearing?Giggles30: think of it: have you ever been truly scared?Fucking yes31: what is your opinion of socks? do you like wearing weird socks? do you sleep with socks? do you confine yourself to white sock hell? really, just talk about socks.I guess, sometimes, no32: tell us a story of something that happened to you after 3AM when you were with friends.I fucking tripped over my friend at a sleepover after she said "person here!"33: what's your fave pastry?Any really34: tell us about the stuffed animal you kept as a kid. what is it called? what does it look like? do you still keep it?MOG, he was a green stuffed monkey thing with no hands or toes so I called him mog the monkey frog, I think I do still have him35: do you like stationary and pretty pens and so on? do you use them often?Idk36: which band's sound would fit your mood right now?Imagine dragons37: do you like keeping your room messy or clean?Clean but it usually ends up messy38: tell us about your pet peeves!LOUD NOISES AND PEOPLE MAKING FUN OF ME ASKING THEM TO STOP39: what color do you wear the most? black40: think of a piece of jewelry you own: what's it's story? does it have any meaning to you?Um...my bracelet I got from my friend for Christmas 41: what's the last book you remember really, really loving?Artemis Fowl42: do you have a favorite coffee shop? describe it!Starbucks, and the wonderful smells and hot chocolate43: who was the last person you gazed at the stars with?My friend Tori44: when was the last time you remember feeling completely serene and at peace with everything?Never45: do you trust your instincts a lot? Sorta46: tell us the worst pun you can think of.A man went to court for wearing only underwear. It was a brief case.47: what food do you think should be banned from the universe?48: what was your biggest fear as a kid? is it the same today? Losing friends, yes49: do you like buying CDs and records? what was the last one you bought? No50: what's an odd thing you collect? Idk?51: think of a person. what song do you associate with them? Tori-blu 52: what are your favorite memes of the year so far? Pure memes53: have you ever watched the rocky horror picture show? heathers? beetlejuice? pulp fiction? what do you think of them?No54: who's the last person you saw with a true look of sadness on their face? Tori55: what's the most dramatic thing you've ever done to prove a point?Idk56: what are some things you find endearing in people?Laughs 57: go listen to bohemian rhapsody. how did it make you feel? did you dramatically reenact the lyrics?It made me feel crazy and yes58: who's the wine mom and who's the vodka aunt in your group of friends? why?CHARLIE IS WINE MOM, TORI YOU KNOW YOURE VODKA AUNT FOR A REASON59: what's your favorite myth? Idk60: do you like poetry? what are some of your faves? Not really 61: what's the stupidest gift you've ever given? the stupidest one you've ever received?Leaves, leaves62: do you drink juice in the morning? which kind?Orange, apple63: are you fussy about your books and music? do you keep them meticulously organized or kinda leave them be?Kinda leave them be64: what color is the sky where you are right now?Light blue 65: is there anyone you haven't seen in a long time who you'd love to hang out with? OOhh um, Cheyanne and Kennadie66: what would your ideal flower crown look like?White and pink alternating with Blue and yellow over it67: how do gloomy days where the sky is dark and the world is misty make you feel?Oh they make me feel...amazing. I like the different feel! And like the soft glow. And the new feelings of being on a dark bus during rain.68: what's winter like where you live? Well it used to be frozen hell...but now it's not 😥69: what are your favorite board games? Monopoly70: have you ever used a ouija board?No and I plan to never71: what's your favorite kind of tea?Peach72: are you a person who needs to note everything down or else you'll forget it? Not really, it's more procrastination that destroys me73: what are some of your worst habits?Procrastination, forgetting to eat, disregarding self care, self hate, 74: describe a good friend of yours without using their name or gendered pronouns.They are the sweetest most amazing halminerd that loves my stories 75: tell us about your pets! Kiwi is my two year old boxer. We call her Moose, Meat brick, lazy doggo, and basically everything else lol76: is there anything you should be doing right now but aren't?Probably a project 77: pink or yellow lemonade?Eh I like both78: are you in the minion hateclub or fanclub?Hate79: what's one of the cutest things someone has ever done for you?Made art for me. Omg I die 80: what color are your bedroom walls? did you choose that color? if so, why?Grey81: describe one of your friend's eyes using the most abstract imagery you can think of.Like swimming in the clearest and most murky waters, and feeling relaxed at free82: are/were you good in school? Sorta83: what's some of your favorite album art?I actually don't know84: are you planning on getting tattoos? which ones?No85: do you read comics? what are your faves?Well like..,Rock and Riot86: do you like concept albums? which ones?No87: what are some movies you think everyone should watch at least once in their lives? Zootopia, hocus pocus, 88: are there any artistic movements you particularly enjoy? Idk89: are you close to your parents? Yeah, sorta90: talk about your one of you favorite cities. The sky lines reach amazingly high, the city gets washed in the glow of the riding a setting sun. (It never said I couldn't be vague)91: where do you plan on traveling this year? Europe!92: are you a person who drowns their pasta in cheese or a person who barely sprinkles a pinch? Drowns it93: what's the hairstyle you wear the most? Up in a pony94: who was the last person you know to have a birthday? My sister's 95: what are your plans for this weekend? Going to the mall with a few friends 96: do you install your computer updates really quickly or do you procrastinate on them a lot? Procrastinate 97: myer briggs type, zodiac sign, and hogwarts house? Uhhhh aquarius and ravenclaw 98: when's the last time you went hiking? did you enjoy it? Yes! 99: list some songs that resonate to your soul whenever you hear them. Arrietty's song, Sail, rocks, fireflies100: if you were presented with two buttons, one that allows you to go 5 years into the past, the other 5 years into the future, which one would you press? why? Past, so I can do over and cause myself not to become an anxious fucky fuck that messes every thing upPhew!

[euroman1945-blog]

The Daily Thistle

The Daily Thistle – News From Scotland

Wednesday 26th September 2018

"Madainn Mhath” …Fellow Scot, I hope the day brings joy to you…. what a beautiful early morning, heaven full of stars, empty streets and walking with my Bella.. I can see the hint of a sunrise on the western horizon soon at 4am it will be early dawn, so it's best to take advantage of the darkness now, that way I can look at the stars and look back in time……

BOOZE LABEL WARNINGS 'YEARS OUT OF DATE'…. AHA wants consumers to be able to see clear warnings and health information on alcohol products. Fewer than 10% of alcoholic drinks carry up to date health warnings, according to campaigners. A new study claims multi-national alcohol companies are choosing to ignore advice to display important health information on products. One charity claims a pint of milk is required to show more information than a bottle of wine. Pressure is growing on alcohol producers to display better warnings about the dangers of alcohol to health. The Alcohol Health Alliance, a coalition of 50 organisations, found fewer than 10% of 300 products they surveyed carried the safe drink guidelines of 14 units a week. This came into effect two-and-a-half years ago, but some products carried the old limits and most carried no warnings of the risk of disease from drinking. On Thursday the chief executive of one Scottish alcohol charity raised the issue at the AGM of the drinks giant Diageo. Alison Douglas, chief executive of Alcohol Focus Scotland said: "It is notable that the global multi-national producers do not seem to have made any effort to update their labelling to communicate the current low-risk drinking guidelines, while some smaller independent producers have done so. "The Alcohol Health Alliance surveyed more than 100 Diageo products and not one of them included the current guidelines of 14 units a week. "Referring people to industry-funded websites is not good enough. We need reliable health information directly on bottles, cans and menus, where it can usefully inform our decisions. At the moment more information is required on a pint of milk than on a bottle of wine. The public deserves better and industry clearly won't do this voluntarily; it's time for government to act." The Portman group, which represents drinks producers, said bottle labels direct consumers to a website containing up to date health information.

NEW SALTIRE GRAPHIC NOVEL AT GLASGOW COMIC CON…. The latest graphic novel about a comic book character dubbed "Scotland's first superhero" is to be launched at the largest Scottish comic con. Saltire is a creation of Glaswegian John Ferguson. The comics are published by St Andrews' Diamondsteel Comics. First printed more than two years ago, the comics follow Saltire's encounters with Saxons, Romans, Highland clan warriors and also supernatural beings. The new graphic novel will be unveiled at the weekend's Glasgow Comic Con. Set in a mythological Scotland, the Saltire stories are inspired by historical events and real places. Some of the characters have been inspired by historical events and figures, including the mysterious disappearance of the Roman auxiliary legion the 9th Hispana in Scotland in AD 120 and the Hebrides' medieval Lord of the Isles. Ferguson, who will also discuss his character as a guest at The Lakes International Arts Festival in Cumbria next month, said: "It's been over two years since our last title so I'm looking forward to seeing all the fans and finally getting the book out there. "We believe this book is as good, if not better, than its predecessor so hopefully the fans reaction is just as enthusiastic. Comic Con will be our first chance to find out." He added: "Superheroes are a big part of mainstream culture these days and our Scottish protagonist creates a lot of enthusiasm so we're excited to bring him back."

GENTLE GIANTS PROVE TO BE FAST AND AGILE….. A team of scientists have discovered that basking sharks, the world's second largest fish, can jump as fast and as high out of water as great whites. The researchers said plankton-eating basking sharks had a reputation for being "slow and languid", while their cousin was "famously powerful". In their new study, the scientists recorded a basking shark that achieved a top speed of 5.1 metres per second. Other research has suggested the sharks likely breach while feeding. Every summer basking sharks gather in large numbers around small islands between Skye and Mull, off Scotland's west coast. They later migrate south to waters around Madeira and the Canary Islands off west Africa. The new research was led by Queen's University Belfast and London's University of Roehampton and published in the Journal Biology Letters. During its study, the team recorded a basking shark accelerate from a depth of 28m (92ft) to the surface with 10 beats of its tail over a period of about nine seconds. The animal broke through the surface at almost 90 degrees and was clear the water for one second, peaking at a height of 1.2m (4ft) above the surface. To achieve this breach, the basking shark exhibited a six fold increase in tail beat frequency and attained a top speed of about 5.1 m/s.,This is more than twice as fast as the average competitor in the Olympic men's 50m freestyle swim, the team said.

WIGTOWN BOOK FESTIVAL KICKS OFF 20TH EDITION…. First Minister Nicola Sturgeon is a special guest on the first day of proceedings in Wigtown. The line-up of guests includes fiction writers, poets, broadcasters, philosophers and historians. Among the highlights this year are talks from Susan Calman, Sally Magnusson, Ann Cleeves, Clare Balding, Andy Stanton and Louis de Bernieres. Advanced ticket sales have reached record levels and already exceeded the total sold by the end of last year's event. Organisers attributed the success to the first minister's visit, media coverage of the 20th anniversary and a VisitScotland campaign to promote the region. The festival runs until 30 September.

MAN ADMITS BARE-CHESTED CHAINSAW ATTACK AT GOLF CLUB…. The incident happened at Caird Park Golf Club in Dundee. A bare-chested man smiled as he attacked a complete stranger with a chainsaw at a golf club. Joe Brown, 45, approached Arthur Innes, 61, as he prepared to play golf with two friends at Caird Park Golf Club in Dundee. The High Court in Glasgow heard Brown scraped the chainsaw down the right side of his victim's head and the top of his right shoulder. Brown admitted attempting to murder Mr Innes on 2 May. The father-of-three was only wearing a pair of jeans when he approached Mr Innes and his friends Ian Martin, 61, and Matthew Waterson, 71, with the chainsaw in his hands. At the time of the attack, which happened about 14:00, the men were getting their golf clubs out of their cars. Brown walked up to Mr Martin said: "Madness is in the eyes, madness is in the eyes." Mr Martin, who backed away, said the accused was smiling and his eyes were bulging out of his head. He was wearing no top and no shoes. Seconds later Brown pulled the chainsaw cord and it started immediately. Mr Innes was wedged between cars in the car park and could not escape. Brown raised the chainsaw and brought it down towards his victim, who put up his arm to protect himself and was struck on the upper arm. Prosecutor Owen Mullan said: "The accused against struck Mr Innes with the chainsaw, scraping it down the right side of his head and the top of his right shoulder. "As the accused did this Mr Innes turned to face him, put his head down and barged into him, forcing him backwards." The court heard the accused then ran off after dropping the chainsaw. Doctors who treated Mr Innes at Ninewells Hospital in Dundee said he was lucky the wounds were not deeper. He suffered a significant scar to his arm and another lesser scar to his head. Almost two hours later, at 15:50 the accused approached Andrew Hay, who was on his mobile phone, at the Kingsway and said: "I'm asking you for help." He then punched Mr Hay and pushed him to the ground before running off. Minutes later Brown, who was wearing no top and no shoes, walked out into the carriageway. Driver Callum MacKay managed to stop his car a foot from Brown who started shouting at him and laughing. Brown was found collapsed outside the back door of grandmother Michelle Hunter, who thought he may be having a breakdown. He told her: "I'm a bad man. "I attacked someone with a chainsaw on the golf course." When police arrived Brown said: "I didn't mean to do it" and asked: "Have I badly hurt him?" Brown then said: "I want to stay on my knees and pray for the guy I hurt. If I've hurt somebody I won't live with myself." A cannabis farm was later found in the accused's home in Graham Court, Dalclaverhouse, Dundee. Officers also recovered 36 Ecstasy tablets and 34g of cocaine. In court, Brown, who is a prisoner at Perth, pleaded guilty to the assaults, attempted murder, being concerned in the supply of cannabis and possession of the other drugs. Mr Renucci told the court psychiatric reports were prepared and the conclusion was that most of his behaviour was attributed to his drug misuse. Judge Lord Matthews called for a background report on Brown and will sentence him next month.

On that note I will say that I hope you have enjoyed the news from Scotland today,

Our look at Scotland today is of Warrior Saltire in action….

A Sincere Thank You for your company and Thank You for your likes and comments I love them and always try to reply, so please keep them coming, it's always good fun, As is my custom, I will go and get myself another mug of "Colombian" Coffee and wish you a safe Wednesday 26th September 2018 from my home on the southern coast of Spain, where the blue waters of the Alboran Sea washes the coast of Africa and Europe and the smell of the night blooming Jasmine and Honeysuckle fills the air…and a crazy old guy and his dog Bella go out for a walk at 4:00 am…on the streets of Estepona…

All good stuff....But remember it’s a dangerous world we live in

Be safe out there…

Robert McAngus #Scotland #News #Spain

[aaronsniderus]

Holiday Tech Gift Guide 2017

Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links, which means we receive a commission if you click a link and purchase something that we have recommended. Please check out our disclosure policy for more details. 

Halloween is over and it’s time to think about the holiday season already. If you’re feeling overwhelmed, I get it. I’m not ready for the music or the tree decorating and I certainly haven’t contemplated all the gifts I need to buy for people yet.

However, one thing I really enjoy is gift shopping. From a young age, I’ve also really been into computers and tech, which means this blog is one of my favorite assignments of the year, so buckle up!

The gifts are in various categories and at a few different price points. This guide should give you some ideas – regardless if you’re a lifelong techie or just shopping for someone who is. Before we jump in, let’s go over a few tips in terms of the best time to buy.

Don’t Rush

It’s important not to go out tomorrow and buy all the things. Odds are high that many retailers will offer some of the better deals around Black Friday and continuing through Cyber Monday.

Online retailers like Amazon are doing more to try to take away some of that mindshare from brick-and-mortar stores on Black Friday in recent years. Meanwhile, retailers like Target and Walmart are trying to get in on that Cyber Monday excitement, too.

With that in mind, feel free to wait it out a while and see if you can get the best deal possible. The best time to buy certain items may indeed be after Black Friday. Retailers may discount items to get rid of excess stock. If the item is popular enough, it’s important to note that this strategy could backfire.

And with that, let’s get into the gizmos and gadgets.

Home Theater

Home theater is a big category for home tech. There are TVs, speaker systems and streaming media players to take a look at.

Best TV for the Money

You can get a nice 1080p TV crazy cheap nowadays. The techie on your list is going to want the latest and greatest, though, but you don’t have to break the bank.

VIZIO does very high quality electronics at an affordable price. This won’t be the last time you see them in this roundup. You can get a 50” 4K TV with high dynamic range  (HDR) for under $600.

For context, 4K bumps up picture clarity because it’s double the resolution of a standard 1080p HDTV. HDR increases the spectrum of the color gamut that can be shown by your television so you get the deepest black and the whitest white.

You’ll lose a little bit of the pop, but you can also get a 4K display without HDR for about $100 less.

Speakers

When it comes to home theater, you don’t want to use the TV speakers. They just don’t kick out a deep enough sound to really get you into the experience. With that in mind, one thing to take a look at is sound bars and speaker systems.

In this area, VIZIO sells a great sound bar and subwoofer package for $150. For another $80, speakers can be added behind the viewer as well for a more three-dimensional sound experience.

Media Players

When it comes to streaming media players, there are four big competitors in the market.

The current option I would recommend is the Apple TV 4K. It’s a little more expensive than the other options I’m going to talk about, but the nice thing here is that if you have any existing HD content from iTunes or a previous Apple TV, you automatically get the content’s 4K version when it becomes available without an upcharge. That’s not the case for many other services.

It starts at $179, with $20 more for a version with more storage capacity. This one also has extensive gaming capability and can function as a hub for your smart home devices as well.

Roku, Google Chromecast, and Amazon Fire all have 4K streaming dongles for around $70. For an extra $5, Amazon is currently bundling an HD antenna, so you can get your local channels in high definition if you’re a cord cutter.

Voice Assistants

We don’t have a lot of the technology referenced in Iron Man, but one area in which we might be in a mighty close is with his voice assistant J.A.R.V.I.S. There are at least two major platforms competing for the ability to control your entertainment, schedule and smart home devices using only your voice.

The Amazon Echo is one that I have personal experience with, so I’ll start there. I use voice commands to turn lights on and off through connected smart outlets. In this area, they’ve also released updated versions that can serve as their own hub for supported devices, so you don’t have to have a separate connector. It lets me control streaming radio and music with just my voice. I’m able to control my Fire TV Stick. I can ask the Echo all sorts of questions including the weather and sports scores. Most recently, I’ve connected two of these devices in an intercom system so I can call between rooms.

This isn’t to say that the Echo is the only game in town. The Google Home offers a very similar feature set. Apple is also jumping into this arena sometime in December with its HomePod.

The HomePod might be one to keep an eye on. It uses its directional microphones to figure out the audio environment in the room it’s in to give you the best possible audio experience. This is also the only speaker/voice assistant option that supports Apple Music. With that said, the audio calibration features mean there’s a price jump. At $349, the starting price comes in at $200 more than its closest competitor.

Video Games

When it comes to video games, I’m going to touch on virtual reality actually becoming a reality for consumers, as well as on the newest home console hardware.

Virtual Reality

The absolute latest and greatest in video games right now is virtual reality. It provides the most immersive experience by putting you right in the game. With that said, it’s important to note that the latest and greatest sometimes comes at a heavy premium.

One of the cheaper entry points into this arena may be a PlayStation VR. However, you’re looking at $350 minimum for the required virtual-reality accessories and $250 for a PlayStation 4.

HTC’s Vive VR cost $599, but it currently requires a PC powerful enough to handle some of the processing load, and those don’t come cheap. The Oculus Rift is only $399, but you do need a compatible PC as well. Finally, the Samsung Gear VR comes in at $130, but it requires a compatible Samsung smartphone.

Home Consoles

Gamers tend to organize themselves into tribes. You’re either a Nintendo, PlayStation or Xbox gamer and that’s just the way it is. I would advise anyone looking to buy a console or games for their friends or loved ones to be very conscious of which side of the triangle that particular person falls on. That said, my analysis of each of these companies’ offerings is going to be purely from a technical and usability perspective.

In addition to beloved characters like Zelda and Mario, Nintendo has a very compelling console offering in the Switch. The console offers multiple controller styles and can either be docked at home or taken on the road. With enough controllers, up to eight people can play together in the same room in addition to online multiplayer options. It also has some of the motion control options made popular by its Wii predecessors. The Switch retails for $399.

For the same price, Sony offers its top-of-the-line PlayStation 4 Pro. The console features 4K playback with HDR for Blu-rays and media content as well as the same features for games if the developers choose to build them in.

From a purely technical standpoint, the Xbox One X has the competition beat in terms of power, but from a practical standpoint it offers the same 4K HDR features as the PS4 Pro. It really comes down to what the person you’re buying for prefers to game on.

Tablets and Phones

A lot of these get purchased around the holidays, so I feel like I have to say something about them in here, but it’s important to note that these very much come down to personal preference and, increasingly, the size of your budget.

For people who have iPhones, there are two new options this holiday season. The iPhone 8 features a really nice front-facing camera that can do interesting things like on-the-fly filters. There’s also wireless charging. Then there’s the iPhone X. It has all the features of the 8, plus Face ID and the ability to use an array of cameras to do some really cool things like animated emojis. (This is something better seen than described.) There are also some cool applications with augmented reality. This is the first iPhone with an OLED screen, enabling more true-to-life color. However, the iPhone X will cost you $1,000 at the least.

On the Android side, there are a lot of great options for phones at every price point. However, two phone options that are really pushing the boundaries of what can be done with Google’s smartphone platform are Samsung’s Galaxy line and the Pixel phones backed by Google. You may be able to pay for the phone on a monthly basis through your carrier.

The tablets in many cases are just like their phone counterparts with bigger screens and no calling capability. In many cases, you may be able to actually get these cheaper than a phone.

If you do mostly reading on tablet devices, you may want to take a look at the new Kindle devices. The e-ink displays mean no glare, even in bright sunlight, and they’re also easier on the eyes.

Geek Culture

It’s not strictly tech, but many people who are interested in technology are also fans of comic books, sci-fi and all kinds of other cool stuff. If you’re just looking to get someone who’s proud to think of themselves as a pop-culture geek something they’ll really enjoy, check out services like Lootcrate and My Geek Box.

You can get these at a number of price points from $15 to around $50. You can choose to get random cool items or items based around the theme you pick. It could be anything from Harry Potter to Marvel to Star Wars and even WWE. You can choose to get one or send a monthly subscription.

We’ve gone through a lot of different gift options, but we’ve included a list of our favorites below:

VIZIO 50” class 2160p 4K smart TV with HDR

Amazon Echo

Wireless speaker systems

Lootcrate

Game consoles

The post Holiday Tech Gift Guide 2017 appeared first on ZING Blog by Quicken Loans.

from Updates About Loans https://www.quickenloans.com/blog/gifts-ideas-for-the-tech-savvy-person

[mikebrackett]

Holiday Tech Gift Guide 2017

Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links, which means we receive a commission if you click a link and purchase something that we have recommended. Please check out our disclosure policy for more details. 

Halloween is over and it’s time to think about the holiday season already. If you’re feeling overwhelmed, I get it. I’m not ready for the music or the tree decorating and I certainly haven’t contemplated all the gifts I need to buy for people yet.

However, one thing I really enjoy is gift shopping. From a young age, I’ve also really been into computers and tech, which means this blog is one of my favorite assignments of the year, so buckle up!

The gifts are in various categories and at a few different price points. This guide should give you some ideas – regardless if you’re a lifelong techie or just shopping for someone who is. Before we jump in, let’s go over a few tips in terms of the best time to buy.

Don’t Rush

It’s important not to go out tomorrow and buy all the things. Odds are high that many retailers will offer some of the better deals around Black Friday and continuing through Cyber Monday.

Online retailers like Amazon are doing more to try to take away some of that mindshare from brick-and-mortar stores on Black Friday in recent years. Meanwhile, retailers like Target and Walmart are trying to get in on that Cyber Monday excitement, too.

With that in mind, feel free to wait it out a while and see if you can get the best deal possible. The best time to buy certain items may indeed be after Black Friday. Retailers may discount items to get rid of excess stock. If the item is popular enough, it’s important to note that this strategy could backfire.

And with that, let’s get into the gizmos and gadgets.

Home Theater

Home theater is a big category for home tech. There are TVs, speaker systems and streaming media players to take a look at.

Best TV for the Money

You can get a nice 1080p TV crazy cheap nowadays. The techie on your list is going to want the latest and greatest, though, but you don’t have to break the bank.

VIZIO does very high quality electronics at an affordable price. This won’t be the last time you see them in this roundup. You can get a 50” 4K TV with high dynamic range  (HDR) for under $600.

For context, 4K bumps up picture clarity because it’s double the resolution of a standard 1080p HDTV. HDR increases the spectrum of the color gamut that can be shown by your television so you get the deepest black and the whitest white.

You’ll lose a little bit of the pop, but you can also get a 4K display without HDR for about $100 less.

Speakers

When it comes to home theater, you don’t want to use the TV speakers. They just don’t kick out a deep enough sound to really get you into the experience. With that in mind, one thing to take a look at is sound bars and speaker systems.

In this area, VIZIO sells a great sound bar and subwoofer package for $150. For another $80, speakers can be added behind the viewer as well for a more three-dimensional sound experience.

Media Players

When it comes to streaming media players, there are four big competitors in the market.

The current option I would recommend is the Apple TV 4K. It’s a little more expensive than the other options I’m going to talk about, but the nice thing here is that if you have any existing HD content from iTunes or a previous Apple TV, you automatically get the content’s 4K version when it becomes available without an upcharge. That’s not the case for many other services.

It starts at $179, with $20 more for a version with more storage capacity. This one also has extensive gaming capability and can function as a hub for your smart home devices as well.

Roku, Google Chromecast, and Amazon Fire all have 4K streaming dongles for around $70. For an extra $5, Amazon is currently bundling an HD antenna, so you can get your local channels in high definition if you’re a cord cutter.

Voice Assistants

We don’t have a lot of the technology referenced in Iron Man, but one area in which we might be in a mighty close is with his voice assistant J.A.R.V.I.S. There are at least two major platforms competing for the ability to control your entertainment, schedule and smart home devices using only your voice.

The Amazon Echo is one that I have personal experience with, so I’ll start there. I use voice commands to turn lights on and off through connected smart outlets. In this area, they’ve also released updated versions that can serve as their own hub for supported devices, so you don’t have to have a separate connector. It lets me control streaming radio and music with just my voice. I’m able to control my Fire TV Stick. I can ask the Echo all sorts of questions including the weather and sports scores. Most recently, I’ve connected two of these devices in an intercom system so I can call between rooms.

This isn’t to say that the Echo is the only game in town. The Google Home offers a very similar feature set. Apple is also jumping into this arena sometime in December with its HomePod.

The HomePod might be one to keep an eye on. It uses its directional microphones to figure out the audio environment in the room it’s in to give you the best possible audio experience. This is also the only speaker/voice assistant option that supports Apple Music. With that said, the audio calibration features mean there’s a price jump. At $349, the starting price comes in at $200 more than its closest competitor.

Video Games

When it comes to video games, I’m going to touch on virtual reality actually becoming a reality for consumers, as well as on the newest home console hardware.

Virtual Reality

The absolute latest and greatest in video games right now is virtual reality. It provides the most immersive experience by putting you right in the game. With that said, it’s important to note that the latest and greatest sometimes comes at a heavy premium.

One of the cheaper entry points into this arena may be a PlayStation VR. However, you’re looking at $350 minimum for the required virtual-reality accessories and $250 for a PlayStation 4.

HTC’s Vive VR cost $599, but it currently requires a PC powerful enough to handle some of the processing load, and those don’t come cheap. The Oculus Rift is only $399, but you do need a compatible PC as well. Finally, the Samsung Gear VR comes in at $130, but it requires a compatible Samsung smartphone.

Home Consoles

Gamers tend to organize themselves into tribes. You’re either a Nintendo, PlayStation or Xbox gamer and that’s just the way it is. I would advise anyone looking to buy a console or games for their friends or loved ones to be very conscious of which side of the triangle that particular person falls on. That said, my analysis of each of these companies’ offerings is going to be purely from a technical and usability perspective.

In addition to beloved characters like Zelda and Mario, Nintendo has a very compelling console offering in the Switch. The console offers multiple controller styles and can either be docked at home or taken on the road. With enough controllers, up to eight people can play together in the same room in addition to online multiplayer options. It also has some of the motion control options made popular by its Wii predecessors. The Switch retails for $399.

For the same price, Sony offers its top-of-the-line PlayStation 4 Pro. The console features 4K playback with HDR for Blu-rays and media content as well as the same features for games if the developers choose to build them in.

From a purely technical standpoint, the Xbox One X has the competition beat in terms of power, but from a practical standpoint it offers the same 4K HDR features as the PS4 Pro. It really comes down to what the person you’re buying for prefers to game on.

Tablets and Phones

A lot of these get purchased around the holidays, so I feel like I have to say something about them in here, but it’s important to note that these very much come down to personal preference and, increasingly, the size of your budget.

For people who have iPhones, there are two new options this holiday season. The iPhone 8 features a really nice front-facing camera that can do interesting things like on-the-fly filters. There’s also wireless charging. Then there’s the iPhone X. It has all the features of the 8, plus Face ID and the ability to use an array of cameras to do some really cool things like animated emojis. (This is something better seen than described.) There are also some cool applications with augmented reality. This is the first iPhone with an OLED screen, enabling more true-to-life color. However, the iPhone X will cost you $1,000 at the least.

On the Android side, there are a lot of great options for phones at every price point. However, two phone options that are really pushing the boundaries of what can be done with Google’s smartphone platform are Samsung’s Galaxy line and the Pixel phones backed by Google. You may be able to pay for the phone on a monthly basis through your carrier.

The tablets in many cases are just like their phone counterparts with bigger screens and no calling capability. In many cases, you may be able to actually get these cheaper than a phone.

If you do mostly reading on tablet devices, you may want to take a look at the new Kindle devices. The e-ink displays mean no glare, even in bright sunlight, and they’re also easier on the eyes.

Geek Culture

It’s not strictly tech, but many people who are interested in technology are also fans of comic books, sci-fi and all kinds of other cool stuff. If you’re just looking to get someone who’s proud to think of themselves as a pop-culture geek something they’ll really enjoy, check out services like Lootcrate and My Geek Box.

You can get these at a number of price points from $15 to around $50. You can choose to get random cool items or items based around the theme you pick. It could be anything from Harry Potter to Marvel to Star Wars and even WWE. You can choose to get one or send a monthly subscription.

We’ve gone through a lot of different gift options, but we’ve included a list of our favorites below:

VIZIO 50” class 2160p 4K smart TV with HDR

Amazon Echo

Wireless speaker systems

Lootcrate

Game consoles

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