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#setting: inver
sanctus-ingenium · 17 days
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quittin time
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kattakati · 13 days
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Ericales Sionnach from Aberharain, redraw of an original from like 2020
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whywishesarehorses · 2 years
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Pensioner sets off on 600-mile pony trek with pet dog in saddlebag
Jane Dotchin, 80, has been making the unusual journey from Northumberland to the Highlands since 1972. (Story from STV News)
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An 80-year-old woman who wears an eyepatch is on an annual trek with her pony from England to the Highlands – on a seven-week adventure which began in 1972.
Jane Dotchin packs her saddlebags onto her trusty pony’s back every year, and heads to the hills from her home near Hexham, Northumberland, on an epic 600-mile trek to Inverness, covering between 15 and 20 miles a day.
She set off on August 31 with her steed, Diamond, aged 13, and her disabled Jack Russell named Dinky for company, from the off-grid smallholding where she lives.
She carries everything she needs including her tent, food and just a few belongings – and despite wearing an eyepatch is determined to continue as long as she can.
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Ms Dotchin said: “My mother would look after my other ponies but she wasn’t that keen on looking after my Halfinger stallion, so I rode him down to Somerset to see a friend, which is about 300 miles.
“It was a bit of a hard slog, but it was good.”
After that initial journey, she caught the taste for the open road and travelled to visit friends near Fort Augustus, near Loch Ness, every autumn since.
The journey takes around seven weeks depending on weather and Ms Dotchin tries to stop off to see people she has met over the years.
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She said: “I refuse to go slogging on through pouring wet rain.
“There are a few different routes I can take depending on the weather.
“I don’t want to go over hilltops in foul weather, but I work it out on the way.
“I don’t bother with maps, I just keep to the routes I know.
“It is nice to go and see [people] again – I ring them up in the morning to say I’m going to be there in the evening.
“I don’t warn them too far in advance, because if the weather suddenly changes or I decide to stop early then they can be left wondering where I’ve got to.”
Disabled Jack Russell Dinky, who has deformed front legs, travels in a saddle bag.
Ms Dotchin said: “She manages fine, when there is a nice grassy track she gets out and has a run, but she doesn’t like stoney ground but she is a nice hot water bottle for me in the tent.”
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She said: “I asked for something good and solid in my old age and he got me a cob from Ireland. I struggle to get on her half the time, but otherwise I manage fine.”
Her diet consists of porridge oats, oatcakes and cheese which is bought at local shops.
She prefers to make porridge with milk, but water will suffice.
Ms Dotchin added: “You can always boil it from a stream.”
Her bathroom habits are equally DIY, and she said: “I dig a hole.”
Ms Dotchin is devastated by the littering she has seen over the years and said Cumbernauld, North Lanarkshire, is somewhere she finds “shameful” due to the amount of rubbish.
She said: “It’s appalling, in particular single used barbecues which are left lying all over the place.
“Cumbernauld is the fly-tipping capital of Britain.
“There are some lovely people there who let me camp, but some of it is so disgusting and shameful.”
Campervans on single track roads have also become a more persistent problem.
She said: “Drivers just didn’t seem to know how wide they were, I was forever just about getting swept off the roads by them.”
The right to roam has helped with countryside access, but she said: “There are still some locked gates or little side gates that you can’t get a horse with packs on through.”
For emergencies she carries an old mobile phone as the battery lasts six weeks.
Ms Dotchin said: “I keep it switched off and just ring out to ring up landowners to get gates unlocked or to warn people when I’m coming but sometimes the trouble is getting a signal.”
During the foot and mouth crisis in 2001 she went on bicycle instead.
She said: “I covered many more miles with the dog in a pannier but it was not the same, I missed my horse.”
In recognition of her independent spirit, and many years of long distance trekking, she received The British Horse Society lifetime achievement award last year, which she said was “a bit of a surprise.”
During her travels she witnesses rutting deer and stags fighting in the autumn, and foxes.
She said: “There is always something interesting happening and there is never a dull moment.
“I will probably be stopped one of these days.”
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gotham-ruaidh · 10 months
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What I wouldn't give to see this scene in Season 7...
 “You dreamed about Brianna and the children? What happened?”  
    …“It is all right,” he said. “They are safe. I saw them in a town—it seemed like Inverness, but it was different, somehow. They walked up the step of a house—Roger Mac was with them,” he added, offhand. “They knocked at the door, and a wee brown-haired woman opened to them. She laughed wi’ joy to see them, and brought them in, and they went down a hallway, wi’ strange things like bowls hanging from the ceiling.
      “Then they were in a room, wi’ sofas and chairs, and the room had great windows all down one wall, from the floor to the ceiling, and the afternoon sun was streaming in, setting Brianna’s hair to fire, and makin’ wee Mandy cry when it got in her eyes.”  
      “Did … did any of them call the brown-haired woman by name?” I asked, my heart beating in a queer, fast way.  
      He frowned, moonlight making a cross of light over nose and brows.  
      “Aye, they did,” he said. “I canna just—oh, aye; Roger Mac called her Fiona.”  
      “Did he?” I said. My hands rested on his shoulder, and my mouth was a hundred times drier than it had been when I woke up. The night was chilly, but not enough to account for the temperature of my hands.  
      I had told Jamie any amount of things about my own time over the years of our marriage. About trains and planes and automobiles and wars and indoor plumbing. But I was nearly sure that I had never told him what the study looked like in the manse where Roger had grown up with his adoptive father.  
      The room with the window wall, made to accommodate the Reverend’s painting hobby. The manse with its long hallway, furnished with old-fashioned light fixtures, shaped like hanging bowls. And I knew I had never told him about the Reverend’s last housekeeper, a girl with dark, curly hair, called Fiona.  
      “Were they happy?” I asked at last, very quietly.  
      “Aye. Brianna and the lad—they had some shadows to their faces, but I could see they were glad nonetheless. They all sat down to eat—Brianna and her lad close together, leaning on each other—and wee Jem stuffed his face wi’ cakes and cream.” He smiled at the picture, teeth a brief gleam in the darkness.
      “Oh—at the last, just before I woke … wee Jem was messin’ about, picking things up and putting them down as he does. There was a … thing . . on the table. I couldna say what it was; I’ve never seen the like.”  
      He held his hands about six inches apart, frowning at them. “It was maybe this wide, and just a bit longer—something like a box, maybe, only sort of … humped.”  
      “Humped?” I said, puzzled as to what this could be.  
    “Aye, and it had a thing on top like a wee club, only wi’ a knob to each end, and the club was tied to the box wi’ a sort of black cord, curled up on itself like a piggie’s tail. Jem saw it, and he reached out his hand, and said, ‘I want to talk to Grandda.’ And then I woke.”  
      He leaned his head back farther, so as to look up into my face.  
      “Would ye ken what a thing like that might be, Sassenach? It was like nothing I’ve ever seen.”  
      The autumn wind came rustling down from the hill, dry leaves hurrying in its wake, quick and light as the footsteps of a ghost, and I felt the hair rise on nape and forearms.  
      “Yes, I know,” I said. “I’ve told you about them, I know.” I didn’t think, though, that I had ever described one to him, in more than general terms. I cleared my throat.  
      “It’s called a telephone.”
-- A Breath of Snow and Ashes
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sgiandubh · 5 months
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Belfast: not your average working-class drama
So, yes: as promised, I watched Belfast last night, until the wee hours of the next morning. And I have to immediately add I do not feel the need for a re-watch. As usually, I shall not insist more than necessary on the storyline and focus instead on the raw impressions I am taking home with me.
It was a strange experience, given all the huffing and puffing and hype and backstage context, inevitably involving C. And I defy any OL fan to watch and process it otherwise: the circus was what it was, at its time, Vanity Fair major PR blunder included. Whether you are a hardcore Balfe Nation stan or a shipper, that bias is there, looming over your screen as you try and get into the magic of it. An ambitious and, at least for me, unfulfilled goal.
The storyline is personal, in a cinematic niche that screams for political statements, peppered with psychological heaviness and guerilla brutality. The Guardian's Peter Bradshaw spoke in his chronicle about an 'euphoric eulogy' (https://www.theguardian.com/film/2021/oct/12/belfast-review-kenneth-branagh-jamie-dornan-judi-dench), where the NYT's Jeannette Catsoulis saw ' grit and glamour stroll hand-in-hand' (https://www.nytimes.com/2021/11/11/movies/belfast-review.html), with a marked, delighted nod to C's performance as Ma. So yes, we inevitably deal with 'rose-tinted glasses' and 'softened edges', in this nostalgic, elegantly shot coming of age plot. The aesthetic is there, with a black& white sleek filming choice that makes everything so dense at times, you simply have to hit pause and let it sink in. It is, I suspect, Branagh's nod to Truffaut and his Antoine Doinel five movie cycle, starting with Les Quatre Cents Coups (The 400 Blows, but this is an inept translation of an idiom that means 'to break havoc'), another coming-of-age working class story set in Paris during the Fifties and also shot in black and white. A clever choice that allows the audience to focus on the dialogues, without any other distraction. And ultimately, a statement that also heavily drags you by your coat's button: "hey, there, I am an independent, intellectual movie featuring beautiful people amid hardship: wanna be friends?"
Being totally impervious to the Fifty Shades of Grey charm allowed me to focus on C's performance and I have to immediately say I found it elegant, clever and endearing. And also immediately add that I still have no clue about how the hell she managed to drag all her Claire Fraser mannerisms, all the way from Inverness to Belfast and 1743 to 1969 (another important year for OL, as we all know, and that coincidence made me grin). I loved (loved-loved-loved) the broken plates' scene, but in all fairness, was it that different from the moment she slaps Laoghaire in Castle Leoch's kitchen? But I truly resonated with the tiny moments when we see her really struggling to make sense out of the Inland Revenue string of letters and find a solution to a very clear family conundrum, with the result that we all know, I suppose, by now. So yes, Mrs. Balfe: portraying strong, honest, salt of the Earth women absolutely suits you and I'd love to see more of it in the future, if only perhaps with a different, more realistic angle.
So the real question I bet you're all waiting for me to answer is this: was it an Oscar-worthy performance? Sadly, my answer is no (no matter how deep I would like it to be otherwise - and I swear I did and I do). And it's #silly and very unfair to her, I know, since it has to deal, in my humble opinion with the script's own limitations and the complete failure to find a balance between the child's gaze and the mother's presence. As the script and storyline go, Belfast is Jude Hill's movie and it is to him I would have given the Oscar. Not Judi Dench, whom I love dearly and whose voice is the most beautiful, rich, intelligent movie voice ever to have graced this Earth. She didn't need just another trinket of Hollywood affection for what is a correct, but over all forgettable performance, unlike Ciaran Hinds'. Who was simply extraordinary and that's all I can say: I am in love, and when I fall in love, I shut up - not babble on blogs.
Would I recommend it? I don't know. I mean, it's Branagh, and to be honest, I don't hold the man in great esteem. I think his reputation as the neo-Laurence Olivier is way OTT and I am also deeply amused by his pretense to be an intellectual luminary among the glitterati, when he obviously is not. But, as always, this is just me and my very clear-cut opinions. You don't have to follow them or even believe me and as always, it's just better to go see for yourself. With this caveat: don't expect too much out of it and you should probably be fine and satisfied.
I sure was very pleased to watch this nugget, my favorite scene in all the movie, to be honest. It's got perfect sarcasm and all the poetry one can find looking at Cartier-Bresson's delicate photographs of schoolchildren waiting for the lesson to end and life to truly start anew:
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katzenmas · 2 months
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Outlander
─── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ── This idea came to me in a vision while i was rewatching the show. This first chapter is more of an introduction because the reader (SPOILER AHEAD) hasn't travelled back in time yet. I wanted to get this chapter out of the way as soon as possible so i can start writing the more interesting ones hehe. This fic will be a Johnny Soap MacTavish X Reader, but you are technically married to Graves in this chapter. He won't really show up after this unless you're talking about him.
Warnings : Some suggestive dialogue, implied sex. No use of Y/N, Female Reader ─── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ──
PART 1 Inverness, 2018 People disappear all the time. Ask any policeman. Better yet, ask a journalist. Young girls run away from home. Children stray from their parents and are never seen again. Housewives reach the end of their tether and take the grocery money and a taxi to the station. International financiers change their names and vanish into the smoke of imported cigars. Many of the lost will be found, eventually, dead or alive. Disappearances, after all, have explanations. The little inn did not look like a place people would disappear in. Mrs. Baird’s looked like any other run down Highland bed and breakfast. With peeling paint and near dead flowers, the smell of cigarette smoke stuck to the walls in the rooms. Mrs. Baird herself almost looked like her inn. In her late sixties, always bustling and talking, still she made no objections when Phillip turned the room she rented us into a second office. His laptop and papers strewn around the desk, walls now had something akin to maps tacked onto them. It was your husband’s great idea to take a second honeymoon trip. Inverness was a strange choice, the setting so different from the one you were used to in Texas. But when Phillip came to you with two plane tickets and news that a one month break was needed, you wouldn’t even dare to turn him down. Walking down the rickety stairs of the inn, you found your husband sitting in an armchair near a fireplace, a book about the Jacobite rebellion in his hands. He looked so peaceful sitting in the maroon chair, the flames from the fire basking him in a soft glow. “How long are you going to stand there and stare at me Mrs. Graves?” your lips quirked up in a smile as you walked over to your husband. He set his book down on a coffee table and beckoned you to sit across his lap. Your hands found their home looped around his neck and he smoked into your collarbone. “I don’t know Mr. Graves, you make a fine subject for staring, maybe I’ll never stop” you giggled and ran your hands through his hair. The sudden quietness behind you two told you that Mrs. Baird has put down her broom and was covertly watching you. While golf and fishing are Scotland’s most popular outdoor sports, gossip is the most popular indoor sport. And when it rains as much as it does in Scotland, people spend a lot of time indoors. “She’s staring again” You mumbled and Phillip donned a devilish grin. Suddenly he hoisted you up and ran the length of the stairs to your room. The sudden change made giggles erupt from your mouth as you clutched tighter to him. ‘“What in god’s name are you doing!” You yelled at him through fits of your giggles and your husband threw you down on the bed, before getting on it himself. He was halfway sitting up, with his knees digging into the mattress and he smiled at you. “I’d hate for the dear old thing to be disappointed in us,” he answered. Sitting up on the side of the ancient bed, he bounced gently up and down, creating a piercing rhythmic squeak. The footsteps in the hall stopped abruptly. After a minute or two of bouncing, Phillip gave a loud, theatrical groan and collapsed backward with a twang of protesting springs. You giggled helplessly into a pillow, so as not to disturb the breathless silence outside. Phillip waggled his eyebrows at you. “You’re supposed to moan ecstatically, not giggle,” he admonished in a whisper. “She’ll think I’m not a good lover.” “You’ll have to keep it up for longer than that, if you expect ecstatic moans,” You answered. “Two minutes doesn’t deserve any more than a giggle.” “Inconsiderate little wench. I came here for a rest, remember?”
“Lazybones. You’ll never manage the next branch on your family tree unless you show a bit more industry than that.” Both of you chuckled as Phillip moved to lay next to you, bringing his hand around your middle and squishing you closer to his chest. That’s how sleep found you, being held close by your husband’s strong arms as his rhythmic heartbeat slowly lulled you into sweet sleep. The rustling sounds of your husband getting dressed stirred you from your dreams. You slowly sat up in the bed and stretched, the downpour outside has finally stopped which meant you two would be walking around town tonight. “ Let’s stop at that pub from yesterday. That might’ve been the best salmon I’ve ever eaten” Phillip noticed that you woke up and started making plans about today’s escapades. First you were going to meet some tour guide that would drive you two to some historical sites and then back to Inverness. “I distinctly heard the barman at that pub last night refer to us as Sassenachs.”
“Well, why not?” said Phillip. “It only means ‘Englishman,’ after all, or at worst, ‘outlander,’ and we’re all of that.”
“I know what it means. It was the tone I objected to.” Phillip searched through the bureau drawer for a belt. “He was just annoyed because I told him the ale was weak. I told him the true Highland brew requires an old boot to be added to the vat, and the final product to be strained through a well-worn undergarment.”
“Ah, that accounts for the amount of the bill.”
“Well, I phrased it a little more tactfully than that, but only because the Gaelic language hasn’t got a specific word for drawers.”
You reached for a pair of your own underwear, intrigued. “Why not? Did the ancient Gaels not wear undergarments?”
Phillip leered. “You’ve never heard that old song about what a Scotsman wears beneath his kilts?”
“ No and I’d rather not hear about it now. Off to the bath you go, the stench of the fire still clings to your hair” You playfully messed with it and your husband smiles, cupping your face in his hand and kissing your brow.
“Only if you join me”
The walk to the town square was a bit hard, dull ache between your thighs after Phillip decided to fuck you senseless in the shower, was making itself known. Taking small steps you idly window-shopped. Your husband was on the phone, talking to the tour guide when your eyes caught sight of a vase. It looked tacky, the colors were bright and the shape was a bit lopsided but the drawing depicted on the vase itself was beautiful. A myriad of large stones in a valley, the sunset drawn behind it was basking the stone in a soft glow.
Soon you found yourself meeting Phillip at the crossing of the High Street and the Gereside Road and you turned up the road together. He raised his eyebrows at your purchases.
“Vases?” He smiled. “Wonderful. Perhaps now you’ll stop putting flowers in my books.”
“They aren’t flowers, they’re specimens. And it was you who suggested I take up botany. To occupy my mind, now that I’ve not got nursing to do,” You reminded him.
“True.” He nodded good-humoredly. “But I didn’t realize I’d have bits of greenery dropping out into my lap every time I opened a reference. What was that horrible crumbly brown stuff you put in Tuscum and Banks?”
“Groutweed. Good for hemorrhoids.”
“Preparing for my imminent old age, are you? Well, how very thoughtful of you.” You two laughed as suddenly a small green car stopped in front of you. The man in the driver’s side seat looked no more than fifty. Big rimmed glasses sat atop his small nose, wild curly hair had bits of gray in it and you noticed one golden tooth as he sent a smile your way.
“ Mr. and Mrs. Graves! Pleasure to meet ya, I’m Colm I’ll be takin’ ye to Craigh Na Dun”
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king-of-the-kingless · 6 months
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MINORS DNI, 18+ ONLY ~~Fem!! Reader~~ 1.3k words Warnings: vaginal fingering, creampie, squirting, power imbalance, rough, teasing
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You going into Camu's room wasn't planned, you had a hard day, and everything you touched seemed to go wrong. Liv told you to take the day off, and it had just started, so your dejected self went straight to Camu. Knocking on his door, there was no response from inside, but that didn't stop you from opening the door and just walking in. 
You got used to Camu not responding to the door, but you're the only one he lets in. "Camu, are you awake?" you called out, seeing a mass on his bed in the vague shape of his broad shoulders. Shutting and locking the door behind you, you start walking towards his bed, taking off your shoes and jacket before sliding in under the blanket with him. You know he's awake, there was no way he wasn't. Almost immediately one of his strong arms wraps around your waist, pulling you against his shirtless toned chest. 
"To what pleasure do I get for waking up to you coming to me, Commandant?" his gruff voice spoke, more hoarse and masculine from just waking up. 
"had a horrible morning, you’d comfort me, right?" you glance up at his face, eyes locking with his discolored ones. 
"Mmm, depends." with that, he shut his eyes and got comfy, aiming to just go back to sleep. 
Pouting, you let out a heavy exhale and just pressed your face to his chest. Suddenly, you thought of an idea. Your pout is now replaced with a slutty smirk, hands inching downwards to remove your pants, making sure to make it obvious. You can feel his arm tighten around your waist, it was working. 
Slowly, you remove your panties as well, propping up your leg onto his hip. Your fingers dip into your folds, softly sliding around your clit, teasing yourself just a bit to get wet. Leaning forward, you press a soft kiss against his wide chest, taking a deep breath of his scent before plunging two fingers into your cunt. 
His hand slides from your waist to your thigh propped up on him, "What do you think you're doing?" 
"Giving myself comfort, because someone won't," you tease, a soft moan leaving your lips as you start to finger yourself, imagining it was him. Thrusting down onto your hand, you set a good pleasurable pace, moaning for him. However, it seemed like Camu's willpower was stronger than you thought, he didn't move his hand from your thigh. 
Speeding up a bit in retaliation, you cry out his name as your clit rubs up against your palm with each thrust of your hips and every curl of your fingers pressing right into your bundle of nerves. Keeping the rhythm, you sob against him, biting and nibbling against his pecs, earning you a deep groan from your lover. 
It wasn't long before you could feel yourself about to cum, clenching down on your hands, your slick sliding down your hand onto his bed. "Oh fuck, Camu, I’m close…" you whine, his hand squeezing your thigh in response. 
His hand slides down your thigh straight to your cunt, spreading your folds before applying pressure to your clit. That sent you over the edge, clamping down on your fingers and crying out his name. 
"Such a good girl, now let me comfort you some more," he murmurs, sliding your fingers out of your cunt and replacing them with two of his thicker, stronger ones. Immediately you can feel the stretch, whining at the feeling. 
His pace started slow, rocking you out of your orgasm, dragging it out before speeding up and roughly fucking you with his fingers. Throwing your head back, you grab onto his bicep with your slick-covered fingers, clenching against his fingers. "Oh fuck! Camu!!" 
His pace is rough, just like his personality, and drags another orgasm out of you, but he never stops just what you like. His other hand slides to the back of your head, grabbing your neck to pull your face up to his, latching his lips onto yours. His broken horn-like inver-device pokes you in the forehead before he tilts his head to prevent it. 
You whine into his mouth, feeling your slick slide down your thigh. You were so wet for him, dragging another orgasm. You were so blissed out, that you couldn't fight the tongue sliding into your mouth as it dragged against your teeth before pressing into your tongue. 
Having to catch your breath, you pull away, to his disappointment. Glancing downwards, you open the blanket just a bit to look down, watching as a soft purple glow can be seen from between your legs. His fingers illuminated the blanket enough for you to see him fucking you with them. Moaning at the sight, you spread your legs further apart lifting it off of Camu. 
His thumb slides up and applies pressure to your clit again, circling it with vigor. You go slack from the feeling, but it wasn't long before you could feel stretched again by him adding a third glowing finger into your pussy. Crying from the feeling, you rock your hips to his pace. As his third finger was added, you can see the light dim every time he thrusts his hand into you, knowing all that light is all up in your pussy and it sends goosebumps all over your body. 
He drags you through another orgasm, hearing the slick get louder. You whine his name, eyes rolling to the back of your head. But it wasn't long before you could feel another coming, but this one felt just slightly different. "Oh! Oh wait, Camu!" You cried but it was too late, squirting all over his hand, blanket, and bed, you shivered and fell limp, legs shaking and twitching. 
Only then did his pace slow and he's soft, pressing rough kisses against your face. "You did so well," he sits up, removing his fingers from your cunt and licking them off. He positions himself between your legs, sliding down his sweatpants enough for his thick erection to pop out. Grabbing onto the underside of your knees, he lifts and presses them down against your chest, sliding his huge cock against your folds. 
"Fuck Camu, please, I want you..." you whine, shaking in anticipation. 
That was all he wanted to hear before plunging into you. A groan leaves him as you clench down on him. Licking his lips, he starts to rock his hips into you, dragging a needy moan from you. 
Just like his hands, his pace quickens and becomes rougher, sliding out till he almost falls out before slamming right back in, forcing you to take his entire thick cock. Your noises got louder, you're crying out his name as he fucks you ruthlessly. 
Pressing you further into the mating press he had you in, he locks lips with you. Making out with you to shut you up, he doesn't need other people to hear you crying and whining on his cock. You reach up with a hand to slide your fingers through his soft gray hair, pulling at it as another orgasm rocks through your body. 
He laughs at you when he pulls away from your lips. Miscolored eyes staring down at you all dumb and needy on his cock, in response to his laugh, you clench down on him, orgasming again. It wasn't often he laughed. 
Groaning at the feeling, his pace gets sloppy, biting down on his bottom lip. It wasn't long before he slams into you and released his cum into you, filling you up. He rocks his hips, dragging out his orgasm, feeling his cock pulse inside of your walls. 
You reach and grab his broad shoulders, digging your hands into his muscles. "God Camu, I love you so much."
You earn a smile from him and he releases your legs and hovers over you, still fully sheathed in you. "Mhm, I know. You'll have to help me wash my bed, you made such a mess."
Rolling your eyes, you pinch his cheek. "After a nap, I don't think I can move thanks to someone."
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always-outlander · 9 months
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Easter Eggs and Spoilers for 7x03 below the cut! 
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The Big House
The big house burns - and we learn that Arch Bug had been hiding a secret right beneath Jamie and Claire’s nose. But what I found especially interesting about this storyline (and even more so when I first read the books), was the discovery that their obituary was written in error, and why.
Claire and Jamie remark that it is not January at the time that the house burns down, and it’s clearly not even Fall in the show (in the books the house burns on December 21st). Claire also makes a comment about how newspapers never get anything correct, which is comical considering Jamie’s previous profession as a printer.
In the epilogue of A Breath of Snow and Ashes, we discover that the news of their deaths was reported by a reader of the local paper in Wilmington, and was used to fill a page beneath General Washington’s address to the troops. Spoiler territory, but it was actually Tom Christie who heard of the big house fire and wanted to put a formal obituary in the paper to honor Claire and Jamie. We see that Tom is very much still alive in the preview for this week’s episode, so that will cover the rest of that storyline.
But back to the book epilogue. The printer admits that he was told the news of their deaths in December, but printed the date as January because he had set the page in a specific font which had been missing the November and December slugs, and would have had to type it out in separate letters (which he did not feel was worth it, since after all, they are dead).
1980’s
Back in the future, we are in Inverness with Fiona and her husband and daughters. We briefly see Jemmy and Fiona’s kids playing in the yard, with Mandy in the bassinet and implied to be recovering from her heart surgery. The year is 1980 but it’s implied they have been there for a little while now - I know a lot of people were confused as to why there was such a time jump. Claire and Jamie are in 1776, and while Claire always says she went back 200 years, we will soon learn once Roger begins writing his book on time travel that it’s not exact every time.
There, Fiona gives Bree and Roger a mystery box which had been delivered to Reverend Wakefield’s former address and kept by the bank for over 200 years. In the books, Claire and Jamie deliver this chest to a bank in Edinburgh once they arrive back in Scotland so that one day in the future it would be delivered to Jemmy. So to ensure that no one else would ever open the box at that time, they gave strict instructions that it not be opened by anyone other than the name on the top, and used Jemmy’s full name (presumably so that no other Scot with a similar name could claim it as theirs). We see them writing those letters in this episode to Brianna and Roger, updating them as to what has happened and their journey to Scotland.
In the books, the end of A Breath of Snow and Ashes is Bree reading the letter and line “we are alive”, then the book ends. I like that we don’t have that cliffhanger here and can see this storyline unfold right away as it is one of my favorites from the books. In this moment we were able to get excerpts from a few more letters which are taken directly from An Echo in the Bone, and can see how Jamie and Claire had both taken turns writing to the McKenzie’s.
In the books, the box includes letters, two books, and Sawnee, Jamie’s toy snake from his brother. In the show, they included a musket ball which we saw them making out of the stolen French gold in the episode. Another difference is that in the books, the letter is written on December 31st, ten days after the fire. In the show, it’s written in April.
Bree and William
In Echo in the Bone, the opening scene takes place with Bree and Roger still in Wilmington, and standing with William watching Stephen Bonnet tied up in the harbor (obviously this has been rearranged in the show, since the Bonnet storyline wrapped up in Season 5). It is on the shore that she meets William, and William meets Mandy and Jemmy as well. Then we cut to Lallybroch in September of 1980, where Bree and Roger are continuing to read the first letter from Claire. Having been so immersed in the show, it’s easy to forget how many storylines they have moved around from the books.
Like the books, Roger points out that Bree’s matches are in fact the thing that caused the fire of the Big House while reading Claire’s letter. He points out that in trying to prevent their deaths they had succeeded, and changed the future. This is reminiscent of Claire and Jamie’s journey to France and how their attempts to prevent an event were likely the very thing that caused it.
Ian and William
Back at the Big House, Claire, Jamie and Ian are going through the rubble in search of anything they can recover. Amongst the items are a few of Claire’s books, Jamie’s old tartan, and a piece of the french gold. Young Ian is also able to recover the portrait of William that Lord John had given Jamie.
In the books, Ian had been suspicious of William’s parentage the first time he met him as a child back on the Ridge when he and Lord John had visited. He had recognized his stubborn nature as one that mirrored Jamie’s and his mother’s, but never made mention of it to Jamie. In the show they took this opportunity to have Jamie and Ian share that really lovely moment. You can tell what a relief it has been to Jamie each and every time someone else learns of this secret he has been harboring. And Ian has such a huge role in Jamie’s life as his only true remaining family to be with him now. I really think John Bell is the perfect Young Ian.
French Gold
Arch Bug and Jamie have their inevitable confrontation where he admits that he had been taking it back from Hector Cameron bit by bit each time he was sent to River Run. For backstory and a refresher, Jocasta Cameron (Jamie’s aunt) was married to a man named Hector Cameron, who we briefly saw in a flashback during season 4. Hector, his brother in law Dougal (Jamie’s Uncle), and a third man (who we now know was Arch Bug’s Laird, Malcolm Grant) had the gold and intended to use it to support the Jacobite cause and aid Charles Stuart’s rebellion.
When Hector Cameron and Jocasta fled Scotland after the rising, they took their share of the Jacobite gold with them and used it to fund River Run. It was during that journey that Hector accidentally killed he and Jocasta’s daughter, Morna. Arch felt that the gold was misused and Hector was a traitor to Scotland and the cause. He felt it was his duty to take it back, and in doing so he stole from Jamie’s family. Jamie terminates Arch’s employment at the Ridge and releases him of his oath to him.
In the books this moment is substantial because the Bugs are less of background characters and we have seen how much they mean to the Frasers. The show isn’t able to capture that properly, and even more so with Mrs Bug. It isn’t until An Echo in the Bone where Mrs. Bug returns to the Big House in search of the remaining gold where she is mistaken for Arch and is killed by Ian. She was a grandmother figure to Ian whom he deeply loved and appreciated so this was heartbreaking in the books. I suspect in episode 4 we will see Ian and Rachel meet and perhaps by the end of this first half of season 7 we will have Arch return. In the books he goes after Rachel a few times, as Ian is in love with her. William is the one who saves her a few times, and I’m looking forward to him and Ian interacting with one another for the rest of this season.
Return to Scotland
Back on the Ridge, time has passed (as made evident by Claire’s hair). Jamie and Claire discuss where they might set out to build another house, and they share a conversation about where they would like their body’s buried should either of them be killed which is direct from the books. Jamie tells Claire that he wishes to first return to Scotland, as he had promised Ian and Jenny that he would return young Ian to them. With the war looming, it is now or never. They agree that they should go and begin making plans to travel back across the ocean to Lallybroch.
In the books he does not admit that to Claire right away but instead says his reason for returning is to fetch his printing press. The Ridge is no longer a safe place for them while there is so much unrest regarding Malva and now Mrs Bug. Claire thinks they can go live with Fergus and Marsali in New Bern, and it is then Jamie tells her he wishes to bring Ian home and have him avoid the war.
That night, while in bed, Claire can hear Jamie praying. In the books, he leaves their room and goes to a small pool or water near their cabin to pray, and Claire finds him there only to pick up on him praying to God to let him be enough. I enjoyed how this scene was shot in the show better, to be honest. And rolls perfectly into the following morning when Jamie tells Claire of his most recent dream.
The frequency of Jamie’s dreams of the future seem to be increasing, and this time he tells Claire that he saw the McKenzie’s. They were walking up to a house, and looked happy. He is able to tell Claire the name of the woman speaking to them both, Fiona, which Claire knows she had not shared with Jamie before. He also tells Claire that Jemmy was trying to talk to him through a box he’d never seen before, and she tells him it is a telephone.
To hide what was left of the French Gold, Jamie uses some of it for musket balls and the remainder he puts into a chest. He and Claire then return to a cave that we find out he used to come to with Jemmy. Inside the cave, Jamie shows Claire the remains of a Spanish man who died there. This is later important in Jamie’s cryptic letter to Roger and Bree which reveals Jemmy holds the key to finding it. The storyline with Jemmy in the future gets very interesting, and I feel like the cliffhanger for the end of this first half of the season might be his kidnapping.
A New Knife
Back on the Ridge, Jamie and Claire share a scene straight from the books where he gives her a new knife for their journey. There are lots of direct quotes from the books, minus a few dirty comments from Jamie. The two blood the blade and call back to the iconic line from their wedding, “Blood of my Blood” with a reworked version of their theme song.
I loved this parallel to their wedding, where Claire was not given a choice to share her blood and partake in this act. Now, we see her blood her own blade willingly and choose Jamie once again. The theme of Echo and the Bone is definitely heavy on Jamie’s self worth and Claire choosing him over and over again. Their strength as a couple will be needed more than ever this season, so I like that they are reinforcing that with these scenes.
Lallybroch
At the end of the episode, Bree and Roger drive up to Lallybroch. Ironically they were filming at when I was in Scotland last year and my tour was cancelled because they ended up extending filming due to rain. While there, Bree explains to Roger how much he would have loved the house in its hay day. They cut to a shot of Bree sitting on the steps looking through the gate like Claire had back in season 3 imagining Jamie there. Worried they are trespassing when another car arrives, they learn that the property is actually up for sale. When we see them in the future again in the books they had already purchased it, so I liked getting to see this scene in the show. The house is so central to their storyline and feels like a strong return to seasons 1 and 2. When Jamie and Claire go back to Scotland this season the two couples will be at Lallybroch simultaneously across time and I think that will be incredible to watch.
Wilmington again
Claire and Jamie travel to Wilmington (doesn’t it feel like they just left and were only home on the ridge for a long weekend) and along the way Claire spots Adso. She knows she cannot take him with her and sadly leaves him in the woods to live out his life at the ridge. She has a moment where the reality of their home being gone again hits her all at once and they have a really touching scene where she sees the stake that Jamie first put down in season 4 when they arrived at Fraser's Ridge.
She asks Jamie if they will make it back there one day, and he admits he never thought he’d see Scotland again but the Ridge is where they are bound, so they will. This ties back to his conversation with Bree where she tells him that the freedom gained in this war is worth fighting for, so Jamie knows he must take part. To wrap a nice bow around the episode, Claire says to him that he will always be enough for her, and it was the sweetest moment as the two ride off towards their next adventure in Wilmington as they prepare to travel to Scotland.
A good episode, pacing is still quite quick, but I’m enjoying this season a lot.
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scotianostra · 2 months
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On February 5th 1941 the S S Politician, with a cargo of whisky, ran aground of the North Shore of the Island of Eriskay.
The SS Politician was an 8000-tonne cargo ship which left Liverpool on the 3rd February 1941 laden with amongst other things 260,000 bottles of whisky, bound for Kingston in Jamaica and New Orleans. The whisky was for the American market and therefore no duty had been paid. She sailed up past the Isle of Man towards the Hebrides where the winds increased to gale force.
On the morning of 5th February a young man was combing a beach in South Uist when he saw the ship in trouble and beginning to list. After a valiant struggle by the Captain, Beaconsfield Worthington, to keep his ship on course, the SS Politician eventually ran aground in the storm onto sandbanks off the Isle of Eriskay where she began to flood. Unfortunately as the ship had veered off course an incorrect location was given to the lifeboat crew on Barra. Local islanders were roused and they set forth in a sailing boat to offer assistance to the crew. The lifeboat finally reached the ship and all the crew were rescued.
When the locals learned from the crew exactly what the ship was carrying, a series of illegal salvage operations took place at night, before the customs and excise officials arrived. The islands supplies of whisky had dried up due to war-time rationing, so the islanders periodically helped themselves to some of the 260,000 bottles of whisky before winter weather broke up the ship. Boats came from as far away as Lewis as news of the whisky travelled across the Outer Hebrides. No islander regarded it as stealing, as for them the rules of salvage meant that once the bounty was in the sea, it was theirs to rescue.
This of course was not the view of the local customs officer, Charles McColl, who was incensed at the blatant thievery that was going on. Not a penny had been paid in duty for this whisky so Mr McColl whipped up a furore and made an official complaint to the police. Villages were raided and crofts were turned upside down. Bottles were hidden, secreted, or sometimes drunk in order to hide the evidence.
On 26 April at Lochmaddy Sheriff Court a group of men from Barra pleaded guilty to theft and were fined between three and five pounds. Mr McColl was furious at the leniency of the men’s sentences, but the police, being mainly locals themselves, were tired of the bothering the locals who had not, in their minds, done such a bad thing. However, Mr McColl continued his crusade against these illegal salvagers and some of the men were sentenced to up to six weeks in prison in Inverness and Peterhead.
Back at sea, the official salvage attempts were not going too well, and it was eventually decided to let the Politician remain where she was. Mr McColl, who had already estimated that the islanders had stolen 24,000 bottles of whisky, ensured that there would be no more temptation. He applied for, and was granted, permission to explode her hull and as one islander, Angus John Campbell, commented: “Dynamiting whisky. You wouldn’t think there’d be men in the world so crazy as that!”
In 1987 Donald MacPhee, a local South Uist man, found eight bottles of whisky in the wreck. He sold them at auction for £4,000.
The wreck of the SS Politician still lies off the coast of Eriskay, although it is below the water line as winter gales have destroyed the deck and cabins. In 1988 the island got its own ‘legitimate’ pub, named ‘Am Politician’.
The story was used by Compton Mackenzie for his book Whisky Galore, and later for the Ealing Studio comedy by the same name.A remake was released in 2016 starring James Cosmo and Gregor Fisher amongst others, I didn't expect it to be any good, but was pleasantly surprised.
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aroaessidhe · 6 months
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2023 reads
Our Hideous Progeny
historical fantasy set in 1850s London/Inverness
A young woman and her husband want to become renowned paleontologists, but are dismissed by the scientific community and struggling with money
When they find her great uncle Frankenstein’s notes, they construct a plan to recreate a dinosaur to prove their theories and become acknowledged by their peers
But her attachment to the creature and their dissolving relationship over his gambling habits change their plans.
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sanctus-ingenium · 6 months
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A certain fisherman [...] went to the same place again to fish, and he put a row of hooks on his heels in case he met the Púca again; he attached them like a horseman's spurs. When evening drew near, he made a halter of the fishing-line for the Púca. The Púca met him the second time. He himself caught the Púca, put the fishing-line over his head like a halter, and started to ride him. He drove him wherever he wanted to go, and he kept putting his heels with the hooks like spurs to the Púca's sides, so that the Púca was shedding blood from the pricks of the hooks.
Excerpt from "The Púca: A Multi-Functional Irish Supernatural Entity" by Deasún Breatnach
buy a print of this piece here :>
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kattakati · 8 days
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voting intentions for other characters in inver because i'm still thinking of it
islin - always picks a write-in candidate who's platform is something like "let's put god back into our lives and make everyone work harder for less pay" but he won't support mainstream rich religious candidates because if you're not literally penniless then you're not religious enough to him and he's getting a better score than you at worship, something that's normal to want and possible to achieve
senca - she votes for herself and bribes/pressures/blackmails as many people as possible to write her in as well. her platform is completely incoherent
léa - likely the only person whose vote you might actually agree with. votes for feminist causes but in a kind of "fuck you, got mine" sense where once she gets all her rights she dgaf about anyone else's
jean-baptiste - doesn't give a shit because he only cares about one thing and it's disgusting
erica - tells everyone he voted for whichever candidate they like the least. in reality his vote was probably pretty sensible, middle of the road moderate candidate
clarion - parochial politics to the max, she's voting for whoever paves the road outside her house and who gives a shit about their actual political beliefs
gloria - whichever candidate is hottest to her
renard - diehard gay conservative but he insists that the modern altright conservatives are just a fringe and he's voting for actual conservatism. if pushed he admits he's a monarchist who wants to bring back the death penalty
wycombe - please god let me just bomb the poor we need feudalism back NOW
esk - good vibes liberal (derogatory). believes its voting for A Good Cause but really it's just voting for its own rose-tinted image of an idealised past that never really existed
bowman - you know damn well he doesn't vote
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robynlilyblack · 2 years
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That’s the rules
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Sirius Black x fem! shy! reader
Same universe as She’s a keeper 
Next part is out now: The hike
[Requested – see request here]
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Summary: Sirius invites y/n on a trip with the group and Lily has the great idea of taking muggle transportation to get there
Warnings: swearing, mentions and implied sex, mostly comedic fluff
a/n: 3.3k words, reader is an ex Hufflepuff, no voldy, past wolfstar mentioned briefly, let me know if you want this to have another part because I will happily oblige I love writing marauders banter
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Navigation | Sirius Black Masterlist
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You and Sirius were half jogging as you headed to the platform, running a tad late but not late enough you would miss the train. Heading up the platform you spot Remus, James and Marlene in one little circle and Lily, Dorcas and Alice in another.
“Hey sorry we’re late” Sirius says as you approach the first group
“No worries Pads the trains delayed anyway” James chuckles before turning to you with a big smile “Hey Y/n I’m glad you could make it”
“Hi” you smile back “Me too”
“So how come you’re late” Remus asks
“We couldn’t find the tickets” Sirius shrugs giving your hand a squeeze as you smile shyly
“Y/n!” Lily beams as she waves you over “Come here I want you to meet Alice”
You smile back giving Sirius’ hand a squeeze before attempting to let go but he pulls you back towards him “You aren’t getting away with a kiss darling” he smirks leaning in to kiss you before letting you walk off towards the girls slightly breathless and blushing
“She’s fricking adorable” Marlene smiles at your flustered state
“She is isn’t she” Sirius chuckles to himself, smiling as he sees you giggling with the girls
“So, you guys excited” James rubs his hands together
“To go on a muggle train for 6 hours to Glasgow then another 4 to Inverness yeah so excited” Remus fakes excitement before groaning
“Come on it’ll be fun” James insists
“Yeah why wouldn’t it be fun”
“Purebloods” Marlene shakes her head smiling at Remus
“I know right” Remus says shaking his head as he begins to chuckle
“Wait” James and Sirius look at them in panic before Lily walks over with the rest of the group
“Right here’s the plan” she claps her hands together “We’ve decided to take muggle transport to the house we’ve rented so the first train will get us into Glasgow around 1ish so we’ll have lunch there and then the next train will get us into inverness around 7…” she smiles before she continues going on about how the tickets work a bit different
“The regret setting in yet” Remus leans over James shoulder
“Little bit yeah” James nods lips forming a tight line as he contemplates his life choices
“Why did you agree?” he whispers
“I’d rather not say” James shrugs
“Prongs I think we deserve to know” Marlene pops up on at his other shoulder
“Bloody fuck” he jumps, where the hell did she pop up from
“Jamie!” Lily scolds him
“It wasn’t…” he gestures to Marlene and Remus before giving up “…sorry honey love you” he gives her a cringy smile to which she huffs a bit smiling before continuing, you giggle as you re-join Sirius at his side, his arm moving around your waist as he kisses your forehead
“You didn’t answer” Marlene prods as Remus leans in to listen as well
“I wasn’t fully listening because she was…its embarrassing” James’ cheeks start heating up
“Prongs” Remus nudges him a bit but not enough Lily would notice
“She was breast feeding harry at the time” James mutters as Marlene bursts out laughing, making Lily glare at her
“Lils I’m sorry doll” she apologises as Remus chuckles next to a now bright red James
“What happened” Sirius leans over to Remus
“I’ll tell you later” Remus whispers back
“No, you won’t” James nudges pointing at the boy
“I won’t” he nods to James before turning back to you and Sirius mouthing ‘I’ll tell you later’ with a wink
“Right so the train booths fit four so we will split into two groups, Alice, Dorca and Y/n with me in one group and Marls, Jamie, Sirius and Rem in the other” Lily smiles as she finishes explaining
“What” Sirius pouts, tugging you closer to him “Why can’t I sit with y/n?”
“No couples sitting with each other” Marlene shrugs “That’s the rules”
“Since when?” Sirius disputes
“Since the last time we let couples sit together…” Lily starts
“Harry happened” James says without thinking before his eyes go wide
“Jamie!” Lily buries her head in her hands
“I’m not doing well today, am I?” James turns to Remus
“Well I did expect this…” Remus nods his head before looking at him “…but not in the space of 10 minutes so that’s a new record” he chuckles
“Trains here let’s go!” Lily ushers everyone still bright red in the face
You turn to Sirius “I’ll see you when we get to Glasgow” you lean up to give his cheek a kiss but he moves his head to kiss you properly “Siri” you giggle into his lips
“Sorry darling can’t help it” he smirks at you before kissing your forehead as you board the train just in time to hear Alice giggling at Lily
“Oh really” Lily looks at Alice “Do we want to talk about you and Frank at mini golf?” she looks at the girl knowingly before Alice goes bright red shutting up
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“Oh, a dear!” James jumps up to look out the window
“Aww he’s found more of his kind” Marlene turns to Sirius as the chuckle at James
“You should have seen him in our last year we actually did find a herd of deer and it took us 7 hours to figure out which one he was” Sirius recalls shaking his head
“No way” Marlene’s smile widens as Remus speaks up
“At least you could run around as a dog I had to do it like this” he gestures to himself “I ruined my favourite cardigan” he huffs pouting
“I bought you a knew one” James says as he sits back down
“It’s not the same” Remus crosses his arms
“Muggle trains are quite nice” Sirius says as he leans back in the seat “Not as nice as the one to Hogwarts but not bad” he nods taking off his scarf and jacket getting comfy
Marlene smirks as her eye’s hone in on his neck “So that’s why you were late” she points to his neck
James and Remus lean forward as the start smiling “Well they say it’s the quiet ones” James nods “Ay moony” he nudges Remus whose face heats up
“Emm I…” Remus is lost for words “fuck off” he sits back
Marlene giggles at Remus before turning to Sirius “So, how is it going with you two?” she nudges him
“Really really good” Sirius breaks out in the biggest smile “I ready to tell her I love her”
“Seriously” James sits up, his expression a tad surprised
“I’m…” Sirius starts smirking but is cut off by Remus
“No” He points at the boy “That joke is over 10 years old now let it die” he warns
Marlene starts giggling “I’m so glad I got to be the fourth wheel in this cabin. Damn I should have brought popcorn or something”
“You’re really ready to tell her” James remains focused on his friend knowing how big a deal this is for him
“Yeah” Sirius nods “I’ve known since I met her I was going to marry her and now I’m ready to say those words”
“This is big, it took you the whole of Hogwarts before you told us you loved us as your family” Remus says as Marlene and James nod
“It’s weird I thought when the time came and I actually fell in love I’d be so scared and fuck it all up but when I look at her” he smiles thinking of you “…it doesn’t feel scary at all”
“Please put that in your speech” Marlene looks over at James and Remus before turning back to the boy squishing his cheeks “Sirius Black is such a softie now”
“Speak for yourselves Marls” Sirius swats her hands away chuckling
“Remember when we were Hogwarts biggest flirts” Marlene reminisces
“Yup you two created the phrase bi panic” James nods
“Then you fell in love with Dorca and became all mushy” Sirius teases poking her cheek
“We were the hottest couple in school and I did not become all mushy” Marlene argues while the three looks at her tilting their heads “Okay maybe a bit mushy but I’m not as bad as Sirius with y/n, right?” she looks between the three of them for conformation but the three of them stay silent “Oh my god that’s what me and Dorca look like” Marlene freezes like the walls of her reality just broke down
“Welcome to the mush club” James leans forward patting her leg “You’ve been a member since 1976” he winks
“I feel very aware I’m the only singleton left” Remus chuckles shaking his head
“Don’t worry man if Lily dies tragically you can marry me” James wraps his arm around Remus to wish the boy laughs
“Same man if y/n dies we can give it another shot” Sirius winks
They all turn to Marlene “There’s no fucking way I’m letting Dorca go before me” she shakes her head “Love ya Rem but you’re on your own, we can drink together in misery though”
“Thanks Marls you’re a good friend” Remus chuckles as the others all join him
As the laugh dies down Sirius looks up the train “What booth are the others in?”
“You aren’t going to y/n we’ve only got…” Remus looks at his watch “3…” his mouth drops one groaning “3 hours!” he turns to James “This is your fault”
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“So where to for lunch?” James asks as you all congregate under the clock at central station
“I guess walk around until we see somewhere that catches out fancy?” Alice suggests “I’ve never been to Glasgow before”
“There’s a great little Japanese place about 5/10 mins from here” Dorca smiles
“Oh, is the place just off Argyle? Mary suggested we go to that but said it we do we have to promise to take her on our way home” Lily smiles as Dorca nods
“Great let’s go there I’m starving” Remus says gesturing for Dorca to lead the way
“We better hurry don’t want a hungry moony” James teases
“You know I actually think I could go for venison” Remus glares at James
“Dorca walk faster” James’s eyes go wide with panic before turning to whisper and Sirius and you “I forgot how scary he can be”
You giggle as you slip your hand into Sirius’ both of you following the group out of the station taking a right as you head down towards an intersection waiting at the lights
“We aren’t going on the subway, right?” James leans over Dorcas shoulder “I’ll be sick” he looks at her in slight panic
“No, it’s down there” she points down the long road
“Thank merlin” James sighs in relieve before leaning down to kiss Lily on the side of the head, whispering something in her ear which makes her smile
“Missed you” Sirius whispers leaning down to your ear
“Missed you too” you squeeze his hand as you all cross the road walking up the long street
“You think I could convince Lily to let us sit together on the next leg?” he asks
“We are switching up a bit, but same rules apply” you pout leaning into him
“Who’s switching” he looks down at you
“Me and you, I think Lily’s making sure I get to talk to everyone before we’re all sharing a house for two weeks” you look up at him a small smile on your face
Sirius nods taking his hand out of yours and wrapping it around your waist instead “Are you alright with that?” he leans down making sure that you are comfortable
“Yeah” you nod “The girls were really nice to me, Alice was showing me pictures of Neville he’s so cute” you smile as you both stop walking waiting on the traffic clearing to cross the street turning to look up at him properly “I’m okay, you don’t have to worry”
“Good but I’m always gonna worry about you darling its part of the job description” he leans down to give you a quick kiss before you all jog across the road
“See the red ‘i’ sign that’s it there” Dorca points up ahead
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“I’m stuffed” James leans his head back on the seat as he practically collapses into it
You giggle at him as you take a seat next to Marlene across from him and Remus
Marlene leans over to you “You’re in the cool group now” she winks
“Oh yeah” James nods
“So cool” Remus smiles at you the sarcasm evident in his voice
You giggle at them “That’s what the girls said this morning”
“Nah, we are way cooler” Marlene insists “There are two marauders in this group and me doll” she smirks
“And we are the two best marauders” James says triumphantly as Remus nods in agreement “But…” he backtracks “…don’t tell pads we said that”
“Or Wormtail when he joins us next week” Remus adds
“My lips are sealed” you pretend to zip your lips and lock it, earning smiles from the three others
After a little while James falls asleep with his head on the window and Marlene and Remus turn to you
“Y/n?” Marlene gets your attention from your daydreaming out of the window
“Yeah?”
“How are things going with you and Sirius?” she inquires but you feel like she knows something you don’t
“Umm” you smile shyly “Great, he’s wonderful”
Her smile widens as Remus’ does the same across from you “I’ve never seen him as happy as he is with you”
You’re eyes light up “When he first asked me out I wasn’t sure how long it would last but I’m so glad I said yes, I don’t think I’ve ever been this happy either” you confess
Just as Marlene is about to speak another train passes by the sudden whiz waking James up with a jolt, “Holy…” James breaths heavy before he starts laughing “…well that’s one way to wake up” he scratches the back of his head, yawning a bit as he asks “So what we talking about?”
“Y/n and Sirius” Marlene replies to which James’ eyes light up a grin plastered across his face
“Should I be scared?” you lean into Marlene while looking at Remus
“I’m not gonna lie, it’s like 50/50 odds constantly with him” he chuckles
“No need to be worried y/n, if anything it’s Pads that should be” James’ looks at you mischievously “How would you like to hear every embarrassing story I have of your boy?”
“Ooo I like this game” Marlene sits up excited
“We’ve got some beauties”
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“Lily?” Marlene asks as you all set down your bags while the boys bring in the shopping for you all “Next time you have a bright idea, don’t ask James while you’ve got your tits out I can’t feel my arse I’ve sat so long today” you and Alice almost choke on the air as Lily goes as red as her own hair
Lily opens her mouth to speak before her eyes widen “Oh my god that explains so much” she places her hands on her head “Now do I use this power for good or for evil” she muses as the rest of you giggle
“What’s so funny” James asks as the boys enter placing down the shopping backs
“Hi Darling” Sirius smiles as he kisses the side of your head both of you turning to look at Lily
“Oh, nothing hon” she shakes her head laughing as she gives her husband a kiss on the cheek “Come on let’s get this stuff in the fridge”  
“While you’re doing that we’ll take our stuff up to our room” Sirius hands his bag to James, quickly pulling you and your bags upstairs before the boy can protest hearing him say a distant ‘I want naming rights’ as you reach the top
“I think Lily told me ours is the one with the forest view” you say pointing to the room
As both of you walk into the room you go to the window while Sirius drops your bags by the bed after kicking the door gently closed behind him. He smiles at you as he walks over, snaking his arms around your waist from behind while pressing a kiss to your hair
“Hi” he sighs in relief, nuzzling his nose into your hair
“Hi” you smile placing your hands over his
“Y/n?” Sirius says as he kisses down the side of your face to your jaw
“Mm” you hum in acknowledgment as you melt into him with every kiss he places
“Turn around” you do as he says, smiling brightly up at him the sight making his heart flutter, he smiles back “I love you” he says brushing some hair from your face, the words rolling off of his tongue with ease
Your mouth drops open before you smile widely “I love you too” you felt like you could cry, you knew those words might be difficult for him to say since you knew everything about what happened with his family and past relationships
Sirius felt like his own heart could explode, he knew you loved him back but hearing it made him happier than he could have ever thought imaginable. He smiles brightly at you as he cups your cheek bringing your lips to meet his, as your lips move in sync he slowly manoeuvres you both backwards toward the bed. He breaks the kiss to pull you down onto his lap as he sits on the bed, chuckling at your small squeal and giggle before moving in to kiss you again
You both distantly hear Lily calling you both to help make dinner, to which Sirius reluctantly pulls away “You just wait until we are back in here tonight” he squeezes your hips as he kisses your neck “It’s been torture not being able to hold you all day”
You peck his lips “Just a little while longer” you say before kissing his nose “I am hungry” you confess
“Me too but I was hoping I could have my dessert first” he nuzzles his nose into your neck pretending to bite you
“Siri!” you giggle “It tickles”
“Guys! If you’re going to ignore us to do it please use a silencing charm we don’t need a repeat of our graduation party!” You both start chuckling as James yells up the stairs at you both
“What happened at the graduation party?”
“Let’s just say me and Moony got a bit too drunk and my animagus side and his wolf side came out a bit” your mouth drops open as you burst out in giggles
“Well I happened to like that side” you admit as you calm down, biting your lip
“Good thing I perfected that charm then, come on let’s go before they eat without us” you go to get up but he pulls you back down “Actually just give me a few minutes” he chuckles “Tell me something to distract me”
“Okay…” You think for a minute before smirking “James told me about the time you got stuck in your animagus form and lived with muggles for a week because you couldn’t explain that you weren’t a real dog”
Sirius’ head shoots up “I’m gonna kill him” he shakes his head before it downs on him you spend little over three hours alone with James “How many of those stories did he tell you?” his look pleading as he smiles up at you
“I think it’s better if you don’t know but…” you kiss his cheek “…as embarrassing as they all are and that one is like a 2 on the scale of embarrassment” you giggle while cupping his face “They made me love you even more and I can make you a deal for every embarrassing one you have I will tell you one of mine”
“Deal” he chuckles moving into kiss you one more time before you head down for dinner
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Saw Gloryhammer Live
Take Angus McFife II vs Zargothrax during the Unicorn Invasion of Dundee [CW for Flashing Lights and also terrible audio quality because I was Right Next to the amps]:
I hope the video actually works when it loads.
I also received +1 Staff of Cowdenbeath:
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It was an awesome night. The set was good, I was very surprised to hear Questlords of Inverness of all songs.
Very good night. Now I get to look forward to Wind Rose in April.
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myhauntedsalem · 5 months
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6 Dark Places Aleister Crowley Performed His Particular Brand of Magick
Born in the late 1870s, England, Aleister Crowley was one of the great characters of the 20th century—a poet, a magician, a journalist, an alchemist, a philosopher, a spy, a self-affirmed drug fiend, and a sex addict. He was also known as “The Great Beast” and the “wickedest man in the world.” He played a major role in the creation of alternate religions like Wicca, the A∴A∴, and the Ordo Templi Orientis, and he founded the Order of Thelema, a semi-Satanic cult whose famous edict was “do what thou wilt.”
Crowley is to the occult as Tolkien is to fantasy—he set the stage that everyone else plays in. Basically, if you’re dabbling in things dark and dastardly, Aleister was probably there first.
In all of his doings, Crowley traveled a lot. He pursued exploits in Egypt, India, the Far East, Australia, all over Europe and North America, dotting the map with sex magick and weird stunts. Here are a six places in the Atlas where the infamous occultist left his mark.
1. 36 Blythe Road
LONDON, ENGLAND
Though he was interested in the occult from childhood, Crowley’s first foray into organized magic (or “magick,” as he preferred to spell it) was with the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn. Well liked by its co-founder, Samuel Liddell MacGregor Mathers, Crowley advanced in the ranks very quickly. However, not everyone was a fan. The London chapter, which had already found faults in Mathers’ leadership, particularly disavowed him for the eccentric, bisexual Crowley. This caused a decisive rift between two factions of the Order, but Mathers wasn’t ready to concede his leadership.
In 1900, while the poet and London chapter leader W. B. Yeats was heading a meeting, he was attacked by an “astral siege” from none other than Aleister Crowley. Crowley, wearing a black Osiris mask and a kilt, and his mistress burst into the temple, casting spells and brandishing daggers. They intended to take the temple for Mathers’, but were unsuccessful. The police came, the scuffle went to court, and the London chapter of the Golden Dawn won (as they paid the rent on the space). Now the nondescript George’s Cafe resides in the former site of the secret society’s temple, with no indication of its former life.
2. Boleskine House
INVERNESS, SCOTLAND
Boleskine House was steeped in darkness long before Crowley moved in. The manor is allegedly built atop the ruins of a 10th century church that burnt to the ground during a service, killing all the congregants inside. Crowley bought Boleskine House to seclude himself and perform magic from The Book of Sacred Magic of Abramelin the Mage. It was during this period that Crowley became famous for his occultism and black magic, both around the Scotland and later, the world. Sometime during this period Mathers called Crowley to Paris. He left without dispelling the “12 Kings and Dukes of Hell” he had summoned, and many locals blame the house’s unlucky history on evil spirits left behind.
First, Crowley’s housekeeper’s two children died mysteriously and abruptly. Crowley also bragged that one employee of the estate who had long abstained from alcohol got drunk and attempted to murder his entire family. After the house had changed hands, it still wasn’t free of dark energy. In 1965, the army major who owned the house committed suicide by shotgun. The next owner, Led Zeppelin’s Jimmy Page, spent very little time at the estate, instead bequeathing it to a friend who didn’t mind the unexplained creaks, groans, and various ghostly apparitions, but was bothered by the Crowley and Page fans who frequently attempted to break into the house and defile the grounds. Later owners dismissed any notions of hauntings or witchcraft at the house, but in 2015, the residents returned from a shopping trip to find the house completely in flames.
3. Crowley’s Magickal Retirement
HEBRON, NEW HAMPSHIRE
In 1916, Crowley spent four months at the home of renowned medium Evangeline Adams in what he called a “magickal retirement.” This didn’t mean taking a break from cocaine, heroin, sex magick, and prolonged rituals. Quite the opposite in fact. In Hebron, Crowley doubled down and did a great deal of writing, poetry and magical instruction alike. He was even a ghost writer on several of Adams’ books of astrology.
4. Esopus Island
HYDE PARK, NEW YORK
In another magickal retreat, Crowley spent 40 days and 40 nights (a la Jesus Christ) on a tiny island in the Hudson River. His mission was translating the Tao Te Ching, a 4th century Chinese philosophical text. He hadn’t brought much food but had packed plenty of red paint, and also put himself to work painting Thelemic graffiti on the island’s rocks. Curious families watching the bald, robed man on the island from the banks of the Hudson began bringing him rations. He was also visited by fans and artists, who brought him food, drugs, and company.
Much later Crowley reported experiencing visions of his past lives during his stay on Esopus Island, all of which were somehow very influential figures. His former selves included legendary Taoist Ge Xuan, Renaissance Pope Alexander VI, alchemist Alessandro Cagliostro, and the magician Eliphas Levi. Today, the island is open to the public so long as they can reach it by boat. There are even camping amenities for those who wish to follow in the footsteps of the infamous occultist.
5. Boca do Inferno
CASCAIS, PORTUGAL
Any eccentric worth his salt has to fake his own death at least once. When visiting Portugal in 1930 and feeling annoyed by his current mistress, Crowley gave appearance he had committed suicide at the Boca de Inferno (“Mouth of Hell”) caves. His friend, poet Fernando Pessoa handed Crowley’s suicide note to newspapers, helpfully explaining the magical symbols and translating the mangled Portuguese to police and media alike. Three weeks later, Crowley reappeared at the opening of an exhibition of his works in a Berlin gallery, suggesting this whole affair was more publicity stunt than anything else. Today, there is a small white plaque mounted on the rock provides the text of Crowley’s note: “Não Posso Viver Sem Ti. A outra ‘Boca De Infierno’ apanhar-me-á não será tão quente como a tua,” which translates roughly to “Can’t live without you. The other mouth of hell that will catch me won’t be as hot as yours.” That might be touching if any of it were genuine.
6. The Abbey of Thelema
CEFALÙ, ITALY
Crowley’s magickal career came to its peak in a little Sicilian town. For a small amount of money, he, his two lovers, their small children, and miscellaneous followers moved into one story house facing the Mediterranean sea. They called it the Abbey of Thelema. The common room was dedicated to ritual practices and held a scarlet “magick” circle marked with the sign of the major Thelemic deities. Crowley’s own bedroom, labeled by himself as “la chambre des cauchemars” (or “the room of nightmares”) was entirely hand-painted by the occultist with explicitly erotic frescos, hermaphroditic goblins, and vividly colored monsters. This private room was used for specific night initiations involving psychoactive drugs which gave terrifying cinematic life to this Bosch-like vision of hellish debauchery.
Crowley considered his temple a school of magick, and gave it an appropriately collegiate motto: “Collegium ad Spiritum Sanctum”—”A College towards the Holy Spirit.” The Cefalù period was one of the most prolific and happy of his life, even as he suffered from drug addiction and had to write the scandalous Diary of a Drug Fiend to finance his community. The growing interest in dark magic and the occult provided him with an ample student body (pun intended). But in 1922, the experience in monasticism ended when Raoul Loveday, a young disciple, tragically died from typhoid fever contracted from drinking contaminated spring water, though Loveday’s wife maintained it was from drinking cat’s blood.
Crowley and his people were evicted by Mussolini’s regime in 1923. The dictator had no sympathy for pornographic art or mysticism. Once the Abbey closed, the villagers whitewashed the murals, which they somewhat correctly saw as demonic. This erased much of the history and work of Crowley in Cefalù. The Abbey of Thelema is still there, a hidden monument of mysterious, magickal decay.
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ginsterphotography · 2 months
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1H11 1007 Glasgow Queen Street to Inverness growls out of Pitlochry with a 5 coach set, 01/02/24 - 43124 leading & 43182 on the back.
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