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hesbuckcompton-baby · 19 days

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Notes on historical context

A huge part of fic writing in the HBO War fandom lies in historical research - I'm sure my writer friends can all attest to this - and it's personally one of my favourite parts of the whole process! As a result, I've decided to compile a few notes on the history used in my two current MoTA fics; I'm Your Man and Better Off

I'm aware this probably isn't interesting to a lot of people, but to any kindred spirits I hope you enjoy 😂

I'm Your Man

Frankie's hometown - Stratford-upon-Avon

Stratford-upon-Avon is a market town in the county of Warwickshire in the English West Midlands, which has existed as a settlements since the Roman occupation, but is particularly notable for being the birthplace of famous playwright William Shakespeare. The house in which Shakespeare grew up in remains a popular tourist attraction, evidencing visits from several notable writers including Charles Dickens and Lord Byron.

The Coventry Blitz

In Chapter 4, Frankie references the Coventry Blitz - a series of bombing raids between 1940-42, most notably on the night of 14th November 1940. In a single night, two-thirds of the city's buildings were damaged or destroyed, making it the most concentrated bombing of an English city in the entire war. In the aftermath, the word 'Coventration' was coined by Joseph Goebells to refer to the act of completely destroying a city through aerial attacks. I have spoken to people who lived in the towns around Coventry during this time who recall large groups of displaced families walking from town to town in search of shelter, as the destruction of housing was so extensive that people could not remain within the city.

Rationing

In the first few chapters, Frankie makes several references to the state of food rationing in 1943. Throughout the Second World War, food supply in the UK was severely limited due to its reliance on imports, and the economic state was so dire following the war that Britain continued rationing until 1954. Huge campaigns were introduced encouraging people to grow and supply their own food, and many commodities became unavailable due to shortages in certain ingredients. One such example was the production of Cadbury's chocolate, which had to be altered to 'Ration chocolate' due to milk shortages.

The Young Visiters by Daisy Ashford

In Chapter 7, Frankie is seen reading The Young Visiters, a hugely popular book published in 1919. The book's charm and popularity came from its author, as Daisy Ashford was allegedly only nine years old at the time of publication, and her unconventional writing and youthful misunderstanding of Victorian high society lend to the book's rather bizarre sense of humour.

Education

In Chapter 6, Rosie learns to his surprise that Frankie has not attended school since she was 14 years old. Under the 1918 Education Act, the school leaving age was raised from 12 to 14 years old, with high drop-out rates due to the inaccessibility of many schools to the working class.

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Better Off

The ATS

The Auxiliary Territorial Service was active from 1938, and operated as the women's branch of the British Army until it was absorbed into the Women's Royal Army Corps in 1949. The National Service Act of 1941 called for all unmarried women between the ages of 20 and 30 to join one of Britain's auxiliary services, and by 1943 nine of out every ten women were taking an active role in the war effort. Due to manpower shortages, many ATS women took on roles in radar and anti-aircraft defense, resulting over 700 casualties throughout the war. Most notable of the ATS volunteers was Princess Elizabeth Windsor (later Elizabeth II), who worked as a mechanic as well as driving lorries and ambulances.

The Manchester Blitz

The attack which killed Susie's sister Ellie was a part of a series of bombing raids known as the Manchester Blitz, which took place between 1940 and 1942. Manchester and its surrounding towns were key for war production, and as such targeted heavily by the Luftwaffe, resulting in approximately 1,000 deaths. The nights of the 22nd and 23rd of December 1940 were the most devastating attacks on Manchester during the war, with more than 450 tons of explosives dropped across the two consecutive nights.

Back-to-back houses

The home that Susie's family were raised in was part of a large wave of construction in the UK of so-called 'back-to-backs', designed to support the huge influx of working-class families moving into urban areas during the Industrial Revolution. Back-to-backs were built quickly and cheaply, and named due to their shared back walls, which saw one row of houses facing the street and another rear row facing either another road or an interior courtyard. These houses were often very cramped, with only one room per floor, and usually had two to three stories, occasionally with a cellar too.

It was rare for back-to-backs to accommodate indoor plumbing, with washhouses and toilets located outside in the yards. Due to poor living conditions, the construction of new back-to-backs was forbidden in 1909 after a report discovered mortality rates to be significantly higher than those of people living in other styles of housing. Waves of slum clearance before and after the Second World War saw the numbers of back-to-backs decline rapidly, and Leeds remains the only area of England that still contains large numbers of livable back-to-backs. The only surviving courtyard back-to-backs now exist in Birmingham, preserved as a museum.

#history #fic | i'm your man #fic | better off #british history #world war ii

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projectregencygentleman · 24 days

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Hello all, and welcome to Project Regency Gentleman!

This is a project that I've wanted to do for at least ten years. Historical fashion has always fascinated me, and I'm very excited to begin this project.

I'm currently planning a variety of items both accurate and fantastical, but to start I'm making a Napoleonic era Royal Navy Captain's undress coat for the accurate and a Royal Aerial Corps (from Naomi Novik's Temeraire series) Captain's undress coat for the fantastical, as well as the requisite shirts, waistcoats, and breeches/pantaloons/trousers.

This first round is not going to be period-accurate materials, and most things will be machine-sewn because I do not hate myself, but I hope to be as accurate as a total amateur could be in terms of fashions!

#historical fashion #regency fashion #napoleonic era fashion #historical recreation #19th century fashion #late georgian fashion #pride and prejudice #master and commander #hornblower

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vera-keller · 10 months

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a conversation just now with @mrsgeorgeluz has reminded me to share with you these treats obtained from a two-day trip to aldbourne up in marlborough, wiltshire with @liebgottsjumpwings that we went on in march this year, so without further ado, here's our 2023 band of brothers aldbourne excursion report!

we started by taking a train up to oxford from london, drove further out to marlborough from park end station and followed this aerial photograph:

and this illustrated map, courtesy of the royal army service corps (as found from the aldbourne heritage center) and which, if our sources are correct, may have been drawn by pat christenson:

to the site where easy company set up their barracks back in 1943. our navigational abilities have, to our surprise, proven reliable. aldbourne is a very small village so the site wasn't far from the square, but it was a mildly frustrating walk interspersed with rain and beset by slippery gravel slopes BUT hi-ho silver bitches 😌

this is where the enlisted men and ncos lived in huts made of wood and brick and cinder blocks, constructed as part of a temporary encampment. these were described as "wood and quonset-type buildings with a potbelly stove in each and toilets outside" by don malarkey and tbh nobody loved them because the outdoor toilets apparently made everything smell like shit. the site was difficult to find at first and we used the shape of nearby roads and other infrastructure to roughly estimate its position but we found it and discovered that it is presently a football field.

unfortunately the rain picked up almost immediately when we got there and we did not bring adequate footwear, so we could not actually go onto the field and manually identify where each individual hut and building used to stand, as we originally planned to do. so we walked around the perimeter. only a handful of buildings from the encampment remain as most of them were removed by the village council after the war. one of the remaining buildings is the cookhouse. the other is a red cross hut, nicknamed the "nissen hut" by archaeologists and historians, which looked like this:

and which we did not have access to. at any rate i'm pretty sure it has been repurposed as a workshop.

we had lunch at the aldbourne post office and café,

aka downstairs from the room where dick winters and harry welsh were billeted!

here's dick's upstairs window overlooking part of the village square.

all of this is also on private property and the owners, who are also the proprietors of the café. according to the owners, various members of the band of brothers cast often make trips up here and i believe we missed peter youngblood hills (shifty powers) and nicholas aaron (popeye wynn) by a month or two.

then we decided that it was time for a pint. our first stop was the crown where unfortunately we did not take any photos, but it was the go-to pub for enlisted men. a short walk away is the blue boar aka the officers' club.

our last stop before we left had us going up to st. michael's church at the other end of the village green to pay our respects to the veterans buried there. we sat at the bench at the hilltop overlooking the village from across the cemetery. apparently this was dick winters's favourite spot to visit if he wanted some peace and quiet, and he wrote about it in his memoirs:

we were also invited to participate in the annual aldbourne excavation project by breaking ground heritage where archaeologists come by the former barracks site (aforementioned present-day football field) and dig for material culture. as the excavation took place in may and clashed with jules's thesis and my final exams, we were sadly unable to attend, but we did leave our contact details for next year's dig.

the aldbourne scenes in the hbo miniseries, by the way, weren't actually filmed in aldbourne. they were filmed in hambleden, buckinghamshire, which we might visit next year on our way back to london.

unlike the easy men, unfortunately we did not go on to invade fortress europa after leaving wiltshire. here we are:

if you're thinking of making a trip to aldbourne yourself and want to know 1.) how to go about it without joining a tour group, 2.) what's the best way to get there or 3.) how to participate in the 2024 archaeological excavation project (where you'll definitely be seeing me), do not hesitate to get in touch with us. we may be a couple of silly geese but we're excited to share anything we know with you.

#victoria's livejournal #easy company #hbo war #military history #mutuals: jules #also bffl jules

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usafphantom2 · 7 months

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#onthisday in 1942 the first A-36 flew. These were P-51 Mustangs modified with bomb racks to provide close support to ground troops

@classicwarbirds via X

North American P-51 Mustang | Classic Warbirds

The story of the P-51 began in 1940 when North American Aviation President James J. Kindelberger had approached the British Purchasing Commission to sell North American Aviation's twin engined bomber, the B-25 Mitchell. However with the Royal Air Force in desperate need for fighter aircraft and the Curtiss P-40 Kittyhawk being the only aircraft coming close to the specification required for the air war in Europe and even this aircraft was only available in limited numbers. So North American Aviation was asked, under licence from Curtiss-Wright, to produce the P-40. North American Aviation felt, however, that they could have a better aircraft working quicker than it would take a production line to produce the P-40 to be set up. Whilst it was agreed for North American Aviation to supply this new aircraft instead it was required for a prototype to be ready in 120 days.

Although this looked like a tall order, North American Aviation already had a design outline for an aircraft which benefited from information from the air war in Europe. Under the leadership of Raymond Rice and Edgar Schmued the design team set about fitting the new fighters design to the specification laid out by the British. And impressively just 102 days later the prototype airframe designated NA-73X was completed, however due to the 1,100-hp Allison V-1710-39 engine, which was to power the aircraft, running behind schedule, it wasn't until a couple of months later on the 26th October 1940 when the prototype finally flew for the first time.

In a little under seven months and after a very successful testing programme the first production aircraft flew on the 1st May 1941 and six months later the Royal Air Force received the second production NA-73 for evaluation. The NA-73 had been ordered before the prototype had even flown and so more of the aircraft soon followed. Designated Mustang Mk I by the RAF, initial evaluation showed that at low-level the aircraft was fast and extremely manoeuvrable and was much better than any other American fighter then available. At higher altitude the performance of the aircraft suffered as its Allison engine power output fell rapidly as it climbed.

With eight machine-guns comprising four 0.50-in and four 0.30-in and its superb performance at low level it would be an ideal replacement for No. 26 Squadron's Curtiss P-40 Tomahawks that they were using. They began to receive their first Mustang Mk Is on the 5th January 1942 and would fly their first operation on the 5th May 1942. Other use of the aircraft saw it equip No. 2 Squadron of Army Co-Operation Command during April 1942, equipped with obliquely-mounted cameras, and on the 27th July 1942 they flew their first operational sortie. Its first aerial victory came on the 19th August 1942 during the Dieppe Raid when Flying Officer Hollis Hills of No. 414 Squadron, Royal Canadian Air Force shot down a Focke-Wulf Fw 190.

Just two months later the Mustang showed its potential for long-range escort duties when on the 22nd October 1942, on an attack on targets in Germany, it became the first Royal Air Force single-engined fighter to cross the German border from its base in Britain, however the performance of the aircraft at higher altitude still needed to be improved, but an order for another 300 aircraft was placed.

One of the conditions to allow North American Aviation to supply the Royal Air Force with its NA-73 design was that two aircraft were given to the United States Army Air Corps for evaluation under the designation XP-51. Before these two aircraft were supplied to the USAAC the United States Army had already ordered 150 more aircraft to be sent to Britain under Lend-Lease. These aircraft featured self-sealing tanks and instead of eight machine-guns featured four 20-mm cannons and were designated P-51 by the US and Mustang Mk IA by the British.

Two examples initially designated XP-78, but later XP-51B, were each tested with different engines and they proved very successful and the Royal Air Force's findings of superb performance at low-level was confirmed. However the United States was committed to the Lockheed P-38 Lightning and Republic P-47 Thunderbolt, nevertheless 500 P-51's modified to have dive brakes and bomb racks to provide close support to ground troops and designated A-36 were ordered on the 21st August 1942. The first A-36 flew on the 21st September 1942 powered by a Allison V-17110-87 engine with six 0.50-in machine-guns, they were the first Mustang variant to go into operational service with the United States Army Air Force. Equipping two groups based in the Middle East during 1943 they also performed support operations during the invasions of Sicily and Italy. As well as ordering the A-36 an order for just over 310 P-51As had been placed by the United States with armament of four 0.50-in machine-guns and racks for either 1,000lb of bombs or two of either 75 or 150 US gallon external fuel tanks, this was designated Mustang Mk II by the RAF and powered by a 1,200-hp Allison V-1710-81 engine.

After showing its ability for potential long-range escort duties into Germany, but lacking high-altitude performance, during 1942 the decision was taken to install Rolls-Royce Merlin 61 and 65 engines in four airframes of the Mustang Mk I. Testing showed a much improved performance and North American Aviation were informed of the results and a 1,430-hp US-built Packard Merlin V-1650-3 engine was installed into two P-51s, these would be designated XP-78/XP-51B. Tested during September 1942 and achieving a maximum speed of 441 mph and having a better rate of climb than the P-38 Lighting, and confirming the British findings, the United States Army Air Force, impressed with the performance, ordered the Merlin powered Mustang in large numbers.

P-51B and P-51Cs, which featured a strengthened fuselage, improved ailerons and a number of small changes, to accommodate the new engine, and armament of four 0.50-in machine-guns, began to enter operational service with the United States Army Air Force in Britain as part of the Eighth Air Force. The 13th October 1943 saw this new aircraft complete its first long-range escort mission when a force of bombers were sent to attack the U-boat yard at Kiel, Germany. The P-51, with the benefit of external fuel tanks, would provide regular escort for bombers of the Eighth Air Force, during their perilous daylight operations deep into the heart of Germany. During March 1944 the P-51 took part in its first mission to Berlin and started being used operationally by both the 10th and 15th Air Force in Burma and Italy respectively. The Royal Air Force also started to receive their Lend-Lease P-51B/P-51Cs, designated Mustang Mk III, around the same time and No. 19 Squadron based at RAF Ford were the first to receive this new type, which would eventually be used by at least 21 RAF squadrons, many of which were part of the Second Tactical Air Force. The RAF modified the original cockpit canopy which opened sideways to a sliding hood design to overcome the poor rear view of the original canopy design.

Development of the aircraft continued and the next production version was the P-51D, with a modified rear fuselage, six 0.50-in machine-guns and a bubble canopy as standard, this was to become the most produced version of the P-51. Later versions of the P-51D had a small dorsal fin added and racks to accommodate 5-in rocket projectiles. A change in propeller led to a change in designation to P-51K, and both of these aircraft were designated Mustang Mk IV and Mustang Mk IVA respectively by the Royal Air Force.

During 1944 as part of experiments into lightweight construction the United States Army Air Force had ordered three XP-51Fs and two XP-51Gs as part of this process. A new redesigned airframe was also produced and as a result of an overview of the aircraft a new low drag section of wing replaced the laminar-flow design, the oil cooler was also replaced with a heat exchanger and the cockpit canopy was stretched to reduce drag further. With a simpler structure and the removal of equipment no longer deemed necessary and the use of new lightweight materials being used a significant reduction in the aircraft's weight was achieved. Both prototypes were powered by different engines with a 1,695-hp Packard Merlin V-1650-7 engine powering the XP-51F and a 1,140-hp Rolls-Royce Merlin 145m engine powering the XP-51G. Two P-51J prototypes of a similar design were ordered, however only one was finished and this would be powered by a Allison V-1710-119, 1,720-hp engine.

As a result of the prototypes the P-51H appeared, flying for the first time on the 3rd February 1945, powered by the V-1650-0 Packard Merlin engine, this was to be both the last production P-51 and the fastest with a top speed of 487 mph. Further improvements had been made to the aircraft and as a result the aircraft was 40% lighter than the last P-51 in wartime service, the P-51D.

Another permutation of the P-51 was the P-82 Twin Mustang which was two aircraft merged together, however this didn't see service in the Second World War (1939 – 1945).

Technical Details

Click on the aircraft image to view a larger version.

Top Speed Range Service Ceiling Armament

Mustang Mk I 382 mph 1,000 miles 31,350 ft four 0.50-in machine-guns

four 0.30-in machine-guns

A-36 365 mph 550 miles 25,150 ft six 0.50-in machine-guns

1,000lb bombs

P-51 390 mph 1,050 miles 32,000 ft four 20mm cannons

P-51A 390 mph 750 miles 31,350 ft four 0.50-in machine-guns

two 500lb bombs

P-51B 439 mph 1,180 miles 41,800 ft four 0.50-in machine-guns

and either two 1,000lb bombs or

rocket projectiles

P-51B side profile image

P-51C 438 mph 949 miles 42,000 ft four 0.50-in machine-guns

two 500lb bombs

P-51D 437 mph 1,000 miles 41,900 ft six 0.50-in machine-guns

and either two 1,000lb bombs or

six 5-in rocket projectiles

P-51D side profile image

XP-51F Lightweight version, three built.

XP-51G Lightweight version,, two built.

P-51H 487 mph 855 miles 41,320 ft six 0.50-in machine-guns

and either two 1,000lb bombs or

rocket projectiles

XP-51J Modified XP-51F.

P-51K 437 mph 1,180 miles 41,780 ft six 0.50-in machine-guns

and either two 1,000lb bombs or

rocket projectiles

P-51L Improved P-51H with new engine, only one built.

P-51M Improved P-51H with new engine, only one built.

A grand total of 15,576 P-51s were built by the time production ended, seeing service with China, Netherlands and a few were also supplied to the American Volunteer Group in China. The end of the war didn't see the end of the aircraft, as it remained in service with the United States Air Force, although under a different designation of F-51, until the 27th January 1957 when a F-51D, from the 167th Fighter Bomber Squadron, performed the types last flight with the USAF. In fact the last P-51 was retired from the Dominican Air Force in 1984.

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claudeng80 · 1 year

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North Sea Storm

Originally intended for “bathtub bonding” for Madness 2022 - Temeraire AU

The Aerial Corps (AO3 series)

The slate roof jitters in the wind off the North Sea, and the sound echoes through the empty warehouse space. Closer to hand, drips of water hit the brick floor with muted thuds, some through cracks in the neglected roof, but far more from the edges of Obi’s cloak. “We should have waited,” Shirayuki says. She’s been saying it to herself the entire time he was gone, but it sounds thin and whiny now that she says it out loud.

“Is she hurt?” Obi looks to the darkest corner of the warehouse, where Persia is fast asleep on a pile of discarded bags. Broken crates cast toothy shadows against the walls, flickering in the light of Shirayuki’s candle.

“Just exhausted.” They blew in on the first front of the storm, just ahead of the worst of the rain and lightning. It made for a surreptitious arrival in The Hague, as every window facing the sea was already shuttered, but Persia was no Royal Copper to beat the wind into submission. She had sailed before it like a tailless kite in a gale, flipping and dropping. Shirayuki had paid her tribute to King Neptune at least once- when she closes her eyes she can still taste acid and feel the whirling. “She should be fine when she wakes up, if we can find enough for her to eat.”

“As long as she wakes up before dawn, I think she can manage that on her own. And at least we won’t starve!” He holds up a bakery bag, sprinkled with rain.

“There’s a hearth in the office here, if you think it’s safe to have a fire.”

Another wave of rain batters the windows with a report like gunfire. “I think it’s a chance worth taking, if it means warming up.” He leans in close. “Your lips are turning blue.”

“W-warm sounds nice. But if we’re thinking big, my hair’s more salt than anything else right now. It would be nice to wash it out.”

“There’s certainly no shortage of water.”

The office is cozy. There’s a kettle hanging on a hook by the fireplace, a pile of dry firewood, and a bed covered in a thick wool blanket. Either she’s misunderstood the purpose of warehouse offices or this one has been used for more than just the storage and shipping of goods. She sets aside thanks for their local contacts, too wet and salty to be any more curious. Best of all, there’s a basin big enough to work as a tub.

“Eat first,” Obi insists. Dinner consists of cold meat stuffed in the middle of a crusty roll of bread- the bread has more grit than she’s accustomed to but a full stomach does make everything seem a bit less dire. Persia’s snores from out in the warehouse continue steady and unabated.

The first kettle of water splashes into the basin, barely making a film of water on the bottom. “This is going to take a while,” Obi says.

“It always does,” Shirayuki agrees, and adds an equal amount of rainwater before setting the next batch to heat. Obi pulls out one one of his knives, drying it off carefully and inspecting the edges before setting it aside and moving on to the next.

Obi’s done with his knives by the time the tub is full enough to use. “You can go first,” he says. “You need the warmth more than I do.”

There are blankets put away in a cabinet; warmth is not the primary issue now, but Shirayuki is in no mood to argue as she peels her stockings.off her skin with an audible crinkle. The garters leave lines in their absence. Her hair is crispy under her fingers as she extracts the day’s ribbons and pins, and the salt holds its shape even with them gone. Her fingers are clumsy on the closures of her stays, and a different warmth jets through her as Obi nudges her fingers aside to undo them himself. He’s well familiar with them now, but he finishes in a businesslike manner and then looks away as she sets aside her shift. The muslin is translucent and blotchy from rain and sea salt; hopefully it will dry overnight, or tomorrow will be uncomfortable indeed.

The water smells a bit metallic, the tin of the tub flexing slightly under her weight but retaining the heat of the water and blessedly the stickiness of her skin is washed away. An awkward dunk, and her hair cascades into a tail of red over her shoulder as she rinses it out. She glances at Obi, just to catch his head turning away. The tip of his ear might be a bit pink, and she doesn’t think it’s from the cold. “You should join me,” she says.

“Surely I won’t fit,” he says so fast, it’s clear he’s thought about it.

“Not without touching.” It will be tight, but that’s part of the appeal. Tomorrow they prosecute a war, engage in espionage and offer support to enemies of Napoleon’s puppet kingdom of the Netherlands. There will be no time for softness then. Surely they can take tonight for themselves.

Perhaps Obi thinks the same, because he doesn’t argue further. He undresses away from her, as always- no matter how many times she proves that his scars are nothing to her, he still turns them away- and she has leisure to enjoy the sun-darkened skin at his wrists and the back of his neck.

But by the time he steels himself enough to face her, she’s already pulled herself over into one corner of the tub. The water rises a bit as he steps in, then a lot as he sits. “This isn’t going to work so well for washing,” he says as she shifts to let him encircle her with his legs. She’s not quite on his lap, but it’s a close thing.

“Not at all,” she agrees, plastering the wet cloth to his chest with a laugh. It sticks for a second, then peels free and drops back into the water. She fishes it out and picks up his hand, scrubbing at his wrist, then gently between his fingers.

“How are your fingers so cold? You’re literally in the warm water!” He tugs at her, playfully, and she pinches his little finger through the cloth. “I can wash myself, you know.”

She hums. “Of course you can. But so can I.” She lifts his hand to her mouth, pressing a kiss to the knuckles before she sniffs loudly. “See, no more ocean smell.”

Obi’s mouth shuts with a click, and she runs the cloth over his wrist, up to his elbow. There’s a small scar there, just across the meat of his forearm, and she traces it gently with the cloth. He looks concerned at her attention, so she just says, “All clean.”

To reach around his shoulder, she slides closer, wrapping her legs around his hips just the way his encircle her. His breath is quiet just above her, and his hands drop to her hips as she leans across to wash the back of his neck. She can’t resist dropping a kiss on his chest, and he huffs something that’s almost a laugh, but distracted. “You’re not leaving me anything to do,” he murmurs in her ear.

“And here I’d heard you were resourceful,” she answers, tracing the line of his throat with her cloth. There’s a line there of salt spray and sand, just where it caught in the collar of his un-distinguished undercover coat. She misses his aviator’s green but understands that spies can’t go about wearing the uniform of their kingdom’s forces.

Water cascades down her spine, sending her forward into Obi’s lap with a gasp. “Who says I’m not?” His hands, until now warmed in the water, rub little circles on her back between scoops of water. So close, her thighs rest on his, and it would be so easy to slide that last few inches forward and press her body to his entirely-

The tub resonates with a dull thud as her knee hits the wall, ripples shivering across the surface of the water. Caught, she fixes her eyes on the other side of Obi’s throat, sweeping the last of the ring away with the cloth. He’s distracting.

She darts a peek at his face, only to find his eyes on her as well. His lips curve in the content smile that he rarely shows anyone but her and possibly Persia; the others know his smirks and his gleeful grins, but Obi is not a man known for content softness. It is everyone else’s loss that they cannot be the object of that look. Not that she has any idea what she’s done this time to warrant it, save banging her knee. “What?”

“Oh, I was just wondering how much longer the water would stay warm. I think the answer is not long enough.” The smile takes on a wicked angle; that one is hers alone.

“Long enough for-” She doesn’t finish the question; when her mind catches up with her mouth she knows exactly what he means and it is absolutely not an option. She may be primarily a physician to dragons, not to humans, but stories get around. The researchers at Pen Y Fan, with its hot springs, had far too many tales of unpleasant consequences. “No.”

“Well, then.” Obi stands, tipping Shirayuki nearly into the bath entirely. It’s a good thing she wasn’t trying to get dry, between a near-dunking and the water cascading off his body. He bends, scooping her out of the tub as though she were no heavier than a coil of rope, and carries her out to where a towel is waiting by the fire. “Let’s get you dry, and then we can see about keeping you warm.”

He snatches the towel from just past the top of her reaching fingers, turning the tables to scrub her dry, catching every nook from her wrists to the backs of her ears, her knees to her armpits, she is surrounded with towel and with his embrace. She’s wondering where those blankets are and how long it will take them to get them laid out, when Obi stills. His finger rests on her lips as be bristles, as on edge as an alley cat. “Someone’s coming,” he whispers in her ear. “Get dressed.”

There’s a knock on the warehouse office door that they’d locked behind themselves; that hadn’t been in the directions, but it seemed like a reasonable precaution. It’s looking justified all of a sudden.

“Do you think it’s the smoke?” Obi shakes his head, still listening. “Or was it a trap?”

Shirayuki’s shift is easy enough to throw over her head, if still smelling like ocean and fear. She wiggles into her stays, still loosened, and pulls up her skirt. The knot will be a bear to undo, but it’s on. Everything else gets stuffed in her bag as she scoops up her shoes.

That, oddly, makes him smile, the same grin he wore fighting the storm with Persia. It’s the look that says he’s about to leap, and by habit she clutches at his arm. “I’m going to wake Persia,” he adds, still bare naked and dripping. Shirayuki throws the towel over him just as he leaves the room.

The knocking turns to pounding, and between shouts at the door she hears wood splinter. She doesn’t know the words - her French is passable, if slow and probably lacking in the phrases that police would yell through doors at foreign spies - but she can only guess that the unfamiliar shouts are in Dutch. She’ll have to get Obi to explain later, assuming there is a later.

There’s a terrible crash - splintering wood and crashing glass, followed by the prolonged rattle of broken bricks and wood hitting the ground. Whether it’s Persia making her exit through one of the windows or their pursuers breaking down the door, Shirayuki won’t know, because Obi hurtles back into the room, snatching his clothes from the floor and tucking them under an arm. Shirayuki pushes the tub against the office door, hoping it will slow them down.

Outside the rain crackles against the wall like pebbles, and the window kicks open into Obi’s hand when he undoes the latch. Out in the warehouse the voices are getting louder, audible even over the wind. “What do we do now?”

“We run.”

#in which obi has a dragon #fanfic #guiltyobiyuki23 #guilty project day 1 #yes this is the mission that ends up with them married

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thiefbird · 3 months

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Does it count as stolen valour if I dress as a captain of a military branch that

a) doesn't exist

and b) would be 200+ years out of date if it did?

#i don't care either way i just had a thought that made me chuckle #if i dress as an aviator in His Majesty's Royal Aerial Corps on a daily basis is that stolen valour or Eccentricity #what if i make a napoleonic war naval captains uniform? is THAT stolen valour?#i fully plan on both btw. i need to learn how to sew an epaulette #bc the real replica ones are like 50 bucks minimum a piece and I'm poor

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theworldofwars · 1 year

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Vertical aerial view of the Château des Bruyères at Longuenesse, St Omer, France. The Headquarters of the Royal Flying Corps was based there from 8 October 1914, until the end of March 1916, and again for a short period in November 1917.

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dinner-at-charlies · 1 year

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Famous Old Harrovians:

John Moore-Brabazon (Elmfield), was the first Briton to fly in Britain.

In 1909, he won the £1,000 prize offered by the Daily Mail for the first closed-circuit of a mile in a British aeroplane. He was the owner of the first pilot’s licence issued in the UK by the Royal Aero Club. He was a pioneer of the Royal Flying Corps during World War One, and had a leading role in the development of aerial photography. If that wasn't enough – Brabazon was also a yachtsman and raced cars, together with Charles Rolls, of Rolls Royce fame!

Never shy of publicity, Brabazon fixed a wicker basket to a wing strut of his Voisin biplane and carefully strapped a pig into it. The basket had a hand written sign: 'I am the first pig to fly'. Then he took the bemused animal for a journey of about 3.7 miles from Shellbeach - the Short Brothers airfield at Leysdown on the Isle of Sheppey!

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cloudshoregames · 9 months

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Greetings, Dan here!

Real quick before we get started it was asked if we intended to make BTE available on Roll20. I admit I've only sparingly used the service as I do most of my gaming at the table, but from the games I have played on there, I know you are able to create custom character sheets that can be accessed at large. In the very least I will be pursuing getting one of those up for players groups interested in running through Roll20. As for anything further I will need to do additional research.

Additionally, in regarding these Mech Construction showcases I know the next one I had planned after Escaflowne, but I will be sure to have to do a second one to commemorate the return of Armored Core on the 25th. For now, let's take a look at one of the preeminent fantasy mechs, Escaflowne.

(Concept art from Vision of Escaflowne, property of Funimation.)

Unlike with the King Crab, this build was specifically done as a version of the Escaflowne as built during initial mech construction, with all the limitations in place during character creation. There are two versions of this mech, one more steampunk (show), and the other more biomech (movie). The only real difference being one or two additional traits/weapons featured in the movie over the show. For clarity, I built this with the show version of Escaflowne in mind.

For those unfamiliar, Escaflowne is the titular mech from Vision of Escaflowne, where it is the guymelef (mech) of the royal family of the Kingdom of Fanelia. Guymelef's are similar to steampunk, exosuits where they function as suits of armor for their pilots. Because of this, most of them carry giant versions of medieval weaponry and that's the extent of their capabilities as making the knights giant sized. That said, some like the Escaflowne are of special make, which gives them some special traits in this case. This is reflected in the mech parts chosen.

Because of its impeccable design by the Ispano clan, the Escaflowne is very hardy, reflected here with a Blitz Tech Frame giving it 24 AP. When on foot, more on that later, it is no faster than your average guymelef, so we left it with the Caballero Corp boosters, giving it an Movement Rate of 1. Since, it comes with some special traits from its creators, it will require multiple utility systems, so we went with the Blitz Tech CPU, giving it two utilities. Lastly, since the Escaflowne's primary weapon is a royal long sword, the Caballero Corp Radiator with it's Heat Rating of 8 will do just fine.

Now as for the Escaflowne's two utilities, those of you who are fans of the franchise will already know where we're going, for the Ispano Clan designed the white armored guymelef to be able to transform into an armored dragon. This is mostly used for transportation purposes as most guymelefs are incapable of flight. To reflect this, we went with the Aerial Frame giving it the ability to apply its Movement Rate into the air, as well as the Mobility Mode Converter so when it transforms into the dragon mode, the Escaflowne will gain 2 MR allowing it to change up to three range types in a move action. The mech will be unable to use weapons while in this mode, but depending on the player's flexibility around their build, the Escaflowne here would technically be capable of flight even in humanoid form. Granted it would have some difficulty doing combat while in the air anyway, as it only carries a melee weapon.

Speaking of, the Escaflowne has one weapon system at start, that would be the Sword of Fanelia, an extending long sword bearing the crest of the kingdom's royal family. Since this is the guymelef's primary weapon, and it was designed as a close combatant, we were about to apply three HR toward damage, giving it a d8 damage die. While we needed the HR for other traits, the Rate of Fire was left at 1 using only a single HR, but by optimizing this portion of the weapon, we were able to increase the RoF to 2. For the ammo, two HR allowed it to have 6 full damage swings. After which the weapon would be reduced to unpowered melee damage (1 + Weapon Skill Bonus). For ranges, obviously, the sword was given melee, but since it does extend into a two handed longsword, two HR gave it a little reach, allowing it to hit targets at Close Range as well.

With this build, even at start, the player would have a mech that would feel like the Escaflowne in play. Of course, as the player earned credits through missions, additional equipment could be purchased to make the mech feel even more accurate to the franchise. Higher level CPUs would give the Escaflowne more utilities, and the first one that comes to mind is the Neural Interface that grants the pilot bonuses on attacks, but runs the chance of causing them harm as they take damage, something that occurs in the show as the pilot's bond with the guymelef grows. Additionally, in the movie, the mech was organic in nature, capable of going on a rampage if the pilot lost control, so perhaps the Bio Frame utility as well. Also in the movie, the Escaflowne was capable of shooting lasers from its shoulder crystals. Improving the radiator and constructing a range weapon could give the build some much appreciated versatility. If not, the pilot could always purchase Disposable Equipment to supplement the need for ranged attack options. Some might view a mech focused on melee as limiting, it should be noted that a single mech does not exist in a vacuum as players are but one member of a squadron. While one mech may focus on dropping onto the front line, and tanking, others could fill in range attack roles.

This time we took a look at a mech that was themed after knights in heavy armor (granted one that could fly lol), but what about a player that was something more...primal in theme. Next time, we'll take a look at the fast moving, feline mech from the Zoids franchise, the Blade Liger.

#beneath twisted earth #indie #ttrpg #mecha #Escaflowne #mechs #devlog #the vision of escaflowne #bte

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wwiigermany · 9 months

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Werner Voss

Werner Voss was a World War I German flying ace credited with 48 aerial victories. A dyer's son from Krefeld, he was a patriotic young man while still in school. He began his military career in November 1914 as a 17‑year‑old Hussar. After turning to aviation, he proved to be a natural pilot.

He was wounded in action with 6 Naval Squadron on 6 June 1917. Killed during a legendary dogfight with seven S.E.5as, Werner Voss drove two planes to the ground and damaged the rest before his silvery blue Fokker DR.I was shot down by Arthur Rhys Davids.

"Capt. J. McCudden, No. 56 Squadron ... saw a S.E.5a fighting a triplane, so with others dived at it, and for the next ten minutes the enemy triplane fought the five S.E.5s with great skill and determination. Eventually, however, it was destroyed by 2nd-Lieut. Rhys Davids of the same squadron, who had previously driven down a two-seater. . .The triplane was seen to crash in our lines by other pilots and the other occupant proved to be Lieut. Werner Voss, who was killed." Royal Flying Corps Communique

"I shall never forget my admiration for that German pilot, who single handed, fought seven of us for ten minutes . . . I saw him go into a fairly steep dive and so I continued to watch, and then saw the triplane hit the ground and disappear into a thousand fragments, for it seemed to me that it literally went into powder." James McCudden

"His flying was wonderful, his courage magnificent and in my opinion he is the bravest German airman whom it has been my privilege to see fight." James McCudden

"If I could only have brought him down alive..." Arthur Rhys Davids to James McCudden

#wwi #werner voss #german pilot #close friend of Manfred von Richthofen #war #history #people #legend #world #life

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daisychainsandbowties · 1 year

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I am sorry if this is getting annoying, but honestly I can't let this AU go and I have more questions.

So, about Bea's dragon's name:

Would the name she gives her be "Jeanne d'arc"? Or did you mean it's just "Darc"? Because I'm having this funny image of Bea's dragon--like this all regal-looking Celestial--having not just 2 names, but also different nickname variations. Like she might be called Jeanne, and some people call her Darc, and then some Chinese OCS crew comes to visit and calls her by her royal Chinese name.

So later, Avernus (who at this point is still kind of like at odds with Bea's dragon because they're still both jealous of each other), asks, "wtf is your name!?" in a very annoyed tone.

She would be so haughty about her royal Chinese name to Avernus.

And what does she look like? Would she look like Tem? Like shiny black and blue? (Because that would be funny next to Avernus' white and gold because of that dress. Well, funny to me, not in-world because they haven't invented the internet yet.)

goodness no this is certainly not annoying!

oh, I do think that Beatrice would go for broke with her dragon’s name. & yes, it would be the full Jeanne d’arc, but using the earlier formulation of that surname as a nickname (because it is Beatrice) dropping the apostrophe so that, instead, you have Darc; and pronouncing it in her own accent to sound more like the English ‘dark’.

I think, considering this is Tem’s child, she would have the usual Celestial colouring, with very deep black scales, but because I think it’d be cool I’m also going to draw some sketchy biological relations between dragon wings and butterfly wings and say that Darc has patches of iridescence in her wings, where the light scatters it into these reflective patches of turquoise and green and red and blue, though indoors it simply appears to be greenish-blue, and the patterning is in sort of a spattering of patches at the very end of her wings (like Tem). they catch the light very prettily, but mostly she is dark, like her namesake, with face tendrils that also tend a bit more upwards in wavelength towards green from blue, and also iridescent.

and yes, the european ocs treat her like any other dragon - which is to say with friendly and casual love - wheras the Chinese members of the ocs remain quite formal and respectful with her, which frankly she enjoys, and she likes to be called by her Lung-Tien name sometimes. she is, indeed, haughty about it, and prone to becoming a little big-headed, which Beatrice finds amusing and Ava thinks is utterly adorable, but Avernus call them both ‘rotten fools’ for indulging her, when he is, after all, the most important dragon.

and yes, Avernus who has 1 (one) name though of course it is the BEST name because it is his name, thinks this is absurd, and pretends to forget what to call Darc half the time, especially when she is annoying him and telling him how to hold himself on parade blah blah.

Darc especially becomes insufferable when they are forced to land and camp in aerial corps holdings. she wants to impress upon everyone that female handlers are superior and that the ocs is an extremely prestigious organisation (though the corps aren’t really apprised of what the ocs do, much, at least not to common knowledge).

omg yes they are The Dress dragons. but also they do look extremely striking together, which they almost always are. Darc is again quite smug about her comparative stealthiness at night, and Avernus insists they ought to go somewhere very cold and see how she blends in with the snow, thank you very much, and anyway he is not meant to go sneaking about because he is, again, the Most Important dragon.

#you can tell i spent three hours hiking in the driving rain and thinking of nothing but this au #almost fell into a VERY brackish puddle because i was so distracted #wn temeraire au #god i am actually in love with Darc and Avernus now #i will make a post soon detailing all of their genders/names/colourations #just for reference

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