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[usafphantom2]

50 years ago today.

On Sep. 1, 1974, Maj. James V. Sullivan and Maj. Noel Widdifield set a new world speed record from New York to London, as our friend Linda Sheffield Miller (Col Richard (Butch) Sheffield’s daughter, Col. Sheffield was an SR-71 Reconnaissance Systems Officer) on her Facebook Page Habubrats. It took less than two hours.

This mission might’ve been the ‘gateway plan’ to have SR-71 stationed in England. The United States was fortunate to be able to house two SR-71s at RAF Mildenhall years later. This was a huge help to have SR-71 in Europe [SR-71 Reconnaissance Operations at RAF Mildenhall was from April 1976 to 1990. Prior to Det 4 being established, UK permission was required for each sortie flown. According to the SR-71 Blackbirds website, the SR-71’s stay would be no longer than 20 days for each visit.

Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher announced that Det 4 would be a permanent SR-71 Detachment with two aircraft assigned. The UK remained in control of the more sensitive missions. The two aircraft Detachments ceased operations on Nov. 22, 1989. The last aircraft departed the UK on Jan. 18, 1990.

The US Government has given the United Kingdom an SR-71 #962 for public display at Duxford Imperial War Museum for its contribution to ending the Cold War.]. Blackbirds based at Mildenhall could fly around the Baltic Sea and take pictures of potential targets in the Soviet Union using their side-looking cameras [without crossing the Soviet border].

On September 1, 1974 Major James V. Sullivan, 37 (pilot) and Noel F. Widdifield, 33 (reconnaissance systems officer) flashed across the starting line (radar gates in New York) at approximately 80,000 feet and speed in excess of 2,000 miles per hour. Exactly 1 hour 54 minutes and 56.4 seconds later, they had set a new world speed record from New York to London England.

The average speed was 1,807 statute mph over the 3,461 statute mile course, slowing to refuel one time from a specially modified KC-135 refueling tanker. The aircraft was placed on static display at Farnborough Air Show for 1 week. It marked the first time the secret plane had been on public display outside of the United States. ”Kelly” Johnson, the aircraft designer, was on hand for the event. He remarked, “It (the SR-71) has exceeded all my expectations.”

Another historic speed record was set on the return trip to the United States. Captain Harold B. Adams, 31 (pilot), and Major William Machorek, 32 (reconnaissance systems operator), set a speed record from London to Los Angeles. They returned the Blackbird 5,447 statute miles in 3 hours 47 minutes and 39 seconds for an average speed of 1,435 miles per hour. The difference in the two speed records was due to refueling requirements and having to slow over major US cities.’

Even so a large number of people in Los Angeles reported broken windows due to the sonic boom. One of those people was actress, Zaza’s Gabor, who complained bitterly about her broken windows. To appease her Captain Adams and Major Machorek went to Zazas Home to apologize. They brought their wives with them. Zaza only allowed the SR-71 Crew to come into her home! The wives had to sit in the car. Very bad manners on the movie stars part.

The trip from New York to London 50 years ago became a beautiful friendship between allies, the United States and Great Britain .

We both worked hard to win the Cold War.

This article was originally in the aviationgeek club written by Linda Sheffield. published by Dario Leone

Artwork by Force Graham

@Habubrats71 via X

[girlactionfigure]

THURSDAY HERO: Nicholas Winton 

The British Schindler: Nicholas Winton

He saved 669 children.

Nicholas Winton was a young British stockbroker who rescued 669 Czech Jewish children from being sent to Nazi death camps. He never told anybody of his heroism, and the story only came out 50 years later after his wife found an old briefcase in the attic containing lists of children he’d saved.

Nicholas was a 29 year old clerk at the London stock exchange getting ready for a ski trip to Switzerland when he received an urgent call from his friend Martin Blake. Known to be passionately opposed to Nazism, Martin urged Nicholas to cancel his vacation and come to Prague immediately. He told Nicolas, “I have a most interesting assignment and I need your help. Don’t bother bringing your skis.”

It is a testament to Nicolas’ sterling character and strong moral compass that he didn’t waver for a moment. It was an easy decision to sacrifice his fun and relaxing ski trip and instead travel to a dangerous place on a mysterious mission.

Two months earlier, in October 1938, Nazi Germany had annexed the Sudetenland It was clear that the Nazis would soon occupy all of Czechoslovakia. When he reached Prague, Nicholas was shocked by the huge influx of refugees fleeing from the Nazis. In early November, the Kristallnacht pogrom occurred in Germany and Austria. Jews were killed in the street and hundreds of synagogues burned down, as well as Jewish-owned businesses. This horrifying event shocked the Jewish community in eastern Europe, and thousands were now desperate to flee.

Born to Jewish parents, Nicholas was actually Jewish himself. However, his parents changed their name from Wertheim and converted to Christianity before he was born. Nicholas was baptized and raised as a Christian, and he didn’t consider himself Jewish (although was doubtless aware that Hitler would.)

In Prague, organizations were springing up to help sick and elderly refugees, but Nicholas noticed that nobody was trying to help the children. In his words, “I found out that the children of refugees and other groups of people who were enemies of Hitler weren’t being looked after. I decided to try to get permits to Britain for them. I found out that the conditions which were laid down for bringing in a child were chiefly that you had a family that was willing and able to look after the child, and fifty pounds, which was quite a large sum of money in those days, that was to be deposited at the Home Office. The situation was heartbreaking. Many of the refugees hadn’t the price of a meal. Some of the mothers tried desperately to get money to buy food for themselves and their children. The parents desperately wanted at least to get their children to safety when they couldn’t manage to get visas for the whole family. I began to realize what suffering there is when armies start to march.”

Nicholas knew something had to be done, and he decided to be the one to do it. He later remembered, “Everybody in Prague said, ‘Look, there is no organization in Prague to deal with refugee children, nobody will let the children go on their own, but if you want to have a go, have a go.’ And I think there is nothing that can’t be done if it is fundamentally reasonable.”

Nicholas decided to find homes for the children in the UK, where they would be safe. He set up a command center in his hotel room in Wenceslas Square and his first step was to contact the refugee offices of different national governments and see how many children they could accept. Only two countries agreed to take any Jewish children: Sweden and Great Britain, which pledged to accept all children under age 18 as long as they had homes and fifty pounds to pay for their trip home.

With this green light from Great Britain, Nicholas did everything possible to find homes for the children. He returned to London and did much of the planning from there, which enabled him to continue working at the Stock Exchange and soliciting funds from other bankers to pay for his work with the refugees. Winton needed a large amount of money to pay for transportation costs, foster homes, and many other necessities such as food and medicine.

Nicholas placed ads in newspapers large and small all over Great Britain, as well as in hundreds of church and synagogue newsletters. Knowing he had to play on people’s emotions to convince them to open their home to young strangers who didn’t even speak English, Nicholas printed flyers with pictures of children seeking refuge. He was tireless in his efforts and persuaded an incredible number of heroic Brits to welcome the traumatized young refugees into their homes and hearts.

The office in Wenceslas Square was manned by fellow Brit Trevor Chadwick. Every day terrified parents came in and begged him to find temporary homes for their children. Despite Nicholas’ success in finding places for the kids to stay, British and German government bureaucrats made things difficult, demanding multiple forms and documents. Nicholas said, “Officials at the Home Office worked very slowly with the entry visas. We went to them urgently asking for permits, only to be told languidly, ‘Why rush, old boy? Nothing will happen in Europe.’ This was a few months before the war broke out. So we forged the Home Office entry permits.”

The first transport of children boarded airplanes in Prague which took them to Britain. Nicholas organized an amazing seven more transports, all of them by train, and then boat across the English Channel. The children met their foster families at the train station and Winton took great care in making the matches between children and foster parents.

The children’s transport organized by Nicholas Winton was similar to the later, larger Kindertransport operation, but specifically for Czech Jewish children. Nicholas saved an astounding 669 children on eight transports. Tragically, the largest transport of all was scheduled for September 1, 1939 – but on that day, Hitler invaded Poland and all borders were closed by Germany. Winton was haunted for decades by the remembrance of the 250 children he last saw boarding the train. “Within hours of the announcement, the train disappeared. None of the 250 children aboard was seen again. We had 250 families waiting at Liverpool Street that day in vain. If the train had been a day earlier, it would have come through. Not a single one of those children was heard of again, which is an awful feeling.”

Nicholas joined the British military and spent the rest of the war serving as a pilot in the Royal Air Force, attaining the rank of Flight Lieutenant. After the war, Nicholas worked for the International Refugee Organization in Paris, where he met and married Grete Gjelstrup, a Danish secretary. They moved to Maidenhead, in Great Britain, and had three children. Their youngest child, Robin, had Down Syndrome, and at that time children with the condition were usually sent to institutions. However Nicholas and Grete wouldn’t consider it and instead kept their son at home with the family. Tragically, Robin died of meningitis the day before his sixth birthday. Nicholas was devastated by the loss, and became an active volunteer with Mencap, a charity to help people with Down Syndrome and other developmental delays. He remained involved in Mencap for over fifty years.

Humble – and perhaps traumatized by the children on the train he wasn’t able to save – Nicholas rarely talked about his wartime heroism and his own family didn’t know the details. It was only in 1988 that Nicholas Winton became widely known. His wife found an old notebook of his containing lists of the children he saved. Working with a Holocaust researcher, she tracked down some of the children and located eighty of them still living in Britain. These grown children, some with grandchildren, found out for the first time who had saved them.

The BBC television show called That’s Life! invited Nicholas to the filming an episode that became one of the most emotional clips in TV history. With Nicholas in the audience, the host told his story, including photos and details about some of the children he’d saved. Then she the told Nicholas that one of those children was the woman in the seat next to him! They embraced, teary eyed, and the host announced there were more grown children in the audience as well. She asked everybody who owed their life to Nicholas Winton to stand up. The entire audience stood up, as Nicholas sat stunned, wiping away the tears.

After that, Nicholas was showered with honors, including a knighthood for services to humanity. Known as the British Schindler, he met the Queen multiple times and received the Pride of Britain Award for Lifetime Achievement, both for saving refugee children and working with Mencap to improve the lives of people with cognitive differences. There are multiple statues of him in Prague and the UK, and his story was the subject of three films.

Nicholas Winton died in Britain in July 2015, at age 106. Today there are tens of thousands of people who owe their lives to Nicholas Winton.

For saving hundreds of Jewish children, we honor Nicholas Winton as this week’s Thursday Hero.

[lian6831]

Penigni Mafia AU

(English is not my native language. There may be strange grammar through translation. forgive me😵‍💫)

———————————————————————

On a rainy night, a luxury car drove through the streets of the outskirts of London. " Oh mio Dio !" Despite Pulcinella's immediate brake, he couldn't avoid colliding with a person who suddenly rushed out. Both rushed out to check. The person on the ground was wearing a patient's gown, looking around 16 years old. Venigni, after ensuring the injured person was stable, examined the injuries. Aside from some scratches, there seemed to be no serious harm. "Please... help me..." Venigni initially thought the boy was referring to the accident, but later learned that the boy was actually seeking refuge. He took off his coat, carefully covering the boy and gently lifting him up. "Pulcinella, let's go home quickly."

———————————————————————

Pinocchio [P] -

Venigni's mysterious adopted son. After a sudden encounter with him due to an unexpected incident, Venigni brought Pinocchio to the mansion and decided to adopt him. Pinocchio, with a talent for weapons, was later trained by Venigni as a professional assassin specializing in covert missions

Pinocchio's true identity is that of an escaped clone. He has no name, only a code. Pinocchio chose this name after meeting Venigni. The scientist Geppetto, desperate to bring back his deceased son Carlo, conducted illegal clone experiments, crossing ethical boundaries. Despite numerous failures, Pinocchio, labeled from A to P, didn't match Geppetto's perfect image. Knowing his impending fate of destruction, Pinocchio escaped the lab, worried about Geppetto catching up. On a rainy night, he sought help from a passing car.

Pinocchio calls Venigni "Papà." Only two years have passed since his adoption, and his understanding of emotions is still blurry. He knows Venigni loves him, but it seems to be a fatherly affection. Mentor, protector, father... Pinocchio has too much admiration for Venigni. He wishes Venigni would love him more. One day, witnessing Venigni interact with a woman, Pinocchio yearns to be her, wanting to be held in Papà's arms, with his attention focused solely on himself.

Lorenzini Venigni -

From a prestigious Italian Mafia family, active across Europe, currently based mainly in the UK. Initially engaged in criminal activities, the family now coordinates various factions from behind the scenes. Venigni, after inheriting the family, shifted to weapons development and arms tradingDuring Venigni's childhood, tragedy struck as both of his parents tragically perished. The culprit was an assassin sent by a rival faction, and he remembered it all too well. That person wore a mask, yet made no effort to conceal their identity. Speaking directly to the young Venigni, they uttered their name without hesitation, "Remember well... Arlecchino is my name." Amidst a pool of blood, the individual laughed maniacally, "I'll be waiting for you... dare to try? Come, kill me, hahaha."

Raised by the butler Pulcinella, Venigni, at the age of 11, became the family head.maybe fueled by revenge, he invented weapons, hoping to create something to torment Arlecchino. Despite capturing the enemies who hired Arlecchino, they had no information on his whereabouts. Venigni believes he is still alive.

Recently, Venigni adopted a young man named Pinocchio after a chance encounter. Learning the boy's story, Venigni decided to adopt him. When asked his name, the boy remembered a fairy tale he read at Geppetto's house, "Perhaps because I'm not the real boy, that's why father won't love me..." So, he named himself Pinocchio, hoping to one day become a real boy.

Two years later, Pinocchio became a professional assassin, assigned secret missions by Venigni. Despite being in this world for only two years, Pinocchio, outside of missions, behaved like a child, curious about everything. Venigni dote on him, but lately, Venigni noticed Pinocchio's gaze becoming strange. When praised for completing a task, the boy's eyes held a hint of longing. Venigni understood that look very well, but he hoped the boy could grow up healthy. What he needed was a fatherly figure... However, one day, passing by Pinocchio's room, he heard a sweet voice, "...Papà... mmm." Hearing this term from the boy, Venigni couldn't ignore it anymore. Should he satisfy his boy, or should he focus on being a good father…?

-

Thank you for watching hope you can leave me some comments or feedback :)

[youryurigoddess]

Case study and analysis of the 1992 Good Omens movie screenplay (“the shitscript”) in light of the ongoing WGA strike

As one could suspect, the topic of the 1992 Good Omens movie screenplay and its infamy has recently emerged from the depths of the fandom. In light of the ongoing WGA strike it’d be good to properly address this issue, starting with Neil Gaiman’s own recollection written in 2004:

It’s basically the same old story — of brilliant creative workers struggling under the pressure of detached studio executives and being legally forced to mutilate their work again and again for no artistic or economic reason — we’ve heard before in many different contexts.

If you’re reading this and somehow still wondering why writers are fighting for their rights at the moment, their job security hasn’t changed much since then. Please follow the WGA, SAG-AFTRA, and other unions’ official channels for detailed information and ways to help the cause.

Anyway, it took over a decade and an enormous effort to print the screenplay in a limited edition of 552 copies. It can’t be distributed otherwise due to IP law, but some fans shared its fragments online and heavily criticized them, dubbing the 1992 source material #shitscript

There’s been obviously a lot of controversies over the changes in the plot and the relationship between the main characters. And rightfully so — the number of iterations has created something very different from the beloved book and the award-winning show we can all enjoy today.

It’s… objectively not good. Wouldn’t be considered a hit back then and certainly not by today’s standards. I don’t think I would watch it in any other way than through channel surfing. However, it’s not a monstrosity some people believe it to be and not a case of low effort.

Let’s start with the world building: the setting wasn’t changed to the US. It’s still very much based in the UK, mostly London and Tadfield, although the latter lies now by the sea and seems much more ominous. Interestingly, the British Museum becomes a prominent location as well.

The main character and the designated hero is not surprisingly Crowley, this time in his 90s anti-hero glory. If you haven’t watched many movies of this era, esp. dark fantasy, this trope involves middle-age disenchantment, cynicism, as well as hefty doses of sarcasm and brooding.

90s anti-heroes are a dark, grim, and unnecessarily violent embodiment of power fantasy, matching the destructive ideology of that time. Combined with uber-masculinity and performative strength over weaker characters, nowadays they naturally evoke more cringe or worry than awe.

1992 iteration of Crowley is basically in his Furfur era. Deeply unhappy and stuck in a dead end job, all he talks about is how he hates Earth and his assignment here, considering a transfer to Alpha Centauri as his one and only possibility of career advancement. Or life, really.

The talking part is important here, because he clearly compensates by insulting everything and everyone. He hates on the whole planet at length only to confess that he’d rather stay here with Aziraphale due to “no good restaurants”, “no decent bottle of wine” in Alpha Centauri.

Yes, he’s verbally abusive in his automatic response to stress. But doesn’t hate Aziraphale. In one particular scene he calls Azi stupid twice only to assure him that they are friends and to offer to solve the problem when he sees that his words were taken seriously and hurt him.

Crowley refers to him as “my angel” and “my dear Aziraphale”, agrees to Aziraphale’s suggestion of sharing a room, praises the angel as a “miracle worker around the home”, drinks the tea he makes for him, and generally proves to be much softer towards him than he wants to admit.

Aziraphale, on the contrary, wears his heart on his sleeve. He’s the one engineering ways to spend more time together, following Crowley around, checking up on him (including miracling himself into his apartment and office when no one answers the door), offering help right away.

He’s successfully calming Crowley down through his anxiety attacks, overcomes his dislike of heights (!) for Crowley, directly challenges him and even breaks rules only to make Crowley stay with him. Crowley seems to be his main motivation in this movie, not the saving the world.

1992 Aziraphale also has the most badass scene in the whole Good Omens multiverse to date, taking a 180 degree turn from the typical guardian angel we all know and love to the real angel of wrath protecting Crowley from harm in his true form.

But there’s no Their Side in this universe. The only semblance of that concept appears in the context of Anathema not representing either of their respective bosses, but humanity. “That’s the trouble with the humans. They’re on their own side.”

This Crowley appears not as much on Hell’s side as under Satan’s heel. He’s scared of him and subservient, and needs Aziraphale to prevent his escape as a pretext to do what is right. He lets the angel stop him by pretending that he doesn’t even see him cheating during their duel.

By finally standing up to his toxic boss (Satan is like Gabriel during the body-swapped trial, suave and cruel) and leaving Hell’s side to do good, Crowley takes an emancipated and employee-focused stance instead of fighting for his relationship with Aziraphale like shown in S1.

Which is a shame, but matches the overall tone of the screenplay and the times it was written in. The concept of free will, while simplified in a true Hollywood-style to issues like mind control and fear, is still crucial to this interpretation of the Good Omens original plot.

Especially the character of Anathema is seen fighting both of these things. There’s no Agnes Nutter with her prophecies here, only a 21-year-old witch and her will to thwart the ultimate evil versus her fear of doing it at a cost of one boy’s life, versus Satan’s brainwashing.

Madame Tracy appears slightly redesigned as a new character as well, but isn’t 𝘲𝘶𝘪𝘵𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦 for the most part. She’s been enjoying her youth way too much to see how fast it was fleeting, and this sudden realization left her in shock from which she denies to come back.

Unfortunately she’s also the one who took in baby Adam and now stays under his care. The level of his parentification is unnerving, much like his bullying and loneliness. He struggles to be loved and ask for love, which becomes his main quest beyond, y’know, the apocalypse thing.

Don’t worry, despite everything all ends well just like in the book. The family of two gets a chance to start again on much healthier terms and Anathema to live for herself for the first time in years. Our heroes get back in their car, Crowley tempting Aziraphale with an apple.

All in all, this whole post is a very long reminder for Amazon Prime to #PayYourWriters, #PayYourActors, and #RenewGoodOmens! The strike is still ongoing and crucial for any new content for this and many other fandoms #GiveMeS3orGiveMeDeath

[davidtennantgenderenvy]

As i approach the end of finals week, I’m taking a moment to reflect on all of the absolutely CRAZY things that have happened during my roller coaster of a sophomore year of college!

This is of course, going to go down in the history books as The David Tennant year. What started as a silly little reawakened special interest in my favorite actor has somehow opened doors for me that I never could have imagined. Writing a two hour video essay about this man is NOT how I thought I’d be spending last semester, but not only did it become one of the proudest creative projects of my entire life and connected me with so many amazing internet buddies, but it was also invaluable in helping me come to terms with my queerness and come out to my friends and family. Thanks to a silly little short about David’s BAFTA outfit, he KNOWS I EXIST NOW, which is still so wild. And finally, he inspired me to write my most ambitious piece of music to date, my 8 month labor of love Crowley’s Lament, which put to the test basically everything I’ve learned about music and performing and has been received so beautifully by you guys.

This year wasn’t all about him, though! I finally got to make my collegiate stage debut in my first opera, and Iolanthe ended up being the dream role I never knew I needed- an endearing and inspiring character that was such a fulfilling challenge for an actor and singer to play. I learned loads of challenging classical, musical theatre, and pop rock music this year, listened to a ton of new albums (Will Wood might be one of the most incredible musical discoveries of my life?), and learned a ton about music theory and history. One of my favorite classes this year was Film and TV music analysis, and I got to apply my knowledge by composing the score for one of my Discord mutuals’ short films! I turned 20 and on the same day got to perform in an original musical for my friend’s composition recital. I took part in my first ever crew assignment, had two of my pieces performed at Project 21 concerts (one with a full band!), and my original Fullmetal Alchemist song Even Into Hell was choreographed for a collaboration with the school of dance, which brought my piece to such gorgeous emotional life.

I’ve gotten closer to friends old and new, and just when I’d accepted that romance probably wasn’t in the cards for me any time soon, I met (well, started DM-ing), the most amazing person through the most unexpected set of circumstances (that honestly deserves its own video sometime in the future). My brilliant internet friend-turned-parter Merlin @elsinore-and-inverness has brought so much light and joy into my life, and I can honestly say I’m the happiest I’ve been in years.

Next stop, THE UK!!! I’m not only studying abroad on a once in a lifetime Shakespeare trip, seeing loads of West End shows AND performing at the Edinburgh Fringe, but I also get to meet my favorite London boy in person :)))) could NOT be more excited

[anjumzm]

Midsummer night

A Legacy of Gods Fanfic.

Chapter 1

Hello guys, this is an amateur attempt at JerCes Daughter x LanMia Son Fanfic, all characters belong to Rina Kent, please do let me know if I should continue this or not. Thanks.

Aanya Volkov

I feel euphoric. Like how Icarus must have felt when he got too close to the sun, even though it eventually devoured him. That's exactly how I feel as I drive out of the Kings Mansion, the sideways littered with lamppost and the stone sculptures, which I don't bother studying. The weight of the item in my bag feels heavy, and as the adrenaline settles down,  I cannot help but feel that this has been too easy, way too easy, as though someone orchestrated my entire plan, I cannot help but feel as if I'm being played. No Aanya, no. Only positive thoughts.

Yes that's right, now what are the chances of any one from the mansion suspecting me of stealing? Aunt Mia loves me, so do grandpa Levi and Grandma Astrid. Although I cannot say if Uncle Landon likes me or not, since I've been told by my father ample of times to maintain my distance from him, but Im sure Gina, his daughter and my best friend might have put in a good word about me. And yet I stole from them, how's that for maintaining a good impression? Good lord. I won't call it stealing coz I'm just taking back what's ours in the first place, and in doing so I'm also taking back Dad's and my brothers peace. I won't allow anyone to mess with my family, especially some vermin who thinks that the mere purpose of everyone around him is to entertain His Majesty, to put our honor on line for his daily dose of entertainment. I'm talking about none other than that psycho cosplaying as a perfect gentleman to live by societal standards. Theodore Sokolov King. One of the heirs to the King empire, the youngest influencal business man in UK. Even if we're archnemesis, there's no denying the fact that he's a genuis gifted with a face that's sculpted to perfection, as though God took his own sweet time making him,deep blue eyes, soft brown hair, sharp jawline and dimples to make him look like a hansome london boy with a face made for vogue magzines. He wears the camouflage of a perfect gentleman through and through, so much so that one cannot help but be drawn to his charisma, and till the time we realize that his beauty and charm is nothing but a mirage, it's too late.Although by God's grace we've never interacted before, his reputation precceeds him, not only is he a known name amongst the top business tycoons in the UK and US, but he's gradually been making his place known in the Bratva too, no thanks to his grandparents influence. It's come to the point that even the previous Pakhan, Kirill Morozov trusts him with tasks that he'd usually deem my brothers to be worthy of, and this has been eating them, even though they don't show it. My family has been influencal and a known and trusted name in the Bratva, all thanks to my Father and Grandfather who've made a strong organization within the Bratva, that rivals the CIA and Mossad. My father and brothers are the most trusted sources and advisors to the Pakhan or so was the case before "Your Majesty" thought better to make our live miserable. And now, we'll have to prove our loyalty and resourcefulness to the current Pakhan, Vaughn Morozova, all over again. If only he would keep to his turf and not mess with ours. I wonder why he's taken such a sudden intrest in bratva's business when he's never really paid attention before, I'm sure it's not to help his cousin Dominic Sokolov, Uncle Niko and uncle Brans Son, the one who'll be inherenting his father's position in the Bratva's inner circle along with my brothers. Dom is my elder brother Aaron Volkov's friend, but his relation with the vermin makes it difficult for him to take sides during meetings, my brothers understand this and do not except him to do the same, but the last meeting where Pakhan assigned the shipment duty given to my brother to someone else,put a strain on their friendship too. All because of that cockroach, gods how I hate his face, and I'm not at all a violent person. I prefer keeping to myself, reading books in my room, hanging out with my friends and cousins. I never partake in any activities related to the Mafia, which  is what's expected of me, but this time I couldn't stand it, the pain in my elder brother Aaron's eyes, the pure rage in Calebs, of how they feel as though they've let down my father and Grandpa, although that's not the case. My father and Grandpa are most proud of all our achievements both big and small, and would never shy from letting us know the same, but this was the first time that a task given to volkov's had been reassigned to someone else, namely His Majesty. I'll make sure he's humiliated just like he stepped on my family's pride. Even if I burn in the process.

[summerpearlgirl]

Bridgerton & Pregnancy/Women's Rights

I find myself doing the most random google searches while watching Bridgerton or reading Polin fanfics. I thought it would be amusing to gather these together in this post.

1."I want them to be able to have sex and not get STDs or pregnant."

My Google Search: When were intestine condoms invented?

Answer: Doctors began suggesting that patients use condoms to prevent disease in the 16th century. Condoms made from animal intestines—usually those of sheep, calves, or goats—remained the main style through the mid-1800s. Used for both pregnancy- and disease-prevention, these condoms stayed in place with a ribbon that men tied around the bases of their penises.

My reflection: Rich boy, women respecting Colin should be using those. Ha! Who am I kidding? Colin definitely has a breeding kink when it comes to Pen (67 AO3 works on that topic agree).

2. "I want Colin and Pen to be having sex constantly. But I don't want them to have more than 4 kids because of the risk of prolapse etc."

My Google Search: how effective is the withdrawal method

Answer: Given it can be difficult to withdraw the penis during sex, withdrawal with real-life use is closer to 80% effective.

My reflection: Damn it. They would probably get maximum 10 months pregnancy free between babies. Maybe cycle tracking could help? I will just assume they do 69 or the intestine condoms so I can sleep at night.

Fanfics which added fuel to this fire (I think both these fics are very well written and I recommend reading them): Someone Ought to Say Something by lemonsaltwater. rockabye baby (don't say a word) by DollyPop, Parmandur.

3. "Eloise would thrive at University! She would talk the most during class discussions. Complete all of the assigned reading. Her essays would be jam-packed with footnotes."

My Google Search: when were women allowed to go to university uk

Answer: In 1868, nine women were admitted to the University of London.

My reflection: Damn. Could she dress as a man? No, that is stupid. I guess she could read and talk to people privately. How are they going to honour this part of Eloise in S5? Damned if I know.

4. "Eloise and Pen are the smartest people in that room for charades in S3. I really want them to start their own Royal Society type gatherings for women and outsmart the men."

My Google Search: royal society uk history women

Answer: Founded on 28 November 1660, it was granted a royal charter by King Charles II as The Royal Society and is the oldest continuously existing scientific academy in the world. 

Women slowly gained admittance to learned societies in the UK starting in the 19th century, with the founding of the Zoological Society of London in 1829 and the Royal Entomological Society in 1833, both of which admitted women fellows from their inception.

My reflection: Ok. This could work. But Pen is more into writing and politics, rather than science. Pen and Eloise would be great politicians. The way Pen outsmarted the Queen so many times, that girl has got talent. I don't need to Google when women could vote and participate in politics. I know Pen and Eloise are long dead.

5. "Being locked into marriage after a few weeks of courtship is crazy. So many of these Polin fanfics could be resolved by people being allowed to divorce."

My Google Search: uk divorce 1800s

Answer: Before the mid-19th century the only way of obtaining a full divorce which allowed re-marriage was by a Private Act of Parliament. Between 1700 and 1857 there were 314 such Acts, most of them initiated by husbands.

The Matrimonial Causes Act passed Parliament in 1857, but the grounds for divorce remained substantially the same. Adultery remained the sole ground for divorce, although wives could now allege cruelty and desertion, in addition to the husband's adultery, in order to obtain a divorce.

My reflection: Ok. Colin and Pen will just have to live in the countryside until they get married in 1857. Thank goodness they got their shit together in the Canon book and show. The fanfic alternative universes where they marry/nearly marry other people are stressing me out. That said, the Bridgertons were an influential family, I would be pushing those family connections to get a divorce by Act of Parliament if I was them. What good is it to have social capital if you can't be with the person you love? Violet would be supportive.

[jezunya]

"Ssshut up," Crowley hisses, not bothering to unslump himself from the tabletop. "You're in love with a human, you don't get an opinion."

"Better a human than a loyalist," Sherlock sniffs, and that gets Crowley to jerk his head up.

"Oi! He's not— I mean, he wasn't—"

"He was, then he wasn't, then he was again," Sherlock singsongs, before turning serious. "Once a good little loyal subject of Heaven, always one. Face it, the very fact that he hasn't Fallen means that he will always go back to them."

Crowley cradles his head in his hands, feeling far too drunk for this, or perhaps not nearly drunk enough. "That's not… He wasn't…"

A little tidbit of a scene from a much, much larger AU that I'm honestly not sure will ever get written in earnest, but that has been a project @sheliesshattered and I have circled back to many times over the years

This is post s2 of Good Omens and… somewhere in the BBC Sherlock timeline, probably post s2 but s3 & s4 don't really work with this au. Set in the universe of Tim Powers' novel Declare, though I'm hoping to write this such that you don't have to have read the book (but it certainly helps). Sherlock (and Mycroft, and others) are another form of Fallen Angel who have remained earthbound rather than ever joining Hell, and Sherlock & Crowley are ofc frenemy drinking buddies

More under the cut

For anyone who has read it: After the end of Declare, Andrew & Elena retired somewhere in the UK together, taking on the very common name of Watson. They settled down and had a couple of kids. Twins, in fact. Almost like one person split in two, you might say. Which they try not to be too freaked out about, but also they're really tempting fate when they name the kids Harriet and John, after Harry St John Philby. John (and Harry, to some extent) grows up to follow in his parents' footsteps, including certain secret missions in the mountains of Afghanistan. When he's invalided home, he assumes Declare has no more use for him, until he is contacted once more to be a 'special assistant' on one of their higher-level projects here at home in London, at which point he is assigned to shadow Sherlock & assist him in any way he might need. John doesn't know exactly what Sherlock is, at first, but he's weirdly reminded of some of his parents' stories of 'Our Stepmother' in the USSR, and he's about to learn that Operation Declare is a lot deeper, older, and closer to home than he ever imagined.

That's the starting point of Part 1 of this AU.

For those who haven't read Declare: Sherlock (and Mycroft, and others) are a different sort of Fallen Angel, who never joined Hell after falling from Heaven, but rather made a home wherever they could on Earth, becoming known as nature spirits, fae, djinn, etc. (Djinn is the most commonly used term in the universe of Declare, so that's the terminology John uses, and they are explicitly stated to be fallen angels.) They've been neutral in the Heaven vs Hell war, tho Heaven definitely views them as enemies and Hell views them as… frenemies? Enemy of my enemy? Not worth bothering with? They are largely free agents, with some different powers & limitations compared to angels and demons, since they don't have the power concentration/strength in numbers of either Heaven or Hell behind them, and their own schisms and internal power struggles, separate from anything to do with Heaven and Hell.

Part 2 of the au would be after Crowley and Aziraphale fend off the apocalypse in GO s1 and become free agents themselves. Suddenly, Sherlock has a couple of rogue agents, formerly of Heaven and Hell, in his city, where before they were Officially Posted There, so he (mostly) would avoid them, though he and Crowley have definitely crossed paths before. Those two are very much frenemies, especially since the Notpocalypse. (John, for his part, has largely come to terms with the whole djinn thing. He is not happy to learn about angels and demons in the truer sense, though.)

And this scene here? IDK, Part 3, I guess, but maybe just a little aside for Crowley angst after GO s2, maybe not a whole fic, until/unless there's some interesting fodder for this au in GO s3, thwarting the second coming with Sherlock & John in tow maybe… (and Crowley and Aziraphale having to figure out their relationship while the other supernatural entity/ies around them already have their shit together)

[spinningerster]

idk if the newsies fandom is still active on here bUT I saw the new London production on Saturday (Dec 3rd) and need to share my thoughts bc THIS SHOW -

apologies in advance for the amount of fangirling i'm about to do. also this will probably be very long so prepare yourselves

so newsies is my absolute favourite musical and I actually can't believe I got to see the first professional UK production - not only that, I also got to finally meet my best friend who I met through the show! we also made a new friend whilst in the merch line - and another two at stage door after the show. it was so cool to be around other fans of the show!

and wow - I was completely blown away. guys, the choreography for seize the day and king of new york is out of this world, I was in awe the whole time. and the end of once and for all, oh my god. 3 standing ovations as well! (two in seize the day, and during the curtain call/bowsies)

the talent in this show is unreal; michael ahomka-lindsay and bronté barbé were really great as jack and katherine, I really enjoyed their portrayals of the characters and they both have great voices. moya angela was amazing as medda, she wore this beautiful outfit during 'thats rich' that matched what the bowery beauties were wearing, which I really liked, and she had a really nice voice. matthew duckett was great as crutchie, and yes letter from the refuge made me cry. my favourite character portrayal was probably ryan kopel, there was just something about how he plays davey that i loved, and he understood the assignment with poor guys head is spinning which made me very happy.

there were also three swings performing; bradley trevethan as elmer, jordan isaac as romeo, and zack guest who made his finch debut, and they were all amazing!

honestly I could watch those boys dance forever.

the cast made great use of the large space they've been given, there were some walkways that were used in various parts of the show, such as during brooklyn's here with the different boroughs, and the cast going into the audience (such as going up/down the main stairs) makes the show really immersive.

brooklyn were all girlsies. and they had a dance break during brooklyn's here. there was one brooklyn girlsie who had her arm in a sling and her name was splint.

new things they added/details I noticed and really liked were:

• les was actually involved in king of new york

• katherine wore a lady liberty crown made out of spoons at the end of kony which I loved

• race's cigar actually smoked

• there was a little bit at the start of the show, before santa fe prologue, which showed the newsies trying to sell papers

• jack had a small photo of santa fe in his pocket which he was looking at during santa fe prologue, it was a small detail they added that I absolutely loved

• during the 'world will know' scene where they're going on strike, katherine is on one of the walkways (the one closest to where we were sat) watching, which I really liked as her then wanting to help the newsies made more sense as she watched them declare their strike

• there was (at least to me) a small homage to the 1992 movie - during seize the day, they knocked over one of the newspaper carts and started ripping up the papers

• jack did a full on like tarzan swing from a rope (that seemed to appear from nowhere) during the fight scene, les went to do the same thing but davey was like 'um no get down'

• jack was in the seize the day dance break, and he was really good!

• he gave katherine a newsie cap in the finale it was so cute

the newsies were used for a lot of scene changes, specifically for when props needed to be brought on stage. my favourite one was when katherine said 'thank you' to the two newsies who brought her desk and chair on for watch what happens. (sidenote, if you're sat in manhattan, you walk under the stage and get to see all the props which was so cool)

we stage doored after the show and it was so cool, we met michael & bronte (who we actually also met before the show), matthew and ryan, and they were all so lovely!

the best piece of live theatre i've ever seen, it was like nothing i've ever experienced.

[a-kind-of-merry-war]

hi merry! it’s me, the american who loved the uk cover of hartswood so much that she waited until she was in london (post university graduation vacation/choir trip) to buy it—i want you to know that i haven’t read a proper book that wasn’t assigned to me for a class in i don’t know how many years. i finished hartswood in two sittings, and the only reason it took two is because i had to get up and work the morning i started it. i forgot to eat dinner for several hours because i was so absorbed. merry it was so fucking good. I’m going to leave a proper review on barnes and nobles or something because i know that helps you more than a random ask on tumblr, but i just wanted to scream a little in a spot where maybe you’re more likely to see it :) 🦌 ❤️

Aaahhh GOSH I've been sat on this ask for a few days because it's so lovely, and I need to screenshot it and save it to my Nice Things folder 💖😭💖

This is so nice and I'm SO glad you enjoyed it! I love my boys so much and it's terrifying having them out there for everyone to see. I'm so glad you liked it 😭

Thank you for telling me!! I banned myself from review websites lmao so this is super appreciated 💖💖💖💖💖

[ngatwa]

"Yeah, they've defeated the royal family now, but if Henry gives up the title, it turns out they'll lose. This means the LGBTQ+ community will lose as well."

The idea that Henry needs to remain attached and a part of the institution that hurt and abused him for years and years just so that the apparent global queer community can 'win' makes less than no sense. No one loses besides Henry if he stays a part of the royal family. He doesn't like it, he doesn't like what they stand for, the vile history, the racism/xenophobia/colonization/violence, etc.

The way he wins, and if we are following your thought process, the rest of the LGBTQ+ community wins, is by doing whatever the hell he wants, which is to leave the royal family.

Henry doesn't need to shoulder the burden of an entire community by living an unhappy life in an institution that has already been the cause of so much of his unhappiness.

You forget that you can't have everything. I'll say it again. Henry will forever be part of the royal family, no matter if he renounces the title or not. If he doesn't give up the title, it'll be pretty much the same as if he did. He can live in the US with Alex, only coming back to the UK for a couple weeks a year max (like I said, he'll still visit since it's his family). Yes, Henry does not like attention, but I am 100% sure that he will attend events in the US, he might as well attend 2-3 events in the UK. I doubt that 2-3 events once every 3-4 months or even once every six months will damage his mental health so much. Every person is obliged to do things that they do not like, Henry is no exception.

Besides, Henry wants to do good and help the LGBTQ+ community. His contribution to the community will be keeping the title. As I said, the decision to keep the title will help Henry first of all, and only then the community. How will this help the LGBTQ+ community? Well, if a famous person with power and a lot of money, in order to be openly gay, is forced to give up something that belongs to him by birth (and the title of prince was assigned to him by birth), then what can we say about ordinary people who do not have money, power and influence? Think about it. We have a recent example of this. When Amber Heard lost her second trial to j*hnny wife beater d*pp, it was a loss not only to Amber, but to all victims of domestic violence. If a fairly well-known person, for whom there was definitely truth, as well as the London court, which recognized d*pp as an abuser, could not defend herself, then what can we say about ordinary people who have become victims of domestic violence?

I'll repeat it again, because it looks like you didn't understand it. Henry will forever remain connected to the royal family and will forever remain a public figure.