#Hawker Hall

[muffinlance]

Cheating at Pai Sho Outtake: Crew Interrogation

Opened up Cheating at Pai Sho and this alternate version was just chilling in my notes. I ended up using the “Sokka goes out drinking with the crew” version instead, but behold, the crew messing with Zhao’s men:

* * *

Sokka was entirely unclear on whether the crew didn't notice him under his newly replaced guard helmet, or just didn't care.

"Look sharp, Ensign Other One," a fellow creepily anonymous skull-mask-guard said, giving Sokka an elbow nudge to the chest plate, and firmly putting an end to the did they know or just not care question. "Hostiles incoming."

"What do we do?"

"Mess with them." The guard lifted his faceplate. Hawker Genji winked at him, then let it drop.  

Heavy boots stomped up the loading ramp, mere minutes after Zuko and the resupply party had left.  

"Attention on deck!" one of the newly arrived armored-but-not-wearing-helmets guys bellowed. None of the crew had any particular reaction to this bellowing, probably because it was a few decibels below what they were used to. The man's lips twisted down. "The port commander has ordered a mission debriefing. You will assemble all crew—"

"Yes," Genji said, and the same time a woman next to him was saying "Agni blight it," and handing over a handful of coins.

The port inspector snapped his head towards them. "What was that, crewmen?"

"Nothing, sir,” said Genji. “Just won a bet. Thanks, by the way."

"Nothing, sir,” said the woman. “Just lost a bet. Thanks, by the way."

A third crewmember snickered, and stifled it as soon as the dock officer whipped around to glare. And suddenly Sokka realized why everyone on the Wani had put on their own helmets: near-complete anonymity.

So began the messing with.

%%%

The crew was, basically, locked in the mess hall. Except for the people who the port officer had hauled off to speak with one-by-one; they, presumably, were being released into the Wani wilds elsewhere, to minimize the getting-their-stories-straight thing.

"Do it," Genji urged Sokka on. "I'll give you a silver if you do."

"He's low-balling you, kid," Assistant-to-the-Doctor-and-Occasional-Pikeswoman Satomi advised.

"What even is a silver worth?" Sokka asked, having grown up in a region largely decoupled from the greater world economy. "I need a baseline for how much this is worth to you."

"A silver is worth about five kilos of rice if they don't know you're from the Wani," Satomi said. "Half that if they do. Hold out for a gold from him, at least. That's ten silvers, or an hour with a really good hooker."

"Sssh," Helmsman Kyo shushed, in a manner most shushily. "I can't hear what they're saying." He had his ear pressed to a metal pipe that connected to another pipe that ran to the room the port officer was doing his interrogations in. "Wait no, I got it. Okay, so we're up to The Avatar appeared before Prince Zuko in a column of light which vanished into the sky, leaving behind the last living airbender. The airbender lives on our roof and helped us fight off the Southern Savages that attacked us from the sky on their snow-white beast. It sounds like they're—yeah, they're finished! Next up!"

The uninterrogated remainder of the crew all assumed their sullen stances, and waited for the the port officers to drag the next of them off. Satomi was picked, and went with some literal dragging of heels. "Oh no, not me."

The Wani crew, as it turned out, tried very hard to be consistent in their ridiculously over-the-top rewrites of the truth.

"We don't get battle stories to brag about," they'd explained to Sokka. "But we do get Avatar Hunt ones."

Kyo pressed his ear to the pipe again, and continued his narration. "Okay. Good, good—she laid out the basics again. And she's adding—oh wow, this is great—'Together with our new airbender, we brought the light of Agni to the frozen heathens, and converted them to our cause. Now they worship graven images of Fire Lord Ozai and leave offerings at the rusted ruins of our ships—'  

Sokka. Knew what he had to do.

%%%

"Sit," the port inspector ordered.

Sokka sat.

"Your fleet commander demands an explanation for this wasteful expenditure of resources to the south," the man snarled. "Tell me the truth of it. Start from when your ship departed this port the last time."

"Well, I'm not going to be able to help you with that," Sokka said. "You see, I was out minding my own business on my culturally inferior ice shelf when the light of Agni shown upon my world. Also, Avatar something-something? I forget what they told me to say. Anyway, long story short, I'm a converted Southern Savage. Hail Fire Lord Zuko's Dad!"

It might just be the sleep deprivation, but the guy's expression was hilarious.

%%%

"How did you all get written up for insubordination?" Zuko shouted. "I was gone for less than two hours! You're not even in the navy!"

"Yeah," the Water Tribe peasant said. "That officer guy got really angry when he thought I was giving him a fake name. Then he heard them calling me 'new guy' and just wrote up Pikesman Kazuto. Sorry, Kazuto."

"He… what?" Kazuto, who was carrying the last sack of rice aboard, paused long enough to look befuddled.

The teenager shrugged; his armor clattered and creaked even worse than Jee's. "What can I say? Just because I'm not part of the navy doesn't mean I'm not part of this crew."

There was. There was so much cheering and backslapping. Zuko had left for less than two hours, and now his crew liked a Water Tribe barbarian more than their prince.

[keicordelle]

It's date night! Chapter 17 of A First for Everything is up on Ao3! Another first for our boys <3 It is surprisingly difficult to come up with interesting date ideas that are feasible in the Crystarium...

Read it on Ao3 at the link above, or check out the first chapter on Tumblr here.

-

"So, uh. What did you want to do?" Thancred’s hands fidgeted with themselves, and he forced them still. Why was he nervous? He'd spent every day next to Urianger for the past three moons. Alone, usually. Often in objectively more flustering situations than this. And yet his heart seemed overly loud in his ears, which made some sort of sense considering it seemed to have taken up residence in his throat, and his hands didn't seem to know what to do with themselves, fluttering around in a desperate search for something to occupy them.

Not that Urianger was faring much better. He didn't seem to know what to do with himself either, his fingers twisting and untwisting in the chains at his waist, each little tinkle like the pendulum of a clock timing their awkwardness. Which was... not a great feeling.

Thancred crossed his arms. Uncrossed them. Shifted his weight from foot to foot — and caught himself, forcing himself still once more. Pockets, into the pockets with the hands. At least they'd be out of the way there.

Okay. A date. This was a date. They were on a date right now, weren't they? Or, they would be, once they moved away from the towering doors of the Cabinet and Minfilia just beyond them and the awkward silence that seemed to reign over this particular patch of flooring.

Thal's balls, how long had it been since Thancred had last been on a date? A real date, and not just drinks at a bar that he'd ventured to alone and left from very much not alone? Never? Had he ever taken someone out on a proper date, to woo and impress and spend time with them just to spend time with them?

Hells, what did you even do on a date? Dinner, he guessed. Maybe drinks. A theater production? No, they probably weren't likely to find one of those in the Crystarium. Dancing? That seemed like a bad idea. Stargazing? Except clearly that was not an option. What might Urianger even want to do?

The mellifluous sound of Urianger’s voice cut through his agonizing, tentative but steady. "Shall we continue our tour of the city?"

Thancred lifted his eyes to meet Urianger’s, honeyed softness staring down at him with that same warmth that always set his pulse fluttering. The nerves were there too, in the awkward quirk to Urianger’s smile, but at least they were nervous together. Somehow that made it easier to manage than being nervous alone. "Let's."

They ambled off, wandering aimlessly through the twisting halls and open-air promenades of the city. It was almost odd, to be so purposeless, but it was nice to get to explore unimpeded by the press of time and necessity. To just enjoy each other's company for the sake of it, amongst the milling throngs of people going about their own business. They drifted from one end of the city to the other, pausing to admire stained-glass rooftops and tightly packed hawkers' wares. A curious statue of a Zun drew their attention, seemingly carved from the same crystal as the tower itself and set in a courtyard overflowing with flowers. They lingered there for some time, Urianger delightedly recounting the medicinal uses of each flower at the statue’s feet and pondering the unknown history behind the figure.

Eventually, Thancred’s eyes stopped scanning the area for possible date locales and simply focused wholly on Urianger, on his smile and the animated prattle of his voice as he expounded on anything and everything around them. Slowly, they drifted closer and closer together as they walked, until their arms brushed with every step. Thancred’s hand itched to reach out for Urianger's, to grab it and hold it.

Strange. It was a very odd feeling, entirely unfamiliar. He'd never wanted to hold someone's hand before just for the sake of holding it. He'd flirted and seduced his way through dozens of encounters, but to just hold someone's hand because he wanted to? It was oddly nerve-wracking, the thought of it. Kissing he could do, but hand-holding? He'd spent the last two months getting intimately acquainted with the inside of Urianger's mouth, so why should the prospect of holding his hand cause such butterflies in his stomach? No, he was being ridiculous, even by his own standards.

Maybe it was because they were in public, where anyone could oversee them? But this was the one place where they truly were unlikely to be recognized. It was maybe the only place where they could walk hand in hand in front of others and not worry about running into someone they knew.

Alright. He could do this. Just act casual. Pretend like it's the most normal thing in the world, and not like it feels like your heart’s beating in your throat.

The next time their arms brushed, he reached out as nonchalantly as possible to catch Urianger’s hand in his own. Urianger started at the contact, his hand jolting in Thancred’s. Shit. Thancred winced internally, releasing the grip he'd only just found on Urianger’s hand so he could draw back. Maybe that was too much....

Urianger's fingers tightened on Thancred’s before he could pull away. Thancred looked over to find Urianger watching him, a warm smile lighting up his face. There was a softness in his eyes that spilled warmth through Thancred’s chest and through his cheeks. He couldn't help the answering smile that curled his lips, even as fluster made his steps stumble. Urianger looked so beautiful like that, and there was such affection in his gaze, and he was holding Thancred’s hand, for no other reason than because he wanted to, and because Thancred had wanted to, and now they were walking together and holding hands in public and sweet heavens that look on his face was going to make Thancred’s heart stop dead in his chest. He looked so remarkably comfortable like this, hand clasped in Thancred’s as they wandered the twisting paths of the Crystarium. For once, Thancred was the one who was all flustered and flushed, while Urianger looked perfectly calm and collected. Happy, certainly, but entirely unplagued by the swirling mess of thoughts and feelings that had taken over in Thancred’s head and his heart.

He was so distracted by the feeling of Urianger's hand in his that he could not have recounted where exactly they wandered for much of the afternoon. Their feet took them across and around the city, weaving back and forth wherever they pleased with no real destination in mind. It was nice, to wander so freely. Free from worry and from responsibility. Free to spend time together so openly. If only for a short while.

Eventually they found themselves outside the walls of the city proper, where fields sporting abundant crops stretched along the city's outer ring and animals milled about in smaller-than-average pastures. Karakul and chocobos grazed sedately beyond aged wooden fences, while nearby, amaro hunched together to doze.

A little beyond, the blazing Light shone off the tranquil surface of a pond, the water stirred only by the sedate paddling of the ducks that swam within it. Thancred and Urianger drew to a halt at the water’s edge, lingering there to watch the birds frolic and play.

"Would that we had something with which to feed them," Urianger said, a small smile on his lips as one of the ducks flicked its wings at another.

"Hm." Thancred craned his neck, leaning back to scan around behind them. Surely in this part of the Crystarium, these weren't wild ducks. There had to be a rancher around here somewhere....

Sure enough, there was a woman on the other side of the pond, pulling weeds from the grasses spread there. "Wait here a moment," Thancred said, slipping his hand from Urianger’s. Urianger blinked after him as he jogged over to the woman.

He returned only two minutes later, bag of dried corn held triumphantly in hand and a broad grin splitting his face. "All you've gotta do is ask."

Urianger laughed, his shoulder a steady warmth where it pressed into Thancred’s as he reached into the proffered bag. He laughed again when the ducks came darting over to them, their little waddle and flicking tails almost as delightful as the sound of Urianger's happiness. His eyes crinkled with joy, the peal of his laughter ringing out over the water. I wish I could make him this happy forever.

Urianger's gaze slid over to him, and he blushed when he noticed Thancred watching, high spots of color staining his cheeks and down the length of his ears. "In mine youth, I frequented a pond not unlike this that was but a short distance from our house. When troubles plagued me or I wished to clear my head, I wouldst pay it visit and sit at its edge, to watch the ducklings or simply admire the water." He tilted his head, that soft affecting sliding once more through his gaze. "They're good memories. Full glad am I to relive them in thy company.”

Heat rose to sear through Thancred’s face, and he had to look away from the tenderness in Urianger’s eyes. He disguised it with another handful of corn tossed out. "I'm glad of that too."

The bag ran dry just as Thancred’s own hunger made itself known, the growl of his stomach startling them both from their idyllic afternoon-turned-evening. "Ah," Urianger said with a smile. "'Twould appear that we were so enmeshed in feeding the ducks that we have forgotten to feed ourselves. Wouldst thou care to accompany me for dinner?"

"It would be my pleasure," Thancred told him, accepting the hand Urianger extended him.

The easy atmosphere that had fallen between them remained throughout dinner. This, at least, was familiar territory. It felt a little strange to eat together without also cooking or cleaning up together, but it was nice to be able to sit down in public like this, listening to the idle chatter of those around them as they talked about everything and nothing. They really did look like a couple like this, sitting across from each other in a nice restaurant, feet brushing beneath the table and smiles on their lips. Affection glowed in Urianger's gilded gaze, and Thancred was sure the same showed on his face. He felt it, at the very least, the warmth of Urianger’s presence bleeding through his every thought and gesture until he was suffused with it. Anyone who looked upon them would have no doubt that they were on a date. A new couple, to be sure, bashful and uncertain, but undoubtedly a couple.

Afterwards, with their bellies as full as their hearts, they drifted back towards the inn, where Minfilia and their responsibilities awaited them. Thancred walked Urianger to the door to his room — separate from the one he shared with Minfilia, a blessing and a curse. They lingered there outside the door, not quite ready to be parted just yet. How long had it been since he'd last walked someone to their door without the expectation of being invited in? Had he ever? It was kind of nice, this uncertainty, hesitant expectation strung between them as they both searched for some excuse to remain in each other's company for just another minute longer.

It was silly. Thancred would see him again tomorrow. Hells, he was right next door if he felt compelled to knock in the middle of the night. But still, he lingered there for as long as he could get away with (and then maybe a little longer) before he pulled his hand from Urianger’s.  "Good night, Urianger." He leaned in, stretching up onto his toes to press a kiss to Urianger’s lips. Quick and chaste, as sweet as the day he had spent in his company. Even so, Urianger was blushing when he drew back. "Sweet dreams."

[Chapter 18] | [Masterlist]

[Kofi/commissions]

[instruth]

A Story About A Girl, A Red Car And Me

The only car I had as a student was a red convertible MG Midget, similar to the attached picture. I bought it for a song,$500.00, from savings from my Colombo Plan Scholarship pocket money.

I wanted to impress my girlfriend Hinly, whom I was dating. But honestly I wanted to impress her father.

So I drove to her house to fetch her on our date. It was a real broken jalopy (having passed through many hands by King Edward Hall Hostel resident students). It was all I could afford then.

Previously, we had gone out on the bus, till her parents drove past and saw us waiting at the bus stop. They stopped and reversed to tell us to take a cab.

Later, after showing off my cheap red mg midget, I was offered the Lau family Mercedes to go out with Hinly. I sold my car as advised.

Hinly later told me her parents will ‘kill’ me if they had known I took her to Philips Square to eat hawker food on our first date. I didn’t know she had never been to eat at such lowly convertible hawker stalls beside a rather smelly canal (open air carpark in the day, hawker stalls at night). After we were married, she used this incident to tell me, “You were just being yourself, that’s why I married you.”

She knew I didn’t have the money to spend on our dates. But I spent all I had in my pocket.

I like her most of all because she accepts me as I am, even to this day. She is the easier girl to please. I feel happy just being with her, because I know I don’t need to impress her.

Falling in love with her is simple

It is the easiest thing in my life

Comes so naturally to me

Like breathing, to feel alive

It’s my happiest experience ever

©Johnny J P Lee

10 May 2024

A Gogyoshi-bun Poem (Story + Gogyoshi)

Photos: From my album

[asongofgoldenfireandblackblood]

Wanted Site Connection:

The eldest son of Lord and Lady Cissy Grafton, Robin is 21, and the heir to Gulltown. Raised and trained alongside Crown Prince Jacaerys since his mother, Lady Cissy, joined the then-Princess Rhaenyra’s retinue when she became the late King Viserys’ Hand now over ten years ago, he is one of Jace’s most trusted advisors and closest friends in addition to their mutual best friend, Ser Willam Vance, the heir to Wayfairer’s Rest; all three boys bonded by their responsibilities as heirs to powerful legacies, support and companionship through the turbulence of youth, and shared love of swordplay, chess, and revelry of every kind. Generally considered the most personable of both his companions and younger siblings, Robin is known for his particularly bright nature and persistent eagerness to chat with any and everyone willing to indulge him; a trait that initially brought friendship and in time a breathless romance with his betrothed, Lady Lacey Vance. Having split his time more or less equally between the Red Keep and Gulltown for much of his youth, Robin has spent the vast majority of the years since he came of age in King’s Landing out of a mix of loyalty to Prince Jacaerys, his courtship and ensuing unwillingness to be parted from Lady Lacey for long, and firmly standing by his mother, Lady Cissy’s, side in the personal falling out between her and his father after the death of his closest younger brother, Hugh, from a burst belly five years ago. Due to this and his aforementioned sociability, Robin is somewhat of a surrogate older brother figure to many of the younger children at court, particularly close with his younger sister, Marla, though not as much as he’d like to be with his younger brother Oswell, who fosters with Lord Hunter of Longbow Hall, and has an equal parts turbulent and deeply supportive relationship with his elder younger sister, Teora. A talented hobbyist painter, great lover of literature, and expert hawker who loves his birds as much and perhaps more than many love their more conventional pets, Robin is nevertheless known to avoidant when it comes to serious or emotional matters, fiercely stubborn in his convictions, and quick to challenge anyone to a battle of weapons or wit if he feels they are lacking in respect or courtesy to those he cares for most. Suggested faceclaim: Kwak Dong-Yeon in Love in The Moonlight

Note: Character traits, faceclaim, and details are suggestions and can be reworked to a certain extent if discussed with the current members of the RP!

Robin is particularly wanted by his betrothed, Lady Lacey Vance, as well as by Prince Jacaerys, Teora Grafton, Prince Daeron, Princess Rhaena, Cregan Stark, Princess Baela, and Toron Greyjoy

We are a No-Dance!AU and politics, family, and court-drama focused RP. To join, check out our main site, and find out who our court would like to see most on our Most Wanted Page, send us a raven with any questions and once you're ready apply, and then join us for plotting and OOC-chat on our Discord!!

home — navigate — wanted — discord — apply — directory — faq

[dreaminghour]

Another 'reclaim the QuiObi tag' fic for the writing servers event from February. This prompt was given to me by @sanerontheinside and I wrote the following in 24 hours.

This is a WIP. It ends abruptly. I didn't sleep enough last night so I had no energy to finish it before work. It is angsty and I enjoyed the heck out of it and plan to finish it soon.

The prompt was: "When was the last time you ate anything?"

Fandom: Star Wars | Pairing: Qui-Gon/Obi-Wan | Rating: Teen | No Warnings Apply | Words: 1392

lemon moon by cloverpeaches.tumblr.com

"When was the last time you ate anything?"

Obi-Wan moves around the apartment like it is his own because, for a time, it once was. Now however he recognizes that while the plant life has expanded, gloriously succulent and green, there is detritus and dust everywhere.

It isn't messy, really, Qui-Gon doesn't own enough for a mess.

Obi-Wan has come to visit his mentor and friend because it has been three months since they saw one another. Three months of put off meetings and excuses. Obi-Wan has been busy, his training under Qui-Gon made him wholly suited for working with senators and kings in the Republic's restructuring to prevent an ascent like Palatine's from ever happening again.

Or at least for another thousand years.

Qui-Gon is quiet, bathed in muted sunlight like his plants, eyes shut while he sits cross-legged on the floor, hair loose around his shoulders — it looks unkempt though clean.

"I asked, when was the last time you ate something?"

Qui-Gon blinks up at Obi-Wan as though he has only realized his former padawan is there. As though they hadn't greeted one another in that subliminal way, the touch of the Force nudging against them like two cats who are friendly.

He looks thin, much worse than the last time Obi-Wan saw him.

"May I take you out to lunch in the dining hall?"

Qui-Gon shuts his eyes and sighs.

"Perhaps a picnic in the room of a thousand fountains?"

Qui-Gon remains unmoving, the peace which rests over him is tense, somehow.

"Alright, I'm taking you to Dex," Obi-Wan declares and pulls Qui-Gon to his feet.

The further they get from the Temple and the Senate building, the more the demeanor of the crowd changes. The senate pages are transformed into hawkers, the padawans into lawless students. The streets are full of bright droids and raucous songs. It's lively and chaotic, the kind of place Qui-Gon used to thrive in.

Obi-Wan can see in his mind's eye the way Qui-Gon would have turned back to smirk at him, meanwhile making sure he hadn't lost his padawan.

When Obi-Wan glances back, he sees Qui-Gon has his eyes trained on the ground a few feet ahead of him. It's easy to get separated in these crowds, but they both know the way.

Dex's is no longer seating the lunch rush when they walk in, but the smell is still divine, spicy noodles and flatcakes, hot kaf and fizzy-snap. He takes two menus and sits down by the window. Qui-Gon follows but does not look at the menu.

"Already know what you're going to eat?" Obi-Wan asks, but Qui-Gon does not reply.

Despite how often Obi-Wan has come here, he likes the reminder of what's available. When the droid comes to take their order, Obi-Wan gleefully makes use of his mission expense fund to order the works: flatcakes with yogon berry syrup, bacon and eggs, spicy noodles, dumpling soup and a bowl of fruit.

Qui-Gon orders tea.

"One for me as well," Obi-Wan says.

The droid takes his money without remark.

"Did they demolish the Penza Tower?" Qui-Gon asks, peering across the ravine toward the construction going on between warehouses.

"It seems so," Obi-Wan replies, scowling against the sunlight to see what could be going on behind the orange construction fabric. "In the meantime, it's an eyesore."

Qui-Gon makes no reply.

Obi-Wan aches.

Once upon a time, Qui-Gon would have challenged Obi-Wan to see things with nonjudgmental eyes, to reframe the world into neutral terms, to garnish his biased impressions into honest kindness. 'This is how one makes friends with the unfamiliar,' he would say with a twinkle in his eye.

For a second, Obi-Wan has let himself believe that Qui-Gon's interest in the construction site meant he was letting go of some of his guilt, that he was inhabiting the world the way he once used to.

"I heard you requested a transfer to Jedha," Obi-Wan says. It's hard to keep the bitterness from his voice. "The master I once knew would have gone if he felt called to go."

"I am still needed here," Qui-Gon replies, like some sage Jedi. "Thank you," he says to the droid when their tea is delivered. He sighs as he lifts the hot cup to his mouth.

"So you need permission? Is that why you're living like some ascetic?"

Qui-Gon sighs and puts down his cup.

"You're angry with me," Qui-Gon says.

Obi-Wan bristles. "I am not."

"You are." Qui-Gon raises his eyes to meet Obi-Wan's gaze. He looks older in the bright light, his eyes are pale, lined with the shadows of sleepless nights. "I wondered where all your negative emotions had gone after Anakin's death. You seemed so determined to be soft."

That, on the other hand, does make Obi-Wan angry.

"To what purpose would I have loaded you with my pain and sadness when you were already carrying that burden?"

"It is one you relish keeping from me," Qui-Gon says quietly. "To hold it all in is your punishment."

The server droid returned and began off loading plates.

"Forgive me," Obi-Wan says, "but I'm hungry, so I'm going to eat."

He digs in.

For a few moments, Qui-Gon just blows across the surface of his tea and sips. Obi-Wan cuts up the flat cakes and dunks them in the soft eggs, shoveling down food as though he is starving. He had a horrid flight back from Alderaan and wished the food on the shuttle had been better than "nutritious." He's glad that Dex is here, that he can just come and eat his fill.

He wishes Qui-Gon would eat too, however.

As though he hears the thought, Qui-Gon picks up a cube of purple melon and chews it thoughtfully.

"I'm angry with you," Obi-Wan agrees.

Qui-Gon's expression is softly curious.

"I'm angry that you want to leave."

Qui-Gon raises his shoulders, the facsimile of a shrug, it feels like he's giving up. If he's going to Jedha, then he practically has.

"There is very little left here for me," Qui-Gon says, reaching for a small cluster of berries.

Obi-Wan watches him chew on them, only the faintest scowl on his face as the sour taste spreads across his tongue. He worries that what he will say will stop Qui-Gon from eating but he needs to say it.

"Do I matter so little to you?" Obi-Wan asks. "One apprentice falls so you might as well give up on the other one?"

It doesn't land the way Obi-Wan hoped it might. Qui-Gon only hesitates before picking up a slice of bacon.

"You don't need me," he says. "I'm still consulting on the governmental overhaul, I'm still teaching Ataru to the padawans and meditation to the crèchlings. So long as I'm needed, I will stay."

"And what then?" Obi-Wan asks, swallowing hard, appetite gone. "Once the other masters return to their lessons and the government is on its own feet, what then? Will you sit in the desert until you shrivel up and die?"

"Then I will be one with the Force," Qui-Gon replies evenly.

He pulls the half eaten plate of flatcakes toward him and asks, "May I?"

Wordlessly, Obi-Wan nudges the little pitcher of syrup toward Qui-Gon as well. The flatcakes, bacon, and eggs are polished off while Obi-Wan watches.

"It's not about need," Obi-Wan says. "What about wants?"

Qui-Gon leans back in his seat, wiping his mouth, not meeting Obi-Wan's gaze.

"Don't you want to spend time with me?"

He does look up at that however.

"Of course I want to spend time with you," Qui-Gon says, much as he would reassure an aggrieved child who does not yet know that all things end.

"Is that so?" Obi-Wan grips his cup tightly. "You keep dodging me, so I had to assume you did not."

"It's not that—" Qui-Gon begins, just as the droid rolls up to their table again.

"Forgot the soup," they warble, and place a steaming bowl between them.

"What is it then?" Obi-Wan asks, watching the bright red dumplings settle in the milky broth.

"I have made mistakes. They have been laid out for all to see. So I… have been contemplating them."

"What Anakin did is not your fault," Obi-Wan says, leaning in to speak emphatically but quietly.

"Nor is it yours," Qui-Gon replies, raising his eyebrows.

Thank you for reading ♡ fic log → @dreaminghour-archive

[penpaperandbooks]

They Bring Me Flowers - Pt. 1

Glossary: arasan - the Tamil equivalent of 'Your Highness' illavarasan - the Tamil equivalent of Crown Prince devi - a term used to address any woman respectfully

I sit by the window, mindlessly watching the people go by below. The grocer sells his items and the hawker cries out his wares while the children play around them.

The wind blows in, bringing with it the smell of sweet jasmine. The branches of parijat flowers sway slightly from the weight of the flowers in their ceramic vase.

The musician's voice travels through the hall, singing raga Bhairavi. I close my eyes, soaking in the soft winter sun, and the raga, feeling it transport me.

The song ends and the musician looks at me hopefully for some payment. I gesture to the maids waiting at the side, and they give her a ring, studded with gems.

"Thank you, devi." the musician bows, keeping the necklace safe in the leather bag by her side. "Do you have anything you want me to sing?" she asks.

I shake my head. "Sing anything," I say, turning away from her. The musician starts again, singing a ballad, famous amongst the nobility.

I close my eyes and lean back into the low sofa as the slow, mournful tune of the song fills the hall. It tells the tale of a flower girl, poor and downtrodden, doing various other odd jobs to sustain herself.

One day the illavarasan's friends were out on a joy ride around the city when they came across her. Buying flowers from her out of pity, they ride by, satisfied with their good deed for the day. But one of them stays back, unwilling to go galloping with his friends.

"What is your name?" he asks the girl, captivated by her beauty. Her clothes were spotted with stains and flecks of mud, but she carried herself with a certain dignity that he had never seen in the common folk.

She looks at him silently. "Why do you want to know, sire? Please, do not concern yourself with us lowly people," she announces loudly, before turning away from him.

Since then, he was taken with her, sometimes riding or other days walking to her usual spot, either to buy flowers or to stand and admire her.

Soon, the two fell in love with each other, both waiting excitedly for when they would meet. Their small exchange, while he bought flowers, was the only time they could talk, for she was but a flower girl and he the friend of the illavarasan.

One day, weeks after the two first met, the illavarasan followed his friend, curious to see where he had been slipping off during their classes and practice.

When he saw his friend walk up to the flower girl, he too was taken by her beauty. He ran back to the palace and begged his father to have the flower girl's hand in marriage.

"I beg of you, Father!" the illavarasan pleaded. "She is all I can think about. I cannot live without her beside me!" he cried, his heart beating as he waited for his father to answer. Not a thought he spared for his friend, forget the girl.

The arasan pondered over this issue long and hard, before finally giving in. To him it was but the silly obsessions that he too had at that age, before he came into power.

"Fine," he said, a knowing smile on his face. "But, she shall be your mistress, not your wife," he said, despite protests from his son.

[atypicalacademic]

WIP Sunday

Thank you to my beloved @dirty-bosmer for the tag, summoning @ollifree @greyvvardenfell @cumbiazevran @cleverblackcat @wild-houseplant as per usual. Managed to rough-draft a lil more of Hallowed Ground--

Midnight gave way to misted dawn; stars fading to light and billowing smoke. Even as Evening Star crept through every crack and door and crevice, their city was stirring awake. Hawkers loaded their guars, yawning and shivering, and the food-stalls selling scuttle crisps and spiced saltrice porridge to retiring guards and dock workers blinked to life as they watched, one by one. On another morning, they’d have taken a long walk before the Council called and petitioners swarmed their door, to see again if the distribution of blankets and warm coats continued to go to plan, now that the dark wings of Blacklight’s biting winters were upon them. Or so they were told. It had been over a hundred years since Alsal had ever felt the slightest hint of cold.  But they stayed at their desk, rooted to the unfinished letter. Her name had fallen into their days like a pebble in a pond. Everywhere they looked were the ripples of her form. Ink splattered against paper, dark and smooth as her hair. Alsal saw it all again; clouds swallowing starlight, quick footsteps down the winding stairs, the Conjurer’s scrolls shining in her arms. Hands stained pink like the inside of a lotus. The tips of her ears darkening to a flushed indigo. Her eyes; proud, clever, cutting, and the vow she’d taken from them, there at the foot of Tel Branora, with the sea at her feet, the rain lashing against their armour.   “I promise, kenjo.” They’d said, hand over heart. “I’ll bring you the sun.”  Aranea Ienith. They knew. They knew her.  Had Alsal not witnessed Azura in Her chosen form, they would have cast Her in Aranea’s mould. In the curling smoke of that voice, everything had sounded prophetic. They looked down at their empty palms. What could they return to her now? Outside, the temple bells rang to welcome the Blessed Hour. As quiet chanting rose to the crescendo of song— She for whom the skies are fields of roses, She in whose most beloved Name the Radiant Knights take oath, She who bestowed upon us the glory of Her aspect, She who guards the twilit halls of prophecy— Alsal put their quill to paper.    I’ll bring you home, kenjo. The ashes of everything you’ve lost, put together and breathing life.I’ll learn to pray again. Only look at me. Look at me like you looked at me then.

[dansnaturepictures]

Ten of my favourite photos I took in October 2023 and month summary

The photos are of; fly agaric at Bolton's Bench in the New Forest, mushrooms at Pig Bush in the New Forest, dandelions out the front, Common Darter at Winnall Moors, Clouded Yellow out the front, Common Lizard at Bolderwood in the New Forest, New Forest Ponies at Leaden Hall, Mistle Thrush at Lakeside Country Park, a sky scene at Lakeside and autumn leaves in Winchester.

October seemed to fly by and it was a brilliant month of wildlife watching and taking photos again for me. It was a real surge into autumn with the vibrant, colourful and nourishing scenes as the coloured leaves put on their showstopping display, the flamboyant and fascinating mushrooms of fungi dominated and the rich golden angles of sunlight enchanted the month. Fungi was a key point of my October, as I was fortunate to see some of the key species of my year ones I always strive to see including fly agaric, amethyst deceiver, shaggy ink cap, common ink cap, pleated ink cap, yellow stagshorn, sulphur tuft, shaggy scalycap, parasol, poronia punctata (nail fungus) and turkey tail. Common puffball and the revelation of my autumn common earthball as well as a new one for me bleeding fairy helmet were other highlights of the many seen this month. For flowers the year naturally slowed down a bit, but species such as devil's bit scabious, daisy, oxeye daisy, Michaelmas daisy, dandelion, oxtongue one I loved delving into more this month, common toadflax, broad-leaved clover, white clover, white deadnettle, flowering gorse, bits of heather still in flower, hedgerow crane's-bill and tormentil brought beautiful colour to my walks still. As did rose hips, hawthorn and particularly holly berries this month as perhaps my best ever season for enjoying fruit continued. The colour of berry laden bushes and autumnal flair presented many fantastic opportunities to take in and photograph landscapes this month, with some gorgeous locations visited including lots in the New Forest which comes alive in autumn. From ever earlier sun setting and some sun rising scenes to the moon and rainbows in changeable weather it's been a top sky month for me too.

It was a fabulous insect month still with including in bits of unseasonably warm and sunny weather the Clouded Yellow being joined by one of the stars of the year Red Admiral with many seen again this month, Speckled Wood, Peacock, Brimstone and Small Copper with a pleasing amount of butterflies still about with a moth or two too which has been a key theme this month. Common Darter, Southern Hawker and Migrant Hawker continued to be very frequent sights for me this month having amazing experiences watching them, particularly at Winnall Moors and Lakeside. The Common Lizard alongside ladybirds and many spiders especially Long-bodied Cellar spiders with a fair few seen at home were highlights in other areas.

Onto birds and I had a brilliant month of thrushes, most excitingly witnessing the anticipated return of the Redwings at Lakeside and in the New Forest, a stalwart of the months ahead. The Mistle Thrush at Lakeside a key sighting this month, and away from thrushes there the Lesser Redpolls of the same day, Goldfinch, Cormorant, Buzzard, lots of Coots, the Ring-necked Parakeets, Long-tailed Tits enjoyed many times, Mute Swans, Jay enjoyed so many time another really key species of autumn and multiple Great Spotted Woodpecker and some Green Woodpecker views were other Lakeside highlights. Sparrowhawk, a wonderful couple of New Forest Woodlark sightings and Marsh Tit were other standouts this month. Finally onto mammals and alongside many great New Forest ponies and Fallow Deer encounters either seeing them or hearing the males bellow in the forest the big thing this month was seeing pigs out for pannage at Pig Bush and on journeys, the always surreal and marvelous site at this time of year as the New Forest commoner's turn out the pigs to gorge on the (harmful to ponies) acorns. Grey Squirrels and a magical Roe Deer encounter at Lakeside also stood out. Have a good November all.

[your4local4geek]

I'll decide to leave your opinion or probably go back and grab your deal again and you can easily go back and buy the reader over again to write gladly I'll get Adelaide simple question is that you wish more intelligent and I continue to speak to you smart and intelligent sometimes I'm excused to ask you if Sam's butts are procrastinating regional to meet adult hair like a funky building you all want you to use the brain so I'll give you one instead of it over again and keep on starting it all over again

Dropping together a basic case we're sending somewhere around the background listen we'll shoot third party caught air bless me that will not closed keep your hawker on his old homes wanted to show a watching your opinion stands I'm a neutral opinion on opinion will continue to stand to know how long after a government it's a proceeds of returns and a vulture of mine is a demo here yours is the rises one here in closure hall so I could have all forget to do that

I'll pretend like I understood this lol

[spudkid]

January 23rd - cont.

Then we headed for lunch at the Maxwell Hawker Center.

There are food halls like this throughout the city (some are outdoors) and you get to choose from all kinds of southeast Asian foods. The term “hawker” refers to a person who informally sells something in public. Hawker centres began in Hong Kong, Malaysia, and Singapore. Not feeling confident, we chose this stall because it was mentioned in our guide book.

When you go into a hawker center, the first thing you do is stake out a seat. This is done by leaving some item (a hat, water bottle or even a tissue) on your stool. You then go and order. Some venders will even bring it to the table. Bedlam at lunchtime! After lunch, we wandered around Chinatown and enjoyed the activity.

[scotianostra]

Margaret( Russell ) McIver was born on May 9th 1879.

“Maggie” went on to found the famous Barras in Glasgow..

Maggie was born Margaret Russell in 1879, to Margaret Hutcheson, a french polisher and Alexander Russell, a policeman, in either Bridgeton or Ayrshire sources differ. Maggie Queen of the Barras, had her first taste of business when she looked after a family friend’s fruit barrow in Parkhead. She was just 12 years old at the time.

Maggie met her husband and future business partner James McIver at the local fruit market. The couple ran a small business in the Calton, hiring out horses and carts to local hawkers, mainly women, on a daily basis.

After the first world war, the McIvers started organising Saturday markets on land that would become the present-day Barras market. In 1926, Maggie decided the market should be covered, as she was concerned about the health of the hawkers in bad weather.

When husband James contracted malaria during the war and died, Maggie was left to raise nine children and think of new ways to raise income.

She came up with the idea of opening a ballroom above the market, partly to give the hawkers somewhere to hold their Christmas dance. The Barrowland is now a world-renowned, much-loved and respected music venue, famous for its sprung floor and impressive list of performers.

Maggie asked former Bluebirds bandleader Billy McGregor to form a resident band for the Barrowland and it became Billy McGregor and the Gaybirds, a hit with Glasgow’s dancers throughout the thirties. Foxtrots and waltzes were the order of the day until American servicemen introduced jiving and jitterbugging during the Second World War.

When Maggie died in 1958, astute, caring and creative businesswoman Maggie McIver was a multi-millionaire.

The ballroom was burned down in a massive fire shortly after Maggie’s death, but reopened in 1960, with the famous neon signage erected around 1982.

The world-renowned music venue is still owned by Margaret McIver Ltd and has played host to some of the biggest musicians from across the world from David Bowie to Oasis, I was last there in September 2021 to see the late great Terry Hall and his band The Specials.

[manufactoredxbyxdesign]

New places don’t scare her. She’s been traversing (and in some cases, making a war zone out of) new places for the past seven years. It’s that she doesn’t know how she got here, and hasn’t yet awakened from her usual restless sleep to clear away what looks increasingly like a hellishly real and lucid dream. Sarah Hawker is unaccustomed to having no control.

She remembers the police station — vaguely. It’s a twenty-year-old memory of a time before her mutation had blessed her with its photographic recollection, and even if she had remembered the orientation of the place, the faint pull within her very head that orients her to the earth’s magnetic field is unsettlingly absent.

Her first order of business is to equip herself for defense, nightmare or no, and so she creeps through the silent, gore-stained (she can smell it; even old blood triggers that peculiar hunger in her, though it’s quickly eclipsed by her frustration at the strangeness of all this) halls with all senses on edge. Darkness does not deter her; behind the red lenses of her mask, her augmented eyes greedily gather even the minute bits of infrared light. It is only when she hears a sound that does not come from her own boots or gear that she freezes, impossibly still, and listens, cores already radiating heat as she prepares for a fight. Her monstrous aspects are well-hidden beneath the mask, armor and gloves for now — an unpleasant surprise ready to spring on whatever slavering undead mutant is surely approaching.

He can hear the new presence. It's impossible not to after all of this time.

When your only company is a trained mercenary or a Tyrant, you learn to recognize their footfall. He knows how fast Hunk can run, he knows the mild thumping ominously ringing in the distance sometimes is Nemesis exploring the grounds. And - he knows that this person is neither of them. Which makes him pause almost instantaneously.

Guests are infrequent now.

Most of the ones bold enough to venture here are searching for things to steal. Snacks from the machines - or the other everyday objects that lay scattered through the realm as mere props for when the trials are active. If they venture far enough they will stumble across the hooks, still but looming in place, a reminder of what this place was created for.

Dig deeper still, and they might stumble across him. For he was always here. Lurking amongst the dark corridors like a ghost.

Abandoning his search of the archives, Wesker slips out onto the balcony that overlooks the front entrance. His eyes survey the replica of the front administration desks, the large goddess statue refined in her elegant pose in the centre of the room - all the details meant to convey that this place is real. Even though he knows that can't be true.

"I know you're out here." He speaks. Loud, but robotic. Devoid of anger or any other decipherable emotion as he looks around the room in search of rustling movement.

[usafphantom2]

Royal Air Force Tactics During the Battle of Britain | Classic Warbirds

During the years preceding the Second World War (1939 - 1945), the prevalent idea that affected military thinking was, as Stanley Baldwin, leader of the Conservatives, stated in a speech in the House of Commons on the 10th November 1932 that “the bomber will always get through”, as it was envisioned that in a future war the enemy would deliver a knockout blow from the air. Limiting the damage enemy aircraft could do would be the responsibility of the Air Defence of Great Britain, which was established on the 1st January 1925, and was the component of the Royal Air Force tasked with defending the UK's airspace.

As the RAF expanded during the 1930s, on the 13th July 1936 the Air Defence of Great Britain was disbanded and replaced on the 14th July 1936 by three new commands, Bomber, Coastal and Fighter alongside Training Command, formed on the 1st May 1936. Fighter Command, with Air Chief Marshal Hugh Dowding as its Commander-in-Chief, was now responsible for the defence of the UK's airspace.

The tactics developed by Fighter Command, as part of its Air Fighting Manual, called for tight formations of three aircraft in a Vic formation to perform Fighter Area Attacks, of which there were six different scenarios to attack enemy aircraft, depending on the amount and type of aircraft intercepted. Once they spotted the hostile aircraft the squadron would position themselves according to the Fighter Area Attack chosen. However, this was based on the premise that attacking bombers would fly from airfields in Germany without effective fighter cover, which wouldn't be the case in the summer of 1940, as the Luftwaffe could operate from airfields in France.

Fighter Command Structure

When the battle began on the 10th July 1940, Fighter Command, whose headquarters were at Bentley Priory, was still commanded by Air Chief Marshal Hugh Dowding and was structured as follows:

No. 10 Group

Commanded by Air Vice-Marshal Sir C J Quintin Brand

Headquarters: RAF Box

Covering: South West England and South West Wales No. 11 Group

Commanded by Air Vice-Marshal Keith Park

Headquarters: RAF Uxbridge

Covering: South East England and London

No. 12 Group

Commanded by Air Vice-Marshal Trafford Leigh-Mallory

Headquarters: RAF Watnall

Covering: East Anglia, Midlands, Mid and North Wales No. 13 Group

Commanded by Air Vice-Marshal Richard Saul

Headquarters: RAF Newcastle

Covering: North England and Scotland

No. 14 Group

Commanded by Group Captain Philip F. Fullard (1)

Headquarters: Drumossie Hotel, Inverness

Covering: Scotland No. 9 Group (2)

Commanded by Air Vice-Marshal Wilfred McClaughry

Headquarters: RAF Barton Hall

Covering: Northern Ireland and North West England

1. Replaced by Air Vice-Marshal Malcolm Henderson on the 20th July 1940.

2. Formed on the 16th September 1940.

Aircraft Strength - 10th July 1940

Fighter Command had 656 fighters available, consisting of 29 Hawker Hurricane, 19 Supermarine Spitfire, 6 Bristol Blenheim and 2 Boulton Paul Defiant squadrons. It could also call on Nos. 804 and 808 Naval Air Squadrons, the former equipped with Gloster Sea Gladiators and the latter Fairey Fulmars, who were on loan from the Fleet Air Arm.

View the order of battle for Fighter Command on the 10th July 1940

The Luftwaffe could call on over 2,000 aircraft to begin their campaign to gain air supremacy over Southern England, one of the requirements for Operation Sealion the invasion of Britain to take place. Mainly comprising Messerschmitt Bf 109 and Bf 110 fighters, Heinkel He 111, Dornier Do 17 and Junkers Ju 88 twin-engined bombers and Junkers Ju 87 dive bombers.

Squadron Structure, Vic and Finger-Four Formation

During the battle, a typical Royal Air Force fighter squadron was to have twelve aircraft and pilots available for operations. The ideal number for the squadron was at least sixteen aircraft to cover those being serviced or out of action. To cover pilots who were on leave or unable to fly it was intended for the squadron to have at least 20 pilots to call upon, although at times some squadrons were unable to meet this number.

The squadron would be split into four sections (red, yellow, blue and green) with three pilots (one, two and three), with two sections making up one flight of aircraft. Each section, flying in Vic formation, was led by a section leader with two wingmen, with red and yellow normally making up 'A' flight and blue and green normally making up 'B' flight, with a colour and number identifying each aircraft. For example, as shown in the squadron structure diagram below, the red section leader would be known as red one.

Structure of a typical RAF squadron during the Battle of Britain

When the battle began, the Luftwaffe were able to operate from airfields in France, enabling their fighters to escort the bombers to Britain. So when the RAF and Luftwaffe met in the skies above Britain and the English Channel, the ineffectiveness of the Fighter Area Attack tactics and Vic formation was soon exposed. As with the required tight formation, only the lead aircraft of every Vic was able to search for enemy aircraft, as the other two aircraft in the Vic had to focus on keeping formation, so an attacking aircraft could catch the formation by surprise, particularly from the rear. Although the tactic was later modified so that the fourth section would fly 1,000ft above and behind the other three sections, whilst weaving, to help minimise the chances of an attack from the rear, casualty rates among these aircraft were high.

Typical RAF squadron formation during flight in the Battle of Britain

Despite complaints about the Vic formation, no official change was forthcoming, so some squadrons adapted a tactic being used by the Luftwaffe called Schwarm, which was a more flexible tactic. This had been developed after the combat experience of the Luftwaffe's Condor Legion in the Spanish Civil War (1936 – 1939) and would be called Finger-four by the RAF. This involved four aircraft flying in formation, but operating in pairs. This allowed the attacking aircraft to be covered by his wingman with the overall formation spaced at about 200 meters apart and flying at various altitudes. This meant the pilots could focus on looking for enemy aircraft and also protect each other, and if the formation was attacked the two pairs would split up, one going left the other to the right. The Finger-four tactic also meant that the squadron formation changed as it would now be divided into three sections of four as opposed to the Vic formation's four sections of three.

In the aftermath of the battle, Fighter Command modified its tactics in 1941, before, in 1942 the Finger-four formation was officially added to pilot training.

Finger-four squadron formation

Engaging the Luftwaffe

When an incoming raid had been plotted by Britain's Air Defence System, also known as the 'Dowding System' (see diagram below), squadrons would be scrambled by controllers as and when needed, as opposed to a large formation, allowing an enemy raid to be under constant harassment by the Royal Air Force which also had the effect of breaking up the Luftwaffe formations, however, fighter sweeps by the Luftwaffe were not a priority for Fighter Command.

Dowding System

The opening stages of the battle, during July and early August 1940, saw the Luftwaffe probe the Royal Air Force's defences by attacking shipping in the English Channel and targets along the coast. However, mid-August saw the Luftwaffe change tactics and launch Operation Eagle Attack on the 13th August 1940, known as Eagle Day, this saw the Luftwaffe try to lure the RAF into battle in the air by targeting Fighter Command's infrastructure.

Many tactical instructions were issued during the battle, and this new phase saw the first major tactical changes by Fighter Command when, on the 19th August 1940, Air Vice-Marshal Keith Park, Air Officer Commanding, No. 11 Group, Fighter Command, issued a number of instructions. Among these was for RAF fighters to operate only over land or gliding distance to the coast.

Despatch fighters to engage large enemy formations over land or within gliding distance of the coast. During the next two or three weeks, we cannot afford to lose pilots through forced landings in the sea.

And prioritising German bombers as targets.

Against mass attacks coming inland, despatch a minium number of squadrons to engage enemy fighters. Our main object is to engage enemy bombers.

Seven days later on the 26th August 1940, Air Vice-Marshal Keith Park issued further instructions to help with the interception of German formations, as not all squadrons sent to intercept were doing so. This would require details on the intercepted raid to be detailed over the radio to help controllers vector more squadrons to the correct area.

To enable Group and Sector Controllers to put all squadrons in contact with the enemy formation leaders are to report approximate strength of enemy bombers and fighters, their height, course and approximate position immediately on sighting the enemy.

One of the final major instructions issued by Air Vice-Marshal Keith Park was on the 11th September 1940 that when contact was made with the Luftwaffe formation, the Spitfires should tackle the fighter screen, whilst the Hurricanes concentrated on the bombers and close escort. However, as radar couldn't differentiate between the aircraft in a raid it wasn't always possible for this to happen.

READINESS SQUADRONS: Despatch in pairs to engage first wave of enemy, Spitfires against fighter screen, and Hurricanes against bombers and close escort.

By the time this instruction was issued, the Luftwaffe had again changed tactics and were targeting London and other cities across the UK, in what was to become known as the Blitz.

The Big Wing

The use of multiple squadrons for one large formation wasn't a completely new tactic for Fighter Command, as they had been used during Operation Dynamo (26th May 1940 - 4th June 1940) the evacuation from Dunkirk, France. The issue with these larger formations was if vectored to the wrong position, missing the enemy formation, there may not be any reserve squadrons available to intercept the raid instead. As the battle progressed the idea of large formations of multiple fighter squadrons intercepting enemy raids resurfaced, championed by Air Officer Commanding, No. 12 Group, Fighter Command, Air Vice-Marshal Trafford Leigh-Mallory and Acting Squadron Leader of No. 242 Squadron, Douglas Bader

The idea of the Big Wing was to get three to five squadrons (36 – 60 aircraft) to form together and engage enemy aircraft in numbers. Known as the Duxford Wing, it was used for the first time on the 7th September 1940 and was led by Acting Squadron Leader Bader. Comprised of Nos. 242 and 310 Squadrons, flying Hurricanes from RAF Duxford, and No. 19 Squadron, operating from Duxford's satellite airfield RAF Fowlmere, flying Spitfires, they formed together to protect RAF North Weald whilst its squadrons were in combat. They arrived to late to stop the airfield from being attacked but did engage the Luftwaffe and for the loss of one aircraft, claimed eleven German aircraft. This would be a familiar story, as due to the amount of time it took to get the aircraft into formation, it normally wasn't until after the target had been attacked that the Big Wing would make contact with the attacking aircraft.

One of the successes of the Big Wing was its psychological effect on Luftwaffe aircrews, who were told the Royal Air Force was close to being defeated, to then come up against a formation of up to 60 fighter aircraft.

Big Wing formation

[airmanisr]

G-ARYC, DH125, Hatfield, 1979 by Gordon Riley Via Flickr: En route to Salisbury Hall for preservation. G-ARYC was the first production aircraft, built at Chester in 1963 and used for Viper engine development, later for liaison between Filton and Toulouse for Concorde. It was moved to the Museum in 1979. In its various later guises (with Hawker Siddeley, Beechcraft, British Aerospace, Raytheon) the 125 became one of the World’s most successful business jets.

[force5mcc]

We went for a very interesting talk at Emery Down Village Hall it was about Needs Oar Point which was a temporary Air Field in Park Lane Brockenhurst. It was built on 1943. to support the Normandy Landings. The airfield was used for Hawker Typhoon fighter -bomber squadrons from April 1944. The airfield returned to agricultural use in 1945. You can see from the aerial picture ( taken by the Luffwaffe) the Nissen hut top right it is still being used by Newtons Garage of Ashley .

6.11.24

Posted by Sherry

Revolution

[scyphosunny]

vargastober day 7 ! i'm really proud of this one .

let's see . . . ( checks notes

overall , i was really excited for this one ! as i mentioned in day six's entry , i was SUPER EXCITED FOR THIS PROMPT . i basically just added it for myself , i remember texting brusk about it saying that it would be a sick prompt , but i didn't want to add it because i didn't want to add sidefic related stuff . i wanted to focus on the actual thing ! still , i added it because i still needed prompts to finish the list and because idc IT COULD BE A SICK PROMPT . WHATEVER

when i was randomizing everything and got this one at 7 i also smiled mischievously . >:]]]] i really love diaryverse and everything related to it , as much as it TRAUMATIZED ME not in a joke silly goofy way i still go back and read it from time to time . IT'S JUST SO GOOD , LOVE THE HORROR THE HALLUCINATIONS THE VULNERABILITY BOTH OF THEM HAVE it's just PERFECT

i've always loved stories that make me feel like diaryverse do . back when i was 13 and still reading kpop fanfiction ( ??????? ) finding stories like this was GODDAMN HARD , so vargas really came to save my life . i could talk about diaryverse for ages , man . JUST SO ABSOLUTELY GREAT

ALRIGHT , where was i . . . i was really excited for this prompt ! and days ago , back to that day when i got ideas set for some prompts ( and then lost the canvas on accident ) i got this super sick idea for it ! and i was really looking forward to draw it . even if i lost all of the references i got together , i stiill had this one because when i saw it i got so excited i sent it to my friends . so lololol . day 6 , i get to work on that day's piece . . . finish it . i like it ! post it , think about the one tomorrow . . . . . .

and realize .

without noticing , i made something too similar on day six . they would be almost the same , just with different brushes , colors and art style . and i was like . god . gggooooddd . I BASICALLY RUINED THE WHOLE THING THANKS TO DAY 6 , I WAS SO FRUSTRATED UGH so i had to search for a new reference because i didn't want to make the same thing with a different font .

so , i searched .

and searched ,

and searched . . .

and searched for THE LONGEST TIME EVER

i didn't have a clear image of what i wanted to do in the first place , i just wanted funky colors and that small sense of uneasiness . THIS WOULD BE MY FIRST DIARYVERSE COLORED PIECE , SO MANY POSSIBILITIES .

i went through a lot of different ideas . something colorful , something dream-like , idk maybe just draw edgar on the halls of a hospital looking all creepy and distorted and slap some butterflies on it . SO MANY THINGS TO DO i was like uhhh maybe just search for a thing with actual meaning to it but i suck at that . i really do . most of these will be about looking cool and not to sit down and think about it for half an hour . if you want pieces full of meaning just go to hawker's account . SHE'S THE BEST AT IT even if she has like , a couple of vargas illustrations . I WISH I HAD HER ABILITY TO THINK idk

i remember that while i was searching for references , i found this super cool piece that MOVED , and my brain was like HHHEYY I WANT TO DO THAT . WHAT IF I MAKE THE BUTTERFLIES MOVE IDK

at the end , i just found a reference that was easy enough to work with . my canvas was just a mess of different references because i really didn't have a specific picture and it was ANNOYING . but at the end i just went with that one .

( this is the reference , by the way . . . i couldn't find who made it . I HATE YOU PINTEREST )

sketching . . . this whole thing SHOULD be easy because you're not even seeing his face , you WON'T see his face so YOU DON'T NEED TO DRAW IT , RIGHT ?

( sigh . . . . )

didn't look good in the first place but NOT LIKE IT WOULD BE VISIBLE ANYWAY . i tried to make his hair longer for this piece

i was drawing this in a dark room , then i add this color and my eyes immediatly went NNNOPE

i used to have really saturated colors as backgrounds back when i drew my ocs a lot . my logic for it was " when you're painting , it's hard to see if you left blank spaces !! but with this as a background they're easier to spot !!! " which was fair tbh but as much as i was used to it before I'M NOT RIGHT NOW

lol i would just leave them like this because i didn't have better ideas for backgrounds anyway .

I LOVE THESE COLORS , this was just an excuse to make drawings with my favorite colors on them . sssuper pretty

i struggled to set the eyes at first . eyes . . . god , EYES . I COULDN'T REMEMBER FOR THE LIFE OF ME WHICH EYE EDGAR SCOOPED OUT IN VIOLATION . i was certain it was the left one , then i changed it for the right one because i have SOMETHING to remind myself which one it is , something i DON'T WANT TO MENTION AND I HATE but it's there . i can't even give a correct answer because I'M STILL CONFUSED ABOUT IT AND I'M ALMOST SURE I GAVE RYE THE WRONG ANSWER but it's fine because they still got it right at the end . ah well . if i'm wrong , then my way of knowing is ALSO WRONG which is BAD but i'll refuse to explain . ( shivers

at this point i should just ask zarla directly . i'm going towards left , though . . .

SWIRLY EFFECT IN THE BACKGROUND WAS SO FUN TO DO i just added a blue layer above the background and then started stirring it with the liquify tool . I LOVE YOU LIQUIFY TOOL

this is what it looked like full opacity and as cool as it looks would be kinda distracting so eh

hahahah stirrrr stir aroundddd sssooo fun !!!!!!!

I REALLY LOVED HOW THE BUTTERFLIES CAME OUT ! i took all of these out of pinterest , i don't know if i should add links . . .

at first , i was planning to leave that moth just white ! but once all the rest of the butterflies were done i just painted it idk

moths , butterflies . . . idc , scriabin mentioned moths at some point too .

instead of watching videos while drawing i just listened to a lot of koraii this time . their songs just fit the vibe !!!

TIME TO MAKE THE GIF !!!!! it was actually quite easy . alight motion best app ever . i just exported everything separately and added a small shaking effect . i wanted it to shake just enough so you had to double check if the thing was moving or not LOLZ . hmm , now that i think about it , it would've been cool if every butterfly had their own shake effect . maybe next time . . .

i also added a bit of sharpen to the pic because why not . i exported the gif in the highest quality possible but tumblr didn't like it . so i had to make sure it wasn't too heavy . . .

TUMBLR STILL DIDN'T LIKE IT and got the quality all messed up , so i had to replace it with the pic like five seconds after uploading it . ugh . now i have a bunch of files on my phone , one of them being a 55mb gif that i can't even post anywhere because it'll start to make everything laggy . I HAVE NO EXPERIENCE WITH THIS REALLY

anyway HERE IT IS . SUPER COOL AND FINISHED . this might be one of my best pieces .

i don't know if i'll work on today's prompt , yesterday i made a thing so i could get my ideas together and i don't have anything for this one . well , i do have something , but it can also work for tomorrow . maybe i'll work on it later . rright now i'll watch something with nyne . XPPP

see you later !!!!!!!!!