#she’s an evacuee from london

[thelivingdeceased]

omg !! pixel art !! of my silly novel about a child in wwii !! omg !!

[hesbuckcompton-baby]

Underrated historical pieces (for when you're looking for recommendations)

I don't know if it's just me, but historical movie rec lists have become supersaturated with the same few titles lately (yes I have seen Hacksaw Ridge, yes I have seen Little Women, leave me alone) - so I thought I'd come up with a shortlist of my own! Below the cut are a few titles I haven't seen anyone talk about anywhere NEAR enough in my opinion, in case you need something new to watch!

Summerland (2020), dir. Jessica Swale

Summerland is set in Devon, England during the Second World War, and follows Alice Lamb as she is forced to take in Frank, a young evacuee boy, against her will. As their relationship develops, Alice learns to open herself up to others, and her budding friendship with Frank leads her back towards another relationship she thought was lost forever. If you're looking for an LGBT period drama - THIS ONE RIGHT HERE!!! Alice Lamb, you are my favourite grumpy lesbian academic. Seriously though, this movie is so so lovely - definitely a good one if you're looking for a happy-cry.

This is England (2006), dir. Shane Meadows

This is England follows Shaun, a young boy struggling to fit in in 1980s England, who finds support and friendship among a gang of local skinheads. At once gritty and sensitive, it provides a personal look at the darker side of British culture and the process of indoctrination into racist ideologies. This movie arguably receives the attention it deserves within the UK, but falls into the underrated category everywhere else. Despite being almost 20 years old, it remains alarmingly relevant, and every single member of the cast puts in an incredible performance. (I'd recommend checking for content warnings before giving this (or its subsequent TV shows) a watch)

The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society (2018), dir. Mike Newell

Set in the aftermath of the Second World War, this movie follows writer Juliet Ashton as she travels to the island of Guernsey to meet a group of locals who found solace in her book during the Nazi occupation. However, as she grows closer to the group, she begins to uncover the tragedy at their core. This is such a perfect comfort movie. Every character is so so lovely, and honestly I've wanted to visit (/live on) Guernsey since the first time I watched this. It's a really wonderful watch, and sheds a nice insight into the experiences of the Channel Islands during WW2, which isn't something I've seen covered in other films set during this period.

Small Axe (2020), dir. Steve McQueen

Small Axe is an anthology series documenting the lives and experiences of London's West Indian population as they struggle through and fight against racial discrimination. I feel like the hype for this show died as soon as the year's awards season finished, and that's a CRIME. Britain's history of racial activism is generally overlooked in popular media, and this series did a wonderful job of showcasing both the pivotal and personal events that shaped the experiences of the Windrush generation. My personal favourites from this series were Education and Mangrove, but every episode is unique and well worth the watch.

Detroit (2017), dir. Kathryn Bigelow

In Detroit, public outrage is sparked when a police raid is carried out against black patrons of a local club, which grows more violent as the night progresses. This movie is terrifying. Every performance is excellent and harrowing, but Will Poulter's in particular has stuck with me since I first watched Detroit because it's just horrifying to watch. It's intense and brutal, but an important representation of the kind of violence that acted as a catalyst in the American civil rights movement.

Gosford Park (2001), dir. Robert Altman

Gosford Park follows a group of 1930s English aristocrats as they gather at a country estate for a weekend of socialising. However, when a member of the party is murdered, suspicion is cast upon everyone, and illicit secrets begin to come to light. Think Downton Abbey with murder. But then again, both were created/written by Julian Fellowes, so it makes sense. Almost painfully British, Gosford Park is a quick and clever indictment of the English upper classes that is thoroughly entertaining the whole way through.

Alias Grace (2017), dir. Mary Harron

Alias Grace follows Irish immigrant Grace Marks as she sits down with a doctor to attempt to recall the details of a murder she was accused of committing a decade prior. Based on Margaret Atwood's fictionalised retelling of a controversial, real-life case, this series offers an interesting insight into the oppression of Victorian working-class women, and the enduring cultural fascination with female violence. It's been a few years since I watched this show, but GOD I was so obsessed with it, so it's definitely time for a rewatch. Sarah Gadon is an absolutely brilliant lead, and Grace's recounting of events will leave you forever wondering what truly happened in this story.

Pride (2014), dir. Matthew Warchus

Set amidst the 1984 miners' strikes, Pride follows a small LGBT group from London as they raise money to support a small Welsh mining town, whose lives are badly struck by Thatcher's threats to close the mining pits they have built their lives around. Through their efforts, the group finds an unlikely community of supporters, breaching social barriers to lift each other up in times of hardship. Evidently I believe in saving the best for last, as Pride is definitely my personal favourite on this list - hell, it's one of my favourite movies EVER. Surprisingly niche despite its excellent cast (Andrew Scott, Bill Nighy, Imelda Staunton - to name a few), this movie is just utterly wonderful, and I guarantee you will spend the entire time either grinning or sobbing - trust me, I always do.

(not-so-subtle letterboxd plug, but for anyone interested, I've compiled a larger list of movies about British history HERE)

[guardianreadersofthegalaxy]

My 2024 film ranking:

Thelma [AKA ‘Not That Martin Luther King Film’] [Comedy] A 93-year-old sets out to recover the $10,000 she lost in a scam. This is so up my street. I love gently comedic dramas with thoughtful direction and beautiful music. ‘Thelma’ could so easily have fallen into realm of lazy straight-to-streaming improv, so I’m glad writer/director Josh Margolin didn’t let that happen. I’d describe the combination of action-comedy with A24-style indie pathos as a sort of Edgar Wright/Greta Gerwig mashup… if you can imagine such a thing.

Dune: Part Two [AKA ‘He’s Not The Messiah…’] [Sci-fi/fantasy] The young Paul Atreides learns the ways of the desert-dwelling Fremen. I hope the Dune series proves to be this generation’s ‘Lord Of The Rings’. Director Denis Villeneuve complements the superb visuals with a screenplay that explores the corrupting effect of power and exploitation of faith. While it’s far from standalone, DV wisely centres this instalment around a self-contained love story, which makes for a compelling and coherent throughline.

Wallace & Gromit: Vengeance Most Fowl [AKA ‘An Aardman Is Good To Find’] [Family animation] When naive inventor Wallace creates a ‘smart gnome’, a jewel-thieving penguin sees his chance for revenge. I’m so glad a children’s sequel finally stuck the landing this year. This has all the thrills, heart, and hilarious sight gags of ‘The Wrong Trousers’, plus some decent verbal jokes from the now expanded voice cast. It’s also surprising scary for a family film! Sure, Aardman gave me nightmares as a kid, but I didn’t expect the Norbots to give the entity from ‘Smile 2’ a run for its money. If it turns a generation against AI, then that can only be a good thing.

Anatomie D’Une Chute (Anatomy Of A Fall) [AKA ‘Fall Out (The Window) Boy’] – [Drama] A novelist is investigated for murder following the suspicious death of her husband. A masterclass in when and how to reveal information to the viewer. The scenes run long, like in a play, but each one builds on the last and informs the momentum of the next. I usually dislike ‘talking-in-rooms’ films, but with actors as great as Sandra Hüller and the young Milo Machado Graner, talking in rooms is fine by me.

Conclave [AKA ‘Ralph Fiennes A Pope’] – [Drama] A Vatican cardinal oversees the election of a new pope. Another primo example of the ‘talking in rooms’ genre. Ralph Fiennes leads an excellent cast of old geezers in robes, and while the endless dialogue could have left this feeling like a TV series, director Edward Berger keeps things cinematic with some flashy directorial choices. After an admittedly slow start, the plot’s riveting, though I was unsure what to make of the slightly random final reveal. Lose the last five minutes and you’d have had a perfect ending.

Between The Temples [AKA ‘Mitzvah Wonderful Life] – [Comedy] An awkward synagogue cantor finds new purpose when he reconnects with his elementary school music teacher. Not a huge amount to say about this one, just a sweet oddball comedy about finding unlikely love amid midlife depression. The constant shaky-cam gave me motion sickness, but the jokes made up for that.

Blitz [AKA ‘Goodnight Mr. Bomb’] – [War] A mix-raced Blitz-evacuee jumps off the train and returns to London to find his mother. I’ll start by praising James Harrison’s merciless sound design that greatly contributes to the film’s sense of danger. The plot’s pretty bare, more a series of episodic vignettes our hero encounters as he ‘Finding Nemo’s his way back to mum. But McQueen’s direction puts you right in George’s little shoes. It’s a brutal experience, but with just enough hope and kindness to keep you from despair.

Poor Things [AKA ‘FrankenStone’] ­– [Black comedy] A woman with a child’s brain ventures out into the world for the first time. The best I can say is that it made me think and it made me laugh. Amid the weird and nasty elements, there’s an interesting coming-of-age story about a child discovering philosophy, society, and sex. Cut 15 minutes off either end and it would have been tighter, plus you’d lose the headache-inducing black and white.

Rebel Ridge [AKA ‘Boys In Blue Ruined’] – [Thriller] A former marine vows revenge on a small town police department after they confiscate his cousin’s bail money. Director Jeremy Saulnier’s (arguable) crossover to the mainstream lacks some of the indie trappings of the grittier ‘Blue Ruin’ and ‘Green Room’, but that’s fine by me. ‘Rebel Ridge’ swaps moral ambiguity for perfectly gauged good vs evil. Challenging the world’s worst police department is Aaron Pierre’s Terry, a badass with the fighting skills of John Wick and the morals/politeness of Paddington. The final showdown’s a bit limp and bloodless, but satisfying all the same.

The Imaginary [AKA ‘From Rudger With Love’] [Family animation] A child’s imaginary friend confronts the fact he will one day be forgotten. I had my reservations during the mid-point lore-dump, but The Imaginary manages to sidestep potential pitfalls, provided you watch it with your heart more than your brain ie. ‘Tenet mode’. Unlike say most Pixar films there’s no obvious thesis, just lots of themes and images, so it’s pretty subjective. But while it took a while to win me over, by the end I was in tears and not quite sure why… the gorgeous music and animation can’t have hurt.

Challengers [AKA ‘Throuple’s Tennis’] – [Drama] A retired tennis player coaches her husband in a match against her ex. I’m impressed how, for a film with only 3 characters to bounce off one another, its non-stop sexual mind games were able to hold my attention for (nearly!) the full 130 minutes. It’s intense, full of slow motion, aggressive sound design, and abrupt blasts of Trent Reznor’s Work Out/ Make Out Mix.

How To Make Millions Before Grandma Dies [AKA ‘If King Lear Were An Old Thai Lady’] – [Drama] A young man cynically plans to get in his grandmother’s good books in the hope of inheriting her house. Arguably a bit predictable, but well executed all the same. I liked the humour, Jaithep Raroengjai’s gentle score and Usha Seamkhum’s performance.

The End We Start From [AKA ‘A Wet Place’] – [Drama] A new mother cares for her baby in the aftermath of a catastrophic flood. You can tell this was based on a book from the many long, pensive pauses that imply unheard internal monologues. Both plot and dialogue are bare bones and leave much to the imagination, so there’s plenty of room for stunning, drizzly nature shots and Anna Meredith’s beautiful score. My only gripe was the irritatingly quirky presence of Katherine Waterston.

Inside Out 2 [AKA ‘Peep Show… For Kids!’] – [Family animation] A thirteen-year-old has to cope with an influx of anxiety and other new emotions. 2015’s ‘Inside Out�� was probably the best possible version of its own concept. Now Pixar have opted (admirably) for a flawed variation rather than try to recreate perfection. It still looks as great as ever, though I mourn the absence of composer Michael Giacchino. Suffice it to say I laughed a lot, but didn’t end up needing any tissues.

The Holdovers [AKA ‘Teacher Movie’] – [Drama] A teacher, a student, and a cook at a 1970s boarding school are forced to spend the holidays together. This is what I call a ‘plane film’ in that it’s reasonably good but also totally forgettable. My gripes were that the characters got too familiar with one another too soon, leaving no room for growth, and that Da’Vine Joy Randolph’s Mary lacked any flaws or development.

Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga [AKA ‘Cars’] – [Action] In a post-apocalyptic wasteland, the young Furiosa seeks revenge on the warlord Dementus. A less focused, less satisfying follow up to ‘Fury Road’, but still miles ahead of most modern action. ‘FR’s frenetic editing has been subbed out for carefully choreographed long takes, but the practical effects and thesaurus-reliant dialogue remain. Anya Taylor Joy’s not given much to work with, but Chris Hemsworth shines as the cruel but pitiful Dementus. I can’t wait for him to be upstaged by a co-star in his own prequel.

Woman Of The Hour [AKA ‘You Plonker, Rodney!’] – [Thriller] The true story of serial killer Rodney Alcala’s 1978 appearance on a dating game show. If actor-director Anna Kendrick’s main goal was to portray the sickening anxiety of living as woman, then mission accomplished. I hated it, but do now feel very lucky. Given the horrific nature of the real events depicted, it feels petty to complain that it doesn’t totally fit into a satisfying narrative. Even with some flashing back and forth to create a stronger beat to finish on, the ending still took me a bit by surprise. I feel restricting the thriller to Sheryl’s encounter with Alcala would have kept it more focussed, and would have eschewed the arguably exploitative scenes of violence.

The Wild Robot [AKA ‘Crying Gosling’] – [Family animation] A robot washes up on a remote island and raises a baby goose. Best watched on Mother’s Day. A bit of a let-down for most of the runtime, but it won me over in the last half hour and I really got invested. A lot of the emotional beats felt forced, with heavy-handed music – it’s telling that the one moment that did nearly make me cry was silent. The constant rush of colours and movement often made me nauseous, but I can’t deny the beauty of the faux hand-drawn animation.

Paddington In Peru [AKA ‘Mrs Brown’s Bears’] – [Adventure] Paddington follows his aunt Lucy on a quest through the Amazon. New director Dougal Wilson makes a fair attempt to recreate the charm of the first two Paul King films, sometimes successfully. Sadly, the script’s just not as tight, nor are the visuals as imaginative. And the ending briefly flirts with going in a terrible direction for the sake of a manufactured tear-jerk and fakeout. Still, it’s unmistakeably Paddington, and I did have fun, especially when Olivia Colman was on screen.

Smile 2 [AKA ‘Smiley Virus’] – [Horror] A troubled pop star becomes the latest tormentee of a malevolent smiling entity. Giving this three stars, one for each of its brilliant set pieces: the cold open long take, the horrific conclusion, and the bit with the dancers. That said, the problem with unrelenting nightmares is that they can be a bit unrelenting. Writer/director Parker Finn doubles down on the hopeless tone of the first ‘Smile’ to create a flat rollercoaster of misery. Probably the scariest horror film I’ve ever seen, but far from the best.

Sous La Seine (Under Paris) [AKA ‘Swim Away!’] – [Thriller] A team of attractive boat cops search for a monstrous shark in the river Seine. Sous La Seine toes the line between so-bad-it’s-good and actually good. It’s full of cheesy music moments of cringe and soap opera-level characterisation, but blends those with genuine tension and looks good doing it. And I loved the delightfully evil mayor, who gives the ‘Jaws’ mayor a run for his money. Or should I say, ‘a swim for his money’! Haha.

Wicked [AKA ‘Glin Da Heights’] – [Musical] A green woman who’s known only racism has the profound realisation that the government… is racist. A mixed (and very long) bag. Most of my criticisms stem from the source material – I found the songs generic, and can’t tell why Elphaba’s so shocked by the Wizard’s heel turn, making the extremely milked ending fall flat for me. The real wizard is John M. Chu, who can direct a hell of musical set piece. I also never knew Ariana Grande was so funny, and her enemies-to-friends ‘womance’ with Cynthia Erivo’s Elphaba was the peak of the film. Shame there was a whole hour left after that.

La Passion De Dodin Bouffant (The Taste Of Things) [AKA ‘Yum And Yummer’] – [Drama] Love, life, and cooking in 19th Century France. Before this I didn’t realise it was possible for a cinema full of people to audibly salivate. On top of all the fetishy food-shots, I like the ‘Van Gogh’ aesthetic – cicadas, absinthe, art nouveau… but found the film lacking in emotion. The absence of music may have enhanced the immersive sound design but it didn’t do the bare-bones narrative any favours.

El Cuco (The Cuckoo’s Curse) [AKA ‘Womb/Off’] ­– [Horror] A pregnant woman and her husband swap homes with an elderly German couple. Very much a tale of two halves. It starts off as an unfocused mess of disconnected themes and imagery, but greatly improves when it gives up on being an A24 knockoff and turns into Face/Off. More modern horror would benefit from abandoning ‘prestige’ and leaning more into camp.

Longlegs [AKA ‘Cage Fright’] – [Horror] A psychic FBI detective investigates a series of murder-suicides with links to her own past. For me, this worked better as a horror than as a police procedural. The many research montages had me yawning, but the creepier sequences fared better, mostly thanks to Osgood Perkins’ competent direction. Acting-wise, Maika Monroe and Nicholas Cage do okay yin/yang performances as The Subdued Detective and The Crrrazy Serial Killer.

Godzilla Minus One [AKA ‘I’m Burning Japanese, I Really Think So’] [Disaster] A failed kamikaze pilot confronts his survivor’s guilt in the form of the monstrous ‘Godzilla’. I can’t believe it’s not Marvel. Everything from the decent dialogue, to the competent characterisation, sufficient special effects, mediocre music, and acceptable action left me thoroughly ‘whelmed’. Its only points of divergence from bog-standard Hollywood fare were some nice colour grading, a more serious tone, and a genuinely cool heat-ray effect.

Civil War [AKA ‘Snapped In America’] – [War] A team of reporters brave the front lines on their way to interview a besieged US President. Decent execution but zero points for originality. The spectacle’s well done, but the often-corny screenplay is full of tropes and scenes cribbed from older (if not necessarily better) films. It’s a shame, the images of war-torn Americana could have made for a fascinating photography exhibition.

Hit Man [AKA ‘Ten Stings I Hate About You’] – ­[Crime/romance] A undercover fake hit man falls for the woman he’s trying to entrap. Maybe the reason this seems so generic is, ironically, that it’s a formula you don’t see much any more ie. two attractive leads + some jokes + mild peril = total plane film. It’s passably entertaining, but I disliked the lazy use of voiceover, boring direction, missed opportunities for tension, and Glen Powell being simply too handsome for me to root for.

Deadpool & Wolverine [AKA ‘Terrence & Phillip’] – [Comedy] It’s Deadpool 3… and Hugh Jackman’s in it… and they’re in the MCU now, okay? Is this what 12-year-old boys see when they watch ‘Rick & Morty’? All the sex jokes and none of the Douglas Adams? For better or worse, Reynolds has taken his schtick to the MCU, with all that entails: bloated runtimes, cameos, scripts that feel like a first draft but also like they’ve been picked to shreds. It’s mainly rubbish, but it did make me laugh. And I like that it normalises same-sex flirtation for what could otherwise be quite a macho character, albeit in the crudest way possible.

Jackdaw [AKA ‘Yorvik Biking Centre’] – [Crime] A dirt biking army vet must rescue his brother from a gang boss. A product of the ‘take x subculture and set a thriller in it’ formula, the subculture this time being Newcastle ravers. There was a strong aesthetic, with more drizzly streets and blaring tail lights than you can shake a The Batman at, but it suffered whenever things went indoors. I found it hard to care about its stock characters, its Darth Vader-reveal, or its Kill Bill Vol. 2-anticlimax.

The Critic [AKA ‘The Wicked Wizard Of The West (End)] – [Drama] In 1930s London, a gay theatre critic hatches a fiendish plan to get his job back. Halfway through this, one character says “why be so predictable?” and another replies “why be so cheap?” They’d have written my review for me if they’d also said “why use so many ultra-closeups?”, “why cast Gemma Arterton?”, or “why do that cliché thing where a character yells in frustration while shaking a steering wheel?”. One star each for the subtle/sassy (respectively) acting of Mark Strong and Ian McKellen.

Kill [AKA ‘The Shit Train Robbery] – [Action] An Indian commando fights to save his in-laws from a family of train robbers. People comparing this to ‘The Raid’ need to get that masterpiece’s name out of their fucking mouths. They’re both bloody, but the similarities end there. I think the train setting was a mistake, as it didn’t provide enough variety of locations. Claustrophobic action is hard to shoot with a clear sense of geography, and in ‘Kill’ it is not shot with a clear sense of geography. Also, the ultraviolent revenge kills might have been satisfying had the baddies (aside from the brilliantly odious Fani) not been such a bunch of wusses.

[alainas-sims]

🍭 for the CAS books!

Book-Inspired CAS Meme - accepting!

🍭 : Create a Sim based on a book you enjoyed as a child.

I decided to create Lucy Pevensie from The Lion, The Witch, and the Wardrobe by C. S. Lewis. I went with a practical early 1940s look for Lucy as an evacuee of the London Blitz, where she and her siblings are sent to a country estate.

hair / outfit / shoes

[cetaitlaverite]

I just LOVE that you put Freddie into your new fic 🥹🥹🥹 it’s so interesting to see how other people, especially people who aren’t close with her, perceive her! “… she was almost universally well-liked across Thorpe Abbotts for being sweet and doe eyed and having an inexplicable air of sadness about her which inspired the instinct to protect.” That’s our girl! that’s what Rosie saw the very first night he met her!

aw yay!!! all my fics except my first one exist in the same universe, technically, so if you’re familiar with my other work you can rest assured that in the summer of 1943 when stella first meets john and, later, when freddie first meets rosie, an american girl named charlie is working her way to becoming the valedictorian of her graduating class of nurses and a british evacuee named posey is disguised as a man while she trains to be a paratrooper to try to get back to london. posey and charlie know each other, stella and freddie know each other, unfortunately the four of them will probably never meet, but their stories run parallel!!!

i’m glad you find it interesting to see how freddie is perceived outside of her fic!! it’s interesting for me, too, because she’s surrounded by people who adore her in her fic so the narrative never veers far from how the people closest to her view her. there are parts of her which i’m discovering only now that i’m seeing her through the eyes of someone who only knows her in passing!!!

[just-anotherrandomartist]

Naddpod WWII AU

literally have no idea how this idea came to me i believe it was a mix between listening to téir abhaile riu and also having too many references of couples kissing on trains during wartimes. I should also probably blame my mother and I’s current murder mystery show set during ww2

anyway i think probably human au and definitely no magic we’ll see how weird it is drawing Moonshine without huge elf ears. I would’ve liked to draw something for this but i just finished a project and have no energy. way too many details under the cut

so i imagine this takes place in Scotland just because i think that’s fun

I’m not sure exactly what roles people play, especially at different points during the war but i have some things i do know. Beverly is definitely an evacuee from London and misses his parents dearly but is enjoying living with Moonshine

Erlin and Egwene are also nearby evacuees living with Red and Gunter and Cobb. The three of them work on a farm where Egwene joins the Land Girls.

Apple Scrumper is also a part of the Land Girls and Egwene looks up to her greatly. Mavrus is an RAF pilot who flies a spitfire. The other pilots call him The Unskooled because of how little attention he payed during classes but he’s consistently the top flier in the squadron.

Gemma and Jaina are both ladies of a noble house. Jaina, likely against her father’s wishes, went and became a commander in the WRNS. Gemma stayed at home but has done great work, regularly taking in evacuees, and giving up her family’s land for farming.

Meemaw is definitely a nurse and also does a lot of volunteering to help out around her village. She is great at making the most of any food and making her ration book last. Cobb is too old to fight in this war but he is a determined member of the Home Guard. Lucanus and Erdan are both codebreakers at Bletchley during the war.

I am not sure what exactly I want Balnor to be doing or where he should be from. I think he is probably a refugee, maybe an Allied spy who lost his wife and son and then fled to Scotland. I think he either just helps out with farm work like most people or does something mechanical? I do not know.

I also do not know what exactly I want to do for Moonshine and Hardwon but I have a couple ideas in mind. For Hardwon I imagine that he starts off as just a farmer but knowing him he would enlist as soon as possible. I am torn between just having him be a regular soldier with the Scottish army (they wore kilts sometimes it’s great) or having him also be in the RAF with Mavrus.

For Moonshine I think she probably starts off similar to Meemaw and is a healer and does farm work. I do not know if I want her to be a part of the Land Girls, or do like engineering and mechanical work. I also think it would be very cool if towards the end of the war she went and worked at Bletchley with Lucanus.

Anyway character dynamics time. Uhhhhh probably Hardwon and Moonshine romantic letter correspondence (this whole thing did start with train kisses) but also maybe Hardwon and Gemma were still childhood sweethearts or something. Also maybe Moonshine and Jaina have a little romance. Bev and Erlin definitely fall in love too. Anyway everyone knows and is friends with each other and yeah.

if you’ve read this far lmk your thoughts? any additions?

[rhetoricandlogic]

Blackout - Connie Willis

Connie Willis returns to the shelves after eight long years with an absolute monster of an epic, a time-travel saga so rich in scope that it's taking two volumes to tell, yet so intimate in its observation of character that what you take away from it are not thrilling action setpieces but those moments of bonding people share — warm, funny, confused, trivial, angry, heartfelt — that take on a new and infinitely greater meaning in the shadow of death. One theme is driven home throughout: time is the most precious commodity we have.

This is Willis's gift as a storyteller. An obsessive researcher, she cares about the effects of great events on individuals, and views the momentous through the perspective of the mundane. In this story, the setting is London and surrounding areas during the Blitz in the late summer and fall of 1940. As in her earlier novels Doomsday Book and To Say Nothing of the Dog, time-traveling Oxford historians from the mid-21st century hop into their wayback machine to witness historical events firsthand. Blackout follows three of these travelers as they seek to observe, not the activities of the most renowned heroes and villains of the time (there are actually specific rules that prevent historians from getting too close to, and perhaps altering, the events they're observing), but the everyday heroism of everyday people.

I think Willis is living vicariously, as many authors do, through these characters. And that's all right, because what person captivated by the past would not like to project themselves into it once in a while? Willis knows that doing so wouldn't be nearly as romantic as you might think (especially if you're plunging into the middle of a world war). But why let that stop you?

It bears mentioning at this point that Blackout is not the first novel of a duology, but the first half of a single, two-part novel. Knowing this going in will help to smooth any frustration over the way the book doesn't so much end as stop, without a climax, and with just the barest of cliffhangers to lead you into part two. There are also a couple of unresolved plot threads, one of which provides the story with its rare moments of comic relief, involving two additional time travelers. There will be more to learn about these characters in the second volume.

Polly Churchill is transported to London in the midst of the Blitz. It's her task to observe the lives of shopgirls working in department stores by becoming one herself. Mike Davies intends to pass himself off as an American journalist covering the Dunkirk evacuation efforts. And Eileen O'Reilly lands a job among the servants at a wealthy estate in Warwickshire, in order to observe the hordes of evacuee children being sent from London in droves. Everything seems routine, but from the start we can sense something ominous. Schedules for time travelers are being shifted at the last minute. A young friend of Polly's with a desperate crush on her is deeply worried about something. And once the historians arrive at their various destinations, they notice an unusual degree of "slippage," missing their target dates not by hours (which is normal) but days. It isn't long before something potentially disastrous is made plain.

Amid the growing suspense, Willis builds an engrossing work of humanist fiction that avoids pathos and easy sentiment in depicting the quiet practicality and occasional heroism (and yes, the callousness) of Londoners surviving the Blitz. Memorable characters abound, and Willis's gift for natural dialogue brings scenes to life in a way that makes you feel you're in their presence. And she never pulls the lame stunt of creating a character for you to love just to kill them as an exercise in cheap button mashing. We get to know every one of the people with whom Polly shares a shelter every night, like the blustery, avuncular stage actor Sir Godfrey Kingsman, who quotes the Bard every time he opens his mouth yet whose personality rings true all the same. Eileen finds herself saddled with two of the most ill-behaved children in history, and yet you kind of like them, especially because, as a sort of brother-and-sister demolition duo with an appallingly indifferent and irresponsible mother, you realize they've only ever had each other. I'd think one very real risk a time-traveler would face would be to bond with someone from their distant past. See history unfold amongst the people who lived it, and you no longer have the safe emotional distance of words on a textbook page.

Finally, Mike ends up in an unintended situation that makes him fear he's violated the ultimate taboo and done something to alter the course of history, though he's reassured — not always convincingly — that rules regarding "divergence points" would make that impossible.

At first, the little ironies that frustrate Eileen, Polly, and Mike are funny — it seems they're forever just missing someone or something by minutes — then become more and more unnerving as the bombs keep falling. If I have to complain about something, it's that the final third of Blackout feels overextended, with our principals trying and failing to connect with one another over and over to the point it nearly gets redundant. But there is a much bigger story here, and in a quietly profound way, missed opportunities ("For want of a nail, the kingdom was lost."), and the way minor events can influence and illuminate whole histories, play a main role in it. Times of crisis like the Blitz were times when a person might live another day or die based on whether or not they paused while leaving home to put on their favorite hat. When what little time we have on this earth can be snuffed out so completely in such short notice, then there's no time to do anything but look ahead, and never look back.

[newstfionline]

Tuesday, January 14, 2025

Fed-Up Voters in Louisiana Wanted a Change. They Drafted an ‘Old Ball Coach.’ (NYT) As Sid Edwards tells it, he was driving through a gusty storm, with lightning streaking the sky, when he reached a fateful crossroads. He could turn right—proceed as usual, opening up the weight room at Istrouma High School in Baton Rouge, La., where he was the head football coach. But on this July day, he said, divine intervention steered him in the other direction. Shoving his doubts aside, he headed toward City Hall, where he handed in paperwork to enter the race to lead Baton Rouge, the state’s capital and second-largest city. He had no money, no staff, no real shot at success—or so it seemed to nearly everyone, including him. Despite his dim prospects, Mr. Edwards blazed to the front of a crowded field and into a runoff election in December against the two-term incumbent mayor-president, as the position is called. And then he won. He took office this month. “I don’t use the word ‘miracle’ loosely,” Mr. Edwards, 61, said in an interview. “I think God wanted me in this position. I think I’m ordained.” Another, more temporal, explanation: These are tough times for incumbents or politicians perceived as defenders of the status quo, not only in Baton Rouge but worldwide. And in this city, a simmering dissatisfaction with violent crime, fraying infrastructure and a general sense of unchecked decline led voters to oust Sharon Weston Broome, who had 36 years of political experience, and replace her with “just an old ball coach,” as Mr. Edwards described himself.

Windy With A Chance Of Wildfires (Guardian/AP/NPR) The disaster in Los Angeles shows no sign of stopping. Three wildfires in the northern reaches of L.A.’s metropolitan area have destroyed about 1,800 structures, damaged 10,000 more, and placed 150,000 people under evacuation orders. Oh, and officials predict that the winds that helped the fires grow to their current state are expected to continue this week as first responders have only been able to keep the blazes about 30% contained. Meanwhile, the state is continuing to use prisoners to bolster its firefighting forces. According to California's Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation, the state’s 7,500-person firefighting operation is leveraging the labor of 939 prisoners who get paid between $5.80 and $10.24 per day. California’s prison system, like many other states, requires prison inmates to work during their incarceration—according to some estimates, prison labor contributes about $11 billion to the U.S. economy every year.

A dad and daughter help evacuees learn whether their homes survived the California wildfires (AP) As the fire roared down a hillside toward their Altadena home, Vanessa Prata and her parents hurried to pack their car. They focused on saving irreplaceable items. But they didn’t leave. Instead, the Pratas have remained in their family home of 27 years, which is somehow still standing amid widespread devastation from the Los Angeles wildfires, even as homes just over a block away burned. And as residents who did flee are kept away by police or military barricades, Prata and her dad have taken it upon themselves to check on their neighbors’ homes. “They’re sitting in these shelters. They’re not sure whether their house survived or didn’t survive,” Prata said. “Once you know what the situation is, you have an ability to regroup and see what you’re going to do moving forward.” “We are more than happy to drive around and take a picture for any person who would like to see their home or, God forbid, what is left of their home,” she wrote.

No pants? No problem. London subway riders bare their legs to brighten a gray winter day (AP) Mind the pants. Hundreds of Londoners headed down to the Underground on Sunday afternoon, stripped down to their underwear and travelled around a bit, trying to look as though nothing unusual was going on. This was the Official No Trousers Tube Ride, an annual event with no point other than injecting a little levity into the bleak midwinter. No deep meaning, no bigger motive. The only goal was to be silly, if but for one afternoon. “There’s so much bad, so much not fun going on,” said ringleader Dave Selkirk, a 40-year-old personal trainer. “It’s nice to do something just for the sake of it.” The first stunt in this vein was held in New York in 2002, the brainchild of local comedian Charlie Todd. His idea was this: Wouldn’t it be funny if someone walked onto a subway train in the middle of winter wearing hat, gloves, scarf—everything but pants? Or trousers as they’re known in London, pants being synonymous with underpants in Britain.

Tens of thousands protest in Romania’s capital against annulled presidential race (AP) Tens of thousands protested in Romania’s capital on Sunday against a top court’s decision last month to annul the presidential election after an outsider candidate unexpectedly emerged as the frontrunner. Many of the demonstrators in Bucharest honked horns and waved Romania’s blue, yellow, and red flags, while others brandished placards bearing slogans such as “Democracy is not optional” and “We want free elections.” Many also demanded the resumption of the presidential race from the second round. The protest comes a month after the Constitutional Court made the unprecedented move to annul the election just two days before a Dec. 8 runoff. The far-right populist Calin Georgescu shocked many when he won the first round on Nov. 24, after which allegations of electoral violations and Russian interference emerged.

North Korean Soldiers Captured (1440) A pair of North Korean soldiers fighting for Russia were captured by Ukrainian forces, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy revealed over the weekend. It marks the first time North Korean soldiers have been taken alive and held for questioning since their arrival at the front lines.  While estimates vary, analysts believe North Korea sent upward of 10,000 troops to assist Russia sometime in October. The group represents less than 1% of North Korea's 1.3 million-person military.

India's Massive Pilgrimage (1440) Today marks the opening of India's Maha Kumbh Mela festival, touted as one of the largest gatherings in history. A projected 400 million visitors will participate in the pilgrimage over the next six weeks, as officials have set up a temporary 10,000-acre city, including 150,000 tents, 3,000 kitchens, and 99 parking lots.  The Hindu pilgrimage occurs once every three years at a rotation of four traditional river sites, with the most sacred occasion taking place in the city of Prayagraj (formerly Allahabad) in the country's most populous state, Uttar Pradesh, every 12 years. A sprawling pop-up economy of vendors supports participants as they ceremonially bathe in the Ganges River to wash away their sins and attend talks and discussions with religious leaders.

China’s exports jump to record high in rush to beat Trump tariffs (Washington Post) Chinese exports surged to record levels in December as traders raced to ship goods before Donald Trump returns to the White House with threats to place huge tariffs on products imported to the United States. Total exports rose by a surprising 10.7 percent in December from the year before, taking the annual increase to 7.1 percent compared to 2023, the Chinese customs office announced on Monday. This took the value of exports last year to a record of just over 25 trillion yuan, or $3.4 trillion. Trump has threatened to impose tariffs between 10 and 60 percent on Chinese goods imported into the United States, and analysts say American buyers have been stockpiling Chinese-made products in case tariffs cause prices to rise.

Young people in Japan mark Coming of Age Day with sumptuous kimonos (AP) Japan’s Coming of Age Day is a sure sign of winter, arriving after New Year celebrations and ahead of the cherry blossom parties of early spring. The national holiday is held on the second Monday of January. Citizens around the nation turn out to admire the elaborate outfits young people don to celebrate the milestone from child to adult. The age of adulthood has been lowered from 20 to 18, but many of the participants are still 20-year-olds. The men usually wear sober black suits, but the women are resplendent in kimonos woven in lustrous patterns—often of flowers—and a bright array of colors, many with elaborately constructed hairdos and fancy handbags.

Iran, already on the defensive, braces for a second Trump term (Washington Post) Iranian leaders, under economic pressure at home and feeling the weight of increasing instability in the region, are attempting to project strength at the beginning of a year that threatens fresh challenges. Last week, the country launched its most extensive military exercises in decades. “Iran has not stopped producing missiles for one day, and its defense systems are fully alive and, in many cases, upgraded,” said Gen. Ali Mohammad Naeini, a spokesman for Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps. But public remarks cannot quite obscure the significant currents of anxiety in Iranian society. President-elect Donald Trump has promised a tougher stance on Iran, including tightened sanctions, while an increasingly emboldened Israel reportedly is considering a military strike on Iran’s nuclear facilities.

This Part of Mozambique Was Like Paradise. Now It’s a Terrorist Hotbed. (NYT) In October, we traveled to the Cabo Delgado Province in northern Mozambique to understand how terrorists who claim an affiliation with the Islamic State have gained a foothold and wreaked havoc on Muslims and Christians alike. What locals call “the war” has robbed the region of what was a largely peaceful life of fishing and farming. Nearly 6,000 people have been killed and up to half of the province’s 2.3 million people have been displaced. Finding food and shelter has become a daily struggle in a province rich with natural resources like rubies, gas and timber. Since our visit, the country has grown only more tense. After a disputed presidential election, Mozambique has been engulfed in the worst election-related violence since a long-running civil war ended in 1992. Nearly 300 people have been killed during the protests, according to Decide Electoral Platform, a civil society organization. On top of that, Cabo Delgado and Nampula province to the south took a direct hit from Cyclone Chido in mid-December, killing as many as 120 people, displacing tens of thousands, and leaving many without food and clean water.

The Bomb Is Back as the Risk of Nuclear War Enters a New Age (WSJ) At the end of the Cold War, global powers reached the consensus that the world would be better off with fewer nuclear weapons. That era is now over. Treaties are collapsing, some nuclear powers are strengthening their arsenals, the risk is growing that nuclear weapons will spread more widely, and the use of tactical nuclear weapons to gain battlefield advantage is no longer unimaginable.

Facebook's censorship was like “something out of 1984�� (CJR/The Media Today) On Friday, Mark Zuckerberg—the CEO of Meta, who announced earlier last week that his company will radically overhaul its approach to content moderation, including by ending partnerships with third-party fact-checkers—did a lengthy interview on Joe Rogan’s popular podcast, during which he likened Meta’s previous fact-checking practices to something out of 1984, slammed the Biden administration for what he described as aggressive requests that the company take down certain posts about COVID-19, and took aim at the media for hounding him about misinformation.

[kevinparkerbook]

The Evacuation Experience in WWII

While there are many horrors of World War II, the evacuation of 3.5 million children stands as one of the most profound social upheavals in modern British history. It was a time when families were torn apart, children faced unknown futures, and homecomings were often more difficult than the departure itself.

In The Tides of Love and War, Kevin Parker weaves these historical realities into Christine’s life. The novel portrays the raw emotion and resilience required to navigate such a tumultuous experience.

Christine, one of the millions evacuated from London, represents the resilience of countless children uprooted during the Blitz. At just fourteen years old, she left behind her safe and familiar home to face an uncertain future. Her journey began at Euston Station, where emotional goodbyes with her mother marked the beginning of a long and challenging road.

Despite the lump in her throat and the churning in her stomach, Christine remained determined not to cry, even at a young age.

Her destination was Luton, a place as unfamiliar as the new faces she encountered. In the chaos of billeting, Christine experienced the harsh realities of wartime displacement. Rejected by family after family due to her age, she ended up in the reluctant care of Mr. and Mrs. Bulpin, who made no secret of their resentment. Her days were filled with cold errands, bread-and-lard dinners, and a profound sense of isolation.

Christine’s experience mirrors the struggles faced by thousands of evacuees. While some found welcoming homes and kind foster families, others endured neglect, harsh conditions, and a lack of emotional support. The contrast between Christine’s childhood in North London and her oppressive life in Luton underscores the sacrifices demanded by war, even from the youngest members of society.

Her resilience, however, shines through. For example, despite the harsh treatment, Christine wrote tirelessly to her parents, begging them to come home while shielding them from the worst of her experiences. Visits from her mother were both a comfort and a heartbreak, as they allowed brief reunions but reinforced the pain of separation. Christine’s ability to endure these hardships and maintain hope is a testament to her inner strength, shaped by her upbringing and her determination to persevere.

While the evacuation was meant to save lives, it came with its own set of emotional costs—that remind us that homecomings are not always joyous and can create rifts between children and their families. For Christine, the experience of this evacuation and displacement became a crucible that forged her resilience and independence and shaped her for the upcoming realities that the war was about to bring.

Will Christine be able to withstand it? Read Kevin Parker’s The Tides of Love and War to know more.

The Tides of Love and War explores love’s resilience amidst World War II’s chaos. The story follows Sam Blackstone, a country boy turned soldier, and Christine, a courageous Londoner working with the Women’s Land Army. Fate brings them together, creating an unlikely bond that blossoms into love. But just as quickly, war tears them apart, leaving their connection tested by separation, danger, and the harsh realities of global conflict.

As Sam navigates life on the frontlines in North Africa, Sicily, and Italy, Christine faces her battles on the home front, learning to farm, adapting to rural life, and enduring the terror of German bombing raids. Parker captures their journey of hope and survival through vivid prose and heartfelt letters exchanged across continents. The Tides of Love and War is a compelling tribute to the strength of the human spirit, exploring themes of courage, sacrifice, and the enduring power of love — amidst the horror of war.

[wuxianphobic]

RECS (pt. 2)

tumblr hates me and won't let me put more images in the first post so. part 2 it is

part 1 here

BRITISH

HEARTSTOPPER* mlm, side trans character, side wlw couple, romantic comedy, drama, teen, realistic fiction

charlie spring, a shy high school student, develops a crush on a sweet, supposedly straight rugby jock named nick nelson, much to the horror of charlie’s protective best friend tao. meanwhile, after transitioning, elle attempts to make friends at the all-girls school she transferred to

warnings: attempted SA, emotional abuse, homophobia, implied ED behavior, slurs

SUMMERLAND (2020)* wlw, period piece, drama, realistic fiction

in WWII, an asshole writer named alice lamb is assigned a london evacuee boy named frank to take care of, much to her horror. as she warms up to frank and explains to him the mythical summerland that she studies, she recalls her romance with a beautiful woman named vera

warnings: war, bombs

TAIWANESE

YOUR NAME ENGRAVED HEREIN (2020) mlm, drama, period piece, school setting

jiahan meets outspoken birdy at their catholic high school, and the two of them grow closer and develop feelings for each other in a time of rampant homophobia. but when their all-boys school begins integrating girls, birdy starts hanging out with a girl named banban, upsetting jiahan

warnings: familial abuse, SA, homophobia, violence, slurs

DEAR EX (2018) mlm, drama, tragedy, romance, comedy

after his dad dies of cancer, chengxi finds himself caught in the middle of a bitter feud between his headstrong mother sanlian and jay, a broke theater director who was his father's lover up until his death. as they all mourn him in their own ways, it is revealed that the dead man left all of his money to jay and none to his ex-wife or son

warnings: homophobia, slurs, grief

HISTORY 3: MAKE OUR DAYS COUNT mlm, drama, comedy, school setting, opposites attract

when his girlfriend takes an interest in the reserved and studious yu xigu, rowdy troublemaker haoting and his friends begin to prank xigu. but when one of the pranks goes awry, haoting feels bad and focuses his attention instead on getting to know xigu, who grows less wary of him as they spend more time together

warnings: homophobia, family issues, age gap relationship (side couple), implied ED behaviors. i really like the characters in this one but the side couple is a high schooler and an adult + it made me very uncomfortable so please be careful. also, i’m saying this because i care about you all—skip the last episode. trust me.

WE BEST LOVE mlm, comedy, drama, rivals to lovers, school setting (no. 1 for you)/workplace romance (fighting mr. 2nd)

hotheaded, competitive zhou shuyi is ready to start college without his longtime personal rival gao shide beating him in everything. at least, until he finds out shide, who finds shuyi’s distaste for him funny, is once again attending the same school as him

warnings: nonconsensual kiss, internalized homophobia

FILIPINO

PEARL NEXT DOOR* wlw, romantic comedy, drama, love triangle

a spin-off from the mlm show gameboys centered around pearl, who is trying to have an epic romance but can’t decide between karleen, the girl she’s been crushing on who doesn’t seem interested in her (until she does), and alex, a new girl who makes her feelings for pearl very clear

warnings: biphobia

[little-superstar-penny]

Tuesday, November 12 –  SwynRPVision

OLIVE BRIGHT: WW2 PIGEONEER MOVIE TRAILER RELEASED!

Though war rages across mainland Europe and London is strafed by German aircraft, the little village of Pipley in Hertfordshire bustles along much as it always has. Adrift since her best friend, George, joined the Royal Air Force, twenty-two-year-old Olive Bright fills her days by helping at her father's veterinary practice and tending to her beloved racing pigeons. Desperate to do her bit, Olive hopes that the National Pigeon Service will enlist Bright Lofts' expertise, and use their highly trained birds to deliver critical, coded messages for His Majesty's Forces.

The strangers who arrive in Pipley are not from the NPS. Instead, Jameson Aldridge and his associate are tied to a covert British intelligence organization known as Baker Street. If Olive wants her pigeons to help the war effort, she must do so in complete secrecy. Tired of living vicariously through the characters of her beloved Agatha Christie novels, Olive readily agrees. But in the midst of her subterfuge, the village of Pipley is dealing with another mystery. Local busybody Miss Husselbee is found dead outside Olive's pigeon loft. Is the murder tied to Olive's new assignment? Or did Miss Husselbee finally succeed in ferreting out a secret shameful enough to kill for? With the gruff, handsome Jameson as an unlikely ally, Olive intends to find out--but homing in on a murderer can be a deadly business...

CAST AND CREW BELOW CUT

The Studio: Olive Bright, WW2 Pigeoneer is being produced by Searchlight Pictures, a studio unit underneath Sidney Family Studios. Award-winning films by Searchlight Pictures include Slumdog Millionaire, 12 Years a Slave, Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance), and The Shape of Water.

Cast Olive Bright - Penny Forrester* George - The Voice Actor of Bolt in a Cameo Role Jameson Aldridge - Jack Reynor Harriet Bright - Minnie Driver Rupert Bright - Benedict Wong Miss Verity Husselbee - Helena Bonham Carter Dr. Ware - Riz Ahmed Margaret Middleton - Antonia Thomas Leo Truscott, vicar - Nicholas Hoult Rose Darling - Jessica Brown Findlay Violet Darling - Cara Theobold Winifred Danes - Sophie Okonedo Jonathan (London Evacuee staying with Brights) - Will Buie Jr. Henrietta Gibbons, Girl Guide - Mia Talerico

[curlygirl79]

The Sleeping Beauties - Lucy Ashe

I am delighted to be joining the blog tour for The Sleeping Beauties by Lucy Ashe today. Many thanks to Lucy for providing me with a copy of the book, and to Anne at Random Things Tours for inviting me to take part. BLURB: May, 1945 At long last, Rosamund Caradon is feeling optimistic. As she returns the last few evacuees to London from her Devonshire manor, she vows to protect dance-obsessed…

[justjustjustholdme]

She was not even infected by the bomb snobbery that the inhabitants of the village found so exasperating in most of its London visitors. She did not describe her methods of dealing with “incendiaries”, her reactions to “screamers”, her shelter life, the acrobatics she performed when taking cover at various sinister sounds.

The village was sick of such descriptions from evacuees. It was perhaps unduly sensitive on the subject, suffering from what might be called a bomb inferiority complex.

From William Carries On by Richmal Crompton

[alwaysunabasheddelusion]

June Scrimgeour and the Myrmepath’s Ring

Chapter I Part I

here is the beginning of a story I am writing for ant-daughter. I am still deep in developmental edits for the third act because it turns out that writing mystery and adventure is challenging but hey I decided to have no shame and share shit today so here we gooooo. The fic the Harry Potter fandom has all been waiting for, an OC-centered gen fic that is all about creating more magical arthropod lore :D 

Eleven-year-old June Scrimgeour sprawled on the floor in Granny Beetle’s drawing room, reading an old book. Golden light streamed in through the open windows and the breeze that drifted up from the coast smelled of salt and fish. June’s orange-furred niffler, Nugget, curled on her shoulder.

Granny Beetle was not June’s real grandmother. Her real grandparents lived in London like her parents. But Granny Beetle was Granny Beetle to everyone in the surrounding village, and she insisted the children call her by the same name. 

Although Granny Beetle was a kindly old witch, June hadn’t warmed up to her immediately. Her shyness would have lasted even longer if her siblings hadn’t been with her. She often thought her fifteen-year-old sister, Sylvia, was unbearably bossy, but in the absence of their parents, Sylvia took on the maternal role. She offered comfort, even when June wouldn’t always admit she needed it. And ten-year-old Peter was often a nuisance, but she would have worried about him if he wasn’t there.

Not all evacuees were so fortunate; many young witches and wizards were separated not only from their parents but from their siblings as well. 

And not all evacuees were housed with someone as kind as Granny Beetle. She gave the Scrimgeour siblings a good deal of freedom to roam her cottage and the surrounding coast unsupervised. And Nugget had been her gift to June - for it wasn’t only children who had evacuated to the coast. Many animals had also evacuated under the Ministry’s hastily assembled F.A.R.M.S. program. Nugget’s mother had been a rescue niffler brought to Granny Beetle’s the previous year, and she had given birth to a mischievous litter of nifflings not long after the Scrimgeour siblings had arrived. 

June and Nugget’s favorite room in the whole cottage was the drawing-room. The walls themselves seemed to be made of books, for they hung in the air with no visible means of support. There were other objects adorning the walls - shadow boxes displaying exotic butterflies and glittering silver compasses and vases full of fanged geraniums. There were faded scrolls written in languages June couldn’t read, and colorful bottles covered in dust. 

Nugget liked it for the compasses and bottles and other shiny knickknacks, which she collected while June read, only to be forced to give them up again before bedtime.

June liked it for the books. 

She spent hours pouring over the books in Granny Beetle’s library, while Sylvia practiced piano in the sitting room and Peter flew on his practice broom outside. 

Her current book was falling apart at the seams, so she had to press one hand against the pages to prevent them from falling out. She couldn’t believe she hadn’t spotted it before now. 

An Introduction to Magientomology 

This was a topic she would never tire of. 

She ran a finger down the chapter list and flipped to the section that most interested her: Ants. 

Ants are a prominent species found almost everywhere on the planet. They are known for their hard-working behavior and, in some societies, for the painful bite they can give.

June propped her chin in her hands as she turned the page. There was a large, ink-wash illustration of enormous ants fighting a group of wizards in turbans. Like all wizard illustrations, the ants and the wizards moved - the ants snapping their mandibles dangerously and the wizards waving their wands in the air. The wands emitted tiny red sparks - the only hint of color in the otherwise black-and-white painting. 

Myrmecoleons are a type of large ant found in Near East regions. These ants are most famed for the hoards they collect and their viciousness when it comes to thieves.

“I was in Professor Crouch’s class, y’know.” 

June slammed the book shut, clutching her chest. “Blimey, Eliza!” And then, “Who is Professor Crouch?” 

The ghost of Eliza Beetle floated near the floor with her legs folded beneath her. A long night dress covered most of her body, but silvery pockmarks covered her face and hands. She had only been fifteen when she died of Dragon Pox. She pointed at the book in June’s hands, and June looked down at the cover again, noting the authors for the first time: 

Cocinelle Crouch and Phorida Driscoll. 

 “That was our textbook. In Magientomology. It’s always so funny when them profs give out books they scribbled themselves, init?” 

Once, June had found Eliza and Granny Beetle’s West Country accents impossible to understand. Now she didn’t even need to translate before answering. “Sylvia never mentioned Magientomology.” June’s tone was accusing; her older sister was well aware of her passion for insects. 

Eliza swelled up with self-importance. “That’s ‘cause Hogwarts don’t be offering Magientomology no more.” She leaned forward so that her incorporeal lips brushed June’s ear, causing the young witch to shiver. “There be three magientomology profs gone missing, so they stopped offering it. Me classmates and I had to swap over to the Beasts class.” 

“Missing!” June ran her fingers along the threadbare cloth spine of An Introduction to Magientomology and mouthed the names of the authors. Cocinelle Crouch and Phorida Driscoll. She flipped the book open to the inside cover, but there was no author blurb to be read. “Was Phorida Driscoll a Magientomology professor, as well?” 

Eliza’s sigh whistled through the drawing-room like the winter wind. “Not that I ever heard. Not at Hogwarts.”

Before June could answer, she heard a sound like bare feet on the carpet in the hallway. She turned her head slightly toward the door, trying to catch the sound.

The door swung open, and Peter burst into the room, waving an envelope aloft. “O June! The post arrived!” He was paler than June, with blond hair, rosy cheeks, and a sunny disposition that neither of his older sisters shared.

Any further inquiries June might have made about the now defunct Magientomology Department were forgotten in her excitement at Peter’s announcement. She leaped to her feet, flapping her arms so vigorously she might have been trying to take flight. Nugget squeaked in protest and dug little claws into her shoulder to avoid toppling from her perch. June snatched the letter out of Peter’s hands. A wax crest sealed the envelope. She turned it over and examined the name printed on the front. Her name. 

 “I wish I could go off to Hogwarts.” Peter craned his neck to see over June’s shoulder. Eliza drifted higher into the air until she was floating directly above June for a better view of the long-awaited acceptance letter. 

June ripped open the envelope. “You don’t have to wait too much longer, only one more year.”  

HOGWARTS SCHOOL

of WITCHCRAFT and WIZARDRY

Headmaster: Armando Dippet

(Chanc. Order of the Walnut, Grand Sorc., Order of Merlin: Second Class)

Dear Ms. Scrimgeour,

      We are pleased to inform you that you have been accepted at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Please find enclosed a list of all necessary books and equipment. 

      Term begins on September 1. We await your owl no later than July 31.

Yours sincerely, 

Galatea Merrythought

Galatea Merrythought, 

Deputy Headmistress 

June read the letter a second time. She had never doubted that she would be accepted, but that didn’t dim her excitement. Like most magical children, she had waited for this day impatiently, wheedling and cajoling her parents in the hopes they might allow her a wand before ever she began formal wizarding school. Acceptance at Hogwarts was an honor. After all, it was the best wizarding school in Britain.

She squeezed her eyes shut and held the letter against her chest as she lost herself for a moment in daydreams, wherein she used a real wand to cast proper spells. At last she would be a proper witch, no longer consigned to the unpredictable magic of childhood.

After a moment, she opened her eyes again. “I suppose…” she began, in the slow voice of one waking from a dream, “I suppose we ought to let Granny know, so she can send an owl back.” 

“I’ll tell her!” Peter bounded into the narrow hallway. 

June raced after him, her letter clutched in one hand. “Oh, no, you don’t! It’s my letter, not yours, Peter!” She barrelled past her little brother, her face screwed up in determination. Nugget leaped off her shoulder and slid across the polished wood floor.

June was so focused on beating Peter to Granny Beetle, she didn't notice. 

Peter stumbled into the wall. “You pushed me! Granny Beetle! June pushed me!” 

They careened into the kitchen, practically on top of one another. The smell of cinnamon and baking apples greeted them, as well as the astonished visage of a squat witch, barely taller than June. She had tried to tame her white hair with a bun, but loose strands stood up in all directions. Her wand peeked out of the pocket of her flour-covered floral apron and she held a dishrag in one hand. “What’s all this racket, then?” 

“June pushed me!” Peter repeated while June yelled over him, “I got my Hogwarts letter!!” 

Granny Beetle folded both arms across her chest and looked from one child to the other. “Take it steady now. June, you first.”

June held her letter aloft, her face beaming with pride despite the accusations her brother had leveled at her. “My Hogwarts letter came. Look!” 

Granny reached out to take the letter from her. “Aye, yer sister’s done arrived in the post today, too. D’you got your train ticket?” 

June turned the envelope upside down and out fell the ticket into her palm.

“Now, Pete, what be it you got to say?” 

Peter scuffed his feet against the floor. “June pushed me. When we were coming to the kitchen—” 

“That’s because you were trying to tell my news before me!” June interrupted, imitating Granny Beetle by crossing her arms. 

“It’s not proper to shove.” Granny Beetle’s mouth crinkled into a smile, taking the sting out of her admonishment. “Juney, you’m gonna help Silvy with the washing. Pete, you and me’ll sort out supper. Come on now, my lovers.”

She ushered them into the kitchen, wordlessly overriding their attempts at dragging their feet. 

“But we haven’t sent our reply to Hogwarts yet!” June objected in a desperate bid to avoid chores. “It said in the letter we have to send a reply by July 31st.” 

Granny flicked her wand toward a row of baskets hanging from the ceiling, causing one to float gently down until it landed with a thump on the kitchen table. “It won’t take two weeks for an owl to fly to Hogwarts even with this horrible war.” 

“But the bombs…” June twisted her hands as Granny Beetle nearly shoved her out the door into the back garden, where she could see Sylvia’s blonde head bent over a washtub. 

“If Hogwarts could send an owl to you, you’ll be able to send one back, mind. Post owls be smart birds, Juney. Don’t you fret.”

[master-john-uk]

Operation Pied Piper. The evacuation of children from London (and other cities considered to be vulnerable to air attacks) began three days before war broke out in September 1939.

Many kids from London were initially evacuated to my area of Kent... just 25 miles south of central London. This was a rather silly mistake, as many German bombers (and later the V1 and V2 rockets) passed over this area en route to London. When the bombing raids began in 1940, some Luftwaffe pilots dropped their payload of bombs early, and many of the V1 and V2 rockets dropped short of their intended targets. Most of the evacuees were later moved to safer areas... but not all.

One group of evacuees who stayed in Kent were from a London County Council children's home which relocated to Crockham Hill, Kent (close to my childhood home of Hever, and my current home near Westerham.) In June 1944 a V1 Doodlebug, possibly flying low after being damaged by anti-aircraft fire, was tipped off course by a tree and landed directly on Weald House (the children's home) killing 21 infants and seven female staff.

As for my parents...

My mother had just entered her teenage years when war broke out. While she still attended school, mother volunteered to help out at a local dairy farm in Hever.

Mum loved the cows. She would sing as she milked them to keep them calm... especially when there were aircraft overhead, or bombs could be heard exploding nearby. Mother stayed in Kent for the duration of the war.

My father was living in what is now my Kent residence. He loved watching The Battle of Britain... the aerial fight between the RAF and the Luftwaffe as Germany sought to gain air superiority before invading the UK.

Being just a few miles south of RAF Biggin Hill, Dad and his mates used to watch the action from the top of the Greensand Ridge, where they could view action over both the Holmesdale to the north, and the Weald valley to the south.

On one occasion, Dad and his friends were watching from the middle of a field near Ide Hill (the highest point in Kent.) A low flying  Messerschmitt flew directly at them... and strafed the field with machine gun fire. Father and his friends ran for cover in the woods.

That German pilot could probably have taken them all out, if he had really wanted to... but, instead he gave them a friendly warning to not be so bloody stupid! I would love to know who that "enemy" pilot was... Vielen Dank. Gott segne!

Father was evacuated to Shropshire in 1942 to finish his education.

An obviously distressed small child being evacuated from London in September 1939. But the expected early attack didn't occur and by mid January 1940 it was estimated that 34% of the people evacuated had returned to London, and the return continued due to a perceived lack of threat or because they were unhappy away from their families and their homes.

Image courtesy of the LIFE Photographic Collection.

[cetaitlaverite]

oc masterlist

introducing you to my babies. you can find links to all of their fics here.

anything to anywhere

stella finley

stella is a ferry pilot for the air transport auxiliary. she's good at her job and knows it, and will stop at nothing until everyone else knows it too. she loves things that fly, especially birds, and hates her own prettiness, which has only ever slowed her down. if a man is going to force her into a conversation she is absolutely going to manipulate it so they’re talking about whatever she wants to talk about (most often whichever bird she’s interested in at the moment). she's fiery, passionate, and talkative.

why all this music?

wilfrieda ‘freddie’ leroy

freddie is a classical pianist at heart but a wireless operator by necessity. almost immediately after the outbreak of war she joined the WAAFs and she’s been there ever since. the greatest loves of her life belong to her past, but her closest friends like to think she’ll find some new ones soon - or maybe just one new one, a certain someone who won’t take her rejection at face value. freddie has a heart of gold but doesn’t like to let people know it. she finds comfort in playing the music from her childhood, talking to the stars, and benny demarco’s dog meatball.

millicent ‘millie’ harlow

millie has known half-hearted love a thousand times over but, a romantic at heart, she’s always dreamed of finding a man who will properly steal her heart and give her his in return. she would never have guessed that man would come in the form of a pilot she cannot stand when they first meet. she’s a wireless operator with a big heart and a sharp tongue, always a shoulder to cry on and a safe space for her nearest and dearest.

the spirit of the corps

charlotte ‘charlie’ lancaster

charlie is the main character of ‘the spirit of the corps’. the daughter of wealthy parents from lancaster, new hampshire, she graduates college early and heads overseas at 19. she’s shy and naïve, but brave and resolved to help. she loves books, pink roses, and chocolate chip cookies, and blushes an awful lot more than she’d like to.

mabel ‘mabs’ edison

mabel comes from a big family, filled to bursting with boys. when all of her brothers end up spread across the world to fight in the war, she leaves dallas, texas in an effort to save lives where so many are being taken. she loves boys, flirting, and is an excellent mathematician. she’s guilty of calling everyone ‘darlin’ in that thick accent of hers.

violet ‘boo’ hollister

violet, affectionately nicknamed boo, wants to put as much space between herself and her family as possible, though she’s tight-lipped as to why. she’s desperately shy but effervescent with those she trusts. she loves dancing, music, and the colour yellow.

autumn vogel

autumn is something of an enigma to those around her, though no less loved because of it. she has a mysterious past and a reckless fire in her eyes. the way she talks about life hints that she doesn’t plan on taking it for granted. she loves jigsaw puzzles, photography, and her friends above all else.

henriette ‘henry’ maddox

henry is the commanding officer of the 23rd field hospital nurses. initially, she’s cold, ruthless, and strict, but when she learns to trust them she opens herself up a little. something about her hints at loss and a reluctance to let anyone close. unfortunately for her, those around her will never cease trying.

all things nice

josephine ‘posey’ ‘duckie’ wells

posey leaves london for boston as an evacuee during the blitz, but with a brother in the raf and a mother at risk of being bombed she soon decides sitting idle across the pond won’t do. accompanied by her trusty childhood best friend, a teddy bear named teddy, she cuts off all of her hair and disguises herself as a man. she laughs loudly, swears a lot, and is terrible at holding her alcohol. those who love her would describe her as a whirlwind. those who don’t would describe her as fearless.

the shadows duology

juliette chevalier

juliette was born in bordeaux, france and moved to london, england when she was eleven. initially a code breaker, she was quickly recruited to work for the special operations executive as a spy. she’s as affectionate as a puppy and equally as enthusiastic with her hugs. she loves art, reading, and, eventually, life.

juliette’s boys

the boys in juliette’s team are tom, will, martin, and alexis. a patchwork of personalities, she loves them all dearly and would do anything for them. her best friend, however, is tom, a platonic soulmate in its truest form. no one understands her like tom and no one ever will. they’ll never be in love but will always be attached at the hip. the team has been through everything together and are more siblings than colleagues. they laugh at, sob for, scream at, and fight with each other, but they never doubt how much they’re all loved.