#Royal Airs

[bantarleton]

The last of “The Few” turns 105.

Group Captain John “Paddy” Hemingway DFC, AE, is the last verified surviving pilot of the Battle of Britain. He was born in Dublin on 17 July 1919.

He served during the Second World War in the Battle of Dunkirk, the Battle of Britain, the Allied invasion of Italy and the Invasion of Normandy. Following the death of Terry Clark in May 2020, Hemingway became the last verified surviving airman of the Battle of Britain. He was shot down four times during the Second World War.

Per Ardua ad Astra - "Through Adversity to the Stars"

[samuraiko]

The Critical Role Heartbreak Prince Battle Royale

Okay, I made this joke over on Twitter and now I'm curious how this would actually shake down.

If you put all of Liam's CANONICAL love interests across all three campaigns in a battle royale, who would win?

(Before anyone gets their knickers in a knot, these are people for whom there was RECIPROCATED AND ACTED-UPON INTEREST.)

For sake of equality, we're gonna level-set EVERYONE at level 20. Let's have the fur REALLY fly!

Also, once you vote, please reblog for a larger sample size? Thanks!

EDIT: I am *LOVING* the commentary in the tags. :D

[usaac-official]

A Kittyhawk I of No 75 Squadron RAAF at Milne Bay, September 1942

[the-ace-with-spades]

Bradley and Natasha get platonically married a few years into service and confuse the crap out of everyone.

They do it for a multitude of convenient reasons - they've been friends since flight school, they both accidentally found out they're bi but leaning toward same-sex attraction more, and had been each other's cover any time someone would start to suspect something. It comes up after Bradley puts Natasha as his next of kin and pension beneficiary (in case of death) and Natasha is like, 'you know, people are going to start questioning why we're so close'

So they don't give people a reason for suspecting - they make it official before. Nat doesn't talk to her family anymore and also makes Bradley her next of kin, they get a tax rebate, their health insurance is cheaper, they can evoke spouse privilege and get prioritised for base locations, keeping together. Married couples qualify for better housing as well and no one questions if they get a two or three-bed house, because you know, they're young, maybe they're planning to have kids soon. No one can treaten them with a DADT because who is going to believe that they're gay if they're married to each other, they have enough space that they can bring whoever they're dating back home without feeling like they need to do everything in secret.

Maybe, you know, whenever they're both alone and feel like it, they have some platonic sex...

Sure, maybe they're a weird couple - not that affectionate, not that open, talk to each other more like bickering best friends than lovers, maybe years go by and they still have no kids, maybe Natasha kept her surname, etc etc but it all could be swiftly avoided. We tried for kids but it didn't work, don't mention it around Nat/Bradley, he/she still feels guilty. We're best friends first, spouses second. The surname swap is a stupid tradition anyways. PDA is awful to see so why would we do something we don't wanna see others do?

The only real downside is that they can't be deployed together anymore.

When Jake meets Bradley after he gets re-stationed, Natasha is on deployment. They get close and closer, there's some flirting going on, and Jake is like 90% sure Bradley is not straight and is somewhat interested in him.

Push comes to shove and Bradley and Jake get deployed together (while Nat comes back home) and things continue and Jake gets 99% sure because damn, Bradley is fucking brave with how open he is with flirting, given where they are.

Then something happens and Bradley has an accident while onboard the carrier and Jake is there in the treatment bay and their CO comes around and asks Bradley, "Do you want me to call your wife, Bradshaw?" and Jake's whole world gets swept from under his feet. Because, you know, he was this close to fucking a married man.

And the worst thing is when they come back ashore and he finds out who is Bradley's wife - because Jake and Nat knew each other pretty well in USNA and he's not going to come into the mess that is their marriage.

Scratch that - the worst thing is that he can see Bradley does love Nat and that Nat loves Bradley and he doesn't know if he should say something to either. (He just doesn't know they love each other platonically only.)

They do stay married, even after DADT gets revoked, just because they're used to it now, and because the benefits are good, and really, neither of them are dating anyone seriously enough to go through the hassle.

Jake only realizes when after the mission years later, he sees Phoenix and Halo making out at the Hard Deck and tells Bradley "I think your wife is cheating on you with a woman, Bradshaw" and Bradley is like, "Yes, that would make sense given that she is a lesbian and all that."

[thepersonalwords]

It’s hard to beat a person who never gives up.

Babe Ruth

[theworldatwar]

A Spitfire turns away in retreat after taking a hit from a German Heinkel somewhere over the English Channel - 1940

[sabotpetal]

Avro Vulcan B.2 Maritime Radar Reconnaissance on North Sea Patrol

[bookishsugarplumprincess]

Am I crazy or is enemies to lovers only good when they're just enemies in canon and lovers in fanon?

It just feels like people writing enemies to lovers in canon don't actually know how to write the enemies part, and it's clear from the start that their characters are going to end up together. They never allow their characters to actually do evil things to each other because they fear the readers won't be able to forgive.

I don't want mild annoyance and teasing and secret crushes. I want full on hatred and attempted murders, is that too much?

[thesixthduke]

Spitfire pilots of No. 43 Squadron RAF keeping warm in their dispersal hut at Drem airfield, East Lothian.

[ab4eva]

Callum Turner for the LA Times 6.18.24

[clockwrkpendrxgon]

when alec lightwood said: and when one day people look back on me and what my life meant, I don’t want them to say, ‘Alec Lightwood fought in the Dark War’ or even ‘Alec Lightwood was Consul once.’ I want them to think, ‘Alec Lightwood loved one man so much he changed the world for him’.

and when prince henry said: because when they write the history of my life, I want it to include you and my love for you

[bantarleton]

Typhoon fighter decked out in a classic Spitfire paint job.

[fantastictyphoonpeanut]

1941-42. Bell P-39 Airacobra's of 601 (County of London) Sqn RAuxAF. Known as the 'Millionaires Sqn' because of its affluent pilots who drove sports cars, took expensive holidays, wore red socks and had private planes. But they were no less tough and dedicated combat pilots achieving 220 victories in WWII. (FTP)

[usaac-official]

A Catalina Mk II of No 240 Squadron based at Stranraer, Scotland, March 1941

[rockingtheorange]

Zahra bullying the kids ❤🤏

[goddessofbees]

So a couple of people have mentioned the jewelry I put on the phantom sibs and I wanted to explain them kinda like a character sheet of my headcannons

If anything is hard to read, sorry 😔 my handwriting might suck... and the spelling....

Yes I know I spelt jewelry wrong.