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sonicasura · 10 days

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Tfp x Pacific Rim.

They've been on earth a while, then suddenly a giant kaiju pops up and they learn humans have giant robots as big as Plexs (the bots that turn into cities) The biggest bots in the series are only around 30-40ft, jaegers usually reach past 300ft. A jaeger could stomp Optimus and Megatron into the ground and never notice it. And they're only piloted by two humans, mentally in sync and battle hardened, willing to kill anything that threatens their planet. The horrifying realization that humans could wipe them out if they really wanted to.

Or maybe it could be post TFP, and they all decide to come back to earth to visit/see the kids, and are immediately held at jaeger gunpoint, or witness a kaiju flatten a city.

This immediately came to mind.

I don't know what would be more humiliating for a Cybertronian. Getting your ass kicked by Pacific Rim's Jaeger or Kaiju No 8's Defense Force with their exo suits. I guess how close the human is determines that.

Going off canon here with both factions just arriving on Earth instead of being present for three years or returning. This is because Pacific Rim's PPDC absolutely slam down any attempts for the bots to continue their war. Dealing with Kaiju made by hostile aliens is already a handful so extraterrestrial beings who can't end a millennium long feud turned 'spat' is unacceptable.

Both factions get captured as the Decepticons are first. Radars caught the Nemesis appearing in Earth's atmosphere and two Jaegers immediately intercepted the ship. Buckethead is still pissed about it as EMPs were utilized for incapacitation once their machine like nature been seen.

The Autobots took longer to find since they immediately went into hiding. Raf, Miko and Jack are responsible for their respective bot guardian's capture. A Kaiju attack had occurred with the kids being unable to evacuate to safety.

Bumblebee, Arcee, and Bulkhead risked their cover to protect them from the monster. The kids were watched over by the bots as their families hadn't been located yet. Original plan was to return the Jasper Trio home and disappear once more.

Something that doesn't happen as another Kaiju attack near their base led to the PPDC finding the Autobots. Jack, Miko and Raf were able to plea for them to not hurt the group. Both the Autobots alongside the kids get taken into custody afterwards.

Or how the war came to a humorous yet humiliating end as both factions were forced to make peace with each other.

#sonicasura #sonicasura answers #asks #anonymous #maccadam #transformers #transformers series #transformers prime #tf #tf series #tfp #pacific rim #pacific rim series #pacific rim uprising #pr series #pr #pacific rim movies

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nova--spark · 4 months

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So I promised a separate post about Arachnid so here it is! I think this is the first bit of angst that I personally wrote for the Mortal Machines AU. Surprised it took it long

Airachnid’s Revenge

Arachnid woke up in an abandoned MECH Base. It took one look in the mirror for her to figure out what had happened. She was human, and stuck on earth. Well better make the best of this situation. She looked around the base, there were burn marks all over the walls but otherwise no corpses or bones to insinuate there used to be any human life here. It's like they had been completely incinerated. The only proof that anyone had been here was all the equipment that no one had returned for.

Arachnid had ran her own ship for quite some time so she had a decent amount of technical know-how. So she was able to get the computers up and running. She spent the day learning as much information as she could to be able to blend in with humans. Why would she bother you might ask? Well, now that she was back on earth she could finally get revenge on the Autobots in the most painful way possible. She was going after the kids.

And rest assured when she eventually returns to Cybertron bring the kids heads as trophies.

-•-

She decided to go for the littlest one first, he'd be the easiest to pick off. Raf was hanging out where he used to play with his toy car. With the chaos of the base sometimes Raf needed somewhere quiet to clear his head. He saw someone passing by on a motorcycle, a woman wearing a mask with goggles that had yellow lenses. Raf didn't think too much about it and went back to what he was doing, people pass along this road all the time. But he noticed the sound of the motorcycle getting louder and louder.

Raf looked up and noticed the cyclist coming directly for him. He managed to jump out of the way before he was ran over. The cyclist kept pursuing him however. Raf wasn't very agile and he certainly couldn’t outrun a motorcycle so the cyclist had managed to clip him causing him to tumble to the ground, his cell phone flying out of his grasp and landing a few feet away. He barely managed to scramble to his feet before he was completely ran over. He stumbled over to his phone and one frantic call to HangerE and Jack and Bee were already on their way there. Bee driving a car that looked a lot like his previous alt form and Jack on his own motorcycle

Jack and Bee worked surprisingly well together despite them not usually working together and Bee still being new to driving. Jack picked up Raf to try and get him out of harm's way as Bee manages to knock the unidentified cyclist off her bike.

She tumbles to the ground and her mask falls off. Revealing a woman with jet black hair that had purple and gold streaks and purple eyes. Though that’s all Bee could catch before the woman got back on her motorcycle and rode off

Jack tended to Raf’s wounds while Bee drove after the woman. Thankfully Raf wasn’t badly injured, just a few scrapes and bruises and a sprained wrist from trying to break his fall. Bee hadn’t managed to catch the attacker but what mattered was that Raf was okay.

Back at base June and Ratchet look over Raf (yeah Jack had already done so but nobody can stop those two from being overprotective) while the other give theories as to who this mystery attacker was. Jack showed off the mask she was wearing and they immediately recognized it as the ones that MECH agents wear. So it’s MECH? Right?

Well, she wasn’t wearing the rest of the uniform. Not to mention news reports of a motorcycle stolen at gunpoint earlier that day likely meant the attacker stole the bike they were using. Why would an agent from an organization with seemingly infinite resources need to steal a bike? This couldn’t be MECH but they were lost to who it could be.

As Bee described the attacker Arcee couldn't help but feel something about this attacker seemed eerily familiar.

-•-

A week later Team Bee had reported some unidentified figure seen entering an abandoned energon mine. Miko had offered to go check it out in the apex armor, but with what had happened to Raf a week ago Fowler refused to deploy Miko to the mine without backup. Miko begrudgingly allowed Wheeljack and Bulkhead to come and Ultra Magnus insisted on going with to keep an eye on the three. As they entered the cave they had split up to try and cover more ground. Mangus going with Miko and Wheeljack and Bulkhead going off on their own. Miko grumbled at the idea of needing a babysitter and that babysitter being Ultra Magnus of all people. Magnus mostly tuned out her griping as he couldn't shake the feeling that they were being followed.

His suspicions were proven absolutely correct as the second Miko stepped out of the Apex Armor gunshots rang out. Magnus tackled Miko to the ground and shielded her with his own body. Receiving two bullets in the shoulder for the trouble. Miko jumped back into the Apex Armor and picked up Magnus, careful not to aggravate his injuries. With Magnus bleeding out Miko had to choose between going after her attacker or getting Magnus back to base for medical treatment. Magnus had told her to leave him but Miko ended up making a beeline for the exit instead

Jackie and Bulk heard the gunshots and immediately ran in Miko and Magnus's direction. Though instead they ran into the woman who had tried to run Raf over. With her being cornered on both sides you'd think it'd be the end of the line, but nope! This woman manages to scale the cave wall like a fucking spider and continue down her escape route. At this point Miko had commed them telling them that Magnus was injured and she was calling Raf to have them all bridged out of there. Miko's tone left absolutely no room for

When they got back to base Bulkhead and Wheeljack debriefed Fowler on what happened while Miko and Magnus were whisked away to the medbay. Miko came out with minor scrapes and bruises and was discharged later that day but Magnus had to be taken into surgery to get the bullets out of his arm.

Miko waited all night for Magnus to get out of surgery and stayed with him during his entire recovery. Magnus was happy for the company even if Miko could be a bit much.

Meanwhile as Knockout listened to Wheeljack and Bulkhead’s debriefing his fist began to clench, though he didn’t know why.

-•-

Okay now this was a pattern. This woman was going after the kids, and the kids specifically. She didn’t show any interest in the human autobots unless they specifically got in the way of her trying to hurt the kids.

Fowler decided that until this woman was caught that the Jasper Trio would be confined to HangerE. They could only leave with permission from Fowler and had to take one of the Autobots with them as a guard.

None of the kids were exactly happy about this, Miko hated the restriction on her freedom and that she was benched for all future missions (Team Bee or Anthea’s team would go in her place), Raf is worried about his family, he’s never been away from them for this long, he always got to go back home at the end of the day, Jack is just worried about his mom going back home alone but at least Fowler promise to protect her for Jack.

This system seemed to work for awhile but after a month of not being able to find this woman the kids started to get restless

Miko had been caught trying to sneak out

And they were starting to run out of excuses to give Raf’s parents as to why their son couldn’t come home.

And of course as Team Leader Jack spent a lot of time listening to Miko and Raf complain eventually it just became too much. After a nasty argument with Fowler, Jack just silently stormed off, got on his bike and rode off. Ignoring everyone telling him to stop.

Smokescreen ended up going after Jack. He searched the entire city for him. Eventually finding him indulging in an old habit. Racing.

Look Jack just needed to blow off some steam and aside from punching things this was the best way he could think to do so. Don’t judge him!

Smokescreen understood so he simply watched for a bit. Making sure Jack didn’t get hurt. Jack was the only motorcyclist participating so it was easy to keep track of him. Smokescreen even joined a few rounds. Eventually Jack agreed to go back to base after one more race.

During this race a new motorcyclist joined with a purple and gold helmet. The race seemed to go normal but the unidentified motorcyclist seemed dead set on knocking Jack off his bike. Jack did a pretty good job at keeping upright and even managed to knock the cyclist back a bit. But one particularly bad hit sent Jack flying off his bike and crashing to the ground. Smokescreen managed to scoop Jack up into his car before he got ran over by one of the other racers. Unfortunately Jack’s bike wasn’t as lucky. It was completely totaled

After the end of the race Smokescreen caught up with the other cyclist. Grabbing her arm harshly and knocking off her helmet

“What the absolute fuck is wrong with you?! You nearly killed my friend!”

“That’s the point” the woman said

“What?”

“You all left me on that Lunar prison to die so I’m going to kill everything you’ve ever loved then I’m going to kill you”

One swift kick later, Smokescreen was on the ground and the woman was gone. Finally everything made sense. This wasn’t MECH. It was

“Airachnid”

Smokescreen took the injured Jack back to base where he got absolutely raked across the coals. By His mother, Fowler, Arcee, Lita, Even Optimus. Before things got too bad Smokescreen stepped in and told them that before they grill him they need to get him medical attention first. Which everyone agreed to. After Jack was patched up everyone had calmed down enough to have a more rational conversation and Jack was able to explain what was going on with their mystery attacker

-•-

After Jack’s incident the Jasper Trio had a sit down talk with all the adults. They weren’t little kids anymore and while they understood trying to protect them, they couldn’t lock them away in HangerE like rapunzel. So the restrictions were lessened.

Miko was allowed to go on missions again as long as the wreckers, team bee, or team Anthea were with her.

Raf was driven home every night by Bee or Ratchet.

And all the kids were allowed to leave whenever they wanted as long as they took an escort. And with a base full of human-ifed autobots and decepticons there was always a willing escort.

Meanwhile Arachnid was getting desperate. Attacking the little one didn’t work, nor the girl, or Arcee’s little pet. They knew who she was now and they were going to be expecting her. She had to take the first opening she could to attack the kids.

That’s how Arachnid found all the kids being driven around in a car. The man driving had red, blue, and white hair, The Prime obviously. And there was an older woman in the back seat with pink and black hair, the Prime’s conjunx? Arachnid had been told she died. Guess she’ll get the pleasure of killing Optimus’s conjunx herself after she’s slaughtered the children.

Arachnid, sped up her bike and crashed it directly into the side of the car. She managed to jump off the bike right before impact so she was uninjured. But the crash pushed the car off the road and into a ditch. Arachnid walked up to the front of the car and smashed in the windshield with her heel. The kids were barely conscious but Elita was trapped in the back and Optimus was pinned between the seat and the steering wheel.

Perfect a front row view.

Arachnid grabbed Jack, who had been sitting in the front seat and dragged him out of the car. Between his injuries from racing and the crash he was too weak to fight back. Arachnid pulled a knife out of her boot and raised it up

“Guess you’ll get to meet Arcee’s former partners after all”

Suddenly the revving of an engine was heard and a blue and pink motorcycle appeared out of seemingly nowhere. Slamming directly into Airachnid.

“Not today, not ever again”

Airachnid had been so focused on the kids she hadn’t noticed that Arcee and Knockout had been tailing them. Arcee managed to pin Airachnid to the ground and disarm her. Meanwhile Knockout got to work helping the kids, Op, and Lita out of the car and worked to treat their injuries.

“Kill me, you know you want to” Airachnid sneered

“No, that's what you want to do. And I’m not you”

Arcee slapped some handcuff on her and she was escorted back to base. Where she’d spend the rest of her time human in a jail cell and once she was back to normal she’d be transported to Cybertron for trial.

And for those of you wondering about Knockout’s revenge? Well, guess who personally volunteered to be Airachnid’s “physician” while she was in jail?

#submission #SCREAMS #CHERRI THIS IS AMAZING???#mortal machines #nova writings #tfp #transformers prime #humanformers #transformers rid15 #tf rid 2015 #tf rid15

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shiveringsoldier · 10 months

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I wrote an 1100-word review/essay about Dunkirk (2017) on a whim. Please enjoy.

-All we did is survive.

-That’s enough.

I don’t know if I can truly articulate just how much I adore this film, but I’ll try.

I’ll start with the tone. The tension is palpable from the first frame to the last. Even in the seemingly calm moments, the unease remains. Something seems off, or you sense the possibility that at any moment things can go horribly wrong. One can only sustain a suspenseful tone for so long, and Dunkirk is the perfect length for it.

The score and sound design do a lot to maintain that tone. The first two or three times I saw this film, I quite literally jumped at the first round of gunfire. The scream of the Stukas is terrifying, and the screams of soldiers under attack are jarring. Even when things are quiet, sound is a dead giveaway for things to come, whether it’s the barely perceptible rustle of an oncoming torpedo or trickles of water escalating to a flooded ship. The score is more about mood than melody. The use of tritones and the Shepard tone illusion add to the unease and tension, and the momentary triumph in the score as the little ships arrive feels so incredibly earned. This even continues through the end credits, with the score beginning with the more triumphant music and ending with Shivering Soldier’s leitmotif.

The cinematography is immaculate, from the aerial shots to the close-ups to the lighting to the blue and yellow color palette. I like the different timelines and the way they all come together for the climax and resolution. Everyone in the cast delivers a top-notch performance. And the minimal dialogue is so realistic. I love that there are no eloquent speeches or monologues. I love that we hear Churchill’s speech not through Churchill’s mouth but through a monotone reading from an exhausted Tommy. Collins and Farrier only communicate in compliance with RAF protocol. The communication among Tommy, Gibson, and Alex is largely nonverbal, mostly through glances and nods. The most verbal characters (Mr. Dawson, Peter, and George) are the ones who have known each other the longest. The first time I watched Dunkirk, I don’t think I noticed that Gibson hadn’t said anything until Alex pointed it out, but I guess that goes to show the effectiveness of the minimal dialogue.

A common criticism of the film, at least in 2017, is that the characters are poorly defined. I have never shared that issue. Despite the lack of extensive backstory – and, in some cases, the lack of names – for everyone except the Dawsons and George, I found myself deeply invested in every character the first time I saw this film back in July 2017, and I have found myself becoming even more invested over time. One video essay I saw says the characters in the film are defined by their actions, and I think that’s a very accurate assessment. We see that Gibson is resourceful. Collins is not as experienced as Farrier. Farrier’s stoic veneer occasionally cracks. Shivering Soldier appears to have been confident and practical prior to his traumatic event. Commander Bolton is calm and authoritative. Colonel Winnant keeps his composure despite his growing stress and despair. Tommy is aware of his surroundings. Alex is prone to paranoia and low self-esteem. Plus every character is driven by the inherently human need to survive and/or to help others. All of this is more than enough to get me invested.

Speaking of help, this film is filled with small but impactful moments of kindness. Tommy helps Gibson bury a body, and Gibson offers him water once the deed is done. Civilians offer food, tea, blankets, life jackets, and words of encouragement to weary soldiers. Soldiers treat dead bodies floating in the water with deference. Collins greets Peter with “Afternoon” after Peter rescues him. Mr. Dawson’s first action after rescuing Shivering Soldier is to ask him his name. Peter later lies to that same soldier to protect his feelings. No one can do anything to make this horrible situation go away, but everyone does what little they can to make the situation a little more bearable.

And I would be remiss if I didn’t talk at some length about Shivering Soldier, my favorite character from this film and one of my favorite characters period. He had my heart from the moment I saw him crouched atop the hull of the sunken ship, and my love for him has only grown over time. He doesn’t get a name, but he does get his own track in the score. We have only a vague idea of the trauma he’s experienced, but the flashback scene tells us it must have been something truly horrific. I’ve heard a couple of people say they didn’t even realize it was the same character at first. It is horrifying to think about his journey from escape to near death to rescue only to be forced to return to the hell from which he so desperately needs to escape. And as someone who survived multiple traumatic events in a span of about 13 months, I find myself relating almost uncomfortably to him.

I can’t speak highly enough about Cillian Murphy’s performance. He may not have terribly many lines, but he tells you everything with his eyes and his body language and the way he retreats into himself and recoils at the slightest provocation. I love that his panic builds up gradually rather than all at once. You know that it’s only a matter of time before he reaches his breaking point, and there’s nothing you can do but watch. And despite his inadvertent killing of George, I adore how sympathetic the film is to him. Mr. Dawson is so kind to him and tells George (and the audience by extension) that the soldier is traumatized, not cowardly. When Peter lies to the soldier and says George will be okay, Mr. Dawson nods approvingly. And when Mr. Dawson notices him trembling after the last-ditch Stuka attack, he helps him up and gives him a comforting pat on the shoulder. I don’t know, it’s just refreshing and comforting to see a traumatized character portrayed with such humanity and treated with such compassion.

This film is about a catastrophic defeat and people trapped in this hell when attempt after attempt to escape ends in disaster, but there is kindness to be found even in these horrible circumstances. And I just find that moving. And that’s why, despite the endless anxiety this film gives me, I consider it a comfort movie. I will never tire of it.

#Dunkirk #Dunkirk 2017 #.txt #*#dunkirkposting

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usafphantom2 · 7 months

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World War Two experimental catapult unearthed by archaeologists

17 hours ago

Bird's eye view of excavated Harwell catapultMOLA

The prototype catapult was unearthed at the site of a Harwell Science and Innovation Campus development

An experimental catapult designed to launch World War Two bomber planes into the sky has been excavated.

The prototype Royal Aircraft Establishment Mark III Catapult was unearthed at the site of a development at the Harwell Science and Innovation Campus in Oxfordshire.

It was made to enable take-offs using shorter runways and so the planes could be loaded with more fuel.

The contraption was built between 1938 and 1940 when the site was RAF Harwell.

The structure was filled in and by 1941 a normal runway was built across part of it

Archaeologists have been excavating the catapult's arms

However, the project was abandoned without ever launching an aircraft, because the engines would wear out and the design did not properly fit the bomber planes.

The mechanism was taken out and a normal runway built over the top.

The technology was a precursor to Catapult Armed Merchant (CAM) ships, which launched Hawker Hurricanes at sea via rocket-propelled catapults.

How was the catapult meant to work?

A turntable directed the planes to one of two short runways

A large rotating turntable directed aircraft towards one of two concrete track runways only 82m (269ft) long

The aircraft was attached to an underground pneumatic ram using a towing hook

Underneath the turntable Rolls-Royce Kestrel aero engines compressed air to 2,000 psi to drive the ram

High-pressured air was forced into the pneumatic ram, which rapidly expanded to the length of the guided track

The bomber would then be catapulted into the sky

The project was abandoned without ever launching an aircraft

Archaeologists at the Museum of London Archaeology (MOLA) have now recreated a 3D digital replica of the remains.

Project officer Susan Porter said: "This fascinating structure reminds us of the rapid experimentation and innovation of the interwar years and World War Two.

"Crucially, recording the location and appearance of every inch means that the catapult is preserved by record for future generations."

The catapult has now been dismantled to allow construction works in the area to continue

The catapult has now been dismantled to allow construction works in the area to continue, though the remains are being archived.

Excavations also uncovered large lights from another nearby runway, and a light anti-aircraft gun emplacement used to defend it from attack.

Follow BBC South on Facebook, X, or Instagram. Send your story ideas to [email protected].

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queer-starwars-bracket · 9 months

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Queer Star Wars Characters (Round 1): General Bracket Match 52

Alak | Identity: mlm | Media: The High Republic Adventures 2022

Alak was a member of Maz Kanata’s pirate crew. He was born to one of the ruling families of the Scarlet Skulls, a brutal group of mute assassins. However, the night before the initiation a baby was born, and seeing her innocence and the brutal life she’d be forced into, made him realize he couldn’t become a full Scarlet Skull, or let the same thing happen to her. He left, and eight years later he returned to destroy the cult and rescue her. She became his adoptive daughter and pirate prodigy Quiet Shan. He was part of Maz’s crew when she opposed the Dank Graks, a motley gang of Dark-siders attempting to take over Takodana. He was in love with the famous pirate hunter Raf Thatchburn. Their opposed occupations made things very difficult. When they talked over holo, the rest of the crew observed to make sure he didn’t give any information away. Chasing after the Graks when the kidnapped Maz led him and the crew to the Battle of Jedha, where he had a conversation about love with Dexter Jettster (who talked about his QPR with Maz). Shan overheard this conversation, and when Raf was also drawn into the chaos of the battle of Jedha, she saved his life. This made Raf realize he needed to be someone who deserved Alak and Shan’s trust, and he helped save Maz and Takodana from the Graks. He quit his job as a pirate hunter, becoming a pirate to properly get with Alak.

Vernestra Rwoh | Identity: aroace | Media: the High Republic Phase I

Gifted Kid SyndromeTM. Vernestra Rwoh is primarily a character in the middle grade High Republic novels (as appearing in the YA Out of the Shadows). A prodigy, she solves the problem with adults having to be out of the picture in middle grade novels by being one of the youngest Jedi Knights ever- being knighted at 15 after an unusually short term as Stellan Gios’ padawan also from an abnormally young age. As a padawan, she would fall unconscious when traveling through hyperspace and have visions, something that resolved itself on its own (unknown to any of the characters, this was an unrealized ability to navigate hyperspace). Following a vision from the Force, she secretly modified her lightsaber to become a light-whip.

She was on the Steady Wing, a diplomatic ship, that blew up and killed all of the adults. Working with the prodigious inventor Avon Starros, Honesty Weft, and the padawan Imri Canatros, they survived and captured the Nihil who sabotaged the ship. She also talked Imri down from the Dark Side and became his new master, despite their similar ages. During the Attack on the Republic Fair, she joined Ram Jamoram and Lula Talisola, who both looked up to her, in restoring communications on the planet. Later, she and her Padawan investigated a gravity well generator the Nihil were working on. During that time, her hyperspace visions were reactivated by Mari San Tekka. She was with the old woman when she finally managed to die, denying the Nihil any new Paths. She gave Venrestra one final path.

Later, following visions of Avon being in danger, she and Imri found that the Nihil were kidnapping children to be made into recruits on the planet Dalna. By leading the Jedi of the Dalna temple to the camp, they were able to alert Starlight Beacon and evacuate the planet before it was geologically destabilized by the Nihil’s kyber crystal experiments. She was in the top part of Starlight Beacon when it was destroyed and participated in the group effort to hold it together. She presumably escaped. As a prodigy, she had the maturity and serenity expected of a Jedi. Fear didn’t trouble her, but she struggled with self-doubt, wondering if she could really be a Jedi Knight and Master to someone the same age as her. She also understood not to let her friendship with Avon cause her to be more worried about her than the missing children on Dalna (commentary with how her being aroace doesn’t make her immune to attachment). She was also a terrible pilot. She has been confirmed to appear in Acolyte.

#star wars #sw #the high republic #sw thr #vernestra rwoh #sw thr phase i #sw thr phase ii

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pinturas-sgm-aviacion · 1 year

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1945 03 Strike and Strike Again - Robert Taylor

By the spring of 1945, Germany’s once all-conquering submarine fleet, driven by allied forces from its bases in western France, had fled to the relative safety of the Norwegian fjords. In one of Hitler’s last stands, more than 100 U-Boats, flakships and other military vessels were gathered in the narrow fjords, laying up by day and sailing under the cover of darkness.Tasked with the difficult job of eliminating this force were the Beaufighters and Mosquitos of RAF Coastal Command’s Strike Wingsbased in Scotland.Piloting the twin engine Beaufighter through the narrow fjords, hugging the cliff face at close to 300 mph and, with every enemy gun that could be brought to bear throwing up a wall of lead, these shipping strikes were not for the faint hearted. Shown here are Beaufighters of No 455 Squadron RAAF from the Dallachy Strike Wing as they skim the rugged rock face, exiting the target area after a successful rocket attack on shipping deep in a Norwegian fjord.Throughout the last weeks of World War II the aircrews of 455 Squadron continued to pound the elusive enemy with great courage and determination, upholding their squadron motto – Strike and Strike Again.

#robert taylor

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melishade · 7 months

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Attack on Prime Autobot Anthology: Music III

Main Story

Mikasa Ackerman

Wheeljack’s Perspective

A New Identity

Sixth Sense

"Alright, make sure to bring the metal to the Jackhammer!" Hanji informed the Survey Corps as they grabbed more broken metal pieces from the neutral ship.

"You don't have to help out with that," Arcee reasoned, "We're more then capable of getting the material ourselves."

"It keeps the Survey Corps active and gets them more acclimated with your world," Hanji reasoned, "Also, Wheeljack and I need smaller parts to make the 3D gear and the communicators. Us humans can fit into those small spaces to grab the smaller bits of metal. We have been using metal from the dead scraplets to make new weapons, and there still might be some dead ones in the ship."

"I found one!" Sasha exclaimed from the vent, holding a dead scraplet in her hands, "I'm catching up to Jean!"

"In your dreams, Potato Girl!" the soldier in question shouted.

"I'll make you eat those words!" Sasha swore.

"Case in point." Hanji grinned in response.

"I suppose that's one way to get rid of an infestation," Arcee commented, "Honestly, we just incinerated the scraplets that invaded our base."

"Oh, what happened there?" Hanji asked curiously.

"Don't really know the gritty details," Arcee admitted, "I was in the arctic with Optimus at the time."

Before Hanji could ask about that, they suddenly heard...music? Was that music? It sounded so rough and ridged....and loud. Despite the fact that it was outside, the sound vibrated through the walls of the ship, causing all the humans to stop their work. Levi, hearing the noise, had become visibly annoyed.

"Not this shit again," Levi swore.

"Wait, weren't you playing this last time when we came by to tell you to stop?" Armin asked Arcee as he walked up to her.

"It's a favorite from the list of music from Earth," Arcee explained.

"But it's so loud!" Connie winced at the noise before covering his ears.

"It makes Wheeljack productive," Arcee retorted.

"I'm telling him to turn it off." Levi stormed down the hall to exit the ship.

"...Yeah, Wheeljack's not going to listen to him," Arcee declared.

"What is he actually going to do?" Hanji asked.

"Turn it up," Arcee answered. As if on cue, the music became louder, causing more of the humans to cover their ears.

"He just hates anyone who's in charge, doesn't he?!" Hanji yelled.

"You have to earn his respect," Arcee explained.

"How do you do that?!" Eren asked.

"Blowing something up is a good start," Arcee quipped before walking down the hall. The others couldn't help but be curious and followed along. When they reached the door they peered outside to see Levi glaring up at Wheeljack, who was lying down on his ship, holding a data pad in his servos. The Wrecker was lying on his back, letting his helm hang on the edge to see the Captain. He merely grinned and turned up the volume just a little bit higher, but the Captain refused to cover his eyes.

"Wheeljack, you're going to make us lose our hearing over trying to make Levi crack!" Hanji yelled as they all covered their ears.

Wheeljack decided to pause the music before sitting up.

"You have shit taste in music," Levi swore, earning a cackle from the Wrecker.

"Doesn't sound like this world is any better," Wheeljack retorted, "What era are you guys even living in?"

"I don't know, but Optimus called the music in Marley 'ragtime'?" Armin recalled.

"That's 1920s music on Earth," Arcee proclaimed.

"What year is it now?" Eren asked.

"2010s or something," Wheeljack shrugged.

"That's almost a century!" Jean exclaimed.

"Yeah, and the humans there have a lot of music to listen to." Wheeljack waved the datapad around, "Jack, Miko, and Raf gave us a list of music and movies."

"Human allies," Arcee clarified.

"Got a request?" Wheeljack asked.

"I feel like all the requests are going to be bad," Eren admitted.

"Nah, it'll be fun," Wheeljack reassured.

Mikasa couldn't help but remember the music that she had listened to during the spring festival in Hizuru. Maybe, there was a way to recapture that. "...do you have something with a piano?"

"Let's check out the classical section," Wheeljack said as he scrolled through the list.

"I'm surprised classical made it onto the list but not country," Arcee remarked.

"It's considered stimulating I guess." Wheeljack found a song and selected it. The music started off slow and they could hear the sounds of the piano, but there was build-up, and the longer it played, the more ethereal it sounded. It sounded so foreign to them. Then the melody picked, and it almost sounded like someone was flying. To where? No one knew. But it felt like someone was dancing. There were no lyrics. No words to be said, but they could feel the emotion of it all...and then it stopped.

"What...what was that?" Eren asked, still trying to process it.

"Swan Lake by Tchaikovsky," Wheeljack answered, "The human's fairly popular. Made this before we got to Earth."

"Music that old usually has a lot of different covers and takes compared to the original piece," Arcee explained.

"That sounded wonderful," Hanji praised.

"And a lot better than the shit you were playing earlier," Levi declared.

"Oh then I've got one you'll really like." Wheeljack scrolled through the list, clearly seeing that comment as a challenge.

"Captain, I think you're just encouraging him," Armin declared.

"Got it!" Wheeljack selected the song.

Is this the real life? Is this just fantasy? Caught in a landslide, No escape from reality

"Well that's depressing," Sasha commented as the music continued, surprising a few of them with the harmonies.

"Bohemian Rhapsody by Queen," Wheeljack explained.

"I think the kids said that this was their first hit song," Arcee recalled.

"But they sound like men. Why did they call themselves 'Queen'?" Connie asked.

"And what's a rhapsody?" Sasha asked.

"We...don't really know," Arcee admitted, "The song was good so they put it on the list."

"Do people on that world just like to hear depressing songs?" Levi asked, "Because the song just said that 'I wish I'd never been born at all.'"

"It speaks to them," Wheeljack grinned, "So much so people would listen to six minutes of it."

"Six minutes?!" Eren exclaimed.

"I would actually like to listen to the rest of the song," Armin informed them as the guitar solo came on.

“I see a little silhouette-to of a man! Scaramouch! Scaramouch will you do the Fandango! Thunderbolts of lightning! Very, very frightening me!" Wheeljack sang along.

"Ooo, I like this," Hanji smiled.

“Galileo,” Wheeljack pointed to Arcee.

“Galileo.” Arcee rolled her optics in a teasing manner.

“Galileo!” Wheeljack repeated.

“Galileo Figaro!” Arcee managed to crack a smile, causing a few others to stare in surprise.

“Magnificoooo!” The Wrecker couldn't help but fall back and laugh.

"What even is this song?!" Levi demanded.

"A masterpiece is what it is!" Hanji declared.

"This is not music! I don't even know what this is!" Levi exclaimed.

"Boo! You have no taste!" Wheeljack jeered at him.

“Oh, Mama Mia! Mama Mia! Mama Mia, let me go!"

"Oh, the head banging is going to start soon," Arcee declared.

"Head banging?" Mikasa asked.

“Beelzebub, has a devil put aside for me! For me! FOR ME!" Wheeljack jumped off the Jackhammer as the guitar solo kicked in. Half of the Survey Corps looked at Wheeljack like he was crazy as he banged his helm to the music, while the other half couldn't help but join him. Even Levi found himself tapping his finger to the music, but he quickly stopped before anyone could notice. Arcee chuckled whilst she tapped her pede to the beat.

"This is so much fun!" Hanji exclaimed before turning to Wheeljack, "Do you have more?!"

"Slag yeah!" Wheeljack answered.

The Survey Corps found themselves staying at the neutral ship, dancing along to any and all the music on the data pad. Hours had passed, but they merely ate their rations and continued to dance along. When Optimus had returned to the ship, he was stunned to see the dance party that had ultimately formed. Some were now sitting down but were still clapping along to the music as some were forming their own dances to the music.

"Welcome back Optimus!" Hanji greeted as they were dancing with a begrudging Levi.

"I see you are dancing to some Earth music," Optimus remarked.

"Yes! There's so much from over a century!" Hanji agreed, "Do you want to join us like last time?!"

"Did they just say last time?" Arcee was flabbergasted.

"I believe I have something to attend to." Optimus quickly entered the neutral ship to avoid questioning from Arcee and Wheeljack. However, the two wheeler turned her attention to Hanji. "You made a Prime party?!"

"Is that bad?" Hanji asked in confusion.

"I...don't know!" Arcee admitted.

"I love this planet!" Wheeljack smiled before selecting another song, "Oh here's another!"

"Seid ihr das Essen?! Nein, wir sind die Jäger!"

"Nope! Too loud! Turn it off!" Levi ordered.

(I've been busy lately, what with this new job. So my posting my not be as frequent as people would like. I won't be doing another Halloween Anthology, but I will do one Autobot Anthology where they watch Halloween movies. Anyway I hope you enjoyed.)

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lonestarflight · 9 months

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"A RAF 90 Squadron B-17 Flying Fortress ('WP', serial number AN519) before taking off on a mission to attack the German capital ships Scharnhorst and Gneisenau in August 1941. Passed for publication August 8, 1941. Printed caption on reverse: 'The Flying Fortress. American engineering made history on July 24th, when for the first time, Fortress Aircraft dropped bombs on an enemy target from so great a height that the bombers were neither visible or audible from the ground. This formation of Fortress 'planes was the spearhead of the biggest daylight attack yet made by the R.A.F. With the battleships Scharnhorst and Gneisenau as their targets, their bombs fell with amazing accuracy then and on their subsequent flights over German territory. This triumph of American workmanship has proved one of the greatest successes of the war. Photo Shows:- The Flying Fortress before she makes a trip. F.N.A. Aug 1941.' Censor no: 154761. On reverse: Copyright Fox Photos, Approved For Issue Air Adviser and US Army General Section Press & Censorship Bureau."

Imperial War Museum: IWM FRE 11240

#Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress #B-17 #B-17D #Bomber #Royal Air Force #RAF #August #1941 #World War II #World War 2 #WWII #WW2 #WWII History #History #my post

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casposters · 1 year

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Fish in a barrel: An RAF Liberator sinks a surfaced U-boat

Although March 1943 marked the month with the highest Allied loss of shipping to U-boats in World War II, unknown to both sides, the course of the Battle of the Atlantic was about to change, and change dramatically, in favour of the Allies.

By the end of March the Allies had enough long-range and very-long-range patrol aircraft to cover the northern transatlantic convoy routes. The Allies installed a new ASV Mark III centimetre-wave radar on their aircraft. ASV Mark III could not be picked up by German Metox radar detectors, which detected the metre-wave transmissions of ASV Mark II radar. Less susceptible to ground clutter than the old Mark II ASV radar, it was less likely to lose a U-boat’s echo as it closed.

Combining ASV III with the Leigh light (a steerable aircraft-mounted spotlight) proved deadly to U-boats. An aircraft carrying the new radar could swoop down on a surfaced U-boat at night (especially a moonless night) and snap its Leigh light on to illuminate the U-boat just before the attack. This blinded the deck watch as well as illuminating the target.

These new tools were used by Coastal Command when they opened Operation Derange on 20 March 1943. Derange targeted U-boats crossing the Bay of Biscay at night, unaware their Metox detectors no longer warned of impending attacks. Over the spring and summer of 1943, Derange and subsequent operations soon made the Bay impossible to cross surfaced at night and dangerous even while submerged.

These tools were used to great effect throughout the North Atlantic starting in early 1943, including in the infamous air gap between Newfoundland and Iceland south of Greenland. March saw VLR Liberator squadrons moved to Iceland and Northern Ireland to cover the gap, including RAF No. 86 Squadron, which began operating out of RAF Ballykelly in Northern Ireland at the end of March.

One victim was U-632, a new boat on its second patrol. In the early morning hours of 6 April 1943, the U-boat had just sunk its second victim, the steamship Blitar, its first – and last – kill of its second patrol. Before dawn, nemesis appeared in the form of R-for-Roger, a Liberator Mark V of No. 86 Squadron. A VLR Liberator capable of flying 2,700nm, and carrying both ASV Mark III and a Leigh light, it was patrolling an area the Germans believed beyond the range of Allied aircraft. U-632 was not expecting company.

R-for-Roger picked up a contact on its Mark III radar. Homing in on the contact it spotted a Type VIIC boat heading west – U-632 – and dived to attack.

As it approached, it switched on its Leigh light, bathing the conning tower in light and firing with the two guns in its nose turret. Before U-632’s crew could react, the Liberator dropped depth charges on its target, bracketing the U-boat and creating fatal damage. The Liberator observed the U-boat sinking as it pulled away. There were no survivors. It was like shooting fish in a barrel.

Title: Battle of the Atlantic 1942–45 Authors: Mark Lardas & Edouard A. Groult

#WW2 #ATO #RAF #B-24 Liberator #Aviation #U-Boat #Naval

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captain-price-unofficially · 7 days

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A merchant ship is torpedoed during a convoy attack by Bristol Beaufighters of No. 144 Squadron RAF and No. 404 Squadron RCAF

#wwii #western front

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sonicasura · 26 days

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Imagine Megatron "capturing" the Ink Demon and going on this long spiel about controlling him or getting him to do whatever he wants, yadda yadda, only to figure out the Ink Demon is not only intelligent, but calculating and horrifically violent to anyone he doesn't like. And Megatron reminds him of Wilson, egotistical and full of himself, thinking himself above the Ink Demon.

Bendy is about to cause absolute havoc on the Nemesis and Megatron let it happen. The Ink Demon tends to roam around at night when Raf is sleeping. A behavior that stems from being restless so he usually tires himself out before returning.

This is how he gets 'nabbed' by Knockout through a specialized waterproof trap. Bendy is very annoyed about it especially when he's taken to Megatron who scrutinizes him like a new toy. Anyone who acts similar to Wilson is instantly on the top of his shit list.

Thus Bendy decides to wreak absolute havoc once everyone's back is turned. No one accounted for inky short range 'groundbridges' to be part of his skill set. Soundwave barely had time to check the footage where Bendy was being held before the Nemesis went to hell.

The Ink Demon had sabotaged some vital systems, slain multiple Vehicons, caused friendly fire injuries alongside ship damage with his inky aura and left Megatron a very nasty deep gash from faceplate to all away across his chasis via sneak attack then finally escaping off the ship. Everything happened in a span of a few hours. Thus Team Prime was unaware about it all as Bendy sneaks back into Raf's room to curl next to him for some sleep.

Meanwhile the Nemesis been forced to land in order to do some repairs. No one wanted Bendy back on the ship until Shockwave was found. Predaking also had a closer eye on him due to this very early development.

One rampaging monstrosity was enough for them. (They got off scot-free from Beast Bendy not making an appearance.)

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scotianostra · 2 years

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Doctor Margaret Thomson was born on August 20th 1902.

Born as Margaret Hunter in Leith, she went to Edinburgh Ladies College and then to the University of Edinburgh where she qualified as a doctor in 1926. Margaret married a rubber planter and went to live on Carey Island in what was then Malaya.

Margaret was one of six children and the third of four daughters of George Alexander Hunter, a bank secretary and solicitor, and his wife Margaret, née Robertson.

She had a comfortable upbringing and attended the Edinburgh Ladies College, an independent school now known as The Mary Erskine School. She went from there to Edinburgh University to study medicine, graduating in 1926 alongside one of her sisters.

Margaret Hunter became a GP in Lanarkshire where she met and married Daniel Thomson, a rubber planter and agricultural engineer by profession. The couple moved to a rubber plantation near Kuala Lumpur in what was then the Federated Malay States but which is now Malaysia, and Dr Thomson went to work in the local medical services.

When World War two broke out the Japanese army rampaged through Malaya in December 1941 and January 1942.

Dr Thomson and her husband went to Singapore where the British forces and civilian refugees were gathering. After the British and Commonwealth forces were soundly beaten, Dr Thomson tended to the wounded who were brought to the city.

The last ship to leave Singapore before its surrender was the SS Kuala and Margaret was on board, having been separated from her husband who was duly captured by the Japanese.

The Kuala was bombed at sea and sank, Dr Thomson being seriously wounded in the leg during the attack. The Japanese aircraft strafed the survivors in the water but she was rescued from the sea by Raymond Frazer of the RAF who got her into a lifeboat. There she cared for other wounded passengers using wreckage from the ship as makeshift splints, and then took part in an epic eight-hour row before the lifeboat was taken by Chinese fishermen to relative safety on Kebat and then Senajang islands.

There, despite her serious leg wound, she set about organising the medical care of the wounded and injured, carrying out several emergency operations.

Her wounded thigh turned septic and she was taken by stretcher to Sinkep from where she left with other women survivors to try and evade the Japanese. She was captured in Sumatra, however, and imprisoned in the brutal Djambi jail and then an even more primitive prisoner of war camp at Irenelaan, where another Scottish inmate was Norah Chambers who organised a choir to maintain morale.

The guards refused to pass on Red Cross medical supplies and Dr Thomson had to endure the deaths of many of her patients in the camp.

News of her courage on board the Kuala had been passed back to London and in August 1943 she was awarded the MBE “for her resolution and disregard of self, her sacrifice and admirable courage”, as stated in her citation.

Unbeknown to Thomson, her husband had been captured and made to work on the infamous Burma railway. Both of them survived, however, and returned after the war to the rubber plantation where she set up a health clinic.

The Thomsons came back to Scotland in 1950 and set up what was described as an innovative farm near Huntly. Daniel Thomson died in 1971 and Margaret lived on at Huntly until her own death on June 16, 1982 at the age of 79.

Her story was mentioned in several books and she really did advise the BBC on Tenko, but she never enjoyed talking about her wartime experiences. She never once watched an episode of the series.

There is no great monument to Dr Margaret Thomson as far as I know, but then there are precious few memorials to the women and men like her who were civilians who made their own contribution to the war effort.

#Scotland #scottish #doctor #far east #malaysia #world war two #japanese internment #history

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usafphantom2 · 7 months

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Russia reactivates Beriev Be-12 seaplanes from the Cold War era to detect Ukrainian naval drones

Fernando Valduga By Fernando Valduga 03/10/2023 - 23:10in Military, War Zones

In a twist that could come directly from a spy novel, Russia is deepening its Cold War manual to combat the cutting-edge technology of Ukraine's maritime drones.

Believe it or not, the Russian Navy is using its 1960s amphibious Beriev Be-12 plane to face the modern dilemma of Ukrainian naval drones. These drones have become a stone in the shoe of the Russian Black Sea Fleet, and Moscow bets that its updated but aged Beriev Be-12 may rise to the challenge.

According to Business Insider India, in the last two months, Ukraine has intensified its operations against the Russian Black Sea Fleet, despite not having a traditional navy. The Ukrainian military has unleashed cruise missile attacks against vital shipyards and fleet headquarters, while mobilizing unmanned surface ships, or naval drones, against Russian naval means. These economic drones, loaded with explosives, have emerged as a significant challenge for Russia.

Ukraine is ambitiously developing what it describes as "the world's first naval fleet of drones". These maritime drones have already inflicted damage on Russian ships, including the Olenegorsky Gornyak and the merchant oil tanker Sig. Although the Russian Ministry of Defense has contested these allegations, it continues to seek effective countermeasures against these maritime threats.

The Beriev Be-12 Chayka ("Seagull", NATO report name: Mail), which made its maiden flight in 1960, is not an ordinary aircraft. Designed with a V-shaped arched wing for takeoffs in the water and a lower fuselage similar to a ship for landings in the water, even in stormy conditions, the Be-12 is a relic with remarkable capabilities. It is powered by turboprop engines from the Soviet era, adding a layer of nostalgia to its modernized capabilities. The aircraft can fly at speeds above 500 km/h and has a fuel reserve that allows missions with an extension of more than 4,000 km or a duration of several hours. The aircraft is armed with a series of mines, torpedoes and bombs.

In 2018, the Russian Navy decided to give new life to these old aircraft. The modernization equipped the Be-12 with a completely new aiming system and modern weaponry. Despite being the oldest aircraft still in operation in the Russian armed forces, the updated Be-12 are expected to radically improve Russia's reconnaissance capabilities against enemy submarines through hydroacoustic, radar and magnetic detection systems. The aircraft will also be armed with modern anti-submarine torpedoes and depth bombs.

The Beriev Be-12 are currently stationed at Kacha Air Base in Crimea. The Russian high command seems to believe that these modernized aircraft could be a game changer in the fight against the Ukrainian naval threat in the Black Sea.

Tags: Military AviationBerievRussiaWar Zones - Russia/Ukraine

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Fernando Valduga

Aviation photographer and pilot since 1992, he has participated in several events and air operations, such as Cruzex, AirVenture, Daytona Airshow and FIDAE. He has work published in specialized aviation magazines in Brazil and abroad. Uses Canon equipment during his photographic work throughout the world of aviation.