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SAS ROGUE HEROES + text posts i find on pinterest

#sas rogue heroes #paddy mayne #sas:rh #sasrh&tp #have u ever seen someone reject heterosexuality so blatanly #great scene #love u paddy

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SAS ROGUE HEROES + text posts i find on pinterest

#sas rogue heroes #eoin mcgonigal #sasrh&tp #sas:rh #will this be a thing i do now? #it might just be idk

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a totally unbiased (no) and mostly serious (i guess) spoiler-free primer

I've seen a bunch of posts floating around encouraging people into the fandom, or HBO War people looking for a new fandom/show to sink their teeth into. Here's my effot to add to the propaganda, because I've been in this fandom since Nov '22, it's delightful here and I always love a new SASRH friend to chat to.

tl;dr: it's a lot of fun

premise & setting

SAS: Rogue Heroes is the story of the founding of the original* Special Air Service (SAS) of the British Army during WW2. It centres three of the initial founders, David Stirling, Blair 'Paddy' Mayne and Jock Lewes. Two of other men credited as founding the SAS, Bill Fraser and Georges Bergé also feature. Bill Stirling, David's older brother and integral to the founding of the SAS, will feature in series 2.

Series 1 is 6 episodes long, covering events from the North African campaign from May '41 through Jan '43. Series 2 has been filmed and will move the action to Europe.

Based largely on the book, SAS: Rogue Heroes by Ben Macintyre.

*it was disbanded in Oct '45, and reformed in '47, ultimately leading, through various machinations, to the modern day SAS.

historical accuracy

Somewhat more fast and loose with history than Band of Brothers, The Pacific or Masters of the Air, but not bad enough to send historians spiralling into deep despair, with one very important caveat: the depiction of Paddy Mayne. More on him and this in a moment. However, it has generally been well received. Damien Lewis (the author and historian, not the actor) said "...it's reasonably realistic. It tells a great yarn. I think they've used some artistic license, I can understand why they've done so to a certain extent... Generally they've got the equipment and the kit bang on, I think they had some very good advisers." (here)

There are some weird timeline issues, which I think is caused largely by odd pacing and editing. I'd not worry about this too much, otherwise you'll break your brain. Likewise, liberties have been taken with the geography, which I think is a bit more heinous, but ymmv.

characters: lads lads lads lads lads

after the first four, these are in no order of importance, before anyone gets on at me about their favourite. i also appreciate there are other characters but this bit was already getting really long.

david stirling (connor swindells) - the dreamer

Arrogant, manipulative, clever, charismatic bastard. David Stirling is fueled chiefly by daddy issues and an inferiority complex a mile wide. Connor Swindells walks a beautiful line between swagger and vulnerability. He does not let things like "common sense", "safety precautions" or "understanding the implications" get in the way of doing important things like flinging himself out of a plane in the middle of the desert or talking his way into army bases armed with nothing but crutches and chutzpah.

blair 'paddy' mayne (jack o'connell) - the madman

Paddy Mayne my BELOVED. Character of all time. He's a drinker, a fighter and abhors a bully. For most of the show, we see him at his most desperate and most angry and arguably most violent. HOWEVER, he's also a highly intelligent, sensitive, compassionate poet and voracious reader; if there's a bunch of poetry being quoted, it's probably Paddy doing it. He loves so very deeply. His depiction in the show is a bit of a bone of contention with family and historians - some people read him as being depicted as a violent thug only, and that's not what the real Blair Mayne was like. Which is simultaneously true and not true. Blair Mayne was an incredibly complicated man.

The other contentious-to-some point is that the show does deliberately suggest his queerness, something Jack O'Connell has talked about in interviews. Some people have taken issue with this. Either way, for those who saw the sand wrestling gifs and wanted to know if SASRH was just queerbaiting, the answer is no, actually. But don't expect anything explicit on this front.

Jack O'Connell looks like he's having a fucking fantastic time.

jock lewes (alfie allen) - the creator

In real life, Jock Lewes was nicknamed "The Wizard", how great is that? David, Paddy and David met in training and are referred to in show as "the Three Musketeers". He is basically the mediator between Paddy and David, which sounds dull, except Jock is also batshit and clever and scary. He makes all the lads do intense marches in the desert without water, but is never willing to ask someone to do what he wouldn't do. Trouble is, as mentions, he is batshit so his standards are VERY VERY HIGH. He also has a fiancee, Mirren, whomst he loves very much and their relationship is so tender and brings me to tears on the regular.

eve mansour (sofia boutella)

Eve works for French Military Intelligence and quietly drives a lot of action behind the scenes. She's a totally fictional invention for the show and I'd be madder about it if Sofia Boutella wasn't being gorgeous and smart all over the place. She is focused on the goal and is generally just. Queen.

dudley clarke (dominic west)

Not so much a member of the SAS as the guy who helps Stirling bring this plan to fruition. He's great fun, charming and affable, and just as dangerous as anyone else. Dudley Clarke doesn't get enough credit, I think.

mike sadler (tom glynn-carney)

Mike Sadler my OTHER beloved. I joke about Mike coming to fix all the stuff around my flat that doesn't work and it's because he's singlehandedly the most competent member of the entire SAS, I think. His introduction scene is the sexiest thing on the entire show. He only gets introduced in episode 3, but in my heart we have six seasons and a movie with him. He's a member of the Long Range Desert Group and knows more about navigating the landscape than anyone. The LRDG are barely part of the show (save for Mike) and are well worth looking up.

IRL Mike Sadler actually only passed away this year, at the age of 103.

eoin mcgonigal (dónal finn)

Most of what Eoin's around for in SAS: RH is to hang out being impossibly beautiful and being ride or die for Paddy Mayne. Dónal Finn and Jack O'Connell created the most beautiful relationship told in touches. Drives me mad. He's also the first one who really understands who Paddy is beyond the brash and violent front. Eoin McGonigal is certainly a creature.

bill fraser, johnny cooper, reg seekings, jim almonds, dave kershaw, pat riley

(stuart campbell, jacob mccarthy, theo barklem-biggs, corin silva, bobby schofield, jacob ifan)

Look, there are a lot of lads and I can't do them all justice. Some of these folks get a lot more to do than the others, and they're all distinct characters in their own right. There are two matched set duos, Reg & Johnny (enemies to lovers, 150k) and Jim & Pat (do not seperate). Jim & Pat were Jock's crew prior to the SAS and the way he gets them to join is basically by saying "hey, there's a really stupid and dangerous thing i want to do, you in?" and they do this:

each and every one of them is as bad as the others.

augustin jordan, georges bergé, andré zirnheld

Free French paratroopers, who Stirling is reluctantly forced into accepting into the SAS by Eve and Clarke. TBF, this is where SAS: RH really starts playing with history, though it serves the narrative well enough. Show!Augustin Jordan was a former professor of Philosophy at La Sorbonne, and is also a tall dark haired man, so you can see how Paddy Mayne is gonna struggle.

I had to use the sand wrestling gif here (that's augustin), you've probably seen it. It's a surprisingly interesting character scene, would you believe.

There are several other named characters, but I'm running out of energy.

other stuff

OK, so I've lost my thread here a bit. SAS: Rogue Heroes is fun, first and foremost. It really does fall down on the side of "Cool Boys Doing War", so if that's not your thing, maybe you'll not enjoy it. I personally do. And I think it does have some further depth to it than that, even if that's where it comes back to. I've never seen Peaky Blinders, but apparently it's a bit like that? IDK.

While it's very violent, I don't think it's as brutal as the HBO War shows. It's a much more heightened kind of drama, so there's a step removal I think, from the really visceral. That said, it's still a war drama, and it does feature some very nasty business.

soundtrack

it's mostly hard rock and if you don't like this, idk what to tell you. i fucking love it. once again though, mike sadler gets the best of this. you'll know it when you see it.

the fandom

The SAS Rogue Heroes fandom is small but it is mighty and it genuinely is very friendly. There is a Discord if you like, but you don't have to do it if Discord is not your thing.

While the overriding popular ship is Paddy/Eoin, Paddy/Augustin and Reg/Johnny are also wildly popular. That said, we are fond of a rarepair in this fandom, and I personally have embarked on a mission of shipping Mike Sadler with every other character. Everyone's very encouraging of wild ideas and aus, anything's welcome.

A few people are writing OCs, and that too is great. I encourage more of that! I don't think I've seen any x Reader yet, but never say never.

Come join us!

a brief suggested further reading

you really don't have to do any of this, but like, some of you are nerds, i get it. i also got a lot of other recs, but these are some good starters. you can hit me up for more, it's all good.

SAS: Rogue Heroes by Ben Macintyre

SAS Brothers in Arms: Churchill's Desperadoes - Damien Lewis

SAS: An Illustrated History of the SAS - Joshua Levine

Speed, Aggression, Surprise: The Untold Secret Origins of the SAS - Tom Petch

One of the Originals: Story of a Founder Member of the S.A.S. - Anthony Kemp & Johnny Cooper (Johnny Cooper's memoir and imo, if you read nothing else, read this)

The Phantom Major: The Story of David Stirling & the SAS Regiment - Virginia Cowles (this was written in 1958. There is a "rebuttal" biog, The Phoney Major by Gavin Mortimer, which also contains a lot of info, but I find Mortimer's bias against Stirling incredibly difficult to stomach. Difficult.)

Paddy Mayne - Hamish Ross (honestly, I'd not bother with other biogs of Blair Mayne unless you want to do a lot of reading around and getting cross)

Special Forces Brothers in Arms: Eoin & Ambrose McGonigal - Patric McGonigal (this is so personal and so beautiful, I cried several times reading it. written by Eoin's great-nephew. Ambrose, Eoin's older brother was part of the SBS, Special Boat Service, who are ALSO very interesting)

Gentleman Jim: The Wartime Story of a Founder of the SAS and Special Forces - Lorna Almonds-Windmill (another biog by a family member, this one is gentle and told with love)

Joy Street: A Wartime Romance in Letters - the published correspondence between Jock Lewes and Mirren Barford. A slightly different kind of book, but gosh. It really hits.

...and that's all I got for you right now. I could talk about this show for days though.

(forgot to add: my SAS RH blog is @regseekings, I posted this on here for the HBO war fandom)

#sas rogue heroes #THIS IS ABSOLUTELY WONDERFULLY WRITTEN #and a very accurate list of reasons why everyone should actually watch this show at least once #you will most definitely NOT regret it #its so so so so so soooooo good you'll want to rewatch plenty and will probably find hidden gems every time #and as stated here the fandom is delightful #im not necessarily very active sans liking every single post ever made #(sorry) #but everyone seems lovely #so yes please start watching sas:rh do your self a favour and get all caught up before s2

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The SAS did not find Eoin McGonigal in the desert after their ill-fated first official mission. -- they do so somewhere else, much later.

Back on my writing, this time in a new fandom! If you've seen SAS: Rogue Heroes and if you haven't please do and are interested in a Eoin didn't die and was taken as POW instead piece, you might want to check it out!

#sas rogue heroes #eoin mcgonigal #augustin jordan #slowly taking the current hyperfixation from the note apps on my phone to ao3 #this show has been consuming my every waking hour since like august 2023 and i dont mind it one bit

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ryan gosling talking about kenergy has THE BIGGEST KON VIBES ??? like, im just here seeing the interviews and nodding like yes, absolutely, that is og superboy just hatched from the test tube giving interviews, and i need art on it asap

#conner kent #superboy #kon-el #also barbie is a great movie and the yj group would 10/10 go to watch it all dressed up in pink #i do not accept criticism

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✨ Billy Batson and Jonathan Kent ✨

#a fairy gets its wings each time someone ships billyjon #BILLYJON MY BELOVED!!!!! #LOOK AT THEM THEY'RE SO CUTEEEEE #op you're so real for this and i want you to know that #it makes me SO HAPPY to see art of them im jfhjdd #THANK YOU FOR THIS you're great

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EDITS » DAMIJON + Heaven, Iowa by Fall Out Boys

star-crossed lovers, forever here we are untouched forever i’m saving this all for later

#damian wayne #jon kent #damijon #listen i hated this as much as the next person #and fuck tt specifically #BUT #this still made me emo as fuck when i saw it ESPECIALLY NOTICING THE PARALLEL #this was queer coded yall #AND THEN WHEN I WAS LISTENING TO THIS SONG AFTERWARDS LIKE #i could've easily put the whole song in there #anyways damijon my beloved #I'LL JUST SIT HERE SO YOURE NOT ALONE LIKE !!! #brb gtg cry for a bit #g.: edits #ch.: jon kent #ch.: damian wayne #r.: damian and jon

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Wayne Family Adventures

#sUCKS IN A BREATH #I KNEW I DID WELL ON TRUSTING WFA #THEYVE DONE IT AGAIN!!!!! #i cant put into words #how much this image means to me #UNFOLLOW ME RN #THIS IS ALL ILL BE TALKING ABOUT FOR THE FORESEEABLE FUTURE #just noticed the s*permartian in the bg #and i gagged a little #guess it couldnt be perfect #BUT LOOK AT THEM!!!! #MY BOYS #ch.: kon-el / conner kent #ch.: jon kent

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BILLY BATSON, DAMIAN WAYNE & JON KENT 

Lazarus Planet: Revenge of the Gods #2 (2023) / Robin #12 (2021) / Adventures of Superman: Jon Kent #1 (2023)

#billy batson #damian wayne #jon kent #shazam #@ dc stop being cowards give us this trinity #THE POWER theyd wield together pls #LOOK AT THEM !!! #my blorbos i love them sm #so hot together #ch.: billy batson #ch.: damian wayne #ch.: jon kent #r.: billy damian and jon

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i refuse to believe that this corny shit

doesn’t come after they had been watching high school musical. i refuse to believe it, LOOK AT TIM’S KNOWING SMIRK PLEASE hes so smitten he thinks it’s hilarious.

I MEAN SERIOUSLY

its literally the same picture

#tim drake #bernard dowd #timber #this is literally the only thing ive been thinking about since reading this issue #you cant convince me they didnt spent a whole day marathoning hsm and commenting on everything #that is this masterpiece #they both made fun of the t for troy line #but lowkey found it cute #and then bernard got shit done

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I’m constantly thinking about this panel… Peak romance,,,

The way Jon mentioned about ‘that snow day’ and the flow of conversation. Also Damian’s favorite line wasn’t in the original movie so what they’re actually talking about is Damian’s favorite line when they were playing as the characters.

It’s just so dhsjfkhdsjkfhkjashdk

#i might be biased #(probably am lbr) #but adventures of the super sons has at the very least a few instances #of some panels which could be romance coded #romance for like 12-year-olds ofc :/ #WHICH IS PERFECT cause they're smols #anyways this run is everything #they are everything #lets you and me jump in that river im ://

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someone might have pointed this out already, but the cardigan/august/betty love triangle has BIG babs/kory/dick vibes, and tbh my final veredict is that dick needs to attend therapy before even attempting to get back into a relationship with either of them (or anyone for that matter)

#dick grayson #barbara gordon #kory anders #dick sweetie ilu but all three of you deserve better and it all starts with therapy #this week in mel attaches taylor swift songs to any and all dc characters

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the thing about kon is that he’s charming and silly. to the untrained eyes he’s all jokes and flirting and grins and he never takes anything seriously. but it’s all a front and underneath there’s an insecure kid. the kid who was made to replace a man. the kid who was preyed on and used by the adults around him. the kid who’s image was sold. the kid who thought all his friends would grow up without him. the kid who didn’t have a name for years. the kid who was homeless and had nowhere to go. the kid who didn’t get a family until he wasn’t much of a kid anymore. he boxes up that kid and hides him deep inside. he smiles and laughs and pretends his chest isn’t aching. because if he doesn’t pretend everything is fine then it won’t be. everything turned out alright in the end. dredging up the past won’t change anything. he’s grateful for what he has now. he shouldn’t complain. he’s superboy. people have it so much worse than him. it wasn’t that bad, right?

#tridimensional portrayals of conner kent can be so personal to me #and i need everyone who even looks in his general direction to UNDERSTAND just how much he went through #even before he was claimed as half luthor this poor lab baby went through SO MUCH #he deserves hugs and ice cream #and a warm homemade meal by ma kent

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EDITS » BATS (&CO) IN SOCIAL MEDIA: TWITTER EDITION (1/??)

Brucey Wayne has not always been the sweet, proud father of six he is right now, and all of Gotham remembers it. His kids included.

#batfam #batfamily #dick grayson #tim drake #duke thomas #stephanie brown #damian wayne #jason todd #they're all more than happy to drag their dad at all times #it's part of sibling bonding time #duke and jay arent verified yet and they brag about that fact #steph has dated tim and is currently dating cass so she should have driving rights she thinks #g.: sm #g.: edits #r.: wayne family #r.: bats

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poly ships are so fucking perfect and i wish there was more. i wish there were more fics exploring three people falling in love, or two people building a friendship and growing closer because they’re both in love with the same person. i want art and head canons and all of it. there’s so much that’s untapped because not enough people seem to want to go in that direction and it’s really sad

#and this is why i make it my mission to try and push the billydamijon agenda #give me poly ships or give me death #but id love to see more of it truly

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So we all know Billy got the courage of Achilles right?? That means he's 1/6th gay we're winning

#op so real for this #AT LEAST 1/6th gay is absolutely correct #we stan an icon #this is certainly one of my favourite tidbits about billy

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operation conceal, ch 2

fandom: dc comics / supersons / shazam warning: none   summary:   Billy Batson would very much like to remind everyone that the wisdom of Solomon does not really hit when he's not in Champion form. Which means that of course he wasn't really thinking when, in order not to expose the secret mission they had been working on, he tells Batman and Superman that he's going out with their children. As in dating. Both of them.     notes: as i rewrote ch 5 to finally update, i realized i didn’t keep on crossposting here? so. leaving this here now:  chapter one is here, and you can find it in a03 as well.

Jon paces around his room, still wearing most of his school uniform save from his blazer and tie, items he had discarded as soon as he'd got home and right before he'd started his nervous walking, about an hour ago. He picks up his phone from his desk for the third time in the last thirty minutes and, once again, he opens his texts.

JUNIOR SQUAD !

>> DAMI: I'll be expecting you at 6 sharp. >> DAMI: I have already drafted a possible story but we need to be sure on the details >> DAMI: Plus rehearse. >> DAMI: DO NOT. Be late.

>> BILLY: Is this a new extracurricular or??

>> DAMI: Need I remind you this it your fault, Batson?

>> BILLY: 6 sharp. Got it.

He had only sent a thumbs up emoji, not really trusting himself to add anything else. What had Damian decided, and how much of it was he gonna hate? Also, and most importantly, what did he mean by rehearse? They were pretending to have gone on dates, so did that mean they were going to have to...

Heat rushes quickly from his toes to the tip of his ears, and he immediately slams his phone down back onto the desk. Maybe a bit too hard. (He should probably check the screen.)

No. He is surely just getting ahead of himself due to the stress. Damian is barely okay with, like, a fist bump in a good day, there's absolutely no way he'd suggest for them to--

No. No, there's surely a well-thought plan that'll get them out of this weird situation in record time without making it weirder because it's Damian, and Damian always solves things! So this is just bound to be yet another one of those things - they'll go, follow the plan, undo this weird scenario, go ahead with their former plan and actual reason why they got together in the first place without anyone knowing, and as an added bonus, Jon can go about his life without confronting the fact he's got a crush on his two best friends.

Not one, no, because that'd have been too normal, too easy - on two. And, ulitmately, that is the real reason why he's been pacing his room so much he could've easily made a hole on the floor: sure, he doesn't really want Billy and Damian to know his heart does a flip when they so much look at him; but at the same time, his heart does do a flip when they so much look at him, so what is he supposed to do? Should he take advantage of this whole (fake) dating atmosphere and, as Kon says it, shoot his shot? Or should he wait until after this forced upon romantic environment is terminated to maybe try and do something about it? Should he go wearing his Superboy suit, or should he try and... make an effort? Try to look nice?

That is his main concern, as stupid as it sounds. That's why he's been alternating his gaze between all the nice (clean) clothes he'd found in his closet and that are now in display on his bed, and the supersuit drapped over the chair next to his desk every three or four rounds of pacing. Technically, Damian made it sound like it was just another layer added to their mission, which obviously points at his uniform. However, he also clearly said they're going to discuss (and rehearse!!!) the whole dating thing, so...

He goes back to look at his phone. 5:43.

>> BILLY: Omw >> BILLY: Need me to pick anything up?

>> uhhuh i could do noodles ??

>> DAMI: Jonathan, this is not a picnic.

>> BILLY: I'll get you some if I can fin d them!

He almost sends a heart emoji, out of poor reflex, but thankfully stops himself just in time. Would that be too much? Would they see right through him? Just to be safe, he opts for a smiley face, right when another text comes through.

>> DAMI: Would you both just hurry? There's work to be done.

Jon can almost hear his best friend's scoffing, and that finally steers him to move and pick up his uniform. He takes a deep breath - business it is. Maybe that's for the best; maybe wearing his suit would put him in the right mindset and keep him from doing or saying something embarrassing that would just. Expose him to his two crushes. That'd be pretty cool, if he could achieve that.

Rao, if you're hearing, he thinks to himself as he jumps out the window. Please don't let me ruin it.

#damijon #billyjon #billydamijon #Billy Batson #Damian Wayne #Jon Kent #obsessed with the three of them #ch.: jon kent #ch.: billy batson #ch.: damian wayne #r.: billy damian and jon