That is, an announcement of specials, not an announcement that is itself special.

Finally got around to thinking of giving Our Witches at War its own forum tab last night, and here it is today (after a couple of teething problems that shouldn't be repeated, owing to a bit of the DCF config that got silently broken when we last migrated the server). To inaugurate it, I thought I'd take note of what we've got in the pipe, lest you think that the series (which, I am aghast to note, has been in abeyance for something like a year now) had been canceled or something:

1) The plan is still to revamp Our Fighting Fleet into a numbered episode and link it more tightly into the main storyline than was originally intended; however, due to recent plotting developments, it now appears as though it will be episode #21, not #20 as previously assumed. It retains its "special" label despite being worked into the main series because it will almost certainly be rather longer than usual. You might think of it as one of those "movie eps" prime-time shows do sometimes.

2) In a similar vein, the episode that's elbowed in before it will probably also run a little long, but even if it doesn't, it'll be unusual enough to warrant being labeled a special in its own right. Set almost entirely in 1941—around 2½ years before the canonical Strike Witches and long before the 501st Joint Fighter Wing was founded—and depicting an incident of enormous significance to the war in Europe, OWaW #20 will feature very few of the regular cast members, but should provide a unique insight into those that it does. A more informative (and entertaining) teaser will hopefully follow once the story is a little better locked down.

Mind you, all of this is contingent on the brain weather, and I'll be honest with you, the heroic effort to finish Fulcrum 5 notwithstanding, that hasn't been so great around these parts lately. But never say never, the fall semester ends in a couple of weeks and the days will start getting longer not too long after that, so who knows. Anyway, for now, keep your knees loose and, as always, thanks for your support and forbearance.

--G.
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Benjamin D. Hutchins, Co-Founder, Editor-in-Chief, & Forum Mod
Eyrie Productions, Unlimited http://www.eyrie-productions.com/
zgryphon at that email service Google has
Ceterum censeo Carthaginem esse delendam.