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Conferences Our Witches at War/Gallian Gothic Topic #140
Reading Topic #140
Gryphonadmin
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21552 posts
Jul-16-22, 01:40 AM (EDT)
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"geography lesson"
 
   Something I'm not sure I've mentioned in the Annotations is that I use Google Maps to keep track of where things are happening in Our Witches at War and Gallian Gothic. Over the course of the series I've built up a little pile of waypoints that probably have some algorithm somewhere thinking I'm planning a European vacation. Earlier it occurred to me that it might be fun to share a snapshot of the process, in order to give a clearer idea of where various events in the series have happened relative to each other.

The five starred locations with the yellow pins are places where things have happened in the last few episodes:

- The one in the middle of the English Channel is the approximate location of the SS Hyperion rescue battle in To Glory We Steer.
- The one on the English coast is Folkestone, the approximate location of both HMS Barbican and RAF Crone Rock (the latter of which is set on a fictional island just off Folkestone Beach).
- The triangle of stars in the east of the map are the key locations in Witch Hunt. The southern one is Château Saint-Ulrich, the one to the north of it is Château de Lichtenberg, and the one near Stuttgart is Schloss Hexeberg (in real life, Waldeck Castle).

Several other notable places in the series are visible within the bounds of this map, though not specifically starred, including Colmar, just to the south of Saint-Ulrich; Freiburg, which is right across the Rhine to the east of Colmar; Paris, of course; Bruges, up on the Belgian coast; Le Havre, northwest of Paris, where Hyperion and Prinzessin Eugenie put in at the end of To Glory We Steer; and, in the lower right corner, the area in Switzerland between Zürich and Basel where Meiling and Flandre are currently having a bit of a hike. Also, this view is too zoomed out for the dot to appear, but the Fortress of Mimoyecques is a short distance southwest of Calais, right across the Channel from Folkestone.

It's a busy little corner of the world in the summer of '46...

--G.
-><-
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.


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  Subject     Author     Message Date     ID  
  RE: geography lesson Verbena Jul-16-22 1
  RE: geography lesson Peter Eng Jul-16-22 2
     RE: geography lesson Gryphonadmin Jul-16-22 3
  RE: geography lesson The Traitor Jul-18-22 4
     RE: geography lesson Peter Eng Jul-18-22 5
     RE: geography lesson Star Ranger4 Jul-21-22 6
         RE: geography lesson The Traitor Jul-22-22 8
             RE: geography lesson Star Ranger4 Aug-02-22 12
     RE: geography lesson Gryphonadmin Jul-22-22 7
         RE: geography lesson The Traitor Jul-22-22 9
             RE: geography lesson Senji Jul-22-22 10
                 RE: geography lesson The Traitor Jul-22-22 11

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Verbena
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998 posts
Jul-16-22, 12:03 PM (EDT)
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1. "RE: geography lesson"
In response to message #0
 
   >It's a busy little corner of the world in the summer of '46...

Yes, it is! This is fairly close to the impression I had in mind of what was going on, but seeing it on a map really helps visualize some of what's going on. Thank you for sharing!

------
Authors of our fates
Orchestrate our fall from grace
Poorest players on the stage
Our defiance drives us straight to the edge


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Peter Eng
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1902 posts
Jul-16-22, 01:04 PM (EDT)
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2. "RE: geography lesson"
In response to message #0
 
   Does that make The Corner (ep. 12, when Erica meets Neuroi-chan) that angle that roughly points towards Karlsruhe?

Peter Eng
--
Insert humorous comment here.


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Gryphonadmin
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Jul-16-22, 02:51 PM (EDT)
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3. "RE: geography lesson"
In response to message #2
 
   LAST EDITED ON Jul-16-22 AT 03:52 PM (EDT)
 
>Does that make The Corner (ep. 12, when Erica meets Neuroi-chan) that
>angle that roughly points towards Karlsruhe?

Yep. That's the point at which the river Lauter joins the Rhine, defining the northern boundary of Alsace.

--G.
-><-
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.


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The Traitor
Member since Feb-24-09
1146 posts
Jul-18-22, 05:42 AM (EDT)
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4. "RE: geography lesson"
In response to message #0
 
   You know, if you need some way for the 501st to appear in Folkestone en masse, you could use RAF Manston. It had a reinforced runway nine thousand feet long, developed in our world for use as an emergency landing strip for bombers who needed to get down fast. I imagine it's used for much the same purpose in OWAW canon, with RAF Strike Witches limping home after sustaining serious battle damage.

Perhaps they could spend the day at Dreamland in Margate, as by 1946 OTL it had reopened to the public. The site had been requisitioned by the Government in 1940, but given how the Neuroi conduct their wars I can't see it remaining closed for business in the timeframe of OWAW. It'd be good for them, I think. Not because the park's wooden Scenic Railway coaster might provide thrills to combat pilots, but because it's a chance to be normal for a bit. The 501st have had to be serious for so long that some R&R in a fun park right next to the seaside feels... not necessary, not exactly, but like it would do them a power of good. Plus, you are now imagining Flan sat on a beach in a very Victorian bathing costume being utterly enraptured by a Punch And Judy man putting on a puppet show.

Please find enclosed some relevant imagery:-


Fig. 1: A shot of Dreamland in 1946, showing some of the sideshows and attractions. Gertrude is not allowed to use her nascent powers of the Force to cheat on the Hook-A-Duck.


Fig. 2: The gardens at Dreamland during the 1930s. They were still there in the late 40s and 50s, and it was part of the marketing that Dreamland was "a pleasure park in a flower garden". I imagine some of the sapphic couples in the unit are taking a break to hold hands in the shadow of the (fake, built in the 1870s) ruins of the abbey amidst the flowers.


Fig. 3: The Scenic Railway, along with the entrance to the Magic Garden, an illuminated garden area with lots of electric lighting sculptures. This photo's from 1951, but the coaster isn't any different. Not pictured: Francesca trying to finagle her way into being the brakeman, to the quiet terror of the unit.


The golden sands of Margate seafront in the summer season of 1946. You can see just how close the entrance to Dreamland is. That building with the fin is an Art Deco cinema, lit up with Dreamland's lights. It's still there too. Remilia is inside being introduced to the charms of the silver screen by some of the more excitable girls of the 501st, possibly even by choice.


The Ovaltiney puppet show, at Dreamland's Sunshine Theatre, a children's entertainment area so their parents could explore the park (and consume a small ocean's-worth of local Fremlin's ale) that Just So Happened to be basically an advert for Ovaltine, something my legal team has advised me to refer to as "something a human being could, in theory, drink". Flan is in here, as is an incredibly embarrassed Lynne Bishop. Weee aaaaare the Ovaltineys, happy girls and boys...


One of Margate's famous mechanical elephants, built in the same manner as all great British inventions: in a shed by a man in a flat cap called Frank. This is, alas, not strictly contemporaneous, with their first appearance in 1949, but we can bump it up the timeline because who doesn't want a ride on a robotic walking elephant powered by the engine from an old Ford?

Why am I rambling about this? Well... I live here. The Isle of Thanet has been my home for all my life. Manston airport is still there, with periodic attempts to revive it for commercial use. Dreamland's still there, including the Scenic Railway - which is now over a hundred years old, despite the best efforts of arsonists in 2008 who Definitely Were Not paid off by the guy who owned the land, who wanted to demolish the park and build a Tesco on it. Margate beach is still there, and is still full of London families going on a trip to the seaside.

My point is... the history of this tiny little island-in-an-island I call home isn't of any particular note to the world at large. It's just the sticky-out bit of Kent. It isn't important, not really. But it matters. It has stories that deserve to be told and be heard. It deserves to be a setting for love and friendship just as much as Paris.

---
"She's old, she's lame, she's barren too, // "She's not worth feed or hay, // "But I'll give her this," - he blew smoke at me - // "She was something in her day." -- Garnet Rogers, Small Victory

FiMFiction.net: we might accept blatant porn involving the cast of My Little Pony but as God is my witness we have standards.

Look, if you've made me look up what a Girls Und Panzer is, you can put up with this =]


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Peter Eng
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Jul-18-22, 12:53 PM (EDT)
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5. "RE: geography lesson"
In response to message #4
 
   Oh, look! We have the setting for a beach episode! :)

Peter Eng
--
Insert humorous comment here.


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Star Ranger4
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Jul-21-22, 08:35 PM (EDT)
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6. "RE: geography lesson"
In response to message #4
 
   > Fig. 2: The gardens at Dreamland during the 1930s. They were still there in the
> late 40s and 50s, and it was part of the marketing that Dreamland was "a
> pleasure park in a flower garden". I imagine some of the sapphic couples in
> the unit are taking a break to hold hands in the shadow of the (fake, built in
> the 1870s) ruins of the abbey amidst the flowers.

With all due respect Traitor... I think the only non sapphic couple of note in the story to date is UF-G and Remia. :p

Of COURSE you wernt
expecting it!
No One expects the
FANNISH INQUISITION!

RCW# 86


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The Traitor
Member since Feb-24-09
1146 posts
Jul-22-22, 11:00 AM (EDT)
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8. "RE: geography lesson"
In response to message #6
 
   Well, there's... I mean, you've got... And of course you can't forget...

Bugger.

In my defence, I would assert that while there are plentiful sapphic relationships among the unit, not all of them are the "holding hands in a flower garden" type of sapphic couple. Others, for instance, are more of the "holding down the trigger on a Ma Deuce" variety. =]

---
"She's old, she's lame, she's barren too, // "She's not worth feed or hay, // "But I'll give her this," - he blew smoke at me - // "She was something in her day." -- Garnet Rogers, Small Victory

FiMFiction.net: we might accept blatant porn involving the cast of My Little Pony but as God is my witness we have standards.

"No, Lucchini, you can't blow up the pier. I'm not saying you shouldn't, I'm saying it won't work."


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Star Ranger4
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Aug-02-22, 00:26 AM (EDT)
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12. "RE: geography lesson"
In response to message #8
 
   >Others, for
>instance, are more of the "holding down the trigger on a Ma Deuce"
>variety. =]
>
Most, of them, Really, imo; given how they met, etc.

Of COURSE you wernt
expecting it!
No One expects the
FANNISH INQUISITION!

RCW# 86


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Gryphonadmin
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21552 posts
Jul-22-22, 01:12 AM (EDT)
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7. "RE: geography lesson"
In response to message #4
 
   Hmm... interesting.

There is a potential window for some downtime approaching...

--G.
-><-
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.


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The Traitor
Member since Feb-24-09
1146 posts
Jul-22-22, 11:52 AM (EDT)
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9. "RE: geography lesson"
In response to message #7
 
   If you need further information concerning town layout, rail links, and suchlike, do let me know. I've technically been a Tourism Ambassador (read: loud unpaid local history weirdo) for Thanet District Council since 2013, but we all got kind of forgotten about.

Alas, I am unable to explain the appeal of jellied eels, on account of how I'm not convinced there is any. Cockles, though, they're quite nice. It's sort of like if pomegranate seeds had the texture of the balls in boba tea and tasted of shellfish, but with a sprinkling of malt vinegar. Additionally, the 99 Flake was still the ice cream of choice for everyone -- a hearty squelch of vanilla soft-serve with a Flake stuck in it and strawberry or chocolate sauce on top. Or both, if you're feeling racy. I'm not completely certain whether or not soft-serve was a thing in 1946; while it had certainly been invented, sources vary as to whether or not it had made it to British shores. There's a prevailing myth that it was invented by the politician and alleged-human Margaret Thatcher, but like anything that implies the harpy contributed anything positive to the world, this is complete humbug.

A Flake bar is difficult to explain to those who never grew up with it, but it is a sort of crumbly oblong made of many folds of very thin chocolate (GLORIOUS BRITISH CHOCOLATE! FOLDED OVER 1000 TIMES! CUTS CLEAN THROUGH SLIGHTLY SQUIDGY VANILLA ICE CREAM!) that is put in ice cream Because Reasons. If you have a 99 and it does not have a Flake in it, your day at the seaside is ruined. If you have a 99 and your sibling steals the flake from it, you are permitted -- nay, encouraged -- by British law to enact unspeakable violence upon their person, or at the very least kick over their sandcastle.


Exhibit A: the 99 Flake. Note the many key characteristics: the jaunty angle of the chocolate flake; the gentle dribble of the lurid pink strawberry sauce; the absence of chopped hazelnuts meaning that your parents didn't love you quite as much as you thought they did. I leave it to the reader to imagine Flandre's thermonuclear sugar high after being let out of sight and eating four of them in one sitting.

But yeah. If there's anything you need, feel free to ask. I'm only too happy to act as a consultant. =]

---
"She's old, she's lame, she's barren too, // "She's not worth feed or hay, // "But I'll give her this," - he blew smoke at me - // "She was something in her day." -- Garnet Rogers, Small Victory

FiMFiction.net: we might accept blatant porn involving the cast of My Little Pony but as God is my witness we have standards.

*Pathé newsreader voice*: This post on the dedicated forums of thirty-year-old anime fanfiction was brought to you by the Margate Tourist Board.


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Senji
Member since Apr-27-07
219 posts
Jul-22-22, 06:27 PM (EDT)
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10. "RE: geography lesson"
In response to message #9
 
   >If you have a 99 and it does not have a Flake
>in it, your day at the seaside is ruined. If you have a 99 and your
>sibling steals the flake from it, you are permitted -- nay,
>encouraged -- by British law to enact unspeakable violence upon
>their person, or at the very least kick over their sandcastle.

Just watch out for the seagulls trying to steal it.

L.


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The Traitor
Member since Feb-24-09
1146 posts
Jul-22-22, 09:19 PM (EDT)
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11. "RE: geography lesson"
In response to message #10
 
   Well, yeah, but that's a given. And frankly they're just big fans of ice cream. More power to them, I say, they were here first. =]

---
"She's old, she's lame, she's barren too, // "She's not worth feed or hay, // "But I'll give her this," - he blew smoke at me - // "She was something in her day." -- Garnet Rogers, Small Victory

FiMFiction.net: we might accept blatant porn involving the cast of My Little Pony but as God is my witness we have standards.

Seagulls aren't really seabirds in the strict sense; they're land birds that range very near-shore coastal waters as well as land for whatever they can get. That their diet transitioned from boat-caught fish to chips, ice creams, and the occasional whole battered sausage is just indicative of the wonderfully adaptive nature of the thieving little bastards I love battered sausages and it had a whole one right out of my hand the bellend-


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