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Note
Burnt Bread
It is a vast, watery topic that has potential for great depth and reaches out to the horizons of tomorrow. It is full of substance and life and the lure of unknown entities that lurk in a blue-black darkness that one might imagine to be the colour of ideas yet imagined by the human mind. It is… not a topic I thought of.
I daren’t speculate too deeply into the inner workings of Solemn Coyote and Locus’s minds as they conceived this topic and will only say that one of them may or may not have mentioned daring toilet ventures and crumpets. Probably the safest thing to say about Oceans was that some event triggered some thought that led to some idea about something which in turn may have created a more defined something that was recognised by some part of the mind which was then transmitted through some form of external communication and brought forward and accepted as a topic.
Fortunately, Ocean’s Thirteen was due to be released at the time this topic was chosen so if all else fails, we can blame it on George Clooney, Matt Damon, Brad Pitt, and the rest of those Hollywood stars that had a walk on role. Also, Pirates of the Caribbean (something I can never spell. My first try is always ‘carabean’ which sounds rather tasty) could easily trigger grand images of endless blue oceans if not the swaggering fool in a hat that sails them. Perhaps even Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer may have been an influence. Forgetting for a moment that he was indeed a silver alien that served a hungry nebula (which could have easily been The Hungry Caterpillar gone wrong), the thought of a well proportioned man on a surf board might conjure up romantic beach scenes with blue skies and awesome waves breaking on sandy beaches.
After the blame has been evenly distributed, I come to realise that it does not really matter how the topic came about and I doubt we plebeians will ever know the real reason. So onto more important things- yes, it took longer to make, but we did accumulate a new writer which is a cause for celebration. There are a host of different ideas that I hope you will get a lot out of reading.
“You know, I wonder what’s on the other side of those mists,” An’arith said as he cupped one taloned hand above his eyes.
“Nothing,” came the reply. “Nothing at all. Some say that you’d just keep on going until you ran out of rations and your engine failed. Some say that you’d simply go off the edge of the world. And some say that the shades of the black dragon champions still sleep beneath the surface, only awakening to swallow idiots stupid enough to cross the ocean tainted with their blood.”
“You’re mighty pessimistic, you know. Haven’t you wondered what’s on the other side of the water?”
“No, because I’m a golem. Machines aren‘t supposed to be able to wonder at things, or so I hear. Now are you going to haul up those specimens, or do I have to do that as well?”
Winches were dutifully turned, and one by one cages broke the water’s surface. While most of them were empty, a few odd creatures lurked within the wire-mesh confines: some kind of mollusc or crustacean that peered out at An’arith from inside its shell with beady eye-stalks, a small, pink ball-like thing that waved its many tentacles as it was hauled out of the water and many, many more.
An’arith wondered if such creatures could even live outside their usual habitats. “You know what?” he mused aloud, tail twitching.
“What?”
“If the ocean can hold such weird things in a trench just a little way offshore, who’s to say we won’t find odder things across it? Someday, I’m going to quit this damned research assistant job and build my own crystal array engine so powerful that I’ll reach whatever’s on the other end of this ocean, or fall off the world.”
“You’re insane.”
“They all say that.”
The genre is an ocean, and every single creature within it an author. Some are good, and their products fit for consumption by the average person. Most foul and distasteful, especially to the discerning consumer, and others downright poisonous even to those who don’t care about the taste of what they put into their mouths. I’m not sure if you liked that particular tentacle I served up earlier for your lunch; it was a bit of some creature we’re not sure lives exactly where, but we’ll track it down someday. I’m not sure about you, but it’s quite possible that the whole creature will be quite tasty.
Welcome to the Fantasy genre, an ocean of sorts. Keep your limbs within the car at all times, and do not panic if the ride suddenly stops- we’re just trying out a few new things to make the ride better. Improvements and the like to make it more comfortable for customers, if you understand me. If you get really uncomfortable, just roar for Neltharaku- I’ll come and see what’s the problem before most probably writing off your problem and telling you to suck it up like a good wimp.
What’s that again? You arguing with me? Wuss.
Good? Now to understand where your food comes from. Of course, if you follow what we Wardens suggest you’ll be sure to have a reasonably nutritious diet that you can certainly tailor to your own needs.
Don’t mind the shore over there. No matter how much we Wardens try to clean it up, it keeps on getting polluted with the filthiest of trash that people come up with and chuck around; plot holes, idiot plots, mary-sues and the worst of conventions. As a result, the creatures here have become tainted, for lack of a better word. Don’t try to eat them, or if you absolutely must, do so with the knowledge to not take them seriously.
Eating these creatures has reportedly caused feelings of escapist euphoria that make them so appealing to the average person, but they have absolutely no nutritive value whatsoever. Furthermore, they’re familiar to the things we’ve been told live by the ocean since our youths. Perhaps that’s another appeal factor. I don’t know. Don’t look at me like that. Yes? If you’re that concerned about the state of the shore, why don’t you help us clean it up, too? There are a few places left where the shore hasn’t been polluted to this point, you know. Perhaps you’d like to lend us a hand at restoring them to their pristine state? No? Too much work? I thought so.
Don’t worry. The cabins are pressurized. Did you have any more questions? No? Good. Now, if you’ll look over there we have coral reefs. They’re pretty unique in that they house creatures that could only exist in the reef itself. Try to remove them from the ocean- or even the reef, and they’d die from plot impossibility instantly.
There’s something about this particular ocean that allows these reefs to exist; perhaps it’s the freedom to lay down your own rules, or the willingness to give up the laws of normality and believe just for a moment that these creatures could actually exist. Low levels of suspense of disbelief have been linked to the collapse of many parts of these reefs, along with the creatures that were so stupid to have destroyed their habitat in the first place.
A large part of the corals are of the magic variety, but there are also some from the technically impossible and made-up stuff kind, just to name a few. They only exist in this ocean and the creatures that feed off them can range from delicious to utterly foul. There’s no way to distinguish the two at a glance by yourself; you’ll have to try some of them and form your own patterns, recognize at a glance what’s delicious to you and what’s not. Of course, delicious doesn’t mean nutritious, I’d admit that candy’s delicious…you there in the back of the ride! Don’t stick your head out of the window unless you want to drown!
Over there, hidden behind that patch of coral over there- yes, you can see it. That’s a fine specimen of Writus thesamestoryoverandoveragainus andpretendit’ssomethingnewus. No, it’s not specific to this particular ocean, although it is quite prevalent here, I must admit. Well-known species in this particular ocean include the Dragonridersofpernus and Swordofshannraus- catching the local wildlife is strictly prohibited, miss! Stop that at once!
All right, the conducted tour ends here. Well, not for those who actually want to see what lies in the open ocean, the brutal nasty creatures that pull no punches. We call that family “Brutal fantasy”. We’ll then be looking into the trenches, where the really weird things like, mixtures of many sub-genres and the likes- maybe we’ll even see the extremely rare “science fantasy” and its much more common relative, “steampunk fantasy”. Everyone else, off at the station- there’ll be a capsule to return you to the surface.
Yes, you have a question? No, we’re not sure how big this ocean is, or what exactly lies beyond that inky blackness, it‘s only as big as you imagine it be. It looks scary? Out of your comfort zone? Well, miss, I didn’t create this ocean, I just give guided tours of the place. If you don’t like it take it up with Them.
Well, who’s staying on?
Good grief, that’s all I have? Well, follow me. Where are we going? Let them stick to their self-insertions and daytime therapy writing. I’ll take you someplace for people who actually care. I’ll take you to the open ocean, to the freezing depths, to the trenches, to the kelp forests- all the subgenres of fantasy that most people don’t wander into and have to seek out. I’ll show you things you’ve never seen before. I’ll show you the outwardly dull and boring fish that are full of goodness and some three-eyes tentacles things that certainly might put you off your lunch, but after the first bite…
And if you’re still with me and want to understand, I’ll take you into that wall of mists. After you realize how much better it is this way off the guided tour, I think you’ll have no choice but to be a Warden as well.
Hey, it’s not bad being a Warden. You will know how to find good food in this ocean, you’ll get to mock and cull poisonous species- and most of all, you’ll get to smack around idiots who don’t understand “stay in the damned ride.”
Coming?
Coral and human bone have similar enough chemistry and architectural qualities that coral is sometimes used instead of bone grafts to help bone heal more quickly and cleanly.
Some of the most interesting and diverse species live underwater. Things like flashy-colorful fish and electrically glowing eels in the deep inhabit the wide stretch of (figurative) land that is the ocean.
Approximately 75 percent of the world is water. Amazing, yes? Makes you wonder how wimpy pale beings like us could ever survive for as long as we have. My point being this: water is very important to the survival of, well, everything.
The earth, as mentioned, is mostly water. People are also mostly water. It takes two weeks to die of starvation, but only three days to die of dehydration. Our very survival is governed by supply of water. Not just any water can do, though. We need fresh water. The oceans are salty. Thus, water treatment plants.
Life can be sustained on Earth. “Why not other planets?” you might ask. Well, for one, other planets don’t have an atmosphere that prevents solar winds and radiation from wrecking havoc on the surface. Really, our atmosphere protects the water on this hunk of molten rock (planet). All living things, at least the ones we’ve seen, must have water to stick around. As demonstrated by Mars and the apparent evidence they have of past life there, life minus water equals dead.
Now, back to the things that live under the sea. In coral reefs, a wide variety of colorful fishes live. In Finding Nemo, we see clown fish, octopi/squid, and rays. Just outside of the safe haven that is the reef, sharks loom. While the movie sharks were nice (Fish are friends, not food), real sharks aren’t going to stop for a conversation before they eat you. Well, not you, but a small school of fish, at least. Sharks aren’t stupid and know that reefs provide a home for a lot of food. When dark falls, the sharks go on the prowl!
Since I can, I’ll keep using the example of Finding Nemo to elaborate on open oceans. Remember the part where we meet the turtles on the EAC (East Australian Current)? Yeah. Sea turtles rock. And they live forever. They live in the sea, but lay their eggs on land. Bet most of you knew that anyway, though. Squid also live in open sea. They like to get into life-or-death fist fights with sperm whales. Whales have washed up on beaches or been caught with all these circular scars on themselves. Where could these scary scars come from? Squid battles.
In the part of Finding Nemo where Marlin and Dory are almost eaten by a scary, glowing fish, we’re seeing deep seas. Most of the things that live down there are small and can’t see. What’s the point of having functioning eyes when there’s no natural light? The sun can only penetrate so deep through the water. Life is sustained by those single-celled organisms that use chemosynthesis instead of photosynthesis. Hooray for total darkness!
So, I’ll conclude by saying something like, “Technically, they have more right to be here than we do, so be nice to aquatic beings.” Yes. I like that one.
I hope this short guide will be informative if any of you ever need to plan out a scene in the watery world of the ocean. I have one challenge for anyone interested (or anyone interesting). Write about the life and times of someone who lives in an underwater area. Not a fish. A person who just lives in an air bubble somewhere. Cheers!
Sex is not such a fixed thing after all. Upon discovering that some marine animals change sex with temperature and age, I wondered how more exciting life would be here on the land if we could do the same. As a baby, it really doesn’t matter because everyone looks the same. As we reach our teenage years, instant sex change would come in quite handy. Is the cue for the woman’s lavatory too long? Instead of standing in line, a quick change could have you saving time by standing AND urinating. It’s a pre-dawn winter morning and your coach expects you to show up to the Boy’s Swim Team training. Bam. Ooops, you’re no longer eligible. You go out to a shopping centre and don’t see anything you like. That’s ok. With a flutter of eye lashes you’re introduced to an endless variety of fitting undergarments, dresses and glittering accessory. If you’re looking particularly good one summer, why not show off more flesh by losing that bikini top… along with that oddly shaped left breast. The possibilities are endlessly disturbing.
The ocean is a vast and incredible being. If you've ever seen it, you know its beauty and power: waves moving in predictable yet shocking motions, foam everywhere, a taste of salty liquid.
Children play with floats, dogs run along the shoreline, an artistic soul draws a detailed picture in the sand. Footprints appear and disappear. A surfer tries to catch a wave and falls on his face.
Seagulls pick at remainders of the food tourists have brought. Young girls dig their feet into the sand and sing at the top of their lungs, completely unheard by anyone not directly next to them. Crabs move sideways from hole to hole in the ground.
It's entrancing; there's no need for sirens or mermaids to pull you in. But you can't go too far, for as wondrous a thing the ocean is, it's dangerous, and if you go beyond a certain point, there's no coming back.
Bring your characters to an ocean. Let them marvel at it. Let them experience its majesty. Characters are always tempted by desire; make them choose. Is yours a person who can turn away from something like that, or must they have more? Are they a glutton for punishment? What kind of people will allow themselves to be pulled in just to feel its pull firsthand, fully aware of the consequences?
Or maybe they're not aware of the consequences. Maybe they just want to see the other side, to cross its seemingly eternal body. Show their lesson, their rite of passage. Can they do the impossible and return from an ocean? Or will they face the inevitable, find themselves tossed back and forth by the wild waves like a beach ball in a never-ending game of catch?
It's your choice. Either way, as a writer, it is a worthwhile experience to paint a portrait, be it metaphorical or quite literal, of a frightening, enchanting, Godlike ocean.
Water.
The incredibly basic scientific compound of two oxygen and one hydrogen atoms. The substance that covers 70 of our planet and comprises most of ourselves as well. In essence, we are alive because of it.
What this, you ask, then what’s with all of this salty wet stuff? We can’t drink that!
It’s seawater, dolt, a nasally voice near your feet responds. A cod, currently asphyxiating on the dock has decided to join the conversation. You leap up, beside yourself with shock and gingerly you kick the cod back into the ocean.
There’s an uncomfortable silence as you suddenly take in that you are indeed in for another lecture or fantasy world-building and monsters, and that you won’t be able to get out of it very easily. But I suppose you have probably realized that this time around it won’t be very familiar, as the fish hinted at.
In most nonfiction or fictional stories, port
cities are almost always the hubbub of activity due to trade (and,
hence, organized crime, schemes, etc.) because of their prime
locations near the ocean. There are many benefits from the ocean
itself such as some protection from primitive and therefore savage
tribes, pearls, and, of course, fish.
The
point of this rant is that where port cities are, and almost any
other spot where the land meets a body of water, there is a sort of
balance. The balance between the water and land can have the most
conspicuous and obvious signs (a wetland, or a tidal swamp, if you
will) or they can be more subtle, such as through the culture of the
native people (hint, hint) or by climate.
Either way, if you base your fantasy or any genre of a story in a port you have a lot to work with.
First off, (I’m going to go with fantasy here, so bear with me those that are reading this purely for the entertainment) ports usually follow the pristine and wonderful trade, slummy and crime centers, or just a sleepy fishing colony templates, or a mixture or them. You can go with that, or you could build it from bottom up and set it a little outside of those guidelines. Cities are pretty much treated the same as countries when you design them.
Next would probably be what are the people like in the port or area around it. You know, culture wise. If you spend a lot of time around water your day by day activities probably will be centered on or what’s in it. Same thing for religion. Materials they’d use would come from the sea as well, plus food in the form of fish, mussels, seaweed, salt, and any other comestibles that you can derive from an oversized puddle.
Now, (my favorite and of course what I probably
should have written for the Monsters issue) what stuff do the people
living in the port have to put up with?
The
list would probably be something like this:
1. Pirates
2. Starvation (over fished seas)
3. Storms
4. Getting attacked by rival nations
5. Sea monsters
The first four were probably what all people in a port feared in some of the first created several thousand years ago until up about the early 1800’s and, in many cases, ‘til modern day. Sea monsters were also considered a big issue as well (giant squid, anyone?) in the early civilizations.
You hear all about sea monsters and their ilk. Nereids, sirens, kraken, merrows, sea serpents like ol’ Nessie were all mortally feared or were warned against seeing. Many of them, like in the Greek/Roman ballad of Ulysses, the monsters such as Charybidis, the monster that sucked in water and ships in the straits and spewed them out again, were based off of natural events like maelstroms or irregular tides.
Others were created from the seamen’s err…lust after being away at sea for weeks or even months on an extended trip. Thus, mermaids, merrows, and the mermaid like cousins are found (supposedly) all over the world. Turns out that most of what they imagined they saw were probably dolphins, manatees, or rocks protruding out of the sea.
Sprites and water spirits were common as seen as lords and controllers of the ocean’s natural forces and rhythm. They were invented a good deal of the time to explain how things worked, like the tide or phenomena such as hurricanes and sea winds. Spirits supposedly made the green flash which is an extremely rare flash of green light that is produced as the sun slips under the horizon at sunset.
By whatever the means, creatures of myth and legend formed out of the connection between land and sea. So, in any case, whoever lives by the sea might be able to feel that connection either as spiritual or just plain what-I-see-everyday.
Anyway, the poor bunch that were our ancestors that at first only relied on the inhospitable ocean for food, in whatever condition, went and made varied cultures possible whether they’re itinerant boat people or deeply rooted fishermen.
Considering I was slapping this together practically at the last minute (and praying that the internet connection for my computer gets fixed in time for deadlines, a very big thanks to my brother for doing so), this is probably the longest I’ve written for the Press.
They say oceans are one of the last frontiers (the other being space). I’d like to think of it as the Wild West of the 21st century. Can’t you just imagine the daring hero riding off into the sunset on a seahorse?
The point is that there isn’t that much left. Futuristic films feature buildings more up and down than sideways. There’s a reason for this. With a world population of six-and-a-half billion, and growing, it’s not going to be long before we run out of land to build on. Even if we used every, and I mean every, available space that leaves the problem of where to get food and where to bury the dead. Not everyone wants to be cremated, you know.
Eventually, we’re going to have to build up, but buildings can only go so high before the wind starts to be an issue. The only other choices are down (as in, underground), very high up (as in space), or underwater.
Why don’t we have underwater civilizations now? Well, for one, water pressure presents an interesting issue. According to the Office of Naval Research, 14.7 pounds per square inch (psi) (1 kg per square cm) of pressure are pushing down on our bodies at sea level. Right now, we can’t feel it because our bodies push back out with the same force.
However, when we start going lower, the pressure increases. For every thirty-three feet we go down, one more atmosphere (14.7 psi) pushes down on us. Humans can only go down three or four atmospheres (99-132 ft) before it starts getting messy. Understandably, more work has to be done before permanent underwater societies can be formed.
Knowing this makes it that much more remarkable that entire species of fish and other sea creatures live at the very bottom of the ocean. Quite literally, they live where the sun don’t shine.
Fascinatingly, the producers of these aquatic habitats (the ones that make their own food; also called autotrophs) function in a way similar to plants. The difference is that plants use photosynthesis and the deep sea autotrophs use chemosynthesis. Plants harness the energy of the sun for food, but since the sun doesn’t reach that far down underwater, the producers (like tube worms and archaea) have to make their food in another way.
The deep sea is famous for the heat vents that billow black smoke into the water the way that chimneys pollute the air. The chemicals found in these black smokers provide the energy for the producers. Thus, life can survive in places the sun cannot reach.
It’s truly remarkable that life can exist in such dismal surroundings. Anyone who has ever been afraid of the dark knows that nighttime can be your worst enemy. What if you had to live in a perpetual night? Deep, deep underwater, the only visible life is a bunch of translucent and glowing fishes. They’ve never seen the light of day. In fact, they’re as good as dead if scientists try to bring them back to a lab for further study. When you’ve spent your whole life dealing with a few thousand pounds of pressure, it sucks when it’s all gone.
In conclusion, think about it before you sign up for the maiden voyage of the S.S. Titanic (the shuttle to the bottom). See you in the first underwater hotel!
Everyone knows about sharks. The big ones are scary and their sense of smell for spilt blood is supernatural. But as they have become rare or endangered, it is not likely that you will ever see one in the ocean without deliberately looking for them. Rather, it is more practical to be aware of the other dangerous organisms in the water.
Jellyfish
Many people don’t understand how a blob of membrane filled with water could be dangerous. They won’t chase you or swarm you and they don’t have teeth or very strong tentacles. They don’t have eyes that reflect the cold, dark depths. In the glowing blue water just underneath the surface, jellyfish can look quite pretty. Yet to inflict major pain, all they need to do is brush by you. They only need one slight touch to sting and they don’t even have to be alive to do it – dead jellyfish retail venom in their bodies so that you’ll definitely know when you’ve stepped on a poisonous one at the beach. The pain is indescribable. The mind rash on the skin after some stings does not do justice to the swirling agony raging within. I’ve been told that the most affective way to treat a sting is to apply urine to it and the mere thought of a lifeguard having to urinate on you is more horrifying than the nastiest of shark bites.
Barracuda
Only the Japanese have ever stopped to snap pictures of a charging barracuda. Afterwards, they might have their cameras and fingers returned if the fish is caught and gutted. Barracuda are fish that can be found in dark schools descending upon helpless swimmers like plague. They are the open-water version of the piranha and are not the least bit afraid of humans. If you see them in the water, chances are, they’ve also seen you and will investigate – especially if you’re wearing anything shiny, which to them, looks likes dinner.
Dolphins
It sounds counter intuitive that dolphins could ever be considered an unexpected horror but they are. And it’s all fun and games with bottlenose dolphins until one cheeky male decides that he’s in love. Is it possible to be raped by a dolphin? Probably not, but it’s definitely not from lack of trying. Dolphins have been known to latch onto divers for a type of ‘fun ride’ that will never be discussed at the dinner table.
The water of the ocean holds wonder. It holds jellyfish, sunken ships, millions of tons of gold, volcanoes, salt and dolphins.
The ocean holds our gaze. Its waves wash to shore or tower above it in a hundred foot tsunami that can destroy an entire country. It attacks us with waterspouts or is a blanket of fog in the early morning into which reels drop their bait.
It sparkles at day and at night is black and threatening. Seventy degrees, no clouds, vast water; that is serenity. It is something that cannot be grasped in any way, for what it flouts on the surface is a hundredfold more mysterious and elegant beneath its curtain of blue.
Stony roads give way to gravel tracks give way to dirt paths give way to sandy beaches give way to what covers over seventy percent of our entire planet. An ocean has the power to erode a mountain and the beauty make a child’s eyes glitter with fascination, it has the strength to sink the Titanic and the accommodation to give residence to over a trillion creatures.
Whirlpools swirl its waters into havoc-wreaking chaos, torrential downpours and hurricane-force winds roil its surface and bring lofty walls of water to swallow whole liners that weigh four hundred tons. Seagulls frolic in the salty air above and look for the shiny tell of a half-finished candy bar or the dull circle of a cracked clam.
Poison and teeth and tentacles and regenerating limbs and stone-crushing beaks protect it.
Men with nets and harpoons and grenades and barbed hooks overfish it.
Children with colorful rafts and goggles and two pieces and friends splash around in it.
Skies with low pressure centers and storm clouds and sun-blocking clouds determine the fate of those upon it.
Battleships and submarines with missiles and torpedoes and mortars and thousands of young men wash explosions over its surface.
Far beneath, it is said a giant squid lurks, waiting to stretch its mighty limbs over an unsuspecting cruiser and crush it like a soda can.
Alaska.
Space.
People say that these are the final frontiers. They are wrong.
The ocean hides what none of us have ever seen before. It is not a world wonder; it is a world.
Source: Farago, L. (1961). Burn After Reading.
It’s not uncommon to remember the brave action of men at war long after the last cannons have been fired and the ink dried on signatures. There is an abundance of World War II history books about Luftwaffe planes, Japanese victories in the Pacific and prisoners of war from all walks of life. Soldier’s diaries speak of young, romantic notions crushed by the harsh realities of war and the mateship of fighters built through life and death experiences. As heartfelt as these stories are, most accounts of warfare barely acknowledge the importance of the ‘shadow war’ – the war of information.
As Winston Churchill described, “This was a secret war whose battled were lost or won unknown to the public, and only with difficulty comprehended, even now, by those outside the small high scientific circles concerned. No such warfare had ever been waged by mortal men. The terms in which it would be recorded or talked about were unintelligible to ordinary folk. Yet if we had not mastered it’s profound meaning and used its mysteries, even while we saw them only in the glimpse, all the efforts, all the prowess of the fighting airmen, and the bravery and sacrifices of the people would have been in vain.” In the Second World War, espionage was used at a scale never before seen in warfare. At times, the collection of information from allied and enemy forces and the spreading of misleading information was much more successful in ending conflict than full scale attacks.
Operation Sea Lion was the German code name given to planned invasion of England, and had it gone ahead, the war in Europe may have ended very differently. In 1940, the Royal Air Force was being bested by German air craft in almost every engagement, and the Navy was spread thin. The German plans for the ‘Sea Lion’ consisted of an invasion by sea where invasion barges would cross the English Channel. With not much else to do, the War Office in London sent a junior major to the seaside to see what weapons they could use to conduct psychological warfare against the Germans. While the junior major was touring the beaches, he happened across a ‘sprinkler’ system of punctuated piped through which flammable fuel could be pumped through. When lit, the pipes spewed flames along the beach down to the waterline. A thought was triggered by this scene: How about spreading a rumor that the English had developed ‘burning sea defenses’ where they could set great patches of the sea on fire?
A while after the rumor was spread, R.A.F. bombers on a routine mission rained incendiaries on a battalion of German invasion barges causing sever burns to soldiers. The French underground pointed to this as the evidence of the sea defenses. Later, some German bodies washed up on shore from ships that had sunk in bad weather, though this was also linked to the defenses. Worried, the Germans ordered tests to be done to see the damage of burning oil on water to barges. They filled some barges with soldiers, poured oil in the water and sent them into the burning pools. There were no survivors.
Operation Sea Lion was postponed indefinitely.
Lemmings
felica13
wants to
grow up to be a mailman or a villian
WyrdWolf
Guru
of Irrelevance and Irreverence
WyrdWolf
is a talking Lupine who occasionally brings back a nice dead rabbit
or bird for his best friends.
Striped
Feather
Part
time Sue-slayer and professional procrastinator.
Sakka
Fenikkusu
The
great, powerful and egotistical phoenix who somehow manages to hold a
pencil without burning it.
Lccorp2
Lccorp2
is a black dragon navy sergeant who is far too cranky for
anyone's good, not just his own
Burnt
Bread
Tamer of Wild Beasts
and Pop Stars
Can be found carrying
large boxes with people’s names on them. These people are never
seen again.
