A.R. Rawlings

The main ring is now complete, and I’ll have a few more designs hopefully this weekend, and I’ll start doing some ‘unofficial’ ring member designs as well as some of the ‘enemy’ characters.

The other half of the class were told, “you can make only one pot”. But that pot had to be perfect. The quality had to be high; the highest quality pot would get the best mark.

But when it came to the grading, they noticed something weird.

All the best quality pots were in the ‘quantity’ group.

The guys who were literally churning out pots, trying to make as many as possible, not concentrating on the quality. But every pot they made, made them better at making pots. By the end of the month (I think it was a month) - they had some pretty awesome pots coming out, because they enjoying finding all the ways and all the things they could do to make all their pots. Where as the ‘quality’ guys had spent their time reading up on pots, and technique, and researching and planning; which was all great but they’d had no further practice at actually making pots.

The best way to get really good at something, the only way to be really good at something, is to make lots of shitty attempts at that thing several of which will fail. If all you create are perfect things then you won’t improve, because how can you improve on perfect?

TURN characters by episode || caleb brewster || 1.04 - Eternity How Long

“So which of you is gonna tell me how you know about Culper?” Caleb asked, cocking his head to the side. His gaze traveled over each of their faces, pausing for a moment as though he were reading their thoughts. “None of ya? All right, then.” He nodded his head and licked his lips. “How’s about we start with how you got behind the lines, then?”

“What is even happening right now?” Leena whispered, her wavering voice noticeably higher than it had been a few minutes ago.

“Shoosh,” June admonished, squeezing Leena’s arm as she worked her way to the front of the group.  She folded her arms over her chest, mimicking Caleb’s pose. “We’ve told you already, honey. We were takin’ the air and that storm blew in from Lord knows where, and the next thing we know, we’re talkin’ to you boys. Never set eyes on any sentry.”

Addie held her breath, her eyes darting between Caleb and June.

The skin around Caleb’s eyes crinkled as his grin grew. “All right,” he conceded. “Let’s say I believe that.” He sniffed. “Don’t explain knowin’ Culper,” he prodded.

June shifted her weight and raised her eyebrows.

“Nothin’ to say about that?” he asked.

June sniffed.

Behind her, Addie became aware of Leena’s increasingly short breaths. Oh, God. She’s going to lose it.

“Get a grip, Leena,” Mal hissed.

Addie elbowed her sister.

“Oh, come on,” Steph said, walking towards the door. “This isn’t real, guys.”

Caleb moved to the side, blocking her exit. “Don’t think you wanna be doin’ that. Those boys outside’ve been told to shoot anyone comes out that ain’t me.”

Steph stopped, casting a look over her shoulder to the remaining women.

Addie shook her head. Steph let out a huff and came back to the group, throwing herself down onto the hay. “It’s not real,” she muttered under her breath.

“So. Where did you hear the name ‘Culper’?” Caleb repeated.

~

Two hours later, the other women had joined Steph in the hay. Caleb was pacing in front of the group, firing off the same questions – how did they know about Culper, and what did they know about Simcoe?

Addie’s nerves were on edge; she couldn’t take her eyes off of Caleb. Beside her, Mal groaned and shook her head. The luster had worn off of their excitement.

“So you none of ya want to eat, then?” he asked, stopping in front of them.

At this new question, Steph lifted her head from the hay. “You’re going to starve us unless we tell you what you want to hear?” she asked. “The general isn’t going to be pleased to hear about that.”

“So you know Washington as well, now, do ya?” Caleb asked with a smirk.

“I know he doesn’t like prisoners to be ill-treated,” Steph said.

“That so?” he asked, taking a step closer to her. “And how d’ya know that?”

“Common sense,” Mal muttered.

Caleb shifted his gaze to her, cocking his head.

“Yeah,” he said after a moment, sniffing. “’Cept maybe he don’t even know you’re here.”

“Oh God.” Leena’s voice squeaked, and Addie closed her eyes against the hiccupping sobs that began to emanate from the other woman. “We’re all going to die, and it’s my fault!”

“Hey –“ Caleb frowned and knelt in front of Leena. “Give me somethin’ to give to Washington, and no reason any of ya will be harmed, all right?”

Leena’s breathing was shallow, the tears streaming down her face.

But she said nothing.

Caleb stood and looked over them, shaking his head again. He sighed and walked over to the barn door.

The women exchanged glances as he opened the door and stepped outside. They heard him muttering to the guards.

“All right, y’all,” June drawled. “We gotta get our ducks in a row, now, or this is gonna stop bein’ cute right quick.” She was rubbing Leena’s back as the girl’s sobs subsided.

“This stopped being cute an hour and a half ago,” Mal said.

“June’s right,” Addie said, turning so that she was facing the other women. “I don’t know how, but this is real.” She ignored Steph’s scoff. “ This isn’t the Ben and Caleb we fangirl over – it’s Tallmadge and Brewster. Soldiers. Spies who think their cover, and their friends’ covers are blown.”

“I’m just afraid to say anything now,” Leena said, sniffling. “Every time I open my mouth, it’s like I vomit bits of the show. What are we going to do?”

“We all need to be careful,” Addie said. “So maybe let’s agree not to say anything related to the show – or even the war – that we haven’t discussed as a group first?”

“So, like, telling them about Yorktown’d be taboo, then?” Steph asked with a smirk. Addie rolled her eyes and sighed.

“Anything that would lead to more questions about how we know these things should be avoided.”

“That’s all well and good, but what do we tell him so we can eat?” Steph pressed. “I’m seriously thinking about gnawing on some of this hay right now.”

“Here, hon,” June said, unzipping her jacket and reaching in to an interior pocket. She pulled out an energy bar and tossed it to Steph.

Steph’s eyes lit up. “Thanks!” She ripped off the wrapper and begin to nibble at the bar. “Normally I hate these things, but I’m not really in a choosey mood.”

They situated themselves in a circle, facing each other so that their words wouldn’t carry to the guards. “We make up sources. That’s all there is to it,” June said. “Y’know, like Abe did with Hewlett.”

“And then they check on them, and end up hanging us when they find out we lied,” Addie pointed out.

“Can we even die here?” Steph asked between bites. “I mean, we’re in a tv show. Maybe that’s the only way to get out.”

“You sure you wanna test that theory, honey?” June asked, brow arched.

Steph shrugged and took another bite of the bar, making a satisfied hum as she chewed.

“Okay.” Addie took a deep breath, her head spinning in time with the racing of her heart. They didn’t have time to debate how they were going to get out. They needed to figure out how to survive. “What do we know from the show? If Washington knows we’re here, he isn’t going to condone mistreatment, so they’re not going to starve us, right?”

“And they can’t hang us if we don’t confess to anything,” Mal added.

“What we told ‘em about knowing Hewlett was in New York is airtight,” June said. “We could have picked that up anywhere.”

“But how do we explain away knowing about Culper?” Mal asked, looking at Leena.

“Look, I’m sorry!” Leena said, her face flushing. “I just got excited –“

"It’s fine, Leena. We’ll think of something.” But Addie’s words weren’t working to convince even herself. This wasn’t fine. And as she looked around the group, she could tell that they were as lost for ideas as she was. And finally, at least some of them looked just as scared.

~

Caleb closed the door to the barn, taking off his hat and rubbing his head. He gave a grunt of frustration before putting the hat back on.

“You stay out here, they stay in there, right?” he said to the guards stationed at the door.

“Yes, sir, Lieutenant Brewster.”

“And nobody goes in ‘cept me or Major Tallmadge.” The guards nodded. Caleb chewed on the inside of his cheek for a moment before heading in to the camp.

He was almost to the stone house that Washington had made his headquarters when Ben came out through the front door, his steps short, his hands balled into fists at his side.

“Shite,” Caleb breathed, increasing his own pace to head his friend off before he’d gone too far. “Benny boy!” he called out, drawing even with Ben’s tent.

Ben’s eyes snapped to Caleb’s, and he changed course to approach him. “Well?” he demanded, his voice low.

“Maybe inside, eh, Tallboy?” Caleb inclined his head toward the tent, his eyes darting around the camp at the other men milling around their own tents.

Ben nodded curtly and entered, throwing his hat on his cot.

“Tell me you got something from those women,” he said, hands going to his hips.

Caleb shook his head. “Not yet.”

“If they know about Culper, and won’t give up their source, then the whole ring is finished.”

“What did Washington say about Hewlett?”

“Since we’ve already sent Champe in, he feels it unnecessary to put up another mission to extract Culper now. All we’re being permitted to do is sit and wait.” He shoved the chair next to him further under the desk.

“If it’s any comfort, these ain’t spies, Ben.“

“They show up behind our lines in the middle of a snowstorm, knowing this business about Hewlett –“

“We don’t know if that’s true,” Caleb argued. “Could be something they made up –“

“And Culper? They didn’t pull that out of thin air, Caleb.”

“No.” Caleb tapped his finger on the head of his axe. “They ain’t sayin’ much of anything right now. One of ‘em started cryin’, but still wouldn’t talk. I’ll get ‘em some food, let ‘em rest. Maybe they’ll have somethin’ to tell us in the mornin’.”

“After they’ve had plenty of time to get their stories straight,” Ben said, shaking his head.

Caleb nodded, rubbing his cheek as he mulled over an idea. “So we don’t interrogate ‘em,” he said finally.

“So what, then, release them?”

“Into camp, yeah. We can talk to Anna, she can look out for ‘em, watch ‘em.”

“I fail to see how that will get us any information.”

“Let me work on ‘em,” Caleb said, grinning. “I do have a bit of experience with the ladies, Tallboy. A bit of a good time, make ‘em comfortable. A couple of days, maybe a week.” He nodded. “I’ll have ‘em talking.”

“As long as that’s all you have,” Ben warned.

Caleb grinned. “You know me,” he said.

TURИ - Major Edmund Hewlett & Anna Strong | parallels - shooting

Disclaimer: I don’t own the canon characters, obv. I’ve just stolen their souls for my own purposes. The MCs are a melting pot of my imagination, real interactions, and silliness.

Disclaimer 2: If you haven’t seen season four yet, spoilers will probably abound. Ye have been warned.

Part the first: Where we meet the fangirls and they encounter our favorite #bromance 

This installment, in gifs:

honestly the lack of sprout/hewlett interaction is a cRIME

he would be so good with him????

like at first he is like “hello small human my name is major edmund hewlett” and sticks his hand out for him to shake

but then he figures it out and carves him a little wooden horse that they play with together and they go on little walks and he introduces him to his horses and thomas is delighted

~~also~~

one day, edmund is in one of the chairs reading a book, and thomas walks in and just climbs into his lap

and edmund is like “oh hello???” but thomas just wraps himself around his waist, sticks his thumb in his mouth and looks up at edmund with his big eyes

so edmund starts reading shakespeare to him until he falls asleep 

and then edmund falls asleep