Kobolds are enjoying a bit of a cultural moment now thanks to their appearance as little dragonlike creatures in Dungeons & Dragons, but they were originally spirits from German folklore! Kobolds were known to frequent old households, sometimes benevolently protecting the inhabitants and doing chores if treated well, sometimes causing mischief (or, if you attempted to see their true face, tearing you limb from limb!). They were said to appear as little men, or as dragons made of flame, but as it was very rare to survive seeing a kobold, not a lot of reports exist. Kobolds also were present in mines, and would warn the miners of impending collapses by knocking on the walls (due to this mining connection, their name is related to the German world for the mineral cobalt). The tradition I’m drawing from here is that of the Klabautermann, a kobold variant specific to ships, where the ship grows a soul to return the love of her crew. The Klabautermann remains unseen most of the time, but sailors report that in times of great peril, he will take to the decks in a heroic last effort to save the crew (especially if the ship is going to be destroyed). I figured if ships can have kobolds, why not planes?
Don’t forget to preorder HANS VOGEL IS DEAD, Vol. 2! We are getting to the last few months before the release, and preorders will go a long way in letting the publisher know that this story is worth picking up for a Vol. 3!
Omg his plane
I love this. Because even in the short time we saw Hans and Emil as a whole ME 109-E, it was clear he loved that plane and loved flying. And Hans *is* better than he thinks.