Not To Be Taken Seriously

[robkelk]

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DQS = Douglas Quincy Sangnoir

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Correct!

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Okay, Doug's initials were the last thing I was expecting as a disaster code. I was trying to parse it as "dimensional quantum (something)".

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Wich is exactly the reaction that Noah was hoping for. Who in Fenspace, outside of a few 'scure Fen, have ever heard of Doug? (The official story, if anyone ever finds out about it and asks, is that it's "dimensional quantum singularity," but Those Who Know are aware of the acronym's real meaning.)
Security through obscurity may not be very strong, but it's (ever-so-slightly) better than nothing.

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...although I suspect that Rob can't resist using all of them, which means Fenspace is one of their last stops before they actually reach Warriors' World.

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But of course. (Besides, we did agree in e-mail that I could add one more character to the mix, which would be difficult in mid-journey...)

-Rob Kelk
"Read Or Die: not so much a title as a way of life." - Justin Palmer, 6 June 2007
--
Rob Kelk
"Governments have no right to question the loyalty of those who oppose
them. Adversaries remain citizens of the same state, common subjects of
the same sovereign, servants of the same law."

- Michael Ignatieff, addressing Stanford University in 2012

[Valles]

Keeping the rest of us in suspense about Haruhi's real nature doesn't require that any given character - be she Skuld or someone else - fail to meet her, so long as they refuse to say anything about it...
Right?
Ja, -n

===============================================
"I'm terribly sorry, but I have to kill you quite horribly now."

[Bob Schroeck]

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(Besides, we did agree in e-mail that I could add one more character to the mix, which would be difficult in mid-journey...)

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This is of course true.
As for the Nature of Haruhi, well... Skuld wouldn't necessarily know. There's one other girl on the parade who Skuld suspects could be an avatar of her overself, but she doesn't know for sure. Likewise with Haruhi. This kind of perception is not Skuld's bag. Belldandy would know, Urd probably would, too, but between Skuld's portfolio and her usual methods, she doesn't even have as much information as Doug's magesight could give. She certainlly won't know automatically, and even "checking Haruhi out" by whatever means is available to her may not resolve the question sufficiently. The only definite answer would be "yes" -- anything else effectively translates to "results inconclusive" or "not according to this test", AKA "maybe".

-- Bob
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The Internet Is For Norns.

[robkelk]

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Keeping the rest of us in suspense about Haruhi's real nature doesn't require that any given character - be she Skuld or someone else - fail to meet her, so long as they refuse to say anything about it...

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True enough... so I'll leave that open as a possibility.
Although I do think it'll be funnier to have Haruhi completely miss the Girls. Aliens (from other dimensions, no less), time-travelers (sort of - Lisa and Skuld aren't from the same local times, at least), and ESPers (again sort of, with Lisa's magic) ... and she's one of the few Big Name Fen to not meet them. Humorously ironic, no?

-Rob Kelk
"Read Or Die: not so much a title as a way of life." - Justin Palmer, 6 June 2007
--
Rob Kelk
"Governments have no right to question the loyalty of those who oppose
them. Adversaries remain citizens of the same state, common subjects of
the same sovereign, servants of the same law."

- Michael Ignatieff, addressing Stanford University in 2012

[Bob Schroeck]

Works for me.

-- Bob
---------
The Internet Is For Norns.

[robkelk]

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... followed by Noah herding them into a conference room and giving them Stellvia IDs (thus introducing everyone), ...

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Which isn't working - not enough "show", too much "tell". It's getting changed to "... followed by Noah herding them into a conference room where they have lunch (thus introducing many of the Girls), ..."
This, of course, lets me actually use one of the classic Anime Nightmare Scenarios in a fanfic:
Sana took another gulp from her second can of Jolt cola.

-Rob Kelk
"Read Or Die: not so much a title as a way of life." - Justin Palmer, 6 June 2007
--
Rob Kelk
"Governments have no right to question the loyalty of those who oppose
them. Adversaries remain citizens of the same state, common subjects of
the same sovereign, servants of the same law."

- Michael Ignatieff, addressing Stanford University in 2012

[Ebony]

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Sana took another gulp from her second can of Jolt cola.

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I'm not particularly familiar with the anime, but I have a feeling that this would be reminiscent of the climactic scene in "Over the Hedge," in which Hammy the Hyperactive Squirrel (voiced to great effect by Steve Carrel) drinks an entire caffeinated soda and the world stops (at least to his perception).Ebony the Black Dragon
Senior Editor, Living Room Games
http://www.lrgames.com
Ebony the Black Dragon
http://ebony14.livejournal.com

"Good night, and may the Good Lord take a Viking to you."

[Bob Schroeck]

Understand, btw, that before she takes that first drink, there is a substantial probability that Sana is already wearing a Kid Flash costume, for good reason.
The world ain't gonna stop for her.
It's going to spool backwards.

(Can you tell I'm all but bouncing in my chair waiting to see this written? BTW, Rob: Remember us talking spoilers in email? Reveal whatever you have to in order to tell a good story. I shouldn't've laid that tight a restriction on you.)

-- Bob
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The Internet Is For Norns.

[robkelk]

Okay-dokey... And I just e-mailed you version 1.0 of the story outline for comments and suggestions.
Everyone else, if Bob okays that outline, I'll need to borrow a few characters from other people: in order of appearance, Buckaroo and the BBIs ("also starring"), the Professor and the crew of the Sol Bianca ("guest starring"), Katz ("guest starring") and Trigon (cameo appearance), and Jon Herschler (cameo appearance). If you don't want me to use your characters, please say so now so I can change the outline...
And I'll also need to know just when in Summer 2008 the Island launched.
Also, anyone have any ideas for some decent Senshi or Browncoat characters? I can come up with them myself, of course, but these are two rather important factions that have barely been touched upon, and I don't want to Hog All The Good Stuff by defining them unilaterally...

-Rob Kelk
"Read Or Die: not so much a title as a way of life." - Justin Palmer, 6 June 2007
--
Rob Kelk
"Governments have no right to question the loyalty of those who oppose
them. Adversaries remain citizens of the same state, common subjects of
the same sovereign, servants of the same law."

- Michael Ignatieff, addressing Stanford University in 2012

[Bob Schroeck]

Well, as soon as I saw that, I shot over to my email and read the outline. Then something started glitching and my mail client stopped talking to the mail server... so my broadbased approval is being given here so as not to delay you any. Re: the question you had about a choice that might reveal spoilericious details about a character, see my revised guideline above. Whatever makes for the better story.

-- Bob
---------
The Internet Is For Norns.

[Kokuten]

no hablan senshi.
Browncoats - broad brush painting gives us a group of people who are, at least technically, libertarians - their greatest desire as a person is "leave me alone, man".
In Fenspace, there's a funadmental schism in the Browncoats, leaving us with three subfactions. They're not named/recognized as units, but they do tend more to their own.
The first group is the more militant side of the Browncoats. These are the Captain Mals of Fenspace, tending towards swashbuckling and gallantry - the horrible interpersonal relationship skills are not mandatory.
The second subspecies of Browncoat are the spiritualists, those who identify more with Book, and not surprisingly, River. Some of their members have been experimenting with mental augmentation, with varying results.
The leftovers of the Browncoats are not so easily distinguished. They're your rank and file, the people who run shops and ship freight, working at building a new world.

Wire Geek - Burning the weak and trampling the dead since 1979Wire Geek - Burning the weak and trampling the dead since 1979

[robkelk]

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... so my broadbased approval is being given here so as not to delay you any.

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Thanks. I'll get to writing more of the story this weekend...

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Re: the question you had about a choice that might reveal spoilericious details about a character, see my revised guideline above. Whatever makes for the better story.

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Right-o.
I had a thought about that one last night... The option that involves revealing spoilericious details allows for an after-reveal stopover at Foundry Hephaestus, which means I'd like to add them in at the "cameo" level, too. (If only I'd thought of that possibility before Kokuten posted his reply... )

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Browncoats - broad brush painting gives us a group of people who are, at least technically, libertarians - their greatest desire as a person is "leave me alone, man".

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Sounds good, and works with what's in the outline - thanks for the assist.

-Rob Kelk
"Read Or Die: not so much a title as a way of life." - Justin Palmer, 6 June 2007
--
Rob Kelk
"Governments have no right to question the loyalty of those who oppose
them. Adversaries remain citizens of the same state, common subjects of
the same sovereign, servants of the same law."

- Michael Ignatieff, addressing Stanford University in 2012

[Ebony]

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Everyone else, if Bob okays that outline, I'll need to borrow a few characters from other people: in order of appearance, Buckaroo and the BBIs ("also starring&quot , the Professor and the crew of the Sol Bianca ("guest starring&quot , Katz ("guest starring&quot and Trigon (cameo appearance), and Jon Herschler (cameo appearance). If you don't want me to use your characters, please say so now so I can change the outline...

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I don't have a problem with you using the BBIs. Of note, many 'danes and even some fen believe that Buckaroo is an actual person (since the AI doesn't look like Peter Weller, except around the eyes). Since he's an AI, he can and does multi-task talking to people on the phone, teleconferencing, etc., but when asked where Buckaroo is, the BBIs mostly (and definitely the crew of WW1) generally have some excuse ("He's back at the lab, working on some tough equations." seems to be a common favorite).
If you have any other questions, feel free to contact me at ebony4 at sbcglobal dot net.Ebony the Black Dragon
Senior Editor, Living Room Games
http://www.lrgames.com
Ebony the Black Dragon
http://ebony14.livejournal.com

"Good night, and may the Good Lord take a Viking to you."

[Bob Schroeck]

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Browncoats - broad brush painting gives us a group of people who are, at least technically, libertarians

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Gah. First time I read that, I saw "librarians", and I went, "Huh?"

-- Bob
---------
The Internet Is For Norns.

[Foxboy]

Feel free to use and abuse the Pinafore and her Crew... I don't think I'll be writing any more of them.
''We don't just borrow words; on occasion, English has pursued other languages down alleyways to beat
them unconscious and rifle their pockets for new vocabulary.''

-- James Nicoll

[robkelk]

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Gah. First time I read that, I saw "librarians", and I went, "Huh?"

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You'd be surprised at the wide libertarian streak in many librarians' personalities - after all, their professions depend on getting people to think for themselves to the extent that they'll want to read.
But, yes, I can see where a faction filled with librarians might be confusing... even if they would be the most likely ones to duplicate the Library Island from Negima!

-Rob Kelk
"Read Or Die: not so much a title as a way of life." - Justin Palmer, 6 June 2007
--
Rob Kelk
"Governments have no right to question the loyalty of those who oppose
them. Adversaries remain citizens of the same state, common subjects of
the same sovereign, servants of the same law."

- Michael Ignatieff, addressing Stanford University in 2012

[robkelk]

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Of note, many 'danes and even some fen believe that Buckaroo is an actual person (since the AI doesn't look like Peter Weller, except around the eyes).

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That's not going to be a concern, considering one of the first five people the Girls meet is going to be an AI based closely on somebody they know they left behind on another worldline... The concepts behind Fenspace AIs will be easy for them to grasp after that.
Thanks.

-Rob Kelk
"Read Or Die: not so much a title as a way of life." - Justin Palmer, 6 June 2007
--
Rob Kelk
"Governments have no right to question the loyalty of those who oppose
them. Adversaries remain citizens of the same state, common subjects of
the same sovereign, servants of the same law."

- Michael Ignatieff, addressing Stanford University in 2012

[robkelk]

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Feel free to use and abuse the Pinafore and her Crew... I don't think I'll be writing any more of them.

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That's a pity - I had enjoyed what you wrote.
How big is the Pinafore, anyway? And will they accept a charter run - no freight, just passengers? I might be able to fit them in...

-Rob Kelk
"Read Or Die: not so much a title as a way of life." - Justin Palmer, 6 June 2007
--
Rob Kelk
"Governments have no right to question the loyalty of those who oppose
them. Adversaries remain citizens of the same state, common subjects of
the same sovereign, servants of the same law."

- Michael Ignatieff, addressing Stanford University in 2012

[Foxboy]

The Pinafore's crew will gladly do a passenger run. They're sick of Hospital Ship duty. She's big enough to handle 12 passengers comfortably beyond her crew complement for LONG distances. 24 if they're friendly and willing to sleep in shifts. Her amenities are fairly typical for a luxury yacht, allowing for 'waved drives, medbay, etc.
And for "Tabitha", who I hadn't gotten around to detailing, yet: She's demure, devoted, and everything a Victorian romantic interest should be. She refers to herself dramatically. "Good Captain, 'tis I, your Tabitha, who loves you well!" Before her capture, she had developed a sleep-teacher device and had taught herself several Foreign Languages by loading Pimsleur CDs into it.
Her captor had figured out how to use it to train Boskone slaves (What he loaded into it is best left to the imagination of the reader) and was testing the procedure on Tabitha when Captain Corocoran effected their rescue. Tabitha herself loaded several of Captain Corcoran's Gilbert and Sullivan DVDs and modified herself to better please her master. Sadly the multiple rewrites to her personality make it unlikely, should her previous identity be discovered, that she'd ever be able to be restored to status ante bellum.
But if these events take place well before SOS-con, then It's just Cap'n Corcoran and his AIs, adding space for two more passengers.
''We don't just borrow words; on occasion, English has pursued other languages down alleyways to beat
them unconscious and rifle their pockets for new vocabulary.''

-- James Nicoll

[Epsilon]

I don't write for this world so take all this as mere suggestion...
Remember they aren't all based on Sailor Moon. They draw inspiration from a large number of magical girl related stories. And not just the happy ones. Many of them are also gothic lolita crowds. The main thing that keeps the Senshi united as a faction is that they all love anime, tend to be female and believe in "Love and Justice".
I would suspect that the Senshi break up into two rough factions: The Justice Faction and The Love Faction.
The Love Faction believes that what the Senshi should be doing is making life better. Creating new technology, terraforming Venus, advancing art and science and philosophy. The Love Faction contains thinkers and dreamers, people who want to serve as a shining example. At their best, the Love Faction are idealists who get things done. They help to develop new forms of medicine and recreation and are nice people. At their worse they are lazy hedonist, more interested in acquiring new toys and expeiencing new sensations then work. They shuck of responsibility and whine and complain when forced to do things.
The Justice Faction believes that they should stop thinking and Do Something. The Justice Faction is the most ardent supporter of women's rights in Fenspace. Sexism is still surprisingly common among nerds and geeks, and they seek to correct this. But more importantly, they see women's rights as an issue they should deal with on Earth as well. There is a small but significant (and well supported under-the-table) group in the Justice Faction who liberate oppressed women (and other minorities) on Earth. Most of these women are moved to new lives in other places on Earth. Some suspect that small biomods are used to conceal these women in their new lives. A small minority are taken up to space, to help as they can. They almost always join the Justice Faction. Unsurprisingly the Justice Faction is well behind Operation Great Justice. They believe Haruhi is pretty much their leader, and really like her ideas (there has been some talk of electing Haruhi to the official leadership of the Justice Faction). At their best the Justice Faction are dynamic people who accomplish a great deal. They put in twenty-hour days doing thankless jobs because It's The Right Thing To Do. At their worst they're control freaks and demagogues who believe They Know Best. Militant feminists, borderline fascists and very dangerous.
An untalked about third faction that is very, very much in the minority is the Black Faction. The Black Faction is made up of goths, nihilists and other malcontents who left Earth not so much out of a sense of hope and exploration but because it sucked less than living on Earth. The Black Faction does not believe in anything, which means they aren't really organized at all. For the most part, they're harmless, if a little depressing to be around. The Senshi took them in as a whole because the Love Faction thinks it can help them stop being so gloomy and the Justice Faction thinks it can use the manpower.
One noteable thing about the Senshi faction is that they offer... reassignment. Nobody talks about it openly, but it is known that if a man is having gender-identity issues they can approach the Senshi faction for custom biomodding. It is an unspoken rule that you never ask a Senshi about her past life before she joined the faction and not dig too deep into whatever story she chooses to tell you. The "price" for such services (which are approaching becoming quirk free) is a term of service on important Senshi related duties. There is a small but important percentage of the Senshi (around 10%) which identify as "fendane" in this regard. They say research is underway to answer the other side of the sexual identity dilemma, but the process is still too quirk-heavy and too unique to work on a broad scale. The Love Faction is quietly working on fixing this.
A note on Senshi equipment: while their uniforms tend towards the... revealing, they are nonetheless very effective. A custom handwaving process the Senshi keeps secret creates their uniforms and gear, which renders them as protective as modern riot gear (and much more flexible). The only quirk is that it fills the wearer with a sense of... drama. Senshi in uniform are about ten times more likely to take any opportunity to pose and give a speech than otherwise. Senshi use the same kinds of weapons as everyone else in fenspace. The Justice Faction keeps trying to create magical wands for fighting evil... but so far have had less than success. The cognitive disconnect of seeing short-skirted girls wielding firearms can be jarring at first.
-------------------
Epsilon

[robkelk]

(Foxboy

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The Pinafore's crew will gladly do a passenger run. They're sick of Hospital Ship duty. She's big enough to handle 12 passengers comfortably beyond her crew complement for LONG distances.

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Okay, that means I can do a re-write of that particular section of the outline... but 'twould be best to send along the Epsilon Blade as an escort.
(Epsilon

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Remember they aren't all based on Sailor Moon. They draw inspiration from a large number of magical girl related stories. And not just the happy ones.

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Considering that this is where we stuck the Buffy fen, I'd think some of them may never have watched anime at all before moving to Venus.
Thanks, all. Now it's time to stop writing about writing, and to start actually writing.
Don't put Fenspace on hold while waiting for this, okay? If anyone's worried about conflicting with what I'm doing, then have fun with the SOS-con or the Grover's Corners launch, or explore The Limit or Starbase 2 - I'm not going anywhere near those with this.

-Rob Kelk
"Read Or Die: not so much a title as a way of life." - Justin Palmer, 6 June 2007
--
Rob Kelk
"Governments have no right to question the loyalty of those who oppose
them. Adversaries remain citizens of the same state, common subjects of
the same sovereign, servants of the same law."

- Michael Ignatieff, addressing Stanford University in 2012

[KJ]

Hrrrrm... that Senshi writeup gives me some little ideas.

[Bob Schroeck]

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Considering that this is where we stuck the Buffy fen

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You know, it seems to me that all the "action girl" fen are probably in the Senshi, including "Kim Possible", "Really Spies", "Sabrina The Teenaged Witch" and even "Birds of Prey" (although that one probably overlaps with the Supers).

-- Bob
---------
The Internet Is For Norns.

[Kokuten]

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You know, it seems to me that all the "action girl" fen are probably in the Senshi, including "Kim Possible", "Really Spies", "Sabrina The Teenaged Witch" and even "Birds of Prey" (although that one probably overlaps with the Supers).

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If you listen closely, you may here the high-pitched whine of the fuser drum on the laser printer in my brain heating up.
Senshi Subfactions, Suggested

Love: As written earlier
Justice: As written earlier
Black: As written earlier
Sailors: While the term 'sailor-suited warrior' is integral to the base description of the canonical ur-senshi, the 'Sailor' part has, over the years, become something more generic. The Senshi have become the default 'woman's lib' faction of Fenspace, though even they have to admit that women get a more fair shake than they ever really have on the 'old dirtball'. This has led to quite a number of residents of the Crystal Cities being people who don't really 'cleave' to the concept of the Sailor Moon anime that the Crystal Cities draws its central image from.
These folk, mostly female, but of both genders, have latched onto the 'sailor' appelation, and made it their own. The various countries on Earth have long and, in the most part, honorable and glorious, naval traditions. To be a sailor in the British Navy or U.S. Coast Guard is an honorable thing, and provides a set of goals and rules to live a good life by.
The Sailors have done their best to put this concept into work in Fenspace, borrowing heavily from the naval traditions of Earth, ignoring most of the bits that simply don't apply anymore (the practice of 'casting the log' has survived, but is now a hazing ritual designed to make newbies realize that yes, they actually are in outer frigging space).
The crowned golden anchor insignia of the Sailors (or as they over-arching organizational body is referred to, the Senshi Sailors Armed Militia is a very recognizable symbol around Fenspace, and strongly implies that the bearer is trustworthy, honest, and courageous.
Sailors are colloquially called 'Sailors', or 'Sammies', and these terms apply equally to all genders. Many Sailors are not full-time military members, many people who have full-time occupations maintain a rank (usually simply an organizational convienience - ranks below Colonel are assigned on a fairly ad-hoc basis in the Sailors) and membership in the Sailors organizaiton.
Notable Sailors include Hermes, the AI Majordomo of Hephaestus, 'Mizz' Nezumi of the Blue Blazer Irregulars (Pending Ebony's approval, of course), and others. As 'Reserve' Sailors, their duties are primarily to live by the Sailor code, to respond to high-priority requests for assistance by Sailor central command, and to maintain a 'State of Readiness to Act Against the Enemies of Humanity' (Sailor bureaucratic plumage has taken a close dramatic resemblance to Age of Sail British nomenclature)
'Active' Sailors are those who are full-time members of the Sailors corps, and can be found on patrol, training new recruits, researching, or active in the _other_ main pursuit of the S.S.A.M., search and rescue. Noone has responded to more distress calls and automated beacons than the Sailors, and while they do carry that as a mark of pride, they search and save because they believe it's the right thing to do. We're all alone in the Long Dark, after all..

OOC:
Submitted modification and amplification to the Sailors breakdown presented earlier in thread, request additional female personnel to be granted Reserve status, and the whole lot to be bunged into the Glossary.

And yes, I have been reading the Horatio Hornblower books, and yes, it is affecting my brain.Wire Geek - Burning the weak and trampling the dead since 1979Wire Geek - Burning the weak and trampling the dead since 1979

[Foxboy]

ALL of the catgirls aboard the Pinafore would qualify, and Corcoran himself may as well.
''We don't just borrow words; on occasion, English has pursued other languages down alleyways to beat
them unconscious and rifle their pockets for new vocabulary.''

-- James Nicoll