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[sectorcrescentia]

I just read something about scientists thinking that you could be put back together, little by little, after falling into a black hole. Now, a lot of the science-y parts went over my head but like...Arrow's body could be found. Amelia could need to attend another funeral for her former friend. Or, since anything's possible in hand-waved Disney science, Arrow could be brought back alive?

Theoretically anything is possible and I haven't read the article you are talking about so I can't comment on that part. However, I think it's safe to say it wouldn't happen for two main reasons:

1. Logistical - even if it was possible in theory, you'd have to a) figure out how to get the contents of a black hole out of the black hole (though I assume that may be part of that article?), b) figure out which of the countless atoms are Arrow and not random debris, c) how/who would put him back together, d) have an idea how long it would take and if it is feasible enough within Amelia's lifetime, and e) how he gets back to civilization. Also none of that takes into account if putting his body back together means anything about a soul since you are essentially raising a body from the dead. Which has its own mess of issues to worry about.

2. Narrative - I think Arrow should stay dead since a large part of Amelia's narrative arc was letting go of reliance on Arrow and put her trust in someone comparatively new out of necessity. Her grief and the growth she had would lose meaning if Arrow didn't stay dead. It also would cheapen the meaning and impact of any character death since destroying your body so thoroughly that it is reduced to atoms (as I'd imagine it would be in an ultra dense black hole) and coming back means practically anyone could. It loses all stakes. Comic books have that problem. You can only bring back Superman from the dead so many times before audiences fail to care about it the next time it happens.

All this to say that I'd think it would be a bad idea. Interesting to think about though!

[sectorcrescentia]

So glad you two are back!! I hope you've been well!

Aw thank you! Been a crazy year for sure. I was going to start a Gray-centered fic this year that I'd been planning since 2018, based on the 1918 Spanish Flu pandemic. Then an actual pandemic happened and uhhhh seemed a bit tone deaf to try to write a fic on that topic. Sad because I really loved the idea. Maybe someday I will feel right doing it, but it won't be for a while.

Good news is that earlier this week we brainstormed and now have the very beginnings of a new fic! But I can't promise much at this stage since we only just started development, but we're back in business now!

[sectorcrescentia]

Hi 👋🏽 ,how I saw that you are answering questions again, I wanted to ask, how do you think Arrow would have reacted when he found out that Amelia married Doppler? And what did Gray think?

Yes! I arise from the depths and always live questions!

I like to think Arrow would be supportive, especially if he somehow knew how Doppler came into his own following the mutiny.

Though I also think of Arrow were alive during that time, Doppler and Amelia wouldn't have gotten together. She would have relied on Arrow like she always had in the past if he were there. Doppler would prolly have had some growth, but nothing like what we saw since he would have deferred to Arrow as Amelia's primary help. They would have become friends, but prolly not had the experiences necessary to go past that. Especially alone time.

But anyway, I see Arrow being that kind of person who would support Amelia's choices but remain watching from afar. Just in case. Though it's not like he wouldn't think Amelia's couldn't kick the ass of anyone who broke her heart herself.

Also, how we have it, Amelia's previous love interest, Jane Porter, is also a passionate, bookish, soul. Obviously not exactly like Doppler, but enough for it not to be too surprising that Amelia falls for him like she did with Jane. So Arrow prolly wouldn't be entirely surprised that they got together.

Dr. Gray and Ko would likely be the same way, just prolly be more direct and maybe even greatly scrutinize him when they first meet him (we actually will likely explore this with our next planned fic). But just like with Arrow, they would be supportive of Amelia and trust her judgement. Buuuut also be ready in case she needs back up. They are ride or die.

-Megers67

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Doctor Gray, longtime friend and personal doctor to Amelia, upon seeing her injury immediately following the events of Treasure Planet:

Oh and while she discovered a legendary planet that just happened to explode so nobody can find it again after she was faced with a mutiny with a full pirate crew? Yeah that sounds exactly like the kind of trouble Amelia would get into.

[sectorcrescentia]

I am unsure if you guys are still answering questions, but thought I would try! I've always been curious of what the character's heights in your stories are. I know Arrow is fairly tall with Amelia being shorter than him and Delbert, but just what you guys thought them to be for them and ko, gray, Aurora? P.S. your stories are amazing, for you both, I've read them multiple times!

Sorry it has been ages since I’ve been active on this blog and am only just now getting to this! 

To answer your question, we thought far more about the heights of canon characters than we have for our own! After discussion, our relative heights are as follows:

Ko < Aurora < Amelia < Doppler < Gray < Arrow

Ko, Aurora, and Amelia are all close in height and then Gray is only a couple of inches taller than Doppler, but this is mostly due to her species. She would be shorter than the average male of her kind. 

The heights of everyone are as follows (please refer to this post as to how we came up with the heights for the canon characters)

Ko - 5′1″ (1.55m)

Aurora - 5′2″ (1.57m)

Amelia - 5′3″ (1.59m)

Doppler - 5′7″ (1.70m)

Gray - 5′8″ (1.73m)

Arrow - 6′6″ (1.84m)

Oh and bonus fact: As Firefall noted in our conversation, Ko started off as taller before he developed her and she got shorter the more he wrote about her!

[sectorcrescentia]

How tall are Amelia and Doppler (And Arrow)?

For no reason aside from curiosity, we decided to find out.

The easiest way to determine the height of someone – or something – that you don't know is to use as a reference the height of someone – or something – that you DO know.  We thought about using Jim Hawkins as a reference but, as Megers67 wisely noted, Jim being a teenager makes that unreliable.  Sure, you can find average heights for human male teenagers, but given the vagaries of growth spurts it's a matter of chance whether any individual actually fits that.

Instead, we decided to use an object as the reference: the wheel of the RLS Legacy.  This was in part because the film gives us the following shot, in which Amelia, Doppler and said wheel are (more or less) all lined up and in full view from top to bottom.  Arrow is there too, by way of a bonus:

The next step is to measure the wheel and the characters, counting the pixels.  You can do this with most image editing programs.

Wheel (not including the handles): 457 pixels.

Doppler: 596.1 pixels.

Amelia: 558.0 pixels

Arrow: 646.0 pixels.

In other words, Doppler is approximately 1.3 wheels tall, Amelia is 1.2 wheels tall and Arrow is 1.4 wheels tall.

So now you figure out the height (ie, diameter) of the wheel.  This proved to be rather harder than we anticipated!  But after some poking around, we settled on a diameter of 60 inches as being both historically plausible for a ship of Legacy's size, as well as producing results for the characters that were reasonable.  Assuming a 60 inch wheel, we get the following heights, give or take a bit of rounding:

Doppler: 78.24 inches, ie about 6 foot 6 (or 1.99m for the metrically-inclined).

Amelia: 73.26 inches, ie about 6 foot 1 (or 1.68m)

Arrow: 84.84 inches, ie about 7 foot (or 2.15m)

As a point of reference, the average height of an adult male in the USA today is 69.1 inches (ie, 5 foot 9 or 1.75m), so it turns out that with this basis, the characters are all quite tall!  You can easily get different figures by making different assumptions about the diameter of the wheel, or by simply including the handles in the 60 inches (which is, IRL, how ship's wheels are usually measured).  

With handles, Doppler is about 1.015 wheels tall, Amelia is 0.950 wheels tall, and Arrow is 1.100 wheels tall.

So if the 60 inches for the wheel includes the handles (making the wheel 587.1 pixels), that leaves the following measurements:

Doppler: 60.90 inches, ie about 5 foot 1 (or 1.55m)

Amelia: 57.00 inches, ie 4 foot 9 (1.45m)

Arrow: 66.00 inches, ie 5 foot 6 (or 1.68m)

Another measurement we found was for a wheel that was 66 inches in diameter. So here are the measurements both with and without the handles included in the 66 inch measurement.

Doppler: - Without Handles: 86.06 inches, ie about 7 foot 2 (2.19m) - With Handles: 66.99 inches, ie about 5 foot 7 (1.70m)

Amelia: - Without Handles:  80.59 inches, ie about 6 foot 9 (2.05m) - With Handles: 62.70 inches, ie about 5 foot 3 (1.59m)

Arrow: - Without Handles: 93.32 inches, ie about 7 foot 9 (2.37m) - With Handles: 72.60 inches, ie about 6 foot 6 (1.84m)

Basically, 60 inch wheel where the measurement includes the handles... far too short. In the same vein, 66 inch wheel without the handles leads to absurdly tall measurements. But 60 inch wheel without handles OR 66 inch wheel with handles makes reasonable measurements (I italicized these for ease). For official purposes, we will be using the 66-inch wheel with handles because measuring a wheel including the handles is more common.

But it's up to you what you'd prefer!  Credit for these calculations (and the whole idea, really) goes to Megers67, who used a proper image editor while Firefall was trying to wrangle MS Paint into counting pixels.  

- Firefall (with some additions from Megers67)

[sectorcrescentia]

Domesticity

Title: Domesticity

Author: Firefall Bangemthump

Rating: Everyone

Word Count: 1,765

Summary: Ko has some difficulties adjusting to domestic life.

Gray knew that there was something wrong the moment she opened the door.  

There was an acrid smell permeating the house - a smell of burnt metal and flesh - and for a moment she feared for her companion's safety before realising that a steady stream of invective from the kitchen meant that she must be all right.

"Gods bloody damn it, blasted thing-"

Gray padded down the corridor and peered around the half-open door.  Ko was standing with her back to her, poking at something on the kitchen table.

"Ma'am!  I'm sorry, I didn't hear you come in.  I was just...well..."

She waved helplessly at the charred husk that sat on the blackened tray.  Gray understood and raised her hands to sign.

Cooking dinner?

Trying to, replied Ko in sign.  It went wrong.

So I see.  Gray looked at the tray.  What was it?

A roast, said Ko.  I thought I set it right but then I saw the time and that you'd be home soon so I turned up the oven.

Gray nodded.  That would explain it.  Have you ever made one before?

No. Ko shook her head.

A thought occurred to Gray.  Have you ever cooked before?

Of course.  Ko looked offended.  

Where?

Field kitchens, Ko admitted.  I guess this works differently.

Clearly, said Gray.  

Heat takes time to permeate the meat.  Too much heat risks overcooking the exterior before it can reach the inside.

You can cook, ma'am?  Ko looked surprised.

Gray hesitated and decided not to answer directly.  The physics is apparent.  It appears to work similarly to radiant thermal burn injuries.

It's not apparent to me. I'm sorry.  Ko shook her head.  Guess we'd better have something else.

Yes, said Gray.  We may be carbon-based, but that doesn't mean we need to eat it.

The surgeon's eyes sparkled with humour before she realised that Ko was not sharing in her amusement.  On the contrary, the felinid's shoulders were hunched as she crossed her arms over her chest, and her face was darkened by shadows of contrition.  Gray immediately changed tack.

Are you all right?

"I'm not hurt, ma'am.  Even I'm not that stupid."

Gray noted the 'even'.  That's not what I meant.

"I just...wanted to do something useful.  Something nice.  For you.  For once."  Ko shook her head and looked away.  "And look how that turned out.  Like every other damn thing."

Gray let her speak.  Ko was capable of sign, but tended to stumble when she was distracted from concentrating, and she was clearly distracted by whatever dark thoughts were occupying her at present.

"I always had a purpose in the navy.  To be the best Royal Marine I could be.  To serve.  And now that I can't do that...what have I got left?  All I've got now is you.  But I can't be good for you.  I'll always need you more than you need me and there's nothing I can do to change that.  And when I try...well, I tried one little thing today and nearly burned down the damned house."

I appreciate the thought, said Gray.

"Of all people, doc, you know that thoughts aren't worth a godsdamn unless they're followed by actions.  Useful ones," said Ko bitterly.  

Efforts count.  Gray reached out to touch her companion's shoulder.  This one did.

"Thanks...that's good to hear."  Ko managed a small smile.  "But I'm still sorry.  I hate disappointing you."

I didn't know you were cooking.  I can't be disappointed about not getting something I didn't know about.

"Yeah, well...sorry."

You really don't need to apologise.  Gray gave her shoulder a pat.  You seem to be taking this very hard.

"Yeah.  I feel like I should probably apologise for that, too."  Ko sighed and pulled a chair over to sit on.  "I've never been one for making mountains out of molehills, but this...I don't know.  Maybe it's finding myself stuck on civvie street after all these years.  And knowing that my back means there's things I just can't do any more.  It's...given me a lot of time to think, and a lot of things to think about."

Like what?

Ko looked away and took a deep breath.  "I've always been...aware of the difference between us.  I'm a poor, dumb street kid who soldiered up because I couldn't do anything else.  You're a noblewoman who could have done anything you put your mind to.  It was easier to ignore that when there were things I could do for you that you couldn't do for yourself, but none of that applies now."

Gray blinked in surprise.  Why does any of that matter?

"I just don't know why you're still here, ma'am.  What can I do for you that balances everything you do for me?  I can't look out for you any more.  I can't even bloody well cook a decent meal for you."  Ko's voice was suffused with a self-loathing that struck Gray in her heart.  There was a genuine anger in Ko's ice-blue eyes and, while Gray had seen that before, it was the first time she had ever known it to be aimed internally.  She took a deep breath of her own as she tried to put her thoughts into order, and to find a way to express them.  There was nobody she was closer to than Ko, yet even there it was hard to shed a lifetime's habit of taciturnity.  

Is it so hard to believe that my feelings for you are not transactional? she began slowly.

"Transactional, ma'am?"

I mean that I would still - Gray hesitated - feel this attachment even if you didn't.  It isn't based on things you do for me.  It's not a contract. 

"I know that, ma'am.  I mean, you wouldn't be here if it were."  Ko gave her a sad smile.

Gray glanced around for another chair and saw that the only other one in the kitchen was on the other side of the table.  She couldn't get to it without leaving Ko, and she felt that this was not the time to do that.  So she simply knelt, tucking her long tail out of the way behind her as she looked up and met Ko's eyes, wishing briefly that she could take her hands.

The only thing you ever have to do to keep me in your life, she said, is accept me.

Ko swallowed hard, feeling something rising in her chest at the earnest sentiment, so simple in its expression and yet so powerful.  "I...oh, doc, that's...of course I accept you.  You're more than anyone could ask for.  More than I know I ever did.  But I'm talking about whether you should accept me."

Gray didn't move her eyes.

Is it so hard to believe that I want to share this with you?

"It's not going to be the life either of us wanted, ma'am," said Ko.  

Have I ever given the impression that I would run from a challenge? said Gray wryly.  

"Of course not.  But I don't want to just be another patient for you to take care of."

You never have been.  You never will be.   Gray insisted.  Whatever hardships you face, we will face them together.  I can't imagine the loss you've suffered.  I'm frankly amazed you've taken it as well as you have.  

Ko gave a tired smile.  "I don't think I could have done it without you, ma'am."

You won't have to, Gray assured her.  This will be an adjustment for us both.  I've never lived like this either.  Ever since I left home it's been a ship, or a base.  This house is the first place I've ever been that I've been able to call mine.

"It's the same for me.  Always a barracks, or a ship.  And before that, the streets.  And before that-" Ko stopped herself and shook her head.  "No.  This is better.  And it's all because of you.  Can you understand why I feel like I need to be worthy of it?"

Gray sighed and nodded.  Yes.  Because I'd be the same way.

Ko smiled wryly.  "Yeah, that's what I thought."

Gray looked up at her.  That doesn't make it right.

Ko sighed and leaned forward to rest her forehead on Gray's.  "Don't know what I'd do without you, doc."

Gray closed her eyes for a moment, then opened them and raised Ko's chin with the touch of a finger.  

Don't ever think you'll have to find out.

"No.  Well, I'll try not to."  Ko smiled and nodded.  "Thanks."

Gray touched her forehead again and stood, helping Ko to her feet as well.

So, Ko returned to signing, causing Gray to inwardly sigh with relief as she knew that it meant that her companion had composed herself.  Do you know how to cook, ma'am?

Gray paused.  No.

"Ah."  Ko grinned.  We're quite the pair of housewives, aren't we?

Gray wrinkled her nose, but there was a glitter of humour dancing in her eyes.  So it seems.

Ko's grin softened into a gentle smile.  Good thing we have each other, then.

Gray met it and nodded.  Ko nodded back.  It was enough.

[sectorcrescentia]

Have your original characters ever done anything unacceptable?

Having grown up as a street kid, Ko would have a number of petty crimes to her name - minor thefts and so on - and she ended up joining the Navy because she illegally stowed away on a warship.  Having said that, though, she isn't a criminal by nature and would be glad to have left that all behind her.

Otherwise, it's hard to say they've done anything truly unacceptable. Aurora, Gray, and Ko are good-aligned characters and since we don't want them kicked out of the military, they generally don't do anything too reprehensible. They might have methods that may be (at most) questionable to other characters, but nothing actually unacceptable. Of course, other characters like those from Ko's and Gray's backstories or antagonists in our fics have done horrible things, but not so much our "main" OCs.

[sectorcrescentia]

How did you create your original characters?

Megers67: This is more my general process for creating characters. Basically, I see a hole in the world building or in the plot that needs filling with a healthy dose of outside influence. It eventually becomes an exercise akin to “If you give a mouse a cookie.”  I’ll use Dr. Gray as an example.

She was partly inspired by the film Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World. In that film, it had a significant character who was the ship’s surgeon on a British Navy ship. So it made me wonder. Obviously what we saw in Treasure Planet was a civilian vessel so they likely wouldn’t have had a dedicated ship’s surgeon but what if there was? What kind of personality would they have in order to pursue this kind of work? They’d have to have a tough kind of constitution and be very smart. I also a healthy love for doctors who “do no harm but take no shit” so I wanted that in there. I also knew that in order to have the education needed to be a surgeon, they’d need to have come from a family that could afford such expenses. How would they have ended up in the Navy? Etc. etc. From there a character begins to take shape. 

Firefall: They're mostly created to fill a need in the story.  I think of some way to fill that role while also being interesting.  Some characters get a lot more work than others, though, but that's largely a function of how interesting they are to me.  For some it's enough that they just do their jobs, but some take on a distinct life of their own.  Charlotte Ko was never originally going to be more than a soldier in the stories about Amelia's early career, but then megers67 came up with the idea of pairing her with her own OC, Eleanor Gray, and the rest is history.

[sectorcrescentia]

Fireworks

Title: Fireworks

Author: Firefall Bangemthump

Rating: Everyone

Word Count: 1,765

Summary: Old traditions become new again.

Surgeon-Commander Gray looked at the box skeptically, and then looked up at her companion, who was carrying it and watching her with an expression of expectant curiosity.

“Well? What do you think, ma'am?” Ko grinned. “I think we did pretty well to get hold of these this late. I tried three places and they were all sold out.”

Gray huffed with disapproval. Perhaps you should have taken that as an omen, she signed.

Ko put the box down on the kitchen table to free her own hands. While she knew Gray could understand her speech perfectly well thanks to her hearing aid, she knew she appreciated it when Ko made the effort to join her in sign language.

But it’s traditional, she replied.

So was the slave trade, Gray observed. That doesn’t make it a good idea.

Fireworks on Coronation Day is a thing, said Ko.

They’re a liability, said Gray. Do you know how many injuries they cause?

Ko shrugged. But they’re fun.

Gray cocked an eyebrow pointedly. Ko tried a different tack.

Did you never do this on Macropus?

Gray shook her head. There were fireworks. My father thought that actually participating in them would demean the family.

Ko grinned. So how about sticking one up him now?

Gray paused, thinking it over. There’s a certain logic to that.

Right, said Ko. And I bet you haven’t had a chance since then because the Navy keeps you too busy.

Correct. Gray nodded. Did you ever do this in the Royal Marines?

No. Ko hesitated. Officially. But young marines and live laslock ammo-

I suppose I should be grateful you survived, Gray’s ear twitched as she cut her off.

Ko shrugged. I’m going to set them in the garden.

Gray got to her feet with a theatrical sigh. I’d better come, then. In case you blow yourself up.

Saving me from fireworks now, doc? Ko laughed.

Gray looked at the felinid over the top of her spectacles. How else would I make sure you knew how bad an idea this is? she said.

The ‘garden’ of the small townhouse they had acquired in the shadow of the unfashionable side of Admiralty House was not really deserving of the name – it was a narrow rectangle paved with grey stone, walled with grey stone, with nothing in it but a narrow bench of wrought iron that was missing one of its wooden slats and a small pot containing the desiccated stick of whatever the previous occupant of the house had tried to grow. Normally the only illumination came from a pair of lamps on either side of the kitchen door, but tonight they were joined by the sparkling lights of the other fireworks being let off all over Crescentia. The spaceport had passed into Montressor’s shadow, making it as dark as it ever got, and the spectacular colours of the fireworks – mostly patriotic red, white, blue and gold, though with more than a few pinks, greens and purples mixed in – stood out brilliantly against the night of the etherium. Ko paused for a moment to enjoy the sight, and then emptied the box of fireworks out onto the ground and took stock – a handful of rockets, a few multi-shot Arcturian candles joined by a linked fuse and a slow match on a stick. She busied herself with arranging the rockets in the furthest possible corner when she heard two solid metallic sounds behind her and looked around to see Gray standing with her arms crossed behind a bucket of water she had just placed on the ground next to her medical kit. Ko grinned.

Are you still trying to tell me something, doc?

Gray arched an eyebrow.

Rest assured that you will not forget it if I have to use either of these.

Ko smiled as her companion pointedly switched off her hearing aid and watched her expectantly. Striking the match, she touched it to the fuse of the first rocket and then moved back to stand with Gray. The projectile fizzed to life and soared into the sky to join the others launching from all around the neighbourhood, bursting in a shower of golden sparks. The sound was amplified in the stone-walled yard, but was nothing serious to ears long-since attuned to the thunder of warship guns.

You seem to know what you’re doing, remarked Gray.

No need to sound surprised, ma'am, Ko joked.

Gray looked severe. Ko took a deep breath and relented.

When I was a kit, she said. Coronation Day was always one of the better times. Even when I was on the streets, me and the other kids would save up for a few penny bangers.

Gray moved closer, knowing that Ko’s childhood was a subject rarely raised. She didn’t say anything, but Ko seemed to feel the need to keep explaining.

The city was grey. Grey, brown, black. But one night a year there was colour in the sky as people let off their fireworks. Ko’s pale blue eyes were focused on the past for a moment. You could look up and almost forget where you were.

She stepped forward to light the fuses on the other rockets one by one, and watched nostalgically as they launched in series. Gray wasn’t watching the fireworks as they soared into the sky to join the constellations bursting over the spaceport. She was watching Ko’s face. And it seemed to her for a moment that despite the scar, the whitening fur, and the other signs of a life hard-lived, there was a sparkle in the pale blue eyes and a little hint at the vivacious and free-spirited kitten she must presumably once have been.

Doc?

Gray realised that Ko had caught her gaze and was looking back at her curiously. She coughed and stepped away.

This will make it better.

Ko watched her douse the garden lamps. The difference it made to the next firework was obvious, but Ko was uncomfortably aware that the sudden darkness limited their communications options. As Gray returned to her, she put down the slow match and sought out her hands to raise them between them. Gray understood and nodded. She could still understand Ko’s sign, albeit more slowly, by feeling out each one. Ko, despite much effort, was not quite able to master the art yet, and hadn’t forgiven herself.

But now you can’t talk to me, she said.

Gray’s reply didn’t use words. It didn’t need to. She simply bent down to pick up the match, returned it to Ko, and gave her hand an encouraging squeeze. Ko tried to judge Gray’s facial expression in the dark, managing it when a salvo of fireworks burst overhead, their incandescent rainbow reflecting and shimmering in the surgeon’s eyes and glasses. Gray gave her a nod. Ko, making use of the light while it was there, nodded back, smiled and mouthed a silent thank you. Gray patted her shoulder and stood back to let her set up the Arcturian candles, arranging them in a row across the far wall of the garden. Ko bent to light the fuse, only to freeze when pain flared white-hot in her lower back. She gasped and sank to her knees, the match clattering to the flagstones as she dropped it.

“G-Godsdamnit…Doc?” She gritted her teeth and remembered that Gray had switched off her hearing aid. But she needn’t have worried. A blue firework burst overhead and cast its harsh light into the garden. Gray, appalled to see her, was by her side in an instant, arms wrapping around her body in a manner that was supportive in more ways than just the physical. She felt herself being helped up and guided towards the bench, where Gray lowered her gently to sit and then knelt in front of her, the last of the blue light showing her eyes filled with concern. Ko saw her switch on the hearing aid and nod questioningly.

“My back again, ma'am…damn it…when I knelt down…” She hissed in pain as she tried to straighten up. Gray moved her hands to keep Ko’s spine straight, propping her back against the wall. Ko closed her eyes for a moment and then nodded slowly.

“That…that’s better, doc. Thanks. Guess I should have learned my limitations by now.”

The shadows had fallen over the garden again, but Gray’s white coat was reflective enough to show up lighter against the darkness. She stayed in front of Ko for a moment, holding her hands until her pained breathing returned to normal.

“I’m sorry about this…I just thought that maybe…since I’m out of the services now…maybe I could find something to make the day special.” Ko shook her head. “Stupid, really. Pining for a past that never was. Some things you can’t get back. I should have known it.”

Gray did nothing for a moment. Then, to Ko’s surprise, she let go and moved away towards the dying ember of the dropped slow match. Ko watched as she picked it up and blew on it to rekindle it, a fiery yellow glow briefly highlighting her lips and face as Gray turned to look at her. For a moment, Ko could almost have sworn she saw a smile there – but perhaps it was a trick of the random lights and shadows. What was certain was that Gray then turned away and applied the match to the fuse that Ko had been trying to light. It fizzed into life and Gray stubbed out the match before she went to join Ko on the bench. The fireworks began launching in sequence, a dazzling salvo of colours soaring into the sky to join the others. Ko watched them appreciatively and reached over to take Gray’s hand.

Thank you.

All she got in reply was an encouraging squeeze. But after a moment she felt an arm slide awkwardly around her waist in a gesture that could only partly be due to concern for her back. Grateful that nobody could see her blush in the dark, she shifted into the embrace and felt Gray against her side on the narrow bench. After a while, she sought out Gray’s free hand.

The fireworks have run out, she said.

Ko felt Gray nod, but not move. The garden was still and dark now, their private supply having fired itself off, though the display continued elsewhere over Crescentia. She understood and smiled.

Thank you.

Gray’s only response was to hold her a little closer while they watched the fireworks. But that was still enough.

[sectorcrescentia]

Tags Change

Been a long-time coming, but I needed to change about half the tags so they would be most specific to the blog. 

For anything that isn’t general fandom or fandom blog organization (ie. stuff that doesn’t belong in a general tumblr tag) they now have “sector crescentia:” in front of it. For example, the previous tag for governmental characters, “gov” (now you can see why I definitely needed to change it!) is now “sector crescentia: gov”

A couple of the canon characters also went through a tags change. People searching for “arrow” likely aren’t looking for “mr arrow” so that has been updated accordingly. Also no-brainer things like “jim” is now “jim hawkins”

All the appropriate tags have been updated in the links on our navigation tab on our About page so there should be no problems there. 

Thank you!

Megers67

[sectorcrescentia]

Firefall:

A shout-out to the folks at the Etherium Forces (EF) Discord group, who are still flying the flag for the Treasure Planet spinoff game Battle at Procyon, which is still very playable over a decade and a half after its release. As well as coming up with mountains of background information and story for their own factions and creations, the EF group has also made a bunch of modifications to the game, including new ships, new maps, new weapons...and new characters, including our very own Gray and Ko! Thanks in particular go to the EF member Acerbus Noctis for making them into playable characters in the game, as can be seen in these screenshots!

Ko's expertise in combat pretty much speaks for itself, but Gray's apparent talents for rigging and engineering come from the fact that the game has no way of representing her effect as a medical officer.  But rigging and engineering are the skills most relevant to keeping a ship fighting fit after it starts taking damage in battle, and so they're the best proxies for her role as a medical officer.

The eagle-eyed will also note that the ship being crewed up in these screenshots is commanded by Amelia in person, and has the redoubtable Aurora Mayflower at the helm!

[sectorcrescentia]

Whoops, accidentally reblogged to the wrong blog there!

Title: The Liberation of Capra Author: Megers67 and Firefall Bangenthump Rating: T Word Count:  5,845 (In progress) Summary:  A younger Amelia, searching for meaning after the losses of the Nebula War, joins a diplomatic mission to a distant colony. Despite assurances, the political situation on the world of Capra turns out to be far more complex than first expected - and an enigmatic spacer on Amelia’s ship may hold the key to saving the planet and its people from exploitation.

[sectorcrescentia]

What was the initial plan for characters from the story of Sector Crescentia?

I may have to ask for a clarification as I’m not entirely sure what you mean by this.

I wouldn’t so much say that Sector Crescentia is a planned story in any real sense. It’s more of a version of the Treasure Planet Universe where Firefall and I have our headcanons. Basically it started out where we each had our own ideas and over time those ideas began to overlap more and more until they may as well have been a shared universe. Over the last six years that has meant including each other’s OCs in each other’s stories and then even writing short stories of just them (Gray and Ko) and developing them jointly. This blog actually came about as a way to pool all of our works in one place, both the ones we’ve published on FF.net and AO3, but also never-before published stories that we felt didn’t quite belong in either place as canon characters were nowhere to be found. 

In that way, it’s really hard to think of original plans for individual characters. (I think this is what your question really means?) I can only truly speak about Gray since I came up with her and there have been a LOT of things I’ve changed about her over time, but honestly my initial plan for her was “wait, why is there no character with medical training running around??” and the rest was history. 

Prominent deleted character traits include (no particular order)

Losing a leg (I think this is actually still present in Supernova). I had been watching a lot of House at that time, sue me.

Mute but not deaf. This was the most recent change as I became increasingly uncomfortable with the fact that I chose a condition that basically only ever existed in fiction and was something that was easily debilitating for sympathy points without having to actually impact much. As this was the most recent change, you’ll still see a lot of references to this effect. We’ve retconned her to have hearing aids which I’m pleased to say are period-acceptable even in normal Victorian Era setting, let alone one where cybernetic enhancements are the norm.

Something that I actually almost wrote down here but I’m so embarrassed about that I have deleted all traces of it in all of my files and emails (I never delete my emails so that’s huge for me) but Firefall will know EXACTLY what I mean. It’s not angsty in any way, it was just AWFUL. The only good thing to come out of it was backstory about Gray’s older brother, Victor. I’m only even mentioning it here because it was an idea that will haunt me for the rest of my days. If Gray came to life and she tracked me down, even entertaining this idea would be her reason for my murder.

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How would the heroes of Sector Crescent die? * I ask out of curiosity, I do not wish them death, they are wonderful characters *

No, definitely! 

I can say that we love these characters too and I know at least in my case, I refuse to think of them dying from anything else other than old age (or diseases associated with old age) after long happy lives because theY DESERVE HAPPINESS. Frankly, the only real issue is trying to figure out the order. The only ones I can confidently say are that Doppler dies before Dr. Gray and Amelia (this is because I already wrote a fic 1,000 years ago where he dies) and that since Aurora is the youngest, she will most likely die last. 

Otherwise, nothing is really set. I would say that if I HAD to choose an order, it would be:

Doppler, Gray, Ko, Amelia, Aurora. 

Honestly, Gray will likely be second because the longer she goes with everyone dying around her, the more it would crush her soul as a doctor. Yes, she knows that it’s inevitable, but at the same time, she puts her entire identity into saving people and seeing those she cares about die in front of her would absolutely crush her. It still pains me that it means that Ko would have to watch Gray die, but at least she would have Amelia. Frankly though it wouldn’t be incredibly long before Ko goes. Amelia has Aurora and of course her children so she could go on for a long time (also she’s stubborn as hell) but she would have lived a long life. 

Again, that order isn’t set in stone in any capacity, but I don’t foresee us killing off anyone in a sudden way or even before retirement. I know I’m an utter wimp that way. 

[sectorcrescentia]

What's your plan for another story on Sector Crescentia? Excuse me if you do not like such questions...

Oh no it's perfectly fine! So we are finishing up with the last chapter of Liberation of Capra (though I may make an epilogue "where are they now" post for some of the things not mentioned in the story's ending) so this is actually a very pertinent question.

I don't know what precisely Firefall has planned so I can't say much about those (though he did write a small Ko/Gray story that I have planned to publish while we're between major fics), but I know I'll likely be focusing on shorter one-shots for a bit. I have a few ideas, mostly highlighting Gray and Ko because I love them. I might as well tease them now though one of them is a much more involved multi-chapter story that I've had in mind for a while, but will take a lot of energy to do so I have no clue when I'll actually be able to do that one.

Shorter story: On one of their port stops, a local politician makes arrangements for he and his family to tour the Resolute. The son of this family is deaf like Dr. Gray. But unlike Dr. Gray, his family is completely supportive and they're part of the Deaf community, forcing the doctor to grapple with the fact that her experiences weren't quite as universal as she had once thought them to be. This is also when the ship learns that Ko not only is familiar with sign language, but is fluent in it.

Longer story: After the retirement of the director of Naval Base Hospital on Crescentia, a mysterious illness begins to spread throughout the Empire, headed for the bustling port. While Dr. Gray had declined to apply for the now-open position, she grows frustrated by the inaction of the interim director who refuses to acknowledge the severity of the disease so soon into his position. Dr. Gray is forced to try to prepare for the oncoming disaster despite having no power to do so, including trying to convince Admiral Amelia to talk the merchants leaders of the port to quarantine the port before it's too late. Ko, in her forced retirement, can do little but watch as some civilians devolved into panic while others rise up to the challenge, and others still try to remain ignorant. What can she really do? Will their efforts have been enough when all hell finally breaks loose?

Edit: The longer story idea is based off of the situation around the 1918 Flu Pandemic aka, the Spanish Flu. Really fascinating stuff tbh.

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Hey, I’ve been rereading some of your fics recently and I was just wondering what kind of alien is Constantine?

Sorry for the really delayed response! I saw this when you first sent it, but was unable to respond at that moment theeeeen I forgot. My bad!

Anyway, Constantine is a species that already existed in the Treasure Planet universe, but was an unnamed one. So our name for it is Katydian, a kind of insectoid species, and can be seen when the Benbow re-opens.