Chapter Six
Learning the Ropes
Containing a surfeit of aeronautical jargon,
in which it is discovered that Fluttershy has acquired a new pet,
and Twilight has a revelation about an old enemy.
June 9th - 14th, 1012
Onboard Nebula, on course for Zebrica
"Out stu'n's'l bones!"
Our Second Mate and Sailing Master on that first voyage was Lee Helm, a grizzled old stallion who was having the time of his life. Commercial vessels rarely used the wind for propulsion any longer, and having a chance to exercise his expertise once again made him a very happy pony.
Of course, Nebula didn't need to use her sails; her power crystals stored enough energy to run her engines at cruising speed for a nearly a month. We could make landfall across the sea and return to Equestria with a 15% safety margin, and I could recharge the crystals myself if necessary. But it is always best to be prepared for anything. Plus, sailing was a new skill for me to learn; variety in one's study leads to greater mental flexibility. And it was probably good for the crew to keep them busy while on watch.[1]
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[1] Oh, all right... it was also really cool to be sailing to mysterious foreign lands.
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"Bones?" Rainbow Dash quietly asked me out of the corner of her mouth.
"Booms," I told her. "It means 'rig the studdingsail booms,' though I think they're technically yards. I'll have to ask Mr. Helm about that."
In the waist, the crew were running out the long wooden beams that would support the sails to either side of Nebula's hull.
"Why doesn't he just say what he means?" Dash muttered.
"He does, actually. As I understand it, naval and aeronautical jargon evolved so that it's short and easily heard over the noise of storms and such."
"Plus," Pinkie Pie added, "it makes 'ya sound like a salty sea-dog, right enough! Aye, maties?"
Rainbow chuckled at her. "Pinkie, do you even know what a stunned sail bone is?"
"No idea!" Pinkie Pie giggled and hopped off to get in the way of the crew.
Acorn was at the wheel, keeping Nebula steady and on a heading directly downwind to make the crew's work easier. Fluttershy stood near him, carefully watching everything he did.
"I don't think I'll ever understand half of what those guys say," Rainbow Dash said.
"Oh, you'll probably pick up a lot of it as we go along. It's going to take us almost a week to cross the ocean riding the trade winds. By the time we get to Zebrica, you…" Seeing I had lost Rainbow Dash's attention, I trailed off. After a moment's thought, I teleported a book from my cabin. "Here. This might help alleviate the boredom."
Dash looked at the cover. "Ms. Midshippony Breezy," she read. "Looks old. This isn't like… history or something, is it?"
The tone of disdain she put into the word set my teeth on edge, but I kept smiling. "It's an adventure story. Yes, it's set in the past during the age of exploration, but it's full of sword fights and pirates and stuff like that. You'll love it! Captain Merry Yacht wrote lots of others, and I've got all the best ones onboard."
"Okay," Dash said, cautiously taking the book from me. "I'll give it a shot." She sounded like she thought I was trying to put something over on her… which I was. By the time she'd gotten through three or four of Merry Yacht's books, she'd be able to rattle off aeronautical terms like a seasoned deckhoof.
I gave my full attention to the work of the crew, enjoying the practiced and economical way they went about setting up the various yards and sails. When all was ready, Lee Helm came up to the quarterdeck and saluted me. "Ready to make sail, capt'n."
I had to bite my lip to keep from giggling with joy. "Very good, Mr. Helm. Give the orders, if you please." I couldn't help feeling like I was playing at being the captain of an airship. At that moment it felt like a promotion from ordinary old "princess."
"Aye, aye, ma'am." My sailmaster turned toward the bow and called out, "Loose sprit's'l!" It wasn't as loud as the Royal Voice, but the command could have been heard for a mile. The sail hanging from the yard fastened crossways below our bowsprit unfurled and made a solid whumph as it caught the breeze and filled. "Take up on the larboard sheet."[2] Helm watched until he was satisfied with the set of the sail and then ordered, "That's well."
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[2] A sheet is a line that controls the corner of a sail. It isn't really sheet-like at all. And Celestia help you if you call it a "rope." As far as sailors and aeronauts are concerned, it's only rope if it's coiled on the wharf. If it's involved in the rigging of a ship, it's a line.
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Lee Helm paused for a couple of moments, and I realized that he was getting the feel of how Nebula was behaving before continuing. "Loose kee's'l!" he called out. We couldn't see the mast and sail that had been fixed to the keel below Nebula's hull, but the crewponies out on the stu'n's'l booms who hauled on the sheets could, and the sound of the sail catching the wind was clear enough.
"She's drawing well, sir," called out the pony on the starboard boom.
"On deck, then," Helm replied.
As the ponies worked their way back onto the deck, Lee Helm lit his horn and cast a spell that I had only read about. It connected Nebula to the magical essence of the ocean below her, acting as a keel would on a watercraft and allowing her to tack into the wind as well as run before it. I watched carefully as the spell unfolded and took hold.
When it was done, Helm turned to Fluttershy. "Ring for Full Stop, Ms. Fluttershy," he said in a much quieter voice that had somehow acquired a more gentle tone. I could have kissed the old guy.
"Oh… yes… I mean... aye, aye, sir. Full Stop." Fluttershy blushed furiously as she took hold of the brass levers of the engine telegraph, but she moved them with confidence and left them at the correct position. After a second, the markers duplicated her motions and the deep hum of the engines faded away.
After another pause, Helm ordered, "Loose fo'ard stu'n's'ls!" The matching sets of sails near the bow unfurled and were set, then the process was repeated with the bigger ones closer to the quarterdeck. He ordered a few adjustments of the sheets until he was satisfied and then turned to me and said, "Nebula is under sail, capt'n."
As if I hadn't been there and watching all along. But there was a precision and formality to the whole process that hit all my happy buttons and I couldn't help smiling. "Thank you, Mr. Helm. I want to get a feel for how she steers under sail. Could you stand by to advise me?"
"It would be my pleasure, capt'n."
From behind me came an incredibly dainty clearing of a throat.
"And also for Ms. Fluttershy when she takes her turn at the wheel," I added.
= = =
Something else I learned on the trip out was stellar navigation. My astronomy studies gave me a huge head start on the process, but there was still quite a bit to learn. A side benefit was that the complex math involved was very soothing to work through.
And I often needed soothing. The work on creating a talisman to receive the Nightmare's magic power did not go well. Several times, I thought I had created a perfect matrix, only to have the magic rebound, the gem crack, or some other disaster occur.
The fourth night out, I had climbed up the access way that went through the middle of Nebula's envelope, between her second and third gas cells, to the small open-air cupola at the top. It was the best place aboard to get an unobstructed view of the stars, which made it the ideal spot to take latitude readings. It was also a great place to get a bit of privacy to think. I had my own cabin, of course, but I shared it with Spike and there were always ponies coming and going for one reason or another. When a pony had to climb a 45-foot ladder to talk with me, the reasons were usually pretty good ones.
So when Fluttershy popped up out of the hatch, I was a bit surprised.
"Oh!" she said when she realized I was there. "I'm sorry, Twilight. I didn't know you were up here. Am I bothering you? I can come back later."
"No, it's fine," I told her. "I'm just relaxing a bit."
"You're sure?"
"Absolutely,"
She smiled at me but didn't come aft to sit next to me on the low wooden bench. Instead, she went and leaned out over the short rail at the forward edge of the cupola, spreading her forelegs out on the surface of the upper envelope. After a few minutes, she laid her head down between her hooves, with one cheek pressed against the fabric, almost as if she were listening for a heartbeat.
I waited patiently. She was obviously intent on something, and I didn't want to interrupt her.
She shifted a bit from time to time and then finally sat back. She was frowning and her lower lip was caught between her teeth.
"Is something wrong?" I asked.
Fluttershy nodded slowly. "Nebula isn't happy. There's something wrong with her."
O—kay. "What is she unhappy about?" I asked, carefully not rolling my eyes.
"I know you think I'm being silly, Twilight, but she talks to me. No really! Half of what animals say is in the way they move or stand or even just breathe. Nebula isn't moving the way she should. Everything I could check below seems fine, so that's why I came up here."
"Alright, that does make some sense," I admitted. "But I haven't noticed anything wrong with the way she's moving."
Fluttershy put on her "stern" look. I'm really not the maternal type, but it made me want to wrap my wings around her. "That's because you think of her as a bunch of separate parts all stuck together! Like they're all individual things instead of one big creature. I can tell when a mouse has a toothache by the tension in her hips!"
"So…?"
"So, if I knew Nebula better I could tell what was wrong with her. As it is, I just know there's something not right…" Fluttershy frowned and waved a hoof toward the starboard bow. "Somewhere over there."
I nodded. "It might be something that's easy to miss in the dark, so I'll order a thorough inspection first thing in the morning. Will that be soon enough?"
"I don't like to think of Nebula hurting, but I guess that's okay. Thank you, Twilight."
Fluttershy went below and left me to my thoughts. Her ponification of the airship was silly, but if it put her into a mindset that allowed her to make an intuitive diagnosis that was accurate, it could be regarded as a tool rather than superstition. Considering a complex system as an organism might give an advantage when approaching a seemingly simple problem that had hidden holistic repercussions. After all, I knew the dangers of becoming too reductionistic when studying—
And, just like that, it hit me.
I had assumed that the Nightmare's magic within me was just raw power. I had told myself that the particular forms it had taken on were the result of her habits and attitudes molding the energy, not an actual echo of her personality. Based on a flawed premise, I had been trying to design a purely mechanistic matrix to contain it.
It didn't work because I had been dead wrong. She was still in there… somewhere.
= = =
The next morning, Lee Helm came to my cabin to report on the inspection. I had my tools and crystals scattered over the surface of the work table that folded down from the bulkhead, but I pulled a sheet over it all before I gave Mr. Helm permission to enter.
"It was a cracked strut inside the fore starboard elevator, capt'n," Lee Helm told me. "Must have been a stress fracture, because the fabric over it wasn't damaged at all. A little splint and glue made her right."
"Thank you, Mr. Helm," I said, nodding. "Well done."
"The thanks should go to Ms. Fluttershy, ma'am. How she noticed the vibration from that strut way down on deck is a mystery to me. Could have caused us some trouble if it had broke free in bad weather."
"I'll be sure to thank her personally. Is there some traditional way to reward a crew member for good work like that?"
"I doubt she'd value an extra ration of cider as much as most old sailors. Havin' her hooves on Nebula's wheel seems to be reward enough for her." Lee Helm gave me a crooked grin. "She's there now, singin' a little tune to herself so soft you can barely hear it."
I smiled fondly and dismissed him.
My smile leaked away when I uncovered the project laid out on the table. The gem was a black opal, the fittings moon-kissed silver, and the matrix prepared for it was nothing like a simple container. The design was based on ancient patterns meant to ensnare the essence of a pony, imprisoning spells from the Age of Chaos that hadn't been used in centuries.
I worked on the talisman for another couple of hours after Mr. Helm left and then prepared myself to attempt the transfer. When I had hit on the solution, I was disgusted and repelled. But at the crucial moment, I was seized by a strange sadness and regret. My hooves shook and rattled against the wood as tears streamed down my face. I found myself mumbling, "I'm sorry, I'm sorry…" over and over again. I didn't even know what I was sorry for.
Finally, I gave up and placed all the components back into the little locked chest that sat on my bunk. I was in no frame of mind to attempt intricate magical manipulation; at least that was clear. I composed myself, went on deck, and tried to let the fresh ocean air blow the worries from my mind.
That worked about as well as you might expect.
= = =
=
I love how well fluttershy is taking to piloting, but at the same time it just seems odd. Certainly not a bad thing just odd.
Interesting...
This continues to have many good points. :)
An euphemism for "fun times with Luna".
Think of it this way. Everyone talks about ships being a her. So Fluttershy thinks about it like being one of her animals.
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That girl has hidden depths, I tell you!
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6589728 I get really excited when a new chapter comes out. I've taken to posting various depictions of the expression on my face when I see this in my Favorites Library.
"Also a legislative wording error taxes them by the letter."
I love how we're seeing some unexpected facets of Twi and Flutters. Fluttershy adopting the ship like an animal is adorable. Twilight finding that formal command "pushes happy buttons" is...well, hilarious but worrying
Also, it's cool that you have a good enough idea of how naval jargon works that you can come up with believable variations for parts that don't actually exist in real life, like keelsails.
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I love them! Particularly that last one. Keep it up!
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Yup!
I was really into traditional sailing for a while. I'm gratified you noticed and approve of my terminology!
Almost all my naval knowledge comes from the Temeraire series. Since the terms seems similar, and most of the time I have no idea what they're talking about and got to google it, it seems good enough.
Also, Nebula's the newest animal for Fluttershy to care for :D
Ok I have to agree with what a previous commenter said(I don't know where the comment is or who said so I can't tagged/reply it). But this story's timeline is too dam confusing if your going to skip and, not go on a lineal timeline at least put some kind of date at the beginning of the story so we now what came first or and what will come after.
I thought you might stop doing this after the first few chapter and tried to tolerate it but now it's too frustrating/confusing and I might have to stop reading because of it, please don't force me to stop reading this awesome story and fix it.
P.S. I really do like the story but It's starting to get to annoying guesing if what happened on the previous chapter came before or after the current chapter one is reading.
P.P.S. I guessed you jumped since I imagined the talisman thingy is the one Twi tried to use in the Previous chapter.
-Techy
6590328 i2.kym-cdn.com/photos/images/newsfeed/001/023/278/590.gif
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Odd chapters are in chronological sequence and in the "present." Even chapters are in chronological sequence and in the "past."
Unfortunately, I can't change how the chapters are arraigned now; the story is built around that structure.
Maybe you should wait until I've finished the story and then you could read all the even chapters and then all the odd chapters, and that would be the whole story in strict chronological order.
There are so many lovely moments in this chapter that really show the heart and soul of the seafaring life (or air-faring life, in this case) and the wonderful romance of the age of sail. Yes, after reading Equestria's answer to Horatio Hornblower or possibly Master and Commander, I have no doubt that Rainbow will be hooked. It was sneaky of Twilight to do that but it was a well-intentioned trick and it certainly wouldn't hurt Rainbow, who does seem to gain a certain degree of appreciation for something by experiencing it on her own action-focussed level.
As for Fluttershy? Well I think that she's discovered a natural talent with the complexity that is a long-range airship. I have no doubt that Lee Helm will be calling her 'Shipmaster's Apprentice' by the end of the proving flight!
In many ways, the captain of a long-range vessel has more power over the life and death of his or her crew than any petty monarch. They look to their captain for sustenance, discipline, protection, law and direction. The captain is the one who not only rules the ship as its master but commands its direction and maintenance to ensure that the crew get home. It is a grave and heavy responsibility that you bear towards those souls entrusted to your mercy. If nothing else, being the Captain of the Nebula will teach Twilight Sparkle how to be a better Princess.
6591911 Maybe you could add a little note or timestamp to the start of each chapter to remind us where we are in the story? Because I was definitely a lIttle confused coming into this chapter.
Anyway, excellent character development on Twilight and Fluttershy. I especially love the contrast between Twilight mechanistic, detail-oriented approach and Fluttershy's holistic perspective. The former is well-established in canon and I can attest that the latter is very true of people who work with animals (small children too ). Also, while it is a little concerning that Twilight is letting her compulsive need for order influence her decisions, at least she is aware of it now.
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Kaleidoscope had a good idea, which should help out with figuring out the time/date each chapter takes place. (see comment above)
It will take me a little bit to figure out the best format for the notes, but I should have them in place by the time I post the next chapter.
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I love the Temerare series! Did you know that Peter Jackson has optioned the rights for a movie deal?
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The book Twi gave to Dash is actually an Equestrian version of Mr. Midshipman Easy, by Captian Marryat. (Which is a damned fine book, BTW!)
And yes, Twi is going to get experience with a more gritty and immediate form of authority. Whether it will be what she expected or wanted is another question.
I was about to complain about the utter uselessness of having sails on an airship, when I came across this:
Well played sir
6593515 Didn't he intend to create a TV series, and not a movie adaptation? But yeah, patiently waiting. :)
And for the final book.
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It's been a while since I heard about it, so I'm not really sure I'm remembering correctly. I'd prefer a TV series, actually, because more dragons!
6594489 I didn't even know there might be a movie on that series. ... Now I want to see some kind of reference made, even just with Spike.
Obscure references to excellent literary works push my happy buttons.
6593074 As long as they aren't at the bottom of the page... I hate having to scroll allllll the way down to get a little joke, or important tidbit, or whatever, and then scroll alllll the way back up to wherever.
6588996 Lucky there aren't any weather vanes onboard.
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Sorry, but that reference flew over my head.
Did you mean the alternative name for weather vanes, which is weather... cock?
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If you haven't read Eakin's excellent Hard Reset trilogy, you really need to! That's where the reference comes from.
6600371 I read it. And I remember there being massive amounts of blunt trauma...
And that it was not exactly a TwiLuna story in the end... something about Starswirl?
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Yep, the reference comes from one of the loops where Twilight got together with Luna. Evidently, a weather vane can be re-purposed for creative use between consenting adults.
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By far the best chapter yet, I think I'm in love with Mr Helm.
Well played sir! Sadly I don't know who E K Norman was, but he seems to have had a nice christmas!
... Do naval vessels go into heat?
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According to John Ringo, yes.
And from there back to Twi's firs trip, where we will likely see the origins of her losing her sanity out of frustration that she and she alone is the pure perfect arbiter of what is right and wrong, and what is and is not good.
Yes yes, not remarking on my 'meh' for this idea, but can still snark at them. So, 1. YAY I love jargon learning! 2. Guessing she adopts Nebula 3. Guessing this will be one that explains that whole Nightmare Twilight causing amulet with her finishing it and find something to explain it. See these things give away the entire chapter.
Across the sea... so how many nations actually share a land border with Equestria?
Can't argue there, or her just wanting to do it to do it and learn it. Plus make sure it works. Also having an old pony who used to do it this way, nice subtle way of making clear just how fast this whole airship thing has been growing and improving, making it all the more clear this is the result of continuing technological advances. Though this does raise the question of how long Celestia has had Solar Flare.
In general yes, but didn't you just last past chapter go on about how boring most of your friends found it in practice?
Pretty much, you want to get your message out quick and clearly.
Twilight, you only have yourself to blame for Pinkie slowly eroding everypony sanity with her pirate talk. Is this why she's so close to snapping in a few years? Also just had an idea, are they going with Twilight to have fun and keep her company, or keep an eye on her? Given what happened the last two times she went off on her own......
Wait, a pony NAMED Breezy, or an actual Breezy crewmemeber?
See a few years from now, she might have just smacked RD upside the head with the book till she read it.
HEY, Twilight was right about Daring Do wasn't she?
Twi remembers how RD learns best. Make it something interesting to her so she doesn't even realize she is learning at the same time.
Well you are new at this, and know everypony knows more then you... okay no they don't KNOW more, but have more experience at this then you. We know you'll get over that.
Hmmmm, I can kind of see that.... it's more personal, smaller scope, easier to really identify with. And she's going to let it go to her head isn't she?
Very very true.
Ohhh interesting.
And yes we know Blue Mage Twilight knows the spell now too.
They do get used to quirks quick enough. No word yet on how they are taking Ms Rarity's little fun dungeon she setting up with all this new rope tying expertise.
Yeah I can see her preferring this, now to see how insane she gets before realizing what works fine in small groups like this is impossible in larger, nation sized ones.
D'awww, it is sweet how they are helping out the Mane 6 get into things. Twi did pick a good crew.
So there is the ticket, every time Twi starts to freak out, have her solve some new mathematical theory. That should last at least a week before you run out of them.
Or be RD. Or Pinkie, you know that won't phase her.
Huh.... okay did not see that coming. This is where she adopts the ship?
Yup, also, yup I can totally buy Fluttershy getting this in tune with the ship this fast, it was perfectly in character and, yeah, liking this.
Huh so far I've been mostly agreeing with Twi but doubting her methods and thinking while her ideas are sound, her judgment in executing them not so much... here, nope she is fully in the wrong for doubting this.
Well it's Fluttershy, how could you NOT? See?
However, while I'm with Fluttershy that Twi is wrong about this... Flutters might be taking it a LITTLE to far. I mean I get what she means, but she does have to remember the ship isn't alive and can't really feel pain, but at the same point, I am not surprised in the least she is going that far. It's Fluttershy.
Maybe just a TAD more extreme then needed, but not really 'silly'
And to bad she's not in the bathtub, cause she is about to have a EUREKA! moment isn't she?
AH, so, the 'power' does have some of The Nightmare in it, but, it's not effecting Twilight now why? The personality effects alter when it gets made into a talisman? It grow stronger over time? She's simply suppressing them by not actively tapping into that power, and not being so exhausted when she does?
This is going to go very very badly later, isn't it?
Or extra time in Ms Rarity's special cabin. And no cute furry critters around for her to snuggle.....
D'awwwwww.
Yeah, that isn't asking for trouble or making this thing just scream DARK EVIL! NO TOUCH! at all......
Well, this is still in keeping with channeling Littlepip. Though I do get this. Regret over the role she played in The Nightmares death, over essentially imprisoning what remains of her in the gem? I do like this, showing the cracks, Twilight letting out a hint of all the guilt, regret, shame, this is going to be a lot what is driving Twilight isn't it? All that pain and sadness about her own actions she is repressing, not even admitting to herself, instead causing her to lash out at other things, things she thinks she can fix, rather then looking inwards at her own issues, ones she doesn't think can be fixed and so hides from.
In this one little scene, it, just adds so much to explain exactly what Twilight is going through, what will be driving her. Yes ego is part of it, being so full of herself she believes she knows better then everypony. But, even that has a core here. In the pain she's denying even exists. It just... yes I snarked at her, yes I was disappointed, yes I know she's going to go to far, but for the right reasons but, just, that one little touch... I suddenly sympathize a lot more with her. I will still not hold back in mocking her bad decisions and idiocy along the way but, I do get why she is forcing herself down this path....maybe even why she was so eager to abandon her Princess duties, to try and run away from the pain... and.... Fluttershy's finding one little point of stress wrong in the complex machinery of the airship...... this is.. quite the same. But nopony is able to see it, not till it will be to late. I REALLY hope this is going where I think it is cause, damn would that be powerful and just, amazing.
Well it clearly worked eventually to let you do it but, yeah until you hit rock bottom and have to address the pain you don't even know how to understand right now.. it's only putting things off.
Wow, that ending got pretty powerful pretty quick.... just.... wow.
7251189 ...or maybe it doesn't make much of a difference. It's a bit difficult to tell.
guys
Oh, quality, how I have missed you. You are so hard to find these days.
Hah! Clever, Twilight.
I really like this twist on Fluttershy's abilities, it really opens up the question of what the limits of her ability to understand stuff might be. Anything she can see as an individual?
Thinking back to the implications of chapter five, no kidding.
Why… why does sailing slang have so many apostrophes? Like, I get that there's a need to abbreviate words, but… just… why?
Seems like you did a lot of research on nautical vernacular for this story... I can appreciate that.
<Uhm... why is it called a "belaying pin?")
<Because, Twi... Now he be laying down for a while.)
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Considering that Airships like the kind depicted here never existed, iisaw must have put a lot of thought into how to apply the various nautical and aeronautical terms without any real life guidance. If iisaw designed a diagram of an airship, I'd be willing to bet an engineer could make it fly without having to add anything but numbers.
I might even be willing to bet iisaw knows something about engineering.
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I spent some years doing traditional sailing and have crewed aboard the tallships, Lady Washington, Californian, and Endeavor. My airships are pretty much sailing vessels with gas cells stuck on top. most of the aeronautical terminology comes from research on the British R101.
Funny you should mention diagrams! You'll find diagrams and cutaway drawings of Nebula in the appendices of the sequel!
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You had me at "appendices".
I have to say, Pilot Fluttershy works surprisingly well.
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Agreed.
This chapter makes the Nebula feel real.
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Thank you! I put a lot of work into making her live in my mind. BTW, if you want any help visualizing her, there are diagrams of Nebula in the appendices of the next book: Nebula Diagrams
http://www.nuklearpower.com/2005/01/13/episode-502-technical-mumbo-jumbo/
Ooooh I like this.
Okay this is just a really sweet bit with Fluttershy so far. I'm getting some serious One Piece vibes here, where the Going-Merry is just as much a part of the Straw Hat Pirates as any of their regular crew.
Ooooooooh I love it when little things are linked together and it sparks an ah-HA moment!
Twilight nooooooooo you gotta tell us what it is! Now I'm dying to know! But the next chapter is going to be SWASHING BUCKLES. This split-story chapter setup definitely amps up the tension and anticipation.
I also had a brain fart. For some reason I thought the Talisman from the previous chapter was the Alicorn Amulet. Somehow I mentally combined the two. Probably a side effect of taking a day off of reading.
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Hmm... I'm going to have to give One Piece a look sometime!
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One Piece is absolutely amazing, but it is long. If you're interested in checking it out, me or my fiance can probably help!
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Hey, if it's good, then the more of it there is, the better! I have Amazon Prime and Netflix if it's on either service. Otherwise...?