I cannot believe we don't have a Helmsmen thread already, considering who we have on this Forum. I mean really.
yes, im here for this. im curious: how many people have considered 'organic' helsmen (something like how i usually see canon interpreted, with the tentaclewire whatever-they-ares being alive in the same way as plants, sort of) vs 'mechanical' helmsmen, using wires inserted into installed ports. i could get more detailed on how ive thought about this, but, yknow, i dont wanna ramble too long right off the bat and i know ive seen both interpretations done.
I am so here for biomechanical helmsmen. I have also wholeheartedly embraced BoatTrolls/OOOS canon of "helms are part/part of horrorterror" because yesssss creeping eldrich horror tech.
im not familiar with boattrolls or ooos, but im gonna have to look into them now because i will happily soak up approximately all the interpretations of helmsmen, thank you.
Im never sure whether i like the idea of wires jacked into designated meta ports painfully surgically installed, or the idea of biowires burrowing under the skin wherever they like, seeking out warm flesh and grafting onto nerve tissue like some kind of giant parasite better. Both give me the thrills of horror, tbh. submitted for your consideration though: masochistic helmsmen.
im definitely a huge fan of both versions, though i may have a bit of a preference for the latter option, although in my personal headcanon its also much more dangerous/painful (i like to think the biowires feed on tissue, more wire grows to replace it, etc. until its pretty much impossible to uninstall a helmsman without killing them. wires plugged into ports can be removed and often have to be for maintenance purposes, and a helmsman could theoretically survive outside the helm after being uninstalled, despite the ports being excessively painful.) ALL OF MY YES, fjkds;ajsdkjafdksj, i am keysmash forever.
I love this. It's so versatile. Makes for all kinds of delicious angst, horror and hurt/comfort. Also the occasional happy fic: "This is awesome I'm a motherfucking SPACE SHIP!" *makes engine noises with mouth and actual engines*
And now I'm giggling to myself about giving someone emotional whiplash by describing someone discovering the Helm room and Spoiler: Body Horror! WHEE! its sole occupant, the gruesomely corroded, sad, limp carcass of a limbless helmsman. The bioware looks like something between a carnivorous, parasitic plant and a really intense tentacle hentai. I'm talking like, tentacle jammed through an eyesocket and out again through an ear canal. There's pink and probably other colors of fluid everywhere. The discoverer probably throws up, and is met by a voice from speakers/screens: "Sup" "I... I'm here to rescue you!" "What? Why?" and begins cheerfully nattering on about how they're actually perfectly happy to be out of their meat-suit, like, "Dude, do you realize how great it is to have a team of 350 mechanics at your beck and call with the flicker of an string of biowire? I had to wait three perigrees for corrective lenses for my two meat-eyes and it nearly got me culled! Now I can commission 240 upgraded camera eyes and have them installed in three nights just because the latest wetware patched weird and I get a two-micron lag! Also: LASERS." "But, you... your... it's not..." "Lay. Zers."
submitted for your consideration, to make everything more awful: masochism as a "software patch" added to helmsmen to make them more efficient
earlier today i was thinking about trolls who find the concept of being a helmsman intriguing/sexy but dont have any abilities that would allow them to actually function as a helm and landed on the concept of like, helm simulators as pricey highblood entertainment. ranging from basically just 'buy some tentacle sex' to setups with wires that send pulses into a trolls skin to make it feel like theyre burrowing in but cause no actual permanent damage. of course, theres not really any way to simulate the thrill of being one with the ship in the way @alchemicalheart was describing, but also, no death or permanent bodily harm. though there are likely a few cases where highbloods tried to up the experience and made it a little too realistic, and died. but hey, what a way to go.
I have a fantroll that got biowires tattooed on her arms, she's also a helmtroll! (art intail on tumblr)
I like the idea of helmtrolls that love being a ship. That love the stars and the "sound" of space. I love the idea of aus with detachable helmstrolls that adore being in the helm, that mainline pixie sticks and crack bad jokes about "seeing a porno like this" at any given chance, helmstrolls that pipe in charged up hard core beats during battles and have no problem moving the ship in maneuvers if the bridge is being too slow or dumb.
Helmstrolls who dont give the slightest fuck about not being able to walk, they'll make the ship dance.
