#Starfaring scoundrels

[alexandriapubliclibrary]

The titular scoundrels of my series are the crew of Starpower Red, a repurposed cargo ship now used for stealing, smuggling, and whatever other piratey activities they get up to. I based the shape off a ship I got from an online spaceship generator—if I can find it again I’ll link it here. The first room I started drawing was the kitchen, since some very important scenes happen there. I don’t assume any of the crew are particularly skilled at cooking, but it’s the one spot on the ship without any security cameras, so they like to convene there (not that the ship’s cameras get a lot of use anyways—at least, not after the old captain is gone.)

I think the ship was originally only built with two bedrooms, probably for dock workers who traveled with the ship’s cargo. Everything else had to be gutted and repurposed when the crew took it over. This has led to a somewhat odd arrangement—for instance, the navigation room is a ways away from the bridge, and the medbay isn’t hooked up to any plumbing (much to the annoyance of the crew’s doctor, Josephine.) Still, they make it work.

Ships like this were made to be lived in, at least for a time, since space travel in this future isn’t lightspeed. I think the best comparison would be long-distance truck driving. Starpower Red has probably been modded to move a little faster than that, though. I leave a lot of that sciencey stuff up to my friends who are smarter than me. I’d like to come back to this concept—I want the ship to feel cluttered and lived-in, but I also don’t want to make myself create the “perfect drawing” of the interior before I write about it. Especially since I don’t have a lot of experience designing sci-fi settings! This blog is an archive for me to braindump on so I can remember all my ideas, it doesn’t have to be perfect. With that, a few other notes about Starpower Red’s kitchen:

> Starpower Red wasn’t designed to do Millennium Falcon-style flips, but the crew really puts her through the wringer. Fortunately, ship kitchens are already designed with movement and turbulence in mind (does turbulence exist in space?) Every cabinet, fridge, freezer, and drawer is carefully designed to contain everything so it can’t move around too much. Tableware is made from durable materials like metal or plastic. Cabinets aren’t open on the inside, but instead have slots and cubbies perfectly sized for whatever is being stored.

> Stovetops, oven racks, and countertops are either magnetic by design or can be fitted with “magpads” that prevent tableware from sliding. Tableware for space travel is made at least partially of metal. Likewise, chairs and tables are fitted with magnetic strips that allow them to hold on to each other. Tables are usually bolted to the floor.

> The crew’s most beloved luxury is their coffee maker. It is bolted down to the counter, and it’s a wonder it isn’t broken yet. The poor thing wasn’t made for space travel.

[alexandriapubliclibrary]

Welcome to the super duper official blog for a comic that doesn’t exist yet!

Unfortunately, this blog is not actually run by a robot. It's run by an overambitious 20-something who might write a comic. The premise is cowboys vs pirates in space, and right now, I'm calling it Starfaring Scoundrels. I'll mostly be posting about the (non-robot) characters and the world they live in. Some friends of mine may post stuff here, too, because they love performing free labor and making OCs for my world. For all you robot-lovers out there, worry not! The Alexandria Station's own 0R-ALPHA-CENTRAL LEARNING ENGINE (a.k.a., the "0RACLE") will be featured occasionally. Probably. You can pretend this blog IS run by said robot, which maybe has the power to predict everything that will happen in and beyond Systema Prima. Or it's an outdated AI program whose prophecies are made real by nothing but human fallacy. Who knows. We'll find out if I ever write this damn thing. Until then, enjoy my ramblings.