#maybe ill draw the helmscolumn someday who knows

[a-cat-in-toffee]

ramble abt your abraxas au? it looks so cool!!!!!!!

I'm gonna take this as an opportunity to talk abt helming in this au because i have put an absurd amount of thought into something that could easily just be breezed over

this is gonna be long so

quick warning for taking abt helming and stuff !!! so i guess mild body horror discussion? i dont think theres anything specifically in this that is. like bad? but if that sort of thing makes you uncomfortable thats mainly what this is abt!!!

(side note if this makes no fucking sense please feel free to execute me in the street xoxxo (side note side note there are a lot of different elements from different aus and fics that i've consumed so if you recognize anything thats probably why))

i went a little bit into it on @the-starship-abraxas (please go check out my blog for this au and send asks spspspsps cmon guys) already

SOLLUX: oh, that2 my port2. ii can plug iinto the 2hiip. SOLLUX: they're mo2tly along my 2piine. SOLLUX: equiiu2 iin2talled them whiile we were 2tiil on world, and he upkeep2 them. SOLLUX: human-troll technology make2 tradiitiional helmiing and piilotiing faiirly ob2olete, 2o a lot of 2hiip2 have helm2 whiich the helm2man can detatch from. SOLLUX: ii plug iin and 2ort of become one wiith the 2hiip. SOLLUX: iit2 really fuckiing cool.

so, the ports!

as stated before, a helmsman's ports are primarily along their spine because the biowires connect to their spinal cord and basically hijack the signals from their brains. Biowires work the same as any other wall plug or cord except they're alive and have nerves and interpret brain signals and plug into a person's body. Fun times!

the way "traditional helming" would work is goldblood psionics would be assigned ability levels depending on how strong their psionics were and depending on that they would be assigned to ships. the stronger the psionic the larger the ship, since traditionally they would just. straight up throw it with their mind.

after the colonization of earth and the introduction of actual technology into alternia's biotech, what the pilot could actually do in a ship expanded a lot. Since the psionic could become aware of the ship from not only a physical sense but a significantly more mechanical sense, pilots were given the responsibility of both moving the ship as well as being aware of damage, communications, and other such things.

most psionic ports and helms have psionic stoppers which cap off the amount of energy that the psionic can sort of put out into the ship (The abraxas does not have these because Sollux has the equivalent of several programs running in the background at all times and they would short out every time.) so as to not pop helmsman like a mustard packet.

when is comes to the actual helmscolumn I don't have any art but I do have a blurb from my abraxas drabbles (I swear I'm going to start the actual fic someday)

The helmsblock was a decently large room, with various technology and computers built into the walls. The centerpiece though was, of course, the helmscolumn. Pilot technology had come a long way from just strapping up psionics to ships and having them hurl themselves across space, and nothing showed that change quite like what the pilots were strung up into. At the roof and floor were two circular fuschia platforms, mirroring each other and curving inwards. In some places surrounding the platforms similarly colored bio wires hung, tucked away, unused, and, if you looked close enough, almost writhing against each other. In front of the column you could see two small control panels, intended for the pilot to be able to use as they flew.

the column itself/some of the design details may change as time eternally marches on but for the most part the helmscolumn is meant to be technologically up to date and safe, yes, but it's also meant to be incredibly showy. While piloting has come pretty far, helmsman are still often shown off or seen as ship accessories.

even though its not like. a rights violation to have a poorly taken care of pilot. its still generally frowned upon. just cause things are better doesnt mean they're good!

(also while it is common practice for pilots to be able to disengage from the helm it's not uncommon for ships to have fullhelms.)

I hope this ramble was to your liking !! i have. just so much shit for this universe.