“So … you’re still in school? How do you find the time to work on Pacific and keep everything else in order?”
Yes. I’m due for graduation probably soon (TM). I’m dual degree, after all.
Thanks for the concern, but Pacific’s a hobby. Besides, my guys are great. Sima and Sune and K9 and everyone works hard to come up with ideas and whatnots. Zero LITERALLY runs around all of China these days to do the same thing. So, eh, I might get a little tired sometimes but things are alright.
“What’s the typical power level of a shipgirl?”
Hm. I think I get what you’re getting at. You’re really asking, how “superhuman” are shipgirls, right?
I’ve answered this before, and the general gist of it is that they’re the equivalent of western comic superheroes. Physically speaking, we’re talking physical strength far beyond that of a normal human – lifting tanks for instance is really pretty easy for the girls. They’re extraordinarily durable as each shipgirl basically comes with a sort of personalized “forcefield” or magic defense that negates most types of damage period. See a previous mail call on Andrea shelling Helena for an example.
Biologically, they possess an innate resistance to diseases (shipgirls are functionally immortal – STEC thinks that sometimes they catch colds and whatnots as more of a psychological thing. Same with the desire to eat. A shipgirl really … well, nobody’s really tested, but since they can’t drown it goes to reason to think that they don’t need to eat (though they like to).
Intellectually, though, I’d say they’re mostly above average compared to the general population. You have intelligent but socially inept individuals such as Mahan, Lexington, and so on. Then you have uh, what I would say are on the “dumber” or more aptly put “simpler” types such as Hornet and Laffey. Characters like Chester who is severely lacking in common sense can’t really be classified in that regard.
“How do you kill a shipgirl?”
That’s a morbid question.
“I mean, what happens if a shipgirl gets corrupted and go rouge and join the enemy?”
I think you meant to say rogue.
Er, first of all, not really within the setting of Pacific. I’m going to use an example in the Warhammer universe: the Grey Knights. The Grey Knight’s main “thing” other than being elite is that they cannot be corrupted by Chaos. If we’re to go to the bottoms of it, that’s a choice on the author’s part. It fits with what the Grey Knights are supposed to be.
In the same sense, it’s something STEC would consider, but as far as I’m concerned from the author, I’m not interested in writing about edgy “from muh perspective the X are ebil!” type of works. Folks can feel free to take our characters and do what they wish, but me? Just not into that sort of thing, sorry.
Now, the first part of this? The Abyssals. That answer your question? x)