Morgane’s pretty darn busy, so I’m going to have to try to Morgane today. Bear with me.
I really have no idea how Morgane can go and write basically an essay a day. I guess I’ll make up my lack of quality with quantity. Here goes!
“Why use Tautog to explain everything?”
I think you’ve all noticed that whenever I post something, it’s generally in the format of a dialogue between characters, or a 4th wall break-y dialogue between a character and various members of the team. Very rarely do I flat out speak to you guys.
I do this since I think it allows for characterization. In having them talk to you, we’re able to show you exactly what they’re like, what their interests are, and how they like to do things. It makes them “come alive” better than if I just told you what their personality is. “Show not tell”.
Plus, it’s more fun to write (and to read, I hope). If I wanted to just tell you how submarines worked I would have just linked some manuals.
“Why is the Soviet Union here? What’d they do?”
At risk of sounding like a Tankie:
For me, reading some of the memoirs and accounts of soviet submariners, there was just something different than the accounts of other nations. It’s like, there’s some “special sauce” that I just can’t quite put my finger on. It’s not quite motivation, but a lot of the stories are plenty moving. It’s not quite nostalgia, though a lot of the stories are quite nostalgic in tone. It’s not quite the tales of heroism – there are tales of heroism from all sides of the war.
The Soviets fought a much different war than, say, the Americans. In all respects it was a war for survival. There’s a reason they call it the “Great Patriotic War”. The war in the East was brutal – the Soviets took the most casualties by a large margin. They were fighting for Mom and Dad, Their brothers and sisters, and fellow comrades at the front. It’s something I feel like we just don’t get today, and something that as Americans we don’t quite get. America was fighting to defend their ally’s people and lands. The Soviets were fighting to defend their people and their lands. I think that maybe this “special sauce” stems from that.
Go find a recording of Farewell of Slavianka listen to it. The Red Army Choir version is excellent. Here’s a stanza.
Прощай, отчий край, – Farewell, fatherland,
Ты нас вспоминай, – Remember us,
Прощай, милый взгляд, – Farewell, sweet glance,
Не все из нас придут назад. – Not all of us will return.
See what I mean?
When I showed this song to Morgane, she said “Why doesn’t America have this kind of song?”
It’s the “special sauce”. It’s this sort of thing I’d like to capture in Pacific.
“OKAY DOGBOY. WHERE SHIPGIRL!?”
Alright. So, there are a few subgirls we have finished up but we still haven’t revealed yet. Here’s a draft of one of them:
Since I spent a while talking about the Soviet Union up there, I think it’s fitting to show you guys the other soviet subgirl appearing in Silent Service.
Don’t worry, it’s not all subgirls either.
This is a little ship that I think kinda gets a bit of a bad rep from most other shipgirl works. She’ll make her appearance soon.