Yeah, that's what I was thinking. Her walking out in a towel might have some people staring at her, even snickering to themselves, but this is the military, so they know that they should not waste time acting like little kids because their captain came out soaking wet in a towel. Dare I ask what her birthday suit would look like?
She could storm out and the order someone go get her some clothes or a batchrobe once she given her order. Or someone else could have the presence to send someone running. Then you get both her storming out and don't have her standing around for the next 30 minutes.
I agree. Maybe something like: (Helen storms out in her towel) Helen: Helsmen! Stop the ship, you need to turn around! Crewmen #22: Uh, miss? You-you are in your towel... Helen: (rushed) Look away then! (To helmsmen) Please, you need to turn around. *insert explanation as to why* Helmsmen: Aye, captain. (Helen nods and walks quickly to her cabin) I recant the 30-minute thing. Don't know what I was thinking.
I'm not the person to ask :redface: But I imagine it would involve a colorful hat. I can imagine her finding a corner or secluded spot, getting two female officers to hold her towel in front of her, and dress, visible from the shoulders up and the knees down, while never missing a beat, and never losing her serious edge, still trying to convince them. This would make the male officers feel especially awkward, and would emphasize her character as very confident (if that's what you're going for)
lol, no. XD She just walks out quickly, holding her towel tightly around her, yells out the order, then returns. If anyone mentions that she's in her towel, she tells them to avert their eyes. Once the order is confirmed, she returns to her cabin to dry off and change into her uniforms.
Agreed and agreed. Having her throw on a bathrobe before running out seems to kill some of the urgency, in my mind. But if you shorten it or have something like "hey, you're in a towel" followed by "fetch me my uniform, then!" or something like what you've already brought up, telling them to avert their eyes, that sounds good.
Haha I wasn't implying that wearing a towel is akin to nudity Arthald. I was just making two completely different points in one post. The towel, and what people said earlier about nudity in different cultures.
Link, I know some people in the military - it usually has a culture of being quite raunchy with lots of joking around and bantering. This is the case because the types of people in the military tend to be heroic --> tough, lots of adrenaline,etc. Now I realize that a team of trained astronauts must have had years of training and therefore will be a different demographic from the 18-25-year-old Army guys - but still. Just pointing it out. The fact that she's in a towel would definitely get some comments. Link, dare I ask why you'd ask us what her b-day suit looks like? You are the writer, not us... I am not familiar with Helen in that intimite of a manner.
I realize that this isn't the point, but if she's the captain, it seems to me that she shouldn't need to say please or need to explain her orders. (That is, I don't know if a courtesy please is ever appropriate, as in "Please complete this by noon," but a begging please and an explanation certainly doesn't seem right.)] Edited to add: Also, "You need to turn around" is much weaker than, "Turn around." It's not an order; it's not quite even a request. She's being very deferential in her interaction with the helmsman, behaving as if she's just giving him information and the decision is up to him. This is classic old-fashioned feminine behavior, but I don't think a ship's captain would behave that way. ChickenFreak
Oh dear...That wasn't what I intended. I don't want (nor am trying) to imply that Helen is weak and allows the men on her ship to decide her orders for her. You're right. Given the circumstances, she's gonna snap out orders quickly, no second thoughts, no second guesses. No "Pretty please with a cherry on top". It's "Turn this ship around. Now." There's supposed to be a small window of time they have and she's gonna have to be quick about it.
I would have her march out in her towel - bark out the order, reprimand any sniggerers even give them a horrible punishment (swabbing decks, six weeks on guard duty, standing in the corner with a finger on their nose), then turn round and walk purposefully right back to her room where she gets dressed and goes back out like nothing has happened. Don't bother about the robe - the towel shows she doesn't give a monkeys what her crew think and she has power over them.
That's what I should do. Quick, simple, to the point. No extended length of time, no asking, just enter the bridge, bark out the order, punish any sniggerers, and return to her room.
If they're in the military, the guy isn't going to say "You are in your towel..." He wouldn't state the obvious to a superior, especially not in that fashion. If he's new and tense he might be a little embarrassed even, but he wouldn't say anything. And if she shows more authority, like people have suggested, he would feel less embarrassed about her attire and more about sounding like an idiot. If she's really in control of the crew/ship she shouldn't even care if people look away or not--it's unprofessional to show a reaction. And he'd call her "ma'am," not "miss." For the sake of respect and subordination.
He might be impaired relationship/people/communication-wise, though. Like if he suffered from autism or asperger's syndrome. (I don't mean to offend, btw. I'm just offering a suggestion) Hmmm...That might be something....yeah.... ...I think I just found an interesting sub-plot there.
That would be interesting. When I was in high school there was a kid with Asperger's in my speech/debate class. He'd always get super angry and storm out of the room. He was ultra-conservative socially so people's high school sex jokes and stuff got him really offended. And he'd always start fights with people and scream at them in the middle of class. I"m not trying to be offensive to people with this condition. I'm just relaying an experience of someone I knew.
I see my helmsman having autism since that's the most familiar thing to me (My uncle works with a woman who has autism, and we have a book at my house about autism). Ah, would it be redundant though? Because besides him, I have: #1- A blind Devonian boy Helen raised from infancy. #2- A Ferelian girl with leg problems. I mean, no offense, but some might think, "She has a lot of disabled people on her ship..."
Hmmm...true, true. Perhaps I should cut down on some of that. I want to keep the blind Devonian, but the others, I guess I can cut out... I dunno.
I mean I'm not telling you how to do it -- it's your story, you make the choice. I can't determine whether or not it seems PC-ish; that depends on how you write it.
That's exactly what I was going to say after I saw the post about feeling like there are too many disabled people. As long as it fits the story and it's not like you're just throwing people in there, Link, I wouldn't worry too much about it. Write your story the way you feel it needs to be written.
I do like to keep more than one brand of shampoo around and here is why: In my experience, sticking to one brand of shampoo and conditioner eventually decreases the effect. If you use Pantene for a year, you won't notice the same silky shine you had the first week you used it. Keeping multiple bottles of shampoo in the shower is like a tactical maneuver against... some unseen opponent. Natural scalp oils maybe? Its like all those little tricks you boys do in your sports to fake out the guy trying to get your ball. A typical shower for me, minus any shaving business, is: Hang my towel within reach of the shower, turn the water on, undress while it heats up, get in, let the water soak into my scalp (thick hair), and around here my mind seems to wander and I forget that showers are supposed to be short. I eventually snap to, having lost about half of my day, shampoo my hair, condition it back when it was longer, clean my nose and ears, clean my goods, wash my hands, and then get out. If I were you, I would pick your single favorite detail from this thread and include it in your shower scene. One piece of relatable (relate-to-able?) description goes a long way.
Everyone's different. I don't keep more than one shampoo around. Also I don't shave there and then. I can be ready in five minutes.
