Kiska Island - Named for Kiska, an island in the Aleutians and nowadays part of the State of Alaska. During World War II, Kiska was briefly (and rather pointlessly) occupied by the Japanese; as "Kiss Island" (a name that provokes a certain predictable response in some fan artists), it appears as one of the many pseudonymous operational areas in Kantai Collection. The one in the Fire Nation does not resemble the real one in many respects, other than that it's an island.3702 Keanu Street - A real street address in the Kaimuki borough of East Honolulu, a few blocks north of Diamond Head. The real-life neighborhood looks much as described here, although currently on Google Street View, the lot at number 3702 is vacant.
that lewd costume - In Kantai Collection, even in a fleet filled with peculiar getups, Shimakaze's costume stands out, and it's doubly weird because canonically, she doesn't have the mannerisms that one would expect to go with it. In the TV series, for instance, she doesn't seem to be aware of how strangely and revealingly dressed she is.
Remnant Saga - One of the most popular MMORPGs of the early 2400s, right up there in market share with Dreaming Moon Online and Elder Tale. Setting-wise, it's more fantasy than the former and more sci-fi than the latter.
Tenryū-chan tells me... - Although Tatsuta is technically the younger of the two sisters based on the dates construction commenced on them, thanks to the vagaries of the Japanese shipbuilding system she was completed first. This has led to the class being referred to as the Tatsuta class by some authorities, and is reflected in the fact that Tatsuta often speaks of, and to, Tenryū as though she were the little sister.
hundreds of Tenryū-class Fog vessels - In Arpeggio of Blue Steel, far more Nagara-class ships (the successor to the Tenryū class) are shown than ever really existed. They're the Imperial stormtroopers of Arpeggio, as close to cannon fodder as the Fog forces get. I extended the concept to all of the IJN's early light cruiser/destroyer leader classes.
don't take your shorts off too! - This scene was tough to write, but this part made up for it. We haven't seen such a high level of Utena just bein' Utena in a while.
Credit for the inspiration of this scene goes to long-time Eyrie friend James "Mechaman" Rinehart, who suggested that Utena would literally give the shirt off her back to someone in Shimakaze's position—the image from which the whole thing unfolds.
the Global Transporter Grid - Remember this from Symphony No. 2? Pepperidge Farm remembers.
I did my 20 - As in, Cappy retired from the (former U.S.) Navy after putting in the complete 20 years' service required to get out with a full pension. He retired before the 2406 crackdown that abolished the EA's member states and folded all their military services into Earthforce.
Put that back. It's a petrochemical - Specifically, a wear-reduction additive for motor oil.
Maya and Kongō sort of shoplifted this entire episode, but I particularly enjoyed the dialogue for this sequence, which more or less wrote itself.
450th Anniversary Edition Corvette 57 - The 1957 Chevrolet Corvette was the first model offered with optional fuel injection, and (in my opinion) the best-looking of the first-generation (model years 1953-1962) Corvettes. The 450-57 (as it is known among aficionados) is not an exact duplicate of the 1957 model, but looks a lot more like one than the "regular" 2407 Corvette. Léonne's is Cascade Green and white over white leather, if you're into that kind of detail.
(You may note that to the modern eye, Cascade Green doesn't look terribly green. I might tend to classify it as Hatsune Heavy Industries blue. :)
JTN operational instruction patch 54-558E/3 - "Tank, I need a pilot program for a B-212 helicopter."
the unfamiliar seat restraint - Actual 1957 Corvettes didn't even have seat restraints. I suppose the 450-57 really should have a PASSIVE LASER RESTRAINT SYSTEM, but the image of Kongō desperately trying to figure out how to buckle up while Maya hoons off up the hill was impossible to resist.
I'll be watching you, Admiral - Kancolle fandom seems about evenly divided as to whether Tatsuta is a top-class troll, a nascent psychopath, or just misunderstood. She's definitely the smile-with-an-edge type; the arguments are about what's behind it...
I am Buran... - What's really funny to me about this is that—entirely by coincidence—Sumire Uesaka, Fubuki's actual voice actress, speaks Russian. She also voiced Nonna, the Pravda High School 2 in C (the one who's always carrying Katyusha around on her shoulders), in Girls und Panzer.
--G.
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Benjamin D. Hutchins, Co-Founder, Editor-in-Chief, & Forum Mod
Eyrie Productions, Unlimited http://www.eyrie-productions.com/
zgryphon at that email service Google has
Ceterum censeo Carthaginem esse delendam.