I need the clever aside to defuse the tension. But generally, it’s probably safe to say on this forum story trumps world since we literally CAN’T adjust story. I treat this as a place where worlds are molded to a narrative (and I hope I’m not alone)

Well, like or dislike any question on here I know that the value add for a worldbuilding tool is to make your stories easier to tell, so I’ll never personally ask anyone to change their narrative. But I think I understand the question.

What’s fair I think is asking to change the expectations by assigning different tags. I omitted all science-based for this reason (but also omitted all magic tags)

@VogonPoet Please don't misunderstand my worry. It doesn't matter what your captain says so long as what his crew does isn't bound strictly to it - as in literally taking off a sock or a shoe component that's going to harm the crew member due to the atmosphere. What you need is for the canon to throw something (be it smoke or object) that allows the captain to detect the shear. That something could be something a crew member is wearing, or a scrap of something somewhere on deck. ...

... whatever that something is, it must reasonably meet the requirements of physics for causing the effect you need - but it must only meet the storyline in the most basic context, unless you literally want something that oddball (and dangerous, if you don't need the proximity suits to protect the crew member in this scene, you don't need them at all) then we need to rationalize why the something is wrapped around the crew's foot without breaking the suit's seal.

From the storytelling POV it’s a good point and I’m only needing that brief image in the reader’s head of the captain loosing his cool, then chuckling over him being dead serious. A simple trivial/humanizing distraction from all the technical “Master and Commander” narrative going on. Being a literal “sock” doesn’t add anything and as you said, takes more away from his credibility. Even if it is a literal “sock” it can be just a spare laying around (he said “a” sock, not “your” sock)

@JBH I’m confused why the “aerodynamics” tag for things like buildings, yachts, and cars would link to the tag describing witches, bumblebees, spiderlings, and Borg cubes - “flight”? I think the “aerodynamics” tag should be reserved for these questions:

Use this tag for questions involving the interaction between gaseous airflow and objects, covering topics such as vehicle or vessel design, HVAC systems, buildings or other tall structures, and animals which interact with the air. This can be used to reduce or increase wind resistance, change energy efficiency of objects in moving airstreams, reduce combustion emissions, and optimize lift, ground effect, and drag.

No?

Also, aerodynamics are used to generate downforce to specifically prevent flight in race cars.