It came from a combination of things - Penguins and Sparrows was written for the stargate space pirates community, and the captain trapped on the ship came from seeing someone running a 'brain in a jar' challenge. The actual universe is kind of loosely based on Firefly, and actually the whole thing, for all that it has three pairings listed, is incredibly gen (because the Lorne in my head doesn't like to know what the people around him do when they're naked together).

I keep wanting to have an art revolution, but sadly it never comes.

These things never come when you expect them?