The Space Opera Working Thread

reply to post by A boy in a dress

Loved the story! I got goosebumps, lol.

Oh they're on their way - that's just fabulous! *Happy Dance*

Something is bothering me though - no not about your posts - but Muckles reaction to when she finds out Silo has the Splitter. I get the feeling that's going to make her very angry (I don't know why) and she's going to call Tibbs a 'fool'.

If you're not already working on the next installment let me know and I'll see what more Muckles has to say.

reply to post by silo13


It's all yours Silo!

I'm thinking out a plan for Neno and the others to get in the Tower.
Edit:
Here's my 'updated' version of Whisper.
Is it near the mark?

reply to post by A boy in a dress


It might not be much but something is really telling me it has ot be posted. Let's see what happens later - how it ties up 'down the line'! That's something to look forward to!

I'm trying to figure out why Sslar abandoned neno.

Does she know something he doesn't, and got while the getting was good?

reply to post by nenothtu

I'm trying to figure out why Sslar abandoned neno.

One reason the whole 'Muckles' thing came up in my last post. There's something strange a foot!

If nothing else we've got Sslar there to make sure the Yydryl gets back to Neno is something happens to the others!

BIAD When did you slip that pic in! I didn't see it this morning! Wow - that's just WOW!

reply to post by silo13


I agree that something may be underneath all this and Sslar... (she seems
to have her own plans at times!)... can smell a 'rat'
Maybe Muckles is in fear of being near The Splitter, or maybe she was sent
by the Squid-Head... we'll see.

(Dropped pic in just after you posted!)

Originally posted by silo13


If nothing else we've got Sslar there to make sure the Yydryl gets back to Neno is something happens to the others!

Sslar can do a lot of things, but she can't drive a space ship - she ain't go no thumbs to grip the steering wheel with!

reply to post by A boy in a dress

Maybe Muckles is in fear of being near The Splitter, or maybe she was sent
by the Squid-Head... we'll see.

Yeah something is up there. For me it all goes back to when Neno clocked her out cold. He's never really warmed up to her (not that he does anyone really) but that's always stuck with me.

On the other hand it could be as simple as Muckles knows the Dark Lord can follow the 'energy trail' of the Splitter.

Wait a sec, I forgot about something. BRB!

reply to post by A boy in a dress & Neno

When BIAD closed the post with 'this dimension anyway'... This popped following pretty much wrote itself.

Let me know if you think it's appropriate for the thread, or, if you think it will mix everything up too much. Also - if it's something you two want to move on because I've not really a clue how it will work.

Here's the rough:

???

‘Hey Dag, how’s Adam doing?‘ Silo asked as Dag came to stand at her shoulder at the front of the Sprint.

‘Good, Well not worse so that‘s good right?‘ She didn’t wait for an answer. ‘I hate to leave him but I just couldn’t stand listening to Muckles any longer.‘ Dag sighed her frustration.

‘Why? What’s she going on about now?’ Silo’d tuned out Muckles long ago.

‘It’s her mumbling. About a cloak or her poncho or whatever.’ Dag replied absentmindedly running her fingers over the flat panel used for guiding the Sprint. ‘Soooo, how long until we get back to the Yydryl?’ Obviously she hadn’t figured out how to read the information before her.

‘Ohh I check!’ Chumley answered proudly, ‘Dat set a numbers? Dat tells us how long we have before we get home.’ He smiled his grisly smile. “And dat other set a numbers tells us...’ Chumley's face dropped like a popped balloon.

‘Silo?’ His voice wavered.

‘Yes Chumley?’ The Self Integrated Live Organism known as Silo hadn't been paying them much attention. She loved the stars, was intoxicated by the very sight of them and after resolving to go back to the Yydryl had found some peace in the prospect.

‘Silo, why are the numbers running...backwards?’ The Regalian almost blubbered.

‘Gwark!’ Silo would have jumped to her feet if her harness hadn’t held her. ‘What was that you said she was mumbling Dag?’ Silo didn’t turn her eyes from watching the numbers on the panel speed backwards so fast she could barely read them.

‘A cloak. She just goes on and on in that gibberish of hers about a new cloak.’ Dag’s eye widened realizing what she was saying. Muckles hadn’t been mumbling, she’s been spell casting since the moment the moment Silo brought the Splitter aboard.

The cackling laughter from Muckles wasn’t the only thing that caused Silo to shudder.

The numbers didn’t lie. Somehow the old witch was causing the Sprint to reverse direction. In time.

*****

???

reply to post by silo13


That works. They need to be going forward in time to get back to Yydryl, since they are in the Past, before the Big Rip, so if Muckles is up to no good, and had the ability, she would of course run them backwards in time. The objective may be to re-hide the splitter somewhere that the Dark Lord can find it in ages after. That effort would be doomed to failure (Law of Causality - since they found it where and when they did, it would have to get there some how, or else they wouldn't be able to find it where and when they did...). That is, unless...

Multiverse Theory - what if she intends to take it to "before", and in a different timeline?

Also - since the Splitter exists in at least one timeline, it also exists in half of an infinite number of timelines. There are half of infinity of Splitters. That idea just by itself makes my head hurt. When I was a kid, science thought that there was no end to the Universe - it just went on and on forever, infinitely. I tried, on several occasions, to imagine what infinity is. It's an impossible task. Whenever you get to the "end", you find... NO END, it just goes on some more. "Half of infinity" is just as impossible to grasp. "half" of something with no end is ALSO infinite. Half of itself is ALL of itself in that case.

See why my head hurts? Now you know what's wrong with me - what finally drove me nuts at an early age!

So then, there are infinite possibilities, including the possibility that going into the past will wrap them right back around into the future, a giant closed loop. the only way you know you are at the finish line of a race track is that it's marked.

You can put that line anywhere on the race track, and regardless of it's position, it's STILL the finish line...


Oh! I remember what I was going to say now! If they go into the past, how are they going to get back into the "present" if they have to waste Muckles?

reply to post by nenothtu


After reading your post I can almost bet you Silo or Dag's going to cut out Muckle's tongue before she can finish her spell and everything will eventually return to normal. Or something like that.

Hear that? Yes, I was right! You can hear Muckles crying for mercy from here.

Thank you for the explanation. It will probably keep me up tonight, or send me nightmares - but - that's all good too. My mind needs to stretch. It's rusty and needs it. Painful, but true. Thank you Neno!

peace

reply to post by nenothtu

The device's previous past-life had Tibbs losing the thing, but since we were vague
about the event, it is possible that Muckles hid it for Tibbs the first time around.

If not, then the Splitter goes to another past... another scenario.
Either way, I see Tibbs losing the love-of-his-life!

I'd love to do a 'previously on The Voyages of the Penelope and the Yydryl' segment!
Oh... and do it like the old series 'THE INVADERS'... a Quinn Martin Production.

Tonight's episode... The Bitch-Witch.

reply to post by A boy in a dress
That gave me the shibbers! I was thinking just last night in the tub (of all places) - after the whole Splitter thing wouldn't it be a blast to do a 'Yydryl - Once Born' series. I dunno why the name popped into my head other than there is only one Yydrly, Neno, BIAD ans Silo - of their 'kind'...

I'd love to do a 'previously on The Voyages of the Penelope and the Yydryl' segment!
Oh... and do it like the old series 'THE INVADERS'... a Quinn Martin Production.

Great idea!

For now I'm going to get the Sprint going in the right direction and pretty much have Muckles come up with an excuse - leave it open for one or both of you to help round this out. I've no idea what she's up to and don't want to 'go there' without some input. Especially after getting scared by your posts!

Have a good one!

reply to post by silo13


Nice to know you're thinking of us while in the tub - I'm not going to dwell on that too deeply, though...

That sounds like a good idea to me to take the story direction after the universe has been saved - the "new" reality will have changed from the "old" reality slightly - i.e. the Buzzards will not have invaded our space (or have they?) and the Earth will be back in the same old orbit and condition she will have always occupied. and some other minor differences here and there. A "prequel" could either be told from the perspective of the "old", or the "new" reality, or the learning by our intrepid adventurers of the differences between the two.

I've been back tracking, trying to get the time lines straight in my head. the very first post in the story, the opening post by Masqua, was posted on 18 March 2009. According to Luder's work, the story at that point was set in 2320.

Neno was found wandering in the woods of Vandalia in 2273, believed to be about 2 years old, and so presumed to have been born in 2271. His "birth date" was assigned according to the day he was found, which was 23 July 2273, so he was assigned the birth date of 23 July 2271.

In reality, according to Silo's post here, he was born in December, 2012 in Oregon. Since that occurred around the time of the Christmas Story, we can presume he was born in the latter part of December, 2012.

Further, I'm assuming "current" story time is October, 2322 (we've been writing on it for 2 1/2 years now), so neno is just short of 51 years old biologically, but having been born in reality in 2012, is he REALLY just short of 310 years old? No wonder he snaps, crackles, and pops when he wakes up!

Don't confuse the "current" story time with the time the story is actually In at the moment - I think we're quite a ways in the past, in order to stop the Big Rip before it starts, so we'll be considerably farther "ago" than the current 2322.

Also, according to that post by Silo, neno's original name given by her was "Luna" (given before he was even born), because she saw the moon rising. A nice traditional American Indian naming convention, that! Not only that, but "Looney" seems to fit him!

How old is Silo13? Biologically? Chronologiacally? I always have had the impression she's quite a bit younger than he is... can you imagine the mental strain produced by having a mother half your age?

ETA: Also, according to that post by Silo, "someone" had cleared the snow on the pathways at the cabin - she thought Cim was there, but it's more likely to have been ErnieBen who cleared it, as he is Cim's "handyman". Who IS this enigmatic man who "cleared the way" for neno's birth, then had a hand in the formation of just who neno came to be in later years?

reply to post by nenothtu

Silo doesn't age anymore. After being 'test tubed' (slang for however she was made) she reached her maturity and then stopped. As for the story line and the past - what Chumley had to say about her - she hadn't reached her maturity when he observed her in the Space Bar (near LAB) - so that would make her about 26-28. And considering her attachment to the humans at LAB and how she 'grew' with them it can be presumed she aged as they did until that fateful moment in time when she conceived and stopped her own growth. Her 'growth' went in to Neno.

Luna she named him when she though for some reason he was a girl. I don't think she ever knew until recently he was a boy. Or you've got more explaining to do that BIAD for what you've hiding under your gun best. One nice thing is it does add to Neno's feminine side, lol. Wait, I'm a female - I shouldn't chuckle at that. Sorry, it was the visual of Neno making ham and spinach quiche that did it.

I've got a lot to add about Ernie/Ben (yes he was the one who 'cleared the way') but someone's at the door. Be back in a few. I hope.

*Tosses pebble into the well of silence*

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*plink*

Whoa... That was a longggg way down!

I hope all is ok with you two.

I've got some questions about Ernie/Ben and the Yydryl. Mostly about back info.

I'll wait to ask when I check back. I don't want to go off on a tangent writing without touching bases here first.

Good Sunday to you all.

I'[m here - just not checking in quite as often. Schedule got a little hectic this week. What sort of questions? ErnjeBen is developing as he goes along, and Yydryl is your baby - you have more info on the Yydryl than I do, I think.

Heck, I even have to ask directions just to get ErnieBen to the bathroom in Yydryl!

reply to post by silo13


Sorry about the delay... work and relatives visiting, but it's a quiet Sunday
morning and I'm up-and-ready!

reply to post by nenothtu

Actually there's really not that much to Yydryl that's been explained in the story other than to get from one floor to the other there are 'lifts' - all the floors are circular around the center - we've only talked about three in the story - the lowest being storage etc, middle for the bar and crew quarters, the top is command at her head and at her tail the armory and flight bay.

reply to post by A boy in a dress

No worry, I just mother hen everyone when I don't hear anything.

More about the Yydryl - really all that seems to be important to remember is what I posted just now to Neno - and something that might come in handy fighting zombies? The Center has a set of HUGE door off the middle floor to enter. There's also a back way in through the flight bay and to get into the original caves you could go through either Silo's room or the back of the armory/flight deck.

Question - How long should it be taking the Sprint to get back to the Yydryl?