The Space Opera Working Thread

Anyway, in all seriousness, did we ever come up with a way to get feedback from our readers (assuming we have any )? I wouldn't mind hearing what people think of the story thus far. I love it, but then again I kind of have to.

This particular thread is a hard one to follow and I have lots of reading to catch up on, so my bad if we've already answered this one.

Well, alright Neno - Masqua, ladies and gentlemen. I've just wrote in what should be the plug for the two ships to encounter each other. The Penelope has just picked up an "unidentified ship" off of her port bow - if we want to go ahead and do this thing - there we go. If not, I can just as easily make it some other random ship.

Also.

Neno.

I laughed so hard I had tears coming out of my eyes. Slayer types up this big dramatic post and saves the day, then you come back with that bit about the chair cushion. I'm still smiling now thinking about it.

Good work guys. Love this story.

About my post

Incapacitating gases do exist. However they usually have some pretty dangerous side effects.

The Russian Kolokol-1 agent is an example.

Kolokol-1 Description


EDIT: I've made some minor changes to the post. Including an explanation of why they did not hear "incapacitating" and a few changes to the dialogue between Studious and [Well you'll find out]

[edit on 23-4-2009 by Studious]

[edit on 23-4-2009 by Studious]

reply to post by mf_luder


I HAD to write it that way. I already had done my big post for the day, and could only make a short one. As it turned out, I was slack in my big post, and clear forgot that we probably can't steer Penelope, power or not. It was a 'fix-a-flat' solution.

Besides, neno has some battle fatigue going on... he may not be exactly in his own mind right now. If he even has one of his own.

Studious... Or is it Dr House? - Edit: or is it Dr. Who? (Tardis Refrigerators, Inc.) End Edit - my ribs hurt. That was not nice. I quote:

“Yeah but that must have been an illusion because I was alive.”

He continued.

“Now your real because I’m dead.”

Reminded me of a movie I saw, with an old Indian that was sure he was 'dead', because they'd already put him on his funerary platform.

You are far better at being crazy than I. I salute you, sir! *snaps sharp salute*

unless... Kolokol-1... you sure your not KGB? MVD? NKVD? OMON? Hmmmm..... and to think we allow you to run around Penelope with a gun! Or even a cane!

Great! Cap'n give me the con, and I don't know whether to open the brig hatch and drag Studious out, or go chasing a Tardis Refrigerators, Inc. refrigerator across the galaxy!

On another note - this will be a frightening note in our history:

[atsimg]http://files.abovetopsecret.com/images/member/121156b8d8f7.jpg[/atsimg]

Bigger Version

I really need to re-do these, without the labels and TIMESTAMP WITH 2009 ON IT this time *smack self on forehead* but it won't be tonight.

CindyMars and Silo13: When the above day comes, PLEASE DON"T LET THEM EAT ME!

[edit on 2009/4/23 by nenothtu]

[edit on 2009/4/23 by nenothtu]

I've decided to make the formerly named "Crazy Scene" a dream sequence.

It'll probably have to do with side effects of the gas. Forcing Studious to question if he really saw her again.

He will go through the stages from belief to pseudo-skepticism to skepticism.

I've put the dream sequence in a different post to avoid confusion. Plus I've put these lines before and after it.

The dream sequence is set after the real events it can be identified by the .........................Studious vision etc................................... lines.


If requested the dream sequence will be removed.

[edit on 23-4-2009 by Studious]

[edit on 23-4-2009 by Studious]

I've fallen off my rocker with the dream sequence.


This post explains the dream.

(I've settled on making it a dream sequence because otherwise it would be too ridiculous. Plus it gives Studious a reason to be so calm and joking throughout.)



All the parodies and homages involved in the dream sequence....


Indiana Jones

The infamous fridge scene of Indiana Jones. Dun Dun Dunnn

The post makes fun of the fact that the fridge is lead lined in Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull. It also makes fun of the fact that Indiana survived something like that. (It would have to be very thick to resist radio waves however but oh well.)




Doctor Who

The joke about the spinning and flipping and the company name being Tardis is a parody of Doctor Who. A man with a female companion get's into a small police box which can fly through the air and travel through time. Unfortunately for Studious and Theresa the refrigerator is not bigger on the inside.

This scene really reminds me of the Indiana Jones scene.

I've posted the link because embedding this video was disabled.


Star Wars
The Star Wars garbage scene parody.

"Shut down all the garbage compactors on the detention level."

Becomes

“Shut down all the decompression's in the detention area."

I had to change it to detention area instead of level. Because if it was an entire level of the ship I would expect more than two people to be trapped.


Good Eats
"Oh bother" is a reference to a repeated line on Good Eats.

www.imdb.com...


The Weakest Link

"You are the weakest link.....Goodbye"

The line is delivered at the end of this clip.




This video is a commercial for the weakest link using the cast from Will and Grace. Which is very odd considering they have nothing to do with the game show. This commercial repeats the phrase constantly.




The Twilight Zone

The entire dream sequence is Studious' trip into The Twilight Zone.

[edit on 23-4-2009 by Studious]

[edit on 23-4-2009 by Studious]

I have a major question for the various crew of the Yydryl. If anyone can answer this it would make things so much easier for me to design things.

I need a rough description of you.

I'm afraid that I don't have time to look through all of the posts in the story line at the moment. So what I'm asking for is a very, very basic description of you people. Namely how many limbs and a very, very basic description of what you look like . Number of legs, arms, eyes, etc. I'm at somewhat of a standstill as far as the designs go until that can be answered.

I'll accept input from anyone. In other words if Player B knows roughly what Player A looks like (as far as basic body type) please let me know so I can figure things appropriately. This should also help things along when the crew meet each other face to face with the descriptions of what they see.

reply to post by Deson



Here's a pic of Whispers face, if you look closely you will see some tentacles! She's 4 foot tall. Has many tentacles of various sizes upon which she travels and multitasks with. Her suctions cups allowing her to travel along side walls and even ceilings. And uh, those are fog emitters on my head

To my knowledge, Scurvy is the only other tentacled Rigellian looking creature and he is, of course, taller then I am. But regarding any of his attributes, I bow to his own personal description.

It would be great to hang on for Loam a little longer - but I understand Cindy for example is stuck waiting for Loam to post before she can move ahead...

If he doesn’t show I guess the Security Officer had better check out what’s going on with the Captains! We’ve had poisonings, deaths, suicides that are not suicides, and now this Captain going off - and no word from Security... Hmmm... Have you been making Captain Jerky Whisper? lol

In the mean time Ship is alive and on a course set by Loam - plus there's the Whales navigating right? From what I understood we were on course for Earth? (I could be wrong?)? When we get closer and the Penelope is in sight is that how hook up? The Penelope gives us a hand...?

Just ideas - but Loam seemed to so like the Opera it would be a shame to write him out - or make him disappear - on the other hand it would follow the story line of Captains gone missing.

*** OH! Deson, before I forget - here’s my description.

Medium height, earthling woman/tomboy body, short spiky lavender/white hair, huge dark eyes and two small antenna coming up from above my eyes on my forehead. A Ships headband, uniform and sash and high black boots, no armament.

There ya go...

*** To all on the Penelope - you’re providing more fun than I could have imagined - what fab posts, lol! I hope you’re having as much fun writing it all as I am reading it! Wooohoooo!

peace

[edit on 24-4-2009 by silo13]

Heh, Whisper isn't a cannibal ~ I think loam only looks human but is Rigellian. Having given up her stash of jerky, she is getting some....cravings. ]:>

Yeah, let's give loam a little more time. But, in the meantime we can plan. I was thinking of the exact same issue of captain abductions...hmmm...spacewitch? That way if we move on without him, he has the ability to just jump right back in.

Antar is off to find the Captain, wonder what she will or will not find. Then perhaps we can have an on-ship meeting. Just a thought.

Awesome job by the Pene crew - I'm loving your story lines, creative, and often humorous detail.

Edit: one of these days I *will* make a post I don't have to edit...me fingers get ahead of my brain sometimes

[edit on 4/24/2009 by Whisper67]

Nenothtu.

I'm somewhat "playing/writing" the roles of the other bridge personnel (Varlas, McCready, various other lts, etc.) This last post involved the science officer telling you about a readout he has on a ship approaching. I didn't put it in orange or anything (because he's not me) - but I didn't know if you caught on to that or not.

Don't really know what my bounds are, but a functioning ship needs more than just an engineer, a captain, a marine colonel, a prisoner, a security chief and a handful of guards/marines running around - you know? lol

So - I'll be throwing some activity in my posts from the other crew on the ship to keep things active - the bridge crew/command crew are my area as Captain - the other crews (security, marines, etc) fall to you guys to write.

Neno - I last left you in charge of the ship while I went to go talk to Seeker/Asher.

I'm going to scan some images in the very near future to add to my growing compilation of background data about the UEF/Humans/Galaxy at large.

Some of my conceptual ideas will be - ranks (how they appear)

Departmental Colors - that being said - what our uniforms even look like. I need input on that issue.

Seals for the UEF and the various star governments who are party to the UEF.

Rank structures for the Marines. (Studious)

I also drew up a rough sketch of what I envision the Penelope's command center to look like from a top-down view when we write about her. I'll scan that in soon.

___

The uniforms issue.

Do we want to go cheesy and copy star trek in some fashion? Or do we want to try to be outrageously original.

I was thinking of two different variations.

1) A jumpsuit/flightsuit style uniform w/ mission patches, rank, etc. Similar to Star Gate SG1 or Enterprise.

or

2) The concept uniforms for Starfleet in the 29th century look sexy as hell. Here is a link to a pic of those:

www.st-spike.org...

Of course, I'm down for whatever. I'm not really good at drawing human figures or clothes for that matter, so if someone else wants to just for an idea of what we all look like running around in the Penelope, that would be great.

The next topic on uniforms. How do we want to discern the various departments on the ship? The obvious and easiest route to go would be (of course) the Trek route and use color variations to denote different departments. Another route would be to make a specific patch or patches (if we use flight suits). Again, these are just some suggestions.

I'll have my rank pictures up soon.

Let me know what you all think.

reply to post by mf_luder


In case you can't tell.

I'm HUGE HUGE HUGE on background information.

It's my plague as a writer w/ my own stories. I have reams and reams of backstory and notebooks filled with minor nuances of various things and not much of my actual story written..... bleh.

Got to have background info....

reply to post by mf_luder


I like jumpsuit's over Star Trek uniforms.

I particularly like the Stargate design.......






I envisioned Studious' uniform to be something like this...



Except the pocket on his left ( the viewers right) would be smaller and regular not intricate and ornate. Being just a simple pocket. Like this...





I was thinking the rest of the Marines would be issued something more like this. (At least for on ship duties.)



Camouflaged uniforms would be used off the ship and vary depending on the environment.


[edit on 25-4-2009 by Studious]

[edit on 25-4-2009 by Studious]

reply to post by Studious


All great ideas.

I like that white uniform for Studious - it seems to fit.

lol

The BSG tactical gear is exactly what I envisioned the marines being in while on the Penelope.

The flightsuit that you have from SG Atlantis there - that's what I was talking about.

Originally posted by mf_luder
I like that white uniform for Studious - it seems to fit.

Probably because straight jackets are white too.

Originally posted by mf_luder
The BSG tactical gear is exactly what I envisioned the marines being in while on the Penelope.

Great minds think alike.

It's good to hear these ideas fit well. I was worried I was going to mess up the vision everyone had in their own "mind's eye."

A HUGE moment in the Opera. The first contact between the Penelope and the Yydryl has been established in Captain Luder's last post.

My thoughts:

The Yydryl crew need to respond as a unified contingent regardless of the situation with absent captains. In a way, being leaderless at this crucial time benefits the story in that a structured attack against the Yydryl may not be needed as they are currently in a leaderless state.

All the better that everyone survives through the accidental meeting.

Sorry, folks I accidentally fell off the net for a couple days, during critical times. No bruises, I didn't fall far.

Yydryl crew, are you ready for a meeting? Or should this be another ship off of our bow? If the bridge crew knows this ship's approach vector is from Rigel, then they know where Rigel is, and so if they know where Rigel is, they know where Penelope got dumped out of the wormhole. It's disturbing that they KNOW, but haven't told me where we are.

Tell ya what I'm gonna do. I'll put a hail out in the story, see if anybody answers.

Oh boy.

I just realized.

Slayer.

lol

We're going to have to rip that Seeker pod off of the bridge and take the wrappings off of the original weapons control consoles.... Seeker isn't Seeker anymore.

Wonder if he can still fight?