The Space Opera Working Thread

What are the Flint Hills, you ask??

Oo OO, I got this one!!

The Flint Hills are the mostly tree-less, softly rolling hills in the center of Kansas (what most of the world imagines to be Kansas is never-ending wheat fields). They were once the bottom of a sea.

Flint Hills
I personally find them quite boring, having always been a mountains-and-coastline lover. But some people think they are smashingly beautiful.

The only interesting thing I ever experienced in them (having driven across them dozens of times while commuting back and forth from hometown to adopted home in Summit County, Colorado (Ski Country)), was about 20 years ago when I was hired by Horse Illustrated magazine to cover the world-championship endurance ride (modern equivalent of a steeple-chase) when it took place there.

My debut into the world of paid journalism!

reply to post by A boy in a dress


Thanks for that clarification. The novel I wrote was centered in Saffron Walden, so I learned a whole lot about Essex, and the fens there up to King's Lynn...but like I said, the files are dusty. I don't know the counties that well, either...but I know Cambridge is just a bit northeast of Saffron Walden...and in Cambridgeshire...anyhoo, Thanks!! Now I'll go back and dig up what supernatural stuff I found in legends about the Fenmen...

OK. I'll think of fens as what we call "wetlands" here. I'm not sure moors have a cognate here, but as I understand it, they must be something like "shortgrass prarie". or "pasture" or "meadows". They sound like some of the land back home - too poor to grow much other than rocks and grass, not much use except for grazing. There are also the drystone walls present there in places. No one can recall who built them or the rock cairns piled up in some fields. One of the rock walls is as described in the story, around the high meadow near Gert's cabin. There was another on our home place, running along the back border at the edge of a woodline. Several rock cairns on the place, too. The first time I saw them I thought "graves", but folks tell me that someone went to the effort to pile them up like that just to un-scatter them from the fields. I asked why - from the looks of things, more just grew out there!

Sunday night there was an explosion and fireball in the sky in Kentucky not far from where Silo is in the story. They are saying they can't really find any reason for it or debris, but I'm finding reports of Blackhawks flying all over the place, guys in funny hazard suits, and a media blackout.

There are claims that an underground coal seam is on fire and broke through the ground - it does happen, but I've never heard of one exploding on the ground, much less in the sky. They can burn underground for years, and occasionally surface, but I've never known one to jump into the sky and explode. There is one up in West Virginia that has been burning underground for close to 40 years, or maybe longer. It's never exploded.

Looks like Silo's area is having a Roswell moment! ATS thread on the incident

Here's a Google Earth map of the area. Silo's Town (she hasn't named it, so that's what I'm calling it for the time being), the Olis ranch, and the area of the explosion are all on the north of it. neno's rock, Gert's cabin, Tibbs' cabin, etc, are all in a knot in the southeast, in the lower right corner. The distance in a straight line from there to Silo's town is about 40 miles - but there ARE no straight lines up there! It's probably 3 days by horse at a normal pace, day and a half if it's a hard ride.



The area marked for the explosion is just general - it's the area between Hazard in Perry County and the Knott County line. I looked in the USGS GNIS database, and could not find "Sulks Branch" which is odd, since I can find "Dilly Branch", and I can step across that one, it's so tiny. The only "High Rock Mountain" I could find in the area was in the next county over, in the wrong direction, but the search seems to be concentrated in the area I marked here.

reply to post by nenothtu

Thanks tons for the 'visual'.
Things are about to heat up. I hope to be back with the group one way or another soon.
*Runs off looking for Chumley*...

reply to post by silo13


Is there any way for neno to track Silo down through the Green Man in her rucksack? I'm just not hip to how that thing works or what it does.

If he can find the rucksack, he can track Silo down from there, and that cat that has captured her seems a thoroughly disreputable sort.

To be honest, there are a few people on my planet who just can't be killed dead enough, and he seems to be one of 'em.

reply to post by nenothtu

'Get out of my head!'
I was just finishing up a post about the Green Man and Chumley/Squibbs and Skinny who're about to stumble onto the Green Man. (I'll have it up soon.) The 'Rescue Team' is getting close to it but not quite 'there' yet.

I'd love to be a fly on the wall if Neno just happened to be walking about and finds Chumley aka Rubber-Suited-Neno.

Though I have a feeling if you (or Chumley) find the Green Man the 'Macalister Men' will find you.

Ohhh the fun of that for Neno. Though imagine he'd let himself be 'captured' to get deeper into the 'heart' of the compound...

Originally posted by silo13
reply to post by nenothtu

 

'Get out of my head!'

Butbutbut.... I LIKE it in here! It's warm, fuzzy, and has comfortable furniture!

BTW, I see where you saw the picture of my "pet deer" or the "ghost deer". He's a mean one - it just doesn't do to scratch his ears. He's not "warm and fuzzy"! It was shaky and fuzzy like that because I took the photo in the middle of the night, and had to leave the shutter open for 30 seconds to gather as much light as I could. I propped the camera on the truck window, but that was insufficient as a platform. Where's my tripod when I need it? Oh, yeah - it was in the patrol truck, but I was afraid to open the door and get out, since "ol' Slew Foot" would have probably bolted. As it was, I thought it was mighty kind of him to stand stock still like that for a full 30 seconds. The picture could have been worse.

I was just finishing up a post about the Green Man and Chumley/Squibbs and Skinny who're about to stumble onto the Green Man. (I'll have it up soon.) The 'Rescue Team' is getting close to it but not quite 'there' yet.

I'd love to be a fly on the wall if Neno just happened to be walking about and finds Chumley aka Rubber-Suited-Neno.

Though I have a feeling if you (or Chumley) find the Green Man the 'Macalister Men' will find you.

Ohhh the fun of that for Neno. Though imagine he'd let himself be 'captured' to get deeper into the 'heart' of the compound...

Yeah, he would. that would be the only way to get to the bad guy - they typically insulate themselves, and hide behind gun thugs. As a matter of fact, neno would probably act all kinds of scared and harmless, just to throw them off their stride, and lead them to expect something other than what's coming. He's pretty much have to do that to get past the gun thugs.

"Gun thug" is what they call that sort of individual in that area - not the boss, but the hired guns. There is or was another TV show called "Justified" that is set in that area (specifically Hazard, although the lead character's office is in Lexington). They have the accents and mannerisms of the culture down pat. Odd that it was filmed in Pennsylvania and California instead. I don't know if it's still active or not. It went through 2 seasons, and there may be a third one on the way, but I'm not sure. Old episodes can be found via a torrent tracker.

The opening credits for it are like taking a trip through any one of a thousand of those little coal towns found there.

Double post. Stupid 'puters.

reply to post by nenothtu

Cool, I was hoping for an explanation of that pic!

Beyond that? I have no idea where the last post came from but there it is. At least it explains that TPTB have known about and used aliens, interacted with them etc for ages. So at least that's set. More? I guess this guy is giving what he got.

BUT WHO IS MARGO???

So, off to post that Chumley post... The one that will lead them to the Green Man, and maybe also you and all of you to the compound?

EDIT TO ADD

Ok, the Chumley post is up. He's sitting outside the rock shelter looking for all the world like Neno to silly to come in from the rain. They have NOT found the two backpacks yet - one with the Green Man the other with the book Serendipity locked safe inside.

Mornin', team!
Hey, I'm ready for Gert to come out and play....Neno, do you want to join her? Or have you moved on to rucksacks and Green Man?

Boy In A Dress calling in too!
It looks like the Man/Girl is gonna do a few turns around the Avalon Maypole
-before coming back to the reality that we're currently dealing with.
BIAD has just commented that he would like to meet this 'McAllister -chap'
and eplain him some manners when it comes to greeting ladies.
Well done BIAD.


Oh!... and I got me a giddy-up too!

reply to post by A boy in a dress

Here's a sneak peak for you BIAD. Just thought you might want to know one of the Macalister 'sidelines'...
All those women who're 'dried up' - the ones who can't reproduce anymore?
He's forcing them to brawl. (I know the slang spelling of 'Who Are' did not escape you).
Female gladiators. (Did I hear BIAD's ears perk up)???

Anyway, they're made to fight.
Get dirty to the death.

Yip. And all the while? He's raking in the profit from the 'Sinnamen'... Who he's not only selling 'good' women to, but the 'bad ones'. The double crosser.

Or something like that.

Or not at all.

But we are gonna have a brawl one way or another.

reply to post by silo13


Oh mercy...! He'd surely get a shock if he lifted BIAD's hem during his
inspection!

Will this brawl involve mud and er, scantily-clad ladies? would custard be more
appropriate?
Erm... I'm just curious, you understand, but what about hair-pulling?

As the famous saying in ATS -goes... PICS... OR IT NEVER HAPPENED!

(I've waited ages to get that one in!)

reply to post by A boy in a dress

As the famous saying in ATS -goes... PICS... OR IT NEVER HAPPENED!

ROTFL.

As for hair pulling? That's why I hate chickie fights. Hair pulling is just so wrong on so many levels.

Mud? I dunno if there's mud involved but I can bet you if he 'captures' you - you're going into the pit.

Maybe it will be Neno's 'lime jello'!

MMMMWAAAHAHAHAHAH!

reply to post by silo13


*BIAD devises a plan to retain the Avalon crown and marvelous gowns, then somehow
pass back thru' time and end-up slippin' and a-slidin' in the mire!!*

If you can send the photos to P.O Box 589...

reply to post by silo13

As for hair pulling? That's why I hate chickie fights. Hair pulling is just so wrong on so many levels.

I was always a pincher, myself. And my brothers never tried to pull my hair. Probably because they weren't girls.

Neno, that was perfect!!

Adam is now at the mercy of a girl, AGain...
and Gert shall be escorting Dag and Brittle pretty soon.....
through that portal.....
which is known to lead to what they call Wookey Hole in the area of Avalon:


(Actual photo of actual cave -- conveniently, the area around Glastonbury is "home" to England's most and best caves!! How handy is THAT?)
www.wookey.co.uk...

Originally posted by wildtimes
Mornin', team!
Hey, I'm ready for Gert to come out and play....Neno, do you want to join her? Or have you moved on to rucksacks and Green Man?

I've put another post up. he's moving off into the badlands, after a bad night.

reply to post by nenothtu


Yeah, you and I hit "reply" at the same moment....or thereabouts....I posted after BIAD's last, expecting to be first on page 62, and then Bang! There you were!

I went straight to the index page to make mine post 2 on page 62, but I see you haven't got yours up yet. So, I deleted mine. Sorry, everybody. I'm always afraid i'll forget ....gotta run some errands now...if anyone wants to make my index entry, that's cool (in case I'm not back online by the time more posts go up).

ETA:
SORTED!

Originally posted by silo13

BUT WHO IS MARGO???

I dunno - a clone from outer space? he seems to have a fixation with aliens. Neno's Margo is a human, from further south in Vandalia, but she be DEAD now. A Clone Margot From Outer Space would be a kick in the head, now wouldn't it?

So, off to post that Chumley post... The one that will lead them to the Green Man, and maybe also you and all of you to the compound?

EDIT TO ADD

Ok, the Chumley post is up. He's sitting outside the rock shelter looking for all the world like Neno to silly to come in from the rain. They have NOT found the two backpacks yet - one with the Green Man the other with the book Serendipity locked safe inside.

edit on 14-12-2011 by silo13 because: see above

Neno is coming - but he don't know WHY. He won't be going through the Breaks as instructed - too many ambush spots, and he's not one to travel routes as instructed, because folks may know where to look for him. Instead, he'll be heading southwest along the ridge dividing Vandalia from the Badlands, and over that ridge at a low gap in it just north east of the Olis place, closer to the town.