Topic: Lunatic Fringe  (Read 25507 times)

0 Members and 1 Guest are viewing this topic.

Offline Commander La'ra

  • Lt. Commander
  • *
  • Posts: 2435
  • Gender: Male
Re: Lunatic Fringe
« Reply #20 on: November 19, 2006, 10:14:39 pm »
Where the hell you been, Potemkyn?:)
"Dialogue from a play, Hamlet to Horatio: 'There are more things in heaven and earth than are dreamt of in your philosophy.' Dialogue from a play written long before men took to the sky. There are more things in heaven and earth, and in the sky, than perhaps can be dreamt of. And somewhere in between heaven, the sky, the earth, lies the Twilight Zone."
                                                                 ---------Rod Serling, The Last Flight

Offline CaptJosh

  • Lt.
  • *
  • Posts: 775
  • Gender: Male
Re: Lunatic Fringe
« Reply #21 on: January 17, 2007, 06:32:37 am »
It has to be the Khas Wan(sp?) ordeal. That's the only thing I can think of. I hope I'm not spoiling anything, though.
CaptJosh

There are only 10 kinds of people in the world;
those who understand binary and those who don't.

Offline Commander La'ra

  • Lt. Commander
  • *
  • Posts: 2435
  • Gender: Male
Re: Lunatic Fringe
« Reply #22 on: January 17, 2007, 10:05:49 am »
Sorry for the wait on this part...

--------------

“What’s UAF?”  Argent asked.  He was bathing in a mass of perfumed bubbles.

“Upper Atmosphere Freefall.”  I explained, sitting on the edge of the tub and playing with his wet hair.  “You leap out of a shuttle so high you’re almost in space.  Something called a parachute slows you down after a bit so you don’t die.”

“A parachute?”  He asked with incredulity.

“It’s a big sheet of silk tied to your back.  It’s all packed up when you jump and it doesn’t open until you’re very close to the ground.”

“That sounds unsafe...”

I nodded vigorously.

“Oh it is!  They do it on Earth but there’s all sorts of regulations.  Tellis has a group of people who like to do it the way it was originally done, or something.  You have to sign a release.”

“A release?”

“So your family won’t seek compensation if you die.  You see they’re only allowed do this over a small island due to the shuttle traffic, and sometimes a wind catches people and blows them out to sea!”  I smiled.  “And sometimes the silk thing doesn’t work.”

“Why do you want to do this?”  Argent had sank into the tub until only his head was showing.  “I don’t like the idea, ‘Dina...”

"It's..."  I was about to lie to my brother for the second time in a day.  I lie often, but not to him, and I felt guilty, which is far rarer for me than dishonesty.  "...I've heard that it's rather arousing.  Sort of like that feeling you get when you're in a shuttle and it lifts off the ground suddenly."

Brother-Dear frowned.  He sat back up.

"Shuttles cannot be as dangerous as that."

"Oh I know, darling, but....something about the idea of hurtling through the sky...don't you find it the least bit exciting?"

"Yes, but would it be worth hitting the ground?"

I laughed and splashed water on him.

"Of course not, silly.  They do have some safety precautions you know.  Thousands of people do this without getting a scratch."

He poked out his bottom lip.  I felt a twitch between my legs.  He only does that because he knows I'll want to nibble the thing.

"We'll only have two days on Tellis when the ship puts in."  He said, fixing me with his eyes.  They were their natural brown at the moment.  My stomach quivered. "If you're leaping out of shuttles, who'll sample the natives with me?"

I grinned wanly and traced a finger across his smooth, hairless chest.

"Record your adventures for me, and we can share them when we're back aboard.  Or...why not try this with me?"

My insides froze as soon as I'd said it.  The sport was more dangerous that I'd let on to Argent, and I had a sudden image of his slim body hitting the ground at hundreds of miles an hour.  Worse, he seemed to be considering the proposal.

"Only if you really want to."  I purred.  Now instead of plowing into the earth, he was tangled in silk and being dragged down by the undertow.

"Hmmm...."  He leaned back in the tub.  "...thank you for inviting me, but I'd rather not.  I will be worried about you, though."

"I don't want to worry you, Argent."  I leaned in, kissing his forehead.  "But this is important to me."

"Then it's important to me, my sweet."  He smiled, and I melted.
"Dialogue from a play, Hamlet to Horatio: 'There are more things in heaven and earth than are dreamt of in your philosophy.' Dialogue from a play written long before men took to the sky. There are more things in heaven and earth, and in the sky, than perhaps can be dreamt of. And somewhere in between heaven, the sky, the earth, lies the Twilight Zone."
                                                                 ---------Rod Serling, The Last Flight

Offline Jaeih t`Radaik

  • "I'm the unknown Commander, who makes the Empire look so good."
  • Lt. Junior Grade
  • *
  • Posts: 238
  • Gender: Female
  • Elements willing, we shall prevail!
    • Federation Starbase 23
Re: Lunatic Fringe
« Reply #23 on: January 17, 2007, 12:46:21 pm »
I like these people. I guess I'm just twisted.

Still waiting on the mysterious Vulcan's place in this sordid tale.  :D
"I'm just observing. You know, making observations."
"Great. We'll stick a telescope in your head and put a dome over it, and we can call you an observatory."
Paris and Rory, from "The Gilmore Girls."


Offline Commander La'ra

  • Lt. Commander
  • *
  • Posts: 2435
  • Gender: Male
Re: Lunatic Fringe
« Reply #24 on: January 17, 2007, 12:55:36 pm »
I like these people. I guess I'm just twisted.

Nah.  There's a little bit of 'Dina and Argent in pretty much everyone I think.  And there are reasons that part of them is so dominant.  I want to eventually detail some of that in a story...but trust me, their backstory is twisted enough it's hard to write.

Quote
Still waiting on the mysterious Vulcan's place in this sordid tale.  :D

Somehow the way you said that made me want to write a story with an artistic Vulcan pornographer, searching in vain for the person who logically, would elevate his work to new heights.

Alas, that's not the story with this fellow. ;D
"Dialogue from a play, Hamlet to Horatio: 'There are more things in heaven and earth than are dreamt of in your philosophy.' Dialogue from a play written long before men took to the sky. There are more things in heaven and earth, and in the sky, than perhaps can be dreamt of. And somewhere in between heaven, the sky, the earth, lies the Twilight Zone."
                                                                 ---------Rod Serling, The Last Flight

Offline Governor Ronjar

  • Lt.
  • *
  • Posts: 830
  • Gender: Male
  • 'None Farther...'
Re: Lunatic Fringe
« Reply #25 on: January 19, 2007, 11:09:03 pm »
I like them. They sicken me...but I like them...

Need longer updates...

--thu guv!
'It's a lot of hard work being a mean bastard...' --Captain Eric Finlander, CO USS Bedford (The Bedford Incident)

'Jaken...are you pretending to be dead?' --Lord Sesshomaru, Inuyasha.

Offline CaptJosh

  • Lt.
  • *
  • Posts: 775
  • Gender: Male
Re: Lunatic Fringe
« Reply #26 on: January 20, 2007, 12:53:54 am »
Damn. And here I thought the Vulcan was going to suggest the Khas Wan ordeal. Skydiving, though...not a bad idea for an adrenaline junkie.
CaptJosh

There are only 10 kinds of people in the world;
those who understand binary and those who don't.

Offline Andromeda

  • Queen of Amber
  • Lt. Junior Grade
  • *
  • Posts: 319
  • Gender: Female
  • Absolute Destiny!
    • Andromeda's Invasion
Re: Lunatic Fringe
« Reply #27 on: January 25, 2007, 01:33:38 am »
That was one of the last stories of yours I read so I remember this person rather well.  What's your biggest trouble with writing from a woman's point of view?  Do you find it any different from writing from a man's?
this sig was eaten by a grue

Offline Commander La'ra

  • Lt. Commander
  • *
  • Posts: 2435
  • Gender: Male
Re: Lunatic Fringe
« Reply #28 on: January 25, 2007, 08:50:43 am »
What's your biggest trouble with writing from a woman's point of view?  Do you find it any different from writing from a man's?

Not really.  I sort of get an image in my head of a certain individual and write what I think they'd say/do/feel (and when they start 'talking' to me of their own accord, I know I've been doing okay).  Gender really only comes into it when I'm dealing with how they view other characters, who they're attracted to, etc, and maybe how being a certain gender has affected the character's outlook and expectations.
"Dialogue from a play, Hamlet to Horatio: 'There are more things in heaven and earth than are dreamt of in your philosophy.' Dialogue from a play written long before men took to the sky. There are more things in heaven and earth, and in the sky, than perhaps can be dreamt of. And somewhere in between heaven, the sky, the earth, lies the Twilight Zone."
                                                                 ---------Rod Serling, The Last Flight

Offline Captain Krenn

  • Lt. Junior Grade
  • *
  • Posts: 35
Re: Lunatic Fringe
« Reply #29 on: February 04, 2007, 10:38:41 am »
Ugh, those two. 

Whenever they get within 5 lightyears of my ship I feel it needs to be cleaned.

They're almost as bad as Romulans

;)

uh oh...was the transmitter on when I said that?

Offline Commander La'ra

  • Lt. Commander
  • *
  • Posts: 2435
  • Gender: Male
Re: Lunatic Fringe
« Reply #30 on: February 04, 2007, 10:54:31 am »
Krenn!  We thought they'd finally drug you off for forehead alterations!
"Dialogue from a play, Hamlet to Horatio: 'There are more things in heaven and earth than are dreamt of in your philosophy.' Dialogue from a play written long before men took to the sky. There are more things in heaven and earth, and in the sky, than perhaps can be dreamt of. And somewhere in between heaven, the sky, the earth, lies the Twilight Zone."
                                                                 ---------Rod Serling, The Last Flight

Offline Scottish Andy

  • First Officer of the Good Ship Kusanagi
  • Lt. Commander
  • *
  • Posts: 1086
  • Gender: Male
  • New and improved.
    • Starbase 23
Re: Lunatic Fringe
« Reply #31 on: February 04, 2007, 11:33:01 am »
Hey Krenn! Glad to see you finally made it out of the backwoods and into civiisation again! :D
Come visit me at:  www.Starbase23.net

The Senior Service rocks! Rule, Britannia!

The Doctor: "Must be a spatio-temporal hyperlink."
Mickey: "Wot's that?"
The Doctor: "No idea. Just made it up. Didn't want to say 'Magic Door'."
- Doctor Who: The Woman in the Fireplace (S02E04)

2288

Offline Commander La'ra

  • Lt. Commander
  • *
  • Posts: 2435
  • Gender: Male
Re: Lunatic Fringe
« Reply #32 on: February 04, 2007, 08:46:09 pm »
And Almondine's quest for fulfillment continues....

------------------------

I left Argent in the foyer of an ostentatious resort.  He was dressed in lavender sequins, and I knew he'd have little trouble attracting companions.

"Do be careful, my 'Dina."  He said, and kissed me on both cheeks.  He had a look of worry.  I wondered if it was because I was going to risk my life, or because he didn't understand my behavior.

I wondered if anyone could understand my behavior.

A hired grav-car sped me toward my destination.  The service that offered the 'Freefall Experience' was located in a plain looking hangar at one of Tellis' shuttleports.  The giant door was open, so I strolled in.  Several people milled about the place, some in the multicolored jumpsuits popular among 'leapers', some in technician coveralls.  Two stubby shuttlecraft sat in the middle of the place.  Both were painted bright yellow with black and white checkers, like taxi vehicles in certain Earth cities.

I drew stares.  I always draw stares.  I'd wrapped myself up in a blue latex halter-and-shorts set that I contrasted with a white boa and cute blue sunglasses.  The color drew their eyes to me, and my body kept their attention.

"Who do I speak with about diving out of your little ships?"  I asked.  Someone chuckled...someone always does...but a man stepped forward.  He wasn't the only one, he was just the quickest.

"Right this way, ma'am..."

He led me to an office area that was only partially walled off.  The space was dominated by a giant two-dimensional image plastered on one wall.  It featured a man in a bulky black suit leaping out the door of an aircraft.  Below him...far below him...a solid wall of fluffy clouds awaited.  I stared.  Something about the picture intrigued me.  My guide noticed.

“Yeah.”  He smiled. “Pretty awesome, ain’t it?  No personal shielding or grav harness, just two parachutes and an oxygen tank.”

I kept staring.  “Is this what you do?”

“Close.”  He answered.  “We have more safety equipment, and we don’t jump out of balloons.”

“He’s jumping out of a balloon?”

“Yeah.  One hundred and three thousand feet over New Mexico, about three centuries ago.  Captain Frank Kittinger.”

I blinked.  “Did he live?”

“Not a scratch on him.”

“I want to do that.”  I declared, turning towards the man.  “When can you take me up?”

“Next flight goes tommorow afternoon.”  He answered.  “Hundred and fifty credits, you have to answer a few questions, sign a release.  And you can’t use your own equipment either, has to be ours…guy using his own chute plowed in about a year ago.  Feddies would love to shut us down, they probably will if it happens again.”

“Oh, that won’t be a problem.”  I wowed him with a smile.  “I don’t have any equipment.”

His friendly expression turned to a frown.

“Most skydivers have their own equipment.”  He said.

I saw the trap, and knew he was trying to trick me into a confession.  He would draw me out eventually, there was no point to avoiding it.

“I’ve never done UAF.”  I confided.  “I’ve never even skydived.”

He shook his head.  “Then you're not jumping.”

My stomach twisted into a knot.

“Why not?”  I asked, wetting my lower lip and batting my eyes.

“This isn’t something you just do, all right?  You got no experience, something goes wrong, and you’ll look like abstract art.  I don’t need to give Public Safety any more excuses to put us out of business.”

“It’s very important that I do this.”  I explained.  Wetting my lips wasn’t working.  I fluffed my boas a bit and leaned toward him slightly.

“Then go try something safer and come back when you’ve got some clue what you’re doing.”

“You don’t understand.”  I accused.  I thought of explaining the whole thing to him, but I had the distinct feeling that my rambling would not change him mind.

“I don't care, either, I’d like to keep my license.”

I frowned.  It was time to try something different.

“I can pay you a lot of money.”

He shook his head.  I continued before he could speak.

“Not credits.  Latinum or Klingon Darseks or something real.  More than enough to bribe someone if things go wrong.” 

His eyes betrayed temptation.  There is much that is forbidden in the Federation, and their credits are only good for synthesized food or luxuries anyone would find stale.

“How much?”  He demanded.

“Name your price.  If I can’t meet it, I cease bothering you.”  I doubted he would ask for more than I could part with.  Klingon Intelligence had rewarded me well for betraying my last employer.

“Twenty bars of latinum.”  He grinned.  That was a middling sum in most places, but latinum’s value skyrocketed in the United Federation of Planets.

“Done.”  I said.

He frowned.  “Well wait just one second…”

I smiled.  I sat normally, now.  He didn’t trust me. Continuing to bat my eyelashes would make him suspicious of my money.  He was quiet for a long, long time.  He turned away from me.  He was still thinking when a short woman with pink hair burst into the office.  She’d had words on her lips, but leashed them when she saw his mood.

“Kathy…”  He finally spoke, turning to look at the woman.  “…prep our friend here for tomorrow’s jump.”
"Dialogue from a play, Hamlet to Horatio: 'There are more things in heaven and earth than are dreamt of in your philosophy.' Dialogue from a play written long before men took to the sky. There are more things in heaven and earth, and in the sky, than perhaps can be dreamt of. And somewhere in between heaven, the sky, the earth, lies the Twilight Zone."
                                                                 ---------Rod Serling, The Last Flight

Offline KOTH-KieranXC, Ret.

  • Spokesman, Punisher Industries
  • Lt. Commander
  • *
  • Posts: 1861
  • Gender: Male
  • K-Fo, diehard SFCer and Taldrenite, est. 2000
Re: Lunatic Fringe
« Reply #33 on: February 04, 2007, 09:06:30 pm »
When I started reading this, I had to dig up the last story to feature these two, and I'm glad I did. These are definitely two of your most memorable characters, La'ra, if maybe not quite my favorites. ;) There's not any real sense of urgency to this story, but I don't necessarily see this as a bad thing; after all, not every story has to be about the familiar old group of military types that have a task to accomplish five minutes ago. :D

Anyway, in a nutshell: I'm enjoying reading about Almondine's quest for fullfillment, but the story hasn't quite progressed far enough yet for me to really give any kind of real in-depth critique. Although that Vulcan has piqued my interest; between his actions and Ron'jar's comments, I'm anxious to see where you go with him.

I will be reading. :D
"One minute to space doors."

"Are you just going to walk through them?"

"Calm yourself, Doctor."

Offline Governor Ronjar

  • Lt.
  • *
  • Posts: 830
  • Gender: Male
  • 'None Farther...'
Re: Lunatic Fringe
« Reply #34 on: February 04, 2007, 10:00:19 pm »


I drew stares.  I always draw stares.  I'd wrapped myself up in a blue latex halter-and-shorts set that I contrasted with a white boa and cute blue sunglasses.  The color drew their eyes to me, and my body kept their attention.


Space Tramp! Yay!

I'm intrigued to see just how her 'fulfillment' goes. I would not be in the least surprised if she weren't dissappointed in the experience... Or at least feign as though she were...

Keep telling, I'll keep reading!

--thu guv!
'It's a lot of hard work being a mean bastard...' --Captain Eric Finlander, CO USS Bedford (The Bedford Incident)

'Jaken...are you pretending to be dead?' --Lord Sesshomaru, Inuyasha.

Offline Scottish Andy

  • First Officer of the Good Ship Kusanagi
  • Lt. Commander
  • *
  • Posts: 1086
  • Gender: Male
  • New and improved.
    • Starbase 23
Re: Lunatic Fringe
« Reply #35 on: February 06, 2007, 12:58:10 pm »
Quote
I'd wrapped myself up in a blue latex halter-and-shorts set that I contrasted with a white boa and cute blue sunglasses.

A latex halter-top and shorts? With a white feather boa? To go orbital skydiving? Not so much "shiny" as "I'm stuck to myself and can't pull the ripcord!"

What an image... Very impressive. Sounds like something you'd just have to rip off the girl wearing it...  ;) :D :o

Did you happen to frequent a strip bar and see someone dressed like this, and think "I've got to put that in a story!"?
Come visit me at:  www.Starbase23.net

The Senior Service rocks! Rule, Britannia!

The Doctor: "Must be a spatio-temporal hyperlink."
Mickey: "Wot's that?"
The Doctor: "No idea. Just made it up. Didn't want to say 'Magic Door'."
- Doctor Who: The Woman in the Fireplace (S02E04)

2288

Offline Commander La'ra

  • Lt. Commander
  • *
  • Posts: 2435
  • Gender: Male
Re: Lunatic Fringe
« Reply #36 on: February 06, 2007, 01:08:09 pm »
A latex halter-top and shorts? With a white feather boa? To go orbital skydiving? Not so much "shiny" as "I'm stuck to myself and can't pull the ripcord!"

What an image... Very impressive. Sounds like something you'd just have to rip off the girl wearing it...  ;) :D :o

Did you happen to frequent a strip bar and see someone dressed like this, and think "I've got to put that in a story!"?

Quote
Someone chuckled...someone always does

:singing: ;D
"Dialogue from a play, Hamlet to Horatio: 'There are more things in heaven and earth than are dreamt of in your philosophy.' Dialogue from a play written long before men took to the sky. There are more things in heaven and earth, and in the sky, than perhaps can be dreamt of. And somewhere in between heaven, the sky, the earth, lies the Twilight Zone."
                                                                 ---------Rod Serling, The Last Flight

Offline Governor Ronjar

  • Lt.
  • *
  • Posts: 830
  • Gender: Male
  • 'None Farther...'
Re: Lunatic Fringe
« Reply #37 on: February 06, 2007, 08:58:21 pm »
I just hope this isn't La'ra's model of the perfect woman...

..though it would explain some things if it were...

--thu guv!
'It's a lot of hard work being a mean bastard...' --Captain Eric Finlander, CO USS Bedford (The Bedford Incident)

'Jaken...are you pretending to be dead?' --Lord Sesshomaru, Inuyasha.

Offline Commander La'ra

  • Lt. Commander
  • *
  • Posts: 2435
  • Gender: Male
Re: Lunatic Fringe
« Reply #38 on: March 04, 2007, 02:39:31 am »
Next part is up...

---------

"How in hell did you talk my brother into letting you jump?"  Kathy asked.

"It's my secret."  I giggled.  The pink-haired wench was small and stout.  Not overweight mind, just broad-shouldered and fit.  The look in her blue eyes spoke of wildness, and while I didn't have time to sample her, I could happily indulge in a little flirting.

She shook her head.  "Thinking with his dick again.  I knew it...guess it doesn't matter, they'll probably shut us down within a year anyway. Put this on."

She handed me a jumpsuit.  It was black and florescent green, a combination that does not work well on me.  I sighed and began to strip anyway.  Kathy didn't turn away, though she wasn't ogling either.  Mores the pity.

"What we're going to do is put you through some simulations." She explained.  "Holographic stuff.  It'll give you some idea about what to expect and if you pay attention you'll know what to do tomorrow.  Please pay attention, I like working here."

"Please don't worry," I implored, pulling on the jumpsuit.  I left the zipper down, halfway.  Maybe my natural charms could make up for the color scheme.  "I don't want to hurt myself, as I told your brother."

Kathy reached towards me, zipped the jumpsuit up the rest of the way.  My cheeks heated and she regarded me with a quiet stare.

"Come on."  She said.  I followed her out of the locker room.  A small portion of the hanger had been cordoned off.  There was an odd device on the floor; it was circular, like a large transporter pad, and it had various smaller devices hooked into it.  Kathy knelt and plucked one.  She handed it to me.

"Put these on."  She ordered.  They were sunglasses, though they were obviously electronic, and a thin cord connected them to the circular thing.

I slid them onto my face.  Despite the dark tint, I could see clearly.

"Step onto the pad."  My teacher ordered.  She'd been wearing a dour expression, but now she grinned.

"All right." I said.  I took a step onto the device.  Kathy flipped a switch and my feet left the ground.

I giggled.  Kathy's mouth twitched.

"I'm going to turn the feed to the glasses on now."  She warned.

The room in front of me vanished, replaced by a brilliant sky.  Clouds stretched out below me, showing me the deeper blue of ocean through gaps in their fluffy carpet.  Knowing what holograms are, I still gasped.

"Take a minute to get used to it.  Relax."  Kathy advised.

I tried.  I really did.  The sensation was remarkable, however, and soon I was giggling and laughing and spinning in place.  Well, I was trying to spin.  It was hard too, floating above the ground as I was.

"I guess the whole 'subject might be disoriented' thing doesn't apply to you."  Kathy laughed.  I couldn't see her, but her tone betrayed a smile.

"It's wonderful!"  I exclaimed.

"Try and calm down a little."  She said.  "We've got a lot to go over..."
"Dialogue from a play, Hamlet to Horatio: 'There are more things in heaven and earth than are dreamt of in your philosophy.' Dialogue from a play written long before men took to the sky. There are more things in heaven and earth, and in the sky, than perhaps can be dreamt of. And somewhere in between heaven, the sky, the earth, lies the Twilight Zone."
                                                                 ---------Rod Serling, The Last Flight

Offline Lara

  • Lt. Junior Grade
  • *
  • Posts: 52
Re: Lunatic Fringe
« Reply #39 on: March 04, 2007, 02:12:56 pm »
You know I'm fond of Dina, and she wants me to remind you that she doesn't want to miss the lingrie show...which means speed it up.

 :-*