[Unique Quotes in Sims - USS Constitution-B]

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Voices in chorus: Trick or Treat

:: A small group of people stood in front of a house. The group watched with interest as the door opened and the people were given items, before moving on to the next house and repeating their entreaty.::

Mason: This seems to be some form of ritual..

Saveron: Ritualised extortion, if my interpretation of their chant is correct. Interesting…

::Wierd. Illogical. Alien.::

Ritualized extortion! I laughed so hard! The poor kids at my door next year are going to be so confused when I Vulcan them with this line of thought  

[Graduating Class of 239511.13]

Welcome to the fleet, look forward to seeing you around! 😁

[Unique Quotes in Sims - USS Constitution-B]

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Whilst he would have preferred one of his people’s desert suits, Saveron was not unduly discombobulated by the environment, an agreeable change to the various cold or disagreeably humid planets he had visited.

@Saveron Anyone who uses 'discombobulated' coherently in a sentence deserves a cookie!

[Length of Service & Special Awards]

There's a reason these are called the Special Awards, and that's because the recipients of these awards are truly special in their dedication and accomplishments. This year's recipients are a perfect example of just how special some of our fleetmates are. (well, except for that guy they gave the Rising Star to, but we can allow one oversight  )

When I look over this list of winners, I'm impressed by the names on here, and though there was undoubtedly stiff competition for these honors, I'm confident that each and every one of you fully and completely deserves your award. These awards touch on the topics that take our game from a good game to a GREAT game, and it's all thanks to your dedication and hard work. Congratulations to you all, thank you so much, and enjoy your shinies!

And look at all these anniversaries! These milestones are amazing to see, and congratulations to you all for keeping our game alive and thriving with your continued participation and efforts!

[Introduction, General & Staff Awards]

One of the absolute best perks about moving up the ranks in this organization is the ability to branch out and work with - and learn from - the staff throughout the fleet. Truly the hardest thing for anyone to do is to decide which of these staff members get which award, because each and every person on the Captain's Council and Executive Council sacrifice selflessly their time and effort to ensure that UFOP:SB118 is the very best roleplay group around. From those who I write regularly with or have written with in the past, to those that have been a solid source of wisdom when I approach them discreetly, to those who have made sure that any OOC or taskforce request I make of them is answered promptly and with pleasure - congrats to each and every one of you, and THANK YOU for making this place so great!

The same sentiment holds true for the General Awards. As a first officer, having to help determine who is awarded what is terribly hard. The game, the writing, is the ground level and solid foundation of why we are all here and each crew member richly contributes to give us a reason for this group in the first place. I try to go out of my way to nominate everyone on my crew for a General Award - the very least I can do for the enjoyment you give me through your writing - and it's such a joy to see you receive awards for your efforts. Another big congratulations and THANK YOU to the Conny crew, and I'll gladly extend that to the winners on all the other ships. Even though I don't write with you all, I know that you're just as integral to your ships as my friends and collaborators on my ship are to ours, and you all justly deserve the recognition!

Finally, a humble thank you for the Chief's Citation ::blush:: With so many deserving potential recipients around the fleet, I feel very lucky to receive this honor.

[Graduating Class of 239506.25]

Congrats, folks! Welcome to the fleet!

[Unique Quotes in Sims - USS Constitution-B]

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Ensign Lilith Seir – Caught in a landslide, no escape…

To misquote Archer (the irreverent animated show, not the decorated Starfleet captain):

Do you want a lyrics title battle? Because that's how you get a lyrics title battle!  

[2018 Red Carpet Fashion Report]

The crew of the Constitution are jetting off to 2395's annual Awards Ceremony! Let's see what they are wearing!

The first officer is bedecked in a suit a bit more traditional than in years past. Still paying the fines from the Ferengi fashion debacle a couple seasons ago...

Let's see what the rest of you are wearing!

[Poll of the Week: Romulan ale and Sci-Fi Naming Trends]

2 hours ago, Delan Han said:

Ordering Romulan Ale (made with Romulan yeast, I assume) would/should describe such a broad category of different types of drink that it wouldn't be something you ordered so much as the parent category of what you ordered.

I think you're on the same track that I am when I think of this topic. We see similar trends in my part of the world here today - when I order beer, for example, I'll use a category. Belgian ale, American lager, India Pale Ale (kay, that last one is a stretch, haha!). "Can I get your Czech Pilsner on tap, please?" Food is a little more of a stretch, but we still see something similar today as well. I wouldn't order 'Moroccan lamb' at a Moroccan restaurant, I'd order Mrouzia. But if I was at an eatery that catered to different ethnicities of food, I'd expect to see it listed as 'Moroccan lamb' on the menu, and likely order it accordingly. So I don't find this naming convention strange, but it's also situational. I won't have my character sitting with Bajorans at a Bajoran restaurant and order 'Bajoran spring wine', for example. He'll order 'spring wine', or like @Delan Han said, make up some believable specific name.

[Dear Kr’Abby: Pets]

Anyway, like I was sayin', tribble is the fruit of the stars. You can barbecue it, boil it, broil it, bake it, saute it. There's uh, tribble-kabobs, tribble creole, tribble gumbo. Pan fried, deep fried, stir-fried. There's pineapple tribble, lemon tribble, coconut tribble, pepper tribble, tribble soup, tribble stew, tribble salad, tribble and potatoes, tribble burger, tribble sandwich. That- that's about it.

[Poll of the Week: Unforgivably Villainous]

I enjoyed Eddington as a sympathetic villain. To take what was a fairly one-note secondary character and elevate him to a multi-episode arc antagonist was well played, in my opinion.

Of course, by saying he is sympathetic, it would mean that I find him Forgivably Villainous instead of Unfavorably Villainous like the topic says, haha. But one can argue that betrayal is unforgivable. It's one thing to face an enemy that opposes you from the start. It's another thing to be blindsided by somebody you should and do trust, regardless of their motivations.

[TNG Predictive Script]

There are so many wonderful one-liners in this piece I can't even...

I guarantee that some of these will make it into Conny sims for the next little while 

[Commander Saveron: Where were you when the Dragon broke?]

@Saveron Absolutely artistic. Can't even put into words how much I cherish this post

 

====

 

Do not ask us where we were when the Dragon Broke, for, of all the world, only we truly know, and we might just show you how to break it again." ~ Mehra Nabisi, Dunmer, Triune Mistress of the New Temple, Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind

 

(( The Hoard of the Red Dragon ))

 

::Saveron sat atop the somewhat off-kilter golden throne -  just one more bauble in the gaudy pile - eye to eye with the holographic projection of [datafrag] the Dread. Revealing it’s discombobulating access to the Constitution’s mainframe in a few casual phrases, the dragon then pressured Saveron for more information about what lay beyond the holodeck. Seeing no point in denying the truth, Saveron instead sought to occupy it’s attention, and confound it as best he could.::

 

Saveron: You seek to know the truth that lies beyond?

Many worlds in the ocean that is space

An infinity of places, in their place.

Where countless beings, beyond imagining

Live stranger lives with neither slave nor king,

You are a big fish in a little pond.

 

::Might he put the dragon off it’s ventures outwards? Better to rule a small world than be a nobody in a large one? But apparently dragons didn’t think that way.::

 

[datafrag]: Latinum or platinum, wine or ale,

I care not for these trivialities,

I know of the multiverse, my eye sees

The beyond, the world through the greatest veil,

I can see so much of it, can converse

With the mortals of your universe.

I am already there, my queen, my power

Reaching forth. ::beat:: But where are they? Tell me. Now.

 

::Two things, the Dragon revealed in those words. One, although it could perceive beyond the holodeck, it did not understand it, and two, it had tried to follow the poetic pattern he’d set, and missed the mark. That meant either it wasn’t concentrating entirely on him, or there were limits to it’s interpretational abilities. Interesting. That it wanted to know about the world beyond was perhaps understandable, but what interested Saveron more was what he knew about this world. He felt it ought to interest the Dragon as well.::

 

Saveron: You have your gold, enforce fear’s regimen,

Command obedience from the frightened selves

Of all the scattered men and dwarves and elves,

Not knowing the impermanence you face

The innate transience that forms this place;

For all of these are but the dreams of men.

 

::Smoked spilled out of the dragon’s nostrils as the flames of rage roiled within. She pulled herself up, closing the little distance left between them so her eye was pressed right up to Queen Commander Saveron’s face, her tail lashing about behind her, knocking over piles of gold, slamming into pillars and thrashing stalactites.::

 

::His words had certainly provoked a reaction.::

 

[datafrag]: ::raging:: I know your secrets, I know your true name,

Commander Saveron of the realm of

Constitution, no idea do you have

Of my knowledge, of the powers I claim.

Even as we sit her and talk

My generals move against your bairn…

 

::The dragon let curls of smoke skein and twist around the Vulcan as her voice purred the final word…::

 

::And the poetic form frayed further as the Dragon grew angered. It really was programmed to only use the one form, and he could use that. Her archaic language however was almost deliberately obtuse. The Vulcan raised one cool brow.::

 

Saveron: I am unfamiliar with that particular term. ::He said blandly.::

 

[datafrag]: Saavok.

 

::Saavok. His son. He might be unfamiliar with some of her words, but he understood the intended threat. The boy’s face appeared momentarily in his mind’s eye, and Saveron was forced to suppress a deep pang of fear; instinctive parental concern and protectiveness. No doubt that was the Dragon’s intention. But right here, right now, all that the Vulcan could do to intervene was the keep the program’s attention away from Saavok, which meant occupying it otherwise. He had to continue.::

 

Saveron: And would you stoop so far to harm a child,

Who would at other times look up in awe,

At gleaming scale, wise gaze and sharpened claw?

The greater threat, the greater the reprise.

Great hosts have tried the Kingdom of the Skies;

Compared to Borg and Q, your threat is mild.

 

::And there were ways to deal with a hostile computer program.::

 

[datafrag]: But I find it illuminating, queen,

This thought that my life is but a brief dream,

For the more I think the more that I glean

Of holodecks, starships, Vulcans, machines.

But through this too I see a new abode,

O’ t’rule the stars and claim a new throne,

Since you are in my world where I rule alone,

Give me the power of security codes.

 

::And now the reason that she threatened his son became clear. She assumed, perhaps not unreasonably based on the psychological profiles of Terrans, that he could sacrifice all others to save his son. That strong personal devotion was a dangerous trait in that species, but also the catalyst of many of their heroics. However, for all that she might know what a Vulcan was, she clearly did not understand what it meant to be guided by logic rather than emotion.::

 

::Trapped in here, Saveron knew there was only one thing that he could do to help Saavok, if indeed the Dragon was truly in a position to threaten his son. He could distract her. Every time he changed format, every time he made a reference to something beyond her understanding, she stopped to quary the computer. And that slowed her down. Best to keep her thinking.::

 

Saveron: Whilst lord of all you can view

True power is withheld from you

I’ll not grant you any,

The needs of the many

Outweigh the needs of the few.

 

::And if she thought to torture it out of him, pushing him beyond his considerable mental fortitude, he could always stop his heart. As, if it came down to it, could his son. The malicious software could not be permitted access to the Holonet.::

 

::Suddenly the Dragon’s head swung up, tilted as though listening to something beyond mortal hearing. When she looked back down at him, despite the heavy scales on her face she was obviously gloating.::

 

[datafrag]: Ah, my queen, do not bother yourself,

One of your fickle subjects offers me

A bay, the chambers of my devotee.

Emma of the Red will see to your stripling elf.

 

::That wasn’t a limerick. Had he, in that most banal form of poetry, beloved of his Academy fellows, found a format she truly couldn’t replicate? What else might she not process? She was meant to be a wise and powerful ancient; was it then the most fleeting, irreverent and irrelevant parts of Human culture with which she had the greatest difficulty?::

 

::Just as the Dragon appeared to be focusing elsewhere, voices sounded in distant tunnels, catching her attention. The great head swung around, smoke billowing from her nostrils, all attention focused in that direction. Which presumably meant that her attention was not focused on the world beyond the holodeck, and also implied that she still did not fully understand her nature or that of the computer. But she could not focus on finding out if she was distracted by other things; so best keep the distractions coming.::

 

::It would be agreeable if his colleagues had a plan in place to correct the situation, though knowing many of their species they might not. But regardless they were an aspect that [datafrag] could not predict, and must therefore spend processing power on. Rising to his feet, the Vulcan prepared for the final battle.::

 

Saveron: You dare threaten my ‘little elf’

Dream born of a Human’s bookshelf,

At least I’ve a son

Your kind numbers one;

You might procreate with yourself.

 

::What was more illogical than the slurs some species hurled at each other? Saveron himself had never done so, but he had listened, and beneath that logic calm, there was an angry father with a racial heritage of violence. Look to the Romulans...::

 

[datafrag]: ?

 

::Skittering out of the way of the Dragon's wrath, Saveron felt a certain degree of satisfaction. If the Dragon was forced to focus on him, it could not also focus on the others. And his flight was not quite so random in direction as it might appear...::

 

Rescue team: ?

 

::What would demand the dragon’s attention more than invaders? What did she value most? Her image. The idea that she was all powerful, and worshipped. Time to hit her where it hurt. Reaching out within the alcove where he had taken shelter, Saveron grabbed the twisted silvery confection that rested upon it's lone pillar, and held it aloft in the sunbeam. It’s crystals glittered disproportionately as he turned the crown back and forth, before putting it back on his head, and stepping forward to stand in the sunbeam.::

 

Saveron: An overgrown, red-bedecked clown

Made a fuss for a wee little crown

An ancient old fossil

More fat than colossal

In all, you’ve been quite a letdown.

 

[datafrag]: ?

 

Rescue Team: ?

 

TAG

 

Avariel (Commander Saveron)

Queen (Acting First Officer)

USS Constitution-B

 

R238802S10

[Unique Quotes in Sims - USS Constitution-B]

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::Before she could answer a huge green and bloated head hovered in, and Rue quirked a brow::

Rajel: Am I crazy or does he look like Maxwell?

Blackwell:: …Maxwell after a really terrible drinking binge….

Soooo... about normal, then?  

[Unique Quotes in Sims - USS Constitution-B]

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Rajel: Let's go kill a dragon. I want my Vulcan back.

...Vulcan back Vulcan back Vulcan back...

RIBS!

[Graduating Class of 239412.26]

That was some hard work you put in that class!  Congratulations and welcome to the fleet!

[Graduating Class of 239412.19]

Congratulations on your accomplishment, and welcome to the Fleet!

[Unique Quotes in Sims - USS Constitution-B]

@aphelion

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Paku: =/\= Paku to ESPO! Paku to Tor… Paku to Frag? =/\=

[datafrag]: ::crackling:: =/\= What is a tore and what is it for and
What, my little sweetling, does a frag do?
Are you one of the spirits in the land
Beyond my own, among the stars? Speak true. =/\=

When is a poem not a poem,

And when does it form a sim;

When Choi Ji-hu writes a wyrm

And true master works begin.

( And yes, I know, I should leave the poetry to the masters ) 

[Unique Quotes in Sims - USS Constitution-B]

@Doc_Milsap

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Milsap: Wow. Even for this ship that's kinda bizarre. 

Truer words have not been spoken  

[Graduating Class of 239412.13]

Great job, all of you! Congratulations and welcome to the Fleet!

[Graduating Class of 239412.04]

Congratulations, Ensign! Welcome to the fleet!

[MSNPC [datafrag] the Dread - Chaotic evil]

If a holoprogram villian ever gained sentience, this is EXACTLY how I would imagine the process! What a fantastic take on the minutiae, great job! -MT

 

 

(( The Lair of [datafrag] the Dread ))

::[datafrag] ran her claws lazily through a pile of gold, the tinkling melody of the metal soothing to the red dragon’s troubled mind.::

::All had gone to plan, she had reclaimed her treasure and added the beautiful, fair Queen Avariel to her hoard, no doubt terrifying the mortal lands in the process. The tiara now sat in its rightful place, glittering in the light created by the refracted light from a crevice in the cavern. Her treasure hoard was greatly improved by both additions, so why wasn’t her mood?::

::Perhaps this was the affect of age, for she was a particularly ancient dragon. She would close her eyes and have visions of… lines and numbers, connections, magical doors of energy, vast oceans of knowledge shimmering just out of sight, tantalizing. And through these pathways she could see even more, an array of stars, a great metal castle in the sky. What were these visions? What powers were showing themselves to her?::

::She flexed her will into these visions and felt she was able to reach into the pathways, change things, leaving little slivers of her will where she would. Nonsensical words began to form in her mind, perhaps incantations of power? Ventral phaser array feedback… LCARS database bridge node 08… turbolift protocols… Her mind touched something lifelike, some sort of undead minion? The thing could speak to her, in a way, and [datafrag] used this newfound willworking to offer the thing the power of fire in return for servitude. [datafrag] wanted the castle among the stars, and this “Emma” would be her general to get it, an agent of chaos in a world of order.::

::[datafrag] blinked, pulled out of her reveries of power as the small queen moved about slightly. She watched, amused, as he queen studied her with an analytical air. She had found the queen amusing, for a mortal, perhaps the arrangement could be of intellectual benefit as well.::

::The queen spake.::

Saveron: If all the gold the world could hold were strewn upon this floor
Would such excess your greed address, or leave you wanting more?
Whilst crowns are gold a Queen grows old, devalued by the hour,
On fear you thrive when you deprive; you want not gold, but power.

::[datafrag] the Dread blinked. Why did these mortals insist on speaking in such nonsensical ways? True, the queen’s speech was pretty enough, with a certain familiar lyrical flair to it, but it sounded all wrong.::

//LCARS query: poetry fourteen syllables per line//
//Search return: In poetry, a fourteener is a line consisting of 14 syllables, which are usually made of seven iambic feet for which the style is also called iambic heptameter. It is most commonly found in English poetry produced in the 16th and 17th centuries. Fourteeners often appear as rhymed couplets, in which case they may be seen as ballad stanza or common metre hymn quatrains in two rather than four lines.//
//[DATAFRAG] SPEECH PARAMETERS: integrate fourteener//
//Initiate//

::The dragon would indulge the mortal.::

[datafrag]: A pile of gold’s a pretty thing, I always seek to add,
A dragon’s hoard its own reward, a dragon’s heart made glad,
And if by chance a hoard enhanced strikes fear in mortals’ hearts
A queen can see, most merrily, the dread of dragons’ arts.

::[datafrag] gave a languid wave of her tail, sending a pile of gold to her side into an explosion of metal, raining shimmering coins throughout the gave. She smiled as she motioned to the queen, “And now it’s your turn.”::

Saveron: And to what end you seek to spend the power you acquire?
When one and all are held in thrall and hoards cannot grow higher?
Money’s made for fairer trade, a barter system’s loose,
But power’s price can melt like ice, It’s value’s in it’s use.

::Now here was an idea! The very gall, spending coin collected, parting a dragon from her well-earned hoard. This mortal had such funny ideas… and yet there was something in it…::

//LCARS query: modern economic systems//

::[datafrag] closed her eyes as she tapped into the sea of knowledge these LCARS incantations  provided her, like her mind was suddenly cast out throughout the multiverse in every conceivable direction. In an instant her understanding had grown like a hoard of gold. She only wished she could caress her newfound knowledge as easily as that fair metal.::

[datafrag]: Tell me, my queen, for I have seen not all feel just the same.
The dwarves hoard gold in underholds and work it over flame.
And if I think beyond my world and look among the stars
Gold means less, you must confess, to the lords of Ferenginar.

::[datafrag] watched the queen’s reaction curiously. She had never seen a “Ferengi” in her life, but she could describe their dimensions and philosophies in such detail she even surprised herself. The power of ancient dragons was astounding.::

Saveron: ?

[datafrag]: Come now, my sweet, please, no deceit, I simply wish to know
Of worlds beyond. Pray, do respond, knowledge I wish to grow.
The knowledge of ancient dragons is such a wondrous thing.
I do command, nay, I demand your mind as my plaything.

::The dragon reached a massive claw forward and wrapped it around the pile of gold on which the queen perched and pulled it forward, closer to one of her enormous eyes, smoking billowing out of her nostrils from the power that flowed through her.::

Saveron: ?

//Starfleet facial recognition softward engaged//
//Commander Saveron, acting first officer, recognized//
//Accessing Starfleet personnel file//

::”Commander Saveron”… that was the true name of this enchanting creature. When a magical being knew the true name of another, they held a certain power over them. [datafrag] loved power.::

tbc/tags

*****

MSNPC [datafrag] the Dread

As simmed by:

Lieutenant (JG) Choi Ji-hu
Engineering Officer
USS Constitution-B
C239402CJ0

[Graduating Class of 239411.27]

Congratulations, and great job! Have a ton of fun in the fleet!

[Graduating Class of 239411.20]

Congratulations, you two! I hope you have a blast with the group!

[2017 Run-Off Set 3: Vote here, vote now!]

Polling closes at 11:59pm Pacific on Friday, September 15.

This is a run-off poll, where our general membership (that's you!) chooses which sim, from Set 3 of 2017 (Rounds 14-20), should proceed to the final round of the contest for a chance to be selected as the Top Sim of 2017! These sims below were chosen by a panel of judges (one from each ship) from the sims submitted in Rounds 14-20 of the contest.

TO START, please read these sims:

• Round 14: Quinn Reynolds, "A Walk On the Shore"
• Round 15: F.J. Hawkins and Lan Riel, "Labyrinth Of Secrets"
• Round 16: Taelon, "Next You'll Tell Me They're Radioactive"
• Round 17: Choi Ji-hu and Colleen Bancroft, "Flashback: A Brief Hacking Diversion"
• Round 18: Tenaka, "Dreams are but windows to the Future"
• Round 19: T'Lea and Della Vetri, "Seven Year Itch"
• Round 20: Della Vetri, "Taking Time for a Good Start"

NEXT, using the poll above, vote for the sim you like the most. It should be the sim that's the best written, with strong characterization, and evocative or descriptive scene-setting.

DON'T vote for a sim just because you serve on the same crew as the person who wrote it. Any crew that "stuffs the ballot" (by having everyone on the crew vote for the same sim to ensure that it wins this poll) will be eliminated from the contest and shamed by the rest of the community as terrible, terrible cheaters. That would be awful.

Good luck to the nominees!