[Lord Aquaman]

As an aspiring writer of screenplays and short stories, I'm kicking around this little science fiction nonsense I call "The Sensualizers". I'm about to give you an outline and I need objective opinions on what works, what doesn't work, and whether or not I should just forget the whole damn thing.

SYNOPSIS: In the 22nd century, the Earth is covered in a second Ice Age. What's left of civilization is hauled up in small, interconnected outposts where your highest paying job is not that of a politician but of a heating engineer, second only to people who manufacture artificial food. In order to help the people get their minds off the frozen wasteland that has become the Earth, the little governments of the outposts give the surviving public devices playfully called Sensualizers, which as you've undoubtedly guessed enhance one's senses for personal pleasure and create realistic fantasies like being out in a beautiful field on a hot sunny day. But then a problem turns up - the Sensualizer devices prove to be hazardous to the health of the people who overuse them, causing death, physical paralysis and the "vegetable state". When the governments try to take the Sensualizers away, the addicts, naturally nicknamed Sensualists, start causing riots; this prompts the introduction of a SWAT like team called the Guardsmen (nicknamed "the Polar Bears" because of the polar bear insignia on their riot shields and uniforms), an eccentric bunch of anti-social misfits who have a knack for dealing out physical punishment. The hero - Burton McCohen of the Guardsmen. His goal - stay alive in a world gone crazy.

Let the criticism begin.

[barend]

that sounds prety cool actually...
'sensualisers' sound like a metaphore for cocain (at least that's what critics will say)... but that's cool... because then it becomes like heroin...
there's potential there for some great sociopolitical deconstruction...

i think the only flack you'd get for it, is that some may find the concept a little close to red dwarfs 'better than life' (if you've read the books) but i think should be okay... as they did not thouroly explore that aspect of the issue...

it should be interesting... because it mirrors western governments harshness on drugs despite the low quality of life they expect people to endure...
however in this book of yours, the powers that be are not responsible for the depressing existence that mankind is living so it creates an intersting struggle where there are no bad guys as such....
this will really lead to some great potential for moral dilema...

sounds good so far...

[Slade]

Intriguing. Actually, one could easily say that the government isn't doing its job because A) It didn't properly research the machines before sending them out into the public and Didn't provide rehabilitation for the addicts. Although that's never a surprise. Oops, we fucked up, uh... We'll just kill you all now.

Reccomended reading: Brave New World, by Aldous Huxley... Mmm... soma...

[Just your average movie goer]

It certainly is an interesting premise you have there, Lord Aquaman. Let us know how it goes. Will you be posting it here?

[Lord Aquaman]

It certainly is an interesting premise you have there, Lord Aquaman.  Let us know how it goes.  Will you be posting it here?

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Maybe, I don't know yet. I'm still drafting it at this stage. I'm actually not very good with political stuff but then again, neither are most Hollywood writers or "film-makers" (like the guys who wrote "Troy" and George Lucas). Any advice on how to properly write out the political atmosphere is welcomed.

The drug parallels (did I spell that wrong?) are intentional.

This is probably the only science fiction story I have up my sleeve at the moment; all my other ideas are set in the sword/sorcery genre.

This post has been edited by Lord Aquaman: 17 December 2004 - 09:23 AM

[SimeSublime]

My only gripe is that there has already been a few ice ages, so yours can't be the second Seriously speaking, it sounds quite interesting.

It puts me in mind of a short story I once read(no idea what it was called, or what book it was in)set in a future where life is so safe that its boring, and the government hands out drugs so that people enjoy themselves. The rebels/criminals then are the ones who refuse to take the drugs, and take unneeded risks to make their lives worth living.

[Lord Aquaman]

My only gripe is that there has already been a few ice ages, so yours can't be the second   Seriously speaking, it sounds quite interesting.

It puts me in mind of a short story I once read(no idea what it was called, or what book it was in)set in a future where life is so safe that its boring, and the government hands out drugs so that people enjoy themselves.  The rebels/criminals then are the ones who refuse to take the drugs, and take unneeded risks to make their lives worth living.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

My bad.

Now that story with the government and the excitement inducing drugs sounds cool.

[SimeSublime]

Sad that I don't remember any more about it. I wouldn't have remembered it at all if it wasn't for your synopsis.