Telepathy spaceport design

[Desiremakesmeweak]

If you are a sex-interested telepath, or sci-fi writer and creator, can you describe some interior design elements for a 'neutral zone' telepathic spaceport facility where (new) telepaths meet up?

 

[Handley_Page]

If you are a sex-interested telepath, or sci-fi writer and creator, can you describe some interior design elements for a 'neutral zone' telepathic spaceport facility where (new) telepaths meet up?

Sorry, but my telepathic abilities are waning.
You need to be closer for the thoughts to coalesce.

 

[Weird Harold]

If you are a sex-interested telepath, or sci-fi writer and creator, can you describe some interior design elements for a 'neutral zone' telepathic spaceport facility where (new) telepaths meet up?

A "Neutral Zone" somewhat implies an ability to shield telepathic abilities that is turned off or absent in the NZ.

If the NZ is for "new telepaths" as in "new to their abilities," then a NZ would feature partial suppression of telepathy to prevent overwhelming novices.

If the NZ is a "hookup club" for telepaths, it might even feature amplification of telepathic abilities -- drug cocktails to enhance sending/receiving certain types of thoughts while suppressing "downer thought."

 

[HandsInTheDark]

If you are a sex-interested telepath, or sci-fi writer and creator, can you describe some interior design elements for a 'neutral zone' telepathic spaceport facility where (new) telepaths meet up?

I maybe could with a ton more background. Are these human? The actual physical form of the creatures will have a profound effect on the architecture.

Why are they meeting up for sex in the airport, so to speak? Spaceports need to be a certain way to handle all those rockets and infrastructure and stuff. Wouldn't everyone prefer a nearby hotel? The snacks and psi-booze are going to be cheaper.

Why do they need a NZ? Are they prone to hostility except when they make mad passionate snuggles? That would probably be the biggest element driving design.

I'm guessing their sexuality isn't entirely mental, since the point of sex is generally reproduction (I know; but really, it is) and doing that without physical contact gets weird. Are these folk shy about it or do they copulate in public? If it's all (or mostly all) mental they just sit side by side and zap each other's brains; you don't need anything fancy...

Do they have fetishes? I would guess that telepathy would make for some ruthless tease and denial, if they lean that way. That argues for restraint gear, paralysis drugs, etc.

Does the orgasm blast outward into everyone's brains within kilometers? Is that good or bad? Do they need psi-shielding? Is Marla the MegaHot Psi driven to orgasm repeatedly so everyone nearby can groove? Is psi-prostitution legal? Do you have to accommodate droves of hot psi-on-psi professionals?

Are there legal concerns involving young children? Prudes? Non-psis who aren't supposed to be victimized by mentally indicted orgasms that they can't block, the poor dears?

It seems to me the best you can do is watch a bunch of old Babylon 5s, which is pretty much what you are describing. I mean it wasn't predominantly a hookup place, but everywhere is, really, when you have hot babe psionics.

I'm sorry, I think you're assuming humans with telepathy, but didn't say it. And there are too many unknowns. Humans with telepathy would be radically different than humans; it's hard to know where to begin to think about the changes. I'm a setting and detail freak and I'd have fifty pages of notes on this, maybe one of which would ever affect the story directly but it would all have to be written down before I did the story. So I probably can't help much in a short post.

 

[DreamCloud]

My mind quieted nicely as I neared the dark room. Its shielding leaked beyond to the double doors that displayed the warnings. I never understood the need for the signs. Any outer would know and inners wouldn't trust it. I pushed opened the double doors and was met with a song, just one song. It had been so long since music was so simple. I closed my eyes and let it caress my ears. It was beautiful, unencumbered by the modifications of others’ minds.

The room was a plain tan, built along the hull. The far wall was curved with rounded rectangle view ports nearly the size of a man. Tables were arranged following the curve, each row another slow circle with the door seeming to be the center. I saw her there, glancing out a port looking at the stars and for once, I blessedly had no idea how she felt about them. We were all inners here.



Damn - Telepathy would suck. I don't think I would want to know what people truly thought about me. Can you image the suicide rate for teenagers. My guess, 1 in 5 would survive without going insane. Humans have a hard enough time trying to understand their own minds.

 

[Hypoxia]

Are various types of telepaths:

* Paired or small-group capable telepaths. You can establish mind-links with individuals.
* Wide-range transmitters. You can project your thoughts to a general audience.
* Active receivers. You can listen-in on anybody you select.
* Passive receivers. You MUST listen-in on everybody. You go nutz.
* Any of the above, but some transcieve thoughts/images, others only sexual impulses.
* Any of the above, limited to the same species, or capable across species.

Not all types of telepaths would WANT to venture near a mind-shielded NZ. Some species and individuals (including some human mutants or hybrids) may be able to communicate ONLY by telepathy; in the NZ, they become deaf-mutes. Predatory telepaths, the kinds that can suck-up or take-over other minds, would tend to cluster just outside the NZ to waylay unsuspecting victims.

Beside the above types of t-paths are various occupations. Telepathic police (honest & bent), criminals, do-gooders, hookers, evangelists, counselors / therapists, lunatics, grunt workers, spies & counterspies, teachers, whatever. Ah, telepathic hookers -- are you ready for a mind-fuck?

 

[HandsInTheDark]

Damn - Telepathy would suck. I don't think I would want to know what people truly thought about me. Can you image the suicide rate for teenagers. My guess, 1 in 5 would survive without going insane. Humans have a hard enough time trying to understand their own minds.

Well.. no. If you assume a species has an ability, the ability has to be survivable or the species is gone. If DesireMakes has telepathic humans, they are either heading for extinction or they have their survival strategies in place.

Assume you're right and teenhood becomes an awful trial and people kill themselves in droves because of the gritty reality of unavoidable exposure to mass opinion. First consequence: humanity adapts a "life is cheap" mentality and starts having LOTS of kids, because few will survive. "Life is cheap" is a poor approach for humans - we pour a ton of time and energy into child rearing - so there would be massive social supports in place for rearing child after child, as well as massive intervention in the area of preparing children for the coming rigours. Childhood would look utterly different; so would parenting. Death would be treated very differently. (I laughed my way through Darkover - seriously, you have telepathic characters and you think the only difference is that people avoid eye contact? I got news for you - they'd have staring contests and it would not go well for the losers.)

And think how the survivors would act. "I don't care what you think," is not an admirable but optional characteristic. It's an ingrained and essential way of thought and life. Suddenly everyone is a libertarian and having lots of sex just to keep the species going. (Libertarians seem to spend all their time ranting online and probably don't have sex as a result, so this is a radical world change.)

The changes just keep rippling...

When scifi fails, it's because folk don't work through the ramifications of their own society. I can't continue "Drug Trial" because I know that the long term impacts of Madrigal are socially devastating, and writing them would be a huge effort.

 

[Handley_Page]

If you are a sex-interested telepath, or sci-fi writer and creator, can you describe some interior design elements for a 'neutral zone' telepathic spaceport facility where (new) telepaths meet up?

I suggest you read a few stories of Isac Azimov, who [from my fading memory] managed to handle this subject with little of no trouble.

. . .
It seems to me the best you can do is watch a bunch of old Babylon 5s, which is pretty much what you are describing. I mean it wasn't predominantly a hookup place, but everywhere is, really, when you have hot babe psionics.
[1]

I'm sorry, I think you're assuming humans with telepathy, but didn't say it. And there are too many unknowns. Humans with telepathy would be radically different than humans; it's hard to know where to begin to think about the changes. I'm a setting and detail freak and I'd have fifty pages of notes on this, maybe one of which would ever affect the story directly but it would all have to be written down before I did the story. So I probably can't help much in a short post. [2]

[1] Ah, the beautiful Del'en.

[2] Are we to assume human (-oid) characters ?
Because if you have to create a whole new type of character, you can design him/her/it with any characteristics you choose.

I recall there were several attempts at illustrating the problems of the human telepath; see Anne McCaffrey, particularly the Crystal Singer series:-

Crystal Singer is composed in part of previously published short stories as noted below.

Crystal Singer
"Prelude to a Crystal Song"
"Milekey Mountain"
"Killashandra - Crystalsinger"
"Killashandra - Coda and Finale"
Killashandra
Crystal Line

They are worth reading in their own right, as damned good stories.

You might also find these of interest:-
The Rowan
"Lady in a Tower"
Damia
"A Meeting of Minds"
Damia's Children
Lyon's Pride
The Tower and the Hive

 

[Desiremakesmeweak]

DreamCloud...

Time, as you know, is quite fluid in our hands.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7MvSqdikqu0

 

[DreamCloud]

DreamCloud...

Time, as you know, is quite fluid in our hands.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7MvSqdikqu0

I am now in love with superwoman

 

[DreamCloud]

Well.. no. If you assume a species has an ability, the ability has to be survivable or the species is gone. If DesireMakes has telepathic humans, they are either heading for extinction or they have their survival strategies in place.

Darwin and I are proud of you. I must bow to your analysis since I can't find fault in it.
For the record: I still don't want to know what people really think of me.

 

[Hypoxia]

For the record: I still don't want to know what people really think of me.

Relax. Nobody thinks of you at all. Well, hardly anybody.

 

[Desiremakesmeweak]

So... is there anybody here who would actually be prepared to say that they are telepathic?

I mean really advanced telepathic?

 

[Desiremakesmeweak]

I know one or two people who are genuinely - as far as I can tell - authentically psychic-ly gifted. They seem to be able to do things 'at will.' But that's not something I could say I understand at all - for one thing, I am just not able to maintain such high levels of interest in people generally.

I need to have some specific point of interest - something that maintains my attention and beyond that, something I find I am able to personally 'harmonize' with, otherwise, nup, I'm just lost to whatever 'message' someone is trying to send.

At the same time though, this makes me very restricted in the sorts of people I know beyond the superficial. In other words, I am like this even on a 'normal' interaction basis.

I was wondering what the more seasoned telepaths' experiences are...

Do you wander around some 'open' fairly casual and otherwise anonymous transit zone, 'scanning' people - or do you pick up some harmonic signal and zone-in on that?

 

[DreamCloud]

Relax. Nobody thinks of you at all. Well, hardly anybody.

More true then you know.

 

[Handley_Page]

I am now in love with superwoman

Who wouldn't be? See