Shivertongue

run-on sentences.

for being idiots

explode. Will, however

and then exploded.

trampling Eric flat.

. Seeing the Waffle,

You know, we should have really called this contest 'The Way of Slings'. Note for the future: Funny names for contests.

It has excellent worldbuilding. It's the one strength I feel Erikson has. But worldbuilding is not enough to carry a whole story. Character and plot have to as important as setting, and I felt he failed on both aspects. I think it really shows that the world was originally designed for a roleplaying game - all of the characters feel as if they are just there, thrown in because that's who they rolled up, and not because they actually belong.

Yeah, but you spend effort doing other stuff. I am literally paid for writing. You are interpreting it far too broadly. You are not being paid to write. You have been awarded an annual stipend to execute on a proposed research/creative project that is supposed to be scholarly. I'm not knocking that you're doing it. I'm only pointing out that your description of it is disingenuous. When you say you're being "paid to write", you are unintentionally misleading people into thinking you are writing something that has been purchased and will be published, which is not the case.

You're just jealous Him being jealous doesn't alter the factual properties of his statement I prefer to think of it as "MSU is promoting their students in what they really want to do" Also, I'm not jealous. I can call myself semipro too. That grocery store job? I'm actually being paid to research my new horror-comedy novel, Ten Items or Death. See? Easy.

That was another complaint I had with The Blade Itself. I prefer high-magic settings, and most of the 'dark and gritty' stuff I've seen tends to be low magic. And then people go an call it more realistic... um, why do you want more realism in your fantasy? Isn't that counter-intuitive? Gardens of the Moon... I tried hard to like it, I really did. But it just never grabbed me. We never spent enough time with a single character for me to form any kind of connection, and half the book I was trying to figure out what the heck was going on and why I should care. I honestly don't understand how so many people rate these books so highly. The biggest crime was that as a whole, the book was IMMENSELY unsatisfying to read. I got to the end and just felt as if I had wasted my time. I don't care if "you really have to get to book X in order for it to get good", as Malazan apologists claim. The first book in the series should be able to stand up on it's own as a satisfying rand complete story unto itself, even if it is part of a larger overarching plot. The Wheel of Time does this, A Song of Ice and Fire does this, Mistborn: The Final Empire does this. I did not feel that Gardens of the Moon did this. As it is, even though I own a copy, I have no desire to pick up Deadhouse Gates. But I do not begrudge others for liking it. Read what you love, as I say Whew... I've been holding that in for some time..

Basically, Eric is fooling the system into paying him to do something he was going to do anyway.

Fairly good series no matter all the Goodkind bashing. Very long story that seems to keep having the same thing over and over throughout the entire book. Kinda pissed now that he's writing 3 more books for it even though he said he was done. Ah, Goodkind... I couldn't get past the third book. My issue with Goodkind, though, is Goodkind himself. I've seen interviews and read stuff about him, and he comes across as an overly pretentious jerk. I could deal with this if his books were any good, but (opinion alert!) they aren't. He keeps writing in the same series, I think, because he has no ideas outside of it, or he's afraid of trying anything else. Even his 'thriller' Law of Nines was directly related to Sword of Truth. And, keeping on topic, add The Hunger Games to what I'm currently reading, although it's actually an audiobook.

I agree with your point on Blade Itself. I started reading it, but I haven't picked it up in, wow, a long time. Also, I didn't like the lack of coherent plot direction its beginnings had. Characters are great and all, but it's still hard for me to stick with a book if there's not a plot or interesting setting/magic to grab my attention. Low plot + low magic does not make Uncle Chaos a happy camper. I'll be honest, the book is really good, but it has the same problem that I felt Gardens of the Moon did - it takes far, far too long for the plot to makes itself really present, and even longer for it to form into something that you actually care about. Unlike Gardens of the Moon, though, the writing is fantastic and it has a more satisfying ending. Of course, an ending where everybody dies is a more satisfying ending than Gardens of the Moon had... Heck, I would have loved it if everyone died at the end of that book...

I keep meaning to pick up The Black Prism, but I never really manage to get around to it... I've been considering a reread of Servant of a Dark God as well. I found it to be a mediocre book, to be honest, although I can see his potential as an author. However, I keep seeing rave reviews for it, including your statement above, so I'm thinking I should give it another read. Best Served Cold... I started that months ago, and every so often I manage to read another chapter or two, but it's hard to stick with. Abercrombie is a great writer, but I have such a hard time actually liking any of his characters, it's difficult to stick with a book. Had the same problem with The Blade Itself. Then again, gritty low fantasy isn't my preferred subgenre... but I'll stop there. I have a whole rant to write up regarding that. Anyway, as previously mentioned, I finished I Don't Want To Kill You by Dan Wells, and was blown away. Best book I've read in the last year. Currently reading The Player of Games, by Iain M. Banks, which is a very strange but very enjoyable book. One of these days I need to take a picture of my 'To Read' pile...

I would like to announce that this just made my day . I haven't decided between between Snivey or Oshawott yet. gonna use Zoroark, Abagoura, Sazandora, and the rest is undecided. I'm such a nerd Pokebeach has all the english names up. Hydreigon is Sazandora's english name. Zoroark is only available through an event, I think. Best of luck getting one. Don't need one. I can make a team that's just fine without it. I've never been interested in 'catching them all' anyway. I'd probably end up trading it away or losing it when I start a new game.

...fix the spelling in the title of this thread. In case of Shivertongue...

Quite a bit of this is theory on my part, but there's some fact in there to. MWAHAHAHAHAHAHA! ;D Hey Eric, remember when I came up with almost the exact same thing a few months ago, with slivers and splinters and stuff. I can't remember, did you think I was wrong, or did you agree with me? EDIT: Wait, I remember now... that theory had more to do with my belief that the Seventeenth Shard was made up of Slivers and Splinters, working towards some unknown purpose. I based that theory, like most of mine, on little to no evidence whatsoever.

I'll just have to rant more. Which means everyone will have more stuff to ignore.

That's what stickies are for, my friend. Make the thread, and I can have it posted at the top.

I would like to announce that I Don't Want to Kill You, by Dan Wells, is an awesome book that everyone needs to read. Best book I've read in the past year - and the past year has included Way of Kings, every book by Jim Butcher, and Towers of Midnight, among many others. I loved them all, but I Don't Want to Kill You has blown them all away.

I just realized.. I never asked the waffle question!

Magic. Note: This is obviously not the official answer, and i have no clue where or how it was obtained. No, it was magic. One of the others might tell you we got it when they interviewed him, but trust me, it was magic.

Oh yeah? Which system? Some friends and I started a new Pathfinder campaign, which we're all pretty stoked about. I've actually been thinking about DMing again at some point in the future, although I don't know when I would find the time for it. Pathfinder is awesome. Have you seen the advanced player's guide classes? I loves me some inquisitor. I have! My DM has every book, and I've gone through every one of them. Pathfinder is my favorite system, and I've played everything since 2e. And no worries if you like 4e, Link. I hate it, personally, but play what you love and don't let anyone tell you differently (and when you get more experience, move on to Pathfinder and experience the true awesomeness of D&D )

I'm gonna say no because that's not what I want to happen. Another reason, however, is that a Shard's name had never before been indicative of what others feel for a Shard, but what the Shard represents. All were aspects of Adonalsium, and so far that I have seen aspects of his consciousness and personality turned into physical form. Rayse, the one who bears Odium, is referred to in epigraph as holding (I am obviously paraphrasing here) "the most dangerous of the Shards". Now, I agree that his power comes from hatred, and see no issue with the argument that he is spreading hatred. However, I don't believe this is hatred directed at himself, but hatred in general. I've had this theory for some time, but have never, to my knowledge, posted it anywhere. Hatred gives him power, and it's evident in what we know of him: - He has been to Sel before the events of Elantris. Aona and Skai are dead, likely because of him. Whatever Aona and Skai's connections with the Elantrians was, it, I think, caused the Reod. The Reod corrupted the Elantrians and divided the people, and division is the first step towards hatred. - He killed the Almighty on Roshar, and has been ensuring division among the people of Roshar. He doesn't want them to unite, because uniting would remove the hatred between the different peoples. I think I lost my train of thought somewhere up there, so I'll just end it here.