Quiver

Just started session #6. I probably should wait until I finish to comment, but I'll edit this post. Just wanted to comment that I really like the line 'prison- Greg'. I kinda wonder if it should have been going on a little longer, with him ingratiating himself into the group, but still, I like it when word choices change narrative a bit. And through the magic of text editing, I have also finished session 6. I like introspection and character dynamics more than action, so I liked this chapter. I've said the sessions are becoming more cohesive and easier to follow, and that's especially true here. The last few were all focused on the same target (the ship) but everyone had split up to do their own thing. This time, with everything revolving around Greg, everything felt more focused.mYes, it didn't 'to leave much for Katie and Miranda, but given Katie had a key role on the boat and we just had Miranda's bionic revelation, them taking a slight backseat to Eleanor felt appropriate. I think Eleanor's thoughts here mean she's the character we've spent the most time 'inside' of, which is strange. I feel a bit uneasy with her shifts from grinning like a shark to over- my- head, but that might be because, as I said, I think this session is where she really gets to start to shine; interrogating the prisoner, finding the traced gun... Also, I really like when you slip real world things in there, like Seiko thinking in... Not english(I don't know enough about various Asiatic dialects to risk guessing, lest I offend someone) or Eleanor being well-versed in medicine and it's side- effects. The same thing has happened with the Sylvies tech talk, or Miranda's' malfunction, but since those are science fiction, their easier to fake. I'm really hoping Eleanor gets a chance to drop some medical knowledge again soon; with her background, I'd be really interested to hear her diagnose other characters. The fact that the world is now overrun with monsters and giant robots is bound to leave some emotional scars somewhere. Session 7 (which I'll edit as I go since I seem to give better responses that way), starts with a funny line, so kudos for that. The session actually opens with a very clear and concise summary of events. It's not a big deal, since I'm reading these all linearly anyway, but I like it. On a conceptual level, it reminds me that this and the last 'chapter' were probably some time apart. It's structurally neat, and, when I started reading this instead of six by accident, it helped correct me. The idea of voting is interesting. In a novel, I'd expect things to go a certain way, because of the plot,but here I'm less certain. Tiny note though; after Sylvies gives her vote, Miranda gives hers and asks the others for opinions. But didn't Eleanor give hers immediately before that? I suppose it's more realistic that they could change their minds or seek reassurances, it just caught me off guard. And rounding out section one of the session, I like that there is more development on Seiko. Despite his occasional missteps and seasickness, I've found him hard to like. Pronouncing his name 'Psycho' probably didn't help- but getting the specific information of what his call involved and who it was too made him more... Human. Maybe not more likeable, but then, many of my favourite characters are the 'unlike able ones'. Starting section 2, the cyanide pill does the same. It might not be a 'good' thing, but it strengthens him as being a real person- it's not like before, when providing guns was part of the job. Ditto scene 3. He isn't necessarily getting any warmer or softer, but this section is making me like him the way the previous one did Eleanor. Speaking of whom, I like how, when she's about to go out of her comfort zone(like a fight) she does so trying to find ways to 'make herself feel useful'. As a minor downside, I don't think we've seen enough of her in her element for this to have the full impact- but she sometimes seems like a nervously strung person anyway. Really like the cliffhanging ending for Miranda in section 6. It feels very novel-esque. Which is funny, since it an section 7 being so short and focused make them seem very cinematic, like intercutting scenes of an action film. Since Pacific Rim is an action film, I can only assume that's an intentional achievement, but it worked well. And having finished the session, I want to point out two things. Firstly that, relating back to that point about El seeming nervous, I like how that becomes more obvious as the mission goes, until she's jumping at the gunfire, ducking her head to escape the explosion, and admitting out loud that she isn't as much use. The second thing is that I found it funny that that person, an oil heiress and a computer nerd constitute a strike force. I can't think of any other word to describe them, but it unintentionally amuses me to picture them with camo pants and face paints. And finishing session 8, I like Wulagu. They way everyone has talked about her has been building her into a scary threat, and seeing that play out, with death threats, bribery and nerve gas reinforces it. There's also a bit of a Bond Villain feel to her, which is something I like. For more general notes: Greg. It's kinda sad that, even in a monster ridden-dystopia, he's more anxious about being outed than by the giant monsters. His 'friendship' with Samil was unexpected, but right now, I don't have much of an opinion on him. He's currently the quipping sidekick, though, as El pointed out, he has been pumped with drugs. Tara being introduced seemed a tad -convenient- for my liking, but it's a really minor complaint. As I said, the more of this I read, the more I enjoy it. A sinking shop and a giant robot seems like a dramatic cliffhanger for this recap, so I'll wrap this up. It's a good thing that Jaeger showed up, since it lets me do another goofy joke title for this post: I hearby dub these sessions collectively as 'Drifter, Jaeger, Kaiju, Sei(ko)'.

Nail polish as a medium for magic spells? I have to admit, I've never heard of that before, and it makes me a little curious. I do remember hearing about a number where fingerprints were used to create magic (and being annoyed, since a week before I said to myself, "Hey, fingerprinting magic! Awesome"), but I can't remember the books name. Hmm. Actually, nail polish magic makes me think of a whole line of cosmetics-based magic enhancements. If you don't use that idea, I might lol. EDIT: IN case the lol fooled you, I am being completely serious. I've actually spect the day thinking about cosmetic magic on and off, so if you don't want it, I might seriously start putting something together for it.

The Wulagu Trilogy (And A Bit) I just finished reading sessions three through five. For starters, the fact I read those continuously, whereas the previous sessions were done one at a time, might be a good sign. Normally, I find action scenes a bit dull, and my eyes gloss over looking for dialogue- it's a bad habit I'm trying to break. These sections, with the raid on the ship, kept my attention a lot more, which might be because of the whole reactionary thing. It's also getting a lot easier to tell characters apart. It''s an oversight on my part, but I misread the introduction post, and assumed Katie was an NPC. I read these chapters with the cheat sheet of characters open, so I could refer back if I needed to, but by the end of Session 5 at least, I don't think that'll be necessary. I'm getting a better feel for the characters, and memorising more of their background. Admittedly, I'm still occasionally thrown by something I didn't recall being mentioned before, like Miranda's cybernetic legs, but everything else has been proceeding really well. Honestly, I'm looking forward to the upcoming session a little more than these ones. At the moment, I haven't thought that Elanore got a chance to show off her (really interesting) skillet. She starts it at the end, but the next chapter, with the interrogation and tension in characters, I'm guessing that's going to come more to the fore. An action scene doesn't particularly play to someone like that's strengths. And, I'm beginning to think that Katie interrupting Seiko in compromising positions may be something of a running gag...

'Things I learned from reading session #2', or How I Learned To Stop Worrying And Love The Drift. After two sessions, I don't think it's unfair to say that this is not a traditional story, least of all in the model of your previous pieces. It feels a lot more free forming than a pre-planned fiction, which I suppose is inevitable given the source material. The freedom makes it harder to predict what's going to happen next, but I think it loses a bit of cohesion. This is, again, personal preference, but when it comes to critiquing who else experience am I supposed to use? I got much more used to switching from one character/player to another this time, but my favourite sections are still the ones' which have more single focus, namely Sylvie and Seiko. Of course, Miranda's' job is as/more important than theirs, but given the action of the scene spirals out of Syl-V's actions, Miranda doesn't seem as active- even if managing the navigation, cast-off and backup Syl-V leaves me with the impression she is the ultra-efficient one of the team. This series might not be reviewable in the traditional way. You aren't (at least solely) creating the plot, and anytime I mention a character or my thoughts on them, I feel as if I'm taking a shot at the player. As I said, this isn't a traditional story, but I am interested to see what happen's next. Since I'm at a bit of a loss how to comment on a RP system, is there anything you would be particularly interested in getting feedback on?

," Amaram said, scratching

There're worse things than to be enthusiastic about something. I'm gonna give Sydney Scroungers a try, since I've liked you're work so far. I've just finished the introduction and Sylvies' prologue. I liked the prologue. It seems to give most of the details needed, for this chapter if not the complete world. It actually reminds me of sci-fi novels, when the first chapters drop you straight into the world and you have to work out everything as you go. I like Sylvie, and how you draw out tension with the 'murder'. Particularly, I liked how the memory itself was shown, though I migtpht have liked an even more intense tunnel-view. Of course, I'm guessing from your introduction that Sylvie is not the main protagonist, so I guess it'll be interesting to see how I react to the others. This set up of five, present tense narratives sounds kind of daunting, but I'll persevere, at least for a while. I have no idea about role playing outside of video games, so this next question might be dumb: is there anything about that I should/need to know to understand this piece? Or have you turned everything into prose? EDIT: Alright, definitely a dumb question, since I could just read and find out. I ask mainly because your introduction post mentions Aspects(?) and Fate points(?) and I have no idea how relevant they are. EDITWO: Just finished session #1. The different tenses and POV-jumping(maybe not the most accurate term, but I'm not sure what to call it) was unexpected, and a bit difficult to read after the more traditional prologue. I got used to it as it went on, but the malleability of it was a bit hard to follow. More positive note, I loved the opening of the piece. It reminded me of the Star Wars crawl. The scene with the drunk was good, but The chapter/session is a lot of set-up for the heist, so judging it as a stand alone may be unfair. I come across as negative, but it's more a mixed response to how different it is, I think.

Sanderfans seen to have a thing about developing magic systems, don't we I haven't read through this in detail- I'm not great with physics and mathematics, so this sort of thing takes some time to sink in- so consider this initial thoughts. Like Kurk and Gamma Fiend, my first thought was Brent Weeks, which is a tad unfortunate since I really, really dislike his Lightbringer series. Of course, I had a similar response to Warbreaker, since Awakening is so heavily based on it. That said, if you haven't read Weeks, maybe you should. The idea of the Prism Houses is actually very similar to something in his series; if I read that without you're disclaimer, I would probably suspect something untoward. What sort of culture is this? The DNA fingers sound sci-fiish, but the feathers sound more tribal, or fantastical. Of course, there's no reason why you couldn't have both. I'd maybe suggest removing the white eyes, unless you have an interesting way to subvert the tropes associated with that sort of thing. If you want a derogatory name for coloured eyes, how about "Pigs", as in pigment?

I admit that I'm a little apprehensive about replying more, since it has the potential to really de-rail this topic, but... The points you say about the characters are exactly the reasons I'm not overly fond of fan fiction. I have my fandoms and series I enjoy, but I don't read fan works of them. Either characters don't quite match my interpretation of them, they feel like they've been adjusted to form author surrogates, or (in the case of shipping) it happens as a whirlwind and seems unnatural. Obviously, the way around that would be to use other characters as protagonists, but the reason I like Harry Potter is because of the Trio (well, Hermione at least). A Hogwarts story without them feels like a bait and switch. It's a point which I think Brandon excels at. The settings for his books sometimes overshadow the characters to me, but they are so vast and so we'll developed, I could enjoy a Luthadel story, or a Nalthis story without the leads more than I could a Hogwarts one. (Actually, I'd settle for any Nalthis stories at this point, but that's a different subject.) Ironically enough though, this means I don't know if I'll read your Sydney Scroungers fiction. It sounds like exactly what I just described, with original characters in a pre-established world, but I haven't seen Pacific Rim. "John Luthor stops fighting crime, and starts fighting Godzillas with Robots" probably isn't enough foreknowledge for that.

Has Brandon stated what becomes of a Returned who dies unfulfilled? I imagine that completing you're goal means passing onto the afterlife (whatever that may be). Do those who fail just also go on, or is there some sort of damnation clause the Returned aren't aware of?

I always like hearing creative types talk about their work. It's one of the big advantages of being a Sanderfan, really. Anyway, I just finished the first chapter, so I'll get into the commenting. Sapphire Broams Shallan is my favourite character in the Way of Kings, but she's also the one I understand the least. Her chapter's are always so laden with secrets- stealing the Soulcaster, hiding the Shardblade, seeing the Cryptics- that any Shallan who isn't somewhat furtive seems a little odd. Similarly, I expected some of Shallans' jokes. At the same time, both those aspects of her character are to conceal things about her, and I think the WoK ending, to some extent, has 'broken' her from that. At first I found Shallan in Broams a bit more aimless than I'm used to. Even her first chapter had her with a clear objective of finding Jasnah. Here, it's less clear, which I'm guessing is because of the break from canon, and the fact that the romance is the objective of the fiction. Still, the ending, when her brain was whispering about the Blade and she had a goal felt more familiar to me. I also liked Renarin. There isn't much else to say on that front. I'm not sure if I like him because of him, or because I'm fascinated by the social mores of Roshar, but that was something I felt in the WoK itself too, so points for accuracy. Lines and Arches I like the title. It made me think the Cryptics were going to make an appearance. This is what I meant by the social aspect of Roshar. Reading is something which, as a literate society, we all take for granted. The wonder Renarin has that a group of nonsense scribbles have meaning is great to read. In fact, I enjoyed that whole middle section because of that. Romance, and particularly shipping, isn't something I enjoy. Whenever characters begin blushing after contact, I lose a little interest. Honestly, I dislike most of Brandon's romances as well, the exception being Sori and Susebron- who also have the 'learning to read' thing going for them. Like Shallan, I sometimes find Renarin a little hard to understand in the novel- it's been a while since I read it, but I remember a feeling of distance from him. Most everything he does in the novel is for someone else, so seeing him do something selfishly is interesting. (Sorry for the intermittent book discussion. I've been thinking of doing a forum reread of some Cosmere books, so I'm trying to think "deep". I'll edit in the rest of my reactions as I read them.) Keeping A Pet Skyeel There's the secretive witty Shallan I remember. Her bouncing off Adolin is something I'm looking forward to in WoR. I liked the attention to details, like Shallans' (unnecessary?) cover story, or the woman reading the numbers. It may be a sign of my prejudices that this is my favourite chapter so far, since it plays more to comedy than romance. I did find the chapter slightly short though; it was focused on the meeting with Adolin, but it ends too quickly afterwards I think. I haven't compared word counts with the previous chapters, but it felt like I was getting into it right when it ended. A Smile to Calm A Highstorm Rejoice, for I finally have something of significance to say. There's a line in this chapter which really stands out to me, in a bad way (it stands out because the prose to this point has been very sharp). Three paragraphs from the bottom, Shallan's line sounds slightly clunky to me, with the repetition of her distracting Renarin. Though speaking of distractions... Again, this is the Alethi social mode, but I love that Renarin's reaction to her wearing a glove isn't too short of a reaction to her in a bikini. It just occurred to me that in this chapter we're in the head of someone whose POV we never see, engaging with someone who we never see from the outside. I imagine that must be difficult to write, and again, seeing Shallan without secrets is a little odd. I liked how Kabsal was brought up; it was one of those elements I expect would be picked up in WoR, though I admit, if the person I was romantically interested in nearly poisoned me (deliberately), I doubt if I'd be As forgiving as she seems to be. It works as a neat contrast between him/Adolin and Renarin however, and since romance is key in a shipping fic, I can see how it makes sense. Overestimation I've never considered 'the pen is mightier than the sword' so literally before. I have to admit, I wish we had gotten to see Shallan's sword training. No doubt her Shardblade skills will come into focus as the series goes on, but I do regret that you didn't' show us their first exercise. Since we had REnarin learning the feminine discipline in chapter 2, I sort of expected the reversal of seeing Shallan learning the male one now. That being said, I can see why you skipped it. If the dialogue and thoughts of this scene had happened there, it would have been too sudden. Still, I can imagine chapter 4.5 As for chapter 5... Again, I liked it. There was nothing that stood out as 'bad', and I like being in Shallan's head more than I do Renarin's. I prefer that you ended this chapter with a smaller gesture than a kiss. It helps to build the relationship as something more serious and sincere moving forward. Though, I do like the ending as a potential closing line for the series- it's sweet without falling into a happily ever after in so much love the end style. I hope these mini-reviews were some use to you, and that I've earned a pin for my Featherbow

Thanks for the advice. I'm probably going to buy The Shadow Rising at least. I've been thinking of how to put this politely, but do the characters ever act as dumb as they do in the first trilogy? As much as I loved Mats sections in TDR, I spent most of the second half of Eye of the World horrified that he was actually dumb enough to steal the knife, and Rand never pieced it together. I spent a day ranting about how off that seemed.

Unseen string hum, tensioned wood creak. Feathers flutter to the ground. The bowstring snaps. We are Scout. We are Ranger. We are Featherbows. For no harm shall reach a Feathers breadth of her Ladyship. The Featherbowmen (or Featherarchers) are the guards of Lady Feather who specialise in ranged weaponry. Like their brothers, the Featherblades and Feathertips, their weapons are tipped with feathers, but unlike their allies, they are not as public. Within the Featherbows ranks, it is felt that one should be able to strike down an enemy at great range, without anyone noticing their presence. The Featherbows make no distinction between light- and dark-eyes. Their motto is "Stilled Feathers", and their symbol is of a curved Feather, with a strung arrow on a blue field.

Recognised him. He

Sword of Truth [/bandwagon] Ignoring the gratuitous sexual violence, the pacing and plotting of those books threw me off. I described the second book to a friend thusly: Of course, I'm obsessive-compulsive about finishing series, so I need to get the next one soon.EDIT: Actually, gratuitous is the wrong word, since it implies there's a degree of it which is acceptable. I don't want to get into the fairly explicit stuff, but after a point, it begins to read as Goodkinds personal fantasy. Similarly, I was disappointed with certain chapters of A Feast for Crows, which kind of gave a vibe of Martin writing to indulge himself, though that was, arguably, still more important than the mord sith.

Actually, do we have basis for assuming Endowment isn't one of the 'bad' shards? Nalthis is one of the least important Shardworlds we've seen so far, in my opinion, but for some reason, I keep considering Nightblood being used in the War of Reckoning and shivering... I tend to look at Warbreaker as the anti-Mistborn, so Endowment being a reversed Ruin (villainous holder of a good Intent) rather appeals to me.

Glad to see that my indoctrination reviews of her Featherships writings hasn't gone unnoticed. And a Featherbow sounds like a neat feather in the cap to me.

I'm pretty sure the editions of Mistborn I read had Iron and Steel swapped and misspelled Adonalsium. Brandon's books seem plagued by such minor errors. Anyway, welcome.

Already had his

I hadn't seen those WoR quotes. The eyes line does sound fairly indicative of a Sharblade. But I don't think that explains where Shallan got the Blade. The line about it being the fruit of her greatest sin would seem to suggest that she did something, as a result of which she received the Shardblade. I don't see how she could have killed her mother with the Blade, and still consider receiving the Blade the 'reward' for it.

Thanks for posting in-between; I was worrying I'd end up double posting. I liked the Renarin piece, but I'm probably going to end up hijacking this thread with my bias as I go on, so I thought you should get the warning. Speaking of warnings, here's my response on Bells. One of the things I dislike about fan fiction is the use of established characters. I realise it's an insane bias, since the reason I like a book is because of the characters, rather than in spite of them. But whenever I read something, I can't help but think the character is a little off- which they are. If two people read a book, they can get different interpretations of the same man. If I followed Brandon's notes correctly, he had a similar issue finishing the Wheel of Time, where his Mat was different from Jordan's. The fact Bell's is set in an alternate universe helped alleviate some of that disconnect. It's Kaladin is different from the Kaladin of Bridge 4, but there's the basic nature of him as an honourable man who protects people is still there, buried. The Shallan cameo was a neat touch, and since she is one of my favourite characters I appreciated her appearance. Again, I liked the ending, echoing the idea that, whatever universe he exists in, Kal plays a role in opposing the desolations. I'm sorry to not be providing criticism beyond saying I like it, but that's because I do like it. Where Renarin's POV struck me as very GRRM, this one seemed closer to Brandon's style of POV shots. EDIT: Training session proves both my points, actually. As far as character interpretations go, I almost Kaladin to be more unapproving of Adolin from the outset. In ASOIAF, characters can seem completely different from one point of view to another(I'm avoiding spoilers, but I'm thinking CoK and ASoS specifically). In Brandon's books, I tend to see that, while characters view one another differently, there is more consistency in their overall presentation. So, despite's Kal's dislike of him in WoK (and here), Adolin generally comes across as noble. And am I the only one surprised that, for once, it's Renarin with the pretty young girl with him? DOUBLE EDIT: I've just started A Strange Mix of Both. I'll probably wait until there's another intervening post, then edit my response chapter-by-chapter onto it.

The information is definitely going to come out. I'm interested in Dalinar's reaction to it; from the flashbacks, I got the impression Amaram was basically a decent guy who had a moment of weakness. I'm not excusing his behaviour, but I don't subscribe to the Amaram hate. I can see him being redeemed at some point in the series.

Theon Greyjoy tops my list of Ice and Fire. His story is my favourite part of ADwD.

I beat you here by only a couple of hours. Even so, I welcome you with all the experience I will retroactively possess.

!" At that moment

I'm pretty sure that reading with the thought "By the time I'm done this he'll have the next book done" is a universal constant. I like ASOIAF, but it has a feeling of history with fantasy in it, whereas Way of Kings is fantasy with a history; I'm sure most books can be rated on a scale between those. Anyway, while I like the books, I have to confess I'm not emotionally invested in them. I find them fascinating, and thoroughly enjoy the characters- but I can't love them. The Red Wedding struck me as a big moment, but I didn't weep over it. My favourite characters are fairly terrible people, either being broken cowards (Theon) or delusional romantics(Sansa). I find them interesting to read, but I don't like them on a personal level.