The Path to Sin (Ikken Isshu + Griselda Banks)

[Ikken Isshu]

((Sorry, there's nothing wrong with the Farplane. sweatdrop Jalisat didn't see anyone mainly because there's no lost loved ones that he wants to see; Aer didn't see anyone for his own reasons; and Amalio only wanted to see Kavindhra, which he got.

Bah! I need to get a PlayStation, but now that the PS3 isn't backwards-compatible anymore, I'm kind of discouraged against getting BOTH a PS2 and a PS3. I kind of just want to be happy with my Wii, DSi, and XBox 360. And the high-performance gaming computer I'm about to buy. I mean, there are only so many gaming systems you can have before you just don't need any more video games. sweatdrop

Hey! I would like to take this chance to recommend that you take a moment to check out the book "Devices and Desires" by K.J. Parker. It's the first book in a singularly unusual 'fantasy' trilogy called the Engineer Trilogy. The setting: There are three civilized nations all situated on the same continent; the Duchy of Eremia and Civitas Vadanis, two pretty classic medieval nations that spend most of their time beating the snot out of each other; then there is the Perpetual Mezentine Republic, an unbelievably mercantile nation founded by immigrants from an overseas nation, which does factor pretty heavily into the books, but which I won't mention for now because it's not necessary. So there's the capital of the Mezentine Republic, a walled city full of craftsmen and merchants. In Mezentia, if you don't have a marketable skill, you're less than worthless, and in Mezentia, everything is by the book. Everything. All production standards must be maintained to within decimal points. The size of a bolt, the angle of a cut in a piece of wood; simply put, to the craftsman of Mezentia, there is no such thing as 'good enough'. It's either right or it's wrong, and it doesn't take much to be wrong. They place an almost religious reverence on those standards and regulations ( the "Specifications"), and when a man named Ziani Vaatzes is caught deliberately deviating from Specification on a private project at home, he's quite literally tried and convicted of Abomination, and sentenced to execution. Long story short, he narrowly escapes, flees the country, and then comes the premise of the trilogy: He engineers a war for the purpose of reuniting with his family. The trilogy follows the ensuing events. One of K.J. Parker's most unique traits is that her books, like so many try to be, are genuinely, totally, and legitimately free of any kind of overarching moral principles. There is no clear parallel to Biblical stories, no Messiah character, no trite implications that "love and peace will always triumph" or that "everything turns out all right in the end" or that "cheaters never prosper and justice will always be served". You hear a lot about authors who attempt to pull that off, but K.J. Parker does an impressive job of actually accomplishing true moral ambiguity throughout the trilogy. Supposedly all of her books are like this, but I'm only a bit of the way through "Evil for Evil", the second book in the Engineer Trilogy. I can honestly say that Devices and Desires hooked me with less than a chapter, so I'm confident in recommending it to almost anybody who likes fantasy. 3nodding

Which actually brings me to another point I should make before posting. It's not fantasy. Not by my definition, anyway. Yes, the setting is by no means a real-world setting, and yes, sometimes Ziani Vaatzes seems just *too* amazingly clever (kind of like Anasurimbor Kellhus from the Second Apocalypse series of books, but we won't go there), but when you get right down to it, the Engineer Trilogy has no magic, no supernatural beings, no mysterious artifacts that *seem* to have strange powers, no mythological creatures. And yet, without all of that, it manages to be an impressive and extremely enjoyable fantasy trilogy. Kind of like how Douglas Adams wrote five Hitchhiker books that somehow managed to become one of the most beloved science-fiction-comedy trilogies of all time.

In any case, you should pick up the first book, "Devices and Desires", when you get a chance. You'll be glad you did. biggrin

Short, half-assed post because I don't have anything else worth doing in the Farplane, and I'm not *quite* ready to have Cal return yet, though I'm thinking he'll come back soon, just to get him back into the storyline.))

They're so close. So close, but I have no power over that demon Yu Yevon. If only I could drive the witch to where they are... No, they aren't strong enough yet. And Eddora has not yet acquired all of the Aeons. Damn, damn. My patience wears thin after so many years...

The beast opened its eyes and stared out over the wavering landscape of the old Zanarkand.

Calaman whirled when his newfound abilities alerted him to Pheos' presence.

"You look nervous," Pheos remarked idly. Calaman narrowed his eyes an instant, then forced himself to relax.

"You sound suspicious," Calaman retorted.

"You sound defensive. Something I should know about?"

"If there was anything, you'd already know," Calaman muttered. "Leave me to practice my magic, I never called you."

Pheos smiled. "Goodness, I only came to talk. Very well. But I do wish to talk, so please, call me when you are finished. There are important things to discuss."

"There always are."

Then Pheos was gone, and Calaman found himself staring at the space where he'd been, trying to remain calm.

He didn't read my thoughts... or else he's a very good liar. But if he saw what I was thinking, surely he would have acted. I'm so close... to reveal myself now would be too foolish. Still, to think I was able to conceal my thoughts without him even noticing the magic...

All he could do was grin.

"One more try," he said to himself, readied the magic power inside himself, and vanished.

 

[Griselda Banks]

((Oh, okay. I guess I just assumed there was something wrong because they didn't see anyone. razz

Too many video games? Heaven forbid! xd But yeah, I was really bummed when I heard that the PS3 isn't backwards-compatible. That's one of the things I love about Nintendo - you can play almost every kind of game with the latest platform, so people like me who are always slow about getting games can just get one console and then play all the games on it from the past seven years or something. So far, FFXII isn't as good as FFX, story-wise, but it's still very good. The voice acting is such a step up; it actually sounds natural now xd The story is engaging, especially for someone who's played FF Tactics and knows the world, though it hasn't reached the emotional intensity that FFX did for me. Still, I'm not very far in the game, so that could change very easily. Oh, and of course the cinematics are AWESOME.

Okay, I'll definitely add Devices and Desires to my list! It sounds good; I especially brightened at the mention of it gripping you from the first chapter. Far too many fantasy books take forever to get off the ground, and I'm sick and tired of it. I recently read Nine Princes in Amber by Roger Zelazny, and though I'm still not sure whether I like it or not, the first chapter was very gripping. Now that is the way you start a book.

*wonders in horror whether those thoughts at the beginning of your post was Cal or not* *decides you probably wouldn't tell me anyway* You said a long time ago that you were going to bring Cal back in the Thunder Plains, right? Are you still planning on doing that?))

After a moment or two, they appeared before her, nearly tangible but for the pyreflies flitting about their forms. Eddora looked into their faces - Mother, Father, Ennara, Aunt Abella.... Her whole family ranged out before her, some smiling at her, some looking sad and wistful, but all there, as they had been in truth several years ago. Ed had been afraid she would be overcome with emotion again to see her family and know that she could do nothing to bring them back. Yet now her heart felt at peace. Her family no longer roamed the world in the agony of being Unsent. They could rest as they were meant to now. She still missed them...but it was all right. After all, she would be joining them soon enough.

Ed's eyes rested on her little sister, and slowly the rest of her family faded away as her mind focused on Nara. "Sorry," Ed murmured, keeping her voice low so the others wouldn't hear her. "Sorry for running away. For not being there. I'll make it up to you. I'll kill what killed you, and make things right again. I swear."

Nara said nothing - she didn't think that was possible unless something happened like with the Kavindhra lady - but the expression on her face was easy enough to read. Ed looked into those eyes she knew so well, softened with an undeniable message of forgiveness. Nara had always been like that, though. While Ed held grudges and swore revenge, her little sister forgave and forgot. Ed smiled bitterly, wistfully, up at her. "You're a lot more mature than I am, you know."

Nara smiled knowingly, and for a moment it was like she wasn't dead. It was like no time had passed, like it was that sunny day again and they were picking flowers, before Sin had appeared on the horizon and messed up Ed's entire life. That was why she was a summoner, she reminded herself. To stop Sin from ruining countless other lives. She knew she was impulsive and caused trouble for the people around her, and for this short space of time she almost wished she could be like her dead little sister, calm and thoughtful, more like the ideal summoner. I'm so childish, she sighed to herself, letting Nara fade away again. I guess it's just a good thing I've got guardians to patch up the messes I make.

And of course, the thought of guardians brought up the thought of Calaman, and before she could stop herself and prepare her mind, she found herself thinking very distinctly about him. The desperation she'd kept squashed deep inside her came roaring up again, eating her insides with the helpless desire to know where he was, to go straight to him if he was alive, and make whoever it was pay if he'd been killed. But even as she thought about him and called his name silently in her mind, he didn't appear against the golden clouds. Hugging herself, Ed let despair overcome her for a moment as it seemed she would never see his stern, devoted face again.

But then she forced herself to stop pitying herself. If he didn't show up, that meant he was alive - or that he was Unsent. Ed quickly shoved that thought aside and focused on the large possibility that he was still alive somewhere. He had to be. They would find him sometime, and she would apologize to him at last. Whirling away from the Farplane that was useless to her now, Ed hastened over to Aer, not caring if she was interrupting him or not. "Cal's not here," she burst out, hearing the desperation in her own voice and angrily putting it back under control. "That means he's alive."  

[Ikken Isshu]

((Ogawd, I'm so sorry for ruining the mood here, but, well, it was irresistible, and after all, you can almost never have too much comic relief. xd

But before that... I read the Chronicles of Amber! That's a modern fantasy classic if ever there was one. I'll refrain from telling you too much, but I do love the Chronicles of Amber. I've drawn a lot of writing inspiration from those books, and it's not every day you see a device as clever as the Pattern. I'm not sure when the Pattern comes into play in those books, though, so I won't say anything about it.

One other thing I will say about Amber is that books 1-5 have a different main character from books 6-10, and that makes it a little difficult to get started on book 6. Once you get past the change in narrator, though, the last five books are just as enjoyable as the first five.

I dunno, I was always fond of the PS2 because it was the first non-handheld console that was completely backwards compatible (and don't get me started on the DS and DSi not being backwards-compatible after years of every new GameBoy being totally compatible with all the previous ones back to the very first - I still think that was a big F-U from Nintendo). Now I think the 360 is 'mostly' backwards compatible with the XBox, at least with mainstream games. But I was very disappointed that the PS3 isn't, because in my humble opinion, the PS2 had the best selection of games out of all the last-gen systems. Taking away backwards-compatibility means the PS3 is no longer capable of playing a lot of seriously badass games, like Final Fantasy 7-12, Ace Combat 1-5 and Zero, the .hack games, and a lot more. Well, hopefully my badass new computer will be capable of running a PS2 emulator (though I'm not holding my breath), so it won't be an issue anymore. We'll see, I suppose. crying

If you have a GameCube (actually, I think you suggested that you have a Wii, so that will do just as well), you might try Tales of Symphonia. That game has a deliciously long and in-depth storyline that is told very skillfully, neither too fast-paced nor drawn-out, and plenty of emotional factors, although I am not above hating Collette for being moe crap. (Don't ask.) But for the love of video games, don't play Tales of Symphonia: Dawn of the New World. I can't emphasize this enough: ToS2 plays like a bad fanfic, and ToS never needed a sequel to begin with, so coming out with a bad sequel is nigh unforgivable.

...Of course, I can forgive them since all the mothership Tales games are epic.

Also, since you do have a PS2, I can also recommend Tales of the Abyss. I personally don't think it's quite as good as Symphonia, but it's damn close. If you don't already know about Tales, it's a series somewhat like Final Fantasy; the mothership titles all take place on different worlds and are unrelated to each other except through certain details like the system of money, many of the spells/techniques, and the overall gameplay. In addition, the Tales games I have played (Phantasia, Symphonia, Abyss) have all had a running story theme of trying to fight social discrimination against a particular group (half-elves, monsters, and one case that I can't even mention because it's a spoiler). A big thing I like about Tales is that the characters always have vivid and unique personalities. The games aren't quite as mature as Final Fantasy, but they tend to tackle bigger conflicts and the characters are almost always more fleshed out.

*Babble babble babble*

Since they're so close to the Thunder Plains already, I think I will go ahead and wait to bring him back, even if I am more or less ready right now. 3nodding ))

Aer started to open his mouth to say something that was less than completely wise, but before any sound could come out, something behind Ed made his eyes go almost as wide as his mouth.

From behind, she would hear an extremely familiar young man's voice call out, as if echoed over a wide open space, " - with this thrice damned magic, I swear I'll never get the hang of - " and then it merely echoed into the silence.

Aer, Amalio and Jalisat all looked well and truly stupefied by whatever they'd seen behind Ed, and none of them was volunteering an account of it.

~

The Farplane was a hellishly convoluted place. If Calaman had known how confusing it would be, he might have thought twice before diving out of Pheos' sanctum and into the maelstrom of magic and spirits and Yevon-knew-what else.

To make matters worse, he didn't feel like anything he was doing was having any effect on his trajectory through the Farplane - he didn't know where in Spira he was going to emerge, or even if he was going to emerge.

After the first few seconds, it just began to make him mad; when his eighth attempt to exert some power on his wild flight through the storm seemed to amount to a man trying to bail water out of the ocean, he snapped.

"Damn you, Pheos, whoever and whatever you are! Damn Sin! Damn Yevon and damn Bevelle and damn it all! To the depths of the sea with this thrice-damned magic, I swear I'll never get the hang of doing anything useful with it!"

He didn't know what he'd been expecting in response to his tirade, but it didn't happen. Sucking in a deep breath that tasted oddly metallic, he closed his eyes to shut out the chaotic mass of aimless energy and struggled to think.

It wasn't easy. And it wasn't fast.

 

[Griselda Banks]

((Gah, I'm so sorry it's taking me so long to post all the time. I think I'm trying to do too much at once. I'm going to try rearranging my schedule, and hopefully it'll go better that way.

Well, my brother splurged and bought the humonguous book that has every single Amber book compiled into one huge tome ._. So I'll probably be reading the rest sometime (not now though - currently reading The Three Musketeers 3nodding ). I think the only reason I didn't completely fall in love with the first book was that the way it started off, I was expecting it to be a modern-day story where this guy would go through an entire adventure with thugs and gangs and such not knowing who he is or what's going on, really. Normally, the Pattern and all the rest would seem really cool to me, but because I was expecting the whole story to take place with a guy who was trying to think on the fly, I was a bit disappointed, really. The Pattern is pretty cool, though.

The PS2 is definitely the best console out there. The games made for that console have always felt more solid than the games that have come after, which I find interesting and rather disappointing. Very few PS3 games have caught my interest like so many PS2 games did, and maybe I just don't hear about the good ones, but still. The only reason I can foresee getting a PS3 is to play Final Fantasies and Fumito Ueda's The Last Guardian. Also, I think the PS2 controller is the best one 3nodding

I have now added those Tales games to my list! Yes, I do have a Wii (or I should say, my sisters have one, but it amounts to the same thing), and have finally been able to play the few GameCube games I felt a little wistful about not getting before. Man, but we have a really horrible GameCube controller stressed ))

Eddora's eyes sprang open as wide as they could go. She knew that voice! She'd longed to hear that voice for such a long time now.... Whirling around, Ed's eyes whirled all over the golden clouds. "Cal!" she called at the top of her lungs, but of course there was no response. "Cal!!"

Drawing in a deep breath and cupping her hands around her mouth, she bellowed, "CALAMAN SIREFT, YOU COME OUT RIGHT THIS MINUTE!!!!" But she knew, she knew and she hated it, that if he'd been able to, he would already be at her side. She didn't know what was happening or where he even was. Whirling back to face Aer, she quickly demanded, "What was it? What did you see?"  

[Ikken Isshu]

((That was the version of Amber I bought. Not sure why, probably just my tendency to instantly buy any fantasy book I see that has a pretty cover. (It's not pretty anymore - it's had the daylights beaten out of it from constantly lugging it around in high school. But it's still an old favorite of mine. 3nodding ) I can see what you mean about the introduction being a little misleading about the nature of the series. Most of it is very fantasy-oriented. I don't recall whether Corwin ever returns to "Earth", but I believe the character of the last five books does spend a book or two in the real world. Actually, I think he spends his first book on Earth, like Corwin did.

Anyway, when you say The Three Musketeers, do you mean the original, by Alexandre Dumas? To this day the only Dumas book I've read has been The Count of Monte Cristo - which, also to this day, remains an extreme favorite of mine in terms of books in general. Definitely my top three or five. I really have no excuse not to read another Dumas book, considering that I loved Monte Cristo so much. sweatdrop

I'm getting more and more intrigued with the Engineer Trilogy. I won't reveal anything significant, but there is a character named Daurenja who shows up in the second book, and he's just... fascinating. He's around so frequently that you quickly get used to his presence, but at the same time, when you stop and think about it, you realize you know nothing about him. I'm positive the author is doing it on purpose, but I can't figure out anything about the character's nature, his intentions, his background... All I see of him are his actions, words, and demeanor, which gives me a good, if narrow, picture of what he is likely to do in the short term, but in the big picture, he's little more than an intriguing and confusing character. It's hard to believe he isn't significant - I'm sure he'll probably pull something out of his hat at the end of the book that will either impress the bejeezus out of me or make me want to kill him, possibly both. But right now, he's probably my favorite character - just because he makes me so curious. Now that I'm used to the main character (who is nevertheless still awesome), Daurenja has stepped up to fill the main character's previous role as "enigma of the moment".

To be perfectly honest, I don't play our Wii very much, but if I had one of my own, I would probably play more GameCube games on it than actual Wii games. I think the XBox 360 has the best library of all the current-gen systems (I have yet to play a Wii game that has really wowed me, with the possible exception of Boom Blox, which is an incredible party game, so if you play with family, I would highly encourage trying out Boom Blox) and there is just no game I have seen that would make me forget about the PS3's price tag.))

Aer just shook his head, mouth open; Amalio tried a little harder.

"He - someone - Calaman? He was there, in the air, but - transparent, ephemeral, like a ghost. Like..." He didn't say the word that came obviously to mind: Unsent. "But he must have been alive, I've never seen an... an Unsent show so much emotion."

"It was Cal, and he looked right pissed," Aer said simply, having got his wits about him. "What did he say? Something about magic. Oh, dear. I wonder if this is all a result of him playing with magic again." He bit his lower lip and looked sharply back at Amalio. "You've been doing this a lot longer than I have, though your specialty is white magic as opposed to black. And Venez, you as well. Have either of you ever heard of anything remotely similar to this happening with magic - most likely as the result of a self-taught non-initiate using it?"

"Something like... teleportation?" Amalio asked, his brow deeply furrowed. "Who... was that boy?"

"Never you mind," Aer said. "I don't know, maybe he teleported himself somewhere by accident and is trying to come back. I'm just trying to figure out if there's any way we might be able to help him... if that is, in fact, what happened. I don't know what would make him come here, to the Farplane - he can't have simply guessed that this is where we'd be. And it didn't look like he recognized us, or even saw us for that matter. I think it's likely that he was... is, somewhere else. We just caught a glimpse of him. Only Yevon knows if we'll see him again."

"I've heard of nothing in my experience," Amalio said to break the morbid mood, "and traditional teleportation magic is white. There have been forays into the field using magic of the black school, so that may not be impossible, but..."

"I know, I know. It isn't your forte. Venez, do you know of anything?"

 

[Griselda Banks]

((Lol, I know what you mean. Unfortunately, buying or reading fantasy books based on their cool covers hasn't worked so well for me. *cough*TheRedWyvern*cough* :/

Duh I mean Alexandre Dumas! What other Three Musketeers is there? razz Count of Monte Cristo is awesome. I enjoyed that book so much, and I should probably go back and read it again sometime, since the last time I read it was when I was like fourteen or something, so I couldn't have understood it very well sweatdrop The Three Musketeers is definitely very different from Monte Cristo, so if you go into it expecting it to be just the same, you'll be disappointed (like I was ninja ). But on its own it's a very enjoyable book. It's got plenty of political intrigue and all that, but it's a much more whimsical story, with the musketeers whipping out their swords at the slightest offense, and getting entangled in several love affairs at once. Sometimes I want to clonk d'Artagnan over the head with his own portmanteau for being so air-headed, but all in all it's a very good read.

This Daurenja person makes me even more interested in the Engineer Trilogy!

Yeah, I've been fairly disappointed with the Wii games that have come out. Super Mario Galaxy was a pretty solid game, and Super Smash Bros. is always fun to play with my siblings, but other than that they all seem to just be really dumb games, or games that you might want to play once or with friends, but not enough to bother with on your own time. Even the Zelda game was rather disappointing when compared to other Zelda titles. I did manage to find a fairly interesting mystery/puzzle game called Broken Sword, though. It's enjoyable, though one of the main characters sounds like Prince Philip from Sleeping Beauty xd

Anyway, in other news: I JUST WATCHED L: CHANGE THE WORLD AND OH MY GOODNESS IT WAS SO COOL!!!! 8D Probably just because L is awesome no matter what he's doing. The mystery, of course, wasn't as tense or interesting or ingenious as the ones in the original story, but the only reason I watched the movie was to see more of L anyway. And I suppose I should tell you now that a friend and I are in the planning stages of a fanfic detailing L's childhood 3nodding The awesome part is that, even though I hadn't seen the L movie yet, we've been talking about this fic for a while, and then I go to watch the movie and discover that everything we've been planning fits into it eek This fic is gonna be awesome.

Oh hey, wait - We're supposed to be roleplaying, aren't we? xp ))

Eddora cracked her knuckles and turned menacingly towards the clouds, as if Calaman could see her when he was Yevon-knew-where by now. "If he's been mucking about with magic again after we expressly told him not to, I'll...I'll...!" She struggled to find a punishment strong enough for all the worry her guardian was putting them through. "I'll strip him naked and tie him to Rogan's bowsprit!" she finally burst out, pointing a shaking finger at the clouds, sparks practically flying from her hair. A few visitors to the Farplane who had just come up the stairs looked at her strangely, but she paid them no attention.

Venez quickly shook her head, wringing her hands and glancing apprehensively at Ed, who was still shouting imprecations at the clouds like a lunatic. "I'm sorry, I...I wish I could help you, but...I just know how to heal people. I don't dabble in untested magic...."  

[Ikken Isshu]

((I've probably already mentioned R Scott Bakker's Prince of Nothing trilogy, which I will boldly state is the best epic fantasy I've ever read, since I mention it to just about everybody. I found the first book, The Darkness That Comes Before, at a public library and picked it up because of its cover. Ironically, that's the hardcover edition - I own the paperback edition of the trilogy, and I hate the covers. xd

If I haven't mentioned it to you yet, let me put it as succinctly as I can, since I don't want to go off on a full-blown review (unless you want me to - over PMs, maybe. I can talk about it for hours): Just as I always say that Terry Pratchett and Douglas Adams are the fantasy and science fiction counterparts of each other, so too do I often say that R Scott Bakker is the fantasy counterpart of science fiction's Frank Herbert. The Prince of Nothing is like a grittier, somewhat more focused, fantasy version of Dune. It's got some more mature elements than Dune - the trilogy has sex and violence to spare, but don't get me wrong, it's always about the storyline, and the storyline is incredibly complex, encompassing two separate eras, each with a beautifully crafted history and backdrop. Not to mention, the story is riddled with the same kinds of philosophical ramblings and concepts that I loved about Dune, but it's more evenly spaced - you're never required to sit through an entire chapter of one character expounding on minutiae of his philosophical worldview.

But, ah, I said I would keep it brief. If you want to unleash my torrent of ranting about how amazing the Prince of Nothing is, PM me about it. razz

I should read the Three Musketeers... but the guy I lent my copy to back in Portland never gave it back. stare *sigh* That sucks, too, because it was an omnibus with the Three Musketeers, the Man in the Iron Mask, and the Count of Monte Cristo. More importantly, even though it was a cheap Barnes and Noble edition, I really liked its translation of Monte Cristo. It felt more authentic than most of the others I've dipped into, somehow. *sigh*

My enlistment bonus arrived, and I've been spending inordinate amounts of money on Xbox 360 games. In the last two weeks alone, I've got my hands on: Star Wars: The Force Unleashed, Darksiders (haven't played it yet but I have high expectations), Halo 3, Fable II, Beautiful Katamari, Tales of Vesperia and Mass Effect. If that's not enough, I'm strongly considering getting a PS3. The only things stopping me at this point is that I don't have a TV that I would want to play it on. For the Xbox 360 right now, I'm using a computer monitor with satisfactory speakers, but it only has one HDMI port and no remote control. If I can offload this monitor on someone (probably someone who actually needs a monitor rather than a TV), I will probably not wait a week before I buy a TV that better suits my needs, a PS3, and a small handful of games. I really want to play 3D Dot Game Heroes. biggrin The sad thing is there's nothing wrong with this monitor, it's just not what I need. It's got a beautiful picture, a 23" screen that supports up to 1080p resolution, and I don't know if the built-in speakers are amazing, but they are more than clear and loud enough for my needs.

Like I said, if you are big on playing with family or friends, I heartily recommend Boom Blox. I don't think it gets enough attention. I want to play the sequel that just came out.

If you start this fic, I would love to read it. I will have high expectations of you. razz ))

Aer was involuntarily distracted from Ed's raving, solely by Venez's tone of voice.

"What? Oh, no, don't apologize. It's no fault of yours. The situation is rather less than orthodox, so it's no wonder we're all unequipped to handle it. But... well, we're making quite a scene here. Ed... we should move on. There's nothing more we can do here. If Cal's going to come back, he'll come back when he can." He didn't add, and if he's not coming back, well... because it was self-explanatory.

((Short post. crying ))

 

[Griselda Banks]

((Actually, I think you've already convinced me I need to look deeper into this Bakker trilogy of yours, so I don't think I need a full-blown review razz I was recently telling my brother that all I need to know is the why of a story, not the what, and that will convince me to look into it. So, rather than wanting more specific details of the story, all I needed was to hear that it's the fantasy version of Dune, and that sold me. WoT doesn't quite reach that pinnacle, and if you can assure me that the characters in Prince of Nothing are more varied and deep that WoT, then I need to know nothing more 3nodding

Oh, but speaking of various covers, I feel the same with WoT covers. I have the whole series (except for the last book, which I haven't bought yet) in the British publication, which is just black with the Wheel on the front together with the snake-eating-its-tail thing, and it's a different color for each book. I like that so much better than the ugly pictures on the American publication that completely ruin my mental pictures of the characters. I often prefer British publications of books, I've found.

I just finished The Three Musketeers, and it was so intense by the end eek And I have to say, I've never felt a more visceral pleasure in the demise of a villain than I did at the end of this book. I almost surprised myself by how viciously I hated the villain. I suppose one of these days I should read Man in the Iron Mask, especially since we have the movie and it has Jeremy Irons in it 3nodding *is a huge fan of Jeremy Irons*

So now I've gone from the swashbuckling musketeering adventures to the placid world of Sense and Sensibility. Jane Austen is so good, and I'm not just saying that because I'm a girly girl either. *is a gun-totin', head-bangin' gamer girl and proud of it*

Sounds like you've got yourself all set in terms of gaming. The only one of those games I've played is Mass Effect, and I have Force Unleashed even though I haven't played it yet. (I think my brother has Halo 3, but I can't remember, and I haven't played Halo 2 yet anyway.) I was personally very disappointed in Mass Effect, though in retrospect I don't know why I was expecting it to be that good of a game anyway. I lost interest in it about a fourth of the way through and just let my brother play it and tell me what happened. Very forgettable story.

Apparently I'm about halfway through FFXII (though it doesn't really feel like it), and things have gotten really good. Plot twists galore, and I just saw the introduction of a character that I hope will stick around; he's fun. The only thing I don't like is that the character who you'd think is the main character hardly does or says anything. Strangely enough, he makes me miss Tidus, something I never thought would happen.

Heehee, I'll be sure to tell you when we start putting it up, but that'll probably be a long time in coming.))

Breathing hard, Eddora let Aer draw her away from the Farplane and stomped down the stairs back into Guadosalam to work off her irritation. As she plowed her way through a gaggle of people making their way up to the Farplane, a small voice somewhere deep inside told her that she was only acting angry to cover up how scared she was. She didn't know what was going on, where Calaman was, why he'd left so abruptly, or anything. Nothing was going the way it was supposed to, so she couldn't prepare for what came her way.

By the time they reached Amalio's house, the edge of her anger had simmered away, though some still smoldered inside and kept her scowl firmly in place. Whirling to face Amalio, she said brusquely, "Well, bye then. We've gotta keep going. Got the Thunder Plains to get through and all. I won't see you later." Then she turned on her heel and stalked away again.

Venez hovered, as though unsure whether she should follow her summoner or apologize for said summoner's conduct to Amalio.  

[Ikken Isshu]

Bizarrely, Amalio actually had a small, possibly nostalgic smile on his face as Ed walked away. He said nothing, but nodded as if Ed had given him a pleasant farewell.

Aer pretended not to notice; Jalisat scowled at the mage and made a face.

"Wait, boy," Amalio said suddenly, as Jalisat turned away. The boy looked back, discomfort already plain on his face. Amalio made a face of his own.

"I already know you're not her, boy, and even if you were, I'm not... just don't worry about me troubling you. What I want to tell you is... I'm not entirely sure that what she had was a disease in the traditional sense of the term. It may have been a more elemental malady."

"Elemental? Like magic?"

"Er, that's not quite what I mean, but suffice to say I want you to keep this in mind: The first symptom I remember her experiencing was an unnatural fatigue. After that, she lost her appetite almost completely. If you feel any of this - and relay this message to your summoner, as I'm sure she'll understand the importance - you should seek out a man named Cestin, a man who lives in - "

"Bevelle," Aer interrupted, turning around.

Amalio looked up, frowned. "I see his reputation hasn't faded over the years."

"No, and it hasn't improved, either. Remind me again why you're imploring this lad to seek out that crazy old badger?"

Amalio's frown only deepened. "That crazy old badger might have been able to save Kavindhra's life, had I not insisted on my own methods. He was a good friend of mine, though he may not have held the same opinion of me. He's a good man, though, and if the boy takes ill... even if it doesn't seem serious, just... try to see if that man can help."

Aer didn't look happy, but Ed was too far ahead to hear and she was clearly not about to stop, so he nodded curtly.

"I'll do what I can, but so far, I don't have a very good running track record when it comes to saving idiot kids from strange magical maladies," he said.

"That's all I ask," Amalio said. "You should go; your summoner's hell-bent on leaving, and I don't blame her. This is no place to linger, and you have more important business to see to."

((Oh, the characters in the Second Apocalypse (Bakker's overarching series; supposedly, it will be in three sets of books, though it's anyone's guess whether the second and third sets will be trilogies or duologies) are one of the highlights of reading it. My favorite characters (all the surnames come first, as in Asian names, and while even I will admit the names in this series are infinitely worse than Tolkienesque in their length and difficulty, the main characters get much easier to remember as you read. Unfortunately, place names never seem to get any easier, and minor characters' names just never make any damn sense) are Anasurimbor Kellhus (pure and simple amazingness; I would kiss the soles of this man's shoes if I could, and that's exactly the way he would want things); Drusas Achamian (more like myself than I would like to admit, in personality anyway; his disillusionments, his vices, his desires, and above all his flaws, all make him a very sympathetic character for me. I don't know if all readers would feel the same, but I love Achamian's character. I didn't click with him as much in The Judging Eye (second trilogy's first book), but I am still jonesing for the next installment); and Ikurei Xerius III and his mother, Ikurei Istriya (Xerius III is a love-to-hate type of character who, as Aspect-Emperor of the Nansur, quite literally believes himself to be an 'aspect' of the God (God is always referred to as 'the God'). His mother, Istriya, doesn't help him with his delusions, since she's the one fueling half of them. She's also a love-to-hate character, but with her, I think it's less love-to-hate ad more oh-my-gawd-I-hate-her-so-much-I-could-puke. To her merit, though, most of the scene's she's in are very interesting, so she must be doing something right.)

Other characters that I've heard people like are Esmenet (can't remember her surname at the moment), the whore-with-a-heart-of-gold, who, like Achamian, appeals to most people more because of her flaws than her merits. Even I will agree that her background greatly endears her to me as a character, but over the course of the story I just... can't like her anymore. You may disagree as you read the series, but by the time I finished the first trilogy, I no longer liked her, and at the end of the Judging Eye, I didn't hate her, I just could no longer relate to her enough to bother getting emotionally engaged with her as a character. And this is just a guess, but I think you will like Cnaiur, the exiled barbarian warlord. I can say very little about him without spoilers (he gets quite a lot of developments throughout the series, all of them pivotal, all of them important, all of them fascinating), but suffice to say I think he will appeal to you as a character.

I don't know that there are as many characters in The Second Apocalypse as there are in WoT (Be fair, WoT has an ungodly assortment of characters), but I can confidently say that they're more complex and, to me, more engaging; they are darker, in the sense that the Second Apocalypse treats morality very subjectively, depending on the characters involved. Sometimes the characters will try to do what is 'right', but you'll find that more often, they are forced (or perceive themselves as being forced, as a justification) to act based on instinct, necessity, or simple desire.

Oh, and so you know: The battle scenes are all but nonexistant in the Judging Eye (I think there may have been one, but I'm not certain), but for the first trilogy they are quite prevalent (the trilogy is about a Holy War, after all). However, coming from someone who usually can't comprehend more than a single paragraph of any large-scale battle description, they are well-written and fairly easy to follow. Usually this is due to some sort of magic or other focus point on which the narrative centers, but even when it's a realistic battle with nothing unnatural to drive the outcome, I don't recall ever finding myself confused about what was going on.

Also, plot twist at the end of the first trilogy is mind-blowing. Good for you, you won't have to wait a few months for the next book, since it's already out. I was devastated when I realized I had just burned through the entire trilogy and there was MORE, and it wasn't out yet. To be honest, I hadn't done any research, and I thought it was just one trilogy. I was almost to the end of the third book before I realized there was no way Bakker could possibly wrap everything up by the end of the book. Then I started looking... and found out the Judging Eye wasn't out for about a year. So upset. Gah.

I know exactly what you mean about the WoT covers. To be honest, I'm not a big enough fan of WoT to be picky about the editions, but I do prefer the British ones (I've seen them in used bookstores, though I've never gone hunting for them).

I did indeed get myself a PS3, but have used it very little. I'm not impressed with White Knight Chronicles (It features the only single-player campaign in history where you play a MINOR SUPPORTING CHARACTER) and I've bee procrastinating with the God of War collection because I've got so many 360 games I need to play.

*Gasp* I adore Mass Effect! I can't wait to play Mass Effect 2, I've read all about the changes and it seems like it'll be awesome! And Force Unleashed is a great Star Wars game. Very shortly after beginning the game, if you have any aptitude for it at all (and by 'aptitude', I mean 'opposable thumbs'), you will quickly come to think of yourself as a Sith Lord, even if you have only one or two Force powers to start out with. It's just so much fun to slaughter helpless enemies with your Force powers. xd

*babble babble babble [/babble]* ))  

[Griselda Banks]

Eddora never realized that her guardians and tagalong brat weren't behind her every step of the way. She was far too intent on getting out of this stupid place once and for all. She didn't know what she'd hoped would happen if they lingered here, but right now she just wanted to run, run all the way to Zanarkand screaming all the way so she could forget about everything.

Giving no heed to the crowds of people she plowed through, muttering under her breath with such a fierce scowl that people stepped back from her as if she carried an aura of ill intent, she didn't stop for anything until she came at last to the road that led to the Thunder Plains. She wasn't pausing because of the thunder she could hear rumbling even in here; she would have kept right on marching through the whole place and hardly noticed the rain that was likely to be falling.

No, what had stopped her was an all-too-familiar man stepping in front of her as though he'd materialized right out of the stones. Though she had to admit that she'd been paying so little attention to her surroundings that he could have been standing there all the time. Ed crossed her arms and tapped her foot; she had no time for Rogan's foolishness now.

But before she could so much as open her mouth and ask him what the deal was, Rogan dipped into a ridiculously low bow that looked like an unnecessarily fancy version of the prayer. Then he dropped onto one knee, and for one bizarre moment Ed thought he was going to propose to her. But just as her fingers had curled into a fist that would soon become acquainted with his nose, Rogan said, "My Lady Summoner, I most humbly request to become your guardian."

Ed stared at him, completely dumbfounded. Finally she found her voice and spluttered, "Guardian? What the heck do want to be my guardian for?"

Rogan placidly rested his hands on his knee. "I've been traveling with you for a while now, m'lady. I've seen you fight, seen you summon, seen your determination to see your pilgrimage through no matter what. If I'm any judge, I'd say you were the summoner most likely to make it through to the end. So I want to help you get there. A man can't live free on the waves with Sin lurking around, so I want to do everything within my power to get rid of him."

Ed looked into his earnest sea-green eyes and remembered how the old sailor had confided to her that he had been a summoner once. She also remembered how he had fought against Kenan not too long ago. As if an old warrior slept inside that lazy body of his. A blade that fast would surely be useful on the pilgrimage....

"Besides," Rogan was adding, "you're one guardian short, right?"

Ed immediately bristled and snapped, "Shut it, you, before I change my mind." Running a hand impatiently through her hair, she heaved a gusty sigh and said, "Okay, fine, if it means that much to you, you can come along. But if you slack off, that's it for you, understand?"

Rogan sprang to his fight with a cheeky grin. "Sure thing, Eddie! Ah, what a wonderful opportunity to get to know one another better!" He slung his arm amiably around her shoulders, but she immediately scowled and jabbed him so hard in the ribs with her elbow that he had to duck away to the side, coughing and gasping.

"Pick up the pace already!" Ed snarled, stomping away out of Guadosalam. "If I'm going to have a freaking circus following me everywhere, you might as well follow me!"

((Sounds good; I'll keep my eyes peeled for those books. And I appreciate stories that don't rely on tons of battles to keep things interesting. (Such as Foundation by Isaac Asimov, which has absolutely no action whatsoever, yet is one of the most engrossing books I've ever read.)

I'm about halfway through book 5 of WoT. It dawned on me that Nynaeve, Egwene, and Elayne must be Jordan's pet characters, because they always have a piece of the action, even when other characters who seem like they should be more important (like Rand or even Perrin) don't get much to do. Guh, I'm so sick of Jordan's characters! All the women are as touchy as if they'd just sat on a porcupine, and all the men are such bumbling idiots stressed Sometimes I wonder why I even bother with those books anymore. But then a plot thing will come up and I'll remember why. If anything, the series is teaching me what to do and not do with my story that has tons of characters running every which-way all across the face of the earth.

Would you care to elaborate on why you liked Mass Effect so much? I've heard lots of other people say they loved it too, and I honestly can't see why. Okay, so the graphics were pretty cool, and maybe people would like the gameplay and settings and such, but the characters and story were so utterly forgettable that it completely ruined the experience for me. What irked me the most was how they pretended to give you a choice of things to say, but really they often ended up leading to exactly the same place, and a ton of the time he wouldn't even say what the choice indicated. I say, if you're going to give us a choice, give us a real choice. If you don't want to give a choice, then don't pretend like we have one. That's what normal cutscenes are for rolleyes

Force Unleashed sounds really cool; I can't wait to play it. But FFXII comes first, and for the longest amount of time I've just been leveling up. Get this - there's actually a place where, if you set it up right according to the way a walkthrough lays it out, you can automatically level up. You can just let it sit there and they'll keep fighting and leveling up without dying, and you can let it run all the way through the night and you'll be eight levels or so higher by the morning. I'm hoping that if I get all the characters up high enough, I won't have to worry about leveling up much again and can just plow through the game to get to the story.))  

[Ikken Isshu]

((If we're strictly speaking of what would make it easiest on me, I'd prefer to keep the roleplay going here, but just drop me an e-mail when you post so that I get a reminder. I realize that it's kind of rude to ask you to send two messages every time you post, though, so if it'd be simpler to just continue over e-mail, that's no problem. I just like having this big long thread handy as a reference.

And I don't even remember what I was trying to do with the girl from the tavern... she was a spur-of-the-moment tenuous idea anyway. If I remember, I may bring her back, but... >_>

The inconsistency of Shepherd's conversational abilities in Mass Effect does annoy me greatly, and on one occasion even caused me to handle a situation in a manner in which I did NOT intend to handle it (wanted to kill everyone in a crime ring, and 'accidentally' walked away peacefully...) but the action and the RPG elements hooked me. To be perfectly honest, I would have preferred it if Mass Effect played like Borderlands, another b*****d RPG/FPS offspring that, I think, pulls off the combination more effectively and enjoyably. But, eh. Also, Mass Effect's music is great. I like it, anyway, especially in the opening segments.

Also, heads-up: FFXIII is AMAZING.))

Aer opened his mouth several times during the exchange, but somehow, it never seemed quite the right time to say anything. By the time he'd composed his words, the moment of opportunity had passed, Rogan was a Guardian, and Ed was once again storming off.

He was beginning to think what Ed really needed was a hug. He wondered, if he were to spontaneously hug her from behind, how long it would take for the scars to heal. Best not to chance it.

Jalisat hung behind, oddly enough, trailing after the rest of them. He had a brooding expression and seemed barely cognizant of the Rogan's spectacle ahead.

Is she really dead? What does that make me? Possessed? But it's not like she's separate from me. If what he said is true, then it's - I'm - I have the same soul, which means... I really am her, just in a new body. What kind of disease could kill her - me - and then stay with me even if I have a completely different body?

A strange feeling, one unlike anything Jalisat had ever experience, swept through him, like a pulse of cold had gone out from the entrance to the Farplane, behind him. There was no movement, no wind, but it was as if a silent wave of cold had overtaken him from behind. For a moment, he felt like he was suspended in time.

Not a disease. A curse. An experiment... a toy. The first time, I expected it to kill you. This time, knowing what afflicts you and what it is capable of, I want to see if you can break my toy... or if it is as foolproof as I intended.

Then the cold was gone as if it had never been, and Jalisat was faced with the strangest sensation of uncertainty - even though he had just heard the distant voice, he could not be at all sure that he had, in fact, heard it. It was like he'd awoken from a nap, only to find himself uncertain as to whether he'd actually been asleep.

Suddenly unsure as to whether he had even the slightest grip on the situation, he shook his head and hurried to catch up with the others.

"...st going to leave your ship here?" Aer was saying, a bit stiffly, to Rogan. "This place is dark, isolated. The perfect place to try and steal something conspicuous and valuable without getting caught. I'm not saying you should reconsider your offer, but maybe you ought to leave your ship somewhere else. Like a shipyard in Bevelle, you could meet us there. Or something."

((Bit of a short post, but Cal's approaching return will be glorious and somewhat traumatizing, so it should make up for any short posts until then. 3nodding ))  

[Griselda Banks]

((That's okay; sending a short note won't take much time or effort.

Hmm. Still not convinced :/ Oh well, I just recently played Bioshock, and boy was that an awesome game! eek Wow, I haven't played a game that good in ages. The supposed "RPG elements" still don't convince me, but it was a very good FPS. Beautifully atmospheric; you could tell they put a lot of thought and love into every corner of the city (even the bathrooms! xd ). And the twist towards the end was possibly the best, most unexpected twist I've ever encountered in any story ever. I actually shouted aloud when I came to it, and consequently made my brother look at me weird redface So good.... And all the voice acting and accents were superb.... All it was missing was Shodan from the System Shock games, but I suppose they got as close as they could with the splicers and Little Sisters.

I'm very glad to hear that FFXIII is amazing, because I'm chugging through FFXII and it's leaving me with much to be desired stare ))

Rogan grinned good-naturedly at his now fellow guardian, and since Eddora had reacted so negatively to his arm around her shoulders, he amiably looped it over Aer's shoulders instead. "Can't get rid of me that easy, m'boy. Now that I've finally gained my conquest, I'm not gonna leave her for a moment! Nuh-uh, not me!"

Grinning around impressively at the others as if hoping they'd compliment him for his stalwart nature, he added, "'Sides, I don't keep anything valuable in the Fayth anyhow. Except for the Fayth, of course."

Venez glanced uncomfortably at him and pretended to adjust her clothes before stepping out into the downpour, so she wouldn't have to comment. She inched away from him as much as she could without making it obvious; he did rather smell like dead fish and moldy tarps.

Ed stomped on, oblivious to it all, oblivious even to the rain as she stepped out onto the flinty ground of the Thunder Plains. Not a scrap of vegetation showed in this barren land, for all the water that kept pouring down out of the leaden sky. There was nothing but the black clouds, the black ground, and the occasional flashes of lightning that struck the tortured ground to either side of the path. Ed didn't even flinch when a lightning rod was struck by lightning just as she passed. She just scowled as far ahead as she could in the gloom, not caring if it was day or night, not caring if she was soon soaked to the skin, not caring if her guardians followed her or not. Oh, if only Sin would show up right now, she'd give him something to think about!  

[Ikken Isshu]

((BioShock is an incredible game. I have BioShock 2, but I haven't played it yet. Still burning through too many other games.))

Despite Aer making a fantastic show of being ready for any vile fiends that might assail them, taking advantage of the dark and the rough terrain to sneak up and ambush them, the trek across the Plains went largely without incident - for the most part. They'd crossed perhaps two-thirds of the wasteland, and Aer was beginning to wonder if he was wasting his energy here of all places, when a nearby flash of lightning revealed an encroaching fiend that more than justified Aer's vigilance.

"Behemoth!" Jalisat shouted, running up from behind the party. "Behemoth!"

Aer whirled, almost certain the boy had mistakenly identified an Aerouge or a Buer, and dropped his jaw.

It might have been a Behemoth, except for the distinctive coloring of its taut, muscular flesh and its rain-matted mane.

"That's not a Behemoth," he said absently, while the beast reared up. As it came back down, its weight shook the ground. A lightning rod nearby toppled. The telltale glimmers of magic rose into the air around the fiend, and its already bulging muscles grew further, giving the Humbaba an almost mythic appearance.

"I think we may need an Aeon for this battle," Aer said, mustering up the energy for a party-encompassing Aero spell.

" - then, fine! If that's the way all of this magical nonsense has to be d - gah!"

Another burst of lightning, alarmingly close now that the nearest lightning rod had been demolished, and something came flying out of the darkness. Whatever it was, it seemed to have brought a measure of pure and simple chaos along with it - the flailing figure rocketed out of the darkness like a projectile, trailing the most bizarre stream of multicolored sparks Aer had ever seen in its wake. It hit the Humbaba squarely in the forehead and toppled the monster backward despite its increased mass and strength. The fiend roared loudly enough to shake the ground, but the unknown figure had vanished as soon as it had collided with the monster.

"Wait a second!" Aer shouted. "That was - "

Another burst of lightning, even closer, and this time even the Humbaba looked alarmed.

" - ot again, for the - wha!" The same figure, with the same voice, this time seemed to erupt out of the ground, colliding with the Humbaba's chin and throwing it several yards into the air. Something screamed, either the Humbaba or the figure or both, and the figure vanished again, though its trail of multicolored sparks appeared to nest in the Humbaba's mane - and promptly set it alight despite the downpour. Howling in pained fury, the fiend lumbered off into the shadows, remaining visible for some time thanks to its burning mane.

Aer watched it go, one eyebrow raised higher than it ought to be able to go.

"That was... interes - "

Another flash of lightning, and this one made both Aer and Jalisat jump back and away from it - it had been mere yards away. It was impossible to see in the dark thanks to the lightning, but from the sound of things, there was definitely someone there. Someone stationary.

" - many times is this going to happen before - no, damn it!" A pause. "Wait... I'm standing. Still."

Before the streak of light burned into Aer's retinas could fade, he knew who was standing there. And a moment later...

"... Eddora?"  

[Griselda Banks]

(( eek It's happening...it's actually happening....))

As the long hours dragged on and they trudged their way through the miserable terrain of the Thunder Plains, Eddora's irritation at the group of ragtag idiots who trailed after her like a bunch of over-zealous ducklings...well, it didn't exactly fade away, but it morphed seamlessly into the general irritation of having to slog through rain that was said to have not let up for the past thousand years or so. They were all drenched, and Venez had even given up trying to keep her head dry with her robes, letting the rain pour over her head with a defeated expression on her face. Ed didn't mind rain too much, but it was starting to get cold and the unpredictable flashes of lightning were starting to get on her nerves. Her affinity for Ixion didn't mean she had to be in love with thunder storms.

Rogan alone, out of the whole group, seemed to be in his element, in a manner of speaking. He actually whistled from time to time, at least until Ed shot him a scathing look, and seemed no more perturbed by the weather than if they were strolling along a country road on a sunny day in spring. Well, he was a sailor, and Ed supposed this must seem like a mild storm when you didn't have a rocking boat to worry about and there was no danger of drowning.

Ed trudged along at the head of the group, grumbling under her breath and squinting through the rain to see if they were any closer to Macalania Woods than before. Just as she was trying to figure out if the smudge on the horizon was her imagination or not, Jalisat started shouting about Behemoths and she whirled around. Her eyes widened as she saw the huge fiend, inadequately illuminated but definitely a tough one.

For a moment, Ed didn't understand what Aer had said, but then she backed up a pace and hesitated a moment, trying to decide between aeons. Ixion was out, because most of the fiends who lurked around here had built up a resistance to lightning. Ifrit might run into some problems with the rain, but she worried over what the lightning would do to Valefor's wings. Why on earth don't they give us a water aeon?! she thought desperately.

Then all thought of summoning fled her mind as something came hurtling out of the air, and Ed could only gape, her elbows sticking out as she froze halfway through stepping into the summoning pose. And then summoning was proved completely pointless, as whatever it was lit the fiend on fire and got rid of their problem.

Then the person who kept on blinking in and out of existence seemed to have figured out how to stay in one place for a moment, and that voice crashed into Ed's ears like the lightning that flashed over them for an instant. Though her eyes were still trying to recover from the unbearably bright flash, they opened wide with shock and her breath caught in her throat. She knew that voice, she knew it! That voice she'd heard in the Farplane, that voice she'd longed to hear for the few days that felt like lifetimes, now spoke again. And said her name.

A sound tore from her constricted throat, something between a cry and a moan, and she didn't care that she sounded like some pitiful dying thing, didn't care that everyone was looking and would probably laugh at her later, didn't care that she would feel stupid once this was all over, because there he was. And he was alive. And she hadn't killed her guardian with her own stupidity. "Cal!!" she shouted, her voice rising almost an octave higher than her usual tones, and she ran forward, her arms spread wide as though she was about to summon, because all she wanted in that moment was to summon her guardian to her side and never let him leave again.

((...and I'm stopping there because I have no idea how you're going to make Cal react.

Incidentally, I've recently figured out what the fundamental difference is between Eddora and Nynaeve, and why I can stand the former so much more than I can the latter. The thing is, Nynaeve is very concerned about her dignity, about not being shown-up by anybody and if she ever does make a mistake or end up looking stupid, she gets really ticked off, and that's the main source of her irascibility. But with Eddora, she's irascible and gets ticked off easily by virtually anything, but she doesn't really give a hoot about her dignity razz She's kind of just clueless about that whole side of things. She just has no inhibitions whatsoever in expressing her emotions and saying precisely what she thinks. This is very reassuring to me, because I was nervous that I liked Eddora but not Nynaeve simply because Ed's my character, because normally I can't stand irascible female characters. ("Strong" female characters, my foot.) This gets a load off my mind lol

Oh, and tell me how Bioshock 2 compares when you get around to playing it! I'm afraid that it won't ever be able to measure up to the awesomeness of the first game cry ))  

[Ikken Isshu]

((From what I've heard (or rather, read in GameInformer), one vital piece of the BioShock puzzle that BioShock 2 lacks is the sense of discovery in an alien world. Part of what made Rapture so amazing in BioShock was that it had never been done before. But since BioShock 2 also takes place in Rapture, albeit some time after the first game (I think), its world is no longer new and mysterious. You are used to the atmosphere, and unless you're very jumpy, you're not going to be intimidated by it anymore. I've also heard that the difficulty curve of the Big Sister fights is stupid; early on, the fights are near-impossible, while late-game fights with her are just pointless. None of this is from my own experience, though. I'm still trudging toward the end of Mass Effect. stare ))

Before Ed could reach Cal and crush him to death with an embrace, he proved that his own personality hadn't changed by immediately dropping to one knee, aiming his face directly at the dirt (mud?), and announcing, "Lady Eddora, I beg your forgiveness for my extended and unexplained absence. If the transgression is not too grievous, I humbly request that you accept me once again as your Guardian for the remainder of the pil - " he was cut off by Aer's boot on the side of his head.

"I'm pretty sure the long-winded speech is unnecessary," the mage said flatly. "More importantly, where on Spira have you been?"

Struggling to regain his balance, Calaman rose once again to his feet.

"Nowhere. Well, at least, nowhere on Spira... I think. It's... complicated."

He looked at Ed, his expression difficult to make out in the dark, but certainly grim.

"I'll need a little bit of time to sort out everything I need to tell you, and besides, I think you'll want to hear it somewhere more..." he trailed off in the wake of another, more distant thunderbolt, "...conducive to thinking."

((I think that's a fair assessment of what I know of Ed's personality. I'm unfortunately finding that my characters are more shallow than I usually like. Aer is showing very little personality lately, except as mild comic relief to break somber moods; Jalisat seems to just be around as a plot point; and Calaman is... difficult. I'm not even sure about him at the moment.))