MERCEDES-LACKEY Digest 253 Topics covered in this issue include: 1) Re: re- myriad subjects by mealink-+AT+-syd.au.swissbank.com (Kerry Mealing) 2) Re: A Whole Other Question -+AT+- Shavri by Staci Schoenfeld 3) Re: A Whole Other Question -+AT+- Shavri by mealink-+AT+-syd.au.swissbank.com (Kerry Mealing) 4) Re: re- myriad subjects by Rosario Holsen-Baker 5) Re: Companions... a thought by Rosario Holsen-Baker 6) Re: Shavri and Companions by Jennifer Broekman 7) Re: MERCEDES-LACKEY digest 251 by rubin-+AT+-cent.com (Korendil) 8) Re: order of writing by Jennifer Broekman 9) Re: re- myriad subjects by Rosario Holsen-Baker 10) Re: Companions... a thought by Jennifer Broekman 11) Re: names ending in 'a' by Jennifer Broekman 12) Re: Heralds and Healers by MIKE278485-+AT+-aol.com 13) multiple personalities by PS9562-+AT+-wheeler.northland.edu 14) Re: re- myriad subjects by "Kristin A. Ruhle" 15) mercedes-lackey-+AT+-vanyel.herald.co.uk by MIKE278485-+AT+-aol.com 16) Re: Heralds and Healers, Companion fertility by "Kristin A. Ruhle" 17) Re: Randale's illness by owl 18) Re: Shavri and Companions by "Katherine M. Brielmaier" 19) Re: multiple personalities by mealink-+AT+-syd.au.swissbank.com (Kerry Mealing) 20) Shavri and Companions by "Katherine M. Brielmaier" 21) Re: re- myriad subjects by mel (Melanie Dymond Harper) 22) Re: Randale's illness by Rosario Holsen-Baker 23) Re: multiple personalities by Rosario Holsen-Baker 24) Re: re- myriad subjects by "Sanna Koulu" ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: Thu, 30 Nov 95 13:48:01 EST From: mealink-+AT+-syd.au.swissbank.com (Kerry Mealing) To: mercedes-lackey-+AT+-vanyel.herald.co.uk Subject: Re: re- myriad subjects Message-ID: <9511300248.AA03920-+AT+-syd.au.swissbank.com> Jaguar wrote: > Korendil said: > > I've always wondered, does anyone know WHAT Randale died of? Did Misty just > > make up a disease, or did she use one from RL? I once asked my (doctor) > > foather, citing his symptoms, and the only thing he thoguht of right off > > the bat was radiation.... > > > The other thing I could think of, although how he got it and how > Shavri didn't would be a trick, was AIDS. It has a great deal of the same > "wasting away" ...stuff and sypmtoms about it. It could also account for > the "something wrong" Van and 'Fandes sensed earlier, he could have been > HIV+ then. Any other theories? Just asking (cos I don't know), does/can AIDS cause sterility? (Randale was sterile remember). Perhaps this was a whole separate problem, or something that AIDS made him vulnerable to, caused the sterility (mumps for example). An alternate theory is that Shavri is enough of a healer for her body to have rejected the HIV virus [1] out of hand (at a level below that which conscious healing is possible). If this were the case, it could be that Randale *wasn't* sterile, but that to reject the virus, Shavri's body was preventing Randale impregnating her. I know, it's a really wild theory, but hey... if I can't spout it here, where can I? :) [1] Does the V in HIV stand for virus? If it does then I'm repeating myself in saying HIV virus and must sound rather stupid.. [2] [2] Guess who's been reading Pratchett again. :) Cheers, Kerry. ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 29 Nov 1995 18:54:25 -0800 From: Staci Schoenfeld To: mercedes-lackey-+AT+-vanyel.herald.co.uk Subject: Re: A Whole Other Question -+AT+- Shavri Message-ID: <199511300254.SAA19766-+AT+-stealth.romoidoy.com> At 02:35 AM 11/30/95 GMT,Heather Mina wrote: >At 05:24 PM 11/29/95 GMT, Alicewrote: > >>You know, I have always wondered why Shavri had to be Monarch's Own Herald >>rather than just an ordinary Herald (Vanyel would hate the way I just phrased >>that! ). I understand that she needed a Companion to supplement her >>healing energies, but why MOC? > I believe that she was Chosen as the Monarch's Own so that she >would have a reason (one which an unChosen Consort would not have) to always >be at Randale's side, offering the comfort that only his lifebonded could >offer, and the Healing energies that he needed on a constant basis. > >Otherwise, I do not think Shavri would have been Chosen, because there was >no need for her to be. In fact, she would have made a singularly *bad* >monarch (since she really didn't want to be one), and her Choosing in any >capacity other than Monarch's Own Herald would most likely put her in line >for the throne. And I don't think the Companions would have allowed that. OK, here's a new idea for why she would be necessary as Monarch's Own -- maybe she needed to be in that position so that eventually Jisa and oh what's his name --- could be in line to take the throne. Any thoughts? Staci ------------------------------------------------------- Staci Schoenfeld http://www.zoom.com/personal/staci/staci1.htm ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 30 Nov 95 14:17:05 EST From: mealink-+AT+-syd.au.swissbank.com (Kerry Mealing) To: mercedes-lackey-+AT+-vanyel.herald.co.uk Subject: Re: A Whole Other Question -+AT+- Shavri Message-ID: <9511300317.AA04017-+AT+-syd.au.swissbank.com> Heather wrote: > I think, in fact, that Stefen probably would have made a good Herald, but > was not Chosen for very specific reasons on the part of the Companions. > First, his Bardic status allows him a more anonymous existence than the > oh-please-shoot-me-now whites of the Heralds, so he makes an unobtrusive > fixture in the Court to help Randale. Also, the duty Vanyel leaves him when > he dies probably could not be accomplished by a non-Herald as expediently as > by a "plain old Bard". A Herald-Bard singing the material that Stefen had > to sing would have been far less credible, I think (sour grapes). But I > think it is a great sadness that Stefen could not be Chosen, and I think it > is beautiful that he gets to live with Van and Yfandes in Sorrows forever... Stefan didn't have identified gifts. I agree with what you said though. I'd never thought of it before, but I find it pretty sad that Gala and Stefan didn't reconcile (at least after his death).. Might have been a bit soap-opera'ish, but hey, I'm a romantic at heart. Kerry.. ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 29 Nov 1995 22:42:27 -0500 (EST) From: Rosario Holsen-Baker To: mercedes-lackey-+AT+-vanyel.herald.co.uk Subject: Re: re- myriad subjects Message-ID: Matt Timmerman said: Korendil said > > > >Now that I've responded to other people's comments, time to make my own : > > In WoC, we get a list of some (all?) of Ma'ar/Falconsbane's past > >lives...which ones have we, and haven't we heard of? I'd give the list > >here, except that I lent ALL my hardcover Misty books to a friend...Could > >the 'Dark Lord' of "Windrider Unchained" be one? Or any others? > > I've had the same idea, but I really hope not. It would be very cheesy > if almost every one of Misty's major villains was the same person. > I mean, what are the odds of each one being Ma'ar? > It would make sense, and enough villans have not-been Ma'ar for it to happen ("YOu can't not be on a boat" "I've frequently not-been on boats" "No, what you've been is not on boats.") IMHO, o'course. Ancar, Hulda, the Empire, Hadanelith, Noyoki, Thanel, Krebain... > Another story I'd like to see, at least as a short story is the one > about Lavan Firestorm (Jaguar, don't let your Companion know you're > reading this :) ). Like what the heck the Dark Servants were > doing at White Foal Pass (Border of Rethwellan) when Vanyel and > the army stopped them in the north. Don't worry, I blocked him out as soon as I suspected he would be on the list. I wonder what he thinks I'm doing...I'd like to see what happened there, too, WITHOUT the mind-fuzzing. :) I'd also like to see, maybe in some short stories, more about Alberich. I have Horse Fantastic, that's where he became one of my favorite charcters, but I hate having tantalizing little bits about him in all the books. And I really want a story dealing with Iftel! Or is that going to be in Storm Breaking? |--------------------------------<>------------------------------| | Three rings for the elven kings under the sky | | Seven for the dwarves in their halls of stone | | Nine for the mortal men, doomed to die | | One for the dark lord on his dark throne.... | |---------------------http://www.sidwell.edu/~rholsen--------------------| ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 29 Nov 1995 22:46:37 -0500 (EST) From: Rosario Holsen-Baker To: mercedes-lackey-+AT+-vanyel.herald.co.uk Subject: Re: Companions... a thought Message-ID: > Ahem, As Gwena once said to Elsbeth, > > I AM NOT A HORSE!!!! :) > > -+AT+-}----------------Bill Pomeroy----------------{-+AT+- > But then, are you a Companion? :) :Hey, Lavaan! Do you know this one?: :Who? And what *were* you doing earlier?: :None of your business...: |--------------------------------<>------------------------------| | Three rings for the elven kings under the sky | | Seven for the dwarves in their halls of stone | | Nine for the mortal men, doomed to die | | One for the dark lord on his dark throne.... | |---------------------http://www.sidwell.edu/~rholsen--------------------| ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 29 Nov 1995 23:15:19 -0500 (EST) From: Jennifer Broekman To: mercedes-lackey-+AT+-vanyel.herald.co.uk Subject: Re: Shavri and Companions Message-ID: On Wed, 29 Nov 1995, Katherine M Brielmaier wrote: > I guess I have a hard time understanding that one. I understand that it > would be difficult for Shavri to understand Jisa's point of view--we all > have blindness when it comes to our children--but I do think that she > could have been more respectful of Jisa's decision once it was all > explained to her. Sure, Jisa was only 15, but she knew what she was > doing and she had well thought out reasons. I think Shavri should have > been able to realize that and at least tried to work it out instead of > going straight for the emotional sobs and finger-pointing. Have you ever tried to tell your parents something that turns their world upside-down? (Dad, I'm gay. Yes, Mom, I use that whip. Dad, I *have* used drugs. Mom, I'm marrying a carpenter.) It doesn't matter how logical and reasonable they are under normal circumstances, they're practically guaranteed to act unreasonably. And Shavri wasn't ever particularly reasonable about ruling to begin with... Frankly, if I expected my partner's father to react as well as Shavri did, I'd spend more energy trying to convince Blair to come out of the closet... -jenneke jsb-+AT+-phantom.com new .sig in development ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 29 Nov 1995 22:14:03 -0600 From: rubin-+AT+-cent.com (Korendil) To: mercedes-lackey-+AT+-vanyel.herald.co.uk Subject: Re: MERCEDES-LACKEY digest 251 Message-ID: > >and just as interestingly, what order would you recommend someone read >them in (this has probably been discussed ad nauseum already...)? I'm >thinking, Talia, then Vanyel, then Vows/Kero, and then go into Elspeth's >stuff, but wouldn't Arrows/Winds/Storms be more appropriate? Then do the >Vows/Kero stuff, which i think of as a trilogy, really, and then back up >to Gryphon (which i haven't read--lowdown?) and Vanyel. > >Unless there's a reason you think they'd like tLH-M first, if you see what >i mean... > >i think Arrows should be the first trilogy you read, because it sort of >lets you in the easy way to heralds and valdemar and you get that oh-so- >memorable feeling of happiness when she gets chosen (i read By the Sword >first and i wish i had known about Arrows), and then the story naturally >follows through Winds and Storms, with By the Sword thrown into the middle >and Vows as backstory to that, then go back for the historical stuff (or >while your'e witing for the next book to come out in the series you are >reading)... > >sorry to go on but i was thinking about this the other day as a way of >converting my friend christine (and i was rereading Winds of Fate before >starting ...Change again). > >jacob Well, I have two ways of getting people instant fans of Misty... A: If the person doesn't have a trace of 'homo-phobia' start them with LHM, Then Arrows, then Vows&honor, then By the sowrd, after that Winds, then book 1in Gryphon, book 1 in Storms, book 2 in gryphon ,book two in storms...etc. B: If they have some 'homo-phobia' or you're not sure, start them w/ Arrows, then LHM, then just the same as what I have in A.... -+AT+-#*-+AT+-#*-+AT+-#*-+AT+-#*-+AT+-#*-+AT+-#*-+AT+-#*-+AT+-#*-+AT+-#*-+AT+-#*-+AT+-#*-+AT+-#*-+AT+-#*-+AT+-#*-+AT+-#*-+AT+-#*-+AT+-#*-+AT+-#*-+AT+-#*-+AT+-#*-+AT+-#*-+AT+-#*-+AT+-#*-+AT+- Oh Elbereth, watch over me while I play the game of life with fate and destiny... -The Palantir -From Journey of The Dunadan -By Glass Hammer Ubi nihil erit quod scribas, it ipsum scribito Even if you have nothing to write, write and say so. -Cicero -+AT+-#*-+AT+-#*-+AT+-#*-+AT+-#*-+AT+-#*-+AT+-#*-+AT+-#*-+AT+-#*-+AT+-#*-+AT+-#*-+AT+-#*-+AT+-#*-+AT+-#*-+AT+-#*-+AT+-#*-+AT+-#*-+AT+-#*-+AT+-#*-+AT+-#*-+AT+-#*-+AT+-#*-+AT+-#*-+AT+-#*-+AT+- ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 29 Nov 1995 23:18:20 -0500 (EST) From: Jennifer Broekman To: mercedes-lackey-+AT+-vanyel.herald.co.uk Subject: Re: order of writing Message-ID: On Wed, 29 Nov 1995, kenny (Absolut Flaming) wrote: > that Misty wrote before writing Arrows of the Queen. I think that the > meeting of Tarma and Kethry was Misty's first Velgarth story in print (in > Sword & Sorceress I, if memory serves). In publication chronology of the Sword and Sorceress III, actually. Misty has had a Tarma & Kethry story in (almost?) every S&S since, but Diana Paxson's (?) Shanna series is the one that begins in the first S&S. -jenneke, who just packed away all of her S&S for moving... jsb-+AT+-phantom.com new .sig indevelopment ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 29 Nov 1995 23:17:18 -0500 (EST) From: Rosario Holsen-Baker To: mercedes-lackey-+AT+-vanyel.herald.co.uk Subject: Re: re- myriad subjects Message-ID: Kerry Mealing wrote: > > Jaguar wrote: > > Korendil said: > > > I've always wondered, does anyone know WHAT Randale died of? Did Misty just > > > make up a disease, or did she use one from RL? I once asked my (doctor) > > > foather, citing his symptoms, and the only thing he thoguht of right off > > > the bat was radiation.... > > > > > The other thing I could think of, although how he got it and how > > Shavri didn't would be a trick, was AIDS. It has a great deal of the same > > "wasting away" ...stuff and sypmtoms about it. It could also account for > > the "something wrong" Van and 'Fandes sensed earlier, he could have been > > HIV+ then. Any other theories? > > Just asking (cos I don't know), does/can AIDS cause sterility? (Randale > was sterile remember). Perhaps this was a whole separate problem, or > something that AIDS made him vulnerable to, caused the sterility (mumps > for example). Theoretically speaking, it would be. There are a number of unidentified strains of the AIDS virus floating around out there, it's possible that that's one of the side effects. > An alternate theory is that Shavri is enough of a healer for her body > to have rejected the HIV virus [1] out of hand (at a level below that which > conscious healing is possible). If this were the case, it could be > that Randale *wasn't* sterile, but that to reject the virus, Shavri's > body was preventing Randale impregnating her. Ack! (smacking-self-on-forehead sound) I forgot about that. That's probably why she didn't get it. Either what you're saying, or it automatically healed her...or maybe it just kept up with the virus's destruction of her T-cells. > I know, it's a really wild theory, but hey... if I can't spout it here, > where can I? :) No wilder than AIDS in Velgarth! |--------------------------------<>------------------------------| | Three rings for the elven kings under the sky | | Seven for the dwarves in their halls of stone | | Nine for the mortal men, doomed to die | | One for the dark lord on his dark throne.... | |---------------------http://www.sidwell.edu/~rholsen--------------------| ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 29 Nov 1995 23:23:57 -0500 (EST) From: Jennifer Broekman To: mercedes-lackey-+AT+-vanyel.herald.co.uk Subject: Re: Companions... a thought Message-ID: On Wed, 29 Nov 1995, kenny (Absolut Flaming) wrote: > On Wed, 29 Nov 1995, Putty Tat wrote: > > mating with a "dumb animal" would be distasteful. I mean in our society > > it is considered wrong to bed a person who lacks intelligence. Saying > Since when? I mean, if this were true, why are so many girls afraid to > show their intelligence for fear of losing/not having a boyfriend? Why > are "dumb jocks" considered so sexually attractive? BTW, intellectual > snobbery is still snobbery. There is also the issue of why should we > deny those who "lack intelligence" love? I would rather have a boyfriend > who was a little slow but had a good heart and some common sense than a > boyfriend who was brilliant but mean-spirited or isolated in some > intellectual ivory tower. Been there, done that, hated it! It is considered wrong to have sex with the profoundly retarded, on the theory that they haven't the faintest idea what's happening and can't give meaningful consent. Also, Companions and horses aren't even as close in intelligence as people of average intelligence and the profoundly retarded who can speak enough to say 'yes', whether they understand it or not. We're talking about (to degenerate into D&D terms) someone of Intelligence > 12 having sex with someone of Intelligence 0, when we talk about Companions and horses... Horses are more than "a little slow" when compared to Companions. -jenneke jsb-+AT+-phantom.com new .sig in development ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 29 Nov 1995 23:27:22 -0500 (EST) From: Jennifer Broekman To: mercedes-lackey-+AT+-vanyel.herald.co.uk Subject: Re: names ending in 'a' Message-ID: On Wed, 29 Nov 1995, Melanie Dymond Harper wrote: > I once read an article about gender assumptions going with names, which > focussed -- at least partially -- on the fact that names ending in '-a', in > most languages, seem to be female. (Doubtless a linguist could tell you why > this should be.) The article mentioned "Professor Bignumska", whose gender > was not mentioned until later on in the article; the idea was to find out > whether you'd assumed male (based on 'Professor'; sad to say, the default > gender on that will be male for most people), or female from the name. I think > it was probably a Douglas Hofstadter article.... In a lot of Western European languages, the -a endings are part of the diminutive form. Since a large portion of female names are derivatives of male names, you end up with the males getting the original form and the females getting a diminutive or 'pet' form. > ObMisty: er ... none. too early in the morning. :) None here, either. Too late in the evening.:-) -jenneke, who's been spending too much time with names books jsb-+AT+-phantom.com new .sig in development ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 29 Nov 1995 23:38:24 -0500 From: MIKE278485-+AT+-aol.com To: mercedes-lackey-+AT+-vanyel.herald.co.uk Subject: Re: Heralds and Healers Message-ID: <951129233822_120605458-+AT+-mail06.mail.aol.com> On Tue, 28 Nov 1995, Sanna Koulu wrote: > So, I came up with a question: why don't the Companions choose > Healers or people with Gifts from the Healing family? It's been As a contemporary version of a healer,(I am a Physician Assistant in thoracic surgery), I see a reason why healers would make poor heralds. A healer dedicates his life to making people better, whether body, mind, or soul. Heralds are often put in situations where they are *required* to cause harm to other people, admittedly with cause otherwise they would not be Heralds. This would probably cause conflicts between what a Healer has dedicated his life to and his duty as a herald. I know myself, that it would cause me much dificulty if I was ever to kill someone even to protect myself or loved ones. The companions who do the choosing would know this and avoid choosing someone who is going to be a healer. Michael Weber MIKE278485-+AT+-aol.com "Never try to outstubborn a cat" -Lazarus Long(R.A.Heinlein) ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 29 Nov 1995 22:48:06 CST From: PS9562-+AT+-wheeler.northland.edu To: mercedes-lackey-+AT+-vanyel.herald.co.uk Subject: multiple personalities Message-ID: <2870E267C35-+AT+-wheeler.northland.edu> > Date: Thu, 30 Nov 1995 03:31:50 GMT > Reply-to: mercedes-lackey-+AT+-vanyel.herald.co.uk > From: PS9562-+AT+-wheeler.northland.edu > To: ps9562-+AT+-wheeler.northland.edu > Subject: Re: re- myriad subjects > > Now that I've responded to other people's comments, time to make my own : > > In WoC, we get a list of some (all?) of Ma'ar/Falconsbane's past > > lives...which ones have we, and haven't we heard of? I'd give the list > > here, except that I lent ALL my hardcover Misty books to a friend...Could > > the 'Dark Lord' of "Windrider Unchained" be one? Or any others? > Ok, so I went back to my room and looked up the quote in Winds of Change, not Winds of Fate (silly me!): "So it had gone down through centuries, taking new bodies and taking on other names. Krawlven. Renthorn. Geslaken. Leareth. Zendak." And not to mention Ma'ar, and Mornelithe. So that leaves 4 as yet unheard of "lifetimes". Any guesses on where, and if, they'll show up? "Without darkness there can be no light" Stacey ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 29 Nov 1995 21:05:01 -0800 (PST) From: "Kristin A. Ruhle" To: mercedes-lackey-+AT+-vanyel.herald.co.uk Subject: Re: re- myriad subjects Message-ID: <199511300505.AA20164-+AT+-foxtrot.rahul.net> > > Korendil said: > after ____ said: > > > Don't get me wrong: her Lifebonded was dying > > >and she had no idea why; > > I've always wondered, does anyone know WHAT Randale died of? Did Misty just > > make up a disease, or did she use one from RL? I once asked my (doctor) > > foather, citing his symptoms, and the only thing he thoguht of right off > > the bat was radiation.... > > > The other thing I could think of, although how he got it and how > Shavri didn't would be a trick, was AIDS. It has a great deal of the same > "wasting away" ...stuff and sypmtoms about it. It could also account for > the "something wrong" Van and 'Fandes sensed earlier, he could have been > HIV+ then. Any other theories? > I don't think sterility is the first symptom of HIV...after all, there are many babies born HIV-positive. AIDS causes opportunistic infections, pneumonia, yeast infections, weird things normally only animals get and such. My own pet theory is that Leareth somehow set up an instability in Randale's body from afar and that once "triggered" the instability fed on itself. After all, having the king die prematurely is a good way to stabilize an enemy country. Sort of covert assassination. (Randale's father, Darvi, died in what was almost certainly an "accident" arranged by the evil mage, although no one realized it at the time.) The only flaw there might be in this is that Randale wasn't a Herald-Mage, Vanyel says he thinks Leareth targeted those with Mage-Gift because it was easier to scry from a long way away. So was Randale's illness just coincidence? It strikes me as awfully convenient for Valdemar's enemies... If you want to go with diagnosis I'd say it was an auto-immune disease, a la lupus or something, Since one's *own* body was causing it with "too much of a good thing" it would be difficult for a Healer to detect let alone correct. It caused pain and weakness but not, say, paralysis, which would result from some other degenerative conditions that attack the nervous system. Just my US$0.02 Kristin ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 30 Nov 1995 00:07:11 -0500 From: MIKE278485-+AT+-aol.com To: mercedes-lackey-+AT+-vanyel.herald.co.uk Subject: mercedes-lackey-+AT+-vanyel.herald.co.uk Message-ID: <951130000413_38964746-+AT+-emout06.mail.aol.com> Korendil wrote: > > Don't get me wrong: her Lifebonded was dying > >and she had no idea why; > I've always wondered, does anyone know WHAT Randale died of? Did Misty just > make up a disease, or did she use one from RL? I once asked my (doctor) > foather, citing his symptoms, and the only thing he thoguht of right off > the bat was radiation.... I have to go back and look over the syptoms myself. As a "healer" in the Real World, (and who knows what that is?), I didn't fit the syptoms with any disease that I am familiar with. I do remember, if my mind is not failing me, that the problem was hereditary and they were expecting it to crop up at some point. There are many diseases that have affected royal families in this world mainly due to inbreeding, for example hemophilia affecting the Russian Czars, but I would think that this would not be the case in Valdemar. I would think that the companions would have prevented inbreeding since it would be bad in the long run for the country. Though then again the companions often keep their opinions to themselves.(Thank Gods!!) Well I hope that this made a little sense. Just my nickle's worth(inflation you know!) Michael Weber MIKE278485-+AT+-aol.com "Never try to outstubborn a cat" -Lazarus Long(R.A.Heinlein) ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 29 Nov 1995 21:19:58 -0800 (PST) From: "Kristin A. Ruhle" To: mercedes-lackey-+AT+-vanyel.herald.co.uk Subject: Re: Heralds and Healers, Companion fertility Message-ID: <199511300519.AA20760-+AT+-foxtrot.rahul.net> > > Seanna wrote (in response to a lot of other stuff) > > Do you think souls are "sexed" - I mean, are previously male souls and > > previously female souls different in some way? I don't, but Misty > > seems to be writing that way... (Btw, I think Ma'ar choosing to steal > > only male bodies was just a personal prejudice) > > > > -Seanna > > > > > I don't know about in Misty's world, but did you ever see the movie > DEAD AGAIN? In that movie two soul-bonded people are reborn into bodies > of the opposite gender. And I believe the grocery-store psychiciatrist > relates some other example of people who switched genders from one life to > the next. > YES! This may be off topic (Apologies) but I found DEAD AGAIN the best reincarnation movie I ever saw!!! It's a star-studded (w/GREAT acting) murder mystery (very unusual - the murder happened decades earlier) with wonderful plot twists and surprises right up to the very end. Highly recommended. Rent it! Rent it! Text mess above due to the shitty Pico justification command - sorry.... Kristin kristin-+AT+-rahul.net ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 30 Nov 1995 00:52:10 EST From: owl To: mercedes-lackey-+AT+-vanyel.herald.co.uk Subject: Re: Randale's illness Message-ID: I had always assumed that he had developed cancer--don't some types cause sterility? That,what with the constant pain and the wasting away, had just seemed to be the most logical thing to me. AIDS is a possibility, I guess, but where would it have come from--and wouldn't others have caught it? Perhaps Shavri wouldn't have, if she used her healing powers, but wouldn't Randale have had to had sex with someone to catch it? It's an interesting possibility though... Owl, "I can resist everything except temptation" Mark Twain ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 30 Nov 95 01:20:43 CST From: "Katherine M. Brielmaier" To: mercedes-lackey-+AT+-vanyel.herald.co.uk Subject: Re: Shavri and Companions Message-ID: <21079.brie0030-+AT+-gold.tc.umn.edu> On Thu, 30 Nov 1995 01:16:48 GMT, Kerry Mealing wrote: >Maybe I'm just too much of a pushover, but I tend to categorize the MOH's >duties as: >1. Be there for the Monarch. Whatever is necessary. Pararmount duty. >2. Support the circle (this could really even be an implied function from > the first duty if you view it as being the eyes, ears & mouth for the > King.. his liason with the Heralds). OK, I get it. Your definition of MOH is slightly different from mine--just enough to cause this discussion, in fact. ;-) I see the MOH as a Herald first and the Monarch's companion second. I base this on Talia's experiences, mostly. Yes, she was there for Selenay when the Queen needed her, but she did go out into the field and perform diplomatic and special envoy duties in the name of the Queen also. I see the "in the name of the Queen" duties as more important than simply hanging around the palace in case the Monarch needs to chat. Now, since Randi was desperately ill, Shavri would by necessity be tied to him and that puts a whole new complexion on things. But, by my definition, Shavri makes a bad MOH in the general sense, but a decent MOH in the specific instance. Am I making any sense? It's kinda late and I am having trouble forming complete thoughts. (this is me) >>--but I do think that she >> could have been more respectful of Jisa's decision once it was all >> explained to her. Sure, Jisa was only 15, but she knew what she was >> doing and she had well thought out reasons. I think Shavri should have >> been able to realize that and at least tried to work it out instead of >> going straight for the emotional sobs and finger-pointing. (Kerry) >Consider.. any child totally overturning >her/his parents' views of them & their future, at age 15, had better >expect some emotional reaction. Hypotheticals: >- Mum, Dad, I'm gay. >- Folks, I don't want to be a top-flight lawyer, I'm going to sell turnips > or >- Dad, mum, guess what? I'm married! Isn't that great? > >Three words. Run.. for.. cover.. > >Doesn't matter how logical or right the action may be, very few people >react logically to such a big shock. Quite true--however, considering that Jisa and Treven (?) are lifebonded, I still think Shavri should be more understanding. A big shock, yes, but still, I think rather expected or more admissible in this instance. Again, I think it was Shavri's hysterics that put me off this one. (And that's my response--or at least as good a one as I can make in my current state--to Jenneke too. I hope you don't mind, Jenneke, but since you and Kerry wrote almost the exact same thing, I think I can safely use this to cover it--and I save bandwidth too!) (me again) >> >From my point of view, she's not going on by linking with Randale. She's >> making sure she won't have to go on alone, and she's not considering >> anyone but Randi and herself when she makes this decision. I don't >> believe in suicide as a viable option in this instance. She has things >> to live for and duties to perform, and it seems to me that she's shirking >> those responsibilites. (Kerry) >Sure, she has things to live for, but as before her primary duty is to >the Monarch and in reality, providing Randale with extra years of life >is probably the most useful thing she could do (I agree, she's not that >talented as a herald otherwise). >What might be offputting is what Van calls her mono-focus - her single >focus is Randale. Nothing else matters.. That's IT!!!! Thank you thank you thank you for the "mono-focus" comment--that's what been driving me nuts about the whole thing! Whew. >> > > How do Companions know whom to choose? >> > >> > I subscribe to the 'something goes click' theory. :) >> >> OK, but how do they know where to go to find the "click"? ;-) > >First sight would be my guess, or vague feelings, or... (I have no idea, >as you've probably guessed yeah, I'm speculating too, since there is just no evidence textually (at least that I can find) that says anything about Companions Choosing and their reasons. >> 's e do bheatha > >Please translate, I know it's Quenya but I'm not that good at it. :) Nope, it's not Quenya (although I'd love to be able to learn that somehow--hey, maybe that will be my life's work!) It's an old form of Gaelic. It's a basic greeting and farewell, and it means "Life to you" 's e do bheatha Kaatje Oh, and to clear up a little misunderstanding. Kaatje and Katherine is one person. Me. Katherine is the given, Kaatje is the nickname. Katherine, Kaatje, Kerry (not me)...All those K's get a little konfusing. ;) There you go, Heather! ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 30 Nov 95 17:15:16 EST From: mealink-+AT+-syd.au.swissbank.com (Kerry Mealing) To: mercedes-lackey-+AT+-vanyel.herald.co.uk Subject: Re: multiple personalities Message-ID: <9511300615.AA06727-+AT+-syd.au.swissbank.com> Stacy wrote: > Ok, so I went back to my room and looked up the quote in Winds > of Change, not Winds of Fate (silly me!): > "So it had gone down through centuries, taking new bodies and taking > on other names. Krawlven. Renthorn. Geslaken. Leareth. Zendak." > And not to mention Ma'ar, and Mornelithe. > > So that leaves 4 as yet unheard of "lifetimes". Any guesses on > where, and if, they'll show up? I got the impression they were in chronological order. I'd wager Zendak was the chap that Lavaan encountered.. (comments Jaguar? :) Kerry. ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 30 Nov 95 01:25:25 CST From: "Katherine M. Brielmaier" To: mercedes-lackey-+AT+-vanyel.herald.co.uk Subject: Shavri and Companions Message-ID: <21333.brie0030-+AT+-gold.tc.umn.edu> I was going to respond to Heather's post too, but I think it might serve just as well to use the response I just wrote to Kerry--I think that should cover my definition of a MOH and some other odds and ends. A new response would probably end up to be just more of the same. And I don't think I could stay awake long enough to finish it anyway! 'Night everybody. 's e do bheatha Kaatje ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 30 Nov 1995 10:31:43 GMT From: mel (Melanie Dymond Harper) To: mercedes-lackey-+AT+-herald.co.uk Subject: Re: re- myriad subjects Message-ID: <9511301031.AA08370-+AT+-vanyel.herald.co.uk> Korendil said: > I've always wondered, does anyone know WHAT Randale died of? Did Misty just > make up a disease, or did she use one from RL? I once asked my (doctor) > foather, citing his symptoms, and the only thing he thoguht of right off > the bat was radiation.... > As several others of you have already said, I'd mentally assumed cancer (of the reproductive organs, to cause the sterility? Who knows). Randale's father did die young, but it was accidental (if I remember rightly, he fell down the stairs). Although Jisa was worried that Randi's disease, whatever it might have been, could have been hereditary, and was thus very relieved indeed to find out that Randale was not her biological father (I think we're in Magic's Price here). > I don't think so....IMHO, Misty made it clear that she was totally unfit > for the job, and only there to keep Randale whose intelligence was > desparately needed, alive. Hmm....anyone else feel that Misty used her a > something to help the plot, and then tried (IMO, not so successfully) to > make her a tragic figure in Valdemaran History? > Well, maybe. But recall that we only ever hear about Shavri at the time when these events are occurring -- we never hear mention of her in sagas or tales from later times. If the events surrounding Randale's death were being recounted at a later date, you can bet that any bad temper (etc) on Shavri's part would have been 'edited out' and so she would have appeared far more tragic and far less of a shrew. (Don't get me wrong, I can see _why_ she was losing it.) I'll bet that the songs about Vanyel never mentioned how irritating he could be when tired/overstressed, too; the "warts and all" form of biography seems never to have occurred in Valdemar, or at least we never hear about it. I will wager large amounts of money that neither the Heir nor the consort of the Heir have appeared in public talking about their respective affairs, for example. (Not that I'm bored witless hearing about Charles and Diana, oh no...) Cheers Mel. ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 30 Nov 1995 07:25:13 -0500 (EST) From: Rosario Holsen-Baker To: mercedes-lackey-+AT+-vanyel.herald.co.uk Subject: Re: Randale's illness Message-ID: On Thu, 30 Nov 1995, owl wrote: > I had always assumed that he had developed cancer--don't some types > cause sterility? That,what with the constant pain and the wasting > away, had just seemed to be the most logical thing to me. AIDS is a > possibility, I guess, but where would it have come from--and wouldn't > others have caught it? Perhaps Shavri wouldn't have, if she used her > healing powers, but wouldn't Randale have had to had sex with someone > to catch it? > It's an interesting possibility though... > > Owl, > > "I can resist everything except temptation" > Mark Twain Not....not necessarily, I think, if it was planted by Leareth. He could have gotten it from an outbreak in the north where he was, then used the same kind of reverse healing seen in MPromise to infect Randale. Shavri's Healing would probably protect her, and we've seen no evidence of any possible transmit to someone else. Leareth could have targeted Randale simply because he was the Heir/King (depending on when it was set), and Randale also probably had Mage-potential, if not the actual Gift (like someone said, me-+AT+-school, books-+AT+-home). Remember, his father, I think, was a Mage, Herald-Mage Darvi?, and he probably passed down the potential. O'course, this idea works for any disease or cancer, if you subscribe to the theory that he was infected by Leareth... Okay, so I'm rambling. It's too early in the morning to be actually thinking. Someone should tell that to my teachers. :) |--------------------------------<>------------------------------| | Three rings for the elven kings under the sky | | Seven for the dwarves in their halls of stone | | Nine for the mortal men, doomed to die | | One for the dark lord on his dark throne.... | |---------------------http://www.sidwell.edu/~rholsen--------------------| ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 30 Nov 1995 07:28:01 -0500 (EST) From: Rosario Holsen-Baker To: mercedes-lackey-+AT+-vanyel.herald.co.uk Subject: Re: multiple personalities Message-ID: > > Stacy wrote: > > Ok, so I went back to my room and looked up the quote in Winds > > of Change, not Winds of Fate (silly me!): > > "So it had gone down through centuries, taking new bodies and taking > > on other names. Krawlven. Renthorn. Geslaken. Leareth. Zendak." > > And not to mention Ma'ar, and Mornelithe. > > > > So that leaves 4 as yet unheard of "lifetimes". Any guesses on > > where, and if, they'll show up? > > I got the impression they were in chronological order. I'd wager Zendak > was the chap that Lavaan encountered.. (comments Jaguar? :) > > Kerry. > Lavaan didn't, *Lavan* did! Like there's a big difference there... I wouldn't be surprised. It sounds about right. Also, does anyone else see something vaguely familiar about "Renthorn" as an antagonist? I seem to remember seeing that name somewhere...or maybe it's just the lack of sleep. |--------------------------------<>------------------------------| | Three rings for the elven kings under the sky | | Seven for the dwarves in their halls of stone | | Nine for the mortal men, doomed to die | | One for the dark lord on his dark throne.... | |---------------------http://www.sidwell.edu/~rholsen--------------------| ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 30 Nov 1995 14:36:23 EET From: "Sanna Koulu" To: mercedes-lackey-+AT+-vanyel.herald.co.uk Subject: Re: re- myriad subjects Message-ID: <132139E6E9F-+AT+-otdk.helsinki.fi> Kerry wrote: > Korendil wrote: > > I've always wondered, does anyone know WHAT Randale died of? Did Misty just > > make up a disease, or did she use one from RL? I once asked my (doctor) > > foather, citing his symptoms, and the only thing he thoguht of right off > > the bat was radiation.... > > Sounds possible.. magic-related radiation perhaps.. especially if it was > Maar's work. Only doubt I have is that isn't it mentioned somewhere that > Randale's father died quite young? (Not that it invalidates the radiation > theory but it might suggest something hereditary..) No, didn't Randale's father, the Herald-Mage Arvi (?!), slip and fall down the palace stairs? He was young, but it was just an accident (nah, strike that, I'm pretty sure it was Leareth) Also, Shavri said that (when talking to Vanyel in MPrice) "Randale won't even live till 40!" and said his family was long-lived. That seems to rule out hereditary illnesses. Oh yes, there's also some worry about whether Jisa and ? have it. -Seanna, who has this problem with names... ------------------------------ End of MERCEDES-LACKEY Digest 253 *********************************