MERCEDES-LACKEY Digest 876 Topics covered in this issue include: 1) BRAID READ ME by "Hth." 2) Renunciates/Larry's artwork by Khenta Blaufalk 3) Re: MO by "Linda Malcor, Ph.D" 4) Re: Deep question by "Linda Malcor, Ph.D" 5) Re: Groveborns/Yfandes/Books/SB Spoilers by Mat the Cat in Green 6) swatting by aw2-+AT+-mail.idt.net (Kimberly) 7) Re: Swans, Rolan, Q by Katherine M Brielmaier 8) Re: swatting by "Linda Malcor, Ph.D" 9) SB Spoilers by "Linda Malcor, Ph.D" 10) Fwd: Jerry's post on graveborn by Lisa Prior 11) quick fluff *sheepish grin* by aw2-+AT+-mail.idt.net (Kimberly) 12) "Bespeaking" textevd by Chelsea 13) Braid: Mists of Avalon/Misty's break/Van/Talia's Gift by myktshr-+AT+-ldd.net (miyako hirao) 14) Re: Deep question by Lynore_Belzer-+AT+-BAYLOR.EDU 15) Re: SB Spoilers by "JAIME HATHAWAY" 16) Mat/Witch World/SB/Kushner by undine ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: Mon, 14 Oct 1996 13:13:55 CST From: "Hth." To: Subject: BRAID READ ME Message-ID: <14OCT96.14290601.0185.MUSIC-+AT+-ACADEMIC.TRUMAN.EDU> TAYLEDRAS HERALDS As I recall, we've discussed Darkwind being Chosen before. I doubt nearly any Tayledras would make a good Herald, partially because they're simply too "foreign." Heralds are the judicial system of Valdemar, and as Firesong is at pains to point out in the Storms books, a Tayledras is very different from a Valdemaran. I wouldn't want my lawyer, judge, and jury to be from a totally different society than mine, no matter how nice a guy he was. Misty also makes a big point of the Tayledras being caretakers of the land, rather than of the people. At one point, I think Selenay tries to convince Darkwind that he doesn't *really* feel that way, and he insists that, no, he *really* does. Or was it Savil & Starwind? Anyway. Again, there's more than one way to be a good person, and the Tayledras way is just not a Herald's way. GROVEBORNS I'm just sure it says somewhere that only a groveborn companion can, I dunno, use nodes or channel or something cool like that, which is why it's nice to have them around? Doesn't Gwena reveal that somewhere? I don't know, I skim all the magic information. It's just not my cup of tea, particularly. But those of you who keep track of these things, isn't that at least hinted at somewhere? THE BONNY SWANS Someone said that Rune's "assignment" was to rewrite the song so that the man got his just due or something like that. I don't follow, what man? The *sister* was the evildoer. The first guy didn't do anything but fall in love with the non-murderous sister, and the bard couldn't really be blamed for anything either. Can someone explain this to me? It's been so bloody long since I've read Lark & Wren. YFANDES I assume that Yfandes had been "running alone" for ten years after the normal age when Companions choose. The question is, why? Vanyel was an accident, not a Destined Hero. She couldn't have been waiting for him in particular. If Vanyel hadn't been there, would there have been some other Destined Hero that Yfandes would have Chosen to stop Leareth and Save the World? Or would she just never have Chosen? If Companions are matched up before birth with the correct Herald (which seems implied, given that there are more Companions born ten years before a bunch of children are eligible to be Chosen), then *was* Yfandes matched up with Vanyel? And does that mean that Tylendel's actions, including the accident with the gate that blew open Vanyel's channels, were already Foreknown to somebody? I don't like that idea much at all. Or is this just Misty not thinking things through? DIANA AND THE WICCAN REDE It is an interesting topic, Diana and the "harm none" thing. Misty seems to believe very strongly that the world needs guardians (not literal Guardians, but people who protect and defend, in whatever capacity), and that some of those guardians, at least, are going to have to be warriors. At least in her fantasy worlds, there are entities that just have to be handled violently to protect the innocent. That's one of those eternal ethical questions: When, if ever, can you justify causing someone harm? I think Di's stories raises that issue to a certain degree. Diana has made her choices, and the reader gets to watch her and decide if she's made, in the reader's opinion, good choices. A lot of Wiccans think the Rede is an easy thing to follow: one-step instant ethics, no memorizing, no dietary laws, no frills and sacraments. Just add water and stir. However, nothing is ever that easy, and it's important for people who espouse the Rede as their moral code to think about what it means and what its limitations may or may not be. Just because there's only one rule doesn't let you out of the hard stuff, as I'm sure Diana learned the hard way. BOOKS Yeah, I thought it was kinda neat that sexuality wasn't an issue in Swordspoint. It's a nice counterbalance, in a way, to LHM, where sexuality is a constant issue. I think both kinds of books can be cool and relevant and all that. My own are kind of toward the Swordspoint end of the spectrum, but less so. Barbara's series is much more LHM in that way; the major character conflict in the first book she's writing is the inevitable stress of being a closeted couple, and how hard it is to maintain a decent relationship when you know no one will support you. (Actually, there's a lot of Vanyel and Stefen in Geryon and Bannic. I guess you can spot Mistyfen at thirty paces.) The Fionavar Tapestry is great, though depressing. Do read all three -- I think they get progressively better. The first is slower than the others, so I wouldn't despair after just one. (BTW, they are The Summer Tree, The Wandering Fire, and The Darkest Road -- or The Longest Road. One of those is in the poem, and the other is the title of the book. I can never keep them straight.) I happened to love the Mists of Avalon. You either adore it, or you're bored silly. It's very heavily character-driven, and spread over a tremendous lot of time, and it drives a lot of people nuts. However, I go for that kind of thing. I thought it was beautiful. It's a King Arthur story (possibly my favorite, but I go back and forth between Avalon and Fire Lord, by Parke Godwin), and very psychological, as opposed to an adventure story. SWATTING I agree with Danya that Yfandes was probably all set to kill Talia, or at least hurt her really, really seriously. We're not talking love-taps here. Vanyel was kind of a stern boyo, and he would definitely not have shielded her from a kind of magical buffetting designed to help her get it together. Maybe, if Yfandes *was* groveborn (and I dunno if she was or not), that would contribute to her having a more practical and less compassionate take on the situation than Vanyel did, Van having been a human and not a spirit from beyond. ROLAN I still think Misty just decided halfway through the series that this thing about Companions not being able to talk to anyone but their own Mindspeaking Herald was a dratted nuisance and dropped it. No one does it until Yfandes, six book into the series. Before that, everyone is always hearing things from their Companion, who heard it from so-and-so's Companion, with the implication that Companions can all talk to each other, but not to any human but their Chosen. Anyway, I kind of liked Rolan being a mystical, otherworldly sort of presence. The king stag image from Bambi is appropos. Everyone else is always jawing around with their Companions, getting needled and coddled and all that. Rolan was unique. He had character. CASTING Sorry, Adrian Paul is unavailable to play Amberdrake. He's playing Darkwind in my movie. Yes, Heather is unable to work and play well with others, which is why she made up her own casting list Anyway, it was too much trouble to submit every character with the actor I liked to the whole list separately, so I just saved time and did it all for myself. This way I don't have to deal with all of you coming unglued every time Tom Cruise, Sean Connery, Julia Roberts, Sharon Stone, or whoever is mentioned. I can put them wherever I want. Ha! Ha ha! Besides, poring over Mistylist posts and back issues of Premiere in search of exactly the right Tylendel is more fun than homework. HTH r618-+AT+-academic.truman.edu ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 14 Oct 1996 20:29:47 +0200 (METDST) From: Khenta Blaufalk To: Misty mail Subject: Renunciates/Larry's artwork Message-ID: Ju-huhhh, I'm baaaack! Due to an -predictable :)- attack of exam monsters (3 of them), I had stay at home for an entire week to ward them off with my schoolbooks... :) But now that autumn holidays are here, I hope that I'll be able to be here more frequently (I missed all of you and all of this... :) ). Hth writes sometime last week (I _know_ I'm behind on the mail, forgiveness): >Ah, here's a related question. The Darkover trilogy about the >Renunciates -- Shattered Chain, Thendara House, and City of Sorcery. >Should I read them? Absolutely, yes! The one(s?) and only Darkover books I reread from time to time. In fact, the _only_ Darkover books I own, aside from the various anthologies. Never bothered with the rest. Too patriarchal for my liking. The society of Darkover, that is, not the books. _Shattered Chain_ is, IMO, very Women's Lib, it being written in the 70s. >I loved Mists of Avalon, but I loathed the Trillium >books, I only read the first Trillium book (the co-authored thing), was very disappointed with the cliched (sp?) characterization and plotline, so I never bothered to read the rest of them. >and I was relatively happy with Firebrand, so all in all I don't >know where I stand on MZB (except that I wish she'd accept one of my >short stories for once). I practically started reading fantasy with MZB's books, but retrospectively I must say that her attitude towards life is a bit too fatalistic for my liking. I like her work as an editor better, S&S and all. =================================================================== Amy writes: > He thinks that it looks like the illustrations may have been >done, scanned into a computer, and then edited there which may be why >(IMHO, of course, I can draw an iguana skull if it's sitting in front >of me and that's it) they sometimes look rough for a professional >artist. _Somewhere_ I once read that this is exactly how he works, but I can't for the life of me not remember where I got this from. Sorry, no TxtEvd ;). Walk in beauty Khenta Blaufalk aka Skyfire & Aar Goddess of Incomplete Vocabulary and Garbled Grammar =================================================================== Hellrung's Law: If you wait, it will go away. Grelb's addition: ... if it was bad, it will be back. =================================================================== ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 14 Oct 1996 11:31:59 -0700 From: "Linda Malcor, Ph.D" To: mercedes-lackey-+AT+-herald.co.uk Subject: Re: MO Message-ID: <199610141831.LAA16418-+AT+-latimes.com> At 06:53 PM 10/14/96 +0100, Mat the Cat in Green wrote: >> >Didn't they say something about there being a >> >King's Own? >> >> King's Own/Queen's Own just tells you the sex of the Monarch's Own. > >No, it indicates the sex of the Monarch. Talia is Queen's Own b/c >Selenay is Queen. Shavri was King's Own b/c Randale was King. >Now, if Randale had been a cross-dresser, Shavri could have been >Queen's Own. Oops. Sorry for the gaff. That's what I get for trying to think with mt son shrieking in my ear ;->! Danya ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 14 Oct 1996 11:50:59 -0700 From: "Linda Malcor, Ph.D" To: mercedes-lackey-+AT+-herald.co.uk Subject: Re: Deep question Message-ID: <199610141850.LAA16916-+AT+-latimes.com> At 07:17 PM 10/14/96 +0100, Sandra K Haas wrote: > >I have a question for you author types...Would you read a news group like >this if you were in Misty's shoes?? What I mean is, we tend to be very >opinionated as to what we do and don't like, and that there is general >consensious that her writing has slipped and such. Firts, would you read >it at all, then, how would you feel about it? Would you take the >information and opinions to heart and really do something to try to make >everyone happy, or would you think...its my world, if you don't like it, >don't read it!! Just wondering. I would. In fact I check the Website that carries the online interview with me reguarly to see if anyone has commented there (no one has yet), and I scan the Arthurnet archives and watch the list for comments about my book. I take what people (especially fans) have to say very seriously, and I evaluate the comments to see if I agree or disagree with them and to decide whether or not I can do anything to improve the area that is sparking the remarks. But then that's me. I have a friend who writes science fiction who never reads what anyone has to say about his work. He says the reviewers don't know what they are talking about. (Sure, some of them don't. But I at least look so I can benefit from the comments from the ones who do have a valid point.) Danya ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 14 Oct 1996 14:53:37 -0400 (EDT) From: Mat the Cat in Green To: mercedes-lackey-+AT+-herald.co.uk Subject: Re: Groveborns/Yfandes/Books/SB Spoilers Message-ID: On Mon, 14 Oct 1996, Hth. wrote: > GROVEBORNS > I'm just sure it says somewhere that only a groveborn companion can, I > dunno, use nodes or channel or something cool like that, which is why > it's nice to have them around? Doesn't Gwena reveal that somewhere? I > don't know, I skim all the magic information. It's just not my cup of > tea, particularly. But those of you who keep track of these things, > isn't that at least hinted at somewhere? IIRC, it's somewhere in WoC. But it's said about Gwena, not all Grove borns. But, of course, her grove-ness is a secret at the time, so she may have been hiding that. > YFANDES > I assume that Yfandes had been "running alone" for ten years after the > normal age when Companions choose. The question is, why? Vanyel was an > accident, not a Destined Hero. She couldn't have been waiting for him > in particular. If Vanyel hadn't been there, would there have been some > other Destined Hero that Yfandes would have Chosen to stop Leareth and > Save the World? Or would she just never have Chosen? If Companions are > matched up before birth with the correct Herald (which seems implied, > given that there are more Companions born ten years before a bunch of > children are eligible to be Chosen), then *was* Yfandes matched up with > Vanyel? And does that mean that Tylendel's actions, including the > accident with the gate that blew open Vanyel's channels, were already > Foreknown to somebody? I don't like that idea much at all. > Or is this just Misty not thinking things through? I go for the last one, really. But if we were to ignore that, I'd say that it was possible that, somewhere down the line, Van and 'Lendel's lifebond would have awakened Van's Gifts, and he might have been Chosen. Of course, without getting his channels burned, he'd probably only have been a minor mage, not a major one, with every Gift in the book. But I bet the "not thinking things through" thing is the reality. We probably read a lot more into Misty's books than she does. :) > BOOKS > Yeah, I thought it was kinda neat that sexuality wasn't an issue in > Swordspoint. It's a nice counterbalance, in a way, to LHM, where > sexuality is a constant issue. I think both kinds of books can be cool > and relevant and all that. My own are kind of toward the Swordspoint > end of the spectrum, but less so. Barbara's series is much more LHM in > that way; the major character conflict in the first book she's writing > is the inevitable stress of being a closeted couple, and how hard it is > to maintain a decent relationship when you know no one will support you. > (Actually, there's a lot of Vanyel and Stefen in Geryon and Bannic. > I guess you can spot Mistyfen at thirty paces.) You know, someday you and Barbara have *got* to get published. Your occasional references to your characters just sound *cool*. > The Fionavar Tapestry is great, though depressing. Do read all three > -- I think they get progressively better. The first is slower than the > others, so I wouldn't despair after just one. > (BTW, they are The Summer Tree, The Wandering Fire, and The Darkest > Road -- or The Longest Road. One of those is in the poem, and the other > is the title of the book. I can never keep them straight.) Darkest is the book, longest is the kidy-game poem. > I happened to love the Mists of Avalon. You either adore it, or > you're bored silly. It's very heavily character-driven, and spread over > a tremendous lot of time, and it drives a lot of people nuts. However, > I go for that kind of thing. I thought it was beautiful. It's a King > Arthur story (possibly my favorite, but I go back and forth between > Avalon and Fire Lord, by Parke Godwin), and very psychological, as > opposed to an adventure story. You know, one of these days, I've got to get ahold of Mists of Avalon. Whenever I go to the big library, I mean to look for it, but I always forget. > Maybe, if Yfandes *was* groveborn (and I dunno if she was > or not) Ooh, I just thought of a Spoiler of a proof that Yfandes is *not* Grove-born. SB SPOILERS!!!!! At the end of SB, Karal sees the double image of Yfandes as the Companion and as a woman with the look of a hunter. Now, if you subscribe to the theory that Grove-borns are brand new spirits (as opposed to former Monarchs or something), then the doble imagen (oops, memory of my high school's annual spanish poetry thingy snuck in there) proves that she's not G-b, since a G-b wouldn't have one. Mat Cat Person, Champion in Green, |"I looked across the battlefield, blood Adept, and God of Procrastination| seeping from my wounds. My comrades, mtimme47-+AT+-magic.hofstra.edu | they did never yield. For courage http://ada.hofstra.edu/~mtimme47/| knows no bounds." - Heather Alexander ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 14 Oct 1996 15:00:35 -0500 From: aw2-+AT+-mail.idt.net (Kimberly) To: mercedes-lackey-+AT+-herald.co.uk Subject: swatting Message-ID: >>I'm sure the swats >>weren't very pleasant, and probably did hurt, quite a bit, but not >>killing strength. > >Then why would Van have stopped Yfandes from doing it? Maybe because Yfandes was going to indulge in a hasty measure. Just ~how~ hasty is the problem. Anything that swats Talia swats Rolan. (see below *gryn*) >Talia was obviously >in need of something like that. No, I think "swat" is being used in the >sense of "swatting flies." Well... when you swat a fly, you don't specifically strike to kill. You don't care. If stunning works equally well, you do that instead. (or at least I did, when I was younger and swatted flies at all *shamefaced look*) I think Yfandes might have crippled Talia's Gift (can't say if it would have been permanently blasted the channel shut or temporarily hurt it or dammed it a little) but killing her ~would~ have affected Rolan. At least I think so. Yes, Rolan is the Monarch's Own Companion and has to Choose again if his Chosen dies. That does ~not~ mean he doesn't get hurt when the bond is snapped so arbitrarily. Remember the sheer strength of Talia's bond to Rolan; surely that counts for something? >From what ~Yfandes~ said in MPrice, Companions stick around after their Chosen die, even if just to say... goodbye... before they leave. So Rolan doesn't have the option of leaving; not having the option would only make it hurt a little more, I'd think... >>Besides, I seriously doubt a Companion >>would kill the MO. Maybe knock unconscious so she couldn't do anything, >>yes, but not kill. It just goes against everything we've learned about >>the Heralds and Companions, that a Companion would kill another Herald, >>especially the MO. > >Not true. It could happen with a lot less cause. All it takes is a blind >spot. Lores almost killed Ghost, remember? In a sense 'Lendel killed his >own Companion. Those are human mistakes. Lores was mentally deaf, and he was a fathead (well, at the time he was) and out of his depth in a situation where he was filled with hate. Nothing about Companions and ~certainly~ nothing about Yfandes, who I should think would know better. Both Tylendel and Lores had personal prejudices in the situations they were pitted up against, and were driven past remembering their Heraldic ~duty~ They only remembered that something was "evil" and that they were out to destroy it. Yfandes, OTOH, had none of that to influence her decision, and had nothing to hate. She happens to be much, much older than Gwena, who hated Ancar because she was reflecting off past injustices, had had time to reflect upon them, and had ~no~ experience from any past lifetime to balance out her position amongst the Companions. And provided that age doesn't also lend ruthlessness, it's supposed to loan patience and knowledge. (Opinions on age from the mouths of babes ::wry laugh::) >If Yfandes truly thought Talia's rogue gift was going to >destroy Kris, Tantris and Rolan, I think she would have favored saving the >three over saving the one. Hrmmm. Mmmph. I think we might all agree on that. The question is, not "will Yfandes save three over one" but "does Yfandes think disabling Talia would save them as effectively as killing her (which saves four and not three) and does the situation allow her to consider disabling" Obviously Vahn ;) thinks that it does, ~if~ that much. When the forest was watching, Stef, Van, and Yfandes must have been together deciding what to do, right? You don't say "I am going to kill a Herald of Valdemar because I think her Gift might be dangerous to all involved" without consulting 'all involved' Which includes Tantras and Rolan, I'd think (and they knew the forest was watching, too; I think they might hace contacted it at least) So now, there's the question of whether ~they~ would think killing Talia for the sake of a "greater good" could be condoned; if they thought her Gift wasn't out of control, then killing seems like jumping the gun. OTOH, I could be corrected by certain someones -- not naming any names *gryn* -- and be shown to be completley wrong and obnoxious as well. So, with apologies for ranting *emmbaressed look* I bid you all who are taking the PSATs tomorrow (along with me and about a few thousand other juniors and sophomores ) good luck and the rest of you a sheep. *giggle* Cheers, Kimberly P.S. Mat, you are thirded as an object of unrequited lust by me. *hug* :) :) :) And um, well... HERALD MICHAL IS BACK!!!!!!! *exhuberant cheer* I'll even be in a less crabby mood *grin* ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 14 Oct 1996 14:12:15 -0500 (CDT) From: Katherine M Brielmaier To: mercedes-lackey-+AT+-herald.co.uk Subject: Re: Swans, Rolan, Q Message-ID: On Mon, 14 Oct 1996, Hth. wrote: > > THE BONNY SWANS > Someone said that Rune's "assignment" was to rewrite the song so that > the man got his just due or something like that. I don't follow, what > man? The *sister* was the evildoer. The first guy didn't do anything > but fall in love with the non-murderous sister, and the bard couldn't > really be blamed for anything either. Can someone explain this to me? > It's been so bloody long since I've read Lark & Wren. WooHoo! Research is paying off! (does a dance). 'Kay. In the versions I've found so far, it's the elder sister who pushes the younger in the river, so yes, she's the mean one here. However, most of these versions make it quite clear that the "wooer" of the younger sister was also leading the older sister on, so he's not entirely blameless here either. "The eldest he gave a brotch an' knife But the youngest he lo'ed abune a' life." etc.etc.etc. And there's one version I found (much shorter than the rest) where the miller saves the younger sister, steals her "guinea gold ring" and then dumps her back in the water to drown. He gets hanged later on, even though the older sister caused the first dunking. In all other versions, the elder sister is accused (at least) and either breaks down and gives up, or is brought to justice: "Tuesday her heart began to ache; And Thursday night smoked at the stake." Oh, those blood-thirsty Scots! Anyway, most of the time "sweet Willaim", who has been getting the best of both worlds here, is let off scot-free, so it'd be reasonable to want t write a version where he's punished a bit himself. ************ RE: Rolan not mindspeaking Talia IMHO, Rolan and Talia have learned to work together in a certain way, and it's been going on for a pretty long time, now. It might just be easier for them to continue this way, since it would be more comfortable, less weird for Talia, and probably easier on Rolan to just not bother with the mindspeech. > Anyway, I kind of liked Rolan being a mystical, otherworldly sort of > presence. The king stag image from Bambi is appropos. Everyone else is > always jawing around with their Companions, getting needled and coddled > and all that. Rolan was unique. He had character. Absolutely--Rolan seems completely and totally trustworthy (not to say that other Companions don't, but they seem a little flightier, if you know what I mean) Though the mountains may fall, Rolan will still be there--that's the kind of feeling I get from him Re: Q and quotes: My favorite Star Trek quote *ever*, and I mean above everything and everyone else. (And it's paraphrased because I don't have it written down) From Q Who, where they meet the Borg for the first time.....gives me shivers! "The universe is wondrous, filled with treasures to satiate appetites both subtle, and gross. But it's not for the timid." 's e do bheatha, Kaatje ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 14 Oct 1996 13:07:14 -0700 From: "Linda Malcor, Ph.D" To: mercedes-lackey-+AT+-herald.co.uk Subject: Re: swatting Message-ID: <199610142007.NAA18726-+AT+-latimes.com> At 08:29 PM 10/14/96 +0100, Kimberly wrote: >>>Besides, I seriously doubt a Companion >>>would kill the MO. Maybe knock unconscious so she couldn't do anything, >>>yes, but not kill. It just goes against everything we've learned about >>>the Heralds and Companions, that a Companion would kill another Herald, >>>especially the MO. >> >>Not true. It could happen with a lot less cause. All it takes is a blind >>spot. Lores almost killed Ghost, remember? In a sense 'Lendel killed his >>own Companion. > >Those are human mistakes. That does not make a difference if we accept the idea that Companions are reincarnated Heralds and vice versa. >Yfandes, OTOH, >had none of that to influence her decision, and had nothing to hate. No? Talia's gift was driving two Companions, one an MOC!, to fight and possibly harm each other, and was causing Kris to become dangerously aggressive as well. That's pretty dang scary, if you ask me! Suppose Talia got out of there with a rogue gift like that. She could have started a civil war if she'd lost control in Haven. After all Van had sacrificed to save Valdemar, I doubt Yfandes would have thought twice about destroying such a threat. Danya ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 14 Oct 1996 13:16:15 -0700 From: "Linda Malcor, Ph.D" To: mercedes-lackey-+AT+-herald.co.uk Subject: SB Spoilers Message-ID: <199610142016.NAA18947-+AT+-latimes.com> At 08:25 PM 10/14/96 +0100, Mat the Cat in Green wrote: >SB SPOILERS!!!!! > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > >At the end of SB, Karal sees the double image of Yfandes as the >Companion and as a woman with the look of a hunter. Now, if >you subscribe to the theory that Grove-borns are brand new spirits >(as opposed to former Monarchs or something), then the doble imagen >(oops, memory of my high school's annual spanish poetry thingy snuck >in there) proves that she's not G-b, since a G-b wouldn't have one. But I don't subscribe to that theory. Since a complaint about Gwena is that she doesn't have any life experience, the corollary is that the others do have at least some. Danya ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 10 Oct 96 14:06:25 PDT From: Lisa Prior To: mercedes-lackey-+AT+-herald.co.uk Subject: Fwd: Jerry's post on graveborn Message-ID: Date: Thu, 10 Oct 96 12:59:54 PDT From: lprior To: mercedes-lackey-+AT+-herlads.co.uk Subject: Jerry's post on graveborn Shiver!!! That was a great image you put across. I can easily imagine how the children felt (it being the month of ghoulies). Anyone out there a filker? This would make a just perfect filk song. To be sung around the campfire on All Hallows! Lisa P (Goddess of klutzs) ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 14 Oct 1996 16:33:44 -0500 From: aw2-+AT+-mail.idt.net (Kimberly) To: mercedes-lackey-+AT+-herald.co.uk Subject: quick fluff *sheepish grin* Message-ID: Sandy wrote: >>I'm just NE of Cincinnati, OH. But according to one particularly rabid >>customer I'm on the fast track to hell ;) According to him, I am >>personally responsible for preventing the word of god from being spread >>'cause I didn't have the particular bible he wanted. Sigh. > >I knew *someone* had to be responsible!! :)) Damned if you do, damned if >you don't..... Hey, are you open on Saturdays?? Have a wedding in >Cincinnati on Nov. 9th!! Maybe I can stop by!! :) *giggle* A second honeymoon would be nice for all involved, yes! Undine, re-marry Craig so we can stop by :) *hug* Dr Jekyll *weg* a.k.a Mr Hyde i.e. Cennydd, (BTW, does anyone else besides me lithp "Kenneth" slightly? I'm jutht curiouth... *gryn*) Mage of Green Silences wrote: >If you want >to be god(dess) of textevd, you must demonstrate that you have a deeper >understanding of it than I do. Sorry. *drool* *slaver* Textevd explanation forthcoming? I thought it was just citing references/pg #s/scenes What else 's there? *anticipating Words from the origianl OoUL* And, Cat \/\/oman, I'm really sorry about your grandmother, and even more so that I skim digests so that I didn't see the original post ::blush:: *hug* Keep yourself busy (I know, that sounds like a terrible thing to say but if you keep your hands full, you can't really think about depressing things :( ::sigh:: ) ObMisty: If the Companion to the MO doesn't die with his Chosen because he needs to pass his advice on to the next MO, then why does the Companion to the Monarch die with their Chosen? (or don't they? dratted memory, it's being cluttered with philsophy class ...) ~Their~ input is needed almost as badly, and the occaisonal word from the Monarch's Companion might make the MO's job a ~lot~ easier. Blessed Be, Kimbada :) "On some of my darkest days, he's the one that comes and gives me an ice cream. I feel such a sadness from him. I cry and feel his presence with his music. I feel like he comes and sits on my piano. Yet this is a pretty serious being. I'm a little squirt when you think what a very serious force this is." ... And just as she loves the darkness, she craves the light: "I flirt with the sun god too. I enjoy that immensely." She gives her "yummy" smile, like a little girl with a bowl of pudding, a food that comes up quite often with her. "In fact, I enjoy both of them quite immensely." -- Tori Amos, 3/96 SPIN interview ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 14 Oct 1996 15:01:03 -0600 (MDT) From: Chelsea To: Misty-list Subject: "Bespeaking" textevd Message-ID: _Magic's_Price_, mid Chapter 18 "He [Stefen] stared at Yfandes, stunned. 'She must be Mindspeaking me, but how? I don't have the Gift --' ... :And I [Yfandes] can Bespeak anyone I choose to, it's one of the abilities Companions try not to use if there's any way around it. ...:" note: what's in single quotes was thought, not spoken or Mindspoken. etitameh -- the ...um... person who really likes textevd? nah... it just doesn't have the same ring as "goddess of textevd" ...oh, well... at least i can still be the goddess of hematite tigers (if noone else has an objection, that is... *sigh*) disclaimer: the above probably makes no sense... deal with it. :) may love and light guide you on your way... & *never* play strip tarot. chelsea.fischer-+AT+-colorado.edu http://ucsu.colorado.edu/~ccfische/ caf0001-+AT+-jove.acs.unt.edu http://www.unt.edu/~caf0001 "the limits of my language are the limits of my world." -- Wittgenstein ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 14 Oct 1996 16:27:26 +0000 From: myktshr-+AT+-ldd.net (miyako hirao) To: mercedes-lackey-+AT+-herald.co.uk Subject: Braid: Mists of Avalon/Misty's break/Van/Talia's Gift Message-ID: <199610142123.QAA15466-+AT+-cdale3.midwest.net> Lady Becky wrote: >>>I agree wholeheartedly! Mists of Avalon is a *great* book. But if you have tests coming up, or any big school projects that can't be put off, don't get it. It's addictive. While I was reading it, I did nothing else but read it, in every class that I could get away with it, as soon as I got home, went to my room, and read until midnight (or later) until I feel asleep reading it. It's is *wonderful*! Get it in hardback, it's over 1,000 pages. I *love* that book! <<< Is it still available in hardback? If it is, I won't really mind shucking out $ for it! I want to get it right before Christmas break so I can spend the whole break reading it. Are there any other books by MZB other than Darkover that are highly recommended? ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ David Tiffany wrote: >>>OBMisty: Other than the possible Owlflight, and the two books in that other series whose names escape me at the moment, do we know of any other books Misty is working on? Maybe she's taking that break **some** of us are always on about her needing?<<< I dunno -- I really hope she is! Sheesh, she's slipping big time, and I think it started with Storm Warning. That was halfway decent by Misty-standards, but SGryphon -- I've read better by others. I seriously hope that she's not working on two BIG time trilogies (like MWars and MStorms) at the same time. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Catwoman wrote: >>>Here's something I've been thinking about...I'm re-reading AotQ, and there's that little part of the tale that Talia was reading. It tells of Vanyel's last...stand? and it mentions some Companion named Evalie, and her Herald never gets a name. However, in MPrice, there is no mention of this other Herald, just Van, Stef and Yfandes handle the finale. Does this bug anyone else, or am I the only one?<<< Yeah, that bugged me, too, whenever I re-read Arrows then LHM. I think that Evalie was supposed to be Van's Companion, but Misty changed the name to Yfandes whenever she wrote the books. And it had no mention of Melody, Stefen's horse, and some other inconsistencies in the little section. I guess either the legend got garbled or Misty decided to change the story a bit. I think Misty actually had the name "Vanyel" in her head before she started LHM, and he happened to be Chosen by a Companion named Yfandes. BTW, LHM is my fave trilogy... ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Mat le chat vert (yeppers, I take French) wrote: >>>Ah, but how do you explain Talia hearing ":Kyril! Tell the Queen! In the shafts!:" ? If Talia was pure Empath, she'd have felt Ylsa's urgency for sure, but not the actual words. As it is, Talia gets the words *and* the meaning. So, (as Ylsa says in Gift class), Talia *does* have a little Thoughtsensing, but the thought has to have a strong emotion behind it to get through to her.<<< Kyril actually heard those words, but it wasn't until Talia showed him that he understood. She got a feeling of urgency and something about arrows, but wasn't quite sure what. I think Talia's Thoughtsensing is pretty much dormant unless it's a really extreme sitch. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Okay, that was relatively short.... BYE Y'ALL! Fun & Faulty Logic, Summersong, aka Spiffy the Cat <<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> Akiko Hirao "It wouldn't do to have omnipotent beings running around in the universe!" -- Q from ST:TNG "True Q" <<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 14 Oct 1996 17:03:03 -0600 From: Lynore_Belzer-+AT+-BAYLOR.EDU To: mercedes-lackey-+AT+-herald.co.uk Cc: Lynore_Belzer-+AT+-ccis01.baylor.edu Subject: Re: Deep question Message-ID: On Mon, 14 Oct 1996 19:16:21 +0100 (BST) mercedes-lackey-+AT+-herald.co.uk wrote: > >I have a question for you author types...Would you read a news group like >this if you were in Misty's shoes?? What I mean is, we tend to be very >opinionated as to what we do and don't like, and that there is general >consensious that her writing has slipped and such. Firts, would you read >it at all, then, how would you feel about it? Would you take the >information and opinions to heart and really do something to try to make >everyone happy, or would you think...its my world, if you don't like it, >don't read it!! Just wondering. I would read it just because opinionated people like us catch all the discrepensies, and that's something I'm pretty obsessive about in my own writing. I'd also be extremely interested in the different interpretations people had about my work. I know not everyone's going to like it. I got a crash course in THAT when I was on a critique list. But I would be interested because no criticism, however small or negative, is completely useless to a writer. -Lyn ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 14 Oct 1996 17:26:37 CST From: "JAIME HATHAWAY" To: mercedes-lackey-+AT+-herald.co.uk Subject: Re: SB Spoilers Message-ID: <692E895710-+AT+-future.judson.edu> > Date sent: Mon, 14 Oct 1996 21:38:08 +0100 (BST) > Send reply to: mercedes-lackey-+AT+-herald.co.uk > From: "Linda Malcor, Ph.D" > To: jsjahath-+AT+-future.judson.edu > Subject: SB Spoilers > At 08:25 PM 10/14/96 +0100, Mat the Cat in Green wrote: > >SB SPOILERS!!!!! > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > >At the end of SB, Karal sees the double image of Yfandes as the > >Companion and as a woman with the look of a hunter. Now, if > >you subscribe to the theory that Grove-borns are brand new spirits > >(as opposed to former Monarchs or something), then the doble imagen > >(oops, memory of my high school's annual spanish poetry thingy snuck > >in there) proves that she's not G-b, since a G-b wouldn't have one. > I agree...even in Vanyel's books, he sees her as shifting from companion to a lady, too. Oh, very clever, Worf. Eat any good books lately? --Q ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 14 Oct 1996 18:43:48 -0400 (EDT) From: undine To: list lackey Subject: Mat/Witch World/SB/Kushner Message-ID: Heyla all! *sniff* I missed the list over the weekend-no access 'cause my server was "upgrading" :( So forgive me if some of this is out of date. ************************ I'd like to second the Ever Exquisite and Frabjous Flittering Lilac Fairy's nomination of Mat to the ranks of the OoUL. Well, I do have a qualification of sorts ;) (water sprites can be capricious too, you know) Mat, all of our other OoUL have particular--ahhh-talents; if you're coming to the Bower, I think we should get a preview of what recommends you as an OoUL. Like Alec's wickedly sharp tongue, Cen's wonderful way with chocolate, Stef's bardic ability, you get the idea :> ************************* Nightshade asked if it's important to read Andre Norton's Witch World books in order: Yes, with qualifications. Some of the books should be read in order like: Witch World, Web of Witch World, Three Against Witch World, Warlock of Witch World, and Sorceress of Witch World (talk about typos: the book's blurb misspells one of the main character's names!!) because the events in those books are sequential and reading them out of order will be confusing or at least disjointed, IMHO. Again, Year of the Unicorn should be read before Jargoon Pard. And if you're going to read her most recent book, The Warding of Witch World, you'll also want to read Spell of Witch World, The Crystal Gryphon, The Key of the Keplian and The Magestone. Because characters from those books all make appearances in The Warding and the book is already rather disjointed enough without knowing who the characters are and why they're important(talk about a tie-up-all-loose-ends book). You certainly Don't Have to read them in order, but events and characters' actions certainly make more sense if you do. ************************************* I agree with Cennydd wholeheartedly about Loreena McKennitt!! Her CDs are Beautiful!! I sell one every time I play it in my store. I get them from a great little company which also sells music retail called Ladyslipper. They carry a nice selection of folk/celtic/world music. They primarily carry music by women artists 'though they do have a "Mehn's Music" section. :) You can request a catalog by emailing them at info-+AT+-ladyslipper.org ************************************ Catwoman, your grandmother is in my thoughts. If there's anything else I can do, please ask. *********************************** Jag, if not a mutant squid, then what the heck do you think it looks like? It's even got tentacles with suckers on them. And what about that claw? And the Skull? ******************************** Lady Sophia, you asked if Magda Lorne/Margali made a cameo in The Bloody Sun of Darkover. She does for just a couple of paragraphs and it's during a flashback scene (p342 Severn House edition). ********************************* I reread SB over the weekend so I'm full of questions! *grin* I don't think these are spoilers but if you're the type who doesn't want to know Anything, don't read the following :) : Need mentions a temple of Bestet a battle goddess (p 155). Is Bestet mentioned anywhere else? Darkwind is thinking about the Grove-born, "They had unusually powerful abilities in mind-magic, and through most of the history of Valdemar there had never been more than one Grove-born Companion." (p165) MOST??? When else (leaving aside the Yffandes debate) has there ever been more than one? And why if the MOC/Grove-born is always a stallion, is Gwena a mare? What happens if Rolan and Gwena mate? In a discussion about earth-sense, Elspeth says, "My step-father has it, but we've never discussed it much, and HE was never formally bound to Valdemar." (p181) Does that mean his earth-sense was never bound ritually or that Daren himself was never bound (made co-consort)? And did anyone else notice the use of the word gesten as a term of friendship?(p252) Wasn't that the name of the hertasi that took care of Amberdrake and Skan? ******************************* Ellen Kushner news: Did you fanatics ;) know that she wrote a story, "Playing with Fire," that's darn near identical in premise to Swordspoint but with female characters? Ms. Kushner writes, "The story began as a cynical attempt to do a female version of the male couple in Swordspoint (the novel I was mired in at the time) so that I would have something short to sell to the fantasy market. But as the alchemy of gender difference, and my own love of the new characters took over, Crowe and Aelwin acquired their own very separate personae." The story is in the seventh Year's Best Fantasy & Horror collection. ******************************** Undine who is sure she missed all sorts of cool messages "I believe one writes because one has to create a world in which to live." Anais Nin ------------------------------ End of MERCEDES-LACKEY Digest 876 *********************************