MERCEDES-LACKEY Digest 877 Topics covered in this issue include: 1) Non-spoiling Storm Breaking Observations by "Heather D. Wegemer" 2) Sandaar / Thess / Bdays / Aussie / Yfandes / Groveborn / Van. by mealink-+AT+-syd.au.swissbank.com (Kerry Mealing) 3) LotPW & Mat by Rozanna McNeer 4) Evalie by Rozanna McNeer 5) Felara by "JAIME HATHAWAY" 6) MZB by Rozanna McNeer 7) Reply to: Re: Deep question by Rozanna McNeer 8) re: mutant squid by Rozanna McNeer 9) nominations/missing people/SB Spoilers/Kushner/Talia's Thouhgtsensing/Heathens/More SB Spoilers by Mat the Cat in Green 10) Re: Deep question by ajfabbey-+AT+-powerup.com.au 11) Reply to Kerry by ajfabbey-+AT+-powerup.com.au 12) author types by ajfabbey-+AT+-powerup.com.au 13) Deep question/YIPPEE!/shaych portrayals by Claris Smith 14) Re: Van's Fictional Story, Yfandes by be248-+AT+-scn.org (SCN User) 15) Protectors/Aya/Lissa/MZB by Mat the Cat in Green 16) mutant squids/yes Virginia, there is a Storm Breaking (right?) by teleute 17) Yfandes/Sherrill/Kushner/list by "Hth." 18) Re: Yfandes/Sherrill/Kushner/list by cmsfriedl-+AT+-naxs.com (Connie silver-Friedl) 19) MoA avail?/Tlaia's reading/annual festival time! by davidt-+AT+-cet.com (D H Tiffany/Shawn Marie Walker) 20) Yfandes, and Companion bonds in general by Morgana ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: Mon, 14 Oct 1996 19:36:44 +0000 From: "Heather D. Wegemer" To: mercedes-lackey-+AT+-herald.co.uk Subject: Non-spoiling Storm Breaking Observations Message-ID: <199610142337.TAA20743-+AT+-cwconnect.ca> > Date: Tue, 15 Oct 1996 00:08:58 +0100 (BST) > From: undine > 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? At the Founding, and probably for several generations after that, the Companions had to be largely Groveborn (slowly tapering off as natural population increases came about) because the Companion gene pool was not large enough (0, at the Founding) to support mare-borrn Companions. > 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? It was, yes. This may have come out of his name, but I doubt it. Gesten's name was _probably_ similar to the French Aimee -- the verb "aimer" is "to like". We have seen Kechara as an example of this form of name used in the Mage Wars trilogy already; it is not uncommon in our world, and seems not to be in Ms. Lackey's Velgarth. ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 15 Oct 96 11:08:01 EST From: mealink-+AT+-syd.au.swissbank.com (Kerry Mealing) To: mercedes-lackey-+AT+-vanyel.herald.co.uk Subject: Sandaar / Thess / Bdays / Aussie / Yfandes / Groveborn / Van. Message-ID: <9610150108.AA24159-+AT+-syd.au.swissbank.com> Morgana wrote: > Hm... Obmisty.... Well, We've seen Air elementals in the Velgarth books, > and earth, have we seen water and fire ones? There're fire ones. Magic's Promise (Price?), Van attacking that corrupt 'hedge' wizard - there's a line to the effect, "Van stood his ground and sent a San'daar (unsure of the apostrophe) - a fire elemental - raging towards the mage.." ---------------------------------------------------------------------- EOM. Thess wrote: > Kerry, could you give me Telzey titles and ISBN's, too? Please, pretty > please with a sheep on top? Thess - did you get the ISBN's I posted? I bought two new (second-hand) bookcases over the weekend and managed to get half my books out of boxes so I've found "The Lion Game" (the third book) - I'll post its ISBN tomorrow. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- EOM. Belated but hearty Happy Birthdays Mat & Rees. *hugs all round* ---------------------------------------------------------------------- EOM. Abfabby wrote: > Is anyone else on this list from Australia? If so, where do you manage > to find Misty books (older ones, that is)? Hiya Ab. I'm Aussie genus, adopted-sub-genus Sydneyite. Most books like Arrows can be found in second hand stores. Dymocks will order LHM and some of the others.. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- EOM. Re: Yfandes & Swatting: I always thought from Arrows that the presence in the forest (Yfandes) was on the verge of striking with crippling or lethal force. However once I found out it was Yfandes, it occurred to me that the perception of a threat is often nearly as good as the execution of the threat. Think of the way a parent will raise their hand and move as if to smack a misbehaving child - depending on the child, that alone will shock him/her back into behaving properly. Yfandes is one of my favourite characters - she's pragmatic, utterly loyal and one of the few Companions who we have not seen as humans, who has a personality. Rolan has presence. So does a monolithic statue. Yfandes has personality (and not the juggernaut female archetype that Misty seems to like). Re: Groveborn (HTH): Winds of Fate, has the bit about Grove-born being able to channel, and Gwena in particular being a mage as well as able to channel. (Note, this is not Channelling, as Karal does it, but more channelling as one mage[-potential] can feed energy to another mage to whom they are bonded, much as Van fed energy to Lendel). Re: Yfandes (HTH): I agree that the specific circumstances of Vanyel attaining operancy (whoops, wrong list.. going from latent/potential to actually gifted), were an accident, but I think the proximity to Lendel and Gala, would have developed his gifts in time. Certainly his own developing sense of ethics may well have led him to be chosen in time anyway.. HTH continued: > 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? The ability to vaguely see Big Trouble (TM) in x years time and hence the higher turnover in Heralds & likely need for more Companions, does not imply the ability to match Companions with Heralds who are yet to be born or toddlers. My guess? Yfandes is a damn special Companion, by dint of who she is, not any special planning on the gods, and was holding out for a compatible soul-mate. Van was the one she was waiting for. And she sorta implies that she has a touch of Foresight as well. ("I knew when I chose you that it would come to this.").. Hmm. I've just realized that another male Kerry has joined the list (which accounts for those "But I didn't write that!" reactions I've had a few times lately). On the other hand, I can't think of a nick I like (that doesn't sound pompous or silly or not-me when written down). Ah well, if people get confused I'll adopt one then. Hey other-Kerry - feel like using a nickname? :) Cheers, Kerry.. Symptomatic of my life lately, actually. ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 14 Oct 1996 22:09:36 -0400 From: Rozanna McNeer To: "mercedes-lackey-+AT+-herald.co.uk mercedes-lackey-+AT+-herald.co.uk" Subject: LotPW & Mat Message-ID: <199610142209_MC1-AE4-EC8E-+AT+-compuserve.com> It is now official -> Mat the Cat in Green, OoUL has two Cat bodyguards standing ready to defend him (and his virtue should he require it) from all- comers! (ta-ra, ta-ra) So, be warned, lest ye face the mighty claws of the dread Firemist and Jaguar! re Arrows and mythical beasties -> If Aya was such an abnormally large size, then how much damage could he do if really enraged? I'm thinking of the poor Herald that got flamed in Arrows by Firebirds. . . ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 14 Oct 1996 22:14:02 -0400 From: Rozanna McNeer To: "mercedes-lackey-+AT+-herald.co.uk mercedes-lackey-+AT+-herald.co.uk" Subject: Evalie Message-ID: <199610142214_MC1-AE9-A86-+AT+-compuserve.com> somebody said they thought Evalie was Lissa's Companion -> Lissa wasn't Chosen I always thought that Talia was imagining a part for herself in the book -> besides, if it was Lissa, she wouldn't have but in that part of Van looking sinister, would she? Firemist ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 14 Oct 1996 21:43:59 CST From: "JAIME HATHAWAY" To: mercedes-lackey-+AT+-herald.co.uk Subject: Felara Message-ID: <6D78D91AF9-+AT+-future.judson.edu> When Ylsa appeared to Talia after her death, and Felara was with her, Felara appears as an ever-changing shape...I forget the rest of the description. Would this imply that Felara was somehow different from the rest (I'm assuming that reincarnated Heralds/Companions would appear human after death, like Ylsa does), or would it be that Misty just didn't know she'd reincarnate her Heralds into Companions? Does that make sense? It always confused me when reading about Felara, and then reading about the double images Heralds get of their Companions. Would Felara's appearance be what Rolan and Gwena and other Grove-born Companions would look like? But thinking about it, I'd guess that Misty just hadn't figured out what she wanted to do exactly the Companions, or decided later on to make them reincarnations. Jacquelle "Oh, VERY clever, Worf. Eat any good books lately?" Q...Deja Q. :Really, Chosen, you need a better signature than this.: :Yes, oh, Wisest of the Wise.: ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 14 Oct 1996 22:44:16 -0400 From: Rozanna McNeer To: "mercedes-lackey-+AT+-herald.co.uk mercedes-lackey-+AT+-herald.co.uk" Subject: MZB Message-ID: <199610142244_MC1-AE7-30CA-+AT+-compuserve.com> Summersong the Catty Spiff wanted to know what MZB books other than Darkover ones make for a Good Read Well, the Firebrand was pretty good (about Cassandra et al) Mists (of course) The Forest House (more good stuff!) Web of Light and Web of Darkness (I don't know the title of the duology. . .) Ruins of Isis -> very feminist issues in here. . . Seven from the Stars was also very good I myself also liked the inheritor, dark satanic, and witch hill, all 'urban' fantasy type things one fine day, i'll dust off my old anthologies and re-read them again :grins, thinking of Free Amazons of Darkover: just as soon as I finish this blasted Rorty paper Firemist ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 14 Oct 1996 22:48:02 -0400 From: Rozanna McNeer To: "mercedes-lackey-+AT+-herald.co.uk mercedes-lackey-+AT+-herald.co.uk" Subject: Reply to: Re: Deep question Message-ID: <199610142248_MC1-AE2-5FF6-+AT+-compuserve.com> I too would read a list like this one, if I were Misty. Especially since I think as a whole this list is a tougher bunch of critics than any editor could be Also, I like to have my flaws pointed out so I can ruddy well FIX them! Little things like Kris remounting Tantris 70 times (ok, it was only 2) in the one scene in Arrows when Kris and Talia return from their training stint and meet Dirk - to me that detracts from the story -> you're concentration/absorbtion in the story is interrupted. It stinks when that happens. firemist ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 14 Oct 1996 22:50:55 -0400 From: Rozanna McNeer To: "mercedes-lackey-+AT+-herald.co.uk mercedes-lackey-+AT+-herald.co.uk" Subject: re: mutant squid Message-ID: <199610142251_MC1-ADC-8C82-+AT+-compuserve.com> re: It doens't look a thing like a mutant squid! if it isn't, then waht is it? yeah, Jag, it must have looked something like a mutant squid cause you sure didn't come on asking 'what mutant squid? I don't see a mutant squid. where is this mutant squid you guys keep talking about?' Firemist ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 14 Oct 1996 22:51:57 -0400 (EDT) From: Mat the Cat in Green To: Mercedes Lackey mailing list Subject: nominations/missing people/SB Spoilers/Kushner/Talia's Thouhgtsensing/Heathens/More SB Spoilers Message-ID: > From: Kimberly > > P.S. Mat, you are thirded as an object of unrequited lust by me. *hug* > :) :) :) :) Thank you milady Kimi-limi-ding-dong. > And um, well... HERALD MICHAL IS BACK!!!!!!! *exhuberant cheer* I'll even > be in a less crabby mood *grin* Welcome back Michal! What happened to you? Server troubles? BTW - what's happened to Kory and S-L? I know that S-L was having server troubles a while back.... =========================================================================== > From: undine > 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 :> Thank you, milady Undine. Boy, all these nominations. For a minute there, I was beginning to feel unloved. Silly me. :) As for talents, ummmm, general cuddlieness, and a dry sense of humor? Ooops, SB Spoilerette: Skip until you see a "*****************" if you don't want to read. > 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)? IMHO, she meant that Darren's Gift was never bound to Valdemar. I doubt that she meant the co-consort thing. Esp. since later, we're told that he has to get bound. On a tangent, Daren can never go home now (to Rethwellan) or at least, only for a very short time, since he's bound to Valdemar. Similarly, Solaris can't come visit Selenay anymore. Oooh, a thought (no wisecracks -- esp. you Jag!). What'll happen to the Tayledras who got bound? Are they bound to their current Vale? Or to the Pelagirs as a whole? If the Vale, that's gonna be a problem if they have to move Vales. Esp. since the bound ones are probably Healing Adepts, given what we find out about them in SB. ************************************************** > 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. You know, next time I go home for more than a day or two, I'm going to have to ransack the main library for all of thes Collections. And I always avoided them before (don't care for short stories -- I prefer long epics, so if I like a character, I get a lot of him/her). But Kushner is enough to make me look! :) ========================================================================= Summersong wrote: > Mat le chat vert (yeppers, I take French) wrote: I don't. I assume that it's a translation of my mail name? > >>>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. No, I think that Talia heard the words too. When we see them, it's a Talia/Ylsa POV. AotQ -- SFBC omnibus p203: "The archers' work was done, the swordsmen closed anew. She saw *the* blade catch the moonlight, and arc down, ad she knew it for the one that would kill her -- :Kyril! Tell the Queen--in the shaft!: Dozens of images flashed and vanished. One stayed. Arrows-- ringed with black. Five of them. Hollow black ringed arrows-- " etc, etc. That makes me think that Talia heard and felt the message. Later on, Kyril says only: p206: "I hear the thoughts of others, it is true, but *only* as words. Ylsa cast a message to me with her last breath, but it means *nothing* to me, *nothing*! But if you can recall her thoughts, you who shared her mind--you alone know the meaning behind those words on the wind. Can you tell us what she meant?" Now, if Talia hadn't heard the message, she'd probably have no idea what Kyril was talking about. And he never mentions what the message was. ======================================================================= You know, it's kind of cool to get personal e-mail from "famous" people. I got a message today from Heather Alexander. Seems that I haven't gotten my Life's Flame and Heathens kit b/c they've been on tour in Montana (of all places!), and hadn't gotten my check and stuff. So, she says by month's end I should have my stuff. Finally. :) ======================================================================= > From: "Linda Malcor, Ph.D" > 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. I don't think that that's a valid statement. The implication is that Gwena has no experience *b/c she's G-b*. So, non-G-b Companions do have experience. The double image is most likely indicative of that experience, so therefore, Yfandes has such experience. And that leads to her not being Grove-born. Mat, Heathen #?? 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: Tue, 15 Oct 1996 03:01:30 GMT From: ajfabbey-+AT+-powerup.com.au To: mercedes-lackey-+AT+-herald.co.uk Subject: Re: Deep question Message-ID: <199610150301.DAA09961-+AT+-enterprise.powerup.com.au> At 20:21 14/10/96 +0100, you wrote: >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?? > >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 > > Danya, Excuse my ignorance but what do you write and where is your website to be found so I can go look? And yes I would also check to see what fans had to say about my writing but if it was continually critical I might (probably) choose to stay away - my self-doubt would get in the way! :o Adrianne ajfabbey-+AT+-powerup.com.au ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 15 Oct 1996 03:42:31 GMT From: ajfabbey-+AT+-powerup.com.au To: mercedes-lackey-+AT+-herald.co.uk Subject: Reply to Kerry Message-ID: <199610150342.DAA15359-+AT+-enterprise.powerup.com.au> >Hiya Ab. I'm Aussie genus, adopted-sub-genus Sydneyite. Most books like >Arrows can be found in second hand stores. Dymocks will order LHM and >some of the others.. > Thanks, Kerry, for the help. Dymocks here had basically told me they were unable to get anything other than the Gryphons and the Storm series but yesterday I found one LHM in another Dymocks - after I'd found all three in a second hand store. However, I've found a source in the US and have ordered the Arrows books, the Winds trilogy and By the Sword - so now I can sit in anticipation of a good read over Christmas! :D Adrianne ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 15 Oct 1996 03:42:33 GMT From: ajfabbey-+AT+-powerup.com.au To: mercedes-lackey-+AT+-herald.co.uk Subject: author types Message-ID: <199610150342.DAA15364-+AT+-enterprise.powerup.com.au> >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 > > How many people on the list are writers or would-be writers? I'm a writer of children's fiction predominantly with some adult short fiction and poetry thrown in - oh, and the occasional article. If this isn't approprite to the list, I'm happy to have private e-mail on this. And for the poll that *someone* is maintaining, I'm 36, happily solo with a couple of children. (And my birthday's June 24). obmisty: don't really have one. I've just started reading SG so maybe I'll have one when I'm finished. WTTW Adrianne ajfabbey-+AT+-powerup.com.au ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 14 Oct 1996 22:49:25 -0500 From: Claris Smith To: mercedes-lackey-+AT+-herald.co.uk Subject: Deep question/YIPPEE!/shaych portrayals Message-ID: <1.5.4.32.19961015034925.0093a818-+AT+-comp.uark.edu> As a wannabe writer, I'd have to read a list about my books (ooooh, pie in the sky!). Most of we wannabe authors are heavily into self-flagellation anyway ;) so it couldn't be worse than my own criticisms, and the outside opinions would help. ** YIPPEEE!!!!! *^_^* The issue of Once Upon a World with my cover illo is out. I also have 2 (relatively) recent commissioned story illos, and several spot illos from very old work. Even better, the editor wants more, and even BETTER, she's sold a story to THE BLACK LILY, and when they asked her if she knew an artist to illo it, she recommended me! and they even pay (a little). Happy, happy. OUAW is a semiannual, 104 page spiral bound zine of sf/fantasy stories, poems, art, reviews, and cartoons. If you'd like to know where to get one, I can give you the addy & price. ** Erm, I'm too tired to really to do my obMisty right, so don't jump on me, I'm not tryint to trample on anyone here. ;) It's just an observation, really. I watched some good videos last week (inc. The Truth about Cats and Dogs, but that's beside the point). I saw THE BIRDCAGE and IT'S MY PARTY within 2 days of each other, and it struck me that in fiction/Hollywood there are 2 portrayals of shaych people: 1) The socially different, so to speak. (Nathan Lane: "Flaming queen?" Robin Williams: "*sigh*") ala BIRDCAGE. 2) The moreorless just like the way the conventional wisdom perceives your average so-called mainstream person, as in IT'S MY PARTY. (Ironically, PARTY had full kissing and real affection, whereas BIRDCAGE had hardly any touching or affectionate actions [IMHO]) Misty, obviously, works within 2; which may result from the idea that 1 results from an oppressive society. I have had gay friends argue to me that 1 is stereotyped, and conversely that 2 is a heavy-handed, shallow portrayal that masks the 'unique spirit' of gay culture. Go figure, I'm not trying to open a debate, just observing IMHO Misty's position. =) BTW, I enjoyed both films. Anybody else read Storm Constantine? *Claris Smith: Art/History Major, GM, sf/fantasy Artist, Gung Fu Student* * "ccsmith-+AT+-comp.uark.edu" "http://comp.uark.edu/~ccsmith/" * *See the Web Site for The Dragon Roars Zine: Now accepting Submissions!* ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 14 Oct 1996 20:59:48 -0700 (PDT) From: be248-+AT+-scn.org (SCN User) To: mercedes-lackey-+AT+-herald.co.uk Subject: Re: Van's Fictional Story, Yfandes Message-ID: <199610150359.UAA14515-+AT+-scn.org> >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? It isn't mentioned in Magic's Price because it isn't true. The story writer needed a way for the "true" story to get back to Valdemar and so she created a nameless Herald and Companion (after all, it's more exciting to see it as a Herald) to be the main character (perhaps a pretend protege?) so this would happen... Re: Yfandes I've always thought she was grove born because she has special abilities (the fetching and the mage channeling (or does she? I know she uses mage energy [re: Van feeding her energy on their sprint to Tashir in MPromise], but can she channel it to Van?)) and also because she can see what her future is(re: her "I knew what whould happen when I Chose you statement in MPrice). I think that telling what the future might be, especially in relation to herself and her possible Chosens, could be the distinguishing factor between Grove-Born and Non-Grove-Born Companions. IMHO Zhai'helleva, Herald Briana -- Herald Briana Kestyl For some reason I never had any trouble Lady In Green figuring out what death was all wc814-+AT+-freenet.victoria about; but life - that's taken be248-+AT+-scn.org me until now. ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 15 Oct 1996 00:00:38 -0400 (EDT) From: Mat the Cat in Green To: Mercedes Lackey mailing list Subject: Protectors/Aya/Lissa/MZB Message-ID: > From: Rozanna McNeer > It is now official -> Mat the Cat in Green, OoUL has two Cat bodyguards > standing ready to defend him (and his virtue should he require it) from all- > comers! (ta-ra, ta-ra) So, be warned, lest ye face the mighty claws of the > dread Firemist and Jaguar! Ah, thank you Firemist. Not that I have much virtue to defend.... (I just meant that I'm not very virtous. Keep your collective minds out of the gutter! ) > re Arrows and mythical beasties -> If Aya was such an abnormally large size, > then how much damage could he do if really enraged? I'm thinking of the > poor Herald that got flamed in Arrows by Firebirds. . . Probably a lot. Consider the damage he almost did to Firesong's ekele, and that was only fear. Imagine if he was doing it on purpose! > somebody said they thought Evalie was Lissa's Companion -> > > Lissa wasn't Chosen > I always thought that Talia was imagining a part for herself in the book -> > besides, if it was Lissa, she wouldn't have but in that part of Van looking > sinister, would she? Besides, I just couldn't see Liss leaving Van there alone, warning the Guard or not. 'Sides, the POV character in the story is waaaaaay too timid to be Lissa. :) > Summersong the Catty Spiff wanted to know what MZB books other > than Darkover ones make for a Good Read > > Well, the Firebrand was pretty good (about Cassandra et al) > Mists (of course) > The Forest House (more good stuff!) > Web of Light and Web of Darkness (I don't know the title of the duology. . .) > Ruins of Isis -> very feminist issues in here. . . > Seven from the Stars was also very good How about Ghostlight and Witchlight? They look a bit interesting. Has anyone read them? 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 23:12:49 -0500 (CDT) From: teleute To: mercedes-lackey-+AT+-herald.co.uk Subject: mutant squids/yes Virginia, there is a Storm Breaking (right?) Message-ID: On Tue, 15 Oct 1996, Rozanna McNeer wrote: > re: It doens't look a thing like a mutant squid! > if it isn't, then waht is it? > > yeah, Jag, it must have looked something like a mutant squid cause you sure > didn't come on asking 'what mutant squid? I don't see a mutant squid. where > is this mutant squid you guys keep talking about?' > > Firemist > That's what I'd like to know. What's all this stuff about mutant squids? (I must have missed the first few messages on this). I don't see one in any of my books. Unless this is an SB thing, which would make sense b/c I don't have it yet. The bookstore I went to claimed never to have heard of it. ("No, no, Storm *Rising* is a different book entirely. Yes, I'm sure...") I would just call Waldenbooks and order it, x-cept my roommate took my phone... Can I be goddess of Gratuitous Capitilization and Tasteless Limericks? Teleute dpollock-+AT+-bayou.uh.edu ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- "Every road leads back to my door Every road I will follow..." --Tori ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- "What's the point of wearing your favorite rocketship underpants if nobody ever asks to see 'em?"--Calvin ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 14 Oct 1996 23:33:06 CST From: "Hth." To: Subject: Yfandes/Sherrill/Kushner/list Message-ID: <14OCT96.25436063.0107.MUSIC-+AT+-ACADEMIC.TRUMAN.EDU> The whole suspense thing Misty set up with Yfandes still makes zero sense to me. It's all very well to say that Yfandes was special, and so she was holding out for a special Chosen. But, that leaves us with the following possibilities. THEORY I: It Was a Time of Great Danger, and Yfandes Knew a Hero Would Be Along Shortly To Save Valdemar. If so, then we have two more options. Theory I(A): Vanyel was The Man all along. This seems strange to me, because, again, his Gifts were accidental. Savil has him checked for power when he first shows up, and all she sees is potential, which, according to Savil, is plenty common. She doesn't seem to think there is any chance remotely that it would awaken naturally, and Savil is the expert. There's also the implication that Van is such a powerhouse not because he's naturally that strong, but because his channels are blown *wide open,* to their fullest extent. Apparently most gifts are blocked to a greater or lesser degree, accounting for the variance in strength. Only Van had no blockage at all, which is part of why he was in such pain. The man was one big raw nerve. I always got the impression that Tylendel's actions and Vanyel's participation were totally outside the destiny thing, and that no one was prepared or preparing for it. Theory I(B): If Vanyel had not been Vanyel, there would have been another Great Hero to save Valdemar. If this is the case, what happened to that boyo? There should have been an immensely powerful Herald-Mage of a comparable age, whom Yfandes planned to Choose, until Vanyel came along and needed her more. I don't know who that would have been, though. Surely the destined hero didn't just not get Chosen, or not become a main character. She/he still would have been very powerful, though maybe somewhat less so than Vanyel. If Yfandes was waiting for a hero, and it *wasn't* supposed to be Vanyel, who was it? THEORY II: Yfandes Wasn't Waiting for Any One Person in Particular. Why, then, did she wait ten years without Choosing anyone? Is she just so picky that she held out on the off-chance she could find someone really cool? How did she know there *would* be someone powerful enough, if destiny had no one specific in mind? What would she have done if Vanyel hadn't had his channels blown to hell? Given up eventually, got bored and Chosen someone else? Or died forlorn, still waiting for someone of his caliber who never came along? THEORY III: It Just Sounded Really Groovy and Epic to Say That Yfandes Was Waiting for Vanyel, and Misty Never Spent Half This Much Time Considering What That Would Mean. (Corrolary: Possibly Because She Has a Life.) Sherrill's gifts didn't necessarily have anything to do with her ability to console Keren. The lifebond probably had a lot more to do with that. There's an offhanded comment in there that Keren and Ylsa would have been happy to expand the relationship to include Sherrill. I wonder how that would have gone over with the rest of the Heralds? According to Sherri, plenty of them already have problems with the sexuality issue anyway, and a nontraditional arrangement like that might have looked pretty weird to the general run of Valdemarans. Not that that should have stopped them, but it sounds like a pretty major thing to suggest in such a flippant way. Oh, well. Every time I start thinking about these three, I get about a million ponderables about them. I still hold out the vain hope that there will be a book someday about Ylsa and Keren. I read Kushner's "Playing With Fire," but I didn't (I know, gasp, shock) care much for it. It was okay, but just okay. First of all, the style and tone were really different from Swordspoint, and it's a high-magic world. Magic was never even mentioned in Swordspoint. And Alec and Richard had such an intense, turbulent, passionate relationship, which I didn't see at all in those characters. I would never have known it was related to Swordspoint at all if she hadn't said so in the introduction. It really had none of her lyricism and sensuality, as per Swordspoint, Thomas the Rhymer, and "The Hunt of the Unicorn." I still don't know quite what was up with that story. Heck yes, I'd read the mailing list if I were the author in question. Religiously. Not really for editiorial purposes, though. I mean, what good does it do now to know Kris mounted twice in the same scene? It's a little late for Misty to fix it. As to whether or not I'd listen to the criticisms, yes and no. No, not remotely when it comes to the general plotline, characters, etc. If they don't want to read the story that I want to write, then I guess I die unpublished and/or unpopular. Better than dying unhappy. HOWEVER, if, as in the case of Misty, most of the criticisms revolved around writing style, I'd take that pretty seriously. I don't mind people not enjoying my writing, per se. Not everything will appeal to everybody; even something as generally acclaimed as, say, Mists of Avalon, has plenty of people who don't know what all the fuss is about. But if people are enjoying my stories but seething because they're shabbily written, that I mind. That I need to know so I can fix it. Besides, I'd be so amused to hear the speculations. Everybody trying desperately to guess what happens next, or why x is so, or whatever, when I know the answer. I'd love to see who gets it, and who's waaayyy off, and why they think so. Anyway, I just like it when people talk about me HTH r618-+AT+-academic.truman.edu ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 15 Oct 96 01:31:08 PDT From: cmsfriedl-+AT+-naxs.com (Connie silver-Friedl) To: mercedes-lackey-+AT+-herald.co.uk Subject: Re: Yfandes/Sherrill/Kushner/list Message-ID: Just to put another chink in your armor regarding Yfandes' choosing of Vanyel: Do the Companions "know" who they are going to choose. I mean they are avatars but they do answer to a higher being. It is most probable that Yfandes didn't know that she would choose Van until the instant that she did ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 14 Oct 1996 22:35:21 -0700 From: davidt-+AT+-cet.com (D H Tiffany/Shawn Marie Walker) To: mercedes-lackey-+AT+-herald.co.uk Subject: MoA avail?/Tlaia's reading/annual festival time! Message-ID: On Sun, 13 Oct 1996 Summersong & Spiffy the Cat both asked; >Morgana wrote: >>>>Okay... MIsts of Avalon. VERYVERYVERY Good book. It's my favorite > >Do they have it in the SFBC? I looked for my Universe catalog, but I Nope, not listed any more. Sorry 8-(# ;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;; On Sun, 13 Oct 1996 catwoman purred; >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? Ah but Talia **was** reading a *Tale*, in other words an example of historical fiction. One doesn't expect the authors of such books to hold to complete accuracy and the adding of a viewpoint character, someone who the readers can identify with and who the author can have a bit of fun with, is a very common change to make. I mean, if the author had mucked about with Vanyel, people might be upset but cutting a minor character (to most people) like Stef and replacing him with another Herald would probaly be acceptable to most, and prefered by Homophobes. Please note that I'm refferring to Stef as a minor character only in terms of the common people who may not have heard of him or paid much attention if they had. """""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""" What annual festival? Why I've-finished-another-bookshelf-hooray of course! I love to make things from wood but with the time limits RL puts on me (can't start another because I have to rebuild the engine in a car now for example) I only seem to get one or two projects a year done. As of 5:30 this PM my scifi paperbacks, from Alan Dean Foster to George Zebrowsky anyway, are residing on their brand new 75" tall, 30" wide set of shelves! I'm doing the Contented Carpenter Clop! David Tiffany, God of typtyptyptyp oh, heck. Rope, n. An obsolescent appliance for reminding assassains that they too are mortal. It is put about the neck and remains in place one's whole life long. -Ambrose Bierce ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 14 Oct 1996 22:05:26 -0700 (PDT) From: Morgana To: mercedes-lackey-+AT+-herald.co.uk Subject: Yfandes, and Companion bonds in general Message-ID: Okay.. this is my 2 cents, after HTH's. :) My thought on Yfandes and the companion bond in general, was that it was a matching between white horse and human, of souls. eg, soulbrothers. There for there was only one person a Companion could Chose , and if that one wasn't ready, well, that Companion was up the creek without a paddle until that person was A ready, or B, the horse bite it. :) Having said this, I don a firefighters suit, and prepare for da pretty redcolored flames. Other colors also accepted. :) Morgana, Goddess of Things Unseen and depressed student of the hectic lifestyle ** Except for the boy in the belfry he's crazy, he's throwing himself down from the top of the tower like a hunchback in heaven He's ringing the bells in the church for the last half an hour. He sounds like he's missing something or someone that he knows he can't have now, and if he isn't I certainly am. ** ------------------------------ End of MERCEDES-LACKEY Digest 877 *********************************