MERCEDES-LACKEY Digest 1828

Topics covered in this issue include:

  1) Braid
	by Yvonne <dprono-+AT+-planet.eon.net>
  2) Re: Braid
	by tan3-+AT+-cornell.edu
  3) Re: MERCEDES-LACKEY digest 1827
	by Jeffery Kuebler <jkeeb-+AT+-mindspring.com>
  4) 
	by Karen Baker <kiarrith-+AT+-usa.net>
  5) Braid, brief 4&20 spoilerling
	by "Raven Darkblade" <abbykat-+AT+-hotmail.com>
  6) actors for movies
	by Shadowdancer <smartin-+AT+-ultiweb.com>

----------------------------------------------------------------------

Date: 	Mon, 28 Dec 1998 22:54:21 -0800
From: Yvonne <dprono-+AT+-planet.eon.net>
To: mercedes-lackey-+AT+-herald.co.uk
Subject: Braid
Message-ID: <36887C9D.71C5-+AT+-planet.eon.net>

Heyla!

Amy - *hugs* All the best to you!

> I'm currently going by M'rra (based on the charachter in a story I'm
> going to get published) and I've been a fan of Misty since I read her
> first book.

        BWA HA HA HA HA!! (oops, sorry, how ever did that slip out? heh
heh heh ... heh ...) *With a wild yell none other than .... (wait for it)
... YVONNE jumps out from behind a transparent inflatable stool weilding
her Enchanted Bucket (tm)-* ~~~SPLOSH~~~ *And promptly soaks M'rra from
head to toe in sea water.* Welcome to the MLML! Any questions that aren't
in the Newbiefest ... Drat, my post-it is gone again. Can't give out the
adddy ... ask a Councilor. They're nice and very bribable. <bg>

M'rra wrote:
> One thing I can't help from wanting to see in Misty's stories is a few
> good werecreatures (so I'm biased...)

        One thing I've noticed about Misty's work is that she tends to
stay away from the conventional fantasy staples, such as unicorns, magic
swords (Need is the exception), weres, and muscle bound idiots. And if
she DOES include a staple, she tends to add an interesting twist to it,
such as the elves being addicted to caffine, or vampires sucking
spiritual energy out of their victems instead of blood (except for Andre.
He's the only honest-to-God bloodsucker.) One thing that I wondered about
the ps-vamps was what did they ACTUALLY drain their meals of? Was it
their emotional energy or their soul? I know the gaki ate souls, but
after being a meal for the psi-vamps the victems never recovered ...

Judy - before I forget - that was a GREAT joke! <bg>

Alexia wrote:
> These are all retellings of fairytales... Gates of Sleep is Cinderella,
> Black swam in swam princess, one of them is Snow White...

        I thought that it was the Phoenix & Ashes that was Cinderella and
the Gates of Sleep was Sleeping Beauty...

        I got 4&20 Blackbirds for Christmas and a just over 1\2 way
through. GREAT book, although I was hoping for a bit more of a
who-done-it. I guessed at who the baddie was the first time Ardis's
viewpoint came around (that and the title clued me in), and then just had
it confirmed when Orm's came. Now, what would be NEAT would be to have
Misty write a REAL mystery story with a constable (or whomever) going
after an UNKNOWN criminal! Tres cool. :) That, and maybe it would be a
GOOD mystery book. (I see to have a Gift for choosing the really REALLY
bad ones)


All the rest is casting stuff. You know, it would be kind of cool to do
up a casting list like we do the Mistys, with nominations and votes and
such. ;P

Someone wrote: (BAD delete finger! BAD!)
>Hulda - Bette Midler

        That would actually WORK, I think! I like it!

Shantaya Autumleaf's Worst Cast:
> Kero: Julia Roberts
> Firesong: Leonard Nimoy

        *LOL* That would be TOO funny! Kero with teeth like Hellsbane
(I'm not a Julia Roberts fan) and ... well, Leonard Nimoy as Firesong,
'nuff said!

 Lady Astreia cast:
> Urtho: SEAN CONNERY

        YES! I ~SO~ see Sean Connery as Urtho! Although Connery as
Alberich would be very fine too. :) And just an off-note - it's kinda 
weird how many women (where do you stand, guys?) find Sean Connery 
attractive for a (how old is he, anyway?) older man? Almost EVERYONE I 
know says that. And I agree. :)

Raven Darkblade:
> Eldan: Jason Carter.

        I can VERY easily see that. Or John Cusak. (sp) (Great, I can't
spell his name and I work at a MOVIE THEATER and see it EVERY SINGLE DAY
up on those TVs with the non-stop previews. That, and those stupid
singing mice from Babe ... grrr...) Anyway, I always pictured Eldan as a
kind of quirky guy, and either of those actors could pull of the charming
bit no problem. ;P See Grosse Point Blank for evidance. (loved that
movie) Or Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil.

        One thing is - if the Companions only speak to their Chosen (ok,
except for Sayvil) why bother casting more than one voice for the
Companions? Because depending on viewpoint, only one Companion would be
Speaking. MAYBE 2 if they did Winds - Gwyna and Cymry. And you'd have to
wrok it so that only one could be heard by the viewer at a time.
Otherwize there would be lots of repetition ...

Anyway, I think that's all. :)

Yvonne
Goddess of Kelpes, Selkies, and the Water-Borne
Carrier of the Enchanted Bucket (tm)
Knight of Fluff and Lady of the OOUH
Head of the Albertan CfWD Headquarters
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
No quote - I'm lazy. <bg>


------------------------------

Date: Tue, 29 Dec 1998 09:32:37 -0500 (EST)
From: tan3-+AT+-cornell.edu
To: mercedes-lackey-+AT+-herald.co.uk
Subject: Re: Braid
Message-ID: <Pine.SOL.3.91.981229092940.22820B-100000-+AT+-travelers.mail.cornell.edu>



On Tue, 29 Dec 1998, Yvonne wrote:

> He's the only honest-to-God bloodsucker.) One thing that I wondered about
> the ps-vamps was what did they ACTUALLY drain their meals of? Was it
> their emotional energy or their soul? I know the gaki ate souls, but
> after being a meal for the psi-vamps the victems never recovered ...
> 
The psi-vamps seemed to steal emotional energy. Have you ever been really 
really exhauseted after a long cry or a fight or something like that? You 
feel emotionally drained, and you want to go lie down and sleep for 
a year or so, right? I always pictured it like that, but 1000 times 
magnified, so that the victim no longer posesses the energy to survive. 
It's kind of like a real blood-sucker: you can be a minor victim many 
many times, or a major victim once. :)

What cheery thoughts for your mornings!

Zephyr
tan3-+AT+-cornell.edu

------------------------------

Date: Tue, 29 Dec 1998 11:24:00 -0500
From: Jeffery Kuebler <jkeeb-+AT+-mindspring.com>
To: mercedes-lackey-+AT+-herald.co.uk
Subject: Re: MERCEDES-LACKEY digest 1827
Message-ID: <3.0.1.32.19981229112400.006b7388-+AT+-pop.mindspring.com>

Heyla Everyone! 
	I return again!! The Midwinter Festivities are *finally* over and I have
time to myself again -- meaning time on the computer ;-)
	
	Peter Allen wrote >>I had been thinking about it for a while, and if
anyone has seen Antonio Banderas when he was younger (just doing spanish
acting then), that would be good for a Vanyel :). Now, I think he's a
little too butch for the job, at least in face. I could see him possibly as
an extra Herald, perhaps. Maybe as Mero when Talia was younger? *g*<<
	
	What about having Antinio Banderas play Elden? He would need grey streaks
in his his hair, but I could see him in the part...
	
		GEORGE LUCAS!!! Yeah Yeah Yeah Yeah Yeah!!!! :) :) :) :) :) 

	Does anyone notice that everyone here has seen almost every movie that has
been mentioned? I've noticed that amongst my schoolmates too. Wa all love
Star Wars, Willow, The Princess Bride, Babylon 5, even some of the more
obscure stuff like SeaQuest (one of my favs). Is anyone else here just
about to burst for wanting the Star Wars Pre-quils to come out????? I'm
DYING here!! Am I alone?
	
	*** the Lady Astreia retreats back into Obscurity, from whence she came.
Giving everyone a large purple shiny sheep to take to their New Year's
party***
Zhai'helleva, 
	
	~The Lady Astreia, Proud Knight if Fluff, the (sort-of) Bardic Trainee,
the Slayer of Morons, Keeper of Dragons, and Princess of Bruhaha and
eveything Obscure. -+AT+->--'----


------------------------------

Date: 29 Dec 98 12:16:46 CST
From: Karen Baker <kiarrith-+AT+-usa.net>
To: mercedes-lackey-+AT+-herald.co.uk
Message-ID: <19981229181646.5154.qmail-+AT+-www0x.netaddress.usa.net>

Is anyone else here just

> about to burst for wanting the Star Wars Pre-quils to come out????? I'm

> DYING here!! Am I alone?

nay, ye arent alone =P and i am certain there are others as well....: )


KiT [Keeper of the Sheep] smiles winningly and generously hands ye 3 Chocolate
Sheep! Chocolate Sheep with mint hooves, strawberry noses, white chocolate
shavings for fleece, and sparkily peppermint slivers for eyes!! Enjoy!!

God bless and keep you!! Zhai`helleva{Wind to Thy Wings}
Karen, Kiarrith, Catling, MUSE, KiT[Keeper of the Sheep!], Kat, Elijaran, Bai Kai Ling
Members of: Singers of Fire{Soprano},The Order of Unsung Heros{Keighvin Silverhair, Sayvil/Savil, and Chinthliss!}, The Fluffian Order(a Knight of Fluff), The Order of Light Warriors, The Ladies in Green{Bai Kai Ling only},The Ones in Black{the other 7!}
The Lord bless and keep you; the Lord make His face shine upon you and be gracious to you; the Lord turn His face toward you and give you peace.


____________________________________________________________________
Get free e-mail and a permanent address at http://www.netaddress.com/?N=1

------------------------------

Date: Tue, 29 Dec 1998 13:02:59 PST
From: "Raven Darkblade" <abbykat-+AT+-hotmail.com>
To: mercedes-lackey-+AT+-herald.co.uk
Subject: Braid, brief 4&20 spoilerling
Message-ID: <19981229210300.15342.qmail-+AT+-hotmail.com>

<<One thing I've noticed about Misty's work is that she tends to
stay away from the conventional fantasy staples, such as unicorns, magic 
swords (Need is the exception), weres, and muscle bound idiots. And if 
she DOES include a staple, she tends to add an interesting twist to it, 
such as the elves being addicted to caffine, or vampires sucking 
spiritual energy out of their victems instead of blood (except for 
Andre.>>

Or dragons wearing Armani, copying mannerisms from Leonard Nimoy, and 
not being able to get the paper off their little hotel room soaps. I 
liked that one. :)

You've hit that nicely, Yvonne; I've noticed it several times. Instead 
of stock fantasy, Misty makes up her own stuff, uses lesser-known 
things, or adds her own twist and makes it unique. 

<<I got 4&20 Blackbirds for Christmas and a just over 1\2 way
through. GREAT book, although I was hoping for a bit more of a
who-done-it. I guessed at who the baddie was the first time Ardis's
viewpoint came around (that and the title clued me in), and then just 
had it confirmed when Orm's came. Now, what would be NEAT would be to 
have Misty write a REAL mystery story with a constable (or whomever) 
going after an UNKNOWN criminal! Tres cool. :) That, and maybe it would 
be a GOOD mystery book. (I see to have a Gift for choosing the really 
REALLY bad ones)>>

More gabble about 4&20 Blackbirds; I wasn't really expecting a 
whodunit--Misty likes to introduce us to the villain about midway 
through at least--but I think it might have been a little better if it 
had been one. I'd have liked to have seen a new villain, or at least one 
connected only indirectly to the previous books. Misty recycles, which 
isn't bad--plot ties! plot ties!--but can get old.
Orm, I liked. It was fun to see a villain (or pseudovillain, even, as 
the case may be) who wasn't evil just to be evil/nasty/perverted/mean, 
and he had some good lines. I liked the bit about not having to pay 
toll-fees for the privilege of spying on that damned Tal Rufen.
Tal! I say again, Tal is cool. I'm a sucker for your strong, noble, 
self-effacing types, and besides, he just has a cool name. Tal. (Rafar 
voice) "Who is this Tal?"

S

P

O

I

L

E

R

I liked Tal enough that when Revaner started making plans to control him 
to kill Ardis, I was keeping up a running commentary--"No, no, no, no, 
he can't do that. He can't do that to Tal. No." And then, later on, 
"Wait, Ardis is a mage, she can break the coercion. C'mon, Ardis, get a 
clue. -- Go Tal! Yay Tal! Go Visyr! Faster pussycat, kill, kill!" I was 
pronounced bloodthirsty.


E
N
D


S
P
O
I
L
E
R

<<All the rest is casting stuff. You know, it would be kind of cool to 
do up a casting list like we do the Mistys, with nominations and votes 
and such. ;P>>

I've got time and web space, shall I volunteer? Just don't ask me to do 
anyhing too complicated.

<<Someone wrote: (BAD delete finger! BAD!)
Hulda - Bette Midler

        That would actually WORK, I think! I like it!>>

I can sortakinda see it. Vivian Leigh would be optimal, but she's dead 
and would be too old anyhow.

<< Lady Astreia cast:
> Urtho: SEAN CONNERY

        YES! I ~SO~ see Sean Connery as Urtho! Although Connery as
Alberich would be very fine too. :) And just an off-note - it's kinda 
weird how many women (where do you stand, guys?) find Sean Connery 
attractive for a (how old is he, anyway?) older man? Almost EVERYONE I 
know says that. And I agree. :)>>

I don't know how he does it. He's only gotten better looking with age, 
too. If someone could bottle that, they'd make a fortune.

Personally, I prefer Connery for Alberich, but I daresay he could do 
Urtho if given the role.

<<Raven Darkblade:
> Eldan: Jason Carter.

        I can VERY easily see that. Or John Cusak. (sp) (Great, I can't 
spell his name and I work at a MOVIE THEATER and see it EVERY SINGLE DAY 
up on those TVs with the non-stop previews. That, and those stupid 
singing mice from Babe ... grrr...) Anyway, I always pictured Eldan as a 
kind of quirky guy, and either of those actors could pull of the 
charming bit no problem. ;P See Grosse Point Blank for evidance. (loved 
that movie) Or Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil.>>

I like John Cusack(?). Like him lots. He also did Dmitri's voice in 
Anastasia, though that's not exactly a qualification for the part of 
Eldan. I think he could play the part, though my personal preference is 
still Jason Carter.

<<One thing is - if the Companions only speak to their Chosen (ok,
except for Sayvil) why bother casting more than one voice for the
Companions? Because depending on viewpoint, only one Companion would be 
Speaking. MAYBE 2 if they did Winds - Gwyna and Cymry. And you'd have to 
wrok it so that only one could be heard by the viewer at a time. 
Otherwize there would be lots of repetition ...>>

Le huh? If one person did all the Companion voices, there'd be tons of 
confusion as to which Companion was speaking. I think in any book 
featuring Companions, there are two or three that speak, due to 
point-of-view swaps Misty-wise. Especially as it'd be hard to tell two 
or three white horses apart, they'd need differing voices to make them 
distinct.

<<What about having Antinio Banderas play Elden? He would need grey 
streaks in his his hair, but I could see him in the part...>>

Blasphemy! Well, not, not really, my apologies. But I can't see Banderas 
as Eldan at all. He's got too much of that lurking 'dangerous' aura, and 
I can't picture it or the cynicism he sometimes displays on Eldan. 
Besides, Jason Carter and John Cusack are better-looking. :)
	
<<GEORGE LUCAS!!! Yeah Yeah Yeah Yeah Yeah!!!! :) :) :) :) :) >>

Recruiting George and his magic-makers would be good, yep. The question 
I've put out before, dealing with which book or trilogy would make the 
best movie, is how magic and mind-gifts would be handled. Especially, if 
the tril chosen was Arrows, Empathy. Magic can be acting and light 
effects, Mindspeech can be voice-overs, Fetching and Firestarting would 
be easy, even Farsight and Foresight wouldn't be too hard, and they were 
never displayed 'onstage' anyhow except in Selenay's Foresight-headaches 
over Elspeth's abortive betrothal. But Empathy? How do you make emotions 
visible?

<<Does anyone notice that everyone here has seen almost every movie that 
has been mentioned? I've noticed that amongst my schoolmates too. Wa all 
love Star Wars, Willow, The Princess Bride, Babylon 5, even some of the 
more obscure stuff like SeaQuest (one of my favs).>>

Well, it helps that Star Wars and the Princess Bride are the Classics of 
their respective genres, and Willow and B5 aren't that bad either. 
SeaQuest--I don't know. Considering how badly-handled the second season 
was, it must have had *something* other than attractive crew members, 
nifty special effects, and a cute talking dolphin to have earned as many 
fanatics as it has.

Zha'hai'allav'a,
Raven Darkblade and Mor the raven,
Holy Hand of the Goddess of Elves,
Member of the Mistic Circle,
Knight and Founding Member of the Order of Unsung Heroes, Advocator of 
Eldan, Champion of Kethra and Hyllarr, Devotee of Maclyn, and Worshipper 
of Tal Rufen.

May those that love us, love us; and those that do not love us, may God 
turn their hearts; and if He does not turn their hearts, may He turn 
their ankles, that we may know them by their limping.

______________________________________________________
Get Your Private, Free Email at http://www.hotmail.com

------------------------------

Date: Tue, 29 Dec 1998 17:55:12 -0500
From: Shadowdancer <smartin-+AT+-ultiweb.com>
To: mercedes-lackey-+AT+-herald.co.uk
Subject: actors for movies
Message-ID: <199812292249.RAA22485-+AT+-mail.globalvision.net>

I just thought of a good person to play Van in a movie.  

Trent Reznor from Nine Inch Nails.  He may not sound like it on some of his
albums, but he has the face, angst, and is fairly skinny, with some muscle
definition.

Another one would be

Geoff Tate  The lead singer for Queensryche.  Man can he sing.  Also he
looks half-way pretty good.

Well that's my .02


    	 Wind to thy Wings                          / \     _-'          Lurker:
		&                                 -/   \-''-_ /      The Last Watcher:
Never give up on the Dance of Life           __-'( |        \
             |~~~~~~~~~~~                       /            \   I have
been forced to 
             |Member of Mistic Circle        /        "o. |o) |  enteract
with humans, yet
             |Member of OUH                    |            \ ;  again, to
save them from
Shadowdancer |Lady of many books                \            ',  their own
mass distruction
             |Owner of two cats, & two dogs      \_          __\    I AM
the Last Watcher!
             |~~~~~~~~~~~                          ''-_     \.//
			&                             / '-____'  
	mind mate Lurker (A very large Gray Wolf)    /
                                                  _'
                                                _-' 
         


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End of MERCEDES-LACKEY Digest 1828
**********************************