MERCEDES-LACKEY Digest 1847

Topics covered in this issue include:

  1) hellos, birds, Karal, foo, villains, and my mind 0_o
	by "Nelson Greenslade" <grenslde-+AT+-nbnet.nb.ca>
  2) hrm... I forgot...
	by "Phoenix, Guardian of Harmony" <tzarius-+AT+-ecsis.net>
  3) Reunification, villains-heros, north
	by Gisela Vazquez <d052951c-+AT+-dc.seflin.org>
  4) 
	by Gisela Vazquez <d052951c-+AT+-dc.seflin.org>
  5) RE:  Re: Question from a Newbie
	by "Jaylor"<thvu-+AT+-apexmail.com>
  6) RE: Guys/Newbie
	by "Rhiannon Shadowsong" <rhiannon13_-+AT+-hotmail.com>
  7) Misty CDs and Fluff
	by Amy Trujillo <trujillo-+AT+-southwind.net>
  8) wro--, wron---, w-w-w-ron-ggg...not-right
	by "Nelson Greenslade" <grenslde-+AT+-nbnet.nb.ca>
  9) Re: wro--, wron---, w-w-w-ron-ggg...not-right
	by "Abigail Laughlin" <abbykat-+AT+-hotmail.com>

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

Date: Sun, 17 Jan 1999 01:12:06 -0400
From: "Nelson Greenslade" <grenslde-+AT+-nbnet.nb.ca>
To: "Misty" <mercedes-lackey-+AT+-herald.co.uk>
Subject: hellos, birds, Karal, foo, villains, and my mind 0_o
Message-ID: <000201be41ff$535fb640$d593b3cf-+AT+-epzfbrwg>

Okay, this is my second try at this. The first time around, I'd gone through
30 messages and written my replies, when I had to get off the computer to do
the dishes >=P and my aunt got on. Then, after using up quite a bit of our
paid time browsing for backrounds, mom told her to get off the net and she
turned off the computer in a fit of pique, deleting my letter!!!! *fumes* I
had some really deep, thought-provoking, creative stuff in there!! Dammit, I
worked hard on that letter and now it's bloody well GONE!!!!! *bursts out
crying*

   Starwind in the armed forces? *tries to picture it. fails utterly.
realises that she's thinking of the wrong character* Hmm . . . maybe . . .

<<On 4&20 Blackbirds: There was a mention somewheres about raven
and Magpie still living in burnt Kingsford with the Duke. I thought it
said somewheres that Raven didn't like living in cities (even though
Magpie DID) so why are they still there? I wonder if maybe they
compromised and travel for only part of the year, or if Raven finally
gave in and decided to bear claustrophobia for Magpie's sake. (not
likely)>>
   I finished this book today, and I was confused about just when the hell
Raven had gotten married!! However, now I've started on A Cast of Corbies,
which frustratingly starts the series Bardic Choices before the 4th book of
Bardic Voices. The good news is I'll find out; the bad news is that I'm
reading out of order AGAIN!!!

<<M'lords and ladies I am new here so please pardon me for not being very
talkative at this moment.  I am 18 and very interested in Misty's work I
have read all three of the Heralds Own, Mage Winds, & Mage Storm books.
Well that is it for now.>>
   Welcome, NUNI MATO!!! *Elsa flings her arms wide and gives the newbie a
HUGE hug* Here, take this towel.

<<Yes, I can
see Van on NYPD blue.  And 'Lendel beside him....They'd get called away
from steamy sex scenes to go bust up Leareth the drug dealer.....:)>>
   This is all beginning to sound suspiciously like those yaoi fanfics I
read . . . *grins wolfishly* Pass the lemons!! Ha ha!!

<<Davin has a wistfull dreamy face on right now.  Ah, I'm in love....Did
I mention we've been together close to two years and it STILL feels like
this!>>
   Lucky . . . I have a question: is it a sign of a lifebond when you care
so much it scares you, or is that just love?

   *bows dramatically to Kristy* Great to officially be introduced! I must
commend your excellent taste in books and music!! (Don't worry, most people
don't spell her name right) I also envy both your musical talents (I can
learn to play, but I can't remember) and your christmas booty! What a haul!!
*sigh*

   And a happy hello to Danae!! Always nice to meet ppl who liked The
Princess Bride! ^_^ Ah, I still remember with fondness the first time I saw
it . . . (though it would be hard to forget an occasion where 35 girls were
jammed into a church's back room having a sleepover . . .)


<<as likely to agree on anything as Misty collaberating with
Shakespeare!>>
   Hmmm. Yes, well, it appears that might not be as unlikely as you might
surmise. (Sorry, I just watched Fantasy Island. It's hard NOT to talk like
Roarke. O_o) The Bardic Choices books have gotten off to a start with the
Bard. ^_^ Misty has quotes from Shakespeare at the beginning and end of the
novel. Of course, it is about the theatre . . .

   Florian did not Choose Karal because, to put it simply, Karal was already
Chosen. Becoming a Herald takes a special kind of person, a person who, once
they start, discovers a vocation. If the Companions are Divine Spirits, then
the Heralds are essentially being chosen by the gods. Karal had already been
chosen to serve Vkandis in a very important way; he was even sent a Firecat
to aid him. Florian didn't need to Choose Karal to serve the gods or
Valdemar because it had already been done; he was just there to be a friend
and to help him.
   But it seems I'm not the only one who thinks so. (Whoo, is ~that~ a
relief!) However, I have to say that though Alberich was not a Sunpriest he
was in the Army and therefore serving Vkandis . . . But Vkandis needed him
elsewhere. The Son of the Sun at the time was a phony, and Alberich was such
a good warrior that working for that one would have damaged his people; it's
a little like being transferred to a different part of the company where you
can do more good.

    Yay! I had that day off. I got to sleep for 16 hours!

<<Oooooohhhhhh! Count me in ;)>>
    Me too!!! CfWD, here I come!!! ^_^

   Okay, I've only heard the beginning of Shadowlover (and, though it
sounded better in my head, it's beginning to grow on me) and a very garbled,
static-y bit of "It Was a Dark and Stormy Night". Are the CD's any good?

<<Right now I'm saying something along the lines of "This is
a good book. You should read it." If anyone out there has a better idea,
it'd be nice to hear it.>>
   Well, we all find ourselves filling out those fandom pyramid charts
eventually, and we all have our own approaches to spreading the foo (though
I think most of us start with LHM. I do). Me, I base my recommendation style
on what I think will get the person the most interested. Like, if I know
that person is wild about horses, I let it slip that Within is a horse
breeder, and that there are telepathic horse-like being in the plot. I knew
my friend Katie would like be to tell her the whole plot and ~especially~
the ending before she'd read it (she does that to me, too), but she was easy
to convince since she had some of the other books, and the whole Tregarde
series, and Born to Run. I think you should judge what the best way to get
someone to read the books would be, and then pitch it appropriatly.

<<I also think it'd be interesting to see a story about a
Guard-recruit...just an ordinary, average person, no whizz-bang mental
fireworks.>>
   Yayy!! I concur!! *nods energetically* And it wouldn't even have to be
Jonne!! (Though that would be ~wonderful~!!!!)

<<how Misty worked with not-entirely-evil evildudes>>
   Guess what!! The baddies are not always entirely bad!! Villains should be
well-rounded characters with pasts, passions, and motivations other than
domination, sadism, and the need to be evil. If you want an example of one
such villain, send a request to me at grenslde-+AT+-nbnet.nb.ca and I'll send you
the same thing I sent LKH when on the same, er, vein. ;^_~
    I guess it's the product of reading so many books where the hero is a
rogue, or just joyfully amoral, but I like the bad guys. Without them, there
would be no good guys.

<<Which do you guys feel makes a
better story, a villain with redemption potential or a hero with serious
character flaws?>>
   I think you require both to be realistic. I'd personally LOVE to read a
book where you can't tell whose side you should be on until the end, where
the bad guys are so convincing that what they're doing is Right that you
can't distinguish them from the realistically flawed heroes. A book that
calls into question where you stand. After all, it's easy to simply believe
you're in the right . . . It takes guts to admit that you're wrong.

<<!!  I'm in the middle of
midterms and I wanna get the durn things OVER with>>
   *looking glum* Mine start in a week, and most of them are Provincial
Exams . . . *sigh*

<<*Yvonne smiles micheviously and whips out a HUGE wooly tartan blanket* To
keep you warm - I COMPLETELY understand the disgusting cold! Luckily
we've just got out of a really cold snap here. Hope the same happens for
you too! (Where are you anyway?)>>
   Thank you!! *wrapped herself in the blanket* I'm in New Brunswick, the
province shaped like an extremely chubby bunny!

   Okay Gisela, you're right, Skif was lucky to have been Chosen and he
became a model citizen! And anyone suffering the effects of war will change.
*looks about darkly with a very serious air* War is a terrible thing.
However, I LIKED that nonchalant attitude!!!!

<<I've always assumed that Mindspeaking does not require actual knowledge of
the target's language.  Most fantasy literature does telepathy that way.>>
   It avoids the tediousness of breaking down the language barrier.

Okay, alright, it's morning, I'll stop now!! Duo, PUT THAT PILLOW DOWN!!!
Quatre, Trowa, go sleep on the couch. Heero, stay OUT of my closet, and
Wufei stop teasing me. I'm sharing my room with my aunt, not YOU. *sigh* See
what happens when people move into your head?

Elsa
Knight of Fluff, One In Black, Member of the Order of Drifting Ashes, OoUH
Champion of Jonne, Moonbeam, and Iceshadow, caller of monsters, and hostess
to 5 Gundam pilots . . .

"No one knows what it's like
To be the bad man
To be the sad man
Behind blue eyes . . ."


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

Date: Sun, 17 Jan 1999 07:34:53 -0600
From: "Phoenix, Guardian of Harmony" <tzarius-+AT+-ecsis.net>
To: <mercedes-lackey-+AT+-herald.co.uk>
Subject: hrm... I forgot...
Message-ID: <01be421e$2a225de0$840c9ace-+AT+-tzarius>

Fireheart ponders... "You know, I've forgotten how to subscribe to this
list, I have a friend interested, and I've been on this list off and on for
years... Can anyone tell me the addy's for the pages and the way to sub?
Thanks"

Fireheart
God of New Homes
Owner of the Eternal Contact Paper
Giver of the Perpetual Housewarming Gift


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

Date: Sun, 17 Jan 1999 08:35:00 -0500 (EST)
From: Gisela Vazquez <d052951c-+AT+-dc.seflin.org>
To: mercedes-lackey-+AT+-herald.co.uk
Subject: Reunification, villains-heros, north
Message-ID: <Pine.3.89.9901170853.A26570-0100000-+AT+-dc.seflin.org>

Heyla folks,

In responce to what kind of char is better a good one with flaws, or abad one
with redemption possibilitiesffGreg Wooledge wrote:
"i'd say that neither one of these by itself makes a good story rather either
of these could be used as one element of a good story.  it takes more than just
one well-written character to make a story. suppose you take one well-developed
villain-with-redemption-potential and one well-developed
hero-with-serious-flaws.  give these characters to several talented authors and
ask them to write three stories -- one with the villain one with the hero and
one with both.  the quality of the results is going to vary widely among the
different authors some may write a better story using the hero some may do
better with the villain etc.  it's not the character alone that makes the story
-- it's the synthesis of characterization plot themes language and so on."

 that's very true, but you've got to remember that very few chars are fully
developed right away. That comes with the story development and where those
other wonderful things like themes, plots .. come in. It would be interesting
to read a story like that where both the hero and vilain are not intirely what
they should be. Those are some of the best stories to read. Has any one read
The coldfire Trilogy by CS friedman? The hunter wasn't all the way bad, Nor was
Damian all the way good. What you got was 2 people with a very strange intence
relationship as well as a heartrenching story with an unsuspectid ending.

Greg also wrote:
"you're welcome to come get some of the snow from my neighborhood. we've got a
surplus."

with a meniacal grin, i think Miami could use the snow, so what you do is get a
bunch of it, perminantly freese it  and cend it down here. I'll find a mage,
somewhere, to make it come back as snow.  Then it can become winter. I for one
would greatly appreciate it. I think the weird temps down here are traumatizing
me. I know it's usually not very cold, but this is strange.  Hurricanes and
Frosts are act of nature that are harmful, yet you do not considder them evil?
What do you call them? In my phillosophy class they were called evil, but I
can't remember not intrinsic, something else, Shrug. They were called natural
evil, that's what it was!


Amy wrote:
"now i have a question....considering all that has happened the kaled'a'in
shin'a'in and tayledras do they really have a reason for staying apart?"
It's a good question, and it would be interesting to see them try to reunite,
but I don't think so. They've developed their own cultures, ideas, practices ..
and they've just become to separated to become one people again. I do see much
more interaction between the groups and more shin'a'in leaving the planes and
trying new things and maybe some of the kaled'a'in exploring the planes and as
for our hock brothers, in some ways they seem to me to be the most set in their
ways, but who knows? Maybe some of them will leave  their forests and work
with the other mage schools, or some of the nongifted will try other things.
The only thing that is certain is that there will be change. What that form
will take is up to Misty, and of course we can always emagine whatever we
choose.

Shadow blade wrote:
"have some grape sheep everyone! and to the newbies: vanilla ice-cream!"
Can they have some sheep-shaped chocolate-chip cookies too along with the
ice-cream? (grin) To all in the North I cent a giang thermos of ever hot and
always full coffee. You all just pass it around and share. Then maybe that will
help keep you warm. If I think of something warmer then that I'll tell you.

Amy also wrote about cending you guys up north hot chocolate and I want to ask
her if she would mind if I make her chocolate like my coffee so that it never
runs out and then everyone can share it. If she says yes then the chocolate
will become like the coffee with out delay.

zhai'helleva,
lady g

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

Date: Sun, 17 Jan 1999 12:11:54 -0500 (EST)
From: Gisela Vazquez <d052951c-+AT+-dc.seflin.org>
To: mercedes-lackey-+AT+-herald.co.uk
Message-ID: <Pine.3.89.9901171251.A23000-0100000-+AT+-dc.seflin.org>

Elsa wrote:
i had some really deep thought-provoking creative stuff in there!! dammit i
worked hard on that letter and now it's bloody well gone!!!!! *bursts out
crying*
I'm really sorry about your loosing the letter. I know how that can be. It's
really awful.

also writes:
"I have a question is it a sign of a lifebond when you care so much it scares
you or is that just love!
I honestly don't know how to answer that. It might be a sign of a lifebond. Do
you get scared at the thought of being with out them? That might make it a
lifebond. I can't think anything obmisty to write, sorry!
Oh, Would any one like to read a story, it can be a stand alone one, of how the
mage war actually started? It was hinted at in the Black Gryphon, but wouldn't
it be good to read the whole thing and about Scan's early life and Amberdrake's
early life as well? That's all for now!

zhai'helleva,
lady g

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

Date: Sun, 17 Jan 1999 09:32:34 -0800
From: "Jaylor"<thvu-+AT+-apexmail.com>
To: mercedes-lackey-+AT+-herald.co.uk
Subject: RE:  Re: Question from a Newbie
Message-ID: <6d6ce6085c6345010ae52e32878b955d-+AT+-apexmail.com>

mercedes-lackey-+AT+-herald.co.uk Said: 
> You're going to hate yourself.   Need talks via the mind.  The language 
> of the mind is universal.  It is in pictures and concepts that don't 
> necessarily need words to understand
> 
> Whitedeer aka
> Wandering Deer
> Medicine Woman
> 
> 
First, I'd like to thank you all for answering my questions.  =)  However, I
was just wondering about that pictures/concepts version of Mind-speech. 
Talia has the gift of Empathy - and thus cannot "talk" to Rolan as many of
the other Heralds are capable of.  If I'm not mistaken, she said that the
only time that she could truly hear what Rolan was saying was when she
tranced.  I had thought that Mind-speech involved actual words passing back
and forth between the two people.  I know that images/pictures are passed
through, but isn't it mainly the words that distinguish Mind-speech from
Empathy?


Jaylor Avarisse
Newbie With a Terrible Memory

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

Date: Sun, 17 Jan 1999 13:32:26 PST
From: "Rhiannon Shadowsong" <rhiannon13_-+AT+-hotmail.com>
To: mercedes-lackey-+AT+-herald.co.uk
Subject: RE: Guys/Newbie
Message-ID: <19990117213227.19642.qmail-+AT+-hotmail.com>

I'm catching up, really I am.  I got behind over the holidays, and gosh 
darn it if my college application process isn't making it even harder.   
You know, those essays are really boring and stupid.  I'll probably be 
rather redundant, because I am so behind, but you'll just have to deal 
with it, won't you?!

Davin:
>Oh Goddess, no I'm not all, um, for the US government.  I'm somewhat of
>a socialist, so I don't exactly get respected much.

Ooh!  A pagan Socialist!  You'll fit right in.  I'm a Wiccan Libertarian 
myself.

On the cover blurb thread...
I REALLY hate ones like the back of By the Sword. It describes the first 
little obstacle, and then the events are over in 20 pages.  I'm one of 
those people that want the real meat, the real obstacle.  It's not that 
big a deal, just slightly irritating.

Looks like the Sun and Shadow thread has also started up again.
I think that a lot of people would like to read, but I think Misty said 
something about not wanting to do it because it's sad and everybody 
knows how it ends.  I say so what?  Most people knew how LHM ended, 
because of that bit in Arrows, and it was certainly sad. A few sad books 
are a good thing.

Ack, others need computer.  Rude, obnoxious siblings.
Wind to thy wings,
Rhiannon Shadowsong

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

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

Date: Sun, 17 Jan 1999 15:51:12 -0600
From: Amy Trujillo <trujillo-+AT+-southwind.net>
To: mercedes-lackey-+AT+-herald.co.uk
Subject: Misty CDs and Fluff
Message-ID: <36A25B4B.6DA6-+AT+-southwind.net>

Heyla listsibs,

**Fluff**
The lady skips into the room followed by her ferrets who are doing their
happy dance. "I'm in a surprisingly good mood today, if things work out
I am going to be getting a new laptop in a couple of weeks. YEAH!!  I
will be able to get sooo much work done at school now. The ferrets are
happy too because they have a new cage and they have lots more room to
romp.  lady g, feel free to make my hot choclate never ending, I'm sure
there will always be someone who needs it."  The lady heads over to the
hot springs and jumps in, her ferrets distressed by the thought of a
bath, run toward the rest of the listsibs to make mischief.
**end fluff**  

On the Misty CD's:
	Well my favorite is Freedom, Flight and Fantasy I love most of the
songs on that one. I think I like it the most because I did not have any
expectations of what the songs should sound like. The book related ones
are good too, but the songs just don't quiet sound like I thought they
should after having read the lyrics.  I think of them all I like
Shadowstalker the best.  The CD that annoyed me the most was By The
Sword because it did not include Kerowyn's Ride.  I mean a good chunk 
of the book talks about the song and Kerowyn's reaction to it and we
don't get to hear it? Oh well, maybe the song will make it into a later
CD.
Actually I buy a lot of music from Firebird.  Every year I buy several
CDs, most of the time I have never heard of the artists before but I
decide to take a chance and I have rarely been disappointed.  I love
Tempest, Boiled in Lead, Tom Smith, Steve McDonald and tons of others
that I have bought from Firebird.  I just love that type of music and
the catalog is one of the only places that I can buy it. 

Welcome back Rhiannon, I know all about thost entrance essays, Yeck, I
applied for grad school last year and I thought I was going to be buried
alive under meaningless papers. 

Until next time, 

Amy
Ferret Friend
Lady of All Things Missing, Especially Socks

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

Date: Sun, 17 Jan 1999 18:36:06 -0400
From: "Nelson Greenslade" <grenslde-+AT+-nbnet.nb.ca>
To: "Misty" <mercedes-lackey-+AT+-herald.co.uk>
Subject: wro--, wron---, w-w-w-ron-ggg...not-right
Message-ID: <008001be427d$6f2cba20$20afb3cf-+AT+-epzfbrwg>

<<Skif was *not* on the way to being sentenced. Cymry picked him up off
the street. The thief on the way to his sentence was in LHM somewhere.
As it happens, I *liked* Skif's nonchalant daredevil air, and wanted to
smack him silly in WoFate.>>
   YES!!! Woohoo!!! *does happy dance*

<<My characters have pulled that
one on me before too. Doesn't make it right, but at least they had
reasons.>>
   *glares at best friend agreeing with Raven. "It was just casual!"* Grrr .
. . Alright, I accept that it was understandable under the circumstances. It
will always bug me and I'm sure Dirk would have felt completely betrayed had
he found out before Kris's death, but it's understandable. Though not
neccessary.

<<She remained very much our
Kero. Didn't you see her in WoFate and WoFury?>>
   First books I read on Velgarth. You make a good arguement, though this
was never a point I felt as strong about when compared with the Arrows
series. I understand why it was neccessary, but I don't think the years we
missed were that "uneventful". I'm sure Kero and Company must have seen a
LOT.

<<Elspeth acted only moderately spoiled and she got over it. Why is
everyone so hard on her?>>
   I don't feel that she got over it. I think it was even more noticable as
the plot unfolded. But that's just me.

<<Worshipper of Tal Rufen;>>
   Well, I finally know what this means. Tal was a good character. Too bad
he didn't get the girl, but that's the way the cookie crumbles. (Oops, that
was a spoiler, wasn't it?)

<<Hurricanes and
Frosts are act of nature that are harmful, yet you do not considder them
evil?
What do you call them?>>
   Nature. No act of nature can be evil, IMSO. The food chain is not evil.
The weather is not evil. It is not evil that the stomach breaks down or
"destroys" food to give us nutrients, because that's the way things are
meant to work. We assume that if something destroys, then it must be evil.
Yet it is not evil for white cells to kill germs; it is not evil for trees
to rot. Nothing of nature is wholly evil, or completely good. There is a
balance in everything.

~~~~~FLUFF~~~~~
   Batting a charred scarf away from her neck, Elsa waves her arm
dramatically and reveals a table laden with gigantic, mouth-watering,
still-warm chocolate chip cookies, a large any-flavor cake with green
frosting and little confection sheep prancing about on it, pulled-toffee,
pastries, candies, and veggies, as well as tapped, industrial-sized
thermoses filled with chava, java, mocha, cappuccino, tea, or hot cocoa,
depending on which you try. "Help youselves, Listsibs!" she cries, then
flounces away in a be-ribboned whirl and (after discreetly changing into a
bathing suit) splashes into a hot-pool to relax. "Ahhh.... too much baking
and too much homework...." she murmurs appreciatively before falling sound
asleep.
~~~~~END FLUFF~~~~~

   This is the end, I've had my fun, until next time my letter's done!

Elsa
Knight of Fluff, One In Black, Member of the Order of Drifting Ashes, OoUH
Champion of Jonne, Moonbeam, and Iceshadow, and caller of monsters

"Though you drown in good intentions
You will never quench the fire
You'll give in to your desire
When the Stranger comes along..."


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

Date: Sun, 17 Jan 1999 19:01:13 PST
From: "Abigail Laughlin" <abbykat-+AT+-hotmail.com>
To: mercedes-lackey-+AT+-herald.co.uk
Subject: Re: wro--, wron---, w-w-w-ron-ggg...not-right
Message-ID: <19990118030114.12554.qmail-+AT+-hotmail.com>

<<*glares at best friend agreeing with Raven. "It was just casual!"* 
Grrr . . . Alright, I accept that it was understandable under the 
circumstances. It will always bug me and I'm sure Dirk would have felt 
completely betrayed had he found out before Kris's death, but it's 
understandable. Though not neccessary.>>

Actually, I'm fairly sure Dirk asked Kris if Kris had slept with Talia 
and Kris responded in the affirmative, in the beginning of AFall. And, 
you're quite right, Dirk *did* feel betrayed, decided Kris was in love 
with Talia and vice versa... and hence, the whole mess that gave Dirk 
pneumonia and pretty much resulted in Talia and Kris being chosen to go 
to Hardorn and agreeing to go.

<<First books I read on Velgarth. You make a good arguement, though this 
was never a point I felt as strong about when compared with the Arrows 
series. I understand why it was neccessary, but I don't think the years 
we missed were that "uneventful". I'm sure Kero and Company must have 
seen a LOT.>>

I'll revise my earlier statement, as I have to agree with you here. 
However, all of that wouldn't have been very germane to the plot, which 
is also, I'll bet, why the second part of BTS skipped ahead to the 
Menmellith thing.

<<Tal was a good character. Too bad he didn't get the girl, but that's 
the way the cookie crumbles.>>

I know, I know, I'm a hopeless romantic and I wanted Romance. Even if it 
would have been predictable.

<<Nature. No act of nature can be evil, IMSO. The food chain is not 
evil. The weather is not evil. It is not evil that the stomach breaks 
down or "destroys" food to give us nutrients, because that's the way 
things are meant to work. We assume that if something destroys, then it 
must be evil. Yet it is not evil for white cells to kill germs; it is 
not evil for trees to rot. Nothing of nature is wholly evil, or 
completely good. There is a balance in everything.>>

Agreed, completely. Furthermore, guns are not evil, knives are not evil, 
drugs are not evil, money is not evil, though all of them can be used in 
evil ways. It's the hand behind the gun or the knife that is evil or 
good; it's the purpose for which the drug is bought and sold; it's the 
use of money as a drug, a ruling force or an addiction, rather than a 
tool. In order to be evil, in my honest opinion, there must be 
intelligence. In order to be evil one must be capable of making the 
choice between good and evil. Just because a thing is harmful does not 
make it evil. Hellfire, heroin was introduced as a medicine for 
coughs--a helpful medicine. Nature is not evil, nor is it good; nature 
simply is.

<<"Though you drown in good intentions
You will never quench the fire
You'll give in to your desire
When the Stranger comes along...">>

Ooooh, Billy Joel. One of my favorite singers. :)

Lord Raven, by the by.. I wasn't nagging about your choice of titles, I 
was merely making a vaguely tongue-in-cheek complaint about the 
popularity of the name I gave myself listwise. So far I've seen at least 
three people and one bondbird using the name Raven.

Zha'hai'allav'a,
Raven Darkblade,
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;
and Mor the raven, her familiar.

abbykat-+AT+-hotmail.com
http://www.angelfire.com/ky/Ashke/


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End of MERCEDES-LACKEY Digest 1847
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