Comments on "Darksong"

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Talwyn Aureliano
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Post by Talwyn Aureliano »

Aylstra... you must of missed the pun ;)

I suppose you may not be familiar with the expression "that's just crackers" meaning crazy/insane/weird.

quackers/crackers :p and ducks...get it? :p ;) :lol:

Dance battles can be pretty intense and it can be "Murder on the Dance Floor" ... just ask Sophie Ellis Bexter ;)


[youtube:3h2cuebx]HQuEnGvrvMU[/youtube:3h2cuebx]


wooHoo! :lol:

In all seriousness though, a lot of anime just doesn't enthrall me. Yes the stories are different but I find a lot of it too alien and don't enjoy it :/ I'm ok with stuff like Miyazaki? films like Howls Moving Castle etc but prefer things like Akira, Ghost in the Shell, Appleseed, StarBlazers, RoboTech, even Samurai Champloo [although that is a little odd at times]

There is so much anime that its hard to find shows or films that I can enjoy these days. there is also so much other stuff that you have to start to pick/priorotise what you want to do/watch/get into and leave a lot behind. :/ Can't see it all. And if something doesn't grab me within the 1st 10 minutes, I turn it off.

Plus a story about ballerinas etc is a BIT too girley for my tatses as well :king:

However, each to their own ;)


Getting back to Bladesingers though, it does seem to be a neat fit for Eilistraeens as a class kit for fighters. Yes there is the Darksong Knight but the art of Bladesinging seems more appros to the DarkDancer. She favours the Bastard Sword and is deadly and graceful with it. Combine that with clerical magic and that becomes quite a deadly character. The only draw back I saw with Eilistraeens is their shunning of missile weapons. Yes the priestesses get Magic Missile as a special spell at a certaiun level, which I can't recall right now but no other missile firepower does leave them at a distinct disadvantage :/

No matter how good a swordsman you are, someone with a bow will ping you eventually.

The historical allorgry is Roman Legions vs Parthian mounted archers. The Romans almost always lost in their encounters in open country as the Parthians [Persians] would dart in, pepper them with missile fire then wheel away when the legionaries tried to get into melee combat. The Mongol hordes also perfected this tactic which is why Genghis Khan was so successful.

And of course, THE classic battle in which bows/missiles prove to be the undisputed king of the battle field, Agincourt.

The flower of French chivarly [over 9000 it is reported] cut down in less than 30 minutes by no more than 2000 English bowmen.

So I think that Eilistraee might have to review her bias against missile weapons if she wants to get serious and actually WIN the war with Lolth.
In War: Resolution. In Defeat: Defiance. In Victory: Magnanimity. In Peace: Goodwill.

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Aylstra Illianniis
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Post by Aylstra Illianniis »

Yes, I GOT the pun. didn't WANT it, but I GOT it. I happen to like a lot of the same anime that you mentioned, except perhaps Akira, which I am okay with, but never really got into. There's just something about the story that never sat well with me- might be the way it was presented, or the fact that Tetsuo went so nuts with his new power. Or maybe the fact that it consumed him- and quite literally- in the end. Sad, really.

My hubby is a rabid Robotech fan, slavering over the new movie that is supposedly in the works. I hear that Leo DiCaprio is working on a LA version of Akira. We'll see how that turns out after the bomb that was Dragonball.... I loved the LA Death Note movies, though. I thought the ending of those was actually better than the manga or the anime version! And I LOVE Miyazaki! Kiki's Delivery Service and Howl are two of my favorites! Then again, I'm a big fan of FMA, too, so... I love the Elric bros.! (And my hubby and some of our recent game-group have nicknamed me "Ed" because of my size and the fact that I tend to get a wee bit annoyed whenever someone calls me short, little, etc...)

I guess the ballet school storyline IS a bit girlish, but I loved it. It's really more of an all-arts school, just they are all in the ballet division of it. And there are moments when the two guys almost seem a bit "gay", but it's really more of a big/little brother protective sort of relationship. Fakir is sworn to protect his liege, something which he takes a little too seriously at times, and even spends a lot of time at the beginning ordering him around, mostly because Mytho (the prince) has very little will of his own, having lost his heart and all the emotions that go with it. He almost seems cruel at times, but after a while, you start to see that it's because he wants to keep him safe, especially after Tutu(her "princess" form) starts finding the pieces and giving them back to him- he knows the raven could come back from them. Add in the raven's daughter Rue as a rival to Ahiru/Tutu's affections, and Fakir's unnoticed love for Ahiru (which leterally means duck, lol!) and you get some twisted and dark relationships in there. Especially with all the fairy-tale overtones- and I'm talking original Grimm brothers stuff, not the syrupy Disney versions!!

Good points about the bows, Tal, but you are forgetting that there ARE protections from missiles via magic or shields. couple that with the fact that most drow use crossbows (regular bows just are not very practical in the Underdark, especially long bows), which have a shorter range, and it does not make for as much of an advantage, especially when there are any number of stone formations which can make bow use problematic. Why worry about archers when you can duck behind the nearest stalagmite? Or levitate up behind a stalactite and attack by coming down on them from above? And lest we forget, the Underdark is full of twists and turns, narrow passages that can hinder a shot, and pits and other obstacles to archery.

I agree that bladesingers seem pretty well suited to Eilistraee, and I think she is one of the patrons of them, if I'm not mistaken.
By the Dark Maiden''s grace do we meet. May she guide and protect us.

"Where Science ends, Magic begins." -Spiral, Uncanny X-Men #491

A link to my tales, including my Marvel hero!:
http://mickeys-tavern.com/index.php?showforum=188
T'risstree Helviiryn
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Post by T'risstree Helviiryn »

My favourite Miyazaki anime was Spirited Away :love:

just beautiful :)

I also liked Porko Rosso, that was fun :)

But I'm not a big anime fan. Sure I like it but I don't go outa my way to watch it. Like Talwyn said, I too just don't have the time to see it all :/ Although this Princess tutu sounds interesting. I might try and see if one of my friends has it as she is a huge anime freak and has a big collection of the stuff. I think she's a little nuts sometimes 'cause she gets into Cosplay :roll: and takes it a bit too seriously :eek: but she's fun anyway when shes not obssessing over the latest anime.

what I don't like is that twisted stuff like Hentai or that other perverted crap :mad: Or the weird gay stuff they have. I'm not homophobic but sheesh...what is it with the insane people <mostly fans> wanting various characters from all sorts of stories to have gay relationships? :roll: turns me right off... :nonono:

and the amount of weird fanfic thats out there like Drizzit having a gay relationship with Jarlaxle or Artemis or all of them in a 3 way... :roll: sheesh... if anything....that's quackers to use Tal's poor pun. :p I just dont get it :uh-huh:

meh... probably comes from my mothers strict catholocism :uh-huh:


quackers pun :roll: Tal=dofus :p


I get where Tal is coming from with the whole bows thing.

Yeah you can have protection vs missiles but, as I found out in one gaming session, DISPEL MAGIC can be a bitch :/

I also thought it weird that Eilistraee encourages her followers to hunt but how can you hunt with a sword? :uh-huh: That never made sense to me.

We made it a house rule that her followers could use light/hand Crossbows only <being a drow weapon> but never specialise or focus on them. They were purely for hunting and large battles.

In small adventuring parties, the followers were directed to use their swords but could use an Xbow if necessary or the situation required it.
L'''' ghefna i''''dol ulu doera natha wael zhah talinth dosstan mzild bekea taga byrren
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Aylstra Illianniis
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Post by Aylstra Illianniis »

As far as I know, she does not actually forbid the use of bows, but simply shuns them herself- and if you've read Evermeet, you understand why. It is too easy for an enemy to re-direct arrows or bolts, and let's face it, if you had been using a bow (or a gun, in RL equivilant) and "accidentally" shot your dearest loved one, you would be put off their use, too. Never mind that it was Lolth who caused the misdirected shot. :'(

As for hunting with swords, most of their hunts are against dangerous beasts, many of which are armored against arrows. Plus, the Amerindians often used to hunt with little more than a knife, so I can see how it's possible. Especially if using traps and snares, which I think her followers would probably do when hunting smaller game for food.

I'm not a big fan of the hentai, either, but I've read some yaoi mangas, and I don't find anything wrong with them at all. Some of them even have really sweet or deep stories to them, and the fact that it's homo-erotic is just sort of a side-issue for me. I really don't care if it's two guys, two girls, or one of each (or even more than one- some of those three and four-way stories are actually hilarious!) I just like a good romance tale. anime just seems to be a good vehicle for that sort of thing. Love stories in general, I mean. :x

I've read some of those fan-fics you mentioned, and oddly enough, I can see Jar or Entreri in that sort of relationship. Mostly Jarlaxle, though I secretly think he's bi.... :uh-huh: :devil:

BTW, you guys have NO idea how apropos that "quackers" joke is- here's a little secret: my last name is (no fooling, I married into it) Duck!!! Might be why I liked that particular anime- I got a kick out of her being a literal duck, and her name means duck. It was just sort of ironically funny to me, I guess. And no, hubby's name is NOT Donald or Huey, Dewy, or Louie. (However, he DID have a grandad whose middle name was Donald- before Disney ever used it- and his mom's maiden name was Huey, AND his middle initial is "A", so.... Go ahead, laugh all ya want- we play around with it, too!! And his mom denies it, but I still say that using that middle name with an "A" initial was their idea of a joke.) :p :D
By the Dark Maiden''s grace do we meet. May she guide and protect us.

"Where Science ends, Magic begins." -Spiral, Uncanny X-Men #491

A link to my tales, including my Marvel hero!:
http://mickeys-tavern.com/index.php?showforum=188
T'risstree Helviiryn
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Post by T'risstree Helviiryn »

Your husbands middle name starts with A. and his surname is Duck? :eek: :p ;)

LOL

The poor guy must have been razzed like hell back in school :/

I hope you didn't have a daughter and call her Daphne :p

I'm lucky I suppose as I got my dads surname which is Haley [he's english] so I never got teased about my name and it helped too cause mum is Mexican and having a Gringo surname made it easier too, no stupid jokes about being chicano or a wetback :roll: <grr>

I couldn't remember what the gay anime/manag was called, Yaoi...
yeah still not my thing :/ I guess I'm a bit too hetro 'n conservative when it comes to that stuff <male on male anyway> :bored: :/

But you are right, Jarlaxle is probably a swinger as most Drow males tend to get pretty much shafted < pun intended btw :p > by drow society. Its probably like RL men in prisons, most aren't outright gay but since they're all segregated togther, like males in drow society, they probably drop a lot of soap in the shower :p if you get my drift? And we know guys well enough to know that they have their needs.... no more need be said ;)

I haven't read Evermeet but I'm curious now enough to try and find a 2ndhand copy in one of the shops near campus.

Most D&D books I find are pretty trashey, the writing is poor and the plotting is lame. Elaine Cunningham was the exception and the the 2 Drizzt series were Ok too before they got bogged down in weird subplots :roll:

War of the Spider Queen was all over the place with all those different writers each taking their turn to drive the characters. The main story was good, intriguing and got me interested to keep reading but there were some books that "read" better than others.
L'''' ghefna i''''dol ulu doera natha wael zhah talinth dosstan mzild bekea taga byrren
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Aylstra Illianniis
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Post by Aylstra Illianniis »

:D Yeah, he got razzed a lot as a kid, but he learned to have fun with it, and so have I. We've known each other since high-school- we weren't HS sweethearts, but he dated one of my best friends, which is how we met up. He admitted not long after we got together after HS that he had had a crush on me then, but thought I was taken. Ah, to think we could have saves ourselves so much time if he'd just asked me.... But it's cool. And FYI, we DID have a little girl, but her name is Rhiannon (no, not after the song, I'm Wiccan, so I named her after the goddess).

Jarlaxle a swinger?! Yeah, we all know Breagan D'aerth is really just his male singles club!!! :p

I have liked most of the Drizzt novels, though I was deeply disappointed in the most recent trilogy- the Transitions books. He took them in the wrong direction, I thought. I did like some of the possibilities in the Orc King, and the Hunter's Blades series, but time will tell if I keep reading after the next book.

I agree about the WotSQ series- some were better than others. I liked the Lady Penitent up until the last book, then it just got stupid. Like Halisstra couldn't have seen through the ruse Lolth put in front of her.... I think that book seemed kind of forced, like she really didn't want to do it, and just wrote it because the WotC Nazis told her to....
By the Dark Maiden''s grace do we meet. May she guide and protect us.

"Where Science ends, Magic begins." -Spiral, Uncanny X-Men #491

A link to my tales, including my Marvel hero!:
http://mickeys-tavern.com/index.php?showforum=188
Aylstra Illianniis
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Post by Aylstra Illianniis »

I just noticed that my tale has now had 2500 views. Thanks to everyone who is reading along, and please- leave a comment!! I'd love to hear your thoughts!
By the Dark Maiden''s grace do we meet. May she guide and protect us.

"Where Science ends, Magic begins." -Spiral, Uncanny X-Men #491

A link to my tales, including my Marvel hero!:
http://mickeys-tavern.com/index.php?showforum=188
LiNeee-niss'xae
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Post by LiNeee-niss'xae »

Oh Lothir, thought I might just deposit a nicely formed comment in here for you. Your story is coming alongg beautifully, each paragraph is intricately formed, and frankly I just don't want to stop reading once I start. I've only been here for a couple of weeks, and by far that thread is the one I've been to most.

I enjoy each story, it takes one to a new world, a world where mystery and mythology are in the concept of life. You have a gift, dear. A very grand one. Do not forget that as you let the words run through your finger tips.

Well done. :)

Yours truly,
Lilley.
Li Neena~

Aster zhah l''dalharil d''Draeval
Aylstra Illianniis
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Post by Aylstra Illianniis »

Aha! so YOU'RE the one who's been boosting my view count!!Thank you very much, LiNeee! To be honest, I was beginning to wonder if anyone actually liked it, as I've not had any comments for some time. There are two companion tales, one of which is here (Dark Descent). It's starting to look more and more like a sort of D&D version of "Star Wars", with the whole father/son redemption theme going on. But time will tell where it leads. I've recently been focusing on the next story in the set, the one that introduces Vala and her brother, so if you get to the "end" and wonder why it hasn't been continued recently, that's why. But yes, I still have much more coming- in fact, as soon as i get it all tied together, I will be churning out psots like there's no tomorrow, since I've got the next couple of chapters already complete. (I've been filling parts as they come to me and placing them where they belong in the storyline while I work on the particularly sticky parts. So it's got some gaps ATM. But they will be filled in as I get unstuck.)
By the Dark Maiden''s grace do we meet. May she guide and protect us.

"Where Science ends, Magic begins." -Spiral, Uncanny X-Men #491

A link to my tales, including my Marvel hero!:
http://mickeys-tavern.com/index.php?showforum=188
LiNeee-niss'xae
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Post by LiNeee-niss'xae »

:) Yeah that's probably me. Hah. I couldn't help but throw up my own thread, I have so many stories I have started and not finished. A book I have completed is on its way to the publisher. Who knows how that will pan out :/ But, none the less, keep up the great work. :D
Li Neena~

Aster zhah l''dalharil d''Draeval
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Post by veraka »

You wrote a book :eek: AWESOME!!! :))
I know this goes against a good authors conscious but is it fantasy?
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Aylstra Illianniis
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Post by Aylstra Illianniis »

Really? Awesome, and good luck! I'm hoping to get this one published eventually in full form. There have been changes to the original manuscript, so what you see here is by no means the final draft. Most of the changes are minor, though- added description, a few extra scenes and dialog, that sort of thing.
By the Dark Maiden''s grace do we meet. May she guide and protect us.

"Where Science ends, Magic begins." -Spiral, Uncanny X-Men #491

A link to my tales, including my Marvel hero!:
http://mickeys-tavern.com/index.php?showforum=188
LiNeee-niss'xae
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Post by LiNeee-niss'xae »

I think it's fantastic! I real joy to read. :D And yes Veraka I have, and yes it is. Based on the Seven Deadly Sins, (a strange topic I know), and really it has been a thrill to write. [i:3v2fmf16] Sloth, Avarice, Lust, Envy, Vanity, Gluttony and Wrath,[/i:3v2fmf16] they come together so lovingly. :D
Li Neena~

Aster zhah l''dalharil d''Draeval
Aylstra Illianniis
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Post by Aylstra Illianniis »

Just a note for those still reading along (PLEASE, comment, folks!!) that it is coming up on a new chapter, with a whole new cast of characters to meet and love(to hate). There will be some humorous an/or steamy scenes, so be warned- the next chapter is DEFINITELY part the reason I labeled this story "mature"!!!
By the Dark Maiden''s grace do we meet. May she guide and protect us.

"Where Science ends, Magic begins." -Spiral, Uncanny X-Men #491

A link to my tales, including my Marvel hero!:
http://mickeys-tavern.com/index.php?showforum=188
Aylstra Illianniis
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Post by Aylstra Illianniis »

Just a heads-up for those still reading it- there are two new posts up, with more coming soon! Let me know your thoughts, especially about some of the new characters being introduced. I'd love to hear people's critiques!
By the Dark Maiden''s grace do we meet. May she guide and protect us.

"Where Science ends, Magic begins." -Spiral, Uncanny X-Men #491

A link to my tales, including my Marvel hero!:
http://mickeys-tavern.com/index.php?showforum=188
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