2 hours ago, Quibby said:

I created him specifically to be the guy who tinkered around with gunpowder for the Band.  Didn't know if he had been purposed towards that in an NSW sense since my brain ate itself.

Nope, he's still your PC. I always had high hopes that I could nail your feet to the floor here again at some point. Go forth and create havoc.

I wish I knew! She's not one of the people I have OOC contact with unfortunately. I should really remedy that. 

Welcome to DM and how exciting! I wish I could go back to that fresh slate point and experience it all over again lol. I promise it's worth sticking it out. Do let us know how you get on with your new attempt... and feel free to stop by the Clubs up on the top tab ^^^ and see if any of them take your fancy. 

lol we certainly do! And yeah it does tend to be easier not mentioning it. That you sorted now then, happy enough with that?  

I'll naturally signal that fact as clearly as I can on our main pages but we were here first. Not sure there's much we can do without creating an entire new board which I have no wish to do. And to be fair, at various stages the RP has contained spoilers for those of us reading the Books too. We didn't change things every time someone was just starting to read the series. It's their responsibility if they join a long established forum, in my opinion. But we'll be flexible where we can and naturally listen if people have suggestions. 

Also pssst....this thread is locked.  It was a closed discussion, finished months ago and Lii resurrected it. My fault for not locking it sooner. Need to check for padlocks.

I would expect at least 3-6 months minimum, maybe, for a basic grounding in a new fighting style, if it was intensive one to one training with an experienced, capable fighter.

The whole WoT Randland continent is approx 3,000 to 3,500 miles from north to south, according to RJ and the various book map scales. I've also posted a thread on this board which lists some of the common distances for journeys between major cities, alongside journey times on foot and on horseback to help figure things out. Just if you need a reference in future.

I reckon 35 or 36 would be ample for your purposes. It's not like we haven't all fudged discrepancies sometimes so as long as it's at least plausible, you should be fine.

Why would he be off limits? He's your character, you can write him if you want. Just pick up where you left off. 

So, Liitha's 31, then she heads to Amador which would take at least 7-10 days of travelling on horseback. (A bit over 1000 miles at an average of 8mph if trotting. Clearly will be faster and slower at times, so I allowed for that.) If on foot, much longer. Plus however long her training takes with Con once there.

I don't know where she meets Anton or where they travel to so I can't comment on that.

Also don't know where Liitha's Farm is so I have no idea what the distance is from there to Baerlon with Cara...or even if they went somewhere else first. But obviously +3 weeks between their first and second meetings.

How long were they captive for in the kidnapping and how long did it take them to break free?

After that, given Cara knows how to create Gateways, distance becomes fairly irrelevant as far as time passing is concerned. It's just a matter of how long any actual action takes while they're in the Borderlands and, likewise, what time frame is covered by the RP's after returning to the Tower. Since they Travel back, the journey is irrelevant.

I'd venture to say it can't be more than 2-3 years at most reading that over but it's going to depend if you tied any of the RP's to main timeline events; by referring to changes in the weather for example. We're mid 1001 NE now because I've tied the book year we're working on to our own year. 

You could always just fudge it, ignore the logistics and call her 35 as of this point in the current timeline. 

16 hours ago, Elessar said:

Non-fantasy fiction favourites:

 

-        Shogun - James Clavell  (a masterpiece imo, possibly my second favourite novel of all time)

-        Noble House - James Clavell (another monumental piece of writing imo)

 

YES! Oh my word, I loved those. Even the TV adaptations were great. Richard Chamberlain was epic in Shogun. I also enjoyed Whirlwind, which was set in Iran. Very emotional book.

The summer sun is fading as the year grows old
And darker days are drawing near

Rhya had pulled back the curtains with a distinct lack of hope that morning. Outside, the sky had been greeting the start of a new day with an impressive array of grey shades, along with a sort of smug heaviness that promised rain would be an all too likely outcome. 

Ten days ago, with torrential rain halting all but the most essential outdoor activities, she'd made the mistake of voicing boredom to Owen. She really should have known better. Spending the week in the salting rooms with the Sages had not been on her list of preferred things to do, but Owen had volunteered her services to Aislyn within the hour. Rhya hadn't had the heart to wriggle out of it after being faced with her friend's gratitude. She was cognisant of how vital such work would be in the coming months. Autumn was upon them already and without meat laid by, winter would be extremely hard in the mountains. She'd set to with the best will she could muster as all of the Sages took delighted turns at reminding her that many hands make light work.

They'd finally finished the rather dull, repetitive chore the previous evening, so facing another waterlogged day had not filled her with enthusiasm. Thankfully, by mid morning the cloud cover had miraculously broken, allowing blue skies and a warm sun to break through. Much more the thing in Rhya's opinion and the main reason she was now striding towards the stables with a purposeful air and her gear slung over her shoulder. She wasn't about to hang around waiting to be handed any more random jobs.

The large double doors to the stable block stood open, allowing fresh air to circulate, and several younger 'kin were busy mucking out or dealing with other odd jobs delayed by the weather. Exchanging brief nods and smiles with each of them, Rhya paused briefly at the entrance grimacing against the smell of manure which hadn't yet cleared. Even so the skin around her eyes relaxed in tandem with the tension flowing out of her shoulders. She loved the light and warmth in this building, with its lofty rafters, dust motes floating in the air, and the soft whickering of the horses accompanied by their occasional hoof stamps. With a sigh of pleasure and anticipation, Rhya abandoned her momentary reverie and was about to go find her own mount when a strong hand landed on her shoulder and she whirled around, startled.

"Blood and bloody ashes, Lorelai! I thought it was Owen, come to drag me back to that confounded salting shed," she took a long calming breath, scowling slightly at her fellow Ranger's obvious amusement. 

I can do. I can do bossy pretty well. 

18 hours ago, Caroline said:

Since I notice most people on here also post their nationality: I'm Belgian (even though I grew up in Germany), and live not very far from Brussels. 

Brussels is beautiful! I visited there once, many years ago on a trip as a Girl Guide. We had a wonderful time. Well. apart from the Zeebrugge disaster, we passed the ferry on our way over to Bruges which was rather traumatic. But our actual stay was great. My second visit was to Ghent for our Dragonmount Euromeet and it just confirmed for me what a wonderful place Belgium is and how lovely its people are. 

18 hours ago, Caroline said:

 

And, finally, I do have a question: in the original post of this thread, there is a link to a thread where there is supposed to be a lot of information for newbies to DM. The link doesn't work for me (Error code: 2F173/H). I'll try to find the thread on my own, but I just wanted to let you guys know. And if someone does have the link, sharing it would be much appreciated. (Otherwise, I might just get sucked into another wormhole, and forget what I was looking for in the first place.)

 

A lot of our forums have been archived and some threads are undergoing an overhaul which included the information in that board. It was very outdated. It'll be back once the Admin team are finished sprucing it up. 

Most of our Social Groups are now under the "Clubs" tab at the top of the index page ^^^^^. Take a look around and see if you fancy joining any. If you get stuck, just shout on this board, someone will be around to help.

On 8/23/2019 at 1:36 AM, Ernest said:

My favourite character is Perrin Aybara and I'm a huge wolf fan.

 

I did some online writing years ago through AncientSites and really enjoyed it.

 

 

You sound like you belong in the WoT Role Play Club . Welcome to DM! I'm a huge wolf fan too. The Wolfkin was the first ever group I joined here. Sadly it doesn't currently exist as a Club but I also RP as a Wolfkin. Was it RP or fanfic you wrote? 

That's an excellent question, I'll endeavour to discover the answer. I'm part way through her 100 weaves at the moment.

You don't need a pancreas to write. Try to focus.

My Kiyi's about as an Accepted, and if I ever convince myself finish her Raising thread, she'll be a new Blue. Which Ajah is Janine?

Saying that, the next 2 weeks are going to be crazy for me time wise so if anyone else is interested, that might work out better for you. I don't want to keep anybody waiting for posts. 

I'm sure Cass won't mind me letting you all know that she's been a bit buried under study and work. She's been in touch to say she expects to be back after the 1st of September which is good to hear. Meantime, any of you who are active should know just to drop me a PM or, if it's easier, tag me here in this thread. 

I should clarify that by "you" I meant the general you, not specifically you lol. I love the Brontes and Dumas is wonderful too. I couldn't deal with Moby Dick at all so empathise with your plight over that.

4 hours ago, Talya said:

Maybe try Tinder

 You kill me. *drags the Dancing Queen off to the Reds* 

4 hours ago, imlad said:

 

You're a Scot? I never would have guessed ?. 

I know, right? I hide it well.  

4 hours ago, imlad said:

 

I firmly believe that, while not my favorite series, the Memory, Sorrow and Thorn trilogy is the most beautifully written fantasy I have ever read.

Yes, agreed.

4 hours ago, imlad said:

I'll be starting another thread similar to this one soon, but all about favorite book series (I have a Top 20 for that one as well).

Excellent.

4 hours ago, imlad said:

I think The Land is one of the more beautiful fantasy realms I have read, which is pretty ironic considering that the Covenant stuff is some of the earliest dark fantasy. I wouldn't call it grimdark, at least not until the Second Chronicles (I haven't finished the final four books yet, but those were seeming pretty dark as well).

I agree with everything Elessar says about the Covenant books. They are definitely not for everyone. And they were definitely not for the 13 year old me who first read them. I reread the original six when I was in early to mid 30s and enjoyed them much more, and understood them much more as well, and that includes Donaldson's eccentric vocabulary (I first read my mother's copy which had dozens of words written in the back cover, words she found in the book that she didn't know and had to look up; I had to do the same). The man has a massive vocabulary and uses words that 99.99999999% of the populace have never seen before and probably will never see again outside of his books.

 

The first book in the series, Lord Foul's Bane, can also be problematic for some; fairly early in the book, the main character (I am leary of calling him a protagonist as he is in many ways more of an anti-hero) does something BAD that could trigger some readers. I know several people that stopped reading at that point, and I fully understand their reasons and reactions.

Great to get a second favourable vote for reading them. And again, eccentric vocabulary sounds right up my street. I'm now prepared for the big bad. I don't mind triggers if they're a constructive part of the plot/char development. If it's gratuitous...colour me far less impressed.

4 hours ago, imlad said:

I devoured the original six Dragonlance books by Hickman and Weiss (and they're the first books to ever make me tear up and be sad at a character's death, and they did it twice).

That's what the Malazan books did to me. I didn't just tear up, I was a wreck. Absolutely heartbroken and sobbed my eyes out. My other half thought I'd lost the plot entirely crying over a book but to me, that's the sign of effective, impactful writing and of a book series I'll never forget.

4 hours ago, imlad said:

I've always hated the "literati" out there, the Literature Snobs who look down on all genre lit as being worthless. This has gone so far as to the point of me hating the books they push, including the Trolloc dung they teach in school, most of which I absolutely despised and hated (The Great Gatsby I'm looking at you!). Until I started getting into some non-fiction and into Historical Fiction I've pretty much been a genre snob, the opposite of the "literati." Basically, 99.99% of what I have read in my life has been either Fantasy or Science Fiction. Some for pure escapism, some for deeper thought. And both of these genres is ripe with both categories thankfully.

I like The Great Gatsby! lol

There's really no reason to be any kind of snob about any kind of literature. You can subjectively hold opinions about what you prefer and what you rate in terms of genre, writing style, point of view etc. without dismissing everything you don't consider worthwhile as total rubbish. Bottom line, particularly these days, I'm a firm believer that any kind of reading is better than none.

4 hours ago, imlad said:

Glad everyone is enjoying this thread! ?? I'll be posting a "sequel" soon! 

Very much. This sort of chat is why I joined DM in the first place. We may have varying tastes, but we do tend to be like minded about our general love of fantasy and sci-fi.

2 hours ago, SinisterDeath said:

6. Logen Ninefingers - First Law Trilogy

7. Sand dan Glokta - First Law Trilogy

I started reading the first book. Heard good things about Joe Abercrombie. For some reason I got sidetracked though, my attention hadn't been hooked yet and as a result, I haven't gone back to it. I really must. Thanks for the reminder.

2 hours ago, SinisterDeath said:

... Can't think of anymore off the top of my head.

 

Note from teacher... Must try harder! B-  

 

6 hours ago, Elessar said:

 

I like both types: books that are delicious escapism and those who demand more of its reader, depending on my mood. Most often I have to admit my main purpose is to be entertained with stories, but I have become more critical in later years as to what I consider quality and worth reading. As for literary snobs, fantasy literature - even of the quality kind - is frowned upon by the book establishment over here same as in most countries I guess. But then again so is much popular fiction. I wonder if that will ever change. 

Agreed, I think one needs the balance between the two types even if just to give our brains and emotions some respite. My go to when I feel that way is the trashiest chick lit you can think of lol and I don't feel remotely guilty about it. Myst calls me a literary snob because a) I enjoy Shakespeare which she struggles with because of the language and b) I don't rate certain authors as particularly skilled despite enjoying their books. (Rowling and Sanderson fall into that category for me, entertaining but not one of the greats). I don't however, stick my nose up at any particular genre. I was lucky that sci-fi and fantasy were both on my Uni reading list and heavily discussed, yet I definitely did come up against that dismissive attitude towards other forms of popular fiction such as historical fiction in particular.

6 hours ago, Elessar said:

The sequel, 'The Elfstones of Shannara' (maybe you read that one?)

 Can't recall to be absolutely honest.

6 hours ago, Elessar said:

... but I still enjoyed them back in the day and if I want an easy (re)read I could read it again.

 That's Eddings for me. I could read them until the cows come home when I want to be amused and enthralled without thinking. 

6 hours ago, Elessar said:

Stephen Donaldson is an interesting example in this regard. In the Thomas Covenant books he writes in what some have called an old-fashioned style and uses many unusual words/vocabulary which some have problems with, but I found it interesting and rewarding. Donaldson is imo one of the greatest quality literary fantasy writers out there (regardless of what one thinks of his stories).

Well now you've really interested me. Words are absolutely my jam. I've had people tell me all my life to stop using big words but a lot of it's down to the books I grew up reading where the language is simply less commonly used nowadays. I think it's why I find some fantasy writers overly simplistic in their style, it's what I call writing for the lowest common denominator, the worst type of "popular" fiction.

6 hours ago, Elessar said:

I have personally found that what I struggle the most with is authors who write in the first person ("I") instead of the more traditional third person ("He"). I know some readers even prefer that, but it just does not sit well with me somehow, it does not feel natural to me and so I usually choose the more traditionally written books instead.

100% agreed. Not a fan of that at all.

6 hours ago, Elessar said:

Loved his foul-tempered horse too, Faran ? (there are some truly hilarious small scenes between the two of them ?).

Faran! ❤️ Oh my gosh. Iconic.

6 hours ago, Elessar said:

PS. Talking of characters and books, I don't know if you every got around to reading Melanie Rawn's Exile books, first was "The Ruins of Ambrai".  I really enjoyed that fantasy-story, it has many interesting characters and a good story I thought, but I have read that some readers found her "wordy" (probably many of the same who criticized Robert Jordan of the same). The book got a sequel but sadly the last book in the trilogy has not been written in the past 20 years (author had serious personal issues and after a long break went on to write other books) so it is not for those readers who prefer to have the book series finished before they invest time in it (highly uncertain if that third book will ever be written).

Yeah, unfinished would irritate me. Don't even get me started on ASoIaF. I'm aware of the author and the series, but never tried them. Wordy doesn't bother me, it didn't with Jordan. I like good descriptive passages. Readers these days are, (often not always), lazy and impatient.

6 hours ago, Elessar said:

Another interesting fantasy trilogy is Robin Hobb's "The Liveship Traders", ever had a look at that? A well written kind of low-fantasy seaborn-series, character-based with a few magical aspects interspersed. I enjoyed that too, though it was somewhat different from much of the (more high) fantasy books I read at the time.

I've read the Farseer books, the Liveship Traders, The Tawny Man series and also her books written as Megan Lindholm. Fun fact, my Blademaster sword at the Band (not the RP) is called Windsinger after "The Windsinger Quartet" books she wrote. They're all sitting on the shelf behind me. Love her as a writer. One of the very few exceptions I've made for 1st person pov.

Welcome @Kilivia . If you need any assistance, ask away. 

10 minutes ago, SinisterDeath said:

Came here to say

❤️ Drizzt.

Totes.  Wonderful character. Not sure how I managed to miss him off my Top 20 but also not sure who I'd replace! Sparhawk really should have been on there too looking at Elessar's list.

The "what if" would have been very cool to explore, yes, it was definitely strongly suggested and plausible.

That's not a problem. We're a PSW anyway, not a direct text book copy of the Books. Guidelines are fine but whatever you decide works will be canon for us.

5 hours ago, Elessar said:

In my country we separate written fiction into 2 categories: popular fiction and for lack of a better English term, serious fiction. 

We do the same in the UK. My academic background is in Literature/Language so there's always an element of analytical thought in my approach to reading choices. Whilst I enjoy some lighthearted escapism sometimes, I inevitably come back to needing more substantial fare. If books don't make me think,  I get bored. And if it makes me a literary snob, as my dear Souvra is so fond of telling me, then I'm ok with that.

5 hours ago, Elessar said:

...I had a go at the first Shannara trilogy by Terry Brooks, the first book which was almost a copy of The Lord of the Rings but since I loved the original I was far from unhappy. I also read the Dragonlance Chronicles ...

I only ever read 2 of the Shannara books. Someone recommended them but I think I came to them when I was too old to enjoy them without criticism. Very childish and a bit too derivative for me. Dragonlance bypassed me completely although I was aware of them. I read the Drizzt books in the Forgotten Realms D&D series instead.

5 hours ago, Elessar said:

 As for the acclaimed Malazan Book of the Fallen series which you mention. I love huge epic fantasy stories and had a go at the first Malazan book, but something - I am not quite sure what - put me off in that book and made me think that this was not a series for me and my book taste.

Funnily enough, I had a similar issue. It took me a while to get into the series, it has a very slow start, but I loved the first 4 books as a complete story arc. After that I never went any further as the story line and most of the characters changed, despite being in the same world, and that annoyed me. Possibly the drawback of having different writers. Hence why it's not on my Top 20 list. I don't like having my immersion interrupted quite that completely. Challenge me, yes, but don't spoil the experience.

5 hours ago, Elessar said:

Same happened to me with Brandon Sanderson’s Stormlight Archive book 1. I really wanted to like it, I read the first half of the book but though he writes well with some interesting innovations the book did not sit well with me somehow.

 

Yes, I felt the same about the Mistborn books. I persevered through the first trilogy and enjoyed them well enough but then for some reason never had the impetus to read the follow ups. I haven't tried the Stormlight set but did read, and liked, Warbreaker. Brandon's style isn't really for me though. He did very well finishing up WoT but I put that down to the copious amount of material RJ left. I don't personally feel that Sanderson is a good enough writer to have done that entirely by himself, judging by his own work. Again, the reason nothing of his makes my top 20. 

As you say, a very subjective thing, this reading! Fascinating how we can all react so differently to the same books.