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Messages - Shrain

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46
Everything Else / Re: Cool Stuff Found on the Internet, again
« on: October 25, 2008, 01:08:59 AM »
From the same guys who brought us the Diet Coke/Mentos Experiment, they now give us Sticky Notes Experiment:

http://www.eepybird.com/stickynote.html
What fun! If only I could spend all day at the office playing with sticky notes!!

47
Rants and Stuff / Re: Happy Things 2008:Generation X [part deux]
« on: October 25, 2008, 12:57:13 AM »
...and Jade Fright makes me run away in fright!

48
Brandon Sanderson / Re: "A" is for Atium....
« on: October 24, 2008, 06:17:33 PM »
Nicely done Shrain :) That is totally awesome, and I agree with Rose, you should definitely do the "A as in atium" thing sometime and see who knows what the heck you mean ;)

Wow, that's really impressive. ...
You should do "a like in atium" and see how may people react to it.

Thanks, guys. I feel especially cool now. 8)  And I might just have to try out my new alphabet on someone... ;)

You would... I bet you're biased. :P

*snort* Yeah, at least slightly so.

49
Everything Else / Re: I'm back, and now I have two kids. :)
« on: October 24, 2008, 03:30:47 AM »
Awww, wonderful. Glad you all are okay, Kristy. Yay for babies. And Jonas was born in the same month as HOA. Not bad. ;)

50
Brandon,

   It's good to have you back, haunting the boards. Here's what I've been wanting to post for so long but couldn't until the book came out!

Reading the final installment of Mistborn was an undeniable pleasure--a literary indulgence of the highest order. The storyline has hairpin turns and secrets aplenty. The characters overall display mesmerizing depth, development, and conflict. The world itself continues to evoke a powerful set of emotions, creating an eerie, magical aura that we can’t ever forget--nor would we wish to. The magic systems--now more than ever--outshine so many other magic systems because Allomancy, Hemalurgy, and Feruchemy relate to each other in a typically fascinating and logical way, possessing an astounding level of complexity and uniqueness.

Spook’s elevation to a major player is something I hadn’t quite expected but welcomed all the same. I enjoyed watching Spook come into his own as a leader and a man who deserves to be part of the crew. I didn’t find it hard to feel swept into his inner and outer conflict, rooting for him as an underdog worthy of achieving greatness. Another smart twist was Ruin’s masquerade as Kelsier for Spook--not to mention Reen for Vin. If the only thing we have to fear is fear itself, then Ruin embodies fear itself.

Marsh lives the nightmare. He is not his own, though he is, ironically, the means by which Vin is ultimately saved. Though tainted, Marsh recaptures enough of his will to remove the taint from her. His storyline evokes so many competing reactions, adding layers to him and the narrative that are masterfully chilling and uplifting at the same time. A uniquely memorable character.
TenSoon, for he’s a jolly good kandra, for he’s a jolly good…. Well, you see where I’m going with that. I loved learning more about him and his people. His courage is so amazing. It is easy to warm to this being, even though he did away with OreSeur. The revelations about the First Contract and the First Generation were masterful, if not completely unexpected.  The truth about atium is an ingenious and intriguing one--to have the power of a god burning within oneself is quite the concept. The foreshadowing of this truth is quite satisfactory, too. Elend serves Ruin a deserved comeuppance that is deliciously funny although I saw it coming. Huzzah!

“Breezy” is as pompously hilarious as always, and Ham is as Thuggish and loyal as ever.  It’s kind of bittersweet that only Breeze, Ham, Spook, and well, Sazed, survive. But where much is given, much is required, huh?

A good assassin, indeed. Rest well, Vin, for you have undoubtedly earned it. Elend fought the good fight, and it was fitting that the end of his fight prompted Vin to forcibly re-merge the powers of Ruin and Preservation, clearing the way for the self-doubting, humble Sazed to become the Hero of Ages. 

Speaking of which, Sazed’s transformation from a once-disillusioned, “barren” Keeper into the very power he’s always appealed to--the potent, life-preserving God or Hero of Ages--is beautifully touching. Also of note is the poetically clever, entirely believable (and just plain cool) means by which Sazed heals a dying world and then rewards, as best he can, those who would not go gently into that good night. (Yeah, the book even got me crying a few times.)

Packed with humor, horror, action, tension, friendship, love, and revelations, this novel does overall justice to the ones preceding it and weaves a magical story to be proud of. Which isn't to say that I don't need MORE. I've been excited to read your responses to various questions. Marsh isn't dead?? Awesome. A follow-up triology might be in the works? Even better.

Thanks for creating such a great series.


51
Brandon Sanderson / "A" is for Atium.... *Contains Spoilers*
« on: October 24, 2008, 02:47:51 AM »
So, at work I was spelling out my company's name over the phone. (Hey, wait, the story gets interesting, I promise.) Anyhow, when I got to the letter "a" in "Pearson," instead of thinking "apple" I thought, "atium!" After laughing (silently) at myself for having mistborn-on-the-brain, I finished the call.

Then I figured what the heck--I'll make a Mistborn HOA alphabet. I tried to focus mostly on people, places, and things that factored most into HOA rather than the first two novels. Fun way to waste time, that's all I can say.

Now... I admit that I haven't re-read the book now that it's been pub'd. (I was privileged to read it in manuscript form as an "alpha reader"--or maybe I should say "atium reader"? ;) But I'm anxiously awaiting my signed copies. Yay!) My point is, if you know a better "fit" for some of these letters, go right ahead and post it.

******Caution: SPOILERS*****





The Mistborn HOA Alphabet
A    is for Atium (or Alomancy/Allomancer or Allrianne)
B    is for Beautiful Destroyer (or Bracers, Breeze, Beldre, Boxings, or Brasspush)
C    is for Copper (or Church of the Survivor or Cett or the Contract)
D    is for Duralumin (or the Deepness or Demoux)
E    is for Elend Venture (or Electrum)
F    is for Feruchemy (or Fellise or Fadex)
G    is for Goradel (or Garrison, Gold or Geode)
H    is for Hero of Ages (or Hemalurgy, Ham, "Human" the Koloss or Hazekillers)
I    is for Inquisitor (or Iron)
J    is for Judgement under the Kandra Contract
K    is for Kelsier’s “Ghost” (or Koloss, Kandra or Keeper)
L    is for Lord Ruler (yeah, he's been dead since the first book, but his influence liveth on even after his passing)
M    is for Marsh (or Mistfallen, Mistborn, Misting, or Morag City)
N    is for Noorden (or the Northern Dominance or Nuggets of Pure Allomantic Metal)
O    is for Obligator (or OreSeur)
P    is for Preservation (or Pewter)
Q    is for Quellion
R    is for Ruin (or Reen or Rashek)
S    is for Sazed, of course (or... Spook, Skaa, Steel, Silver, Snapping, or Shrain--oh, OK, right; not the last one)
T    is for TenSoon (or Terris or Thug)
U    is for Urteau
V    is for Vin Venture (alliteration, sweet!)
W   is for War (or Well of Ascension which is the whole reason why Elend could start kicking butt)
X    is for the X’s that mark the spot on the LR’s steel map (oh, gimme a break, X is hard!)
Y    is for Yomen
Z    is for Zane (or Zinc)

52
Brandon Sanderson / Re: Hero of Ages, job well done
« on: October 24, 2008, 02:08:43 AM »
Has everyone read Patrick Rothfuss's review of Hero of Ages on Amazon?
"Simply said, Brandon Sanderson's books are so good that they're starting to piss me off. It just doesn't seem fair that someone should be about to write this well, this fast."
ROTFL. Oh, boy. You know, as much as I love Brandon's work, it makes me look at my own half-finished bits of different stories and think, "Ha, why did I ever think I could be a published author again?" But then I think about one thing that Brandon said in a Writing Excuses ep. He said (to paraphrase) that both tenacity an talent matter. Sometimes, you can have 90% talent but only 10% tenacity and so you just don't stay in the game long enough or put in enough time to get published or be more than a one-book wonder. I think perhaps I just need to be more tenacious and well, not to compare myself to one of the best new SF authors in the biz. ;)

53
Brandon Sanderson / Re: Hero of Ages signings photos
« on: October 24, 2008, 01:53:29 AM »
lol. Three kids in a line for over 2 hours. Now THAT is a true friend/fan. (And thanks for getting my books too! I can't thank ya enough).

By the way: I love your Halloweenish name. Rotfl. I forgot how we do that name-changing thing on holidays. Hmmm, what did I do last year?

54
Brandon Sanderson / Re: Hero of Ages hits Bestseller List!
« on: October 24, 2008, 01:45:27 AM »
That is simply supercalifragilisticexpialidocious! :D I had a feeling that MB3 would do very well because the series is awesome and HOA is as breathtaking as it gets. Congrats, Brandon!!

55
Rants and Stuff / Re: Revenge of Grumpy Bear
« on: October 23, 2008, 03:57:25 PM »
So, yesterday morning, I drove into the Quincy Center T garage to park and then take the T (subway) into Boston. A huge sign announced that the price for parking is going up to $7 a day.  :o  AAAAAARRRRGH! It sucks. Guess who'll be taking the (unreliable) bus more often in the freezing cold, New England weather. :P

56
Writing Group / Re: Type & Gripe, Ink Meeting Coordination
« on: October 20, 2008, 10:23:08 PM »
So I guess we're not meeting tonight? OK with me. I've come down with a cough/sore throat or something. blah.

57
Writing Group / Re: National Novel Writing Month
« on: October 16, 2008, 07:39:13 PM »
You know, I may give this a shot. I am notorious for taking FOREVER to finish something. Just ask my writing group. Besides, I need to hone my "outlining" skills. Maybe I'll give this a shot....

58
Site News / Re: Rifftrax October 2008 - Halloween Party
« on: October 15, 2008, 11:14:44 PM »
Once again, I must bemoan my cursed luck of never being in town for such shindigs.  :P

59
Brandon Sanderson / Re: Hero of Ages signings photos
« on: October 15, 2008, 04:39:54 AM »
Ooh! First pic of the signing. Nessa, I bet you're two-thirds of the way done with the book by now, aren't ya? ;)

60
Rants and Stuff / Re: Revenge of Grumpy Bear
« on: October 15, 2008, 01:47:15 AM »
I'm grumpy because the forum is so dead today. I think people are all reading some book or something. Or standing in line for some kind of release party.
Yeah, it's an eerie feeling. Like everyone but us is off partying and winning prizes and stuff. (sigh) Those folks better post oodles of photos of said partying.

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