The Sunflower Manual commented on The Long-Chapper's blog entry: Like I said when I read the draft, I really liked the new complexity this gives to Vingalmo both in the context of the past narrative and the present-time narrative. Always a new layer to their hate when the old-friends-and-rivals-turned-bitter-enemies re... moreLike I said when I read the draft, I really liked the new complexity this gives to Vingalmo both in the context of the past narrative and the present-time narrative. Always a new layer to their hate when the old-friends-and-rivals-turned-bitter-enemies relationship gets development, and that's why I liked the Elsweyr story with the salty nuts. And the intense xenophobic Altmer discrimination is on high display here, love it! I'm glad you enjoyed hashing out Vingalmo's voice, because I enjoyed hearing it.
September 7, 2020
The Sunflower Manual replied to a comment on The Sunflower Manual's blog Gathering Clouds, Chapter Two: Haha, thanks, Phil. And don't worry, the timeline should at least be loosely defined very soon, and concretely defined at the end of this arc. I do appreciate the kind words! Yeah, I tried to stick more to the debate aspect of a proper tinvaak and might h... moreHaha, thanks, Phil. And don't worry, the timeline should at least be loosely defined very soon, and concretely defined at the end of this arc. I do appreciate the kind words! Yeah, I tried to stick more to the debate aspect of a proper tinvaak and might have made Shouts more mutable in the process than is depicted in stricter lore, but I like to think it turned out well.
The Sunflower Manual commented on The Long-Chapper's blog entry: Okay, woah, the imagery in the beginning was nuuuts, and
still so rich and laden with the iconography of Straag! The importance of Crystal-Like-Law
comes through much better in this iteration of the story, just from the much
more polished language employe... moreOkay, woah, the imagery in the beginning was nuuuts, and
still so rich and laden with the iconography of Straag! The importance of Crystal-Like-Law
comes through much better in this iteration of the story, just from the much
more polished language employed here. Other touches sprinkled all across the
chapter have the reader drenched in Altmer culture and it’s amazing. And of
course the character relationships and interactions are as dynamic and
emotional as ever, especially at the end and especially especially considering
what comes later. less
The Sunflower Manual replied to a comment on The Sunflower Manual's blog Gathering Clouds, Chapter Two: The Lis Approach? Good idea. I had that problem in the first version of the story too. And thanks! From here on out, I'm going to be bouncing on and off lore like a madman. After going on an equally long binge of both ES lore and Fate, I'm feeling more co... moreThe Lis Approach? Good idea. I had that problem in the first version of the story too. And thanks! From here on out, I'm going to be bouncing on and off lore like a madman. After going on an equally long binge of both ES lore and Fate, I'm feeling more comfortable with just a bit of metaphysical shenenegins now.
The Sunflower Manual commented on The Long-Chapper's blog entry: The dialogue was great as usual and all the in-universe references are great. Goldpact Knights and sleepy Vignar, Koor being the best doggy, and haha, I remember that discussion about Delphine pulling a knife on Albee here. This works way better now, read... moreThe dialogue was great as usual and all the in-universe references are great. Goldpact Knights and sleepy Vignar, Koor being the best doggy, and haha, I remember that discussion about Delphine pulling a knife on Albee here. This works way better now, reading it in the full experience and tweaked to make her actions make sense and still hit hard with the conversation. The hints to the Companions becoming complacent are great too at the end.
The Sunflower Manual commented on The Long-Chapper's blog entry: This right here is why Straag works so well; the characters
and the way they interact are all fleshed out superbly. None of them are
one-dimensional, and the racial tensions are all written in a way that’s interesting
and believable. And of course, the se... moreThis right here is why Straag works so well; the characters
and the way they interact are all fleshed out superbly. None of them are
one-dimensional, and the racial tensions are all written in a way that’s interesting
and believable. And of course, the sense of a lived-in universe with intricate
histories is always obvious through Albee’s diction and behaviour. The plot is mostly
the same, but the language has been refined to a high sheen.
The Sunflower Manual replied to a comment on The Sunflower Manual's blog Gathering Clouds: Chapter One: Thank you, Phil. Your in-depth, sincere and genuinely heartfelt comments are more encouraging than you might know, and it's the kind of feedback from a reader that keeps me writing. I'll have the next one up soon, please look forward to it then.
PawsI have some familiarity with your work from reading various short stories and one-offs, so I have enough experience to know what to expect. As such, trying to think of what I liked best about this chapter is a hard call because there isn't anything to dis... moreI have some familiarity with your work from reading various short stories and one-offs, so I have enough experience to know what to expect. As such, trying to think of what I liked best about this chapter is a hard call because there isn't anything to dislike. I appreciated the lack of exposition and assumption that the reader has a degree of familiarity with the themes, all the while keeping it accessible to those who may be new to the ES series. I really liked the dynamic between the two main characters and their seasoned experience, which is quite refreshing to read in the first chapter of a tale. Above all, though, I thought the combat scenes had a lovely flow to them and could easily be imagined without effort. When reading your writing it is as if images jump from the page as though the words were pictures or movies rather than text. I've admired that quality in your other works, and so I'm delighted to find the same here. less
The Sunflower Manual
Thank you, Phil. Your in-depth, sincere and genuinely heartfelt comments are more encouraging than you might know, and it's the kind of feedback from a reader that keeps me writing. I'll have the next one up soon, please look forward to it then.
The dawn came slower than expected, golden rays crawling over the horizon like vines over a fence, slowly climbing over the city walls and lighting the city with a faint golden glow.
Sticker hadn’t even noticed it at first...
October 26, 2019
The Sunflower Manual commented on ilanisilver's blog entry: Sorry I got to this a bit late, school just started up and everything. But wew, the sexual tension is really ramping up now. Phil already talked about the internal dialogue and the conflict but the sense of place was also really nice throughout the story ... moreSorry I got to this a bit late, school just started up and everything. But wew, the sexual tension is really ramping up now. Phil already talked about the internal dialogue and the conflict but the sense of place was also really nice throughout the story too. And haha, Kaidan's a complete dunce at brewing potions? I'm reminded of the character archetype where everything the person tries to cook turns into black radioactive paste.
Paws
Just a quick reminder that ESO's Fifth Anniversary Event starts at 10:00 EDT (15:00 BST). Remember to consume cake every two hours for that sweet xp buff :)