LAST EDITED ON Jul-29-08 AT 00:52 AM (EDT)
 
>Let's try one of the old-fashioned, point-by-point dissections.

Oh good. I always enjoy those. We used to get them a lot more.

(And no, I'm not being sarcastic. I always like knowing what particular bits worked for people - and didn't, come to that. A lot of the work I do is done scenelet by scenelet, and so I often find myself wondering about people's reactions to particular ones.)

>That last little phrase threw me off for a bit; I was thinking Cassidy
>was some sort of covert threat at first. But no, he's actually just
>the FNG. (I hope.)

Heh, it's not so much that G doesn't recognize him as that only a new guy would salute like that. More experienced TD officers (like, say, Ayla Ranzz) would just go, "Hey, Chief. 'Sup." :)

>Corwin speaks Artoo-language. Why am I not surprised?

Kinda, yeah. What Corwin's doing there is kind of a more sophisticated version of whistling at a fax machine. :)

>Beg pardon? Demons? Anyone we know, besides Svanhvit Icebinder and
>Hellboy?

There are a few present, but no one besides those two of any particular significance. Nobody else from Muspelheim showed up, but the Niflings (not to be confused with "nithlings" - they hate that) sent an ambassador.

>About time we got to meet Aeryn. I'd always thought she was a dwarf.

Nope, that's Herlod Thunderfall, the Valkyrie demolitionist.

>If anything, I was surprised at how
>little overt hostility there was.

That's the kind of thing you get when Cold War-style diplomatic niceties (which is more or less what exists between Asgard and Muspelheim at this point) are involved. The menace has to be subtle and cordial.

>This would seem to support the Akio's messing with her head
>theory.

Well, he is an incubus...

>X and the beagles staring Akio down? Very cool.

I'm a little surprised that nobody's mentioned Kosh at all. This is, I think the first time we've ever seen Kosh being properly Koshy in UF, and in what I thought was a thought-provoking context, and nothin'.

>Out of curiosity, how does Ragnhildr translate?

Ragnhildr is an Old Norse name combining the words for "advice" (or "decision") and "battle". It doesn't translate exactly, but in this context the basic implication is that the sword represents wisdom (rather than blind aggression) in war.

>And does the ancient sword have any particular name?

She does, and we'll be finding out what it is next time.

--G.
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Benjamin D. Hutchins, Co-Founder, Editor-in-Chief, & Forum Admin
Eyrie Productions, Unlimited http://www.eyrie-productions.com/
Ceterum censeo Carthaginem esse delendam.