>Hmm. Given Ben's professed unfamiliarity with Zelda, I can't help but
>wonder if the name choice here is deliberate or not.

Nope, made up on the spot out of more-or-less-randomly-selected syllables.

>One day, someone is actually going to make use of all those lovely
>international institutions that Megazone, Jeremy Feeple, and the other
>fine people of the Babylon Foundation and various diplomatic services
>have poured blood, sweat, and tears into establishing.

... and only you will enjoy that episode. :)

Also, in Fuu's defense, she doesn't know Umi's groom is a) prepubescent and b) probably even less into this than Umi is. She thinks her friend is about to be dragged off to whothechristevenknowswhat. These people are obviously goddamn medievalist savages, for all she knows they still do that parade-the-bloody-sheets-through-the-town thing. I didn't really wanna go there - see the annotations for a few notes about how I had to grapple with that whole corner of the premise a bit - but jeez.

>Okay, the Prince is officially awesome, but geeeeez. Kid is badly in
>need of seasoning.

Cut him some slack, he's the Hyelian equivalent of eleven and he's having a real hard day.

>Would it be safe to say that Izumi... is an elite warrior who's
>trained for many years in the art of stealth?
>
>(I'm sorry.)

"I don't know who you are. I don't know what you want. If you are looking for ransom, I can tell you I don't have money. But what I do have is a very particular set of skills.... "

>Huh. Interesting cultural stereotype. I would have figured Fire
>Nationals would have a reputation as natural thugs and bullies;
>element of power and all that, plus the Fire Nation during the Hundred
>Year's War didn't really seem all that... subtle. More "burn down the
>village to make a point."

It's a little different on Kyoshi Island, particularly among the Warriors, where the main point of historical contact with the Fire Nation came in the form of infiltrators and assassins. (Looking at you, Mai.)

>Hell, putting just ONE guy on a door is a mistake to begin with. At
>that point you're not a guard; you're a decoration. Your job isn't
>actually protection, it's to give the hallway a finished look.

These guys are basically mallcops.

>What was that you were saying a few weeks ago about chi blocking being
>cheap, cheap shit, Ben? :)

Important detail:

She'd already won the fight anyway at that point.

It's not the Poke of I Win, it's the Poke of Stay Out of My Way Now, Defeated Person.

>I have to say that the fight with Nax seems a bit... hmm. Perfunctory?
>I know this is just a short, but it felt really superfluous in a way
>that nothing else in the story did; it's like "Well, we kind of
>promised a dragon fight, and Act III needs a big finish to send us
>offstage on, so... here you go." I wouldn't say it's dull, but it's
>just kind of... there. Nax swoops down, Nall kicks his ass, they all
>go watch Corwin and Utena get hitched.
>
>I dunno, it could just be me.

Use your damn imagination, boy. I gave you plenty of adjectives to work with.

--G.
-><-
Benjamin D. Hutchins, Co-Founder, Editor-in-Chief, & Forum Mod
Eyrie Productions, Unlimited http://www.eyrie-productions.com/
zgryphon at that email service Google has
Ceterum censeo Carthaginem esse delendam.