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victrix posted:Are there any good Deathwatch novels? I liked Deathwatch by Steve Parker but it isn't some kind of inspiration.
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# ? Aug 10, 2015 16:46 |
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# ? Jun 3, 2024 22:31 |
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Blood of Asaheim?
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# ? Aug 11, 2015 17:32 |
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Lovable Luciferian posted:I liked Deathwatch by Steve Parker but it isn't some kind of inspiration. Yeah, this is your best bet.
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# ? Aug 11, 2015 19:00 |
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Arquinsiel posted:If you can, get your hands on the Gorkamorka rulebooks. There's loads in the campaign section there about what doks will do to patch up an injured ork. Gorkamorka was awesome! Oh the memories.
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# ? Aug 13, 2015 14:22 |
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For those of you who like the Doc Eldar stories, I'm going to start working on my next one. However, there's something else that I can offer, if you want. I've written a story that I haven't shared yet, and the reason is that it's chronologically the final story (it was written fourth). I'm going to keep writing regardless, but if you want to read the ending now, I will be happy to post it. Unlike the other stories, which just have numbers, this one has its own title, which is "Last Night On Call."
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# ? Aug 15, 2015 18:00 |
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berzerkmonkey posted:Maybe? It's been a while since I read it, and if that was the explanation, it certainly didn't register with me. That does sound like a very Eldar-thing to do. I think that is the general idea, but it isn't merely a "kill all the good humans" but more that if King had lived it would of set in motion a chain of events that would've had negative consequences for the Cabal millennia down the road.
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# ? Aug 16, 2015 14:47 |
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Kylaer posted:For those of you who like the Doc Eldar stories, I'm going to start working on my next one. However, there's something else that I can offer, if you want. I've written a story that I haven't shared yet, and the reason is that it's chronologically the final story (it was written fourth). I'm going to keep writing regardless, but if you want to read the ending now, I will be happy to post it.
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# ? Aug 17, 2015 01:38 |
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I wonder how the new Age of Sigmar Novels and audiobooks are selling? Having read that first Gates of Azyr, I personally have zero interest in reading further.
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# ? Aug 17, 2015 14:41 |
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Arquinsiel posted:To be fair, I kind of see this as the narrator offloading to some poor kid who just wanted a night out but got grabbed by the old SpaceCoot at some bar in downtown Vervunhive twenty years on from him quitting the fleet or whatever. Go right ahead, dodgy timeframes makes sense for a drunk old guy. Alright, here it is. Let's see how it matches up with your expectations. It's too long to fit in one post, so it'll be split. quote:Let me tell you a little story about the most terrifying boss I've ever had. It's not a story I enjoy telling. The boss I'm referring to was an alien, a hireling of the Monsignor Jeremias, who was no particularly stable individual himself, even for a rogue trader. What motivated the Monsignor to offer the xeno a contract, I have not the slightest clue, other than that he needed a trauma surgeon...and the alien was, with total honesty, the most skillful surgeon I'd ever seen. At the same time, he was perhaps the worst doctor, due to a stunning disregard for the suffering experienced by his patients. His idea of an anesthetic was telling the patient to hold still. It was a testament to his skill level that this was usually enough to let him accomplish his work...and when it wasn't, he would inject paralytic. The alien had a name, but I never learned to pronounce it properly. I called him Doc Eldar.
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# ? Aug 17, 2015 16:44 |
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Second part:quote:The figure was tall - not tall on the typical human scale, as the xeno was, but head and shoulders above this. Its frame was enormous, three or four times as bulky as a normal man, encased in armor that enlarged it even further. The armor was hideous, with barbs and spikes lining its edges, painted in a mixture of garish colors where it wasn't splattered with blood. In the center of its chest plate, a golden aquila shone, the one thing of recognizable beauty about the figure - made all the worse by the horror surrounding it. I can share some of the thought process that I went through in writing this, if people are interested, and as always, I love hearing your feedback.
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# ? Aug 17, 2015 16:45 |
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Uroboros posted:I think that is the general idea, but it isn't merely a "kill all the good humans" but more that if King had lived it would of set in motion a chain of events that would've had negative consequences for the Cabal millennia down the road. Oh, yeah, I get that - King could have united the country, bringing about an unheard era of peace and prosperity, which could have seen humanity working together to reach the stars at a much earlier than anticipated date. I was just saying that I didn't remember it being explicitly stated as such.
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# ? Aug 17, 2015 19:19 |
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A little disappointed the assistant didn't end up as the new Rouge Trader by some DNA reverse engineering.
Sandweed fucked around with this message at 18:40 on Aug 18, 2015 |
# ? Aug 17, 2015 19:30 |
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Kylaer posted:I can share some of the thought process that I went through in writing this, if people are interested, and as always, I love hearing your feedback. Amazing. I was on mobile, so it's a pain to go back and check, but was the assistant always a woman? Doesn't matter one way or the other, it was just a nice surprise. I think giving her Eldarlite abilities at the cost of never being able to interact with the regular Imperium again is a good tradeoff, it makes sense that a Radical would get a hold of her if possible. Really though, just a deeply enjoyable story. It's the kind of thing that the Black Library would probably refuse to publish, but maybe give it a shot anyway? It's not going to hurt anything to submit it to one of the periodic short story contests, or maybe FFG would enjoy it. You might put it on some of the other 40k forums if you feel like sharing it, I'm sure other people would also appreciate it.I think having her become the new rogue trader would have been unfortunate, she's really not prepared for that world at all. On the other hand, being Doc Eldar is clearly well within her skillset.
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# ? Aug 17, 2015 21:09 |
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Thank you! The assistant was previously never specified to be male or female, if you look back you'll see there's never a clue either way, I was careful about that. I hadn't initially planned on that being a twist, but somewhere along the way I got the idea. I always planned on Doc Eldar dying; it's a 40K story, if there isn't tragedy then it doesn't suit the setting. I was actually influenced by the movie The Prestige, which beats the audience over the head with the principle that a magic trick has three parts: show the audience something, take it away, and bring it back. This made me think about all the classic fictional examples of characters dying and coming back, Gandalf and Aslan being the first two to come to mind - their deaths are meant to take the audience by surprise, and then their subsequent return is also meant to be a surprise. Of course, this idea has been so heavily used that by now, the audience expects dead characters to return, thus the shock value of stories where main characters die and don't come back, as in the Song of Ice and Fire books. So when I went to write Last Night On Call, I wanted it to be clear from the outset that things were going to turn out badly, hence the tone of the first couple of paragraphs. I was trying to anticipate what my audience would guess was going to happen, and I thought the traditional expectation would be that Doc Eldar would seemingly die, but actually survive, perhaps leaving a clue that he's off to have further adventures on another ship. So I wanted to make it very clear that he's dead, and show the body. But I still wanted my magic trick, and that's how I got the idea of "bringing him back" by turning the narrator into the new Doc Eldar. For those who are interested in the stories, did this work? The only person I've shared this story with before now knew about the plot twists in advance, as I was running ideas past him as I wrote, so I haven't gotten feedback from anyone who read the story in one piece. I'd like to get my stories out to a wider audience, not sure how I should go about that, though. Does Black Library read random submissions? I can only imagine that they get flooded with peoples' stories, if so.
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# ? Aug 17, 2015 22:22 |
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Kylaer posted:
Yes, it worked! I'd happily read a Ciaphas Cain style novel about Doc Eldar and his assistant. Don't know how you'd get it out to a wider audience tho without going through the Black Library: you know what GW are like with copyright.
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# ? Aug 17, 2015 23:25 |
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I kiiiiind of saw it coming, but I misinterpreted the details slightly and assumed the grenade was actually a pilfered soul stone and that Doc Eldar would survive somehow rather than let himself be devoured. That was a massive tone shift from the "lol crazy boss" stories so far, but TBH you managed to make 40k combat interesting so well done there.
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# ? Aug 17, 2015 23:39 |
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Pistol_Pete posted:Yes, it worked! I'd happily read a Ciaphas Cain style novel about Doc Eldar and his assistant. Don't know how you'd get it out to a wider audience tho without going through the Black Library: you know what GW are like with copyright. Thanks, but I don't know if I can make a novel-length story. Doc Eldar is better suited to short stories, I can't think of a way to write a plot that could carry through an entire novel. I will write more short stories, though. Arquinsiel posted:I kiiiiind of saw it coming, but I misinterpreted the details slightly and assumed the grenade was actually a pilfered soul stone and that Doc Eldar would survive somehow rather than let himself be devoured. Yes, the tone shift was intentional. The story contains some things that no other Doc Eldar story will, such as him using lethal force, and being unable to save patients. To maintain the uniqueness I can't have them happen any other time. Same with Space Marines - in order for the Emperor's Child to be such an oh-poo poo-what-is-this to the narrator, she can't have ever encountered one before, which unfortunately means I can't write the story that someone suggested of Doc Eldar playing hide and seek with some Deathwatch marines (he can do this with conventional soldiers, though, and that's one of the future story ideas I have). The grenade was a regular plasma grenade. The powder in the alembic, though, I was thinking that could be a ground-up spirit stone; it's what I had in mind when I wrote, but I didn't want to explicitly say it. Better if the exact mechanism stays unrevealed, I think, although I admit this is a judgment call; sometimes it's fun to really dig into the details of things, and sometimes it's better to let the audience come up with details in their own minds. Glad you liked the combat, too. I didn't want to focus on the scenes of actual fighting, so I kept them brief, but I don't think anyone has written about the aftermath of a ship that's taken a real beating. ADB's written some excellent void warfare scenes, which I won't try to imitate, but they're always from the perspective of bridge crew or Space Marines, not the crew trying to put the pieces back together afterward.
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# ? Aug 18, 2015 00:37 |
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berzerkmonkey posted:Oh, yeah, I get that - King could have united the country, bringing about an unheard era of peace and prosperity, which could have seen humanity working together to reach the stars at a much earlier than anticipated date. I was just saying that I didn't remember it being explicitly stated as such. To me that is the obvious course but I'd like to think no single man from the 2nd Millenium would be able to make such changes, considering how prophecy works in 40k(in that it is really unreliable) I like to think the Cabal had king killed on the off chance that one of his relatives hundreds of generations later would do something that would play a small part in The Emperors plan. Other things that raise questions would be "was The Emperor aware of the Cabals meddling at this stage or were his powers still developing?" "does The Emperors indirect methods up until the 30th Millenium signal that he maybe lacked the power to take direct action against the ruinous powers and alien forces such as The Cabal up to that point?". I'm also hoping for something interesting regarding The Emperors origin, something like him actually being the culmination of an Old Ones experiment of some kind, and reason the Cabal has been meddling is because they can't accept the fact that their creators would put their plans to fight Chaos in the hands of a race so inherently flawed as man. Also, your Doc Eldar stories have been really good, have you thought about sharing them with a BL author? ADB seems to maintain close contact with fans. TheArmorOfContempt fucked around with this message at 02:03 on Aug 18, 2015 |
# ? Aug 18, 2015 01:12 |
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The Emperor being the collective shaman of Humanity is much better than any more alien meddling.
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# ? Aug 18, 2015 05:18 |
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Why wouldn't GW publish a Doc Eldar collection? Last I heard they've published the story of a (the? Dunno my Eldar fluff) Phoenix Lord, so why not a short colelction of Doc Eldar stories? EDIT: Someone mentioned ADB keeping close contact with fans? I know he lurks /tg/ at least. CommissarMega fucked around with this message at 15:35 on Aug 18, 2015 |
# ? Aug 18, 2015 15:33 |
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I loved the stories, you seem to get 40K, keep writing them.
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# ? Aug 18, 2015 18:45 |
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The latest Doc Eldar almost worked. The problem is that it's two stories: one ends when the original Doc Eldar bites it (which is a great emotional climax) and the other is the aftermath. It needs to be split before the transformation. Maybe make it a 2 part story?
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# ? Aug 18, 2015 20:46 |
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Always love the doc eldar stories. I really liked the brevity of your action and only the momments that have importance are given detailed descriptions. Keep on writing!
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# ? Aug 18, 2015 21:29 |
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Just to echo the love Kylaer, I've really enjoyed every single one of the Doc Eldar stories, and think you should carry on. They're hugely entertaining!
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# ? Aug 19, 2015 09:32 |
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Yeah, regular humans experiencing the horrors of the 40th millennium are my favorite WH40K stories.
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# ? Aug 19, 2015 09:54 |
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Thank you all for your support! The next story is focusing on a more everyday experience and I'm hoping to explore the society a little with it, like I did with the AdMech baby story. It's not going to be as far on the whacky hijinks side of the spectrum, although I have some ideas for that kind of story, too. If any of you have ideas or suggestions for things you'd like to see in future stories, I'd be happy to work those in, as well. VanSandman: That's an interesting thought, but do you think the aftermath really contains enough content to be its own story? I do get what you're saying, they are distinct stories, but they follow immediately on each other without a break, whereas there's no chronological connection between the other stories. But I may write an end paragraph and a new beginning paragraph and see how they flow, thanks for the idea.
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# ? Aug 19, 2015 14:47 |
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Sandweed posted:Yeah, regular humans experiencing the horrors of the 40th millennium are my favorite WH40K stories. Something I thought about : Kylaer posted:But I remember, the details clear in my mind as if it happened an hour ago. Oh, and will the assistant take on some Eldar features in time following the transformation? I think I'd like if she had some subtle changes; slightly elongated ears and fingers, got a bit more lithe, those kinds of changes. Nothing that would prevent her from passing as fully human at first, and even second glance, but just enough to be a little bit off, the Uncanny Valley kind of deal. Groetgaffel fucked around with this message at 09:21 on Aug 20, 2015 |
# ? Aug 20, 2015 09:17 |
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Well looks like Black Library are going full bore on GW marketing strategy and pricing. http://www.blacklibrary.com/warhammer-40000/ragnar-blackmane-le.html
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# ? Aug 20, 2015 13:01 |
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I'd actually love to read ADB making Ragnar more interesting, but forty loving quid? Is it printed using saffron dye, on the finest skin of the child workers who bound it?
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# ? Aug 20, 2015 13:09 |
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I was going to say I wouldn't even steal that, but then I saw who it was by and changed my mind. ADB, why you gotta toy with a hams heart like that?
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# ? Aug 20, 2015 13:11 |
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Did anybody read those short stories ADB put out on the warhammer app about First Claw? How long/short are they?
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# ? Aug 20, 2015 13:29 |
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Short, 10 minute read for all of them. It's ok but there's hardly time for anything to happen and it's basically yet another viewpoint of Istvann V which we're sure not short of. Decent enought but I wouldn't go out of your way to track it down.
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# ? Aug 20, 2015 13:44 |
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Shockeh posted:I'd actually love to read ADB making Ragnar more interesting, but forty loving quid? Is it printed using saffron dye, on the finest skin of the child workers who bound it? I'm actually curious how many 'limited edition' is. Couldn't see it on the website. I notice that they're trumpeting 'Less than 500 left!' for Cybernetica, the previous one. If they start with a 1000, and it could be more, that doesn't really smack of exclusivity. Also what if it's a smashing success. With Abnetts output dropping precipitously for GW, presumably because he gets better paid doing other stuff, ADB is considered their 'hot' author. Everyone runs out and tries to buy it. But they only have a 1000 copies to sell. Their own FAQ says they can't sell a reprint for 24 months. I mean isn't the point of highly priced exclusive books, that you think you can't sell a ton at a normal price (or it's a very expensive art book). I'm also curious, although there's no way of knowing what his deal is, how the financials of this work out for ADB. Edit: For those jonesing for some new Dan Abnett. He's written a no-poo poo Avengers superhero novel. http://www.amazon.co.uk/Avengers-Ev...+Rule+the+World Can't vouch for the actual book, but i picked up the Graphic Audio,full cast + sfx, adaptation... http://www.graphicaudiointernational.net/avengers-everybody-wants-to-rule-the-world.html ...and that was a lot of fun. Deptfordx fucked around with this message at 14:07 on Aug 20, 2015 |
# ? Aug 20, 2015 14:01 |
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Also, and I realise I am wildly overanalysing here. Anything they release as limited edition can't actually be important right? Or at least not the Horus Heresy ones, if you can't reprint the book for 2 years. Even at their reduced rate, that's what 5-6 full sized novels. None of which can rely on knowledge of stuff from the limited edition volume because so few people can have read it. Imagine Know no Fear being limited editon then having to bring out Betrayer and Unremembered Empire before you could reprint it. A limited edition will almost by definition have to be a throw away book like Damnation of Pythos.
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# ? Aug 20, 2015 16:51 |
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Groetgaffel posted:Wanna echo this. I didn't mean that as foreshadowing, it's just an indicator of it being a horrible incident that got burned into the narrator's memory. As for the narrator taking on some Eldar physical traits, that's something that could go either way. It's also a topic I'm not sure if I should explore - in most part, I want the last night on call to be the end of the Doc Eldar stories, with nothing chronologically following it, because I think it's a good note to end on. On the flip side, I do think it would be a lot of fun to write one or more stories that are half "present-day" events that the narrator is experiencing with the Inquisition, and half flashbacks to times of working with Doc Eldar, or possibly even into flashbacks to Doc Eldar's memories
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# ? Aug 24, 2015 17:38 |
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Here's the next story! It's short, and as planned, it's more a slice-of-life piece, it's not very whacky. quote:Let me tell you a little story about the most terrifying boss I've ever had. Every underling has stories about their bosses, and it's no rare thing to be scared of those higher up the ladder, is it? I'm sure the Monsignor Jeremias at times struck fear into everyone under his command, given his unpredictable whims and absolute power aboard the ship; for me, it was the result of one of those whims that made my life a terror. The Monsignor had hired, as chief of surgery, an alien; humanoid in body, but indisputably inhuman in thinking. His name was equally inhuman, and despite trying I was never able to pronounce it. I called him Doc Eldar. This story is one I've had vaguely in my head for a long time, and today I sat down and hammered it out. I am very much an amateur writer - I've never had formal training in writing fiction, I don't make outlines, and generally I just start at the beginning and write through to the end. If I have inspiration for something, I think it usually goes well; if I don't have inspiration, it's a real struggle, and for this one I didn't have any clever ideas for how to end it, so I just kind of let the curtain fall. I don't have any firm ideas of what to write next, so if any of you have things you'd like to see written, please let me know. Kylaer fucked around with this message at 14:34 on Aug 28, 2015 |
# ? Aug 28, 2015 02:53 |
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What's missing from that, the one thing, is firing Chekov's gun. Doc Eldar should start unwrapping some gauze and head off to find abcess boy.
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# ? Aug 28, 2015 03:26 |
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A story where Doc Eldar meets the Inquisitor he eventually winds up with, that'd be pretty good foreshadowing. I mean, it'd give the backstory as to why they'd be interested, and also you could deal with some cool xenos weaponry injuries.
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# ? Aug 28, 2015 04:49 |
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Arquinsiel posted:What's missing from that, the one thing, is firing Chekov's gun. Yessss, you're right! I edited the ending and I think it works better, thanks! SavTargaryen posted:A story where Doc Eldar meets the Inquisitor he eventually winds up with, that'd be pretty good foreshadowing. I mean, it'd give the backstory as to why they'd be interested, and also you could deal with some cool xenos weaponry injuries. I can work with this, definitely. I don't know if it will be the same inquisitor that the narrator ends up working for, but a story about the Inquisition hunting Doc Eldar within the ship, that will be fun to write (One of the rules I'm working with is that Doc Eldar never uses a weapon except in the final story, so there won't be any shoot-outs between him and his pursuers, but there can definitely be a scene where they blast away at him, catch some bystanders with stray shots, and then he has to double back after evading them in order to treat the wounded)
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# ? Aug 28, 2015 14:48 |
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# ? Jun 3, 2024 22:31 |
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Oh, I meant more like if it's a radical, THEY might be under xenos weapon fire that no one else knows how to treat or what have you. It was also late and I wasn't clear, my bad!
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# ? Aug 28, 2015 17:21 |