Heradel
Bill Peters
Autarch
Posts: 2620
Part-Time Psychopomp.
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« on: August 23, 2008, 10:34:42 pm » |
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PodCastle Miniature 009: What Dragons PreferBy Dayle A. DermatisRead by Loupe Savich First appeared in Marion Zimmer Bradley’s Fantasy Magazine “Dragonslayer,” he greeted, his smile slick beneath his well-oiled mustache. “Thank you for coming to aid us in our time of terror.”
“I prefer ‘Dragonseeker,’” I said politely. “It is not enough to have the skills to slay a dragon–one must learn about him as well. To know one’s enemy is to destroy him.”
And most people knew so little about dragons. I knew, for example, that dragons only fed once every twenty years, and then usually only one human. Is that such a bad thing, really, when wolves kill so many deer in the forest to survive, or humans kill sheep because roast mutton is so tasty? But people panicked if they saw a dragon glide far overhead on the highest currents, or if they caught a faint whiff of its acrid scent when the wind turned just right.Rated PG. Contains draconic lechery.
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JoeFitz
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« Reply #1 on: August 24, 2008, 03:05:31 pm » |
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Not bad at all.
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Windup
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« Reply #2 on: August 24, 2008, 10:31:59 pm » |
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I hovered right on the edge of writing this one off until I got to the end. Maybe I'm an easy mark, but I didn't see it coming, and I really liked it.
Know thyself, know thy enemy, and you may face ten-thousand battles without calamity. -- Sun Tzu
Yup...
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My whole job is in the space between "should be" and "is." It's a big space...
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eytanz
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« Reply #3 on: August 25, 2008, 07:13:10 am » |
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I knew exactly where this was going from the second the narrator mentioned not liking the mayor, and the story really wasn't subtle about getting there. But it was a piece of harmless fun, so who cares.
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stePH
Actually has enough cowbell.
Hipparch
Posts: 3124
L, do you know, gods of death love apples?
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« Reply #4 on: August 25, 2008, 08:10:54 am » |
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I liked this one.
I just felt I had to mention that, since (apart from the last miniature) I've reacted to the others ranging from mild indifference to just short of active hate.
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God masturbates every time you kill a kitten.
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MacArthurBug
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« Reply #5 on: August 25, 2008, 10:28:50 am » |
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I saw the punchline coming a mile away. That said, I REALLY REALLY enjoyed this one. For a short everythign was written so strongly. There are so many little side storys that could have happned. I love it when I spend days in a world spun for me.
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Oh, great and mighty Alasdair, Orator Maleficent, He of the Silvered Tongue, guide this humble fangirl past jumping up and down and squeeing upon hearing the greatness of Thy voice.
Oh mighty Mur the Magnificent. I am not worthy.
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Listener
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« Reply #6 on: August 25, 2008, 10:55:02 am » |
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Not bad. Kind of getting tired of the "disinterested-female-as-narrator" voice/character though.
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hatton
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« Reply #7 on: August 25, 2008, 01:37:55 pm » |
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I saw the punchline coming a mile away. That said, I REALLY REALLY enjoyed this one. For a short everythign was written so strongly. There are so many little side storys that could have happned. I love it when I spend days in a world spun for me.
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Roney
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« Reply #8 on: August 26, 2008, 03:53:35 pm » |
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Short but perfectly formed.
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stePH
Actually has enough cowbell.
Hipparch
Posts: 3124
L, do you know, gods of death love apples?
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« Reply #9 on: August 26, 2008, 05:08:26 pm » |
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Short but perfectly formed.
"That's what she said!"  |
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God masturbates every time you kill a kitten.
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MacArthurBug
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« Reply #10 on: August 29, 2008, 05:02:40 pm » |
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Short but perfectly formed.
"That's what she said!" Bwahahaha! StePH I got coffee on my counter giggling at that! Thank you! |
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Oh, great and mighty Alasdair, Orator Maleficent, He of the Silvered Tongue, guide this humble fangirl past jumping up and down and squeeing upon hearing the greatness of Thy voice.
Oh mighty Mur the Magnificent. I am not worthy.
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Jhite
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« Reply #11 on: September 01, 2008, 01:52:16 pm » |
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There have been two podcastles that I have listened to more than once. This one, and Goblin Lullaby. Until now I have not found myself moved enough to comment on the this feed's content.
Being a young father of large family, diapers are apart of my life, and have been for a long time, so Goblin Lullaby me to tears of laughter. My wife who will barely read my fantasy even enjoyed it.
What Dragons Prefer, moved me for some of the same reasons (being a father with little girls mostly.) I was so angry when I heard about the mayor taking what I prefer to call first night rights (because to call them anything else would me calling them rape, ok so rape) and obviously abusing them, that I almost stopped listening. I had a feeling that was coming from the opening line but I really hoped it would not come to that. My only disappointment, was that the dragon to not first revisit his crime upon him before eating him. But I guess that is open to interpretation.
Thank you for two good stories.
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Enigma K
Extern
Posts: 6
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« Reply #12 on: September 01, 2008, 04:09:45 pm » |
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I'll dissent.
This story was written up to the best standards of the Escape Artist podcasts. I loved the way it was written, very much enjoyed the reading, and felt drawn in very quickly.
The plot and ending were among the less attractive elements of the podcasts. The gender roles struck me as entirely too typical since the great alternative nineties, and I have always thought of these roles as dangerous. The ending has never really sat well with me. Stories like this have also been getting a little too frequent for my tastes as well. Pseudopod Episodes 81, 85, and the March 13 Flash were very close to each other and this kind of ending or overall action from the protagonist, and in the dates they were put online.
So, my only dissent is a matter of personal taste. As much as I appreciated the quality of everything else and the imaginative difference in details, I was regretfully affected for those reasons stated above.
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Coyote
Palmer
Posts: 25
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« Reply #13 on: September 01, 2008, 05:50:33 pm » |
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Effective. In hindsight the ending was a tad predictable, the mayor too two-dimensional a character for me to really say any more than "huh." Obviously that's what you get from a 4 minute story, but it still bothered me a bit. But other than that it worked.
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The following sentence is false. The previous sentence is true.
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SandraWickham
Extern
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« Reply #14 on: September 01, 2008, 09:51:32 pm » |
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Hi, I'm a newbie....but have been listening to several stories on Podcastle lately.
I really enjoyed this story and found it quite fun!
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Zathras
Guest
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« Reply #16 on: October 30, 2008, 05:17:22 pm » |
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Fun!
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Unblinking
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« Reply #17 on: November 18, 2009, 12:57:46 pm » |
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I didn't see the twist coming, so that was a plus. Twas a cool little idea well suited for flash.
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