The Tube

[SonikBoomTube]

Hello everyone, I haven't been too talkative but I'll be reviewing the the Top 30 as well, and MAYBE the story too depending on just how awful college gets to be.

Firstly, as I said in Matra's thread I like objective reviews but I'll definately be putting my personal interests and interpretations at the end of each character's review. I'll mostly be looking at:

Strength of the Character
-Are they interesting?
-Do they have potential?
-Do they/will they fit the role they applied for?

Strength of the Writing
-Good dialogue?
-Good descriptions?
-Interesting wordplay?
-Showing or Telling?

I love discussion, and would love to see new interpretations of these characters from others. I hope everybody's reviews bring a lot of it here to the forums :)

[Cairn Destop]

Just my thought, but many might not be willing to discuss the applications for fear of revealing which character or characters are theirs.  Anticipating a lot of replies from those not selected.

[SonikBoomTube]

Yeah, that makes a lot of sense really. But hey, anybody's replies are great :)

[Rascal]

Like Destop said, I can't reveal my remaining app(s) but you are more than welcome to review my two apps that didn't quite make it.

I put them in the loser circle thread.

Or a thread with a simular name XD

I actually do want to become a successfull writer some day so I appreciate advice...it may take me a few tries to read through the review (I said I appreciate the process...not that I enjoyed it ^.^) but I do eventually summon the courage to read a review.

You can pm me if you want. If you dont have time that is perfectly fine as well.

[SonikBoomTube]

THE PRISONERS

Tooley
"The Toolbeast" Taylor

Character
Tooley's name seems fitting, because he seems to a be a bit of one as far as his crewmates are concerned. He takes things way too far and insults the others, basically being bad company the majority of the time. No one seems to particularly like him either. I mean, they forget to feed him, and take three days to tell him what's up. Is this interesting? Absolutely! He's a vermin's vermin, and it'll be pretty great seeing what trouble he gets into. You know, provided they don't kill him in the next few minutes.

Regarding the category, it's rather funny Tooley was the only one actually IN prison, and the app does a great job showing off Tooley's growing anxiety with being down there.

Writing
The writing is incredible, showing enviable talent when it describes the setting and general atmosphere of the brig. Even the minor character Daggle had time taken for a detailed description of his piratey face.

There isn't really any dialogue, but it isn't really needed anyway due to the whole solitary confinement thing. The little pieces we DO get show Tooley's got a distinct voice, and that's all we really needed to see.

Personal Interest
I like Tooley, and though he isn't a generic vermin, he doesn't have too much going on that really holds my interest. Most of the strength of the app comes from the writing rather than him, but I wouldn't mind seeing more of Tooley if it meant more of that sweet, sweet description. Plus, Tooley does have the potential to become something completely different depending on what the story puts him through, and it'd be a fun ride watching that happen.


Nisky Banchibar
The Old and the Restless

Character
Nisky's always moving, seeming to have never lost that squirrely youth she must have had from her. . .squirrely youth. She may be old, but she doesn't give a damn and does what she wants. Admirable, though probably a bit selfish, because she continues to patrol dangerous woods against her family's best wishes. Not to spite them, she clearly loves her grandson, but still.

However, most of the character's strength in the story will ultimately come from how she handles being held prisoner. How DO you lock away such a free spirit? The app sets up her inevitable capture quite well, too.

Writing
There's a crazy kinetic energy throughout the app, always detailing what Nisky's doing and how she does it. Brilliantly, the dialogue is just as busy as Nisky is, giving us an unending stream of talk as well as action. You don't ever stop reading, just as she doesn't stop moving. It's really cleverly balanced.

Along with that, the illustration of Nisky's cooking really shows off her skill and ability to focus, while the conversation with her grandson is what tells us of her past and personality. We get two sides to her from two different places.

Also, there was a cute song about a toad. It was adorbable.

Personal Interest
Nisky's fun and , and making such a fiery personality a prisoner will make for great conflict with her captors and even the rest of the cast.

Brother Bogdan
Who ya gonna call?

Character
Bogdan is a ghost-scientist on a treasure hunt for scary cloak rats he owes a debt. Bogdan is undoubtedly interesting.

But aside from that, Bogdan is an incredibly intelligent mouse that enjoys life and the living, so much so that he enjoys the idea of life never not living. As in, ghosts. And he's not afraid of throwing these ideas around, much to the discomfort of those around him. However, he also doesn't seem to mind death too much, as a hare was beheaded in front of his eyes and he was totally unfazed. . .lots of mystery there.

One can assume he will become prisoner to the rats, but because he's so important to them there will definately be a lot of interaction between the two, which will really show of Bogdan's greatest strength: Hilarious conversation.

Writing
While the overall writing is solid, its strength lies without a doubt in the interactions between the characters. The writer is able to keep Bogdan's rambling in check by having the second party play the straight man, and it really helps show off Bogdan's quirks.

The sudden change in tone was also pretty fun. It sheds some light on Bogdan's past and possible lunacy, and on what's in store for the character.  The problem with the tone shift, however, is that the writer keeps us in the dark on how Bogdan felt about the hare's fate, and makes it seem like he only cares about his own. I don't know if it was intentional or only happened because of the word limit and the writer needed to explain some backstory before finishing.

Overall
The prisoners had a great turnout, for all three apps are really strong and show promise. Both Tooley and Nisky have incredible potential to turn into some great players later in the story, but for me, Bogdan already has that potential now. He's unrivaled by the others in terms of personality, and he will undoubtedly have some interesting  interactions with the rest of the cast.

[SonikBoomTube]

THE COOKS


Orwin
He's so Orwin.

Character
I don't know anything about Orwin other than his name unfortunately. He seems to be resourceful, having a secret back room and the know-how to use a sword and evade capture, but that's about it. I don't know who he is or  what he feels or why he does the things he does.

Orwin can fit in the Cook category though, mainly because i'm sure verminy pirates don't care too much who cooks for them so long as they get to eat. And who can screw up soup? It's just water, a bowl, and whatever else you find.

Writing
There's promise in the writing, but as of now it doesn't seem to know how to pace itself or what to focus on. None of the focus is on Orwin, the most important thing in the story, and all of it seems to be concerned with who I assume is Atlas. The app is relying, intentionally or not, on the strength of Atlas instead of Orwin. It also focuses more on telling what the other patrons think and feel, though they should really be ignored. It's also

Again though, there is promise. Lines such as "heart pounding just as hard as his footpaws" and "swashbuckling swagger" are clever, and the closing paragraphs are a pretty decent action sequence.

Personal Interest
Orwin as a character is fairly forgettable to me. I just don't know enough about him. If he does make it in though, he has the potential to become pretty much anything.

Wilson Willow
"Swim? The fall will probably kill you!"

Character
He is an otter that somehow found himself on a vermin ship, and at first everyone was happy, and now no one is. Also, he can't swim. But...he can? (I was confused) He's scared of his vermin crewmates but is able to hold his own against them by playing their game. He has self-made fangs and doesn't back down when messed with.

Interestingly, he's a terrible cook, and can't fish. He's an otter in name only, and Willow knows it, which is MAYBE why he's on a vermin ship? How he was allowed on board is a tale that will hopefully be told.

Writing
The writing is where the app is weakest. There is far too much telling rather than showing with lines like "he was very self conscious". There are also a bunch of weird inconsistencies. One line says he can't swim, then the next claims he can but is afraid to swim in the ocean. Which is wholly unnecessary to say because...no one swims in the middle of the ocean. The vermin constantly threaten Willow, but then are easily scared away by the otter's fangs. Paring down on the contradictions can help the quality of the narrative immensely.

The dialogue is a different story though, written solidly with an entertaining interaction between Willow and the fox.

Personal Interest
The writing could improve, but I think with more time and room to work with it'll improve. Willow has potential to be an interesting and weird addition to the cast, especially with the verminy-woodlander bit.

Vera Silvertooth
"You smell like. . .burning!"

Character
A noble, innocent visage hides Vera's true self: a conniving, evil vixen with a penchant for stealing (and BURNING!) things. She has no regard for others but herself.

Vera's a very competent cook, and can easily find herself on a pirate ship. The ship would want her food and she would want the treasure.

Writing
The app his heavy with dialogue, but none of it is engaging or feels like it's coming from real characters. Captain Rigal is cartoonishly evil, shouting "Sieze her!". Vera's righteousness sounds too unreal at the beginning, and though we find out it was most likely a facade, it's not a really believable change in character. The wording itself is nice, just not natural. The detail to what was happening was nice, from Vera's cooking to Rigal's actions against her. I also thought hiding the amulet in the bread was pretty sly.

However, Vera burning everything and everyone to the ground comes out of nowhere. The app doesn't set up the change in character, and doesn't explain it either. It just. . .happens.

Personal Interest
I would like to know just how crazy Vera really is, but she needs to become more grounded in reality to be more appealing.

Overall
It's pretty close between Vera and Willow. Willow can be a rather interesting concept that leads into entertaining interactions with other characters, while after Vera decides on what she's all about could turn into a nice villain for the cast to deal with.

[SonikBoomTube]

THE SLAVEDRIVERS

Chak Ku'rill
His slave-bees don't sting him. That means he's royalty.

Character
Chak Ku'rill is a ku'rill dude indeed. Or at least, in the sense that he loves his job, and is good at it. However, there is a softer side, where he takes pity on those he has control over, and is, very sparingly, kind enough to keep them happy.  There's hints here and there that he's not totally a villainous beast, but in the end, he kinda is. He likes to bring the hurt, and plans to bring much more of it ta git where he's goin'.

As mentioned, he fills the role of slavedriver fine. He will continue to be a fine, cruel taskmaster on throughout the story, and his ambitions will most certainly lead him to treasure. What will he do to keep it?

Writing
The writing does a great job illustrating slave-driving and how beaten the slave-driven are. You can feel Chak's excitement and the fear of those he's in charge of. How everyone acts around Chak, slaves and crewmates alike, really show the otter's intimidating presence.

The app does get a bit shaky towards the end with just telling us how Chak felt about his job and his slaves, but it was still fun to read. The earlier bit of Chak letting the mouse sing and the way the otter talked to everyone showed us Chak's depth, though, so really the writing just needs more of that.

Personal Interest
I like Chak, and I believe he'll do plenty for the story. He's intriguing and I want to know more about him. Specifically, and I didn't really mention this, why an. . .otter. . .is a slavedriver. . .this is the second app with a woodlander on a vermin ship and I'm just confused about the whole thing. . .

Scrant
That's a paddlin'.

Character
Scrant's as old and crotchety as they come. Not content with where he is, the rat seeks out piratey adventure. He's quick to boast, and feels superior to anybody that isn't himself.

Will he fit as a slavedriver? Well, he's certainly mean, and sought out the position specifically, so perhaps he is fully willing to be da best slaver there is, just to make things interesting for himself.

Writing
It's pretty confusingly written. Not only does the dialogue not tell us who's talking for a good bit, but an ermine suddenly appears out of nowhere. If it said "an ermine", the whole confusion might have been avoided. But going back to the dialogue, luckily Scrant has such a distinct voice that you could pick out which lines were his. But, Scrant is distinct mainly because the ermine has no personality to him at all. He's just a set up for Scrant to brag for the rest of the app.

Bragging, however, that was rather well done. You could really get wrapped up in what he's saying, then afterwards feel ashamed because. . .I mean, they've gotta be fish tales, right? They always are. . . :'(

Personal Interest
Scrant certainly is a character, and he can change throughout the story. He's up for the adventure of a treasure hunt, and I'd like to see him make good on those boasts. My only fear is that the writing will stay confusing and sully the enjoyment of Scrant.

Mari
How do you solve a problem like Mari, huh?

Character
Mari is a trip. She's terrible at her job, hates her job, and is all around irritable because of it. She's so bad, even the slaves will back-talk her, adding to Mari's overall grouchiness. But, she's nothing if not persistent, and she does her best with what she has.

As a slavedriver, well, here whole character's conflict is with the category. She's bad at being a slavedriver, and we see her come to figure out how not to be.

Writing
The writing was just as fun as Mari herself. All the dialogue was humorous, and the narrative itself was just as funny, showcasing both inner and outer Mari incredibly well. The app was also pretty much completely focused on her and her thoughts, which gave us plenty for us to learn about her, which is great. We need to know about her. The only flaw with this is we might know too much. Is there any mystery left?

Personal Interest
I loved her. She was a hoot to read, and it was fun just seeing her be her. It's just, it got a little too silly for me at the end there with the accordion. And it just makes me wonder, will she only be funny? Or is there room for more depth later?

Overall
It's really close between Mari and Chak. Really the question is do we want a cruel villain with the chance for depth or a goofy character who'll certainly make the story fun?

[SonikBoomTube]

Like Destop said, I can't reveal my remaining app(s) but you are more than welcome to review my two apps that didn't quite make it.

I'll head on over there eventually, but my priority is doing the Top 30 for now. I've always said I'd review something and never do, so I'm trying not to make that mistake again XD But then I'll happily reply to other threads and whatnot :)

[Rascal]

Lol! Hey man, no worries :D

If you have time for it that's fine but if you don't that is perfectly fine too ^-^ Since I still have a character (or characters) in the game that means that you will reviewing them soon, or perhaps you already have! If I start throwing tomatoes at you for no apparent reason then you will know if you have stumbled across my character >:)

[Airan]

Chak Ku'rill
His slave-bees don't sting him. That means he's royalty.

I love you. Jupiter Ascending truly is the greatest movie ever made.

Okay, I'm done breaking my own rules and derailing this thread. Keep up your reviews, I'm enjoying reading your thoughts :)

[SonikBoomTube]

THE QUARTERMASTERS

Pasha Shapalashi
Stranger in a Strange Land

Character
An iguana far from home, Pasha doesn't belong with the rodents. Or at least, that's what she says. And what they say. And everyone can't be wrong, right? Pasha clearly dislikes the vermin, and while self-conscious of their disdain for her, she doesn't seem to care. She's doing what she's gotta do, and they'll just get over it. It's a pretty cool attitude to watch.

As a quartermaster, she's in charge and no one seems to argue that fact here. But they might in the story, and so might her fellow cast members, and it'll be interesting to see how Pasha deals with their possible misgivings towards her.

Also, she's having babies? That'll certainly throw a wrench in the story.

Writing
Very solid writing. Pasha was showcased well, and the attitude towards her was shown throughout the other characters' dialogue as well as their reactions towards her, which was nice. Pasha's thoughts themselves weren't exactly subtle, but they worked overall.

Personal Interest
I can see Pasha being a strong player in the story. I have a feeling there's a scarier side to her we're not seeing, what with her contempt for her rodent company. However, I'm a bit on the fence about the babies thing. It could slow down the fun treasure hunting aspect of it all, but it will also add plenty of drama and depth to her character so. . .who knows?

Morra Sharptongue
Let sleeping ferrets lie.

Character
What a wonderfully selfish brat you are, Morra. A ferret who'd rather sleep and wallow in her own laziness is also in charge of an entire ship and crew. How does that work? Well, according to some it doesn't, but if you ask Morra herself it works out fine, and she'll make sure to keep it that way.

She fits the role well, or at least holds the title well. She has control over her crewmates, and is quite comfortable being there. It'll be interesting to see if rest of the cast will let her or end up hating her.

Writing
The whole thing was mostly conversation, which was well put together and funny to read. The three characters all had their own voices, and each was entertaining in their own right. It was also pretty interesting that Morra herself never moved from the chair, directing everything like some slacker mob boss.

However, there was really nothing but dialogue. It went from one line to the next, with no real room to breathe. And no real room, either. Just a chair apparently. More imagery and narration would help flesh out the writing and character.

Personal Interest
I loved the dialogue and the power play between Morra and Mr. Kril. Her interactions with the rest of cast is very promising to me, and she has the potential to change into something much better than just a lazy ferret.

Vasily Izhets
That's his name. OR IS IT?!

Character
A chronic liar, Vasily is in it for himself. In what, we're not 100% sure, but he is IN there. A cat who's quick witted and ready for anything, Vasily is able to trick the crew into getting on board, even replacing a member after throwing him overboard in front of everyone to see.

Luckily, Vasily was once a quartermaster, so that works out for him. However, it was brought to my attention by the other reviews that for someone who was once a quartermaster, he did say he doesn't know anything about ships, which is. . .yeah, odd. If it was a slight mistake, that could either help or really hurt his character in the long run.

Writing
Vasily himself is amusing, and a thoroughly engaging character to read about. What he says is fun and what he does is clever, like the bit with the "baby". However the writing takes away from that. The other character's don't feel like real people, but more like extras saying their lines. Namely, the line "I should know, I'm the Quartermaster" is reaaally hamfisted and doesn't sound natural. If the work put into Vasily's lines was put into the extras as well, their dialogue would be golden.

One last issue is the "that was a lie" bit. While fun, it's a little tiring after being done a few times throughout the app. If it only happens in the app and very sparingly throughout the actual story though, it'll be fine.

Personal Interest
Vasily himself is fun, but the rest is a bit too lacking to me. I wouldn't mind seeing more of Vasily's misadventures, but I'm not particularly dying to learn more about him. He could definately have a fascinating secret origin

Overall
Another competitive category, the Quartermasters are all promising. Pasha is a strong character with strong writing, and Vasily and Morra have the personality and fun to compete with her. Ultimately, though, I think Morra shows the most promise with interacting with the other cast members. Watching her try to use the others to her advantage is something more intriguing than what I think the other two could bring.

[Rascal]

I like how your reviews focus more on what the characters bring to the story rather than individual writing. I want to see each and ever character here in a story but at the end of the day it comes down to what kind of story do we want to read and which characters would make that happen.

At least that is my humble opinion on the matter :3

[SonikBoomTube]

THE CAPTAINS

Skiz
Yar har, feedle dee dee.

Captain
Skiz is a pirate, through and through. He's been on the sea for years and will be for many more, provided he isn't cut down by the plenty of other ships he's fighting.

Although he's just received the title of captain, Skiz is already taking charge and ordering people around without dispute from the crew. He's willing to make moral sacrifices if it means saving his own skin, and this will make him a pretty big player in the story to come.

Writing
It was pretty confusing towards the beginning. I got easily lost, wondering what species was talking to what name and who was important and not. Something that can be easily fixed, just a bother trying to figure out the first time around.

The dialogue is SUPER piratey though. It was incredible reading the swashbuckler lingo, and it really drives home the point that Skiz is a salty sea dog, and has been for a really long while now.

Personal Interest
While I enjoy Skiz, he's not too interesting. I don't really want to see more about him, just more of what he will do, but what he'll do could probably be done by someone else that's more than just a pirate.

Ciera Ancora
She's about to get medieval. Then sick.

Character
Ciera is a leader, and she's willing to do what she needs to, whether or not her stomach is willing as well. She's a hardened leader, torturing Figgins herself, but has a soft side when she has him tended to afterwards. This may come from her past with this mysterious Rin. Her/A child? A friend? A sibling?

As a captain, Ciera is definitely a captain. She's giving orders, making plans, and doing the things that need doing. It'll be fun seeing her take charge of the other cast members. More specifically, when she inevitably meets the woodlander side and Atlas himself.


Writing
"Shall I tell you about the other nine?" Oooh, the shivers. The writing here is great. Ciera's spoken dialogue shows power, and you can believe her crew will follow her words to hell and back. But what's interesting is her inner dialogue, which shows a real person hidden underneath. The app does a great job showing the two sides of leadership, and leaves us wanting more.


Personal Interest
She's already such a strong character here that she can only get stronger with the rest of the cast. I'd like to see just how far she'll go in her position, and if she can be tipped over the edge into cruelty, or stay noble(or at least, as noble as a pirate can be) throughout.

Valencia
Now go do, that voodoo, that you do, so well!

Character
Valencia is da voodoo masta. She puts all her faith in the mystic arts, and her crew seems to loyally back her predictions and superstitions. This is maybe because of her intimidating presence, as she commands their attention simply by leaving her quarters. Also, she talks to ghosts.

As captain, she's a strong leader as shown by her crew's ability to put up with her mysticism. It'll be nice to see how the rest of the cast would put up with it, and if her ghost-talking will work out for her in the end.

Writing
Well, Valencia has the most awesome accent. It's ridiculously fun to read and imagine, and Valencia talks with so much bravado too.  It never falters either, except with the very final lines. It makes sense it wouldn't be accented, but it still doesn't look right. If it was reworded it might not have been noticeable at all, and it's a pretty negligable problem honestly.

The app also does a great job illustrating her various rituals and skills. The problem with all that though is it never really amounted to anything. All the preperations and concentration led up to Valencia just saying "good stuff" and moves on to the last bit. We can't get invested in it all because we have no idea if the voodoo works or not, and the app doesn't give us any reason to bet on it.

Personal Interest
I was really digging Valencia's personality(ESPECIALLY loved her silly hoodoo voice) and all the writing right up until the moment she revealed she had the map. It takes all the fun of the treasure map away from the rest of the cast, and puts Valencia in the spotlight. And what if there were already plans for the map? Then the writers will have to either work around her or give Valencia a fake map, which won't do her much good.

Overall
Ciera's the strongest overall. All three were well crafted characters with distinct personalities, but Skiz is unfortunately not a unique personality, and Valencia fell apart at the end of her app. Ciera feels like she can grow in a whole sort of different ways, while the other two will more or less stay the same.

[SonikBoomTube]

Hey, sorry for the lack of reviews. Spanish turns out to be very time consuming when it's an online course.

THE STOWAWAYS

Ghost
THE GHOOOOST BEEACH!

Character
A determined gecko who feels wronged, he has made it his personal duty to enact revenge against Atlas Stormstripe.

He easily fits the stowaway category. He's a self-assigned assassin, and how else is an assassin gonna get on a boat? Er, well, how else is a Gecko assassin getting on a boat?

Writing
The entire application is narrative. The main issue here is that it's also all telling, to. I don't hear Ghost's thoughts directly from himself, only from the writer. And there is no dialogue to speak of, so I don't know what his voice is or how he'd interact with other characters.

Also, the HEs are very distracting. Simply italicizing the first one and then continuing with just regular hes would have been fine

Personal Interest
I'm not too interested. I don't really like the idea that he's a gecko first of all, and second he doesn't seem to have any character besides "I shall have vengeance!" He has room to improve, but I'd need way more of Ghost's own thoughts and opinions to really get a feel to root for him. Although, I will say assassin gecko named Ghost is a way cool idea, just not really Redwally for me.

Ciera
I dreamed a dream in time gone byyyyyy. . .

Character
Ciera is a selfless mother just trying to get by in this cruel, cruel world. She takes the heat for her husband, but is resourceful enough to escape all by herself.

She fits the category nicely, the app ending with her on her way to the ships to board. We'll be able to see if she can keep hidden the whole trip or manage to convince the kindly woodlanders to keep her around.

Writing
Very well written throughout. The narrative is where most of her personality lies, but it really feels as though it's what Ciera's thinking. The dialogue was decently written, though I'm not sure if it felt a tad overdramatic with the "I will always love you!" or if that fit just fine. Everything else was well done, though, so I'll chalk it up to Mykel's personality.

Personal Interest
I don't like how. . . sad and heavy it all is. I'm not against emotional stuff at all, just, I really want adventure in this story and I feel she'll weigh it down with all her baggage. If she made it in it'll be nice for most of the focus to be on her resourcefulness and I-gotta-make-it-back-to-my-family mentality, but. . .in the fun way I guess. Disaster movie style.



Plink
One jump, ahead of the breadline. . .

Character
Plink steals only what she can't afford, and that's everything *wink wink*. She is a lovable little thief character who wants to be bigger and better. As in, a pirate that steals bigger and better things, and we get to see her going about learning whether or not she's cut out for it.

She'll work as a stowaway especially well, because that's what stowaways do is sit in secret and steal stuff. Will she get caught? Eventually I'm sure, and we'll see how the woodlanders take to a rat on their ship.

Writing
The writing is solid throughout, with fun descriptions of her thefts and other silly escapades. It was very showy throughout, which was much appreciated. We learned of her past with her Ma through the narrative, and are giving genuine character moments, particularly the final line with Plink not quite wanting the let go of the dress.


Personal Interest
Plink is fun for all the reasons mentioned. She has great potential and can go any direction. I would love to see just how piratey she can get or if the woodlanders will be able to change her mind about becoming a selfish verminy varmint.

Overall
I think Ciera and Plink's writing are both great, but Plink will bring much more to the story than Ciera can. Although, the one thing is that there maay be too many kiddies on board the ship if Plink makes it with the younger cabin boys.

[SonikBoomTube]

THE HEALERS


Merriwether Cheston
The sailor's tale of woes and wonder

Character
A vole down on his luck, well on his way towards middle age. His wife dead, his crew dead, and now even his children possibly joining them, Merriwether has given up. The ship sinking, the vole has decided to let sweet, sweet death take him in. He sings a final ditty to remind him of the old times, and dies. Horribly, I'm sure.

OR DOES HE?

We then find out Merriwether has just joined the Waverunners as a healer, and more than comfortable telling his tales of woe to strangers.

Whether he fits the healer category fully is yet to be seen, but he does seem to know how to at least bandage folks. Merriwether will be an odd character, one who the other cast members may learn very little about. Maybe the audience, too. Hopefully we do, though.

Writing
The writing is well done. The app is in two different parts, one presumably told by Merriwether to a shrew, and the rest is what we the audience see and know is true. It really sets up the humor very well, and is appreciated for being different and interesting, though it treads dangerously because now we aren't very sure just what Merriwether is all about. Hopefully in the story the vole won't be too unreliable a narrator and we can see what is really going on.

Also, I just want to make note that practically all the ship names in these applications have been great, in all the categories. It just took Dumplety Tim for me to realize that XD

Personal Interest
I loved him. He won me with the closing lines. They wrapped up such a darkly comic app with a nice, black ribbon.
I appreciate the gamble with having the first part possibly not be totally true and Merriwether is just a storyteller, and I'm keen on learning more about him and who he is.

Crue Sarish
And don't call me Sarish.

Character
Crue is a squirrel who's itching for some action. Unimpressed with sea life thus far, she wants more to it.

We see Crue in action as a healer, and it's appreciated. We see her taking orders and getting irritated with her crewmates. It'll be nice to see these same types of interactions with the rest of the cast as well, and if she's up for the adventure she desperately wants.

Writing
The writing really showcases Crue in action, and especially how she feels about it. I learn a lot about her through her none-too-honest dialogue and the narrative describing her inner thoughts.

Also, use the "Crue/Crew" thing sparingly. Please. :P

Personal Interest
I like her. I see her becoming a great seafarer, and think she'll bring great character interactions and situations.

Feorag Grabber
Don't fear the Grabber.

Character
A dastardly cheat, Feorag would rather use his wits to con people into helping out his own wallet.

He shows off that he's a well-off cheating healer, so how he'll manage to be a real one on a ship should be interesting. We have to wonder if he really knows what to do or if he has no idea, and how the others will punish him for it.

Writing
It was clever with how in depth it went into Feorag's trickery. It mostly tells us what Feorag is up to and how he's upset with how things are turning out. It really sets up his motivation well however, and we can believe in his decision to go seafaring.


Personal Interest
I think I just like the other two too much to really find Feorag more intersting. His writing is solid, but just not as interesting as the other two's, and the same goes with his character.

Overall
I think Crue is the strongest of the three and can bring the most to the table. BUT, Merriwether is just as interesting at the moment. The only thing is we'd be taking a gamble choosing him over Crue. I think it's worth it to do so, though, and have faith his writer won't leave us without the interesting vole I think he is.