Grey's Guessworking and Reviewdles

[The Grey Coincidence]

I'm a fan of guesswork, so. I will probably be wrong. Er- more than once here. But that's part of the fun.

Noi, Kew-Kew and Jericho I expect to be the Hunters so far. I can imagine Jericho as a squirrel or a mouse (leaning a bit towards mouse but we shall see) and Kew-Kew as a bird of some kind, or perhaps something more primitive (think Gawtrybe, Flitchaye level intellect) Also most likely crazy. Coz, Kew-Kew.

Yahn I thiiiink is the Seafarer because their name (I think its a her) is well, off-country sounding? I dont know. Sounds like a sailor to me. Might be one of those curious, explorer types.

Falwyn and Novak I'm guessing are duelsists. Falwyn has a scandinavian-sounding name which could put him in the Berserker category but I'm more inclined to say hes a duelist based on process of elimiantion. I also picture him as a stoat or a fox, but thats guesswork.

And that leaves Barrumtum and Bane Redflank as the Berserkers. I er- well. Barrumtum is an interesting name, I would guess mole but might be wrong on that account since the name... leaves a lot to interpretation. Redflank is I think either a rat or a wolverine, something big and hulking. Pet theory says he was beaten as a child and thus cursed with a red flank but I'm also guessing the red might be blood soooo berserker.

[The Grey Coincidence]

Alright, twenty one applicants so far and all still to play for.  :evil: :evil:

Please note that I do not know they all are and I will most likely be wrong. I shall refrain from guessing who belongs to who but I have got a few ideas....

[spoiler]The Old One: I have a few ideas on what somebeast carrying this name might be and thus shall not try and guess their category. A few ideas:

The Old One: Hunter, a creature as old as time itself that feeds on the flesh and fear (but mostly the flesh) of all whom enter it's lair. Yet despite it's great age the Old One has never tasted mouse. Now that it's time is short the Old One has ventured forth from it's lair, determined to hunt down one last flavour.

That's one dumb idea, my second one is perhaps more plausible.

The Old One, Brigand. Although in truth, he is not so old, the Old One was named such by his much younger associates. The leader of a lovely little pick-pocket's guild, he employs and cares for only the youngest, thinnest and most helpless of beasts. But don't let their chubby cheeks and adorable faces fool you! The acolytes of the Old One will rob you dry before you have a chance to scream!  [/spoiler]

[spoiler]Antonia St Myria, Assassin. Born to the noble St Myria family, this mousemaid is not to be messed with. Raised a fair and dainty lady, all her dreams of a long and happy life were crushed with the death of her father. Thrown out by her evil step-mother Antonia swore revenge and was determined to take back what was hers. Nobeast knows what happened next or who was responsible
but the servants swore they found the stepmother dead, a glass slipper in her throat.  [/spoiler]

[spoiler]Barumtum, Berserker. As a child Barumtum swallowed a barrel of rum whole, thus he was christened Barrel-rum-tum. He has since hated his name and heaven help you if you call him by it!  [/spoiler]

[spoiler]Siler  Seafarer. Siler the Otter was born a curious creature and now searches far and wide for the legendary Sila monster once fought by the mythical Omouseus. A firm believer in destiny Siler is convinced that their similar-sounding names is more than coincidence and that he is destined to take over the creature's position as the bane of the ocean. [/spoiler]

Might post more as I think of them. As an aside I did have a fun idea for Merril but erm. The name inspired me and now I have to write an app about that. So whoever came up with that name, thank you very much indeed!

[The Grey Coincidence]

[spoiler]Smooths, Assassin. What kind of a name is Smooth, you ask? What kind of parent names their child Smooth? The answer to that is Smooth. Smooth named himself, obviously, because he is just. So. Smooth. Noone gets in and out as quickly as he does. Noone kills with as much grace as he does. To Smooths, killing is both a job and an art. It puts food on the table, sure, but there's no need to be making a mess! Smooth leaves barely a mess behind. In fact, he cleans up after himself. Some of his victims had no idea they were dead! That's how Smooth he is!
[/spoiler]


[spoiler]Falwyn, Duelist. The famous ex-prince of 'insert Kingdom' a bad case of off-page death and political backstabbing has left Falwyn with nothing. No home. No kingdom. No responsibility. Falwyn the Fallen, they called him. And he loves it! Finally he can embrace his one true calling! When he was prince, nobeast let him fight with swords. He could watch, sure, but that was boring. With noone left to tell him what to do he spends his days fighting for sport! Unfortunately... he has yet to master any of the skills he'll need to go pro. Does he have what it takes to go pro, or will the political machinations of his past catch up to him?[/spoiler]

[spoiler]Robin Merriweather, Marksman. It sure is hard to shoot people in a thunderstorm. You just can't see when it's dark and foggy and there's rain in your fur and then water covers your eyes and well, you get the picture. Robin doesn't have this problem. At birth he was struck by lightning, permeneantly frizzing his tail (hes a squirrel and thanks you for asking), yet in the years to come he never got to experience rain, or windspeeds beyond a slight breeze. Which lead to massive famine and drought if he ever stayed somewhere too long... so he left the place of his birth, and has been travelling ever since. Wherever he goes, good weather follows. Bit of a shame, when you're chasing a storm! [/spoiler]

[The Grey Coincidence]

Antonia St. Myra, Assassin, Mouse, Female. Likes: Fancy balls, sharp swords, flashy fighting styles. Proffession: Avenging murdered family.

Arist, Weasel, Brigand, Male Likes: Fire, Flames, Heat. Proffession: Pyromaniac.

Ashtad, Brigand, Female, Likes: Shiny things, Adventure Proffession: Kleptomaniac

Bane Redflank, Wolverine, Berserker, Male Likes: Fighting, Bloodshed, Drinking stuff. Proffession: Bashing skulls.

Barumtum, Mole, Berserker, Male Likes: Food, Eating, Vittles. Proffession: Angry friar.

Bronn, Mouse, Brigand, Male, Likes: Castle, Gold. Castles with gold. Proffession: Sellsword.

Candace Kane, Assassin, Female, Marten, Likes: Candy. Candy Canes. Proffession: Sweetmaker who dabbles in the occassional political poisoning.

Coralbell, Seafarer, Otter, Female, Likes: Corals. Bells. Probably fish. Proffession: She dives for corals to sell at the local market. Also has an exquisite coin collection,

Elliot, Guardian, Beaver, Male, Likes: His shield, his wife, his shield, his kids. Also his shield. Proffession: Basically Braum.

Falwyn, Duelist, Fox, Male Likes: Dueling. He's really into the sport. Proffession: Sellsword/ stagefighter.

(Gilings) Plankshifter, Seafarer, Seal, Male Likes: Fish. Proffession: He rescues the pore souls made to walk the plank. Coz he's a nice guy.

Jericho (Grim), Hunter, Mouse, Male, Likes: Being Grim. Proffession: Bounty hunter with one of those fancy longcoats.

Kasenia, Schemer, Stoat, Female Likes: Power, Control, Stability Proffession: Political schemer determined to expand her empire beyond her neighborhood.

Kew-Kew, Hunter, Sparrow (Sparra), Female, Likes: Building nests out of bones. Proffession: Mentally unstable.

Kiri, Guardian, Flitchaye (weasel), Male Likes: Being bigger dan de oder Flitchaye Proffession: The Tank.

Maut, (I'll pass)

Merrill, Duelist, Rat, Female Likes: Fainting dramatically. Proffession: Stage fighter.

Mully Stonbrek, Mole, Female, Guardian Likes: Stones, Digging, Geological terms. Proffession: Miner

Noi, Snake, Female, Hunter Likes: Hunting, Rats, Hunting rats Proffession: Lying in wait till a rat strolls by.

Novak, Duelist, Ferret, Male, Likes: Tennis, Winning, Victory Proffession: Tennis Player

"Old One", Mole, Schemer, Female Likes: Knitting, Sewing, Baking, Discipling Grandkids Proffession:

Priideep, Seafarer, Male, Eel  Likes: Swimming Proffession: Seamonster who just wants a friend.


Reinmar, Schemer, Male, Fox Likes: Taking control of goverments behind their backs, political machinations, backstabbing allies etc etc (Note he may or may not be good at all this) Proffession: Criminal Underworld stuff

Robin Merriweather, Hedgehog, Marksman, Male Likes: Throwing his quills at people and watching them scream. Proffession: Prankster.

Samia, Brigand, Female, Stoat, Likes: Cornflakes. Maybe knives. Depends on her mood.

Shahin, Assassin, Female, Weasel, Likes: Unknown. Proffession: Unknown.

Sheercrest, Guardian, Female, Large bird of some kind, maybe a thrush? Pheasant? Likes; Pecking eyes out, defending the meek, building nests. Proffession: Being a nice birdie.

Siler, Seafarer, Otter, Male, Likes: Mythology, The Scylla Proffession: Trying to replace a famous sea monster.

Smooths, Assassin, Rat, Male Likes: Smoothies Proffession: Being smooth.

Yahn, Seafarer, Otter, Female Likes: Hotroot and pepper in their tea. Also tea.

[The Grey Coincidence]

Ayla Bramble, Mouse, Female, Marksman. Likes: Making fires. Collecting bramble. Building bows. Proffession: Bow-maker.

Bihto Snowridge, Don't ask why they're biting the snowridge. They haven't figured it out yet. But they will! Schemer. Mouse.

Bise, Guardian, Badger, Male, Likes: Bees, Honey, Honeycombs, Wax, Beeswax, Beeswax candles Proffession: Beekeeper.

Brother Hawthorn, Duelist, Mouse, Male. Likes: Everything escept his first name. Proffesion: Trying to change his name from 'Brother' (often shortened to 'bro' much to his chagrin) to 'Cousin' (that way he can shorten it to 'coz').



Chitterfang the Wrigglekin, Mouse, Schemer, Female. Likes: Getting into sticky situations. Getting out of sticky situations. Laughing about it afterwards. Carving her incisors into fang-shapes. Proffession: Serial prankster.


Elsabeth van Riften, Mouse, Schemer, Female. Totally not the person Antonia St Myria is going after. Definetly not responsible for the deaths of the rival St. Myra family. No. Why would you think that?



Flauros, Mole, Guardian, Male Likes: His flower garden. Flowers. The smell of flowers. Petals. Proffession: Flauros, armed with a pair of sheers, protects his flower garden from all kinds of dangers! Weeds! Aphids! Slugs! And the neighbours kids, who seem determined to crush Flauros' flowers into the dirt.



Jargur Strongfist, Duelist, Mouse. He doesn't have fists anymore. But back when he did, they were strong fists.



Kenway, Hare, Male, Brigand. Likes: The freedom of not having to do drills for the Long Patrol. He deserted the Long Patrol many seasons ago you see. Back in the time of Ungatt Trunn. He's been on the run ever since. Some say he's immortal. He says he's just hard to kill.


Rolf, Male, Mouse, Brigand. Likes: Rolling On The Floor Laughing. Proffession: Trying to change his name to Rotfl (pwo-nounced rot-fell). Also a serial cereal prankster.



Shatter, Marksman, Bat, Male. Likes: Singing. He sings so well he shatters glass. Or maybe it's because he flies into the local windows? Nah. It's definetly his singing.

Sheercrest. Birdie. Has a crest. It's sheer. He likes it. Proffession: Giving others crests. Don't ask.

Sheeva, Mouse, Male, Schemer, Likes: His religion. Converting others to his religion. Sheeva is determined to prove the power of Lord Shiva (his namesake coz Kali was already taken) and convert others to his way of thinking. It's for their own good of course. Proffesion: Religious fanatic.

Siobhan, Codename: The Mantis, Mouse, Female, Assassin. Likes: Her codename. Siobhan is the perfect assassin, capable of blending into any environment. She prefers bright pink flower petals, but alas can only use that disguise when near bright pink flowers. Also she totally has a pair of blades attached to her paws. May or may not feel feelings. Proffession: Killer for hire.

Therion, Male, Mouse, Duelist. Likes: Being called 'The Iron!'. Unfortunately the mole commentators always call him 'ee ryan'. He is now on a quest to eliminate all moles.

Trajan, Male, Mouse, Schemer. Likes: Building wooden horses. Proffession: Trying to recreate the Trojan horse and rename it. The Trajan Horse. Horse are canon. :)

Unga Underbite, Wolverine, Female, Berserker Likes: Knocking teeth out. Good old fashioned berserker right here, just wants to give everyone else a jaw as unique as her own. Some call her violent, but she's really just a wolverine dentist. They're not known for being gentle. Also once saved someone's life by punching their jaw.  May or may not make up a strong tooth-rotting/tooth-fixing partnership with Candace Kane. Proffession: Dentist.

Vanya Sandtalon, Mouse, Female, Hunter Vanya's hunting style is rather unique. She is both the hunter and the bait. She wears carefully-made talon-shaped sandals and strolls through the sand, leaving very clear footprints behind. The hungry vermin who stumbles by and happens across the tracks is convinced they have found their lunch! Until they become lunch. May or may not eat other mice. Depends on her mood. Proffession: Eating.

Zandir Firesage, Male, Marten, Schemer, Another religious fanatic in the vein of Sheeva. May or may not sacrifice someone on a whim. May or may not end up being hoist by his own petard and burned alive. When people see him they expect grand speeches and sermons and whatnot. They get a lightshow the likes of which the world has never seen for in truth Zandir is an all powerful FIREBENDER!

That's what he wants the paying crowd to think anyways. Really he's just a young mouse wearing a fake beard, with dirt on their face and wearing a long, flowing robe. The fireballs? Not magic, oil. Proffession: Con artist.

[The Grey Coincidence]

Having guessed every single character correctly (suspicious, I know) I can proceed with the reviews. Now, fair warning, I'm a little bit silly and the good analysis is being covered better than I could manage soooo my reviews will mostly be my opinions, coupled with a little This App Works Well With where I attempt to forge app alliances. I er- don't know if that makes sense but hopefully you'll get what I mean by the time you're done reading this.

Duelists:
[spoiler]
Elliot, Fox, Male.

I rather like Elliot to be honest, his app is not one but two gloriously detailed (accounting for the word limit in any case) fight scenes. So we know he can put the duel in duelist. As has been stated previous, we don't know too much about him, but we do know that he's past his prime and not getting any younger. Is he a fun character? You bet! Who I think he'd work well with? I feel like he can play the old mentor type well so pairing him up with Unga Underbite (herself a semi-sort-of-kind-of mentor?) would be pretty cool. However I think synergy-wise he fits well with Drawl. Drawl is young and inexperienced and I get the feeling Elliot could teach him a thing or two about the world.

Fiyero, Kitty Cat, Male.

I also really like Fiyero. He's loud, he's brash, he's bodacious and he's not afraid to say (or sing) it! Is he skilled with a sword? After repeated read-throughs I am of the opinion that he is a very good swords-beast, but I am also intrigued by the possibility that he's a fraud. Or maybe there's another fraud claiming to have killed the bracken beast? I think the standout of this app though is really the antagonist. The Pine Martin is as threatening as threatening comes. A wooden Martin the Warrior doll come to life to slay the frauds? Now that's something I'd read about! Who would Fiyero work well with cast-wise? Well I think he needs a cooler head next to him or else he'll keep smashing and crashing things. This might seem like a crack team-up but I feel like Ashtad's mild manners coupled with his quest for the truth make him and Fiyero a very neat team-up. Will he be looking for holes in Fiyero's stories? Most certainly! Will the cat's loud manners win him the serpent's favour? Probably not. Will it be fun? You know it will be!

Maut, Fox (MADE OUT OF METAL!!!!), Male. Oh and Veach, Stoat, Male.

You're out of luck you sun-eating swine! Maut is made entirely out of silver, a very strong and durable metal. Good luck biting his head off! (If you think he is actually the Silver Surfer I advise you to read his app again... and my note that I should not be taken seriously). But in all honesty it's pretty cool to see a duo character. Veach gives him someone to trade words with and bounce thoughts off of. Veach himself is the more mysterious of the two. He's quiet, talks funny, and is more bite than bark, but why? Who Maut would go well with? Hard to say since he's a duo character already. He also seems somewhat past his prime but he's not exactly a mentor figure. Veach kind of fulfils the synergy role already. We have someone for Maut to trade words (and trills?) with and I don't think Maut needs much more. Veach is his pal. [/spoiler]

Berserkers:

[spoiler]Chitterfang The Wrigglekin (cookies for the name), Bat, Female.

Chitterfang is a lot of fun. Certainly an odd character but I think that's why she's so much fun. Now I'm not entirely sure whether it's eating bugs that bring back the memories she is looking for, or whether it's the berserking but I assume it's the latter. She's a bit of a double-edged sword as far as this contest goes (it would be really bad for Nest if she went Berserker and killed some of Mekai's warriors...) but hey! She can't help it, that's what being a berserker's about and er- she's not nearly as dangerous to her own as Elias is... More on that later though. The wrigglekin could go well with a more serious character to bounce off of, but I also think she needs another oddball to be Kew-Kew around. (If you harass me over that pun I will sue you.) Their both quite lost creatures with almost child-like naivety.  They also both have er- pretty weird fashion sense (Not to diss leaf bandoliers but... leaf bandoliers...).

Elias Heatherpaw, Hare, Male:

Elias is... er- a bad leader. Gosh, why doesn't anyone listen to the badgerlords anymore! That said I think of the berserkers his actual berserking is the most explained. He craves revenge for his wife, who was presumably killed by vermin and the memory of what I (correctly. I am never wrong.) assume is her dying words (or it could be what he thinks her dying words are assuming he was traumatized by the sight of her dead body 0.0) is what triggers his violent axe-crazy madness. He's nowhere near as cheerful as your conventional hare. He's er-actually not cheerful at all- but he does fit the category well. As to who he'd pair up with well... He needs therapy. Er- a lot of therapy. (Trying to think of a good therapist... Eula? I mean. She's a healer and all).

Ilka, Wildcat, Female

Ilka is ruthless. Ilka also values hygiene (and a good thing too! Killers for hire should know that blood, guts and gore can lead to serious infection if left uncleaned!) But she also values payday more and I think she's onto something about being payed more if you're big and scary. And covered in blood. It's an intriguing app that makes me ask a lot of questions. Is Ilka past redemption? Is she interested in redemption? Who is this mysterious benefactor...  Narratively speaking I think she'd pair well with someone as ruthless as her when it comes to business. Both her and Siler are cold-blooded killers (I would argue Siler moreso but that's for Marksmen). You know what I find interesting about Ilka? She doesn't see what she's doing when the red haze is there, she has probably never killed someone without the haze (that part is interpretation, not sure if it's correct though) and I imagine seeing death happen when she's not berserking might be something of a moral event horizon for her. Which is why I pair her up with another stone cold killer. Perhaps seeing Siler kill somebeast without remorse makes her look back on her own killings? Perhaps this then leads to her becoming the Brother Wulter to Siler's own Ilka.



[/spoiler]

[The Grey Coincidence]

Schemers

[spoiler]Elsabeth Van Riften, Female, Wildcat

Elsabeth is definetly one of my favourite apps here. She's got motive (her family seems to be going through a fall from grace of sorts, linked mostly to family), she's got sass 'It's lady Van Riften to you!' and... she got caught. 0.0 Never a good thing when you're commiting high-stakes fraud. I think she and Drawl Dredgemast would make a fun team up. Drawl's issues stem almost entirely from financial struggles (coupled with moral qualms and the like but we'll get to that later) and if there's something Elsabeth is good at it's numbers. And er- earning money through less-than-leagal ways.

Lucan, Mouse, Male

Lucan is also lot's of fun. His backstory intrigues me but I think the app already went into good enough detail on that. I suspect he was banished from the abbey (because the flour and the Friar and the way he seems determined to prove the Abbot wrong? I can so imagine him shouting the same lines just as he's getting the boot) but there's also the possibility he ran off to seek his fortune and earn his warrior stripes. He probably needs a vermin companion to help him with the racism issue (which I don't think he has per say) and at the same time he's young and brash enough to need an older head to guide him forwards. Someone to show him what a good warrior is ya know? And for that job I nominate Priideep. She is already a venerated warrior within her tribe and having lost her tadpoles she is searching for a purpose in life. I think teaching a would-be-warrior how to warrior is a worthy purpose. Alternatively Smooths would be a good companion. He's not the smartest of weasels and I think it can be an eye-opening experience for Lucan to see what kind of beasts the average warrior puts down.

Merril, Hedgehog, Female

Merril, Merril, Merril. I've read your app a few times over and I am terribly confused, which leads me to conclude that you got 15/15 as a score. Congratulations!

I thiiink we're dealing with a crude form of gunpowder here and I can think of no better way of dealing with that pesky sun-eater than taking him down in a massive X-plosion. Let's see... I'm assuming she and her mate were banished from the village because they accidentally blew something up. Which... ouch. She's been exiled and in her attempts to even things out, she's caught (I mean to be fair Killian probably noticed her corpse moving it's lips?) and has a short scrap with the village alderbeast. Who she spares! I like that, a lovely little character-defining moment. I'm not too sure who she'd work well with but I can totally see her looking for a new home now that she's been exiled. Or perhaps she's hoping to redeem herself enough to one day be able to return. If she is going through the redemption angle perhaps she and Ilka would make a fun pair. [/spoiler]


Seafarers

[spoiler]
Bise, Rook, Female

A BIRDIE! Oh a poor birdie stuck all alone on the crow's nest and it's cold and she doesn't have her things and :( She intrigues me as does the ship she serve. Which er- well I'm guessing it's a pirate ship to be honest (definetly not because it's mostly vermin er- n-no... why would you think that?) and she seems to serve as their scout/map-maker of sorts. And all because that darn Floris sold her! I'm curious as to who they're keeping captive to stop Bise from flapping away. A daughter? An eggchick? Mother? Cousin? Floris herself?  For obvious reasons (that have... nothing to do with crow's nests) I think she would work well alongside Seamus Blackquill :P They are eerily similar, yet I think the differences between them are also very clear within these apps. Seamus strikes me as more of an intellectual, Bise with her barely-concealed temper, seems more like an avian of action.

Drawl Dredgemast, Otter, Male

Drawl is the typical older brother. He's overprotective, a little bit insensitive and bearing far too much responsibility. He's trying his hardest, he just wants the best for his little sister, but it's just... hard. Of course it's hard! He's young, he's not ready for this. And now he must walk the fine line of morality. Is killing somebeast worth getting his sweet, sassy lil' sis all the hotroot she can cook? Is it really? I think he needs a Brother Hawthorn. Yes, you heard me right, the old mouse doctor is the perfect mentor for him. Because Brother Hawthorn can so casually go from kindly to murderous (despite the old aches in his chest) he could give all sorts of advice to young Drawl in the art of killing. He'll teach him how to walk the fine line of life and death, how to put a beast down with as little mess as possible. This is the edgy anime that needs to happen and you all know it.

Novak, Pine Marten, Male

Novak has been in the seal business for long enough to know that Rose Oil Rocks. Which is a pretty long time if you ask me. For years he's been watching his former captain (presumably a mentor figure of sorts) crush the skulls of baby seals- and now it's finally his turn to prove himself. He's the captain now and he has to prove it. I love the Moby Dick vibe of the whole sea hunt, the baiting, the diving, the seal-fighting. It's unlike anything I've ever seen in Redwall and I love it. But easily the most interesting thing about Novak (aside from him sharing a name with that tennis player) is where he goes from now. Novak's been in the business for a while and I feel like he's always had qualms about the killing.


'Pups meant more mothers on guard, more rope to run, more...

Novak spat upon the deck to stop his doubts cold. The fat of ferals would see the crew paid and his new title earned.'

And that was before he knew they could talk! Ouch! I imagine he's stomping off towards his old captain as fast as he can with a few strongly-worded questions to throw at him. I love how much ground this app covers. It's very impressive how it goes through the entire seal hunt and leaves us dangling for those answers Novak seeks. In the absence of any seals Novak I think works well with Sheercrest. They are both, in some ways, predators and they are both, in some ways coming to terms with that. I think guilt is a contributing factor to a lot of their moves from now on ( and I can er- totally picture Novak and the seal pup doing the Bray and Sheercrest routine).

Obviously they're not completely the same but you know what I really want to see? Sheercrest and Novak opening Redwall's First Vegan Restaurant.[/spoiler]

[The Grey Coincidence]

Hunters

[spoiler]Ashtad, Male, Adder

The first word that comes to mind when reviewing the world's most polite predator is sophisticated. Ashtad is one of those fancy upper-class folk. The kind who takes tea-time very seriously. He's a reserved figure but I'm inclined to agree with the dormouse. He is lazy! Having all his meals brought to him like that instead of making his own from scratch. I mean, everyone has their guilty pleasures and the occasional delivery's not bad but only Martin knows what's being put in his food. But, fair enough, he does occasonally snack on highway robbers (in a very polite and reserved manner I'm sure, with maybe a comment or two on the flavour). Aside from being a slithery reptile he's also very studious and no doubt pores over his collection of books. I think he and Shahin would have a few fun interactions. One's the judge, jury and executioner, the other is a fast-talking grave robber. Will Shahin's silver tongue save him from the cold fangs of justice? Another fun app to compare him to is Flauros, the marksmen shrew who- well- is pretty flippant when it comes to all things fate, destiny and justice. But mostly I want to see Ashtad continue to be a smart serpent, the noir detective this story needs.

Kew-Kew, Male, Wearet Eagle

Kew-Kew is another app I had a lot of fun reading. He's got a child-like naivety coupled with the kind of loony madness you'd find on the more primitive of Redwall's creatures, things like the Gawtrybe or the Flitchaye. He also looks horrific, being half-weasel and all but don't tell him that. He is under the assumption that he's an eagle and a little bit full of himself. He doesn't seem particularly threatening per say but he did leave Margaret hanging there. Kew-Kew could use a mirror methinks. I think he'd pair well with Sheercrest, who would no doubt have some interesting conversations about his diet and clothing. Bray and he might even bond over their parent's shared death-by-eagle. Also I think talking to an actual bird of prey might help resolve some of Kew-Kew's identity issues. Then it's just a matter of explaining to him what a wearet is.

Old One, Male, Wolverine

Old One is cool and I'm not just saying that because it's cold where he's from. He doesn't talk much, but has a lovely primitive view of the world. He may be a hunter and a killer but he's far from a savage. He respects life in his own way. He's not cruel, he's not evil, it's just the way the world works. The way he sings to the dying rat is also kind of sweet- obviously the rat disagrees, but he has a bad case of being The Fallen One. I'm er-not too sure who the Old One would pair up well with I'm not sure if he can talk per say or how well he can hold a coversation but I think it would be funny for him to try and explain his world-view to some of the more guilt-ridden predators. Think he could get Novak back into the seal-slaying business? Think he could teach his lullaby to Sheercrest (n-not that she'd need it for Bray n-no why would you think that)?

Also here's a cookie for being such a peaceful app. No dialogue means no voices in my head. [/spoiler]

Guardians
[spoiler]
Priideep, Frog, Female

This is a very fun app to read through. I love the interpretation of frog culture here, and it took me a while to er- get past all the brackets (was that deliberate or a poor attempt at italicizing?) but I enjoyed it. Priideep is interesting (and I'd argue guardian as a class is very interesting) because she is er- defintely not the first thing to come to mind when I hear the word guardian. She's a protector, but unfortunately, a failed protector. In story she's either going to be searching for a new purpose or trying to find a new place for her dwindling tribe. Or maybe she's searching for the source of that oily sludge...

Shahin, Hare, Male

Shahin is a jerk. I don't care how flamboyant he is, or how charismatic and charming he is (I mean... he is quite charismatic) he just cost Eli her job! That said I really like Shahin. He has charisma, he has charm and he is fun to read. It's also important to note that he is, technically, a guardian in training. It's his recklessness that leads to Eli's situation and now he has to make it up to her. Childhood friendships can only take you so far through wind, rain and the otherwise harsh weather of the Northlands.

Sheercrest, Merlin, Female

One of my overall favourite apps. Sheercrest, having presumably devoured poor Bray's parents (I mean, I think there's more to it than just that) is now left to look after the young mouse himself. Like most youngsters Bray doesn't want a naggy guardian to tell him to brush his teeth and so he flees, but Sheercrest is determined to look after him. Er- mostly out of guilt methinks, but she does take good care of him, shielding him from the wind and all that. These two have a solid dynamic already, one that I do want to see explored further but I also think it would be funny if Sheercrest decides 'you know what? I think I'll take up babysitting' and ties the mischievous Lucan to her travel pack as well. She could very well be the mother hen. [/spoiler]

[The Grey Coincidence]

Marksmen
[spoiler]
Flauros, Shrew, Male

Flauros is a fun app to read through. For all his talk of fate and destiny he's pretty quick to throw the knife and I find that hilarious (in a er- grim dark sort of way). This does open up a few questions for me. Does he really believe in fate? Or was that all an attempt at gauding the executioner into letting him do as he wanted? He clearly doesn't care much for the prisoner, as (after a second read through I noticed) he never seems able to remember Cordy's name, reffering to him alternatively as Cuffey, Curly and 'what's-his-name' and well, he does throw the deserter under the bus rather quickly for a bit of coin. I think he'd be fun to see paired up with Eula, they have a similar philosphy when it comes to the divine will of fate and how avoidable it is but er- drastically different approaches to dealing with it. I think it would make for some fun interactions.

Siler, Wood Mouse, Male

Siler is er- remorseless. To me at least he's one of the darker apps here, what with his very non-chalant murder and all. Don't get me wrong Falfred was no angel but was all of that... pre-killing talk necessary? Either Siler has something very much against this stoat in particular or he just really... doesn't mind killing. I'm leaning towards the latter because dropping a dead body off somewhere and then proceeding to... stroll in all threatening-like and I'm of course old enough to get the implication and... Siler, on the surface, is one of those wannabee Robin Hood types but he's a bit darker than that. He needs someone to serve as a moral compass, one of the younger apps might work well here, Lucan or Dawl. Lucan would probably be horrified by his methods (rather different, I imagine, from Martin the Warrior's approach to things) whereas Dawl might learn a thing or two from him when it comes to killing.

Unga Underbite, Shrew, Female

I'd like to preface my review with a small note about how disappointed I am that she's not a dentist from hellgates.

That said I love Unga. She's not too old but she reads like a very experienced creature. I love that her app isn't about her doing something awesome and cool. It's not really about her being an amazing shot either (but I have no doubt that she's handy with those slings and darts of hers). No, her app is her getting robbed by her former partner-in-crime. I love that she's giving advice to him even as he has a knife on her! In the end she lets him go even. Unga's a fair beast who needs a fair partner. Someone she can teach, but also someone who won't double cross her. Methinks she'd pair up well with Kiri and her crew. They're not exactly straight and narrow but hey! She could keep them off the crooked and malevolent. Or at least help them out with their roberies.[/spoiler]

Brigands

[spoiler]
Antonia St.Myra, Mouse, Female

Antonia is the most murderous of the brigands. Which... not a bad thing when you're fighting a giant army y'know. Someone's got to stab the Suneater for the mistreatment of his daughter... I love the duel in this app, it's very good considering the word count (certainly on-par with Elliot's) and brings out her character very well. She's an adrenaline junkie, she fights for what she believes in and she is a darn good fighter. Beautiful in it's simplicity. I feel like, for obvious reasons, she'd pair up well with Siobhan (Codename: The Mantis). They are pretty similar, but also different enough from one another to remain interesting. Siobhan I feel had done this sort of thing far more than Antonia has. She's got experience and a slightly grimmer world-view, I feel like their styles don't mesh well though. Antonia, while she does do it when noone's looking and all, enjoys the fight. She seeks it out! Siobhan is more subtle, quicker and less messy. They sound like a pretty good team.

Kiri, Sparrow, Female

I am very curious about Kiri and how she came upon this band of robbers. They have a nice kind of family dynamic. I love the bickering, the robbery, the way they all play their part in the great briganding. She is quite a fun character. I do hope we find out how she came across her little gang. Who she'd pair up well with? Well hard to say since she has a lot of NPCs attached to her. I'll think on this one and edit in anything I come up with.

Smooths, Weasel, Male

Smooths is another app that's a lot of fun. Unlike the other two brigands here he's not doing any kind of robbery. The app starts off with a failed robbery. M-Muli! N-no! I really feel for Smooths here he's a gentle beast really, a bit on the slow side of things but that's not a bad thing. He kind of reminds me of Ding-Eye and Thura (from Salamandastron). He's innocent. And there's a pretty big implication that now that Muli's gone he's... he's lost. Muli was 'allus' the one getting him out of trouble. But now Muli's not going to be there for him. This is also not the first time someone close to him has died methinks, considering the grim first line.

"Some beasts knew well the smell of death, and Smooths, being one of those intimately familiar with its many scents, recognized the acrid tang of blood the instant the gang of shrews melted into the trees."

Poor Smooths. What he needs? A hug.[/spoiler]

[The Grey Coincidence]

Assassins

[spoiler]Brother Hawthorn, Mouse, Male

Brother Hawthorn, former abbeybeast who at present serves as a doctor. And as a killer for hire it seems, though who he works for, why he works for them, and what that chest cramp is (old age? too many candied chestnuts? heartache? The options are limitless) remain a mystery. Brothorn (sorry, not sorry) is a meticulous killer who does not hesitate. He's certainly got the doctor's mindset and I imagine compartmentalizes a lot of things. All his tools are neatly laid out, ready to extract shrapnel from shoulders and er- put an end to misbehaving patients. Brothorn and Lucan, being the only two apps from Redwall, would be fun to see together. Lucan's desire to be a warrior is great and all, but he's still young and needs guidance. I feel like Brothorn, being an older ex-abbeybest is certainly able to impart advice in this regards and when the going gets tough (read: when people start dying) would also be in a position to offer advice on the darker side of life as a warrior.

Robin Merriweather, Fox, Female

I loved this app the first time and it was infinetly more fun reading through a second time with the knowledge that she's not an actress rehearsing for a play. She's er- plotting murder most foul. It's not among the crazy apps, and it's not among the darker ones which is what I like about it. It's funny and a grim/dark story needs someone to laugh with (or at, both work with Robin). I think she'd pair well with a more serious figure, a straight man to her unlucky fox. Which is why I nominate the Old One. You don't get more straight than a possibly-mute, possibly-deaf, old-as-time hunter. Bonus points if Robin keeps trying to take out other members of the cast.

Siobhan, Codename: The Mantis, Fox, Female

Siobhan is an app in the same vain and of similar make to Antonia St. Myra but with a few clear differences. Siobhan takes less thrill in her quest of justified murder than the aforementioned mousemaid, preffering the quick and stealthy to the 'My name is Indigo Montoya'. She also has done this before, a lot, and yet at the same time I feel like she's more forgiving to her victims. If my reading is correct and this isn't the first time Arwydd's been bloodied up, then I feel like Siobhan is not so quick to jump on the kill-wagon. She waits until she has to do it. And then does it. [/spoiler]

[The Grey Coincidence]

I'm sorry Wildcards, I promise to get to you at some point! But alas now is not that time. Chapter one is up and it is time for me to make my guesses.

[spoiler= SPOILERS BEWARE!!!!] I like the title, for those wondering what an ourobouros is it's an ancient symbol of a snake or dragon swallowing it's own tail. I'm not sure what it's significance is but it's a nice image and fits the whole runic/vikingy tone the story has so far.

The story starts off with Mekai needing a nap, so she scrambles up a tree, takes a look at the stars and then has difficulty sleeping because if the sun is a star that means that the Suneater is also the Stareater. It's definetly not because of the really scary Suneater she saw earlier. She then takes a tonic (that's a primitive kind of sleeping pill) and begins snoozing.

She then has a nightmare, obviously. And there's a lot of symbolism here but I'm going to focus on the ten arrows imagery. Each arrow has a conveniently coloured tip that Airan most likely asked the authors to pick helps us guess which arrow is reffering to who.

Red, like blood. Probably the berserker, so I'm gonna guess this is Elias. Could also be Antonia or Siobahn.

Blue, like the sea. Probably the seafarer, right? That's a fair bet methinks, so this arrow is Novak.

Gold, like the sun. Zandir Firesage, because the sun is just a big fire.

Cyan, like ice. Antonia's... not exactly... icy...

Green, like the forest. Priiiiideep strikes me as a green 'un.

Pink, like a flower. Erm... Fiyero?

Orange, like pollen from its bud. Lucan, because buds are baby branches.

Purple, like pale smoke. Siobhan? Maybe? I dunno, pale smoke is quite assassin-ey...

Grey, like a stone. Unga Underbite, coz she throws rocks and rocks are stones. Eh, that was weak.

White, like the stars. Old One, both by process of elimination and because white is the old people colour.

Okay, now that I've correctly guessed everyone I can continue with my review.

I am pleasantly surprised to find that the Suneater is not Gulo the Savage with seer power. He's *Askor* with seer powers. For those not in the know, read Rakkety Tamm. Now I'm totally not gonna guess- but that vase is Mekai's dad's ashes, isn't it? Or is it one of those 'it's so obvious it can't be true' things hmmm...

I was totally not convinced that the Suneater was some relative of Eula's and was actually just trying to find her and that the whole warrior thing is a big, big misunderstanding... I mean it could still be possible buuuut-

'He ran when I told him to stop' I feel bad for laughing but... this line was morbidly funny.

The Suneater is a... wolf? I don't think he's a wolverine. Both because some of his lapdogs wear wolverine furs and because he never refers to himself as a wolverine but brings up wolverine's. I sort of visualise him as this big shadowy figure anyways (still sitting on that face reveal I see...)  but wolves are also a lot bigger than wolverines and much bigger than foxes. Poor Meliandre, but hey she's still alive!


So Mekai is destined to destroy the Suneater hmmm? Very interesting development there. I wonder, would the Suneater have been able to find her if she didn't go warrior-hunting? Is Eula's vision of what becomes of Mekai gonna happen? Find out next time!

[/spoiler]

[Mara the Wolf]

Um, Grey, I love your works and sense of humor, but your guess of the Suneaters being wolves has one slight problem: wolves already exist in Redwall, and beasts already know what they are. In The Bellmaker, no one ever asks Urgan Nagru, "What the fur are you wearing? I've never seen such a beast," nor when Nagru says how he obtained the wolf pelt does anyone go "What in Vulpuz's name is a wolf?" And in Taggerung, wolves are stated to be related to foxes.

[The Grey Coincidence]

Ah, ah, ah. Hear me out, just because they know that wolves exist doesn't mean they know what a wolf looks like, right? Also the people who worship him might know he's a wolf but I mean... are any of them going to really say it?

I think you're right in that it's all still up in the air at this point, I lean towards wolf but he could also be a wolverine/badger. Perhaps he's another kind of monster entirely... I do think we can rule out lynxes though because there was that one lynx there that dragged spoiler to see spoiler.

[Mara the Wolf]

I hate to be getting in an argument with you, buuut...

1.) They're stated to be giants, thudding with every footstep (pawstep?).

2.) They have "long, sickle-like claws".

Urgan was shown to be only slightly bigger Nagru. (Just head to the Redwall Wiki and look at the pictures of Urgan Nagru). Also, if the TV series and graphic novel are anything to go by, the animals are not realistically scaled.

And trust me, while I've never seen a wolf, we have coyotes on our property, as well a toy poodle and a vizsla, so I've seen canine tracks and paws and can say the claws don't get much bigger with the bigger paw-sizes.

[The Grey Coincidence]

I too would hate getting into an argument with you. I also don't think that debating the Suneater's species could enters into the realm of argument. We aren't throwing hands yet


1) I mean, hare heads are likely to pack a lot of pounds. In absence of any descriptors I'm free to assume that the Suneater is fat, depressed and overweight.

2) Wolves have long claws, sickle-like did give me pause but I mean... anthro fantasy... we can let lupine biology slide.

Urgan Nagru iiiiisn't the most reliable of narrators. How do we know what he killed was a real wolf? Does he ever demonstrate great martial ability? Such that we ought to believe that a warlord (ie the type of person who totally has a lot to gain from saying he killed a wolf) is telling the truth?

Again, fair point, but at the same time... anthro fantasy? I know that a couple of mice in the Redwall series use their tails as if they were an extra limb, which... is not possible if you're an ordinary mouse. So I once again use that as an excuse.

Currently I'm about 60% sure our favourite Star-Gobbler is a wolf.

Do feel free to debate more though.

One counterpoint for your side of the debate... This was mentioned on the Discord, I'm not sure if anyone posted anything about it here but...

And be careful this is a massive spoiler...

[spoiler= MASSIVE SPOILER!!!]
Old One: No... I am your father.

Suneater: No! NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!
[/spoiler]

Which would make young Sunny an [spoiler]eeeagle ahem, wolverine[/spoiler]