Aoren has graciously submitted his pick for Featured Thread for September.
Without further ado here it is!
Thread: Howling In The Dark
Review
I know a thread is good when I forget to take notes and actually write a review on it as I’m reading it.
A little bit about why I chose the thread to start us off. I have a deep love of the jungle. It’s a wonder I didn’t make a Myrian to begin with. That being said the mysteries of just what could be found in the dense unexplored depths of Falyndar are a fascinating thing to ponder. With that in mind I perused threads in the region and settled on this one.
From the opening sentence to the closing bit of advice, I was hooked. Kol depicts perfectly what I imagine the jungle to be like. I often base the fluidity of a thread on how well I can see the events playing out in my mind and I can say without a shadow of a doubt that this particular solo played out like a scene in a movie for me.
Kol does a fantastic job of painting the imagery of a life in the jungle. He gives us a very wonderful bit of insight about what it might be like preparing for the challenges of an everyday Myrian getting ready to prove themselves to both Clan and Goddess. That sort of thing doesn’t just happen overnight! On the surface what starts out as possibly a humdrum foray into the jungle and what I thought would be a nighttime venture of tracking and wilderness survival lessons turns into a very, very realistic display of an actual fight to survive. While I won’t get into the nitty-gritty of the details I can say that the transition from simply being cautious to being in flat out danger sent a chill down my spine.
More than that though, we see a side of Myrians I don’t often get a glimpse of. The family aspect of things. Kol shows us that beneath the gruff exterior put on display to the world there is a concerned elder brother downright determined to make sure his little sister is on the road to success, a determination that leads him to put his life in danger for her.
That kind of bond says a lot about the character. It is a bond that speaks volumes about his loyalty and hints at a nurturing disposition. From an outsider's perspective Myrians are often depicted in other cultures around Mizahar as being savage. In this thread Kol channels the spirit of Myrian ingenuity, their rugged survival instincts and displays an admirable capacity to think on his feet. By giving us a glimpse into his life Kol compelled me to look deeper into not just his character but his character's people.
Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed this piece. If not for the suspenseful, pop-corn and soda theater factor then simply for the fact that it is a meaningful look at a situation that would be a very real occurrence in the life of many Myrians given the unforgiving nature of their environment.
