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Originally posted by Wooly Rupert

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Originally posted by Markustay

Tavis Burdun the Firbolg in the Twilight Giants series.

I can't honestly say the worst Realms series around, but at its best it seems like very little was done to make it seem like it was set in the Forgotten Realms.

You can take the whole trilogy and dump it anywhere, from Narnia to MiddlEarth to some other planet in outer space and you would have to slightly change maybe 5 sentences across the entire series.

That being said, the protagonist was so perfect and 'Uber' that if he had ducked into a phonebooth and pulled open his leather jerkin exposing a big, red 'S', I wouldn't have batted an eye.

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I didn't see the character as a Mary Sue, but I otherwise agree with you on the protagonist. It's part of the reason I never bothered with the second and third books of the trilogy.

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Originally posted by Jakk

The closest thing to such a character in the published Realms that I can think of is Cyric, and I only believe that because I think Bane, Bhaal, and Myrkul were far superior, both individually and as an interesting triumvirate of evil deities, to anything Cyric had to offer the Realms. Of course, because Richard Awlinson was a pen name for two different authors, Cyric falls short of the strict definition of a "Gary Stu"... although I will confess to not being a fan of either author's Realms work. If you don't know who they are, Google the pseudonym; I see no need to publicly identify them here, and this is my opinion. I'm debating rewinding the history of my Realms to either change or erase entirely the Avatar Crisis... the problem with the latter option being how heavily entwined Cyric is in the big events that follow over the next twenty years.

Anyway, I'm digressing from the topic, so I'll shut up now.

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Originally posted by Markustay

Tavis Burdun the Firbolg in the Twilight Giants series.

I can't honestly say the worst Realms series around, but at its best it seems like very little was done to make it seem like it was set in the Forgotten Realms.

You can take the whole trilogy and dump it anywhere, from Narnia to MiddlEarth to some other planet in outer space and you would have to slightly change maybe 5 sentences across the entire series.

That being said, the protagonist was so perfect and 'Uber' that if he had ducked into a phonebooth and pulled open his leather jerkin exposing a big, red 'S', I wouldn't have batted an eye.

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[...]And I've said before (as have Mark Twain, Diogenes, and scores of others down the ages): it's the mark of an idiot, or someone being deliberately intellectually dishonest (knowingly twisting the truth) to equate what a CHARACTER says or does with what the CREATOR of that character believes or does. (College professors please take note. :}) Legions of folks regularly try to skewer me for being perverted, sexist, a bed-wetter, or whatever for writing some of the Seven Sisters and Elminster as rather lusty. In doing so they have to conveniently ignore all of the decidely straight-laced characters (Piergeiron, et al) I also put into the Realms. I created the "cast of thousands," people, and I know in our real world how angry people can get when someone publicly judges a race or country by looking at one individual ("See? And all Americans are like that!" or glance at Hitler and then judge all . . . get the idea?). So why is it valid to be so weak-minded or dishonest as to think anyone who writes about slavery must secretly BE a slaver? Geez, I guess all of these American historical writers must get up from the keyboard to go down to the cellar and get to whupping their slaves every night, right? And so on.

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No, of course not. WotC authors are often asked to provide “sell copy” for book jackets, though it NEVER reaches print un-tinkered-with, but in the old TSR days, writers were rarely invited to do so. I had never seen that blurb until a copy of the book was brought to me for signing at a convention, and I certainly never wrote a word of it. No, I have never said Elminster is my “alter ego.” TSR has, many times; a practice that began in GenCon pre-registration blurb booklets, describing the seminars I did in costume, acting the part of Elminster - - ALSO a practice TSR asked me to begin and carry on. When they, many years later, asked me to leave the costume at home, I happily did so. Those robes are hot. :}
To reiterate: I have never, ever said that Elminster is my alter ego or wish fulfillment character, or thought that way for one minute. I will never use any Realms characters in that manner, because doing so would ruin the whole fun of creating the world and its characters, and watching what happens and how they evolve. Just as all of the gamers who have played various PC adventurers in my Realms sessions over the years are playing roles, not themselves.

So saith Ed. Who will return with regular Realmslore about ten hours from now, if he stays on schedule.
love,
THO

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