[C&C] Sage

[Kaden]

Just finished reading through Retribution. Aside from the stuff you've posted in Black Dawn, I'm pretty sure I've read most of your writing as Sage.

Which, really, leads me to my first point. You really annoy me. Yeah, I said it. Sage is such an irritating character sometimes. Like it would kill her to actually speak, y'know? Unfortunately for me, though, I really enjoy your writing. You manage to weave very interesting stories around this character that bugs me to no end. So... good job on that.

When I first started reading your Sage stuff, I thought to myself "he's going to end up having to make some serious changes to this character." It just seemed like Sage would be too limiting a character to play when you actually wanted to deal with other people. Her absurd introversion must make it hard to figure out how to deal with some characters.

To an extent, Sage has gone through some changes. My biggest association with Sage is your first thread, where she and Zena end up staying in a tiny room. Sage barely spoke to anyone other than her sister, and even then she wasn't exactly talkative. In the beginning of Retribution, she's actually going out of her way to speak to Vad. It was... jarring. I had to simply shrug and accept it.

Then I noticed other, smaller things. Sage questioning soldiers and actually talking to guards instead of going fetal when someone so much as looked at her for too long. (Slight exaggeration, but you catch my drift) I wasn't sure if those were conscious choices you made, or if you simply wrote it without having to think about whether or not it was "in character."

Sometimes I actually forget that Sage is a drug addict. I guess when I'm reading descriptions and such, I assume they're coming from the character's point of view. When they're clear, detailed, and well-written descriptions it makes me think that's how Sage see's things. Admittedly, though, I don't know exactly how valium would make things look.

It's definitely interesting to read Sage discovering her new powers. Having someone tell her, point-blank, she's telekinetic was just funny to me; it was a way more interesting way of writing it than having Sage just wake up and be able to move stuff with her mind.

Pairing with Vad was a smart idea. His character is... not someone I would expect Sage to hang around with. The scene where Vad's psycho-ness telepathic bleeds into Sage's mind was just cool. I imagine it was pretty fun to write, too. There's a lot you could do with that (if you haven't already).

Overall, I definitely like the direction you're taking Sage. Hmmm... maybe that's not the right phrase. As time goes on, it seems like Sage is slowly (ok... very slowly) regaining some of the traits that we see in her flashbacks. I definitely look forward to seeing where she ends up.

EDIT: If you're ever looking for someone else to use for pictures of Sage, btw, you might want to consider Hatsune Miku.