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Omni Archive
Read It Back - Printable Version

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Read It Back - Gildarts - 07-01-2015

This topic is inspired by the possible need for it.

People who are having trouble, want a second opinion, or want their posts proofread before they put them up "officially" should post it here under a quote and spoiler tag. Any browsing member is free to respond and offer pleasant commentary and feedback, as well as screen for any typos so they aren't seen after it's too late.

If someone has quite a few typos, please PM them because it can be a bit embarrassing for someone to point out when you have more than five or six. (They may have a reason such as tiredness or typed up on their phone, but it doesn't feel good when mistakes are pointed out publicly.)

Use this thread whenever you need but up to 3 times in a row, and I know I personally will try to offer some feedback to most that are placed here, I want to inspire other players to do this as well.


Re: Read It Back - Thaal Sinestro - 07-01-2015

This is an amazing idea, and I'd be more than happy to put in my two cents as well! Good work Gil


Re: Read It Back - Dean Winchester - 07-04-2015

So I am going to be the first to take up this offer. After waiting on people to do things I have finally decided to just get Dean into the dunes and raise some hell so to speak. I have spent a day and a bit writing this but..... eeeeeeeehhhhhhhh. Feed back is more then welcome. PM would be appreciated. Well, encouraged really. Anyway... yeah... this is what I have so far for after Dean leaves the Nexus into the Dunes.

[spoiler]
Quote:Stepping out on the other side of the gate Dean ended up in what seemed to be a savanna, well travelled it would seem by all the tracks around. There looked like there was some sort of settlement near by so Dean decided that it might be best to start there before heading off into the wide blue yonder. Gripping the hilt of the first blade tight he made sure to keep it near him as he walked.

Continuing towards the settlement Dean thought he had heard a noise off to his side and as he started to turn to face it he felt a sharp, stabbing pain in his shoulder. Looking down he saw the hilt of a crudely made blade in the hand of someone he did not know. Using a burst of demonic speed Dean reaches up with his free hand and tightly grips the hand around the blade in his shoulder, squeezing it until there is a sharp yell. Dean moved the mans hand, and with it brought the metal blade out of his shoulder. Apparently being a demon doesn't make you immune to pain, though Dean did notice that his blood was darker then normal. Shaking the mans' wrist Dean made sure his attacker dropped his blade before letting go of his arm and grabbing his shirt and lifting him up.

Looking up Dean finally locks eyes with his would be assailant. A man, probably middle aged, in ratty clothing who was probably looking for a new Prime to steal from, looked back at him. As they continued their staring contest Dean forced his eyes to go completely black and stay that way which caused the man to gasp and struggle to get free.

“Buddy, you picked the wrong guy on the wrong day...” Dean growled, letting the sentence trail off as he brought up his right hand and smashed the hilt of the first blade into the mans nose. Dean felt the warmth of the mans' blood as it trickled down his hand.


“If you had just threatened me I would have given you the chance to walk away, probably, but now?” Dean brought the hilt of the first blade down on the mans face again, “Now you are going to give me everything I want if you want to live pal.” The fear in the mans' face was palpable, Dean knew that he could get what he wanted from this guy. Sadly it seemed like the guy didn't have much so Dean decided to get some information.

“Let's start with something easy. That town over there. What is it?” Dean used his blade to point at it and the man tried to answer as best as he could with a broken and bloody nose.


“C...Carrebore...” the man stuttered to Dean.

“Carrebore? You sure? Pinky swear?” Dean asked causing the man to shake his head. “No?” Dean hit him again, this time a bit harder. “Then why did you say it was!”

“C...Carre....Care..pphhhfff...” It became clear to Dean now what was happening. The man was basically drowning in his own blood or something. Pronunciation might not be a strong point right now.

“Carre...bore...phhhhhfffff...fffffffore? Carrefore?” His prisoner nodded this time and Dean smiled, lowering his hand a little. “Some place I might want to go?” The man shook his head, so much for the easy road.

“Where should I go then?” As Dean asked this the man pointed off in a direction away from the settlement. “How far?”

“A b..bew biles...” was the chocked response.

A few miles, huh? Dean thought about this for awhile and then decided that the interview was over.

“Good news for you, I am out of questions!” Dean tosses the first blade in the air and then catches the hilt so the tip of the blade was now pointing down at the mans' face. “Bad news, I am out of questions.”

Dean brought his arm down hard and fast, bringing the blade down into the poor souls' face. Then he did it again, and again. He continued this till he was covered in blood from the shoulders up, and only a bit of it was his own. As for the poor guy who was probably just looking for an easy mark to get his next meal or something? Well, no one would recognize his face now. After the deed had been done Dean felt oddly at peace, as if the mark of Cain had been sedated, for now. His eyes shifted from the all back mark of a demon to his normal human eyes. His shoulder ached, reminding him of the injury had had received. Hopefully it would heal soon. He was pretty sure that was one perk of being a demon.

Dragging the lifeless corpse off to the side Dean dropped it and took a few steps away. Hopefully he hadn't been seen, but knowing his luck he was probably going to be a 'hunted man' now. That was if anyone cared for two bit wannabe bandits. Probably something about life being precious blah blah blah. Either way he had to get out of here soon.

He made his way to an open part of the field best suited for his current task, someplace directed at this town he informed was in this general direction. The one that he didn't get a name for. He concentrated on this Omnilium stuff, thinking of a way to get the hell out of here. It swirled around him and then moved in front of him starting to form that which he desired most.

First it formed the tires, then the frame work. Next followed the engine, then the seats, wiring, a mysterious box on one of the seats, body work and then windows. Finally it was starting to take shape.

As he opened his eyes Dean saw in front of him a 1969 four door Impala. If he was going to ride, he was going to do it in style. Taking a walk around he made sure nothing was out of place before opening the door and getting inside, still covered in blood. He reached for the ignition but stopped, something was wrong. The speedometer only went to 80 miles per hour. Was the a rule of this world or did he mess it up somehow? After a brief moment he decided it didn't matter. Turning the key that was already in the ignition the engine roared to life and all around music could be heard.


“There's a lady who's sure all that glitters is gold, And she's buying a stairway to heaven...” Noooooooope. This would not due. Hitting the eject button on the cassest player on the dashboard Dean took the tape out and tossed it in the box that had formed on the seat before reaching in and taking another tape n its' place. Putting it into the player he waited for a bit to hear what would be offered instead.

“Ain't nothin' that I'd rather do, Goin' down. Party time! My friends are gonna be there too. I'm on the highway to hell...” This was perfect. Turning up the volume Dean forgot all about a quick and quiet escape and put his foot down on the gas pedal. The tires spun, kicking up dirt and grass, before finally catching and sending the Impala rocketing forward.


As far as I can see it SHOULD be good but if I am doing something I shouldn't let me know! I just thought it would a) give me somethign to do, B) Potentially set up Dean for trouble later on. Murder does that! and c) Impala! COME ON![/spoiler]


Re: Read It Back - Thaal Sinestro - 07-04-2015

Yo Dean, I'm out if the house, but as soon as I get home I'll give you some feedback my man


Re: Read It Back - Victor Wolfe - 07-04-2015

Thanks for creating this Smile I would like for someone to have a look at my most recent response, any advice is appreciated and I am always open to criticism as long as it is constructive ( in other words I do not mind you talking bad about my writing as long as you let me know what I could have done to improve it Smile )

[spoiler]
Quote:Victor stared down the beast feeling the killing intent it was sending his way, if Gilgamesh had not ordered it to stand down, it would probably be trying to spread the contents of his jugular over the floor, he was not phased much though, holding its gaze. In his line of work there was always someone who wanted him dead.

He turned his gaze towards the throne and the king sitting upon it, he seemed to radiate authority, giving commands to his servants as if it was more natural to him than walking. Victor smiled at the comment of the king

"Why of course I did not come here just for some minor recruitment and to discuss the way the world works, I just like to help my allies as much as possible, and its always nice to find people who you see eye to eye with, I have met too many people in the world who I...Disagree with on many things."

Victor thought about all the people he had met so far and how much conflict there own morality had caused between them, from the fanatical Okor, to the overly kind Raina. He had wondered if this verse was some kind of hell filled with only honor bound fools and bleeding hearts. But now he had met a king with ambition and the power and charisma needed to rule. It was a good sign.

"As for that favor call it a...freebie, an example of my work and how useful it can be to your cause, after all I do believe the weapon obtained from that little infiltration served you well, all I ask in return is that you allow me to keep serving you and your kingdom."

A servant came back into the room carefully handling a rather expensive looking bottle of wine and two golden goblets, as he hurried over to Victor, clearly showing the signs of stress that must come with serving a powerful king. The servant poured both goblets and passed them on to both men before leaving the room. Victor took a sip of the aromatic liquid, it tasted like haven on his taste buds.

"You have your servants trained well, this is a great choice of drink for this sort of situation. There is one more thing I need now that I think about it. I need information and targets. If I do not have a target then I am no better than your common serial killer, and we both know I am better than that."

Victor joked hoping Gilgamesh would see the funny side.

"So my lord, tell me, who are the enemies of this kingdom? And who should I put on my list as my second target as the assassin of New Babylon? After all I am sure there are people who you simply do not have the time to deal with yourself and my blades are always looking for something to dig into."

Victor continued to drink the wine awaiting a response from the king.
[/spoiler]


Re: Read It Back - Gildarts - 07-05-2015

Hey Vic if I don't get to yours tonight I'll definitely be able to tomorrow afternoon ^.^


Re: Read It Back - Thaal Sinestro - 07-05-2015

Dean Winchester Wrote:So I am going to be the first to take up this offer. After waiting on people to do things I have finally decided to just get Dean into the dunes and raise some hell so to speak. I have spent a day and a bit writing this but..... eeeeeeeehhhhhhhh. Feed back is more then welcome. PM would be appreciated. Well, encouraged really. Anyway... yeah... this is what I have so far for after Dean leaves the Nexus into the Dunes.

[spoiler]
Quote:Stepping out on the other side of the gate Dean ended up in what seemed to be a savanna, well travelled it would seem by all the tracks around. There looked like there was some sort of settlement near by so Dean decided that it might be best to start there before heading off into the wide blue yonder. Gripping the hilt of the first blade tight he made sure to keep it near him as he walked.

Continuing towards the settlement Dean thought he had heard a noise off to his side and as he started to turn to face it he felt a sharp, stabbing pain in his shoulder. Looking down he saw the hilt of a crudely made blade in the hand of someone he did not know. Using a burst of demonic speed Dean reaches up with his free hand and tightly grips the hand around the blade in his shoulder, squeezing it until there is a sharp yell. Dean moved the mans hand, and with it brought the metal blade out of his shoulder. Apparently being a demon doesn't make you immune to pain, though Dean did notice that his blood was darker then normal. Shaking the mans' wrist Dean made sure his attacker dropped his blade before letting go of his arm and grabbing his shirt and lifting him up.

Looking up Dean finally locks eyes with his would be assailant. A man, probably middle aged, in ratty clothing who was probably looking for a new Prime to steal from, looked back at him. As they continued their staring contest Dean forced his eyes to go completely black and stay that way which caused the man to gasp and struggle to get free.

“Buddy, you picked the wrong guy on the wrong day...” Dean growled, letting the sentence trail off as he brought up his right hand and smashed the hilt of the first blade into the mans nose. Dean felt the warmth of the mans' blood as it trickled down his hand.


“If you had just threatened me I would have given you the chance to walk away, probably, but now?” Dean brought the hilt of the first blade down on the mans face again, “Now you are going to give me everything I want if you want to live pal.” The fear in the mans' face was palpable, Dean knew that he could get what he wanted from this guy. Sadly it seemed like the guy didn't have much so Dean decided to get some information.

“Let's start with something easy. That town over there. What is it?” Dean used his blade to point at it and the man tried to answer as best as he could with a broken and bloody nose.


“C...Carrebore...” the man stuttered to Dean.

“Carrebore? You sure? Pinky swear?” Dean asked causing the man to shake his head. “No?” Dean hit him again, this time a bit harder. “Then why did you say it was!”

“C...Carre....Care..pphhhfff...” It became clear to Dean now what was happening. The man was basically drowning in his own blood or something. Pronunciation might not be a strong point right now.

“Carre...bore...phhhhhfffff...fffffffore? Carrefore?” His prisoner nodded this time and Dean smiled, lowering his hand a little. “Some place I might want to go?” The man shook his head, so much for the easy road.

“Where should I go then?” As Dean asked this the man pointed off in a direction away from the settlement. “How far?”

“A b..bew biles...” was the chocked response.

A few miles, huh? Dean thought about this for awhile and then decided that the interview was over.

“Good news for you, I am out of questions!” Dean tosses the first blade in the air and then catches the hilt so the tip of the blade was now pointing down at the mans' face. “Bad news, I am out of questions.”

Dean brought his arm down hard and fast, bringing the blade down into the poor souls' face. Then he did it again, and again. He continued this till he was covered in blood from the shoulders up, and only a bit of it was his own. As for the poor guy who was probably just looking for an easy mark to get his next meal or something? Well, no one would recognize his face now. After the deed had been done Dean felt oddly at peace, as if the mark of Cain had been sedated, for now. His eyes shifted from the all back mark of a demon to his normal human eyes. His shoulder ached, reminding him of the injury had had received. Hopefully it would heal soon. He was pretty sure that was one perk of being a demon.

Dragging the lifeless corpse off to the side Dean dropped it and took a few steps away. Hopefully he hadn't been seen, but knowing his luck he was probably going to be a 'hunted man' now. That was if anyone cared for two bit wannabe bandits. Probably something about life being precious blah blah blah. Either way he had to get out of here soon.

He made his way to an open part of the field best suited for his current task, someplace directed at this town he informed was in this general direction. The one that he didn't get a name for. He concentrated on this Omnilium stuff, thinking of a way to get the hell out of here. It swirled around him and then moved in front of him starting to form that which he desired most.

First it formed the tires, then the frame work. Next followed the engine, then the seats, wiring, a mysterious box on one of the seats, body work and then windows. Finally it was starting to take shape.

As he opened his eyes Dean saw in front of him a 1969 four door Impala. If he was going to ride, he was going to do it in style. Taking a walk around he made sure nothing was out of place before opening the door and getting inside, still covered in blood. He reached for the ignition but stopped, something was wrong. The speedometer only went to 80 miles per hour. Was the a rule of this world or did he mess it up somehow? After a brief moment he decided it didn't matter. Turning the key that was already in the ignition the engine roared to life and all around music could be heard.


“There's a lady who's sure all that glitters is gold, And she's buying a stairway to heaven...” Noooooooope. This would not due. Hitting the eject button on the cassest player on the dashboard Dean took the tape out and tossed it in the box that had formed on the seat before reaching in and taking another tape n its' place. Putting it into the player he waited for a bit to hear what would be offered instead.

“Ain't nothin' that I'd rather do, Goin' down. Party time! My friends are gonna be there too. I'm on the highway to hell...” This was perfect. Turning up the volume Dean forgot all about a quick and quiet escape and put his foot down on the gas pedal. The tires spun, kicking up dirt and grass, before finally catching and sending the Impala rocketing forward.


As far as I can see it SHOULD be good but if I am doing something I shouldn't let me know! I just thought it would a) give me somethign to do, B) Potentially set up Dean for trouble later on. Murder does that! and c) Impala! COME ON![/spoiler]

I only found 1 major typo:
"This would not due." Should be "This would not do."
I would also just try to place commas in places where the sentence would naturally pause, or in clauses that wouldn't normally fit into a standard sentence. It'll help the reader's flow when they're going through the story.

I think you could use a bit more descriptive text in your writing. I like to talk about it as "show don't tell." You explain the FEATURES of the object without explicitly telling us what it is. So instead of telling us straight up that it's the Impala, talk about the color of the paint, tell us about the angles of hood and the sharpness of its features. That doesn't mean you can't reveal that it is, in fact, the Impala, but just feed us more about it. Same goes for the Blade. How do those ragged teeth act when they're "biting" into the flesh (AHAHA I'M AWESOME)? I bet it rips and tears more than a sharp blade would.

Also, don't be afraid to fill us in about his surroundings. What does the air feel like? Is it hot or dry? Are there any memories that the place evokes? I know the gate doesn't let us know what the area around it is like, but you could still tell us about the terrain a little bit. Sand? Dunes? Rocks? What's he seeing through his demon eyes?

Another thing that would be cool would be to talk about his experience and perception is different when the mark is messing with him. As his perception changes, the way you describe things, and how he interacts with the world should change a bit to reflect that. Again, what does the world look like through his eyes? What details is he focused on? What features stick out? What is he most interested in?

Anyways, I'm ranting a bit. I overall really like the post, and it gave us a good feeling for who DemonDean is. His actions speak really clearly for the character.


Re: Read It Back - Thaal Sinestro - 07-05-2015

Victor Wolfe Wrote:Thanks for creating this Smile I would like for someone to have a look at my most recent response, any advice is appreciated and I am always open to criticism as long as it is constructive ( in other words I do not mind you talking bad about my writing as long as you let me know what I could have done to improve it Smile )

[spoiler]
Quote:Victor stared down the beast feeling the killing intent it was sending his way, if Gilgamesh had not ordered it to stand down, it would probably be trying to spread the contents of his jugular over the floor, he was not phased much though, holding its gaze. In his line of work there was always someone who wanted him dead.

He turned his gaze towards the throne and the king sitting upon it, he seemed to radiate authority, giving commands to his servants as if it was more natural to him than walking. Victor smiled at the comment of the king

"Why of course I did not come here just for some minor recruitment and to discuss the way the world works, I just like to help my allies as much as possible, and its always nice to find people who you see eye to eye with, I have met too many people in the world who I...Disagree with on many things."

Victor thought about all the people he had met so far and how much conflict there own morality had caused between them, from the fanatical Okor, to the overly kind Raina. He had wondered if this verse was some kind of hell filled with only honor bound fools and bleeding hearts. But now he had met a king with ambition and the power and charisma needed to rule. It was a good sign.

"As for that favor call it a...freebie, an example of my work and how useful it can be to your cause, after all I do believe the weapon obtained from that little infiltration served you well, all I ask in return is that you allow me to keep serving you and your kingdom."

A servant came back into the room carefully handling a rather expensive looking bottle of wine and two golden goblets, as he hurried over to Victor, clearly showing the signs of stress that must come with serving a powerful king. The servant poured both goblets and passed them on to both men before leaving the room. Victor took a sip of the aromatic liquid, it tasted like haven on his taste buds.

"You have your servants trained well, this is a great choice of drink for this sort of situation. There is one more thing I need now that I think about it. I need information and targets. If I do not have a target then I am no better than your common serial killer, and we both know I am better than that."

Victor joked hoping Gilgamesh would see the funny side.

"So my lord, tell me, who are the enemies of this kingdom? And who should I put on my list as my second target as the assassin of New Babylon? After all I am sure there are people who you simply do not have the time to deal with yourself and my blades are always looking for something to dig into."

Victor continued to drink the wine awaiting a response from the king.
[/spoiler]

Hey man! I don't think I've done any C&C for you before, so it's nice to read some of your work!

One major thing I'd work on is your sentence length. You use a lot of commas instead of ending the sentence, and sometimes it better to just cut it off and start a new one. Fore example:

"Victor stared down the beast feeling the killing intent it was sending his way, if Gilgamesh had not ordered it to stand down, it would probably be trying to spread the contents of his jugular over the floor, he was not phased much though, holding its gaze."

Might be broken down into:

"Victor stared down the beast, feeling the killing intent it was sending his way. If Gilgamesh had not ordered it to stand down, it would probably be trying to spread the contents of his jugular over the floor. He was not phased much though, holding its gaze."

It can be hard to nail down whether or not a pause should be a comma or a period. I usually like to see if a clause (a segment of a sentence) has a subject and an action, along with any modifying descriptions. I'm not a GREAT grammar person, so it would be awesome if somebody with a bit more technical knowledge to help me out here.

I would watch your use of ellipses (the "..."), because usually there's a better way to explain the pause. traditionally ellipses are used to express that a sentence is incomplete, and is now used to indicate a trailing off. Generally there should be a space after them, and the first letter is not capitalized because it's not the start of a new sentence, it's the competition of the previous one. Commas can sometimes be used in the same way as you're using an ellipses. Also, you should try to break up your dialogue with things in between. So, for example:

"... I have met too many people in the world who I...Disagree with on many things."

could have been:

"... I have met too many people in the world who I," he paused, finding his words for a moment, "disagree with on many things."

You can also use "filler" words like people do in real life, like this:

"... I have met too many people in the world who I, uh, disagree with on many things."

Most writers don't include too many filler words in their writing, but I love using them. I feel like it adds an aspect of realism to the tone. It just depends on how "real" as opposed to "dramatic" you want your dialogue to be.

I enjoyed getting to read your writing a bit, and I hope I get to see more of you soon!!


Re: Read It Back - Victor Wolfe - 07-05-2015

thank Thaal, that's great advice, I will have a look at the post again Smile


Re: Read It Back - Dean Winchester - 07-05-2015

Now for editing! Thanks Sinestro! Some awesome advice there my friend!


Re: Read It Back - Thaal Sinestro - 07-05-2015

Dean Winchester Wrote:Now for editing! Thanks Sinestro! Some awesome advice there my friend!
Victor Wolfe Wrote:thank Thaal, that's great advice, I will have a look at the post again Smile
I'm glad you guys found it helpful! You're both awesome writers and I'm excited to see what ya'll come up with


Re: Read It Back - Dean Winchester - 07-05-2015

Here as some of the edits done for review.

First part;

[spoiler]
Quote:Stepping out on the other side of the gate, Dean ended up in what seemed to be a savanna, well-travelled it would seem by all the tracks around. It was hot here, and the air was dry. At his feet were trampled patches of grass, and a few other forms of plant life. What there was a lot of were rocks, all shapes and sizes of boring old rock. Into the distance he could see the usual desert stuff, like sand and dunes. It did look like as though was some sort of settlement nearby, so Dean decided that it might be best to start there before heading off into the wide blue yonder. Gripping the hilt of the first blade tight he made sure to keep it near him as he walked.
[/spoiler]

- A bit of description of the area, my brain was blanking at this point.


Secondly;
[spoiler]
Quote:“Buddy, you picked the wrong guy on the wrong day...” Dean growled, letting the sentence trail off as he brought up his right hand and smashed the hilt of the first blade into the mans nose. Dean felt the warmth of the man's blood as it trickled down his hand. The mark was screaming at this point, it was almost deafening to Dean. The rage was flowing through his veins, and it had spiked in intensity when Dean had hit his prisoner. It was starting to feel good too, every time he gave into the marks lust for blood. This man should die, needed to die. THIS MAN WOULD DIE!
[/spoiler]

[spoiler]
Quote:Dean brought his arm down hard and fast, bringing the blade down into the poor soul's face. He could almost feel it as the teeth on this jagged blade bit into flesh, tore through muscle with a sickening sound. The mark of Cain flared to life again, aching for Dean to do some serious violence. Dean raised his arm and paused, listening to the screams, sobs, and all the other pitiful sounds this man was making. He caused him to smile, though to anyone watching it would like more like he was bearing his teeth in a snarl.

Then he bought the blade down again, and again. He continued this til he was covered in blood from the shoulders up, and only a bit of it was his own. He could feel it through his clothes and on his skin. It was currently the most wondrous thing he had felt in a long time. As for the poor guy who was probably just looking for an easy mark to get his next meal or something? Well, no one would recognize his face now. After the deed had been done Dean felt oddly at peace, as if the mark of Cain had been sedated, for now. His eyes shifted from the all back mark of a demon to his normal human eyes. His shoulder ached, reminding him of the injury had had received. Hopefully it would heal soon. He was pretty sure that was one perk of being a demon.
[/spoiler]


-mark stuff. Violence. Yay?


Finally
[spoiler]
Quote:As he opened his eyes Dean saw in front of him a car that put others to shame. It had a slab-sided body with a small "upsweep" at the rear quarter window, giving it a more formal appearance the most cars of its time. Every line and angel on the body was designed to make this car look bigger, tougher and it was doing its job beautifully. The exterior was painted black, but not just any old black paint job. The surface was glass-smooth, and had a reflection that’s miles deep. The insides were designed to match the outside, as everything that could be was also black. The soft leather seats looking rather inviting to him after all the walking he had been doing. The mysterious box on the front passenger seat contained something that was only important to Dean, cassette tapes. It was his baby, his chariot. It was what people would remember as he caused chaos in these lands. If he was going to ride, he was going to do it in style, and nothing said style like a 1969 four door Impala.
[/spoiler]


-Car stuff! Yay!


Other then that most of it remained the same but with a few grammatical and punctuation things Gildarts also pointed out.


Re: Read It Back - Thaal Sinestro - 07-05-2015

Dean Winchester Wrote:Here as some of the edits done for review.

First part;

[spoiler]
Quote:Stepping out on the other side of the gate, Dean ended up in what seemed to be a savanna, well-travelled it would seem by all the tracks around. It was hot here, and the air was dry. At his feet were trampled patches of grass, and a few other forms of plant life. What there was a lot of were rocks, all shapes and sizes of boring old rock. Into the distance he could see the usual desert stuff, like sand and dunes. It did look like as though was some sort of settlement nearby, so Dean decided that it might be best to start there before heading off into the wide blue yonder. Gripping the hilt of the first blade tight he made sure to keep it near him as he walked.
[/spoiler]

- A bit of description of the area, my brain was blanking at this point.


Secondly;
[spoiler]
Quote:“Buddy, you picked the wrong guy on the wrong day...” Dean growled, letting the sentence trail off as he brought up his right hand and smashed the hilt of the first blade into the mans nose. Dean felt the warmth of the man's blood as it trickled down his hand. The mark was screaming at this point, it was almost deafening to Dean. The rage was flowing through his veins, and it had spiked in intensity when Dean had hit his prisoner. It was starting to feel good too, every time he gave into the marks lust for blood. This man should die, needed to die. THIS MAN WOULD DIE!
[/spoiler]

[spoiler]
Quote:Dean brought his arm down hard and fast, bringing the blade down into the poor soul's face. He could almost feel it as the teeth on this jagged blade bit into flesh, tore through muscle with a sickening sound. The mark of Cain flared to life again, aching for Dean to do some serious violence. Dean raised his arm and paused, listening to the screams, sobs, and all the other pitiful sounds this man was making. He caused him to smile, though to anyone watching it would like more like he was bearing his teeth in a snarl.

Then he bought the blade down again, and again. He continued this til he was covered in blood from the shoulders up, and only a bit of it was his own. He could feel it through his clothes and on his skin. It was currently the most wondrous thing he had felt in a long time. As for the poor guy who was probably just looking for an easy mark to get his next meal or something? Well, no one would recognize his face now. After the deed had been done Dean felt oddly at peace, as if the mark of Cain had been sedated, for now. His eyes shifted from the all back mark of a demon to his normal human eyes. His shoulder ached, reminding him of the injury had had received. Hopefully it would heal soon. He was pretty sure that was one perk of being a demon.
[/spoiler]


-mark stuff. Violence. Yay?


Finally
[spoiler]
Quote:As he opened his eyes Dean saw in front of him a car that put others to shame. It had a slab-sided body with a small "upsweep" at the rear quarter window, giving it a more formal appearance the most cars of its time. Every line and angel on the body was designed to make this car look bigger, tougher and it was doing its job beautifully. The exterior was painted black, but not just any old black paint job. The surface was glass-smooth, and had a reflection that’s miles deep. The insides were designed to match the outside, as everything that could be was also black. The soft leather seats looking rather inviting to him after all the walking he had been doing. The mysterious box on the front passenger seat contained something that was only important to Dean, cassette tapes. It was his baby, his chariot. It was what people would remember as he caused chaos in these lands. If he was going to ride, he was going to do it in style, and nothing said style like a 1969 four door Impala.
[/spoiler]


-Car stuff! Yay!


Other then that most of it remained the same but with a few grammatical and punctuation things Gildarts also pointed out.
Hey man, this is already leaps and bounds better. You should seriously be proud of the edits you made, because they added so much depth to the scene. It really pulled me into the moment a lot more than the first draft, which seemed a bit procedural at some points.

Excellent, excellent edits. Just give it another quick glance over for grammar and word choice and I think you've got a really solid post.


Re: Read It Back - Omni - 07-05-2015

This is a friggin excellent topic.


Re: Read It Back - Victor Wolfe - 07-05-2015

[spoiler]
Quote:Victor stared down the beast feeling the killing intent it was sending his way, if Gilgamesh had not ordered it to stand down. It would probably be trying to spread the contents of his jugular over the floor. he was not phased by this though, holding its gaze. In his line of work there was always someone who wanted him dead. It was a feeling he knew to well.

He turned his gaze towards the throne and the king sitting upon it, he seemed to radiate authority, giving commands to his servants as if it was more natural to him than walking. Victor smiled at the comment of the king, he thought about how to respond for a moment before replying.

"Why of course I did not come here just for some minor recruitment and to discuss the way the world works, I just like to help my allies as much as possible, and its always nice to find people who you see eye to eye with, I have met too many people in the world who I, hmm, had some slight disagreements with that may have left some resentment on both sides."

Victor thought about all the people he had met so far and how much conflict there own morality had caused between them, from the fanatical Okor, to the overly kind Raina. He had wondered if this verse was some kind of hell filled with only honor bound fools and bleeding hearts. But now he had met a king with ambition and the power and charisma needed to rule. It was a good sign.

"As for that favor call it a," Victor paused, formulating the best word for the situation in his mind before continuing, "freebie, an example of my work and how useful it can be to your cause, after all I do believe the weapon obtained from that little infiltration served you well, all I ask in return is that you allow me to keep serving you and your kingdom."

A servant came back into the room carefully handling a rather expensive looking bottle of wine and two golden goblets, as he hurried over to Victor.Clearly showing the signs of stress that must come with serving a powerful king the servant poured both goblets and passed them on to both men before leaving the room. Victor took a sip of the aromatic liquid, it tasted like haven on his taste buds.

"You have your servants trained well, this is a great choice of drink for this sort of situation. There is one more thing I need now that I think about it. I need information and targets. If I do not have a target then I am no better than your common serial killer, and we both know I am better than that."

Victor joked hoping Gilgamesh would see the funny side.

"So my lord, tell me, who are the enemies of this kingdom? And who should I put on my list as my second target as the assassin of New Babylon? After all I am sure there are people who you simply do not have the time to deal with yourself and my blades are always looking for something to dig into."

Victor continued to drink the wine awaiting a response from the king. Wondering how this mighty ruler would respond to an offer from the young assassin.
[/spoiler]

edited in the changes Thaal told me about and added some slight things that came to mind


Re: Read It Back - Gildarts - 07-05-2015

Typos: I do the typos first because they are the fastest to fix. The following are slight modifications meant to better the flow, or make better sense to me personally. If you choose not to change a few things I don't mind, it's your work Vic, I respect you and think you do a great job. ^.^
[spoiler]
Quote:Victor stared down the beast feeling the killing <that> intent it was sending his way, if Gilgamesh >did< not order* it to stand down. It would probably be trying to spread the contents of his jugular over the floor. h*<capital>e was not phased by this though, holding its gaze (instead, "and held his gaze" sounds stronger and is delivered with more power, all I did was modify the tense.) In his line of work there was always someone who wanted him dead. It was a feeling he knew to<o>well.

The first, I just tried to get it to flow a little better.

Quote:He turned his gaze towards the throne and the king sitting upon it, he<Gilgamesh> seemed to radiate authority, giving commands to his servants as if it was more natural to him than walking.(I liked this and it reaffirmed the point you were trying to establish and offered good contrast) Victor smiled at the comment of the king, he thought about how to respond for a moment before replying.

"Why of course I did not come here just for some minor recruitment and to discuss the way the world works, I just like to help my allies as much as possible, and its always nice to find people who you see eye to eye with, I have met too many people in the world who I, hmm, had some slight disagreements with that may have left some resentment on both sides."

Your dialogue is really nice here ^.^
Quote:Victor thought about all the people he had met so far and how much conflict there own morality had caused between them, from the fanatical Okor, to the overly kind Raina. He had wondered if this verse was some kind of hell filled with only honor <slash mark: -> bound fools and bleeding hearts. (Your choice to modify, but I felt this sounded strongerSmile But now he had met a king <empowered> with the ambition and charisma <that was>needed to rule. This felt like a good sign.

I wasn't going to modify the second sentence, but the frequent repeat of "was" made me want to at least voice an option for you.
Quote:"As for that favor call it a<...>" Victor paused, formulating the best word for the situation in his mind before continuing, "F*<capital>reebie, an example of my work and how useful it can be to your cause, after all I do believe the weapon obtained from that little infiltration served you well, all I ask in return is that you allow me to keep serving you and your kingdom."

Again, I really enjoy your dialogue Victor. You excel at the word choice that people would actually say, but also the delivery.
Quote:A servant came back into the room carefully handling a rather expensive looking bottle of wine and two golden goblets,as he<and> (it just seems more concise than "as he")hurried over to Victor. Clearly showing the signs of stress that must come with serving a powerful king <,>the servant poured both goblets and passed them onto both men before leaving the room. Victor took a sip of the aromatic liquid, it tasted like haven (heaven?) on his taste buds.


That last sentence was like, decadent, if you consider words to be luxurious.
Quote:"You have your servants trained well, this is a great choice of drink for this sort of situation. There is one more thing I need now that I think about it. I need information and targets. If I do not have a target then I am no better than your common serial killer, and we both know I am better than that."

*Victor joked hoping Gilgamesh would see the<his> funny side.

Hmm, in a way, you could add "Victor joked" right behind what he said, however don't feel too obligated to, I just feel it forms character consistency. (As a reader I like to read it through, unless you are bringing something important to my attention)

"So my lord, tell me, who are the enemies of this kingdom? And who should I put on my list <for> my second target as the assassin of New Babylon? After all <,>I am sure there are people who you simply do not have the time to deal with yourself and my blades are always looking for something to dig into." (Epic!)

Victor continued to drink the wine awaiting <as he awaited> (preference, sentence flow) a response from the king. (He wondered)Wondering how this mighty ruler would respond to an offer from the young assassin. [/quote]

The last sentence is nice, but as a writer, I like to make my final sentence just shoot off the page, It sounds very good and clear as it is, but if you added something like: "he (maybe "thoughtfully?" For an adjective) wondered how the esteemed king..."[/quote][/spoiler]

Construction: [spoiler]I really enjoyed this post, Victor's interaction with the king was displayed with little hesitancy, (some parts it was steady and bold.) The dialogue was well-paced and timed at good increments, it was not overwhelming or overbearing and conveyed what I felt you were trying to establish very well.

Subtle dimensions you included offered the weight of relevance that the "business" and agreements kingy and Vic however Gilgamesh's bold characteristics I felt were more described than victor's. Vic is an assassin, as stated here, so don't be afraid to either show contrast through adjectives (such as "swiftly he took a sip" or "swiped the fork") or his demeanor, which you could use a hint more emphasis just to add to the reader's perception of his character.

(is he quiet, or casually murderous?) Though you did display this subtly through Vic's suggestion at humor to the king.

>Author's/commentary note: since DA, I realized that the only person who will put as much time as is needed into your character is you. Someone else may see example Gildarts a different way, and may not always know your "next step." Roll with what you think your character would do, and don't hold back, because only you know what you want to come out of this interaction for your character (unless, of course, you are avidly collaborating.)[/spoiler]



My absolute favorite: [spoiler]Gilgamesh may be the King of the Dunes, but you Victor have some real talent in dialogue, which is something I appreciate. Dialogue speaks directly to the reader, and displays your versatility as a writer, which is a great trait to have!

Keep growing, keep writing, and keep it up.[/spoiler]


Re: Read It Back - Demetri Malius - 07-08-2015

Okay so im having Demetri summon his little helper bot IRIS, so this will be its intro before he infiltrates an empire base.

[spoiler]As Demetri silently walked the alleyways, he thought more about how Nealaphh was teaching the girl to summon objects. He began to wonder if perhaps he could summon a companion to aide him in his observations and quests. Certainly another pair of eyes would be helpful. He stopped in one of the darker alleyways as the sun began to set and pondered what type of ally he would need. His ally needed to be strategic and intelligent, and well fit to accompany him and keep up with his speed and stealth. He remembered seeing peculiar items at the mechanist shop, and all the different mechanisms that were in there, although he didn't pay enough attention to remember much details. If he could indeed summon an ally, it may be in his best interest to summon a living machine that could support him. He sat behind a dumpster and focused. The machine would have to be small, yet mobile. If it could somehow levitate, it would most likely be sufficient enough to move beside him but he also needed it to not attract too much attention. Perhaps if it was a sphere, each immediate necessary part could reach out and retract, allowing it to function at all times yet be able to retreat into itself for defense or stealth movement. Demetri then held his hand out. Perhaps...

As he focused his energy a small orb began to form. Demetri closed his eyes and let out a deep breath willing it to form and aide him, to be a part of this world. He visualized each part, trying to complete technology far ahead of his home world age. Soon he began to feel a presence, and slowly he opened his eyes. A silver plated mechanism floated centimeters above his hand. Small puffs team erupted from small crevasses between the plates, where it could be seen that a mechanism could protrude from. Then it began to speak.

Powering on.... calibrating gyroscope.... searching for artificial intelligence... downloading personality.... initiating protocols.... booting up.... successful.

Steam then poured out as the mechanism expanded, the front plates shifted and opened, revealing a camera-like glass and a small blue light that flickered and darted from side to side. Two small mechanical arms came out from its sides towards its bottom, with small plates at each of its joints for protection. At the end of each arm was a clawlike hand, complete with three sharp metal fingers, and a small rubber bump on its palm. Another two devices prodded out from its side on the top. The top devices were plated on top as well and lasers beamed from each side with what seemed like some kind of ranged shooting device. The eye began to emit a blue ray at Demetri, as if it was analyzing him.

Scanning... no threat detected. Current affiliate is known creator. Thanks is given. Logging biometric details into database for future reference and recognition. Registering... complete. Boot complete. Completing setup....Intelligent Robotic Infiltration Strategist IRIS variant initiated. Starting personality program.

Suddenly the weapons retracted into the machine and the blue light on the eye flickered, looking around for a moment before focusing on Demetri.

Ugh... starting up is such a tiring process...hello there creator. I am IRIS. Intelligent Robotic Infiltration Strategist variant of omniverse technology. Or at least that's what my programming says. Nice to meet you.[/spoiler]


Re: Read It Back - Miranda Frost - 07-08-2015

clicky clicky


This is the thread I'm currently doing. Since I've been here i don't believe I've ever gotten in depth feedback. I feel if I know what I'm doing right and what im doing wrong I will be able to make much much better posts. If either of you could help me with this that will be much appreciated. You don't have to give me feedback on all of it just pick one of the posts in the thread above. Thank you guys in advance ^.^ I really appreciate the help you guys have been offering and bestowing upon us lowlifes. Confusedquee:


Re: Read It Back - Gildarts - 07-08-2015

I should get to yours tomorrow Demmy, but I will be a little busy until later in the afternoon.

@miranda, might get to yours too if Thaal doesnt take a look until tomorrow evening.


Re: Read It Back - Gildarts - 07-09-2015

[spoiler](Thanks again for helping me with your advice Victor.)

Demetri Malius Wrote:Okay so im having Demetri summon his little helper bot IRIS, so this will be its intro before he infiltrates an empire base.


This summary was helpful to tell me where your character was, and the scene around him. Thank you!

Usually I start with any typos, and then go in depth with annotating. Sometimes I'll combine them a bit. As always, if you wanted a particular area to be more thoroughly looked at or additional feedback, just ask Smile[/spoiler]

[spoiler]
Quote:As Demetri silently walked the alleyways <walked in the alleyway -just sounds more fluent to me>, he thought more about how Nealaphh was (had been?) teaching the girl to summon objects. He began to wonder if perhaps he could summon a companion to aide <aid> him in his observations and quests.(, "and certainly" instead of a new sentence, your choice to change, I wasn't sure if you wanted more relevance to it) Certainly another pair of eyes would be helpful. He (Demetri or other pronoun to announce/imply a VERY subtle seclusion) stopped in one of the darker alleyways >as< (maybe when?) the sun began to set and pondered what type of ally he would need. His ally (the ally would need to be) needed to be strategic and intelligent, and well fit to accompany him and keep up with his speed and stealth. He remembered seeing peculiar items at the mechanist shop, and all the different mechanisms that were in there, although <,>he didn't pay enough attention to remember much details. If he could indeed summon an ally, it may be in his best interest to summon a living machine that could support him. He sat behind a ("dented" just sounded cool and paints on your imagery)dumpster and focused. The machine would have to be small, yet mobile. If it could somehow levitate, it would most likely be sufficient enough to move beside him but he also needed it to not attract too much attention. Perhaps if it was a sphere, each immediate necessary part could reach out<extend?> and retract, allowing it to function (with finesse?) at all time>s< yet be able to retreat into itself for defense or stealth movement. Demetri then held his hand out. Perhaps...

Reached the edge of a cliff and I just leapt off it. This part was epic.
Quote:As he focused his energy a small orb began to form. Demetri closed his eyes and let out a deep breath willing it to form and aide him, to be a part(to come alive in this world?) of this world. He visualized each part, trying to complete technology far ahead of his home world age. Soon he began to feel a presence, and slowly he opened his eyes. A silver plated mechanism floated centimeters above his hand. Small puffs (of steam ?)team erupted from small crevasses between the plates, where it could be seen that a mechanism could protrude from. Then it began to speak.

Couldn't help but to mention... The robot seems cute !
Quote:Powering on.... calibrating gyroscope.... searching for artificial intelligence... downloading personality.... initiating protocols.... booting up.... successful.

Steam then poured out as the mechanism expanded, the front plates shifted and opened, revealing a camera-like glass and a small blue light that flickered and darted from side to side. Two small mechanical arms came out from its sides (and extended and reached) toward>s< its bottom, with small plates (located) at each of its joints for protection. At the end of each arm was a clawlike hand, complete with three sharp metal fingers>,< and a small rubber bump on its palm. Another two devices prodded (protruded? If not then sans the" out") out from its side on the top. The top devices were plated on top as well and lasers beamed from each side with what seemed like some kind of ranged shooting device. The eye began to emit a blue ray at Demetri, as if it was analyzing him.

You did a really good job painting a picture of the intricacies of his design, if you added a sentence that showed the whole image (or at least what Demetri saw, or felt when he saw what his OM had formed) it might add a little to the painting of an image already in the audience/ reader's mind.
Quote:Scanning... no threat detected. Current affiliate is known creator. Thanks is given. <lol this part was adorable> Logging biometric details into database for future reference and recognition. Registering... complete. Boot complete. Completing setup....Intelligent Robotic Infiltration Strategist IRIS variant initiated. Starting (compiling or initiating sounds more analytical) personality program.

Suddenly the weapons retracted into the machine and the blue light on the eye flickered, <it appeared to be>looking around for a moment before focusing on Demetri.

Ugh... starting up is such a tiring process... hello there<,> creator. I am IRIS. Intelligent Robotic Infiltration Strategist variant of omniverse technology. Or at least that's what my programming says. Nice to meet you.
(That last part, had very distinguished speech patterns, I felt like I really got a strong sense of personality in just such a short time!)

Typos: you had very little typos, my inserts were just modest suggestions, not a lot for me to say here Smile[/spoiler]

Construction:[spoiler]I really liked your post, it was an excellent introduction for IRIS, and I see a lot of good things going on. If I had to mention one thing to improve on, I would probably say that you could enhance your descriptions, (imagery) with a little sensual association. Your description of IRIS was superb, and I wouldn't change it. I am mainly keen on the atmosphere surrounding the alleyway, you could paint it darker, ominous or foreboding to add to IRIS's arrival.

Little things can make a big difference in the way adjectives and information is placed and it goes a long way of creating a deeper understanding and environment for the reader to imagine.

Context note: I don't usually write with font color, but I know bolding and color can get complex. I would choose either one or the other to make it easier.

Hope my suggestion helps a bit, other than that, I didn't see any other areas that needed improving, and you'll see my absolute favorite parts of the post next![/spoiler]

My absolute favorite!:(lol like I just mentioned)[spoiler]I actually had more than one favorite part of this post, because i found it to be well balanced and written with very nice quality.

I really liked how you had Demetri figure out the qualities and assets that he desired in the secondary before summoning, it added ample suspense and the trail of breadcrumbs made the final result all the more rewarding.

"Perhaps..." Really became the precipice in a single word of all the (feeling, vision, imagination and consequence) that you had built up prior. It worked perfectly, and I loved that part too.

Lastly, IRIS's personality was so distinguished just in the words you chose for its/her dialogue. I was really impressed, and I think IRIS will turn out to be something more than wonderful. Loved your post, the subtle details of IRIS, and hope you keep it up. Smile[/spoiler]