Kevin's Watch

Yeah what Roynish said ... plus mention lava pit somewhere and I'm happy!

Roynish wrote: Look the ur-viles obviously existed in a post-fordist just in time production mode. Their economies of scale and technical excellence enabled the quick track approach and their supply chain and networking abilities were second to none.

LOL ahhh i see it all now .. roflmao .. lol .. well spotted

When the Hurricane tipped Starfare's Gem over and almost down, a wave sends Linden over board. The Haruchai form a chain and rescue her, anchored by Vain. And then he dosen't move when it's over:

Vain remained where he was as if he were content to watch the Sea speeding within arms' reach of his face. For the present , at least, he had satisfied his purpose. The black rigor of his back said plainly that he cared for nothing else.

I Love that image!

that is pretty darn awesome!!

Another ambiguous Vain moment is in Sarangrave Flat when the clay creatures come to rescue the party from the krest. They say they just followed Vain. But surely his depature into the morass of the Sarangrave had its purpose in saving Linden. Or was Vain just lucky in gaining the attention of the soft ones. Hey its one of those issues that Donaldson leaves open.

Well I'm sure that when he disappeared in to the mire and the softones saw him they must've recognized him as an urvile but different... just kinda like what the... is he? so they followed him, sensed the white gold and walla!

LOL! oh the simplisity! "FOLLOW THAT BLACK THING!!!"

A large BUMP for this thread seen as i had forgotten how much i loved Vain.

The ''Good for you'' scene mentioned in the first post is brilliant.
Along with the Command scene in which he slaughters TC's attakcers made me love him again.

Three Cheers for Vain!

HOOORRRAAAYYY!!!

Vain is one of my favourite characters in the entire series.
I just re-read TWL up to the Grim attack: Vain just takes the onslaught without even moving!
When the mutant-cavewight-like-beasts pursue the company to the rocks, Vain stands immobile, killing every creature that touches him effortlessly. Talk about passive-agressive!
Not sure which is more scary; inactive but deadly Vain, or face-ripping, heart-popping, spine-crushing psycho Vain

Thanks for bumping this thread Warmark.

Vain. As I originally said the best non-protaganist enigma ever in fanatsy literature. Powerful, incredibly powerful yet with a grin displays a personality and kinship with TC.
I miss the roynish scaplukar and insectoid grimace of our now converted f(r)iend.

If Donaldson brings him back in some time twisted thing all is forgiven.

Or son of Vain or something of the like. Hey SRD its cool.

Lets have him expunging some hearts and killing without remorse.

The ur-viles have surely not played their last hand.

Fist and Faith wrote:It's possible that Vain was programmed to protect someone who possessed certain qualities.

But maybe the viles' lore allowed them glimpses into the future, and they saw Linden.

Spoiler

As some ur-viles are clearly still around in Runes, perhaps they did have some form of time travel (tame caesures??) and therefore knew how important LA would be...

either that or they have the hots for blondes....

I couldn't actually read most of this thread, cause I'm still making my way through the second chronicles (just started on the one tree) but my favorite Vain moment so far is when he slides the pieces of the staff on his wrist and ankle. It just gave me shivers, because now we can see his purpose (at least, that's what I think it is.) I actually cheered when I read that part. And my roommate gave me a look like I'm odd. Hrmmmm.

Anyway, I pretty much like any part with Vain in it. He'd be my favorite character, if it wasn't for Pitchwife, whom I completely adore.

In Tne Wounded Land, I was always struck by the image of Vain carrying Linden over the over-heated rock/debris (though I *do* sometimes wish he'd dropped her. . .). I was always very impressed by that:). Vain running through Revelstone to get the heels of the Staff of Law is a close second:)

How about when Vain finally spoke at the end of WGW.
It's like after all the fighting and attempted detruction that Findail tried to do, all vain had to do was talk him into it for about three seconds.

I like when he saved Coveant at stonemight woodhelvin.

My favorite Vain moment (if I had to pick) is his escape from Elemesnedene.

"Your pardon," said the First to Linden in quiet wonder. "I had given too little thought to the compulsion which drives him to follow you."

Vain annoyed me throughout the book, or at least Donaldson's descriptions of him. It was almost as bad as seeing the word "mien" every other page.

"Everyone did such and such, except Vain who stood with his arms slightly bent and a grin on his lips as if nothing affected him."

"Everyone was surprised except Vain who stood with a grin on his lips and midnight eyes staring forward as if nothing had happened."

Then of course you bring Findail along later and have about as many descriptions involving them being compared as shadows to one another.

Anyway, I did very much enjoy the early scenes of him, killing the Woodhelven people, running through the Land under a fertile sun, and tracking down the bands to the staff of Law. The ending was also nice, but that was kind of telegraphed, wasn't it? What with the wooden arm and all. I was completely fooled by the spector of Kevin near the end of White Gold Wielder, though, and thought that Vain's intended use would be for evil. I'd gone back and forth throughout, mainly thinking Vain was a force of good, but then I was totally hoodwinked.

I liked the idea that several Giants couldn't make Vain budge when he first stood on the deck of Starfare's Gem. The vision of those Giants straining for all they're worth and not moving him an inch makes me laugh, and that they had to work around him after that.

As to why he saved Linden, I've always seen that he was programmed to protect the SunSage - this doesn't mean that the ur-viles knew who she was going to be, just that Vain was programmed to recognize that person when he/she appeared.

Vain escaping the Elohim is another fantastic scene where he is seen as vulnerable to their attacks for perhaps the only time in the chronicles.

By the way good to be back after an absence of many months.

findail's last attempt to kill him