Azura Nightsong
asked
Shannon Messenger:
I have quite a few as I recently retread the series so here goes it: why did you want them to have blue eyes? What type of thing triggers an ability? What is hanging around Sophie's neck on the cover of exile and neverseen? And lastly the pathfinder fitz used in the beginning was black.... Aren't those magsidian pathfinders?
Shannon Messenger
This answer contains spoilers…
(view spoiler)[I went with blue eyes because when I researched elves before writing the books, most of the depictions gave them blue eyes, and I was trying to incorporate as much of the "lore" as possible (like how I found a way to incorporate points on the ears). Lots of different things trigger abilities--anything from the mind naturally becoming aware of the sense, to a sharp burst of mental energy. The necklaces on the covers is a tricky question because artists are allowed "artistic liberty." (it's not a photograph, after all) :) I always give the artist a list of the accessories / clothes the characters would be wearing, and then he decides how much of that to draw (and sometimes simplifies things so the image isn't too complicated). So I can't say for sure which necklaces Jason drew--I've always assumed Exile had her with her fade fuel and allergy remedy, and Neverseen showed the markchain, but that may not have been what he was going for.) As for Fitz's pathfinder, the part I meant was black in book 1 was the wand part, not the crystal. And lots of materials could make a black wand (I'd been picturing ebony) (hide spoiler)]
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Shannon Messenger
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