TWO HUNDRED EIGHTY-NINE: The Entertainment
“Ro-den’s being a normal instructor now? Why? Is he afraid you’re going to bring the stick to class?”
“Surely not. I’ve treated him generously. He received compensation merely for undoing what he should have undone anyway. And, also, I can’t turn one of the school labs into that kind of trap.”
Stuart had called shortly after Alden woke up on Thursday. The conversation wasn’t a scheduled one, which had made Alden think something big was happening and jolted him to alertness much more effectively than his morning alarm.
But Stuart hadn’t decided to go to his first binding today, and his family seemed to remain unaware that they’d lost an heirloom and raised a son who would use ancient magic to bully a teacher. Alden was impressed it was taking so long. He wondered if Stuart had lived a life so innocent that even when important things went missing nobody suspected it might have been him. Or if it was the same blind spot that had allowed Alden to visit their house that first time without being questioned.
Stuart was acting nonchalant about the pending family drama, in either case. He’d just realized he and Alden might both have free time, so he’d traveled back to the siblinghold to use the Evul tablet for a visit. He was talking to Alden from his bedroom. A couple of the enchanted rings he’d been making for himself during their early long distance calls with each other were now finished. They floated in a cloud of display bubbles above his desk along with other small items.
“I won’t say that Superior Professor Ro-den’s behavior is normal. My other instructors demonstrate knowledge-passion, as should be expected from people in their honorable position. And Ro-den usually does, too, though it’s a personal passion in his case and not something he wishes to transfer to his students.”
Alden had put up the silencing tent so that they could talk about whatever they wanted. He’d just discovered that the walls of the tent were comfortable to lean against. His duffel bag full of gym supplies had been in hand when Stuart called, and now it was at his feet.
“Ro-den did have favorite student projects when I was there working for him,” he said. “A few. Unless he was pretending to like certain things for some scheme I can’t understand, that could be considered a sign of instructorish knowledge-passion.”
“I think he likes rarities. And chances to show off. And students talented enough to understand the showing off? But ever since you and I met with him that day, his classes have been boring.”
“Boring?” Alden asked. “Him?”
“No one has been <<tormented>> all week. Except for Eeaner, who torments himself by imagining these peaceful lab days are Ro-den’s way of lulling prey before an attack.”
“Eeaner-ket sounds appropriately cautious to me. Maybe you should listen to him.”
“My own theory is that Ro-den is giving our class his third attention.”
That was a very Artonan way of conveying that someone wasn’t paying attention at all.
“He may be heavily focused on the hide,” Stuart continued. “He’s aware I didn’t have permission to give it to him, so I think he’ll feel rushed to gain value from it. I don’t believe my parents would take back what I have promised, but he must have concerns about that. Or perhaps the hide has captured his thoughts simply because of its worth, and he now approaches knowledge too extraordinary to waste his mind on making class challenging and unpleasant for us.”
“So not only did you get rid of a contract that was keeping me from talking, you turned Ro-den into a boring instructor? Are the other LeafSong students constantly chasing you down to thank you? Because I bet they would be if they knew it was your doing.”
“I’m glad they don’t know. The event Eeaner and Bayab are brewing in their thoughts smells too crowded and focused on me as it is.”
“What’s this event?”
“The party I agreed to go to in exchange for your rings.”
“Oh…no, I didn’t know about that. You bought my rings by promising to go to a LeafSong party? That was…” He was going to say “so easy,” but then he reconsidered. “Will you be all right? You don’t like the camaraderie of celebrants there.”
“I liked the camaraderie of celebrants too much that time,” Stuart said. “This time I am wizened by my previous errors. I have made a list of things to be wary of.”
“Maybe you should take someone with you. Like Emban.”
“I have to share a student house with Eeaner and Bayab, and I have given my word; so I shouldn’t bring her. She currently has an interest in <<desiccating>> celebrations. Don’t worry. I’m prepared. What about you? How are your instructors? How is your training? I found myself wondering about what was happening on Anesidora to the point of distraction several times this week. That’s one of the reasons I wanted to talk to you.”
Stuart stepped away from his desk and walked over to stand by his wall of windows. Other Alden had learned not to run at them, so they could be left uncovered.
“I think if you lived where I could talk to you more easily I would be coming to you with my thoughts all the time,” he continued. “I’ve considered the possibilities of preservation magic more in the past days than I have in the rest of the days of my life combined. And I find myself evaluating every spell we discuss in class through your perspective…at least I try to. Would you like to learn how to call the small animals in an area toward you? Or send them fleeing? Would you like to learn the quickcrafting of wands? Or a spell that will make the paper shapes you fold as tough and flexible as thimbark?”
“Now all I want to do is skip class and go to your house to learn how to toughen up my origami and banish bugs,” said Alden. “You’ve ruined school for today. But in seriousness, that’s a lot of thought put into me. Don’t let your own work suffer.”
“It’s because I’m excited.” Stuart was still looking out into the trees. “About all this unlooked-for treasure. And I’m concerned with handling it right. What about your lesson with Instructor Warin-doyis? How did that go?”
“Um…” Alden turned his head. There was nothing to see other than the green wall of the tent, but he could picture his Artonan-made tablet lying innocently on top of his desk. Like it didn’t hold evidence of the four different scripts he’d written, translated, and discarded for his storytelling turn tomorrow.
“The first lesson was one of the best I’ve ever had,” he said. “Instructor Warin-doyis told stories almost the whole time, to show us the variety of things that could be done with his art. And they were all very impressive. I have some…doubts about doing great at it myself, though. I’m trying to modify a human fairytale for tomorrow. I’m not completely happy with the story, but finding words with the right nuance that I know I can say has been good translation practice. I think it could be fun. None of us should be able to do as well as the instructor, so it’s all right that my telling is going to be much, much less impressive than his, isn’t it?”
“Why would you be seeking instruction from Warin-doyis if you were already as capable as he is?”
“Exactly.”
“Are you nervous about it?” Stuart looked intrigued. “I’ll listen to you while you practice if you want.”
“I’m not really ready, and we don’t have that much time this morning. I do need to go to my combat class soon. That class is fine, by the way. We’re doing the same basic kinds of activities you’ve seen in videos I’ve shown you of last term. I’m taking a different approach for myself, though. Trying to focus more on movement and situational awareness. I’m using my trait a lot. You pointed out that I was stuck thinking about solo survival in the worst possible conditions, so I’m trying to shift away from that. Moving better will help no matter what you and I are fighting against in the future. I’m using simple things as shields and keeping them portable, so I have to physically and mentally perform better in the moment instead of pre-planning contraptions. Does it sound like the right thing for now?”
“As long as you’re finding improvement, it’s good. I’m sure I’ll see you use what you’ve learned in many ways we can’t anticipate yet.”
“Ideal entrustment situations aren’t easy to create in class, though.”
“They wouldn’t be.”
“I can reliably pick up a small puddle when Haoyu tells me to now, but it’s not the same as it was that time when you helped me do it.”
Alden paused and considered his next words for a few seconds longer before setting them loose: “Esh-erdi and Lind-otta have been kind to me. What do you think might happen if we told them the truth? Or even just some of the truth? What if I told them only about my skill, for example?”
Stuart’s expression twitched in momentary surprise before settling into thoughtfulness. “Is that something you want to do?”
Alden looked down at his duffel bag. It smelled like Galeblaze. Everything that came within twenty yards of the locker rooms now smelled like the fragrance Vandy had given them all for Christmas. A few people sprayed it in weaponizable quantities. “It would be good to have knights like them on our side. They could… ”
What was it I hoped they would do?
“Them welcoming me, like you have, might be the main part of it. It would be a relief, and they could help.”
“You want someone other than me to acknowledge you as a knight,” Stuart said.
Right to the point.
“Even if they just acknowledged me as an Avowed who plans to go with you to Goldbush and take the kinds of risks you will. And do the kinds of things they do. If we told them about my skill, they’d know I’m likely to be useful. And then they’d…mark me as the useful guy I am on knight tellingbush. They’d let all the other knights know I’m allowed to join in with battle things, and that they should be nice to me, and….The more I talk, the more I realize I don’t know what I’m talking about. Please save me from myself by interrupting before I have to admit this is more of an emotional decision than a practical one. I like them. They’ve helped me. Lying to them bothers me, and I want them to like the real me.”
“You can tell them if you want to,” Stuart said. “I don’t know them well enough to be sure of what they will think or do, so I wouldn’t choose to tell them at this particular moment. But it’s your truth, and if you want to share it, of course I’ll help.”
“You wouldn’t tell them?”
“I decided not to tell my own parents,” Stuart pointed out. “I’m sorry I didn’t consider that you actually know Esh-erdi and Lind-otta better than you do my parents. I like them, too. Esh-erdi supports our friendship! He told me so at the oath ceremony I attended for Welcome End. And neither of them has spoken doubt about my ability to be a knight, as far as I’m aware.”
“But you wouldn’t tell them.”
Alden felt himself deflate at the news, as if it meant something more than it really did. Stuart saying he just didn’t know them well enough to anticipate them was fair.
“It’s also because I don’t see much benefit to telling them some of the truth, which seems to be the fruit that has caught your eye. I need to think about this more, but my first worry is that telling them only about the nature of your skill will prompt them to do things that will almost immediately lead you into telling them everything else. If you’re not prepared for that…”
“Do you think they’d try to start training me or something? And then I’d end up needing to explain the wizard part so that I’m not wasting everyone’s time?”
“The ‘wizard part’ changes what you want and what it’s reasonable to expect from you. Only knowing the wizard part made me immediately more worried about what you would choose for your next binding because of how it affected my understanding of your timeframe. If I didn’t completely show the depth of my concern to you— ”
“You showed it,” Alden said wryly.
Stuart had begun to pace his room. “You’d be doing the same thing with them but reversed. Right now, I assume they make no significant plans to aid you, or utilize your power, in the future. If you tell them the truth, they will have ideas about what should be done. If you tell them a half-truth, they can only have ideas that are wrong. And I don’t believe a half-truth will last long anyway. Hn’tyon Esh-erdi seems to have a curious nature.”
“I understand. I’ll take it slower.”
“You don’t have to just because it’s what I would do.”
“I know. I didn’t think it all the way through.”
“Maybe, when the time is right, they should be who we tell first instead of members of my family,” Stuart offered.
“Once you’re a knight yourself.”
“I’ll have a different standing. Doubts about me should fade. And you…you are still hoping to prepare yourself for a knight’s oaths, too? That hasn’t changed since we last spoke of it?”
What a thing for me to be planning on, like it will be that easy. But Alden nodded. “Yes. If I can complete the ceremony like everyone else…and if they’ll let me try it…I want to.”
“Being able to say that you’ve prepared for it and are ready should be recognized by every reasonable person. We are building ourselves a tower that is too tall to be denied by others.”
“Right.” Alden paused. “How tall do we have to build it before we stop worrying about other people forcing us to do things their way instead of ours?”
“I don’t know. But I’m hopeful that it is only a few stones more.” Stuart stopped his pacing. “I want them all to welcome me, too. It’s not quite the same—”
“It’s similar enough.”
They looked at each other.
“Soon,” Stuart said decisively.
“Soon.”
“Warin-doyis’s lessons will be so good for you! I was tutored in poetry performance for a year when I was younger to increase my language confidence and give me a way of socializing with simpler rules. This is the same sort of training! And I searched for his reputation. He is widely known for his art. We are fortunate he wanted to teach on Earth.”
“Are you more enthusiastic about my storytelling class than my combat?” Alden said jokingly.
“Yes, I am,” Stuart said. Not jokingly. “We’ll have chances to improve our skills every day, but we won’t find any famous performers roaming a corrupted land in search of students. And I have heard that good entertainers are welcomed in every weary group of knights. If you learn well, then people will be excited whenever they hear we’re coming to join their squads.”
“Wait…are you expecting me to entertain our way to popularity? It’s only one class!”
“One step becomes two becomes a walk around a world.”
“You would not be holding onto this hope if you heard me deliver my custom Artonan versions of ‘The Frog Prince.’ I promise you.”
******
******
“Floor on!”
“Floor on!”
Voices called the words throughout the MPE gymnasium, and Alden shouted back in reply.
Foxbolt, who was the lead instructor for this course, explained the plan for the morning.
The white floor had been divided into five rectangular slices that ran the width of the gym, and a sixth section at the end was broken into three small dueling blocks. Each student had to complete the challenge set for every one of the first five sections, and then they’d have a duel against an available classmate. After a single duel, they had to run through it all again with added conditions to make it more difficult.
They were all familiar enough with the kinds of challenges that had been set and with their own individual rules and goals, so there were few questions. Class began quickly and without much complaining.
This should be a productive one, thought Alden. Just settle in and work through the different sections at my own pace. I can push myself in several different ways.
Foxbolt’s way of handling duels so far had been different from last term. She liked to have them happening in a small fraction of the gym while almost everyone was busy with something else. On Tuesday, Alden’s interface had informed him when he was supposed to break off from the group and go duel. Only a couple of times. Not everyone would get a chance every class. It was random, but the randomness took effect after instructor interference. Someone had to put you in the mix to be chosen.
We put ourselves in the mix by reaching that end of the gym this time. Marsha will be down there waiting for an opponent before I select my shield.
He thought Foxbolt’s tiny dueling section was an improvement over whole dueling-focused classes. Hotheads might not get as angry, and hurt feelings might have time to recover when the duels were broken up by other assignments instead of flowing straight into the next one-on-one fight.
“What are you thinking about for your preserved object today, Alden? I have some suggestions if you’re having trouble choosing!”
And that cheerful voice coming from behind him as he leaned over his duffel bag belonged to one of Foxbolt’s co-instructors. Luna Plim looked as eager as usual. A question mark made of water was rotating over her red hair. The movement of the finger that was making it spin in place was so slight that he wouldn’t have noticed the gesture if he hadn’t been looking for it.
“Just a backpack I think,” said Alden, removing the backpack he was talking about from his duffel bag. It was nothing unusual, a gray one with black zippers he’d found discounted at the campus store last week. “I’ll fill it with sand.”
Alden had requested more ground this term, and he’d been pleased to get it. Fragment was another co-instructor for this class, which made it easier to accommodate him. And it didn’t hurt that Maricel was back. Sod and soil had been making frequent appearances. Today, he could see that they had one completely dirt-floored dueling block, but nothing else was available in the other sections he’d be running through.
Goldbush had a single settlement. Alden had been surprised to learn there was one at all, but settlement aside, the planet was lacking buildings. There would be ground absolutely everywhere. He needed to practice moving on it way more than he needed to practice moving without it, so when the school didn’t provide enough of the stuff, he’d haul his own.
“Excellent!” Instructor Plim said. “Let’s have you play with the way the motion of the sand can alter your own movements whenever you release your skill’s hold on the backpack.”
“You mean like running or jumping and dropping preservation so the weight shoves me forward a little more.” He’d done that kind of thing before, like when he’d used heavy bags to yank himself out of Max’s traps.
“That’s only the beginning of the possibilities!”
This is why she’s cool.
“I need to go talk to a couple more students and then wash people out of the fourth challenge,” she said. “But send me the exact weight of the sand you put in your backpack on each run so I’m clear on what I’m seeing when I review your footage. Bye for now! Be creative!”
And this is why she’s dangerous.
She wanted the exact weight of the sand, which wasn’t a big deal by itself. But on the first day of class, she’d suggested that having a Sway help him recapture the mental state he’d been in as Instructor Klein approached him and the dog crate might be a good idea.
He’d wanted to take one of her classes, but then he’d heard some things about them around campus and started to worry that he couldn’t hide from her if they spent much time together. She had students in her small courses do weird experiments to test the limits of their skills. He was afraid she might ask him to preserve something he didn’t know to be cautious about, and he’d come across as too much of a marvel.
‘Use your skill on this very ordinary rope, Alden….Surprise! It’s actually a bungee cord, and there’s an elephant on the other end. And now I’m going to write a paper on you that will reveal the true power of Rabbits!’
So he’d decided to avoid that headache, only for her to end up teaching him here in gym. But at least here she had forty other new Avowed to think about. She seemed pretty fascinated by Writher, which was nice for Lexi and for Alden.
He was glad he’d already been leaning toward a less contraptiony gym experience for this term before he found out she was one of the teachers.
When they’d asked him to choose his general tool type for the next few months, he’d actually been more interested in limiting himself than this group of faculty was. Other than Foxbolt, Plim, and Fragment, there was just Ivanova as a regular. At least one more instructor was usually around helping monitor, often but not always Klein.
Alden was focusing on easily portable shields that didn’t cover his whole body and didn’t do anything too fancy. He’d use a sharp edge if the shield had one or fill it with sand if it was a backpack, but no explosive pre-planned surprises or invisible threads glued to the shields to stab people.
For weapons, he carried a sling and a fixed blade knife Ignacio had given him when he asked for knife advice. Neither were fantastic weapons in his hands. He just liked the sling and felt like he might find at least a couple of opportunities for the knife. The more important thing about both of them was that they were stand-ins for his auriad. If he didn’t have time to put a rock in a sling and aim it at a problem, then he wouldn’t have time to put his auriad in his hands and aim it. Or so his thinking went for now.
I’m planning to fight alongside someone. I’m not the person punching tunnels through everything that threatens us. That’ll be Stuart, and he’ll be super fast at it once it’s his skill.
“Hey, Lexi,” he said, dragging the backpack full of sand toward his roommate, who’d also been delayed by Instructor Plim until a second ago. “Would you entrust me with this backpack?”
“Okay.” Lexi was frowning at the tip of Writher’s chain.
Alden hooked one arm through the straps and preserved just the bag as he lifted it. It was a fine lightweight option for a shield. Lots of great spots to grip it.
But a knight or an Avowed sent officially into chaos would have better equipment than this, he told himself as he approached the starting line. An actual shield of some sort that then gets double protected by my skill? A morphable one. Something light as air and big as a shed. So if I’m preserving some random little thing in a bag like this, I’m probably not doing it primarily for my protection or Stuart’s.
The first section they had to run through was a baton-stealing game. Each runner started with one baton almost as long as Alden’s arm, but to cross the barrier and reach the next task, they had to be in possession of two. It was already getting rowdy. He saw three different classmates shooting glances at him while he took a yellow baton from Ivanova. He briefly unpreserved, collected a fistful of sand, plunged the baton into his backpack, and zipped it most of the way shut again. Part of the baton still stuck out the top, but it was a smaller target now.
The backpack’s not protecting me and Stuart. We’re protecting it. So it must be something really important we’re in charge of looking after. I’ll only use it to shield us if that’s what it takes to survive. Dodge attacks. See everything so I can react fast enough. Reach out with my senses.
That last was wishful thinking. He could feel his classmates doing magic if he wanted, but with twenty of them racing around for the baton game, noticing something relevant wasn’t going to happen. With smaller numbers, in slower situations, he’d try to get somewhere with that.
There are moments on an obstacle course run that would be opportunities for that kind of sensing. Man, I really want Ash to accept our strategies, so I can try.
He banished that thought from his head. Coursing strategy approval was during his next class period. Runs for that class were tomorrow.
Here and now, he had his mission.
Astrid had one baton. She was trying to look like she wasn’t going to attack him when he joined the battle, but she was totally going to attack him. He brought his backpack closer to his chest.
Got to protect it from these demons.
Kon had just gotten bowled over by Haoyu. His baton was rolling for a second before Haoyu snatched it up fled with it. Almost immediately, an arrow whizzed toward one of the two batons in Haoyu’s hands.
Got to keep an eye on the fragments of exploded demons Stuart’s making, too.
I’ll keep a demon from biting off his foot while he’s not looking, keep whatever we’re transporting in this bag safe, and I won’t die myself. I’m not the entertaining one, you dork. We’ll be such great knights neither of us has to be the entertaining one.
“Going soon?” Instructor Ivanova prompted him.
“I am,” said Alden. “I’m just deciding how it’s going to be.”
She nodded and kept walking.
Kon got up and yelled after a cheering Haoyu before hurrying back to the starting line to collect another baton from Ivanova so that he could go again. Alden caught his eyes, and Kon smiled. He pointed at Alden’s baton and made a beckoning motion.
Not while I’m protecting it, you’re not.
Alden shook his head at Konstantin and ran into the fray.
******
Comments (169)
Thinking about the demon hide being missing & the art’h family’s possible response led me to this: When Stu went looking for a set of rings for Alden, the set he’d seen just a week or so before was missing but not signed out. So he got the set from his roommate. In other words, someone stole a set of rings from the art’hs and then Stu stole the demon hide. Plus, now Alden’s wearing a set of rings. Who stole the art’hs’ rings? Will they engineer Alden and/or Stu being blamed, giving the family an excuse to interfere in Stu’s choices?
I expect Stu will have updated the inventory with *exactly* where the demon hide went. It's too important for his family and their knights not to keep an accurate accounting of what's in the supply library, and he's clearly itching for a fight about who didn't update the inventory about taking the ten-ring armor set. Who would have access to the library and be tied into its wards for controlling the lights, etc. besides members of the siblinghold themselves? Theft seems unlikely; taking supplies in a time-critical emergency and intending to come back and update the paperwork later, on the other hand, seems distinctly plausible.
Good evening gentlemen. I'll remember you all in therapy.
Gentle people!
Neurotically whack a moling into app to check for chapter. https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=X_v_kJsi7TY
So 1) I think Alden should go to the party. THAT could be his triumphant return to LeafSong. 2) I think the Elias the Informant, a fan of Alden's, is going to decide on Alden's behalf to start building up his mythos. This is after he's become a knight, and the Informant starts to build his mythos on earth. That time he sat in the rain to tell off the Wright's assistant, standing up for the Artonians, being all around _noble_ and representing earth against chaos. And then one day Alden is going to be fighting chaos and Boe is going to call while he's being crushed by the darkness, and Boe's gonna metaphorically 'put him on speaker', broadcast by Elias. Alden is crying to the whole world 'Help me!' and the whole world is going to hear his call. And they are gonna _entrust_ the safety and security of earth to him, and the shattering authority of an entire planet of avowed being their one agent is going to be a planet-cleaning level of entrustment.
But what is 2)?
I suspect that this approximate day is taking so long because Sleyca is choosing to reintroduce the main character, and rewriting Chapter One so that the first word out of her mouth is now Garsy
Please don’t give her ideas.
Random musing while we wait: if Alden can learn to preserve stacks where the objects arent touching but are connected by magic and can also learn to preserve stuff by reaching for it with his authority can he pull a neo on one of shrikes knife clouds? Probably the connection to the leading knife is too tenious though I suppose eventually with the second skill he'll just be able to preserve them all at once (assuming irs even possible without him touching directly. Ashe's face would be amusing.
I’ve been kinda curious if Alden could unfold something out of the preservation. In reverse of what he does with folding speed/momentum into it. That way he could potentially rocket propel preserved objects or even just buffer something approaching the shield
From chapter 75: He looked around at them all. “Everyone’s got their shoes tied, right? The track isn’t the gym. The suits you’re all wearing will give us some readings, but they’re not going to protect you out here. Don’t do something stupid with a spell if you don’t know how to use it. Boy lost a tooth last time… All right. First group’s up.” Kon's proceeds to do just so later on the bridge.
It also occurs to me with the new gym context, that Alden is basically trying to do mostly the opposite of what he was doing last term. So much like Reinhard being denied the opportunity to defeat the Bird Nest Splatter Device, Winston cannot defeat the Winsterminator (If any of you can give me a better name for the infamous bird nest trap I’d appreciate it. I’m drawing a blank lol)
Since it’s a bird nest and bird mothers toss their chicks out of the nest much like this device, I vote that the words ‘mother forsaken’ must appear in the device’s final name.
Btw, just realized, I'm surprised we've had a decent time-skip now, at least a couple of days, without hearing about the lost knights. You'd think that they've either been found, and Stu would've said something, or people are starting to get seriously worried, and Stu would've said something.
Things are presumably happening in the background, but if they don't impact the story, they won't appear in it. I mean, we had the whole 2040 US Presidential election happening. Sure, Alden was de-citizened, but he would presumably have some interest in and opinions about it. However, not a single in-story mention that I'm aware of.
Update! Chapter's going to hit you tomorrow. I'm making fast progress with it now and really liking it, so it shouldn't be very late tomorrow.
Thanks for keeping us updated!
Party Klerm Party Klerm Top of his class this LeafSong term Friends have doubts, but he's holding firm Party Klerm Is he a knight? Is he alright? Does his family lack insight? Who'll stand up for Party Klerm? Party Klerm (bagruooda solo)
Is Alden the klerm prince or is Stu?
For those who are thirsty enough for soup to be combing the comments like myself. I highly recommend that you consider giving THIRTY-EIGHT: Hedonistic a reread. There are many things in that chapter that are of interest or amusement after reading our last couple of chapters.
One of my favorite chapters, pre earth arrival soup is honestly one of the best literature I have read. I'm assuming there is a delay, do you know when the next chapter is coming? There are over 300 comments here and it's kind of much to go through them. :)
Urgent: which ones are the redacted chapters Sleyca referenced? Patreon search doesn’t show anything
"Banished Chapters" collection: https://www.patreon.com/collection/1757154
I just reread the chapter where we learn that for decades Aulia has been desperately trying to figure out how to become a wizard (ch 188). Back then, Alden hadn’t yet started thinking about becoming a knight with Stu. From what we know now it’s an even more satisfying moment… thinking about her insane jealousy when Alden becomes a ‘general’, partnered with the son of the most powerful knight in the universe…
How pushy will she get with Lute though because of it? Lute may need to leave the planet again!
soup seller, I am going into starvation and require your most delicious soup
Better go for a piece of bread then and wait until tomorrow for soup 🙂 (check posts below by Sleyca for more information)
Alright full magic theory craft conspiracy time. (Partially inspired by Arezoos idea of extracting chaos from afflicted knights) So we know that Bearer can selectively remove parts of a whole, either temporarily or permanently. Largely depending on the facets of the skill being used. The ones we know for sure can do this are the facets for Bearer of Enchantments and Bearer of Secrets. And that both of those things can be ultimately removed from their source. We also know there is a facet that can allow Alden to see where a burden can be safely set down. So if this could expand to other uses as well, Alden could potentially take things like wounds, injuries, pain, etc and be able to place them away from the source. I don’t know logically exactly what removing a wound from someone would look like. But I don’t see a reason Alden couldn’t theoretically take an injury from someone, then place it on something like the artificial body from the hospital. I’m not sure if any of that makes sense, but I’ve spent like the last 10 minutes obsessively mulling it over lol.
I like it but I’m not sure if that would work. The things being separated so far, water from towel, food from dishes etc. have been additive to the main burden but wounds are changes made to the burden. Unless his skill can gain a facet where separation from whole can work across time before and after a change, then this is currently not within his skill. I don’t see why a more advanced Alden wouldn’t be able to do this though if that facet exists.
Hello, everyone. Thank you for reading Super Supportive, hanging out here in the comments, and getting excited about each chapter. It really makes me happy that I get to write for you guys. This approximate will be another 24 hours at least. The chapter isn't ready yet. It's kind of clunky. A couple of hours ago, I pulled out a new notebook and wrote, "What's a better way to do this?" at the top of the page. Which is a great question for me to ask myself, but it's something that I'm usually thinking about when I start chapters, not when I'm trying to finish one. I'm going to get it. I have an idea that I think will make it fun and smooth and maybe let me use some of what I've already written. But like the chapter, I'm also kind of clunky and tired at this point. I'm sorry when things like this happen. A couple of the reasons I've been sticking with the approximate release dates instead of firm ones is that they give me a target (to prevent me from staying in the "What's a better way to do this?" mode for weeks) but they also make me feel like I can go back to the drawing board if it's absolutely necessary at the last minute, which should prevent a repeat of The Redacted Chapters. I'll check in here in about 20 hours to tell you all how it's going. (I hit enter too soon. If you read the version of this with the half missing sentences before I could fix it, I apologize for the confusion.)
Quality over quantity, do what you need to - and get some rest!
I hate this fucking app so fucking much. This time it's refusing to show me comments newer than 4 days ago. I can't even see my own predictions thread. Congratulations, zdm, for being the lucky bugger stuck at the top of the comment section.
I'm sorry, pupp0cam! When/if you can see this, I hope Patreon sorts it. I always enjoy looking over your predictions threads. I usually do it right after I post since they're often at the top. I'm not an app user since my tablet and phone are approaching ancient. The website seems to be up to date on chrome, if that helps at all.
I endure the wait as one who defies fate; my patience is my power, and it does not break.
I'm thinking of primary objectives that get fulfilled by pursuing something that is secondary in nature: like learning stuff in gym class to become better at combat in general, or learning math to be able to think and reason better. Learning to tell better stories seems like a good thing overall, and will help Alden in so many ways besides just getting better at storytelling, I think.
I wish they had Artonan poetry classes, too
An amusing take on the challenges of vegetarianism: https://www.smbc-comics.com/comic/2011-10-09
Don't most Koalas have STDs? Not the best meat to eat, I think
Chapter Predictions!
Turns out Evul has her tablet on one eyeball and is *very* interested by Alden and Stu's most recent call. Stuart slips on a banana peel. Alden and Stu decide to build an actual brick tower to represent their towers of confidence. Someone shouts Floor On when the floor is not on, injury ensues. Lexi and Kon start a bookstore together. Yookee makes her presence known. Alden finally joins that bookclub. Alden buys a big fuck off portable torch with like a gazillion lumens to take with him to planet demon Welcome back to Artona I, Alis! The ghost of Mannon past visits Alden to scream obscenities at him. Cuba gets hold of nuclear missiles, you won't believe what happens next! Lexi glues a bunch of fur to Writher so he can snuggle with it in bed at night like the alien weapon teddy bear hybrid it was always destined to be.
Random theory before bed: remember how Alden was trying to get water out of a towel by preserving it? Does anyone think we can take it to the extreme of Alden getting chaos out of people? I keep thinking about the 2 missing knights. Maybe they find them and Alden is asked to preserve them for healing but he ends up removing some excess chaos? Farfetched perhaps but I like to imagine.
Possibly. At the very least chaos seemed to be violently destroyed/repelled when it came into contact with his skill. So I can’t imagine his skill should be harmful unless the knights are more demon/chaos than people anymore
So I kinda just randomly thought of this, but I think most of why Stuart wants to be a knight isn’t really about the noble side of it. I think it’s truly a desire to connect with and be accepted by his family. And maybe to understand on a deeper level what Sina went through. I’m sure the noble side of fighting chaos has some portion of his desire to be a knight, but it feels tangential. All of that to say, I think Alden might need to talk to Stuart about Sina before Stuart affixes. Stuart having a firm grasp on his motivations for becoming a knight might be the last mental obstacle to overcome. Then he could go to affix at peace with his intentions fully understood.
Yes, Knights that are anchored by their loved ones rather than a noble cause probably run into problems later on. Like a domino effect, when a loved one dies, more follow in grief. They are afraid this will happen to Stu’s father. Now that you mention it, Stu might suffer from this in the future too.
We've been talking about how Alden should claim he's gained a level to try to not appear like he's falling behind. I don't think he's going to do that any more. The only way it would make sense to keep up the pretense of fake leveling is if Alden trying to stay in the closet about his abilities. Saying 'oh, I went up a level' /is a lie/. Honesty is truly the best policy here. He's going to be out as a wizard / knight candidate in /at most/ half a year. Much more likely is that he waits for Stu to affix and comes out then. If Alden is coming out anyway, why add a lie that he'll be almost immediately retracting? My guess is that he will tell people in the order of: 1. Friends (Roommates, Kon, Natalie, Emilija) 2. Esh and Lind 3. Faculty (Saleh, Waker, Klein & Plim). Instructor Colibrí will have to find out later.
I agree with the logic of this, but in this very chapter he's talking about avoiding Luna Plim because she might work out that his skill is too strong. He still wants to keep up a charade for a while, so may do the fake levelling thing still. It's not like him levelling is a lie anyway
>"I have made a list of things to be wary of." Party badger Stu!
Haoyu: Party Badger Alden: Party Ryeh-b't Lexi: Party Raven Lute: ??? Kon: Party Dolphin Stu: Party Klerm?
Well if he increases in rank maybe the majority of them will probably never realize it’s the skill itself (or rather, they’ll just assume it was always versatile and is naturally increasing in strength along with his rank etc). And many will probably just assume Alden’s getting special treatment on account of being a favored rabbit - esp if they ever find out who Stu is. I remember early on it was mentioned that the aliens could give you all sorts of things like spells and even foundation points.
well yes, him being A rank will mask many "how is he so strong" questions, but it will raise the "how is he A rank already" question from pretty much everyone, as its an incredibly rare thing that happens after many many years and levels of progress. His rank-up will probably be hidden as long as he still uses the fake profile. And special treatment is no substitute for the natural strength of a higher level or rank otherwise there would be less rankism and essholes in the world. There is no medium to long-term path for Alden that doesnt involve being a loud rabbit, his quiet days are numbered.
I just love the cozy "just started dating" vibe they have. this chapter was so great at both charactirizing this in them rn, and also showing how alden looks at the future and adjusts to prepare for it. it's a 10/10 establishing of new normal
"just started dating" vibe is so spot on
This chapter again has so many great phrases, and I like the line “One step becomes two becomes a walk around a world.” - it is not as showy and funny as third attention, but one that I want to write on the cover of a journal or hang on my wall. The idea is not new, but it doesn't have to be - such truths rarely are. It's put into a beautiful shape here.
And also I love how Stu is Preparing To Attend A Party by making a list of things to be wary of. I'd love to see what's on it. Have to say, the approach is very unique and very Stu.
TFTC! This story is so DMAN GOOD!!!!!! I appreciate that the story isn't rushed, cuz it lets the progress be gradual and not forced for the sake of the story, but damn do I wish I could go into a coma so that I had more to read!
„…But in seriousness, that’s a lot of thought put into me. Don’t let your own work suffer.” “It’s because I’m excited.” Stuart was still looking out into the trees. “About all this unlooked-for treasure. And I’m concerned with handling it right. For Stuart it is the first time ever that he has a true friend, someone to share his (intense) thoughts with who does not only listen, but also understands and cares about him. So far that probably was only his father and maybe Sina. He has opportunities open up which he believed he never would get. It is a new experience which he enjoys. It is a good starting point for affixation as his confidence ought to be high. I sure hope this will not be challenged again by his family before he takes the next step.
From last chapter: “Your skill is really something.” How many humans will start reacting with jealousy when it becomes clear how flexible BOAB is? Avowed are aware that Artonans are doing a lot to obfuscate the powers they're doling out. And here is a B-rank Rabbit whose skill is amazing! 'How come they don't make ALL skills this awesome?' will be one thing that could be said.
I don’t think it’ll be that bad. Especially since he’s already endeared himself to a lot of people. Alden would likely be treated similarly to a Unique at first, and then as a Hyperbole as he reaches greater heights. Uniques, and healers, and even just those with great power like Big Snake, will always be seen with a bit of jealousy by some people. That’s the price of having an enviable and individualized power set in a place where rank and class define how people perceive you. And honestly, I wouldn’t be surprised if there have been people saying things like that from the moment the first group was chosen as avowed.
I think it's a shame that Alden suggested Emban instead of Evul to accompany Stu to the party. She would be a big hit and she would look out for her little bro.
“Or a spell that will make the paper shapes you fold as tough and flexible as thimbark?” Back when grade school Alden first learned about Rabbits, I remember the example Rabbit interviewed for his text was an A-Rank* napkin folder. She heavily implied that the skill was much more useful than most people realized, which it seemed it must be for it to be A-Rank. I wonder if Stuart’s reference to this spell is a tiny hint at one hidden power that napkin-folding Rabbit is capable of.
It was an A rank rabbit.
Picturing Esh spitting out smeta-cantrememberitsname juice cause he's caught off guard by Alden's secret
Sermuntha juice, I think?
Writher
Writher!
I'm finding myself skeptical that Stu actually is going to affix soon. He seems consumed with thoughts about basically everything BUT figuring out what conditions need to be met before affixing. And even less coming across like he's actually confronting the emotional reality of what he's about to do. Maybe he's as breezy as he sounds, but I suspect he's simply distracted by all the fun new things he has to think about and is putting off the actual work of coming to terms with it.
Also, y'know, might be nice to delay the potential knight bonding thing so Alden has a chance to close the gap a little bit before going through a year of hell catching up to S-rank.
>>> “Even if they just acknowledged me as an Avowed who plans to go with you to Goldbush and take the kinds of risks you will. And do the kinds of things they do. If we told them about my skill, they’d know I’m likely to be useful. And then they’d…mark me as the useful guy I am on knight tellingbush. They’d let all the other knights know I’m allowed to join in with battle things, and that they should be nice to me, and….The more I talk, the more I realize I don’t know what I’m talking about." At the risk of restarting the 'would knight supervisors even let Alden be in combat if he goes to Goldbush as Stu's security blanket rabbit instead of coming out as a knight' debate. It seems like Alden is having some doubts about how Goldbush would fall if they don't bring any adults into the conspiracy.
>>> “This time I am wizened by my previous errors. I have made a list of things to be wary of.” He's become withered or shrunken? Typo, or just a very unusual word choice? I would think wisened would make more sense in context.
On the other hand, I love "She currently has an interest in [desiccating] celebrations."
I can’t help worrying that these boys are constantly jinxing themselves with all their excitement and plans! Feels like a hammer could fall at any moment to destroy their dreams. Also, Alden definitely made a mistake skipping math. It’s going to come back to haunt him. Those aliens are obsessed with school. LOL they’re not gonna want a knight that didnt complete his education.
They're obsessed, but they also seem to give huge latitude to knights. Evul has spent what sounds like decades failing to finish school.
Look to Esh-erdi's example, Alden! Being known as a great storyteller is more balm to the soul in the long-haul than being known as a great destroyer; I think you are underestimating how much shared stories and storychange can knit a group together that might otherwise have fallen apart.
Interesting to see both Stu and Alden's thoughts keep turning to the other and how to help each other this week - their commitment to partnership is still so new, and so very treasured. Both of them are concerned with improving their standing, and wanting to be seen and appreciated as their 'real' selves, with their truths heard and valued. This too is a storychange they're trying to effect. There are stories others have already heard about them, or might assume about them, that they want to be different. Alden's wistful hopes that Esh might mark him as "a useful guy" on the knight tellingbush, ease his way to being accepted and welcomed, are very much also the kinds of hopes Stu likely has that keep being dented by all the rejections he's getting.
It’d be funny if Alden went to tell Lind and Esh about his skill and they were like “yeah we know, we figured it out already.”
I was rereading and Esh noticed one of Alden's undirected greeting pulses before the flood.
I’m getting kinda stressed out with all these hints about his future working with Stu… like it’s foreshadowing something bad… I’m probably paranoid… it’s possibly because I often feel a deep resemblance between this story and Le Guin’s “Left Hand of Darkness” (which is one of the reasons I originally fell in love with it!) and mostly since Estraven died at the end of that story… I’m still traumatized by that one, even after many years, so I really, really hope I don’t have to add Stu to my mourning collection of favorite fictional characters… this’ll be even more depressing for me! I just can’t! I have followed this story for years now and I’m incredibly attached to it. But I think I’ll quit reading if Stu dies during his first affixation. T^T I just want his first affixation to be over with already!!!
I also love the Left Hand of Darkness but how is Super Supportive similar to it? They are largely different in plot, size, world building, characters.
When Stu talks to Alden he is using Evul’s tablet. We have seen how Stu could spy on Alden via his tablet. Evul could be spying on Stu/Alden, and their conversation is very revealing. “You want someone other than me to acknowledge you as a knight,” Stuart said
Evul seems like the type to be amused by being the only one who knows & would keep their secret.
If Alden do some calibration, he should be able to sense the ranks of avowed, and even the ranks of children before selection.
Wishing for Alden to just go to the party is thinking small actually. He ought to do a gig - planned or not - like playing the guitar to accompany his reciting "The Frog Prince". What else do you guys think he could do at a party apart from burdering people and playing with food?
Protect Stu from peer pressure with solidarity and by being a very distracting alien hottie. Get hit on by all the teen wizards. Interesting cultural exchange when the wizards realize Alden won’t join them for sex OR drugs, and Alden says that’s pretty normal for a human. Convince wizards to actually use the spell ingredients they gathered for a cool spell instead of for potions. Give Eeaner-ket a very wrong idea about Alden and Stu’s relationship when he notices that Alden is wearing the rings he gave to Stu.
Due to multiple things throughout Alden’s life, he has probably developed an aversion to being the entertainment.
When I read that line, I was thinking what an aversion he had to the idea that superheroes were supposed to be entertainment. That was a part of the job he loathed the very idea of. Of course he wouldn't want to take up that role as a knight. I suspect he'll be entertaining enough just being human.
Thanks for the chapter!
It’s starting to feel like Sleyca’s trolling us with all the frog references. We’ve got Boe & the jungle frogs, Esh & the Elder’s croak, Stu & the klerms, & now Alden & the Frog Prince…
Stu IS the frog prince!
“If I didn’t completely show the depth of my concern to you—“ I kinda want Stu to decide that Alden needs him to take further action to show the depth of his concern. Because clearly all the insanity that went into Operation Save Alden from Evil Roe-den was nowhere near enough. Nope, something even more extreme is needed… and I want to know what it would be. Because earnest, highly motivated Stu is dangerous Stu, and I’ll bring the popcorn.
Operation SAFER...
This morphable shield sounds interesting. Maybe one that works like an auriad in that it's bonded to his authority, like a pseudo meister tool. It also sounds like a good replacement for the nine edged son, as if Alden learns remote preservation, he would be able to fly on it
Depending on the limitations of his ability, he could do a lot of what others do. Just has to do it manually though authority control.
When Alden becomes a knight & takes on those duties, will he stop being summonable as a rabbit Avowed? Seems like Knight should trump Avowed.
Almost certainly. It sets a bad precedent to allow Wizards to summon Knights, even non-Artonan ones, for whatever menial task they need done. Culturally it would be a massive faux pas, and it probably wouldn't leave the Knights too happy either.
Alden's new nightmare: In the future. A crowd of weary Knights gathered around a campfire. All eyes on him. Stu nods encouragingly. Alden twists a balloon into the shape of dachshund. He holds it up for everyone to see. No one smiles. They are not entertained. Stu sighs.
Paper planes.
I still want to know what's going on with the Palace of Unbreaking. Wasn't there going to be a call with Lute's boss?
If you mean back when he was getting permission to learn the wordchain, as soon as Lute's boss saw the commendation he approved it and considered it insulting to Alden to even interview him
Have we learned how long until Evul has to return to her Knightly duties. Because from what we’ve seen of other knights they usually don’t take too long of breaks outside of bindings. As an example, Esh-erdi and Lind-otta’s mission on earth was considered a sudo vacation and they were still working during it. Alden and Stu have been using her tablet for a while, so did she have a binding recently or is she taking an extended break or are they able to use her tablet without her being at the siblinghold?
Evul recently underwent a binding, yes. That’s why she keeps pulling Stu out of class for random Votary tasks.
I am a little dissapointed that Alden is trying so hard to conform to the artonan's norms and ideas without having a discussion about what being the first human Knight would actually mean. I don't think he should need to perform their oaths out of fear of being pushed around, when he could have a whole planet as support. I get that the artonans are more developed and that they consider themselves superior, but he should at least recognize that he has a lot of bargaining chips, and that if they would try to imprison or kill him in some way, that would probably break the Earth contract if people found out
Keep in mind that of the four major factions that Joe listed, three of them would find Alden's existence to be bad. Ranging from "this is upsetting" (Beasts of Burden types) all the way to "let's murder this abomination" (Existential Threat types). I have the feeling that if Alden wants acceptance, he'd have to figure out some way to get humans to have an authority sense. Maybe his original nebulous goal of becoming an early childhood educator would be a way to do this? Kids' minds are plastic, and teaching them that sense would be easier than waking the senses of adults. Another species that can produce wizards could get respect. Or could get our dimension sealed off. Or get Artonans to teleport H-bombs into all Terran cities. Cheerful!
TFTC!
We got so many answers about things we speculated about! I think it's hilarious no one has figured out Stu went rogue yet. He's probably the 'good' child.
Or they know but deliberately leave him alone. Evul had said she was worried what Stu might do if he cracked. Some might even be proud of him accepting that he is building up his confidence. Since he needs that to survive it could be they do not interfere on purpose. - Or they simply don’t know, yet, because they are distracted.
What a nice thing to wake up to. Thank you, Sleyca!
I want more action, I bet we are time jumping the gym lesson. Its so one sided this much contemplation. I like it, the headspace, the determination, but *nothing* is happening still or it happens off screen. When did Alden became so dependant ? He *can* tell his secrets to whomever he wants! What happened to his agency? He suddenly forgot his opinions matter just as much as Stu's. AND they are rooted in real exp, too! Unlike the klerm prince who is bad judge of character for his parents, still so naive.
I think Alden wanted a second opinion because he has an inkling that his giddy relief is trying to make his decisions for him. When Stu raised concerns, Alden realized for himself that he was poised to make a big decision where he hadn't yet considered what it would accomplish.
Alden should go with Stu to the leafsong party!
Stu... Maybe you should take someone with you. Like Alden.
Alden won’t desiccate the party, we promise!
Alden could have chosen any fairytale, and he chose the one about the klerm prince? He doesn’t even realize he wants to tell everyone about how cool his alien friend is. They’re so cute it hurts
Oh he realizes
Of the many, many impressive things about the story and Sleyca's writing in general, I'm consistently blown away by the entirely new idioms and colloquialisms in Artonan that consistently work.
Yes! It's so delightful every time and it makes the world seem so realistic. I really like how language is handled in the story in general.
Alden is so impulsive about trusting people. Too bad Stu is there to be the voice of reason about Esh and Lind
I liked how Stu pointed out a half truth would be worse than saying nothing.
They should bring along Lute and have him be the entertaining one.
Really liking Alden translating a fun game into real world stakes. That thinking should help his learning immensely compared to everyone else, and should be able to help push his mindset in the needed directions for his skill like the previous times he's done something remarkable with it.
Stu was too open about his desires for knighthood, got shouted down, and is now protecting Alden from a similar fate. Not what I want for our Rabbit, but I see the logic.
Stu is right, because the potential consequences for Alden are much greater than they would be for him. The risk isn't "his feelings being hurt," but "potentially massive political ramifications that could end in any number of ways for Alden, including possibly his death." There's a reason why Stu, despite originally wanting to tell his dad, changed his mind. He realized that "I like this person and think they're good" doesn't actually mean that they'd approve of the idea of a human/Avowed Knight. And even if they did approve, that could be its own problem - they might decide to use Alden as a political tool, instead of just letting him pursue a career as a knight.
Btw it seems that we still have some time before the reveal of chest-stealing, telling Esh, and Stu's binding, but Goldbush really is happening right after this term
Given the fact that one day can span 6 or 7 chapters, don’t expect it in the immediate future
Awwww Stuart's confidence in Alden being entertaining and Alden's "We’ll be such great knights neither of us has to be the entertaining one" is just heart warming. Also I love how Alden now does every training with his purpose in mind. The choosing season helped so much
Can’t wait for the chapter where they become knights. “Soon” “Soon” “Going soon?” Gonna guess the chapter title could be “Now”
If Alden's not going to tell Esh on purpose I'm going to cross all my fingers and toes for Lind finding out by accident.
I hope that Alden’s story is just one long croak
Ahahahahahahaha yesss
My impression of this chapter is that Sleyca is letting us know that the things we've been speculating about, re Esh, Lind, and Joe, are not happening any time soon, so we'd better relax and enjoy the new school term.
... or she's going to hit us with Stu's binding and Boe's secret simultaneously and out of nowhere.
Dang, Plim got written out of the story for doing math.
it IS a fantasy story after all! 😀
If they really want to test the waters, shouldn't their therapist be a pretty safe bet for talking too? I have to assume a therapist that works on the children of the primary has to have some pretty damn good confidentiality
If a child is the equivalent of a ripening atom bomb, a therapist might consider their moral obligation to inform other people. This is too much of an unprecedented situation to be able to predict how any given Artonan would react.
1. The Artonan storyteller. I've read stories where third-rate troupes of actors tour the colonies because they couldn't make it in the home country. Looks like things aren't going to be like that. Which is good! 2. Another use Alden can get out of learning the guitar is being able to entertain knights on Goldbush. Free Bird played by a Rabbit, anyone?
Hey, you want free bird? Check the KFC dumpster!
I'm getting the feeling that Alden is preparing for situations that will never happen...
Well, before, he trained for a lone-survivor situation. Now, he's training for what he's imagining fighting demons on Goldbush will be. As long as his lessons are more broadly applicable, I think he'll be fine - and changing up his training scenario is already a good approach to create some diversity.
Wait, what did Kon want to do at the end of the chapter? Take Alden's baton?
Yes
It'd be fun if Alden didn't tell Esh and Lind about either his skill or his authority sense, but just declared that he wanted to become a Knight and to break himself with Stu.
TFTC!
Nice chapter, really got into Alden’s headspace as he’s training up. To prepare for how things are going to be. It’s excellent that he’s turning up the challenge for himself in gym now so that, when things are life and death, he can answer challenging situations to the utmost.
It’s also nice to see the world opening up for him again now that his mind has recovered enough that he can move on from the “survive on moon Thegund” tunnel vision.
Hmmm, I wonder if Evul has ever pulled a Stu and taken a peek at her tablet through her—well, not eyerings, she has a System Interface—while he was using it or after he was done. Not sure how much she respects people's privacy or how much she considers it her duty to look after Stu. One way or another, though, I've got a feeling she'll be the first art'h to find out about everything Stu and Alden are up to.
She could be doing to Stu what Stu did to Alden: checking browser history.
For some reason this chapter with the long term planning has me thinking how different the story's direction will go if Stuart fails to become a knight.
No evil heartbreaking theories allowed 🥺
I'm just worried about Stu and his first bonding. He's just got so much more authority than most people and all that skill with wizardry just abandoned. When I was rereading about Alden first becoming a wizard and his first affixation after learning magic, I got the sense he wished he could just be a wizard and not a binded avowed/knight. And now we have Stu giving up so much more.
Tbf, the wizardry won't be abandoned, just temporarily inconvenienced.
Tangent: Not related to this specific chapter. The tattoos prevent can you from saying/doing things. I wonder if a tattoo, or something similar, can be added by yourself to help control bad habits or thoughts.
I think that is what mind healers are for.
I think stuart is not going to afix and he is gonna become aldens votary
I think he affixes and then has a hard time. Maybe Boe will be able to help...
Great chapter! You break my heart denying Esh the truth, though.
Telling Esh and Lind seems like it would add at least 30 or 40 to the intensity level.
Okay, I laughed out loud at “Third attention.” Well done.
Thanks for the soup! Elephant on a Bungie cord was hilarious. And tbh I do hope Alden gets good enough at storytelling that all the newling Artonan Knights are enthralled by him recounting like.... I dunno, desperate housewives or something Artonan style. Alden probably wouldn't know a show like that well enough to recount it accurately in a different language and storytelling style, but it's still funny to imagine.
It made me wonder what human fairy tale or shaggy dog story would be most mind-boggling or shocking to an Artonan. Probably something involving terrible teachers and students, or knights being disrespected.
I can't wait for Stus first trip to Earth
Thanks for the chapter
Thanks for the chapter
Thanks for the chapter.
Thanks for the chapter!!
Wake up soup! Tftc
A good morning chapter? Yay!
Thank youuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuu
🥣