TWO HUNDRED NINETY-SIX: When Wishing Was Having VII
Edited (minor, epub updated): July 5, 2026
Pacific Welcome House stood at the back of a botanical garden on the university campus. It was the residence for wizards who were being hosted by the school, and although there wasn’t space for large lectures, Artonan instructors could make arrangements to hold classes there for smaller groups if they wanted.
Kelly’s suggestion that Alden and Lute let her talk to the people who could get them into the storytelling course had been casual. And Alden had been busy. He really hadn’t understood the quality of the treat he was getting until he and Lute were going through the rigmarole of their etiquette orientation. Even then, it was only last week, during their first lesson, that he’d finally realized the two of them had slipped past a crowd of other people and into one of the most inaccessible courses being held at Celena North right now.
The walk to class was an event all by itself. The garden was part of a national project to bring Anesidorans closer to the rest of Earth through plants. Narrow pathways snaked between different climate pockets, and if Alden’s eyes rested on a particular area for several seconds, information would begin to appear. Upon first setting foot in the garden, he’d chosen the touring experience that emphasized human connection, so wherever his gaze lingered, a video of someone else interacting with the same kind of plant in its native environment would be shown.
Some of the people who’d been recorded explained what they were doing. Others didn’t. The ones who said something tended to finish by thanking the watching Avowed for doing their part to protect the planet and its wonders. After hearing that the first few times, Alden preferred to move along before the recitation of gratitude happened. He liked seeing all the different people living their lives in corners of the world he knew nothing about, but being reminded that he was a special type of human who couldn’t go see those places for real without breaking laws made the tour less enjoyable.
“Do you watch the human connections stuff?” he asked Lute as the walkway curved between bushes covered in rose hips.
Alden’s learning cushion was coming with him today, wrapped in the cloth that had protected it when Stuart had had it teleported to Earth. There wasn’t ever going to be a safer classroom or a better group of students to use it around at Celena North, so he’d decided it could have an outing. He was still trying to keep it a mile away from scratchy-looking plants and the garden’s water features.
“I started with that tour, but switched,” said Lute. His arms were around a cardboard boot box that held his puppets. “I’m doing the one that highlights everything here that can be used as poison or medicine. It’s not telling me what I want to know, though. If I mix all the poisonous plants here together, does it make super poison? Or do they counteract each other?”
“That’s an important question. System, would it be safe for me to eat all the poisonous-labeled things in this garden if I mashed them up together and swallowed a large spoonful of the mix?”
“You’re bringing the System into this?”
“The ones on foreign planets have responded to questions about food safety when I’ve asked. So you’d think that ours would do the same. Of course, since it knows I’m not serious…it’s already answering.”
“Maybe it’s worried you’re the kind of person who would actually eat assorted dangerous plants for the fun of it.”
[Doing that would be damaging to your health.]
“It says doing that would be damaging to my health,” Alden told him.
“What else does it say?”
“Nothing. That’s it.”
“You’re light on the details there, System,” said Lute.
The path they were on turned at a tall wall of bamboo growing so thickly that they couldn’t see through it to the other side. Following that wall led them to a wide gap where the bamboo framed a view of the tropical setting that had been designed for Pacific Welcome House.
The building was crescent-shaped, like Apex, and the open side faced them. Two tall stories built of a sandy gold brick were skirted by hibiscuses, and Alden and Lute walked over the shadows of palm trees as they headed for the left side and the exterior door of their classroom.
Most of the other students were already on the patio there, waiting for the instructor to invite them in. The sight of them all undid the bit of composure Alden had gathered on the walk here. He’d been leagues beyond most of the students in his Conversation class last quarter, not only in terms of his ability to speak the language but also in how dedicated he was to learning more about it.
Among these people, that wasn’t the case.
The eighteen original slots for the class had almost all gone to graduate students like Kelly who were language or culture focused. The youngest member of the class other than Alden and Lute was a college junior from an extraterrestrial art studies program at a university in F-city. He was one of eight people who came from other schools.
Sharing the Artonan instructors who visited Anesidora was common. As the host school, Celena North University had reserved ten spots for its own students, and then they’d selected some applicants from elsewhere to round out the group and make sure Warin-doyis had worthy minds to bestow his knowledge upon.
Lute and Alden hadn’t taken anyone’s seat. They’d been added on to make the original eighteen a class of twenty, with Warin-doyis’s enthusiastic permission according to Kelly.
Alden saw how neatly the two of them fit into the picture. If he were the one trying to build a class that could both benefit from Warin-doyis and show him that his time was needed and valued, he’d have stuck himself and Lute in it. And all of their classmates did act like it was either natural or pleasantly surprising to have two teenagers in the mix.
They were greeting him and Lute with waves and hellos now.
I think it’s only me who feels like there’s a risk of me being much worse at this than everyone else. But what good does knowing that do me? It just means they’ll all be extra disappointed if I’m abysmal in class today.
A couple of Shapers and a Morph Brute were talking about how they planned to use their powers to enhance their stories. Lute was refusing to show Kelly what he had in the box because it would spoil the surprise of his performance.
He’s thinking about the element of surprise, and I’m over here worried about barfing peanut butter protein shake on the floor mid-story.
It really was a wonder how quickly he could fall from the heights of his success in this morning’s Coursing class to this.
I’m fine. There’s no reason I shouldn’t be fine.
<<I’m not taking any other courses right now,>> said a man who Alden thought was one of the students from Naya Din. <<I want to fully commit myself to Instructor Warin-doyis’s teachings.>>
Alden studied him. He wore a lightweight shirt with a high collar and pants that fit loosely in the leg, which was an outfit worn in only slightly different variations by three-quarters of the people here, including Alden. He had an Avowed-average face, a mustache, and one of those engagement rings that had half of the “forward together” logograms on them.
He looks so normal.
<<I quit my job at Chuck’s, too. He understood that I need to use my time wisely.>>
He even quit his job to spend more time on this class! A normal-looking grown man has quit his job to focus more. And this is the only class Lute’s even thinking about at all because he likes it. I thought I spent so much time on it, but I didn’t compared to them. What if Stuart’s right and I need to be better at this than I thought to get along with people in the future? I’m going to…
“Alden, is that your learning cushion?” Kelly asked, brushing past Lute to take a closer look. “The one you mentioned you might bring last week?”
“You lured me into this,” said Alden.
“What?”
“Nothing!”
She looked more like an adult here than she had smacking gum and firing finger pistols at their Convo class. Her red hair was neatly pinned back in a twist. Last Friday, she’d started talking about the etymology of a word Warin-doyis had used like she expected Alden to keep up with her. He had kept up fine, but that conversation about how a particular word for “scared” had its origins in an ancient misunderstanding about the behavior of ibblers had shown him she was definitely years ahead of him on the studying front even if he didn’t feel like he struggled to talk with her smoothly in the language.
He started unwrapping his cushion. “If I’m ever going to use it in an actual classroom, this seemed like the one. And you said you’d appreciate seeing it, so…here it is.”
He held up the cushion in both hands, and she peered at it.
“What gorgeous craftsmanship! Mine’s an authentic import, too. Special ordered it from a shop that takes requests from Avowed. Took forever to come. Let’s see…whoever selected your embroidery mixed some infrequently used words in there. I don’t know a few of these. You said it was a gift?”
“It was.”
“Lucky guy! Don’t tell me what any of the logograms mean yet if you know them all.”
“Of course I know what all of them mean,” said Alden as she started reading. “What kind of person wouldn’t care enough to learn the meanings of the wishes someone chose for his own cushion?”
“Excuse me, fellow nerd,” said Kelly. “But I have a sister who had a big flower tattooed on her back without ever asking what kind it was. Just thought it was a pretty shape and was fine with it. Some people flow differently through life. Georgi, Mills, come see if you can identify all of these! Alden’s got a cooler cushion than we do.”
A man and a woman came over to discuss some of the—apparently obscure—words and phrases Stuart had chosen for the cushion. Alden was glad they seemed to appreciate it. Lute, suddenly made aware that he’d been sharing an apartment with something all these college people found intriguing, leaned around Kelly to see the cushion better, too.
He’s got books full of chains made up of weird old Artonan words he has to learn for the Palace of Unbreaking. If he pulled his stash out of System storage, these guys might start a brawl over who got to look at them first.
Nothing embroidered into the decoration of Alden’s cushion said anything truly odd in his opinion. There were encouragements for open-mindedness, creativity, and “attention to thoughts that whisper true”. But he supposed more of it than he realized might be uncommon Rityan words Stuart favored because of his childhood.
Kelly, Giorgi, and Mills were having fun fighting about a part of the decorations Alden knew meant “to climb in stillness,” and none of them were all that close to guessing that was what it said when the door opened and their teacher welcomed them into the room.
Warin-doyis had small, dark eyes that darted over the whole group before settling together on each individual’s face as they left their shoes in a row on the patio and entered. An inky purple braid hung between his narrow shoulders, and he beamed at everyone as if he was truly happy they’d shown up for their second class.
He wore as much jewelry as most wizards, and the voluminous pants and embroidery-adorned outer garments, as well. Every bit of it, including the accessories, was in only two dark purple shades.
“Hello, Lute. Have you eaten well since we last saw each other? Are there any discomforts that might trouble you during today’s meeting?”
“I’ve eaten my fill for every meal, and I’m untroubled,” Lute said. “I look forward to learning from everyone here.”
Alden was used to him sounding utterly fluent with anything he could practice in advance, but today it seemed a little unfair that he could pronounce “untroubled” better than Alden, who’d taught him the word.
“Hello, Alden,” said Warin-doyis as Alden stepped in after Lute. “Have you eaten well since…”
Alden answered like a competent student instead of telling the instructor that his breakfast seemed to be taking on a life of its own within him. He followed Lute into a space that would have looked good even before a professional storyteller put his personal touches on it.
Windows on two opposite sides were covered by wooden blinds, and the floor was made of big shards of toffee-colored stone that were warm underfoot thanks to a heating system. The ceiling could only be glimpsed between folds of dark cloth Warin-doyis had hung up there. He’d also brought a bunch of glowing orange hunks of glass that were piled in the center of the floor.
Because this was a class where entertaining and learning went together, students were supposed to make sure they were comfortable whenever a performance started. In addition to some particularly clean Celena North learning cushions that waited for those who didn’t have their own, the instructor provided pillows that were the enchanted equivalent of Stuart’s senva seed cushioning spell.
Warin-doyis had assistants on Earth with him. He’d introduced all four of them to the class last Friday and explained the work they did. Only one of them was here now, passing out the comfy cushions and making sure all students remembered they could message her if they wanted something in the middle of class.
“Story first,” she said, giving Alden and Lute their pillows. “But all of his stories are the lesson.”
Alden suspected she thought everyone ought to kneel properly on learning cushions when her wizard was speaking and save the lazy, ass-allowed cushions for lesser performances. She probably wasn’t going to get what she wanted since the first class had been almost four straight hours of stories from Warin-doyis and even the members of the class most concerned with appearing respectful had opted not to kneel for that amount of time.
Nothing that might distract others from listening was supposed to be brought into the circle they all sat in around their glass fire, so everyone left their bags and props on a cart that the assistant pushed up against a wall as they settled. Their circle was one with a gap in it, the storyteller’s position, and Warin-doyis went to occupy it.
“My students,” he said in Artonan, “I gave you a complex task. To listen to stories oft-told among your people. To remind others of them even as you tell something new. To carry this new story as well as you can into the language of another species so that an audience of both your own people and mine will understand the same things from it. And to speak to senses beyond the ears. All at the same time! And after only one class. Did you think maybe I’d made a mistake?”
He looked around the circle. “Any one part of what you’ve tried to do for these past days could be the subject of years of study. I told you to do it as soon as we met because this way I will learn more about how you sound. And I will tell you all that I hear. Don’t be too upset with your instructor for giving you work he can’t do himself! I have Avowed helping me to refine my own stories so that they’re nearer to perfection when I want to tell them in the languages of your world, but I asked you to do it yourselves.”
This was the only season-long class Warin-doyis was teaching during his time on Earth, but he’d be performing all over Anesidora and learning from people familiar with different human storytelling traditions.
“It’s best to ask you to experience much of what being a storyteller demands for yourselves now. And then we will devote ourselves to the individual petals that form the flower. But maybe some of you are nervous because it was a whole flower I asked for! I know about someone who was nervous to tell stories. Would you like to hear about him?”
Alden gave his yes with everyone else. Then, the lights dimmed, and Warin-doyis began the story of Yott, who was called Yott the Useless in his youth because every time he tried to learn a trade to help out the people of his town, he caused havoc.
Warin-doyis could have told a story about a can of soda slowly going flat and made it enjoyable. He had endless voices for his characters, and he seemed to understand which ones would be subtly funny to his human listeners. He could use a plethora of different magical effects and props to enhance his words, but he tended to strategically choose just one or two per story to accompany his main tool—a wand that he used to draw shadowy shapes on the floor or in the air.
Alden thought it would have been tempting, if he were in control of that wand, to make more images with more details. Like he was creating a whole movie. But Warin-doyis slowly drew a single, mysterious lump of a shape while they were all laughing about the main character’s worst mistake yet.
Yott had painted the town’s main meeting hall with an oil that attracted wild animals instead of the oil he’d been told to use.
It was only as the laughter ran its course that the edges of the dark blur Warin-doyis had drawn in the air sharpened more to become the figure of Yott cowering in the middle of their circle, hiding his face in his hands.
Realizing he was part of a mob that was mocking someone who was scared and ashamed of his mistake stole Alden’s breath for a few seconds.
Warin-doyis had told the first part of his tale in a way that invited them all to laugh, but knowing it was a set-up didn’t lessen that initial impact.
“Come here, boy.” It was the voice of one of the town’s most beloved residents, the woman who told stories. Alden had heard her earlier, laughing along with the rest of them. “I’ll teach you my trade. I’m too old to keep entertaining these hungry ears by myself. And maybe a heart like yours will finally show its goodness through words since the work of your hands keeps betraying you.”
But the last of Yott’s confidence seemed to have been lost. He tried to refuse. The storyteller, he said, used words to make the dying laugh like children and to guide children in their growth. She recorded all of their lives and remembered the dreams of their forbearers.
“You fill our winters with warmth,” he said, “and sweeten truths so we won’t spit them out. How could someone like me ever be as good as you?”
“If I am telling stories in the meeting place, once they’ve driven all those animals out, do you plan to come in and scream a story louder than mine?” she asked him.
“Of course I won’t,” said Yott.
“Then does it matter if your words don’t hold the experience mine do? Your skills may be measured against mine by others, but don’t let that confuse you. I am not your competition. Silence is.”
“Silence?”
“You must only be sweeter, truer, or more useful than silence in the place where you speak. That’s all it takes for your story to be worth telling.”
“What if…what if I’m not better than silence?”
“You surely won’t be sometimes. Try sneaking into someone’s house while they sleep and see how much they appreciate your voice at a time like that. But there are weaker silences. Unwanted ones. Some that are dangerous. People appreciate even a clumsy tongue if it comes to fight those. One eye always on your listener, and another pointed toward the story you seek to tell. You don’t have a third for comparing yourself to others. Go, and find someone who will welcome the death of silence.”
Yott, terrified of failing again, searched the town for days. And he began to see what the old storyteller meant. If he kept one eye on others, he noticed them enjoying some silences and being made bored or lonely by others. He began to imagine what words those people might like or need.
Finally, he found a man who sat all by himself for a whole morning, trying to untangle a net. And he worked up his courage to offer a story.
Warin-doyis had them all rooting for Yott by then. So when he began to tell the story Yott had decided on, and it went wrong, Alden was wincing in sympathy.
Yott stumbled over his words. He had to backtrack to retell an important part he’d forgotten. And instead of giving the story any kind of moral that made sense, he ended it with, “That is why you should always check the label on a bottle of oil three times before you paint a building with it!”
The story he’d massacred had been about someone going fishing every day and finally being rewarded for their patience with a great catch. Yott had obviously let his eyes drift off of his audience and his topic there at the end.
Warin-doyis’s hands were moving like he was working on an invisible net.
“A little peculiar at the end there, wasn’t it?” he said in the character’s voice. “You’re really not much good at this, are you? But you’re better than the wind in my ears. Go on. Tell me another.”
“So Yott killed the silence again. And with his next story, he didn’t even think about his past mishaps. He thought only about how to make his listener’s day a little easier,” said Warin-doyis. “After several stories, the net was untangled, and when Yott stood to leave, he discovered he’d been speaking to more ears than he’d realized.”
Warin-doyis turned his head, and Alden followed the direction of his gaze across the circle toward Kelly. At some point, one of the pieces of fabric had dropped from the ceiling, and it was now behind her. It looked like a child, all bundled up, peeking around her to see the storyteller better.
“Yott told stories the next day and the next,” said Warin-doyis, drawing his wand through the air to make a shadow of Yott that began hunched and seemed to grow taller and straighter as the instructor talked about some of the places where he traveled with his teacher and how he grew better and better at his craft through the years.
“And by the time he was an old storyteller himself, news of his arrival in the town meeting hall had the power to kill silence before he ever spoke a word.”
Rushing footsteps and the flap of cloaks filled the room as all the fabric fell dramatically from the ceiling and gathered around the circle with them, shaping itself into new audience members who were eager to join them for Yott’s next performance.
“So don’t be nervous, my students,” Warin-doyis said. “Look to your audience with a good heart, give them something sweeter than silence, and you will be a storyteller. Becoming a better one is on the other side of many imperfections.”
The fabric people collapsed.
“Now, I told you to think of an audience of both our species. Some guests will come soon so that your audience is bigger! They will hear you and tell stories of their own. Do not be nervous, do not be nervous. All of us would rather hear you than silence this morning. We will talk a little more about Yott, and then I will introduce you to them.”
Several minutes later, after a discussion about the story and how they could apply what they’d learned from it to what they were about to do, Alden was calm and actually looking forward to his turn a little.
I’ve got an okay story for this audience, he thought. It has something to say. It’s better than silence. The version that never got finished wasn’t really something I wanted to give this collection of people.
Maybe it’s an eyes-on-myself story. A wish I needed to process, instead of a gift to be shared.
Who would I talk about a frog swimming in the dark to anyway?
He decided he was happy it had turned out this way as Warin-doyis went to the door to collect the guests who would be joining them.
Several Artonans walked in. Alden only saw two of them.
Esh-erdi and Lind-otta, side-by-side, in coats studded with metal instead of embroidered with thread. Here they were in his classroom to listen to storytelling students for a few hours.
Lind-otta who’d slowed the ocean as it drowned him.
Esh-erdi who’d made him try to croak to a story about sacrifice.
[Lute: Alden! Why staring like knight pals killed your cat?]
The message from Lute was momentarily confusing. Then Alden realized he was staring at Esh-erdi and Lind-otta like that.
And they’d noticed.
Two eyes were locked on him, one from each of them, even as they exchanged greetings with Warin-doyis.
Ohfuckno! My stupid face. They’re going to think I hate them.
He sent them a series of messages so fast it might have been a new record for his mental texting.
[Alden: I swear I’m so glad you’re here!]
[Alden: I think I want to tell a different story if it’s you two as my audience, and here you are, but that story isn’t finished yet, so I looked like that.]
[Alden: I’m happy to see you.]
[Alden: Thank you for coming.]
[Alden: Please don’t leave. I’m going to try to make a klerm sound. You can record it and use it to make fun of me a hundred years from now if you want to.]
Maybe if Esh-erdi hadn’t laughed right then and nodded at him, he’d have kept going.
Out of control, caution to the winds, maybe Alden would have said, “It’s a story about how I love wizardry. It’s about how I want to be myself in two worlds. It’s about how I’m underwater like I was on the night we met, but this time when I reach the surface, I don’t want to be someone you have to save. I’ve decided to try to stand beside you and fight in the dark. I wish… for your welcome.”
But Esh-erdi did laugh. And Alden remembered the many reasons why those things shouldn’t be suddenly and lightly said.
His turn came, and he took the storyteller’s position.
“Once,” he said, “when wishing was having…”
And for a while, he killed a silence with his tale about royals being transmogrified into the klerms they despised.
If Esh-erdi pitied his attempt at a klerm shriek, he didn’t show it. And when Alden tried to embody the overworked witch, cracking his knuckles and sighing at the thought of klermifying a whole palace, Lind-otta seemed especially into it, mimicking the sigh herself.
Another silence remained.
Alden couldn’t kill it today, but he took a swipe at it just for himself by improvising a new ending.
The gold ball found its way back to the pond, and it fell down through the dark water toward eyes that had never seen anything like it before. Maybe, he told them all, “The Klerm Prince” had a sequel.
I’m still a pretty quiet Rabbit, he thought as he went back to his seat amid his share of the applause. Not as quiet as I was, though. And it’s heavy, but I’m not carrying it alone.
He touched one of the logograms on his learning cushion. We’ll get there. We’re getting there. They’ll hear us when we finally reach them.
******
******
They took a break during the middle of the long class for people to go to the bathroom and visit with the guests. Refreshments were under one of the palm trees.
Alden introduced Lute to Porti-loth. The healer shared his medical opinion about the lasting effects of turning people into klerms and back…assuming the witch in Alden’s story wanted to fix anyone. Then he pulled Lute away from Alden to make him try one of the meat-based snacks on the table.
Esh-erdi strolled over at the same time.
The knight’s face was dramatically contorted. If Alden had to name the expression, he’d call it “constipated disappointment.”
“I didn’t look like that!” Alden said.
“I’m afraid you did. And I had been looking forward to surprising you.” Esh-erdi shook his head.
“If I did look like that…a little…it was directed inward, I promise. It’s really nice to see you here instead of at Matadero. And it’s nice that it’s for something like this instead of after a problem has happened.”
“Grand Senator Servin-ith wishes you and Lute well. I was supposed to say that to you on her behalf some time ago.”
Probably around Christmas, thought Alden.
“You’ve been busy with more important people, though,” said Esh-erdi. A trio of braids hung over his right shoulder. As usual, the hairstyle matched Lind-otta’s. Alden could see her on the patio talking to a group of four of his fellow students. They were all either overanxious or overzealous about meeting her, judging by the amount of gesticulating going on.
“As your first and favorite storytelling instructor,” said Esh-erdi, “what is this special story that is intended for us? Hm? I’m sure I can help you with it.”
What’s wrong with me? I really did tell him I had a story for the two of them. Just blurt out whatever you want to, Alden.
“It’s unfinished.”
Esh-erdi looked intensely curious.
“It’s very unfinished,” said Alden.
“But since keeping it secret has such a horrendous effect on your features, you should consider releasing it in its rough form! Just to me. I’ll never share it with anyone.”
“Not even with Lind-otta?”
“I’ll only share it with Lind.”
Alden smiled. “I remember you promising that before, but a third person somehow heard about me croaking at you.”
Esh-erdi looked almost embarrassed for all of a second. “That’s because I thought he was <<an exemption>>. I apologize.”
“No, you were right. He’s an exemption. You can tell him whatever you want about me.”
“Can I?” Esh-erdi asked, eyes scanning Alden. “All right.”
“I still can’t tell you that story yet, though,” said Alden. “I’m sorry.”
“Well, the only solution is to turn you into someone who is ready as quickly as possible. Come with me this weekend to practice on an insatiable and unforgiving audience.”
“Really?” Alden was trying to imagine what he meant. “You want me to practice storytelling…with you. This weekend. This Earth weekend? Like tomorrow?”
“Yes,” said Esh-erdi.
“Where?” Alden asked.
“Have you ever ridden a terackerin?”
******
Tidbits & References:
Alden’s learning cushion — was a gift from Stuart he received at the end of Chapter 124. He later learns that to pay for the craftswoman Enyl-tirg’s time, Stu cleaned out all the expired ingredients in peoples’ cabinets around the village of Root in Rapport I.
ibblers - subtle, solitary animals that don’t interfere with others. Unlike Makee-en. If you don’t remember that minor reference, you can read it in Chapter 251, where Stuart goes to the knight oath ceremony at DawnStep.
Kelly - a grad student who took over Alden’s Artonan Conversation class last term after Instructor Rao quit unexpectedly. She let him skip classes and use his final for the grade since he was so far ahead of the other students in that course, and she later advised him and Lute to take this class with Warin-doyis. Kelly’s a minor character who’s only had a couple of appearances, but if you’d like to remember them, check out Chapters 156 and 208.
Comments (185)
Damn I was really looking forward to the actual story smh
'“Maybe it’s worried you’re the kind of person who would actually eat assorted dangerous plants for the fun of it.” [Doing that would be damaging to your health.] “It says doing that would be damaging to my health,” Alden told him. “What else does it say?” “Nothing. That’s it.”' XD '“You lured me into this,” said Alden. “What?” “Nothing!”' XD 'but that conversation about how a particular word for “scared” had its origins in an ancient misunderstanding about the behavior of ibblers had shown him she was definitely years ahead of him on the studying front even if he didn’t feel like he struggled to talk with her smoothly in the language.' XD 'Lute, suddenly made aware that he’d been sharing an apartment with something all these college people found intriguing, leaned around Kelly to see the cushion better, too.' >:) 'Alden answered like a competent student instead of telling the instructor that his breakfast seemed to be taking on a life of its own within him.' Ha 'One eye always on your listener, and another pointed toward the story you seek to tell. You don’t have a third for comparing yourself to others. Go, and find someone who will welcome the death of silence.”' :o '[Lute: Alden! Why staring like knight pals killed your cat?]' :) Thank you for the chapter :D
Edit suggestions: typos, grammar, style, misc. Feel free to ignore. - The eighteen original slots for the class had almost all gone to graduate students like Kelly who were language or culture focused. -> language- or culture-focused - If he were the one trying to build a class that could both benefit from Warin-doyis and show him that his time was needed and valued, he’d have stuck himself and Lute in it. -> ["he/his/him" = vague pronouns here, referring sometimes to Alden and sometimes to Warin-doyis] - pants that fit loosely in the leg -> [I'm not familiar with this phrasing] - Special ordered it from a shop that takes requests from Avowed -> Special-ordered - remembered the dreams of their forbearers. -> forebears
So, terackerin.
“As your first and favorite storytelling instructor,” said Esh-erdi, “what is this special story that is intended for us? Hm? I’m sure I can help you with it.” That is the answer Alden wants really. He wants to tell them about his magic and to be welcomed by them. So the story should be finished by Esh and Lind
I mean, im a terra kin to the best of my knowledge
How would you pronounce terackerin? My first guess is a syllable per vowel e.g. teh-ra-keh-ren, almost like terror karen. Or optionally make the n long and it's own syllable te-ra-keh-ri-ñ, like it's hooves makes a ringing sound similar to small, cheerful bells instead of a more horsey cloping sound.
I just noticed there's a cracker hiding in that name. te-(c)racker-in.
From chapter 131: The demon was about the size of the riding terackerin Esh had recently given his nieces. So, it looks like we're going to visit the Erdi family home and Alden's birth tree.
In the next episode, we will find out whether terrakins love rabbit meat.
Whether terrakins look at Artonans or Terrans, all they see is meat.
There was an alternate universe where the storyteller followed up with Yott after a few days to learn what silences he found to kill, and he says "I surveyed 100 people, and the most common response was "who are you, get out of my house or I'm calling the police""
…should it be ‘he’s an exemption’ or ‘he’s an exception’?
Exempt : a rule does not apply to it Except : conditions where rule does not apply
Any votes on whether or not the next chapter is going to jump right into the Esh outing or if it’s going to be a breather featuring a training sesh con Ignacio? It makes sense in my mind that we get one more moment of life in the pond as a frog before Alden leaps up out of it to bravely show Esh his testicles. (For the uninitiated, the word 金玉:kintama, 金 being the kanji for gold and 玉 for ball, means testicles in Japanese. I have been unable to keep myself from being childishly amused every time Alden has brought it up in the text)
(Grudgingly upvotes ball joke because you explained cultural context and I learned something.)
Wait, this tag on your learning cushion seems loose Alden. ......rip...... Sorry....... (Reads tag) Product of RAPPORT ONE, do not remove this tag without permission of the PRIMARY.
[All cops on Anesidora converge to capture the dangerous, tag-removing criminal]
A few years ago, the Wrights (not their real name), lost some local elected positions to the the Rabbits The newly elected Rabbits tried to immediately create changes related to their election promises only to be stymied by lack of seniority, familiarity with procedures, budgets, legal authority, etc. As far as I can tell, Alden’s status as an unofficial Knight, service on Thegund, and desire to enter Chaos zones, protects Alden from Joe’s prediction of Dead by Bureaucratic Malice / Fragging / Looks like an accident But If Alden wants to be treated closer to an Artonan Knight than a Circus Freak, he needs more political allies, political capital, and political experience A relationship with Stu, Other Young Knights, Esh, Lind, Primaries Family could provide him with allies and practice at Knight politics Politics also involves a lot of public speaking, and persuasion An Artonan story telling class is a wonderful way to practice both public speaking AND persuasion 🎬
Interesting enough, Alden’s biggest initial danger, Death by Ignorance of Knight jobs/ situations/ preparations/ Staff in a Chaos Zone (looking at you Calculus 2 Teacher that was on teacher probation for failing the entire class last semester) is vastly reduced by his relationship with Stu (Esh, and Lind, will help but are likely TOO senior to have access to all the relevant scuttlebut known by the newest Knights) 🎬
I'm honestly surprised Alden is so worried about doing worse than others. He seems to have no such problems in gym, or anything else really. He has no problem singing badly in front of people. He had no worries when plucking the harp. I can understand why he'd start to worry when the audience showed up. But back when he thought it was just class? It doesn't quite feel out of character for him, but odd enough to me to raise an eyebrow.
I could imagine it's something about only wanting to get preferential treatment for his own effort. He did his best to enter the hero course but was dissapointed/angry at learning he got instant in because of the commendation. In gym class he is with many other students his own age that all are newly avowed and learn their skills and he feels his own efforts make him not lag behind and he can win against some of them despite his disadvantages. It's easier for him to see that he isn't really worse than others at it, so he doesn't feel it's undeserver because he puts the needed effort into it and has good qualities. But here he is comparing himself to college students that are at it for much longer or people that put all their effort into this class, quitting their jobs and so on for this course. While he got in their by chance and doesn't prioritize it as much as those others. It's important to him but not as much as for others there. So he might feel he doesn't really deserve this one or that he puts not enough work into it and that because of this he might be too bad at it.
4 hour class If students telling stories first half and guests telling stories second half Break at 2 hours ( 120 minutes minus Yott’s story) 20 Students 4-5 minutes per Student if all telling stories today and before break Reminds me of my Dad’s (wife’s biological dad) funeral. My Aunt (my mom’s biological sister) advice to keep my eulogy to 2-3 minutes AND practice reading it a loud while timing myself 🎬
I've convinced myself that the focus on Esh and Lind is a red herring, and that the next person Alden tells about himself his Klein. The way Warin-doyis leads his audience's expectations is foreshadowing that our expectations are being similarly led. I think that, like the story of Yott, we're going to get a twist that Alden's desire to tell Esh and Lind is largely misguided, motivated mostly by the fact that he likes them. Esh definitely seems to care about Alden, but for him, this is a side-project. Something worthwhile for him to do during vacation. Klein, on the other hand, has dedicated his life to teaching children. He has deep personal motivations for doing so, and prioritizes the wellbeing of his students in a way his peers can't seem to manage. And yet, Alden has less than no interest in confiding in the man, even as he fantasizes about telling Esh. I'm betting Stu points out how weird it is that Alden doesn't seem to be making any plans to tell his school anything, something he will obviously have to do sooner or later
I really like your theory about our expectations being led. And there is precedent for Alden almost telling someone for many many (many) chapters. I'm not sure Klein is a safe choice for Alden though. He has demonstrated that he doesn't always respect Alden's choices.
Alden is so mature and thoughtful and often feels older than 16. So I love the frantic texting Esh and Lind when he made the bad face at them. It was very Alden but also a little awkward and so endearing and teenager of him.
Dear Alden is becoming a Rabbit who is going to kill his own silence lmao. Boe is going to be so mad really soon, cuz I think Esh and Lind are finding out abt his wizardry not long from now... One close Artonan friend knowing about his magic shenanigans is already too much but two actually fully fledged Hn'tyons is a whole other beast (at least in his head it should be)
For some reason, this chapter made me think that Alden needs a magical girl transformation sequence into his knight uniform. Some spinning, some glowing, instant outfit change kind of deal
He didn't take that signing bonus, unfortunately. Not that it'd be much use out of range of the system...
You must only be sweeter, truer, or more useful than silence in the place where you speak. That’s all it takes for your story to be worth telling. Wow, what an impactful phrase. I love it.
Will Esh-erdi tell a story after that mid-class break? "They will hear you and tell stories of their own" makes it sound likely. If he does, I wonder if Lind will help with accompanying effects.
I was thinking about how long until Alden would be able to talk about himself to others. To Esh-erdi but also important is to other knights, to Stu's parents. Realistically, he's too weak before his next binding to be taken seriously. And then for at least a month after his affixation he wont be able to prove significant wizardry because he's in recovery. In the timeline of this story... is it going to be 8 months later? A year?
His strength has absolutely no bearing on how seriously an admission that he's a wizard will be taken, and when he does talk about it I can pretty much guarantee that Mother will vouche for him in the probably unlikely event that any important Artonan he tells about it doubts him. Other humans might be skeptical about it, but I don't think anyone that closely interacts with Alden will be skeptical enough to actually say so out loud.
My parents were ecstatic when I announced my engagement, they were worried about me being alone since my romantic relationships tended to last one, to two, weeks (But that is another story) So many people are convinced Esh, and Lind, know some secret about Alden, or Alden + Stu My first impression was a close family friend of Stu’s parents hoping to get Stu some friends and being delighted that Alden seems to trust Stu If that is true, Esh’s invitation to meet his nieces (several comments have pointed out the foreshadowing) is a multiple prong plan including exposing Alden, and eventually Stu, to more Artonans, Artonan culture, and less prejudiced minds (unlike the Knights worried about Stu dragging them down instead of hoping to lift Stu up with them) 🎬
Yeah, but he also likes Alden for himself
Oh man, I enjoyed this chapter so much and I can’t even articulate why! Beautiful! Thanks @Sleyca!!
Thanks for the lovely chapter, Sleyca!
This is almost certainly in my top 10 favourite chapters! What a parable!
"an insatiable and unforgiving audience." that's children isn't it? He's going to put him before the most vicious of critics and most welcome of ears.
Yes—he bought some nieces a "riding terackerin" that he was using as a point of comparison for the Matadero demon. Given that that demon was pretty big, Alden may be having a Time this weekend.
A wonderful chapter: even amidst all the gratifying progress and threads tying together of late, this chapter felt quite special. I love how it contains it's own short story as a meta-narrative. It makes me wonder if you are referencing some of your own creative writing classes, Sleyca. I wonder what mentors and advice you've recieved on your own journey. Something about this chapter made me want to re-read the first, and it is so much more impactful now with the rich context you've woven. I couldn't help but notice the parellel of the orange glass fire in this classroom and the orange lit glass shards of the shattered lamp in Alden's home.
TLDR; They killed the silence. With prejudice.
I love the speed at which this is moving.
Esh is such a dad
He’s not. He’s the cool uncle that shows up with a drum kit and a set of throwing knives for christmas.
Empires have soft power. The good kind of soft power is about genuine cultural exchange, like in this chapter. Re-reading it reminded me of my Chinese teacher at the Confucius institute who taught us an easy-to-sing song of Teresa Teng but also learned a Bulgarian song with special cultural importance and sang it with us. I wish we get more of the genuine exchange in the next chapter. Like listening to Lute, and then to Esh telling stories. It's beautiful. Does this justify the way Artona treats its resource world Earth? No. But Warin-doyis is not responsible for it, just like Sleyca is not responsible for the subpar Hollywood "production" that drowns the world. And beautiful writing like in this arc highlights such nuances.
Whos gonna break it to Ignacio that Alden will not be practicing Rabbit Recall all weekend with him
He'll be doing it at least twice today. Last chapter I noticed that Haoyu and Lexi weren't there when Mehdi was saying 'You have to practice practice practice until you can do it again!' They would have been able to tell him and Kon 'Yeah, once Alden figures something out once, he's got it for good.'
I really need that dinner at Aldens apartment with Esh and Lind to happen. Not so he can give Lexi advice, although that would be great, but so he can meet Victor. He loved Tiny Snake and watching the dogs when they flew over Anesidora and I'm convinced he'd love the cat too. He deserves to meet Victor!
More importantly, Victor deserves interplanetary fame :-)
You know what? I remember early on, worli ro-den had a thought about "giving" Alden to the Primary as a gift. He accidentally gave him something much better. A real friend for Stu and someone that Stu can deepen with.
I can't wait to see Lexi's reaction when he hears that Alden is going alien horse riding with the generals and their family.
I've never been on the "Esh suspects Alden" train before but uh... that one was a little suspicious. I'm not converting, but I am eyeing the station, if you get me. Anyway, great chapter, love Yott, love seeing My Literal Husband Esh even more!
He clearly has something he wants to share with Stu about Alden!
Alden is a Quiet Rabbit who is now speaking in the softest whisper into the ear of his friend. It will be interesting to see if and how that changes next chapter!
We rarely see Alden getting schooled in casual conversation. It was nothing much but still somewhat funny when Kelly pointed out that presumably expected behavior can in fact not be expected from different people with all their various personalities. Excellent chapter all around, feels like Sleyca is a universal cook. Handing out different flavored treats coming from a single pot.
I am so anxious for when wishing was having sequel. Great chapter. But my heart wants the sequel moment.
"You can tell him whatever you want about me.” Ok that's definitely going to come back...maybe much later Aaaaaannnd "Another silence remained." Only 3 words but so packed with meaning and feelings it's almost impossible.
Forgive my foggy memory but who was the exception? Was it Stuart? I don't seem to recall when Stuart and Esh were chatting and for some reason my mind went to The Primary~ but I also don't remember the timeline for how Alden would have chatted with him outside of their first meeting before Thegund. Thank you for the chapter and depth of philosophical and emotional connection you always manage to evoke of our earnest Alden. It resonates with so many of us following his story-- your story-- of trying to find your place in this beautiful, chaotic, lovely, messy world
Yes Stu, Esh spoke to him about Alden’s croak in the Second Blossom
This whole maneuver we got here from Esh was incredibly smooth. He noticed that Alden had something meaningful to tell them but isn’t yet comfortable enough to say it. So he’s making a space for him to get comfortable. I sincerely hope Alden decides to share his truths with Esh. Alden could benefit from an adult and more experienced perspective into his troubles.
I want to see Lind and Alden get closer as well. I feel like between the two of them, they can really help him navigate his future role
oh. my. gosh. This chapter. This is the most beautiful chapter of the story so far. The story of Yott is going to be one that rises up in my mind at random moments. It is so so glorious and true. A couple more things 1. Is Lute planning on poisoning Aulia and Jessica? 2. "Alden and Lute walked over the shadows of palm trees..." ooh.. visual. beautiful. What an exquisite description. 3. Weekened with ESH!!! YES!!
This was awesome! I'm gonna have to reread this to really get it fully, so good!
What a beautiful chapter. I love the ending, love Esh and whatever they're gonna do this weekend, and I hope Alden tells him soon!!
Take the team Alden. Strike needs to practice and Mehdi needs to travel
The knights, though, do not need Mehdi or his attitude.
I love that Alden is so enraptured by the Warin-doyis story that he doesn't even think about how the fabric-people magic works. "Out of control, caution to the winds, maybe Alden would have said..." Someone has another yell in his throat. Alden already thinks of himself as bound with Stu: "And it’s heavy, but I’m not carrying it alone... We’ll get there. We’re getting there. They’ll hear us when we finally reach them." “Grand Senator Servin-ith wishes you and Lute well... You’ve been busy with more important people, though,” said Esh-erdi. Who are these more important people? His classmates? Stu is a person, not people. Alden's visiting Rapport III "to practice on an insatiable and unforgiving audience": Esh's nieces! I really hope he doesn't tell Esh and Lind. I was hoping for at least a hundred chapters of Stu being the only other one to know: it'll change things if there are knowing adults to bail them out of sticky situations. Well, Esh and Lind may already know, but they don't know know.
I think Esh uncovered the Mother tag in Alden's profile while digging into his profile. And he's probably very curious what could get him that tag.
The way the Yott story is told makes me think of that Rakugo (Japanese storytelling art) anime. I was utterly engrossed with every story told in that anime.
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=IkvKIedDUu0&pp=ygUGcmFrdWdv Introduced me to Rakugo 🎬
Very good chapter, thanks! A lot of philosophy and small truths in there too, top notch work!
Aww I wanted someone to ask: " Just where did that cushion come from?"
Yeah I was so ready for one of the Artonans to recognize its maker.
"...all of their classmates did act like it was either natural or pleasantly surprising to have two teenagers in the mix." I'm sure it's partly because he's nervous and feeling self conscious, but Lute and Alden are *not* just two random teenagers... Lute is actively involved with the Palace of Undying which has a weird mystical/religious importance to a lot of Artonans, alongside his connections (unwanted as they are) to Avowed life locally. And Alden is the kid the 2 Generals showed up to watch preform and casually invite to the weekend bbq or Artonan equivalent
After carrying the artonan ambassadors assistent halfway across the island and saving her life. And also after hooking them up with some really good nosh for thanksgiving.
Every chapter of this story makes me wait for it with bated breath. I constantly check to see if the chapter has been released or delayed, because it continues to be full of incredible depth. It never disappoints. I look forward to the death of silence for many more chapters to come
my performance anxiety was off the charts reading that lesson 🫣
I’m beginning to suspect that Warin-doyis will be the one that Alden accidentally tips his wizard hand to. He’ll be engrossed in a story and react to something magical he shouldn’t be able to sense or unconsciously do something with his authority. The way a story-teller and his teacher will react to such a revelation will be drastically different and more interesting than anyone else he would have considered telling.
I'm hoping something like this happens but with Esh and Lind!
Nggnnngnhn killing silence... quiet Rabbit... of course.... Thanks for the chapter ! (what's a terackerin ?)
Maybe not unlike a terrapin? (Riding one of those would probably be too boring for Esh, though.) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Terrapin
Dang; Sleyca is such a good storyteller herself, this chapter was so well written
Thank you for sharing this meaningful chapter of this wonderful story. And a chapter about storytelling itself... the meta is strong in this one. Thank you for daring to share a glimpse of your thoughts about storytelling, and the courage to say something more valuable than silence while approaching readiness to share the story one truly wishes to tell. Deeply meaningful and valuable. Will contemplate at length. Thank you for this gift.
Thank you for the chapter💖
What a gem of a welcome house surrounded by its garden of wonderous Earth plants! Like the poet Merwin's house hidden among his palm conservancy. I was wondering how quickly Esh-erdi might show up to this class! Alden's dramatic reactions and tantalizing confession of an unfinished story he wants to tell to Esh and Lind someday are potent draws - no wonder Esh wants to hang out more and bring Alden with him to help entertain his nieces.
It seems like Alden’s impulsiveness is getting egged on. I do wonder how Sleyca handles the reveal to Esh/Lind. The Stu reveal was deeply meaningful to both him and Alden; it really was so much better than I was expecting. I hope Sleyca finds a way to let Alden speak from the heart without making it uncomfortable in the wrong way.
TFTC!
In keeping with wishing for things to have, what are the chances that Esh's neices are agemates for Kibby, and that by tomorrow Alis and the thegund wizards finish rebuilding the contract. I think if kibby could teleport there and hear the story as well, it would definitely end with "do it for her" mindset from Alden and showing his golden ball to everyone.
S-tier prose. The bit about making stories so sweet they won't be spat out, the audience trick in Yott's story, "be better than silence," it all stands out a lot. It didn't overpower my eagerness to see whatever this arc is building up to, though, but at least Alden is aware that he is a wretched little Quiet Rabbit who makes no noise at all.
It's kind of crazy how wide an audience Alden's story might turn out to be meaningful to. It works for Kibby and Ro-den as I said a couple of weeks ago. But of course it works for Stu too, yearning for acceptance from his peers even after years of thinking "this time, I am finally fitting in." And I just realized Esh and Lind may see themselves as a sort of klerm and princess as well, with how rambunctious (and younger) Esh must have been when they met. What an absolute goldmine of a setup
Can Porti-loth regrow an eye? I’m glad he’s met Lute.
Porti-loth can do anything. "Another healing potion for you, young Lute." "Is it mud?" "Of course! How did you guess?"
I think were going to see some big progress at the end of this arc. Im looking forward to sleyca cooking up a tear jerking finalized version of the klerm prince story to recant to esh and lind.
And they say the earth system doesnt have a sense of humor
Stories are meant to break a painful silence. Being a Silent Rabbit has been painful for Alden - he thinks it's wise to stay quiet for as long as he can, but he wants to show his true self to Esherdi and Lindotta. Maybe this story will allow him to gradually reveal himself to them. Also, I loon forward to road trip with Esherdi!
So esh is visiting his nieces?
Yeahhhhh
The story of Yott was fantastic. Thank you for that. I think I will take that into my writing. The words must only be sweeter, truer, or more useful than a blank page... Also Esh continues to be wonderful.
Yes! I loved that idea so much. The words only compete with a silence. Profound and lovely.
This whole chapter was so beautiful and bittersweet
Reading your writing makes me very interested in what kind of person you are and what your life experience is like. The story advice about your only competition being silence is super thoughtful and deep, and it's honestly mind boggling that you keep managing to make Alden so introspective, and that it keeps working so well.
Yes, I keep thinking - Sleyca has seen some shit in her life for sure
I dont know if this happens to anyone else... it might just be my weird brain... but does anyone else feel this strange, intense nervousness/excitement when Esh/Lind are in scene? It's physically extreme. The twist of them entering in this story had me literally throwing my phone onto my bed while I processed it. Very hard to describe the sensation. Am I just weird or do other people getting this too? What the heck is going on psychologically? What are you doing to us Sleyca?
They are powerful, and respected, and insightful. Few other characters have all three of those, especially on their scale.
Somehow, somewhere, Aulia Velra just winced so hard she nearly pulled something without knowing why, only vaguely sensing undesirable backlash like the bad half of a word chain but to her reputation.
Lol
> [Doing that would be damaging to your health.] I bet the reason the System replied like this is that it was trying to be humorous. It’s trying to learn how to banter with Alden like Mother does with her children.
Or remembered Alden's bad habit of eating stuff he should not, like small alien fishes
I am so smug, I am so smug, I am SO smug! I predicted Esh and Lind at the class after the last chapter! Cross my heart, the discord will back me up on it!
You're not allowed to make predictions anymore if you are distributing spoilers 🤣
If we just happen to be wrapped in a blanket to read your story, we won't have to spontaneously fall from a ceiling will we?
This storytelling part of the story reminds me of a Korean artist I once saw. He worked with a curved stencil for geometry lessons and a piece of sponge dunked in charcoal. He placed the stencil apparently at random, left a smudge to form a curve along it, then placed it elsewhere, equally at random to my eyes, and so on. Then, a picture came together from all the smudged curves. In the previous chapter, we got a smudge of Lute's story - just a phrase and a howl. In this chapter, we got nothing from Lute and just a smudge of Alden's story, along with a few smudges of their fellow students, Warin-doyis and the Artonan audience (the foreshadowing of Lute and Porti bonding over poisons is terrifying :-) ). And apart from the obvious nudge towards Alden telling his true story in class and outside it, I think one layer of what is coming together is the surprising picture of Artonan culture being shared by *not* designing all Awoved skills for combat. I start to understand the other political factions' viewpoints a little.
Without doubt a, great chapter and no nail biting cliffhanger. But there was some teasing about Alden revealing his wizardry that somehow still leaves me on edge!
I should have known Esh would make an appearance. He is a renowned storyteller, after all.
Who else is ready for Weekend at Erdi's?
The "have you eaten well" starting with Lute had me thinking this was a reference to the Palace of Unbreaking and that Lute was getting razzed for working with the weirdo wordchainers. Equal parts relief and disappointment to see it was actually a normal greeting.
A strange callback here to the Chinese greeting 你吃了吗？
Oh my gosh this soup was DELECTABLE. When Warin-doyis said there were guests I thought NO WAY and then Esh and Lind walked in and I squealed. I'm dead for real. I will rise from the grave to ride a terackerin and no earlier.
Also I am imagining Warin-doyis as doing Wizard Rakugo and its kind of sending me
I heard you like stories, so I put a story in your story all about stories. That was lovely. You have a way of bringing life to a character so quickly and nowhere could it be more on show than a chapter like this.
"Be better than silence". Fuck me, I was not expecting that particular gut punch.
There’s at least a few layers there, aren’t there?
Delightful from beginning to end. ...Are we going to Rapport 3 to visit Esh's nieces, to whom he gifted a riding terackerin?
Also needs to check that Aldens birth tree is taking to the new climate while he's there.
That was marvelous.
That story was so beautiful. I've never really been a fan of flowery prose but every word chosen was absolutely perfect and they flowed together so wonderfully. It conveyed the instructor's point so clearly in a way beyond the typical platitudes of 'don't be nervous'. The interactive elements were so interesting too.
Road trip confessions incoming please?🥹 This chapter was fantastic. I loved the storytelling class and the teacher and geeking out over the cushion. I love Esh and Lind so much.
That parable really got me straight in the feels. I swore out loud, it hit me so hard. And then you throw an Esh and Alden road trip at us??? I could not he more hyped.
"The demon was about the size of the riding terackerin Esh had recently given his nieces. The humans kept shouting “centipede” at it."
Sleyca the great and mighty silence vanisher
Me each week : that's it, there is no way this story can get better Sleyca : hold my wevvi <3 <3 <3
If Esh also extended Alden's invite to friends/roommates... Lexi is going to get a surprise. Not inviting the knights over for dinner, instead you're invited over to their place for dinner! 🤣
I'm wondering if Stuart will get to come!
AAAA OMG This chapter killed me I am ded. I love it so bad. Also yesssssss Alden, get adopted scrub!!! Hopefully soon Alden will try to reveal his secret and Esh-erdi will reveal he's known/suspected all along ...
I love Alden slowly being adopted by Lind and Esh
He's taking Alden to meet his nieces, now... which stage in the adoption process is that, do you think?
I can't help but contrast Warin and Ash when it comes to teaching and their classes. Warin opens their class with a story one part teaching/showing them storytelling, but has a secondary effect of trying to waylay the student's nervousness. There's a level of empathy and ... mentorship? in his decision and how the story is conveyed. Esp considering it is dovetailing into each of the students making an attempt at converting a human fable into Artonian moores. Contrasting against Ash who spits out facts and maybe spends energy thinking about thinks HE is interested in... a teacher who zips out of classroom at the ring of a bell, pretty much avoiding his students and absconding any responsibilty as a teacher beyond what is strictly definined what a 'teacher' might be. Its day and night and really adds to how moving this chapter is, after all the anguish for a scrap from Ash's Coursing class
I think it's also a human/artonan divide. Ash reflects a very familiar mindset of competition where talent (real or perceived) separates the noteworthy from the irrelevant, and no effort should be spared to not be the latter. Warin is another example of an artonan teaching tradition that emphasizes personal development rather than focusing on outdoing others or achieving the absolute pinnacle of ability.
“No, you were right. He’s an exemption. You can tell him whatever you want about me.” “Can I?” Esh-erdi asked, eyes scanning Alden. “All right.” My heart wants to add something after this bit. Even though it’s wild and mad and far too revealing without explaining enough: “Of course you can. I asked Mother to share anything that would help him, and I trust you almost as much.”
Anyone remember which chapter Alden asked Mother this? I forget and would love to go reread it
Artonan stories are shaping to be my favorite part of this book. Over the competition of Lute's drama, Thegund and everything else actually.
I wonder if Esh is somehow able to see the emotional cracks in Alden bursting to tell them he wants their welcome and acceptance and to walk the path with them.
Alden: " Of course, since it knows I’m not serious…it’s already answering.” Mother whispering to Earth in the background: "He has already eaten toxic fish and an entire can of lard, best to tell him just in case."
Not the lard 🤭
Alden’s face gets him in so much trouble :D
As a person with negative points in my poker face skill, I sympathize.
Im shaking in excitement for the day Alden tells Esh-erdi
Thank you for being our storyteller, Sleyca.
Going from ash who barely qualifies as a teacher to Warin-Doyis has gotta be the most insane upgrade.
Computa, tell me if these plants would turn my organs into soup.
"What a wonderful idea! Do you want me to list all their effects? Or will you go on and try them out? Do you want me to check proportions for your soup?" Disclaimer: This answer is generated by Chat GPT. It may contain errors
I can see why this one took time, thinking and writing like Aliens and having to write a folktale from their perspective sounds like a rouuuugh time
Thank you for the chapter!
How do I double favorite a chapter?
You'll have to settle for singing its praises here
Turning the laughing audience into the judgemental townspeople mocking Yott was powerful. I wish I could study with Warin-doyis too
It’s brilliant in that it serves the purpose for which the story is told, but I would be a little angry at the storyteller for pulling that shit. It’s okay to laugh at the story because the character being laughed at is not a real person, cannot perceive you, and will not be hurt. To turn that around on the audience and make them feel guilty - I’d be quietly irate. Am I supposed to feel guilty about laughing at fictional characters now? Is that not safe anymore? Are you really demanding yet another layer of cognitive processes I can never set down even when I’m here for pure entertainment? It’s both useful and excusable in this case because it’s a reminder to the students that everyone here is a real person whose feelings matter. I’d still be mad that this guy did the emotional equivalent of sucker punching me.
“You must only be sweeter, truer, or more useful than silence in the place where you speak. That’s all it takes for your story to be worth telling.” Instantly stealing this. Chefs kiss
Honestly, that line smacked me in the face. A truth I already believed, but had never seen.
Warin-doyis really is a wonderful teacher. That was the perfect story to set all of the students at ease before a challenge. Maybe it was even the story that Alden needed to be able to tell the story that really matters to him. I hope so. I think maybe he’ll be ready to tell it.
The demon was about the size of the riding terackerin Esh had recently given his nieces. The humans kept shouting “centipede” at it. from ch 131
Are we about to meet the erdi family?
Esh-erdi really is good people. 😀
esh: lind if you dont want me to not adopt to this extremely earnest young avowed say what lind: what esh: kay thanks im taking alden on bonding activities tomorrow lind, who is not actually confused: /smug
That one felt like a surprise visit of the parents at class. And I wouldn't be in the slightest surprised if they somehow adopted him. Because I have the feeling that they know what he is.
I love how Alden makes mention here of being a slightly less quiet rabbit! It's been on my mind for the last few chapters as he's been pushing himself and growing in new directions; there are, after all, a whole lot of numbers between 4 and 99.
I laughed. So many times. It’s such a delight when a serious story is told with so much humor. I am in awe of Sleyca’s ability to turn a lesson about storytelling into such a compelling story.
Thanks for the chapter
ugh this was such a good chapter. I don't mean to overpraise but that subtle turn in Yott's story, also implicating us as the readers too, it felt very impactful. It elicited something visceral, and from such a short set up too. Also, yess plot moves forward!! The next chapter can't come soon enough. Lastly, the little detail of etiquette on how one should sit on the cushions while listening to someone important.. I can imagine some unruly wizard switch to sitting on his butt in the middle of an important lecture to show his dismissiveness lol
The poor ass-abused cushion! That's not just a show of contempt for the storyteller, but for the poor upholstery.
What a strong lineup of neat Artonans. Of course Esh and Lind are classics, but Warin-Doyis is getting a strong start himself.
We didn’t get to hear the story!
I imagine we'll get to hear the full form of the version that matters so, so very much more to Alden.
*dance of approximation*
Just out of curiosity, the sun already rised for you guys? because I think sleyca is the only author that's post around my time system midnight
This one came out around 5-6am for me
Omgosh hi hi hi
Thanks!!!
Wish came true. TFTC!
LOL just checked, what luck! This was a frustrating chapter though uuuuuyyyyyyy
Yayyyyy! Thanks sleyca :D get plenty of rest!
Soooooouuuuuuopppp!!!
Good soup. Worth the wait.
Thank youuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuu