THREE HUNDRED FIFTEEN: What Grows Unseen V
Next Chapter: 24 September (approximate)
THREE HUNDRED FIFTEEN
What Grows Unseen V
It had been almost a year since Stu had visited the observation station. The bottom floor was as he remembered—a place where people from every Rapport mingled, making new acquaintances or reconnecting with old ones. Teleportation alcoves were scattered throughout this level of the station, and he’d arrived in one situated below one of the displays that showed events taking place on the fields below them.
The viewing options were more artistic down here than in the rooms above where people gathered specifically to discuss the battlefield scenarios. The display over the alcove moved like soft wax. Grass, stones, and fur grew out of the white surface as it morphed to show a top-down view of a ewtwee hiding, or attempting to hide, from two approaching knights and a griveck who must be the one Alden had met.
The three votaries siting on a nearby sofa were talking about their studies instead of watching, and Stu only watched for a moment before the alcove he’d just exited stole his attention.
Should I have left Eeaner like that?
I could go back.
He’d had the same thought repeatedly on the cart ride to the summonarium and then while waiting his turn to leave the university. Alden and Emban’s squad were moving cautiously, so they’d probably be fine, and it would take them until nearly this Rapport’s dawn to get the extraction they were hoping for.
If something important should be done with Eeaner-ket, then Stu had enough time to go back and do it.
But does he want something important from me? He acts like he doesn’t. Mostly.
Stu had both hands wrapped around his box of klerms.
Klerms are because of Alden. What’s Eeaner doing collecting them? He must’ve felt ridiculous dumping them out of the plants. He’s trying to be nicer to me than I realized.
How much was he trying? Was it only a whim today? Or a more significant longterm effort that Stu had failed to appreciate?
He was angry at the thought of me treating him lightly, yet he’s always irritated when I expect serious behavior from him.
I don’t know…
He turned away from the alcove again because he couldn’t figure out what he was supposed to do if he went back right now.
I’ll contemplate it.
Usually, deciding that about a matter helped him set it aside. Now, even with his eagerness to discover what people here were saying about Alden’s actions, he still had half his mind wanting to mull as he checked with Ryada-bess to find out where she was watching from.
He crossed a floor decorated with a pattern of inlaid shells, passing more seating and more artistic displays. The dining area was on this level of the station, and it was noisy as he walked through the widely spaced tables on his way to a staircase that should take him almost directly up to where Ryada was.
“Stu!”
Jozz’s voice. Stu knew it before he looked away from the stairs and saw his brother at a table deeper within the dining room. And it wasn’t only Jozz. Two sisters, three cousins, and the woman who was beloved by Uncle Tesen’s oldest son were also at the table with him.
Jozz was the youngest and the only knight among them. They seemed to have just begun their third meal. A plate that held glazed yolk buns was being passed around, and one of the attendants was keeping an eye on them while he added stalks to the fragrance arrangement at an empty table.
Stu went to them. Their table was at the edge of one of the windows set into the floor, but there wasn’t much to see through it. Dark marshlands seemed to flow beneath them as the station repositioned to whichever field had been deemed most interesting.
Jozz smiled at Stu. He’d been smiling at Stu a lot since he’d gotten back home, but he hadn’t unsaid that Alden couldn’t be a real friend.
Stu was waiting.
“I called out to you twice before the third time caught you,” Jozz said. “What’s put worry on your face? Have a bun. Sit if you like. Aymeg Dad was going to dine with us, but he got pulled into a conversation with one of the und’h knights. It may be a lengthy matter since they took it up to one of the conference rooms.”
Stu took a yolk bun but not Aymeg’s seat.
“I’m worried about my housemate at school.” He sent an authority greeting to each of them as the rich, sweet bun filled his mouth. “I was in a hurry to get here after my classes, and I think I spoke wrongly to him.”
“I haven’t heard you say much about your housemates recently,” said Jozz.
“He still doesn’t like them much,” said one of the cousins. “It’s a bit sad, dear Stu. Don’t you want to find new ones? The students I lived with during my first year at DawnStep were with me all the way through to high graduation, and we felt close as family by then.”
“They’re both votaries from this Rapport, though,” said Jozz. “It must be different at LeafSong.”
“I don’t dislike Eeaner-ket,” Stu said. “I dislike some things about him, but… he wants to include me in the social events he enjoys. He’s smart and among the most talented in our year.”
“Not as talented as you, I imagine,” said Jozz.
“No. He may be in his own ways.”
“Really?”
“I thought I was in good company as his housemate at first. He said things that made me believe he considered a life of service like ours. But not long after school began he stopped talking like that and revealed himself to be unserious…”
Stu looked at the box in his hands. “I thought he was being frivolous again today, but he was making an effort to be warm to me. I shouldn’t have told him I’d change my expectations of him. It upset him.”
“You told him you’d expect less of him in the future?” asked Jozz.
“I thought he wanted me to.”
“After he was warm to you?”
“He did something thoughtful for me.” He could feel the vibrations of the klerms moving in their box. “He’s been planning a party he says is for me. It may actually be for me, in his mind.”
“Really, Stu…”
“I’ll contemplate what happened at length and discuss it with him,” said Stu. “I’d like it if I could weave something happier with Eeaner.”
He found a bud of optimism within him. Maybe upsetting Eeaner had led them both to something better.
“Anyway,” he said, “I don’t dislike him. And don’t put your thoughts on my housemates at LeafSong with so much else going on. Have you all seen what my friend Alden has done? He’s with Emban’s squad so you must have! Hasn’t he acted wonderfully? It’s his first time here, and he wasn’t expecting to do something like this today. He found his way to them. He killed a demon. He saved Bithe!”
“The rest of them only arrived recently,” Jozz said gesturing around the table. “They came to watch the samefaces.”
“They have a quest together later,” said one of Stu’s sisters. “We have taken a look at Emban’s squad though. The highlights. Alden Ryeh-b’t does seem to be a highlight.”
“I’ve been watching the fields for longer,” said Jozz. “Your human has done well. I don’t know much about what a Ryeh-b’t of his species and his age should be able to do, but he’s been a help to them. He’s not fearful. He’s put in as much effort as any of them have tonight. And he told Bithe to think of himself as a k’rethkan filling, which we’re all going to remember.”
Everyone at the table chuckled.
“Yes,” said Stu, his mood lifting to new heights at the thought that they were all properly seeing Alden Thorn. Or as properly as they could with the knowledge they had at present.
“I understand why you like him so much,” said Jozz.
Stu beamed at his brother.
“And he uses his skill versatilely. The preservation talent with the requirement for another person’s participation…someone was inspired by one of the old ones maybe. How did you get Emban to invite him along with her squad, though? I hope you didn’t make her feel at fault for that disagreement they had about you. She can be hard-tongued, but she had a point from the sound of it.”
The last bite of soft bun seemed to toughen in Stu’s mouth.
Emban’s point that day was that Alden was incapable of understanding me well enough to say what he did. She was wrong.
But maybe Jozz hadn’t heard the story accurately. Or he was encouraging peace between cousins. He’d just been complimentary to Alden, and Stu had already been prickly to someone who didn’t deserve it today.
Stu swallowed his bun and his need to make his brother clarify what he thought Emban’s point was.
“I didn’t encourage Emban to do anything. Alden has been in Rapport III for a couple of days. He must have met Emban’s squad here. I think she probably wanted to apologize to him.”
“Is taking an Avowed on a training quest a good apology?” asked a cousin.
“Oh, it would be for Alden!” said Stu. “Can’t you see how he’s developing his abilities through the struggle? And he—”
“Why was Alden in Rapport III for days?” asked Jozz.
“This is his weekend,” said Stu.
Consternation sank hooks into Jozz’s eyebrows. “It’s not your weekend. You didn’t invite him to spend days in a Rapport by himself, did you? Nobody would do something like that.”
“I didn’t invite him at all. But it’s annoying that you think—”
No. I must not be prickly.
“I didn’t invite him,” Stu said more slowly. “Alden weaves relationships with knights who aren’t me. And they are enriched by knowing him. And they invite him places. I need to go watch him now. Maybe we could watch him together later, any of you, if there’s time after your meal?”
“Wait! You haven’t heard the good news. I’m sorry, Mmin. I should have let you tell him as soon as he came over.”
Stu knew what the good news would be, but he was still respectful of the moment. He grabbed the last bun from the plate that had just been set down and looked at Mmin-wisth. The sweater she wore tonight didn’t show her many academic accomplishments. Her green ear jewelry swung gently as she pushed her chair back from the table to show him her hands on her stomach. “A new life for the siblinghold,” she said.
“I honor you and will love that new life,” said Stu, reaching across the table to pass her a piece of yolk bun he’d just pinched off.
It would have been more pleasing to his sensibilities about what the ritual should entail to give her the whole thing. But he’d given Aunt Alis a whole awa root he’d grown and roasted himself, and that had not gone like he’d expected it to.
“Thank you. And thank you for not feeding me a root the size of my head,” said Mmin after she’d swallowed the offering.
“I’ve been told that our family is too large for pregnancy offerings that can’t be eaten in a single bite.”
“I heard you being told that.”
“Everyone in the house heard him being told that.”
Stu sighed. “I learned. Will you finally take our name when the baby is born, Mmin?”
“I’m enjoying letting your cousin persuade me,” she said.
“You’d already pinched a piece before she told you she was pregnant,” said Jozz. “Is word spreading through the family so fast?”
“I knew last week.” Stu had been visiting his husenots, and she’d come into the room. “I could sense it. I’m excited the siblinghold will be full of children soon. If you need anything from me, Mmin, I’ll help.”
He’d be one of the adults, responsible for little cousins, sisters, and brothers whenever their days intersected. He wanted to teach them what Sina had taught him. And what his father had taught him. And maybe even some of the things his mother had taught him.
“I guess you won’t be Baby Stu for much longer,” said Jozz. “Eeaner-ket was it? The housemate?”
“Yes,” said Stu. “Enjoy your meal.”
******
******
Stuart could sense a whisker on a real mouse if he were trying as hard as I am right now. He could probably sense its rodentness and its cheesy mouse thoughts and however many friends it has out here.
Come on. Where are you?
Alden, Bithe, Emban, Tilliver, Seth, and Divin were climbing another hill. At this point, it was getting difficult for Alden not to think of them all as stupid hills that should be leveled for the betterment of people everywhere. Surely nobody in Rapport III actually liked them?
I recall really liking them a few hours ago. I must have been crazy.
He knew that, deep down, he must still be a hill enjoyer. But without his inhaler, his wordchains, a drive to get to his lost entruster’s side, and that fresh plane crash survivor energy, it was a different experience.
Plus the Artonans were all stumbling around listlessly in between warning whispers or whistles. Alden was beginning to think exhaustion was contagious.
Maybe I should cast the chains again.
He’d stepped in a hole and fallen onto his hands and knees a few minutes ago. That kind of thing wouldn’t happen if he had My Body Becomes My Assistant. But there was the moral quandary now. They were really close to where they thought they could get rescued, he had a lot of protection with him in the form of five surly, stumbly knights, and making some ordinary class volunteer at the Palace of Unbreaking into an S-rank klutz for hours when he didn’t really need to…
Hold on. I can still pay for chains myself if I ever want to. So if I realize I used one wastefully, it’s not like I can’t make amends.
“Should I cast my wordchain again?” he asked.
Everyone was still on a rope behind him except for Emban. She was out ahead on her own, checking for threats.
“The one that makes me graceful,” Alden said. “It’s not excessive this far into our trip, is it?”
“If you can cast it again, you should have already,” said Tilliver.
“All of us making it back to safety without any serious injuries or worse is worth much more than the cost of a wordchain, Alden,” said Bithe. “Once we ended up here instead of where we thought we were going, using everything we can use became necessary.”
“That’s what I meant,” said Tilliver. “He says it better. Ignore whatever I told you earlier about saving weapons and armor for others, too. We’re in the wrong place, and we’ve done more than enough fighting. Nobody’s going to accuse us of wasting anything.”
“You’re right. That’s all obvious. I’ve gotten a little tired, so I wasn’t thinking as clearly as I should. We’ll pause while I cast it.”
His hands still moved easily for him. They looked more impressive when the rest of him was sluggish and heavy.
He remembered how swiftly Jel-nor’s hands had moved with her auriad.
A well-trained wizards’s hands. I like mine better.
“We’re almost to Demon Goat Valley,” said Divin.
Alden had called it that in English. Now everyone called it that in English. It probably had some elegant Artonan name that they were repeatedly insulting.
“I could eat a demon goat,” Divin said.
“I developed a taste for some of the plants that mutated in Worli Ro-den’s laboratory,” said Alden, starting his climb again with more certain steps. “Only two people alive have eaten Thunder Lettuce. And it was good. Now I’m thinking, what if Thunder Lettuce was actually stabilizing the lab a little? What if it was somehow Thegund’s version of the treat we were supposed to find tonight? What if planting a whole field of it could have saved the moon and the universe?”
“I feel less inferior now that you’re making it so obvious you need rest,” said Seth. “You’ve half carried us all this way, and you seemed immune to fatigue. But now you’re imagining you ate a thundering plant that held the solution to chaos.”
“It’s not sounding that far-fetched to me tonight.”
“I assure you it is beyond far-fetched, Alden Thorn.”
“The lab did belong to a Distinguished Master known for his chaos research.”
None of them said anything to that.
“About the small animal I saw earlier—it was on this hill on the other side. But it could be on this side now. If any of you see something that might be it.”
“It was probably only an animal, Alden,” said Bithe.
“But, you know, a griveck came through here. So you’d think normal animals would be too scared to move a muscle until next summer.” Alden thought this was a very reasonable point. “That tiny creature was running around right in front of me. What if it was a hazard mimic giving me a clue?”
“We will say if we see anything,” Tilliver said. “As we have every time we saw something.”
“Okay.”
He could tell they still weren’t interested in his mouse, though. Their eyes, even disbelieving, probably stood a better chance than his nascent sensing abilities, but he kept working on it.
There they all are behind me. There’s the ground beneath my feet.
Reaching out with his authority in an active way couldn’t happen in this company, so he just tried to be receptive.
Stuart says I can be good at this kind of thing with enough practice. He’d be disappointed if I didn’t try.
Being able to disappoint someone was underrated, he decided. You could only disappoint another person if that person had taken a look at you and developed expectations for you.
Stuart’s expectations had to be as Intensity 99.9 as the rest of him.
I don’t mind, thought Alden. It used to scare me, but now I think I like it a lot.
******
******
“They all look so tired!” Ryada said, not even a shadow of weariness in her own voice as she and Stu sat under a soft heated blanket together on the deck where he’d found her.
He’d suggested going in to listen to commentary about the squad wherever they could find it, but she’d wanted to stay out here. And now that they’d been together for a while Stu couldn’t imagine anything better was happening indoors.
Her interface and his eyerings showed them the exact same scene. Nobody else ever walked by on this part of the deck. The blanket and her body heat were very comfortable, and except for her not keeping her share of the crumbs from the k’rethkan they’d ordered brushed away, she was near perfection as a companion for this activity.
“What is Thunder Lettuce?” she asked. “I know you must have heard about it before.”
“It’s not the solution for chaos I hope,” said Stu. “Since it all would have died in the explosion. He says it made their breath smell terrible. Maybe it’s like lisnit?”
“We need to know,” said Ryada.
“He makes an alternative out of Earth foods with similar flavors.”
“He must bring us some,” Ryada declared.
“Yes he must,” Stu agreed.
“He’s quite curious about that animal he keeps mentioning.” She found another k’rethkan in the basket they’d put under the blanket with them. She bit it in half. “They should look for it even if they think it’s nothing. Of course it’s probably nothing, but if something is bothering one member of the squad, then dealing with that is part of what we should do. Everyone moves better together if they feel like their ideas are being heard. And he’s put himself through much trouble for them.”
“You’re very considerate,” said Stu.
He didn’t dare comment on the animal because Alden had a particular look of concentration that Stu thought he recognized. What if he knew the animal was something out of place in nature?
“Where they are now is actually where some of your brother Jozz’s friends were supposed to have their quest tomorrow. Maybe they still will. All of the assignments are being mixed up now because so much has changed.”
She bit the half a k’rethkan in half again. “Jozz missed seeing Alden’s run through Demon Goat Valley—” she quick-laughed—“when it was happening. I thought half the people in that room must have seen it, but then I realized I was the only one watching. So I came out here. There was only one other on this part of the deck, and he was better company. Not as much fun as you, however.”
“Watching with you is a deep and wide improvement over trying to catch up on everything I missed between classes.”
“We’ll go meet them when they finish,” said Ryada. “With k’rethkan. What filling do you think best represents Bithe?”
“Do we hear two people stirring a cauldron to trouble a newling knight?”
Ryada and Stu both startled at the question. Esh-erdi had appeared on the staircase that led up to where they sat. Lind-otta was behind him.
“Lind, I do think they’re plotting against this unfortunate Bithe. Isn’t that great?”
“Esh-erdi,” said Stu. “Hello. Alden served wevvi from your house to everyone.”
“Did he? I missed that. I’ve been focused on the more active moments since I found out what he’s doing. Did you send him to the training fields?”
Stu shook his head. “When I left him earlier he wasn’t thinking of doing anything like this at all.”
Esh-erdi smiled. “He’s carving deeper and faster than I thought he would.”
“May we enjoy your company for a while?” Lind-otta asked.
“Of course,” said Ryada. “I’m Ryada-bess.”
“Excuse me,” said Stu. “A message has just come.”
It was from Aymeg.
[Stu, we’ve heard you’re on the observation station. Please come speak to me and Veln. We want to discuss something with you.]
“Is it a message from one of your enemies?” asked Ryada. “You’re frowning.”
“No. It’s my parents. Veln and Aymeg are here, and they want to talk to me about something.” They were loved ones, not enemies, but what dreadful timing. “I’ll try to hurry back. Watching the end of it with all of you would be close to perfection. Truly. I’ll be right back.”
He untucked himself from the warm blanket and strode to the stairs.
There and back quickly. Lift number four up to the conference room they’re in looks like the fastest way. Is it too much to hope that they just want to congratulate me on my wise choice of friends?
Probably.
It’s more likely something about Emban.
If they’d discovered the missing demon hide, they’d have wanted to talk to him at home with all of his parents. Not here and suddenly.
He headed in, and soon found himself going back through the dining area, glancing over to see if his family was still at third meal.
Only a couple of them were lingering.
If Stu got a moment alone with Veln Dad he’d show him what Alden was doing and explain just a few…
Stu’s feet stopped.
What did I just see? Only a couple of family members lingering at that table?
No. That was…
He turned. Slowly. And saw Jozz, posture relaxed after a good meal, talking to Eeaner-ket, who sat so stiffly in his chair and with such a frozen smile on his face that Stu couldn’t be entirely sure his brother hadn’t made him drink a potion that caused immobility.
Jozz wouldn’t do something like that. But he also wouldn’t invite someone Stu had just told him about to Rapport III and then talk to him about Stu without telling Stu…which was what seemed to be happening.
Maybe, they are talking about something else.
…such as what?
They are talking about me.
No.
This isn’t right. I don’t understand what he’s trying to do, but I know it’s not right.
He was on his way to the table in the next instant.
Comments (305)
'as it morphed to show a top-down view of a ewtwee hiding, or attempting to hide, from two approaching knights and a griveck who must be the one Alden had met.' >:) 'Jozz smiled at Stu. He’d been smiling at Stu a lot since he’d gotten back home, but he hadn’t unsaid that Alden couldn’t be a real friend. Stu was waiting.' Interesting. 'And he told Bithe to think of himself as a k’rethkan filling, which we’re all going to remember.”' Hah 'But he’d given Aunt Alis a whole awa root he’d grown and roasted himself, and that had not gone like he’d expected it to.' Heh '“I knew last week.” Stu had been visiting his husenots, and she’d come into the room. “I could sense it.' :) 'And maybe even some of the things his mother had taught him.' Hmm '“I guess you won’t be Baby Stu for much longer,” said Jozz. “Eeaner-ket was it? The housemate?” “Yes,” said Stu. “Enjoy your meal.”' HMMMMM. 'Stuart could sense a whisker on a real mouse if he were trying as hard as I am right now. He could probably sense its rodentness and its cheesy mouse thoughts and however many friends it has out here.' HAHA 'But there was the moral quandary now. They were really close to where they thought they could get rescued, he had a lot of protection with him in the form of five surly, stumbly knights' Heh 'He remembered how swiftly Jel-nor’s hands had moved with her auriad. A well-trained wizards’s hands. I like mine better.' :) '“We’re almost to Demon Goat Valley,” said Divin. Alden had called it that in English. Now everyone called it that in English.' Heh '“I feel less inferior now that you’re making it so obvious you need rest,” said Seth. “You’ve half carried us all this way, and you seemed immune to fatigue. But now you’re imagining you ate a thundering plant that held the solution to chaos.”' Heh '“It’s not sounding that far-fetched to me tonight.” “I assure you it is beyond far-fetched, Alden Thorn.”' XD 'Being able to disappoint someone was underrated, he decided. You could only disappoint another person if that person had taken a look at you and developed expectations for you.' :) 'and except for her not keeping her share of the crumbs from the k’rethkan they’d ordered brushed away' HAH '“You’re very considerate,” said Stu. He didn’t dare comment on the animal because Alden had a particular look of concentration that Stu thought he recognized. What if he knew the animal was something out of place in nature?' >:) '“We’ll go meet them when they finish,” said Ryada. “With k’rethkan. What filling do you think best represents Bithe?”' heheheh 'Ryada and Stu both startled at the question. Esh-erdi had appeared on the staircase that led up to where they sat. Lind-otta was behind him.' :D '“Lind, I do think they’re plotting against this unfortunate Bithe. Isn’t that great?”' Hah '“Esh-erdi,” said Stu. “Hello. Alden served wevvi from your house to everyone.”' :) 'Jozz wouldn’t do something like that. But he also wouldn’t invite someone Stu had just told him about to Rapport III and then talk to him about Stu without telling Stu…which was what seemed to be happening.' Hmmmmmmm 'They are talking about me. No. This isn’t right. I don’t understand what he’s trying to do, but I know it’s not right. He was on his way to the table in the next instant.' HMM. Thank you for the chapter >:D
| Alden, Bithe, Emban, Tilliver, Seth, and Divin were climbing another hill. At this point, it was getting difficult for Alden not to think of them all as stupid hills that should be leveled for the betterment of people everywhere. Between this and the ocean he wants Alis to make on Thegund, Alden’s innate nature might have been better served if his skill involved terraforming
Oof. What do when the enemy is family?
Jozz, you fool!
Uuuuu I can feel it coming… THE SOUP MADNESS! Wait chapter now:0
What's the bet an Und'h is the Secondary or Tertiary. Maybe they're even the Und'h uncle that's been mentioned recently.
Septarian, so 7th.
Yee of little faith: “yee” Edit: *unyees*
https://youtu.be/q6EoRBvdVPQ
Next chapter predictions in bred lik, or otherwise? my name is Stu and wen i knite or when my wrath is tolling fite an all the sense haf gon from Jozz i hold my box i klerm the gloss
Mouse Fake demon Over the hill Make float then burn Soup
I hope Alden is successful at being accepted as a knight in the coming years not only for his and Stu's sake but also for Gorgon. Perhaps Alden can take responsibility for him one day. I'm looking forward to the day when Gorgon can tell his tale even though it may be years out.
I think he and Mother would have to have a conversation, and Alden probably would figure large. Alden is Gorgon's best play to get out of the Consulate and go about his revenge, which might just be expressed as a plan to rebuild a people with his racial memories (i.e. Alden's family). And he can help refine Rapport-resident Declared. One can hope!
A couple of chapters ago, when Stu was watching Alden between classes, he thought something along the lines of “why am I still here and not there.” I hoped at the time that that was foreshadowing Stu’s imminent affixion. I still think it might be possible. Maybe Stu’s upcoming encounters with Jozz and his parents will make him realize that he will never be treated as anything other than a fragile child until he finally takes the leap into knighthood and adulthood.
“Alden weaves relationships with knights who aren’t me. “ This might also be a clue he’s getting closer
I wish all my fellow Soup lovers a wonderful Approximate day! Please join me in our vigil as we await the approximate hour together.
12-36 hours to go.
With all the speculation that Alden will being Stu back to earth post-affixation, I am now trying to imagine Alden trying to explain things to his roommates. Cottontail: okay, so, my friend is going to be excruciating amounts of magical pain-- The whip man: Is he injured? Cottontail: Well, no, but yes
Still thinking about the general amusement re: Alden telling "Bithe to think of himself as a k’rethkan filling, which we’re all going to remember", and it contrasts with the whole-hearted sacrifice Bithe had been making to ensure Emban's safety. This is starting to feel like a distinct pattern, the way Alden can swing a scene from high tragedy and violence to comedy on the rise of a candy floss pig or a chipper comment.
Highly Dramatic, Poignant Scene: *action begins!* Unexpected Alden: *takes Looney Tunes-style action to avert a bad outcome* Scene: *genre-shifts to comedy in self-defense*
For all you chapter predictors: Do you think the next chapter will start with A. Alden, B. Stu C. Someone else on the observation station or D. Jeffy?
E. Eeaner
Can we say Stu is embodying his skill already ? He got closer to Alden when he destroyed Joe in the process. He weaved a friendship with him at the cost of some relationships with his family. Even this chapter on his road to connect with Alden he hurt poor Eaner. I’m sure there are other examples like this. (If you look at them this way )
I think it's very likely this is going to bring him an Eeaner much closer.
Woke up this morning anticipating approximate day. Very excited then remembered that I am a day ahead so it could be two more days. Sobs.
It's only a 30 hour day now
I'm really hoping this kicks off the Stu-on-Earth arc.
I’d like that to happen. I think it’d be hard though. Travel to earth seems very restricted.
Hey, Uh, What's Up? as sung by Alden Thorn with apologies to 4 Non Blondes adapted by The Icarus Collective Near seventeen years and my life is still Trying to live up to this ancient skill And the scope Of this commendation I realized eventually, once I knew I should, That my life was destined for this brotherhood Of knights For whatever that means I used to cry at night when I was lying in bed Trying to deal with these nightmares inside my head And now, I am feeling… A little peculiar… And so I join in this knight training exercise And I run up this hill and I rescue Bithe And he, gives me Artonan side-eye: “What's going on?!” And I say, “Hey, yeah, yeah, yeah, um… Hey, yeah, yeah.” I say, “Hey! What's going on?” Yes, I said, “Hey, yeah, yeah, yeah, um… Hey, yeah, yeah.” I said, “Hey! What's going on?” Oof. Ooh-ooh-ooh, Ooh-ooh-ooooooh, Ooh-ooh-ooooh… Oof. Oof. Ooh-ooh-ooh, Ooh-ooh-ooooooh, Ooh-ooh-ooooh… Oof. And I try Oh my God, do I try To get people used to my True social station And I pray Oh my God, do I pray For Stu and I to be okay For our affixations! I used to cry at night when I was lying in bed Trying to deal with these nightmares inside my head And now, I am feeling… A little peculiar… And so I joined in this knight training exercise And I ran up this hill and I rescued Bithe And he, gave me Artonan side-eye: “What's going on?!” And I said, “Hey, yeah, yeah, yeah, um… Hey, yeah, yeah.” I said, “Hey! What's going on?” Yes, I said, “Hey, yeah, yeah, yeah, um… Hey, yeah, yeah.” I said, “Hey! What's going on?” That's right, I said, “Hey, yeah, yeah, yeah, um… Hey, yeah, yeah.” I said, “Hey! What's going on?” I said, “Hey, yeah, yeah, yeah, um… Hey, yeah, yeah.” I said, “Hey! What's going on?” Oof. Ooh-ooh-ooh, Ooh-ooh-ooooooh, Ooh-ooh-ooooh… Oof. Near seventeen years and my life is still Trying to live up to this ancient skill And the scope Of this commendation...
Have an upvote.
Hey, what’s the etiquette for gift links that Sleyca leaves sometimes in some chapters ? Is it ok to let people know ??
No, it reduces my chances to sneak in here.
Pre-release wild speculation - what if Joe becomes Stu's votary? A year or two from now when Stu and Alden are on a mission needing Joe's expertise. Joe's current handlers did say that they would transfer control. Lol - it would make for some interesting conversation! Our boys would learn a lot and Joe does seem compelled to keep Stu from harm.
I did think about Joe joining our Studen squad… I thought him learning Alden became aware of his authority was in part because of him might be the last straw that drives him to seek a better path. Plus what Alden last told him, thenn ar and Stu even. I’d like that character development for him
I get the impression that Stu has the poker face of a toddler, which is to say none, and he’s about to give something major away.
He did fool Joe. And that takes skill. I prefer to imagine he can only fool people to the degree he believes fooling them is right.
"She bit the half a k’rethkan in half again." Poor Bithe. 😜
First the vatha sex boat, now k'rethkan filling. He is certainly becoming well known!
I wonder if Jozz is asking Eeaner to make sure there are no drugs at the party, do that it's "safe" for Stu. The family must be keen to avoid a repeat of Stu contemplating his errors for 8 months after the Mishnen episode.
Or threatening Eeaner more broadly. After all, Eeaner was there for the mishnen too. But really, I think he's trying to make Eeaner be buddies with Stu. Jozz has been very concerned with Stu's apparent lack of peer friendships. Of course that's a very delicate operation to attempt, and whatever Jozz is doing has failed at delicacy...
From this chapter: “I developed a taste for some of the plants that mutated in Worli Ro-den’s laboratory,” said Alden, starting his climb again with more certain steps. “Only two people alive have eaten Thunder Lettuce. And it was good. Now I’m thinking, what if Thunder Lettuce was actually stabilizing the lab a little? What if it was somehow Thegund’s version of the treat we were supposed to find tonight? What if planting a whole field of it could have saved the moon and the universe?” “I feel less inferior now that you’re making it so obvious you need rest,” said Seth. “You’ve half carried us all this way, and you seemed immune to fatigue. But now you’re imagining you ate a thundering plant that held the solution to chaos.” “It’s not sounding that far-fetched to me tonight.” “I assure you it is beyond far-fetched, Alden Thorn.” “The lab did belong to a Distinguished Master known for his chaos research.” I wonder what Ro-den would think if he's watching this or a recording. Could it be what he was planning with that lettuce?
My sense is the lettuce mutated due to chaos detritus, likely how radiation breaks chromosomes = mutation. Chap 47, Thunder Lettuce: > The last few trays he’d slotted in were largely failures. Most of the seeds didn’t sprout. A few produced anemic little plants that looked like they’d never turn into anything worth eating. And a far smaller number were growing like weeds. One of the first trays he’d placed had made a whole lot of nothing and a few gargantuan heads of what Alden was calling “Thunder Lettuce.” > The name made Kibby groan like she was in pain every time he said it. > Alden and the little girl had enjoyed a long discussion about eating Thunder Lettuce, and about the many other plants in the greenhouse that were still alive but no longer looking quite like they were meant to. > Conclusion—if the trial servings tasted yummy and didn’t make you sick, eat it.
Thoughts about Ch 162: “The floor below us is also part of the supply library,” Stuart said, apparently unaware that Alden was trying to calculate what that bin full of sand over there must cost if it was the same stuff that was inside his temper spheres. “And the one below that is for items that should be kept safe but that rarely need to be accessed." I wonder why that demon skin Stu gave to Ro-den wasn't down there if no one's done anything with it in forever.
The simplest answer would be it didn’t fit the category of “rarely need to be accessed” as it was an item that they still weren’t sure what to do with it. Or it didn’t fit the category of “should be kept safe” as it was sturdy enough as it was
Is Emban searching for the mouse?
Not actively. I think the squad as a whole has given up their "mission" as lost and right now just wants to get somewhere semi-safe to call for an extraction.
Eeaner gave Stu his rings for some mysterious purpose. Stu told him he didn't want to involve his family in procuring the rings. Alden is currently wearing them and they protected his hands from the rocks. Eeaner knows Stu has connected with Alden in some way because Stu told him Alden was a serious person with his own school. So... now that Eeaner is on the observation platform, what will he do when he sees his rings on Alden?
Cool catch! I'm looking forward to Eeaner's response too.
Next dumb thought: Alden's wordchains are apparently being 'paid' for by the excercise. I wonder if Alden will meet people from the Palace? Get some more Chainer lore? There's even a very remote possibility he'll encounter Hazel. That should be interesting. She'll probably be more surprised (and insulted) to see him on the training field than any of the knights wondering about the human ryeh-b't. :D
Hazel isn't useful for this. She can't move around debt like a real, properly high rank chainer could. If he meets anyone from the family, they'll be A or S. Personally I'm hoping for Keiko Velra.
Still rereading the series slowly and came across this in ch 161: "In the corner where the cottage’s two transparent walls joined, on the floor, Alden’s jar of zansees turned into a swirling galaxy of sparks. One of the tiny yellow-orange water bugs lit up, and all the silver and green ones suddenly began to flash in response." "The brightest thing Alden could see beyond the windows was actually the stream, occasionally flaring and sparkling in patches just like the jars." I wonder what Stu would think of fireflies. Having both over the same stream would be spectacular.
"'[...]what follows are questions about what should have been expected. And by whom? Is what happens to the knights you serve unforeseeable, or was it unforeseen? So much of what we regret is the second. Many things grow where our eyes never point.'" What should have been expected here that has been growing unseen so far?
"Too many of us hide our true selves beneath a facade of strength." We know this was Ryada's prior failing. I wonder if it's also been Eeaner's.
I feel like the Artonans would be *keenly* interested in this line of human research: https://med.stanford.edu/news/all-news/2026/09/two-separate-brains.html "For centuries, scientists have thought of the brain as a single, unified organ. But new research led by Stanford Medicine reveals that what we call the brain is two distinct organs that evolved independently over hundreds of millions of years."
"Finally, the researchers looked back over 550 million years of evolutionary time. They found the same two-origin brain pattern in chickens; zebrafish; and, remarkably, in acorn worms, tiny creatures living on the ocean floor that share a distant common ancestor with humans. Jellyfish, which diverged from humans about 600 to 700 million years ago, have two nervous systems at different ends of their body. "'Our research suggests that evolution took two existing neural systems and pushed them together spatially,” Loh said. “Having the brain as one organ would probably be more efficient, but we rely on this primordial way to make the brain as two separate pieces.'"
“When you say that you are Stu-art’h’s friend, many people hear youthful whim. When you’re too old to be dismissed like that, those people may finally welcome you, or they may turn out to be types you can’t associate with. Some welcomes will come only because of who Stu-art’h is. I think you’ll value the connections you make through your own efforts more because of that. “You did well tonight. In a few minds, you’re now Alden Thorn of Earth, who believes he can take fifteen in a game of Three-fingered Thief. You’re that to them as much as you are an Avowed, a Ryeh-b’t, a human, and Stu-art’h’s friend. You have carved a small space for yourself. You may have to carve longer and around more obstacles than others do, but I believe if you continue, here among us or wherever your heart may land in coming years, you’ll find the shape of your home.” --- Esh-erdi smiled. “He’s carving deeper and faster than I thought he would.”
Somehow, I hadn't put those comments together. Thanks for doing it for those of us who hadn't!
I wonder to what extent Mother meddles or mediates in personal disputes. It feels like she has to have a firm policy of neutrality, or everyone would go to her for moral support, saying stuff like: "Mother, tell me I'm not treating Stu wrongly!"
> She shrugged. “Right and wrong, in the purely moral sense you mean now, aren’t mine to manage. And if they were, nobody of any species would enjoy my management. My morality would be based on a vastly more elaborate thought process than any organic mind is capable of.”
Did a reread of the mishnen chapter, and continued on to read this gem in the next chapter: 'Alden gritted his teeth and kept going, comforted and energized by the knowledge that he wasn’t the only one suffering.' —Ch. 35 The foreshadowing!
Rereading the Mishnen scene (ch 34). Jel-nor was about to command Alden to capture the mishnen with an impossible order. She was stopped because if the task really was impossible and Alden requested arbitration then the students would have been charged with contract abuse. How often do we think Artonans enforce summoned avowed obedience—looking at some members of the und’h family as people who do—and is it likely that und’hcle tells the Vatha squad this is what they neglected to do? What happens if an avowed refuses to follow a knight’s order? If there is punishment for that, given that mother has already accepted Alden as a knight, what would happen?
Jel nor was sure Alden was capable of preserving the mishnen from distance. She’s probably right. Alden could keep zeridee preserved without contact…
Poor Eeaner just wanted to procrastinate his future, and here Stu is smacking him in the face with the reality that that was never really an option. Side character character growth is allowed! The middle is a wonderful place to meet.
No wonder Stu had no close friends before Alden. Were all his prior potential friends interigated and warned not to upset fragile Stu? He went to Leafsong to escape and now this. His family is teaching him not to tell them anything personal. It IS, however, making Stu more independent and more comfortable going against his family's wishes. Growing up; building confidence.
Oh boy, and you did not even read the next chapter(s). Gokoratches.
> “Alden weaves relationships with knights who aren’t me” Stu just Freudian-slipped out that he already thinks of himself as a knight! (I wonder what Jozz thought of that, if he caught it.)
I mentioned that before. I saw it as a little hint Stu is getting closer to affixation as well
Okay, I love the magic in this, but can we all agree that Alden's real super powers are burder and long distance running?
As a species, two of our most important physical superpowers are throwing weapons accurately (AKA burder) and long-distance running. :) For Alden specifically, I think his true superpower is being a wholesome child so hard it crosses species boundaries. It's worked on three whole nonhuman species so far! It kicked off Alden's rise to power! Gorgon, Artonans, and grivecks have all decided he's too cute to neglect. (Maybe four species, actually, but Rrorro was going to help Alden anyways, so she might not count.)
Vatha squad to each other: why aren't we using Alden's word chain?
I have a book recommendation for Alden! "Home: How To Love It, Live in It, and Find Joy In It' by India Knight. I'm only two pages in and am already feeling like I want to quote every sentence and somehow beam it directly into the story for Alden to discover and feed his dreams of building the home he wants someday.
And it’s written by a Knight too
“Our brother seems to be slowly wearing out. And maybe everyone else sees that as an opportunity, but I’ve realized that I don’t know what happens when Stu gets tired of fighting.” Ch 247. Maybe we’ll see it soon ??
now i want a patreon for the patreon
It's invite only, I'm afraid.
Prediction: Some knight-teachers are going to be very disappointed in how junior knights handle their Avowed in this exercise. They conclude that just offering griveks and other elite avowed has been a mistake, and it would be useful, for training purposes, to use junior Avowed like Alden. They will naturally inquire at CNH, regarding a possible roster of candidates for such work. They will bring a tape of Alden’s performance. Many heads will explode. Many “hero” track students will flee faster than sauna-goers at North-of-North from any suggestion that they might be summoned to fight real demons. Alden will be called on to assemble a chaos-fighting Boater. Ignacio, Lexi, Kon and Haoyu will join. More surprisingly, so will Lute, Marsha, Jupiter, and Natalie. (The last in a purely snack-preparing role.) Eventually, so will Boe.
> Many “hero” track students will flee faster than sauna-goers at North-of-North Not sure I agree with you here - people who are at CNH and CNU are the perfect age for cannon-fodder. Young, in good health, and convinced that bad things can't happen to them. From what we've seen of the Anesidoran population pyramid (people have large families with lots and lots of kids), Anesidora would be able to raise a lot of Avowed troops. Adult Avowed will mostly stay away unless drafted. And guess what? They can be easily drafted! It's a win-win from the Artonan point of view.
Just doing another full re-read of the story and was wondering if Aldens master of cudgel was a misleading name - we saw what Stu can do with a big stick! Also, why did the Artonans ask for an unusual bridge-wright for earth BEFORE the Span was demolished in the desaster? Coincidence, really? Gorgon made Alden his successor out of revenge for the Artonans who closed off his planet and imprisoned him. - this is a scary scenario which still has to be explored.
I'm pretty sure that the Bridge-wright was just a 'nice to have' for the Artonans. I'm sure they have their equivalent of Gibraltar, the Straights of Messina, and Irish Sea where bridges could be built. And between their jobs on the Triplanets, the avowed with that skill can do those projects (and others) on Earth. (Heck, I know personally a couple of people who might have jumped at a Bridge Wright skill - went on to become civil engineers.)
"One day you learn you have siblings, like some animals do. "You learn they love you, and you think all love is your mother’s love. "You learn love is different from and toward everyone. Siblings can yell at you. Or be tired of you." (281) Was Jozz one of the siblings who used to yell at Stu or get tired of him? What kinds of things did their parents say to Jozz to encourage him to speak more kindly to Stu and have patience with him? What kinds of things did Sina tell Jozz in the past about getting along better with Stu and looking out for him?
I think Jozz feels guilty - maybe even ashamed - for not being there for Stu more during this hard period while his Rapports peers who chose the hn'tyon path have effectively been shunning him, and his peers who chose the votary path keep lecturing him. I think Jozz has had his own struggles trying to find friends to relate to at university, and has been having feelings about leaving the emotional closeness of the Rapports and his initial few squads to go back to finishing up his degree when he's going to be vulnerable from recently affixing and won't feel like casting.
Predictions (A little early, but this one made me feel lots of feels, and I need to get them out.) Stu calls Jozz a shitty prick and rescues Eeaner. Eeaner gets cuddle blanket treatment (with Ryada). He says he now knows why Stu chose Leaf Song. Aymeg and Veln ask Stu why Alden is here. EshLind get involved. Eeaner recognises the rings. Alden finds mouse. It’s the prize Jozz’s friends are supposed to find tomorrow. Instead of Und’hcle getting stuck into Vatha team, Alden burders him, telling him that if he followed orders two Artonans would be already dead. Kibby, because all he was supposed to do was ‘pick berries’, and his own daughter, because she told him to save himself and leave her behind. (Technically, there’s three because he was also supposed to capture the Mishnen, not save Stu, but he has said he’d keep quiet about that.)
Stu rescues Eeaner, but needs to talk with him before he can send him home. He stashes Eeaner safely with Ryada so he can hurry to find out what the dads want. The dads called Stu because Azeeda-und’h has asked to mentor Vatha Squad so she can protect them from the angry und’hcle. Stu is involved because he’s nominally Emban’s votary. Possibly this turns into Stu locking horns with Azeeda over Alden’s behavior, but maybe not. When Stu returns to Eeaner, he finds Eeaner has been looped into the watch party and has eyes the size of saucers. Eeaner has found out who Stu was going to see, spotted the rings, and drawn some very incorrect conclusions about their relationship. Eeaner and Stu talk and yes, Eeaner now has some idea why Stu chose LeafSong, as well as a new respect for how normal Stu turned out if this is how his family is treating him. Alden finds the mouse. It was a secret secondary objective Jozz’ friends didn’t even know to look for. Eeaner invites Alden to the party using mama’s money, possibly without telling Stu.
“Being able to disappoint someone was underrated, he decided. You could only disappoint another person if that person had taken a look at you and developed expectations for you.” Alden is thinking what Eaner must have felt, too. Thus being told Stu would lower his expectations must have hurt.
“He was on his way to the table in the next instant.” - Where is the big stick when you need it? Hope Stu learned something from Aldens bluntness and burders Jozz! It would also make up for making Eaner uncomfortable. I wonder what his parents want to talk about with him, likely to put Alden in his place as a lowely avowed. - I surely hope he is able to voice his opinion clearly and does not just run off being upset.
Every time I finish reading a new chapter, I get reminded of Oliver Twist’s „Please, sir, I want some more.“ I have not given up hope for an earlier approximate day.
I really want Alis to turn up before Stu has a full breakdown. The boy doesn't deserve this nonsense.
Alis is on another planet that doesn't have a contract, she isn't gonna make it. One of the Votaries or Rel might though?
So many big things happening in this arc - I wonder what we might be heading toward! Going in I thought maybe the arc would culminate in Alden having a breakthrough with Bearer. And some changes in Alden's social status and fame among Rapport folk. Now I think it could very well be that and/or Stu deciding to affix and/or people finding out about Alden being a soon-sworn hyntyon. I don't know what exactly, but it definitely feels like something big is coming.
I was happy for the klerm prince after Christmas-in-story. I was thrilled with the gym/coursing and serving Ash some STFU from an Innerestin' rabbit. I took the slowdown of Rapport III kindergarten and the pitcherhouse in stride, waiting to see... From Jump Aboard on, I've felt a definite increase in... momentousness, and at first I thought it was because of the increase in frequency of Mother's visits. I too feel something big is growing under the surface, unseen as of yet.
I just realized something horrible. On the day chaos is beaten, some knights must go to first binding before they get the news!! Or the knights a month before !! Two months before ??? They would have gone into binding for nothing !!! It makes me so sad to think about it !! They’d be bound forever and go through bindings for the rest of their lives for … what ?
The only hope is that the knights will/can know when they’re close to beating chaos and issue a statement about that
The art'hs are the pacesetters for Artona (it's in the name...). The und'hs may grumble. Turning grouchy problematic uncle und'h's noise off before it even starts: Veln: "Hello, trouble-und'h. Alden Thorn's performance in this experiment shows we want more Avowed with independent-thinking capacity on the battlefield. The generalist investment we've made on Earth's Anesidoran gyms is paying off. We need you to start development of training to use such Avowed resources. Remember they're long-term assignees, so should not be treated as summoned-and-done. Are you the Knight for this task?" But if all heck breaks loose, I wonder if a formerly-quiet leaf tucked under an auriad could even be similar to a stick held by a formerly-quiet Rabbit?
Jezz got Eaner-ket there because Eaner-ket made Stu worry to the point of mentioning Eaner to Jezz. A couple hours/days/weeks before first binding is not the time for Stu to be worried, so it had to be fixed immediately. It is something that just has to be solved to not go potentially sideways after first binding. Stu is too important, being the son of the Primary, as to risk anything right now.
They didn't know that though? As far as they know he's waiting for the next welcome end as agreed.
Alden is so far admired by: Stu, Alis, Evul? Ryada, EshLind, Bithe. Do we count the whole emban squad as well? Not sure they have strong feelings like Ryada. And Jozz is a prick. (Reposting it cuz the bot deleted it, did it think we were ganging up on Jozz? I think we are…)
A lot of it will depend on how the rest of it plays out. Bithe has strong, positive feelings for Alden because Alden got Kon there to fix the wand and saved the whole Here-to-There from turning to Klerm shit.
I like to think that the number of requests for k’rethkan were higher than usual during Vatha squad run
I wonder if there's a foodstuff made from vathas or a related species. A k'rethkan with vatha filling seems like the ideal teasing gift for Bithe.
I am so ready for Emban to come in and deliver her version of an apology to Stu that puts Jozz to shame. I think Emban's been waiting for an opportunity to more overtly come out as supporting Stu (and, incidentally, Stu's right to make friends with Alden if he wants it this much), and she's too careful about her own sense of where she fits into the family hierarchies as a branch family transplant to go off on Stu's votary parents directly.
Jozz, though? Jozz publicly saying he thinks Emban was right about Alden being forever a guest only, only ever a visitor when *Emban* knows she was wrong and had been lashing out at Alden for unrelated sad, worried, angry feelings about Ryada looking to someone other than her for comfort? Jozz doesn't know what he's talking about! He hasn't even met Alden properly yet; he's been away at Goldbush so long he doesn't even know his own brother that well either. Alden has forgiven Emban and helped Bithe when she couldn't, and he makes her little cousin so darn happy. She's about to find out that Stu has forgiven her too, and Stu and Alden have helped Ryada find her laughter again. I think Emban will do a great many things to defend those seeds of resurgent happiness, and one of the biggest gestures she can make to them, and to the rest of her squad (Divin included), is to go tell Jozz and the rest of her family that actually, Alden should be made welcome in the Rapports as more than a visitor, that he belongs here with them.
A good next wordchain for Alden might be a recuperation one, that helps your body recover and heal after hard work. I could also see one that gives you the effect of a good meal in advance, where the reverse chain makes you ravenous - but I think Artonans would already have used that a lot if it existed.
I like that fully belly word chain! And how do we know that there isn't one? I'm going to believe that there is! I think he need to learn a cooling word chain. And then pay it back by going and sitting in an ice bath and feeling nice and toasty.
Ohhhhhhh the beans are spilt
Dang it! Cliffhanger!
So, I might be off, but I get the feeling this is kind of a knee jerk reaction to the comment Rayda made to Joss. “She’s doing better now that they’re in trouble,” said Ryada. “She’s at her best in a long fight. But I meant what was just said about Alden. They haven’t been watching him ever since he stopped above the valley.” “Oh?” Ryada realized from his tone that she’d assumed too much. “But he’s your brother’s closest friend…” “I have heard that more loudly than I liked,” Jozz said. “I’ll check on him?” Stu famously doesn't have Artonian friends outside of the family. He doesn't like the idea that his brothers only friend is a human. Then out of no where, Stu mentions he actually kinda does like one of his roommates! But he was accidentally rude and might have messed that up but he'll think about it and fix it eventually once he's done paying attention to his human again. Thus Joss finds THAT answer unacceptable and requests Eeaner's presence to salvage the situation before his brother fucks up his first Artonian friendship over the Human.
Yeah, I also think Jozz is trying to cement Stu’s friendship with Eeaner. Though clearly his chosen methods are ham-fisted at best; Eeaner looks incredibly uncomfortable.
Me: I'm so excited to see this arc move gracefully to a satisfying conclusion closer to perfection. Sleyca: *adds three new extremely compelling and complicating cliffhanger plot points*
I kind of want Esh and Lind to bring a small contingent of knights/votaries to train on and experience Earth.
Or at least going to CNH to see how the training goes Head of delegation : "One of your student performed as well as newling knights, we would like to see how you train your students" Lesedih : "Wich one?" HD : "Alden Thorn the Ryeh-b’t" Lesedih: ... (Bonus point if Lexi is in earshot : Typical)
I just realised something, Stu's parents saw Alden sitting on top of the chest with the demon hide in it. Wearing a ring that hides what words he and Stu say to each other. If they notice that the demon hide is missing I don't think that poor sweet naive Stu is the person who will have suspicion cast upon him. It's the nasty Avowed or the wizard behind him (Worli Ro-den) who tricked Stu and must be at fault. The worst part about this scenario is that even if Stu explains the situation they won't trust that the details of the secrecy contract that Alden told him about after it was broken because he might just be doing the bidding of an unscrupulous wizard. It's also unlikely that anyone would call a favour from Mother to get verification either as it wouldn't be worth the cost. That's the tricky thing about the value of the demon hide, it's valuable enough for Alden to face serious consequences if they believe he took it but it's also not so valuable to waste a favour from Mother on.
Earth can send him Coffee and you are worried Mother can’t send some messages?
I'm being to think one of the more valueble parts of Stu's friendship with Alden is the lack of expectations. Anything Stu would not normally let himself do is now considerate if Alden enjoys it. Stu does not have formal training in earth culture. He can not be too formal. And the one expectation he did have of Alden being an unmagically sensitive has been blown to smithereens! This all frees Stu up in many ways he holds himself back on the regular. And he can just be what he wants to be.
Patreon's automod got aggressive today. It's obviously on Jozz's side judging by the comments it decided were dangerous. I've turned it off for now, and I restored all the blocked comments I just saw on a quick skim. I'll pop back later to check more thoroughly!
Jozz is such a problem even Patreon is blocking him
I love the detail of Jozz basically recognizing Alden's skill since it is one he had researched while choosing his own. The little continuities in this story are fantastic!
Jozz's thought appears to be 'this is a knock-off of an old skill'. Found the quote: '"someone was inspired by one of the old ones maybe."' I'm guessing that we're going to find that not all knights (like Esh and Lind) are in the 'gifts from the holy universe' faction. Lots of knights look at Avowed and see beasts of burden.
This was a funny similarity: Bithe: [“The kelsithe would be better for your skill, though, wouldn't it?” Bithe asked.(…) Bithe was frowning at his interface as Alden left.] then Bithe goes ahead and gets the kelsithe Jozz: [“eaner-ket was it ? The housemate ?”] then goes ahead and invites Eaner.
Jozz may have sent an 'invitation.' Eeaner would /have/ to read it as an order. Not sure what a human equivalent would be. Maybe some important judicial official 'asks' you to come to their court. I mean, you /can/ say 'no'. After all, the judge /could/ simply want to ask you a social question. Would you want to risk it, though? Especially since this person asking is vastly more socially powerful than you are.
A pregnancy tradition that involves eating something from every person you inform sounds absolutely awful. Force feeding via social obligation aside, if every person at the table pinched off a piece of a bun, you're still eating something each person touched with their hands.
The tradition probably comes from days when there wasn’t enough food to go around, and this was a way of preventing/limiting prenatal malnutrition. Back then the mother would doubtless have appreciated every calorie she could get. In modern days… yeah, it doesn’t land quite the same. But you can see why Stu would have tried so sincerely to follow the script as written. The intent behind it is such a fine gesture of affection, giving up needed food so a future child of the family could thrive. The community where I grew up had something similar, interestingly. You brought prepared meals to a mother after birth. The idea, I think, was to take a load off so she didn’t need to stand and cook while she was recovering from giving birth. But I’m not sure every macaroni casserole and fruit cake was appreciated equally.
I'm not sure what Jozz is doing. But I can imagine how infuriated I would be in this situation. The amount of helicoptering in the name of “protection” is so staggering it's insulting.
I'm pretty sure he's trying to 'smooth things over' between Eeaner and Stu. Only he doesn't know that Eeaner just blew up at Stu, so he can't know how summoning him so soon after than confrontation would look...
Chapter ending left me so distraught I forgot my hearing aids, now I'm in class and can't understand shit 💀
Oh no! I would hate that.
Oh nonononono what if papa Veln and Jozz find our about the spell rings that Stu acquired from Eeaner-ket? what if they ask for whom they where intended? was papa vein the one who saw Alden wearing the family artifact in the supply library? Or if they put 2 and 2 together and figure out Stu gifted the rings to Alden and politely demand them back and realise that Alden is bonded to them and raise suspicious about his authority or worse insinuate and foster the idea that Stu and Alden's relationship is only for Alden's material gain and forbid contact until an inquiry is made?! (Hyperventilating into bag) Keep this up Sleyca, this is where the good stuff is.
Aymeg saw Alden sitting on the demon-hide chest wearing rings of secret communication. The rings Alden is wearing now are not of art'h family provenance, they'll have no reason to think twice, other than human Avowed with rings, maybe of unknown nature. They may actually realize that Alden softens walls between individuals and follow up on what that means to them/knighthood. They might not, also. Personally, I think the conversation is about Alden's willingness to help a newling squad on Goldbush while they try to find out what happened to/where Yaril-hon's brother and another knight MIA are.
Twelve moments this chapter that made me happy, made me laugh, or made me appreciate Sleyca’s writing yet again. (And only the first 4 involve Jozz) 1. “It’s not your weekend. You didn’t invite him to spend days in a Rapport by himself, did you? Nobody would do something like that.” Jozz clearly doesn’t know Esh-erdi well. 2. “I didn’t invite him at all. But it’s annoying that you think—” Yes, Stu, we all agree, 100%. 3. “And he told Bithe to think of himself as a k’rethkan filling, which we’re all going to remember.” Poor K’rethkan Bithe. 4. “I knew last week.” Stu had been visiting his husenots, and she’d come into the room. “I could sense it.” Jozz assumes that someone would only know about the pregnancy ahead of time if there had been gossip. We’ve been told before that Stu’s authority sense is unusually strong, but it’s very interesting that he can sense new life inside another person while the other family members cannot. And that Jozz doesn’t know or appreciate Stu’s talent enough to have realized why Stu knew. In the first sentence of the next section, Alden thinks, “Stuart could sense a whisker on a real mouse if he were trying as hard as I am right now.” Unlike Jozz, Alden knows and appreciates Stu’s abilities quite well. Sleyca’s writing is so deftly woven. 5. “it was getting difficult for Alden not to think of them all as stupid hills that should be leveled for the betterment of people everywhere” Yes, I’m pretty sure I’ve been on that hike, back when I let people trick me into thinking that a trail having that many elevation lines on a map was a guarantee of fun. 6. “five surly, stumbly knights” Sleyca’s turns of phrase… I love it when they make me laugh 7. “We’re almost to Demon Goat Valley,” said Divin. Alden had called it that in English. Now everyone called it that in English. I’m getting a kick out of the idea that a few decades in the future the training ground’s maps will have this valley renamed, in English, Demon Goat Valley. And no one will remember how that happened. Or maybe it will be part of the mythology of the only non-Artonan knight. 8. “But, you know, a griveck came through here. So you’d think normal animals would be too scared to move a muscle until next summer.” Alden thought this was a very reasonable point. Punch-drunk Alden is hilarious, and seeing the team banter with him was heartwarming. 9. Stuart’s expectations had to be as Intensity 99.9 as the rest of him. I don’t mind, thought Alden. It used to scare me, but now I think I like it a lot. Sometimes Sleyca gives us moments that scream out Alden’s healing and growth. Alden liking Intensity 99.9? Took me right back to him drinking hot chocolate with Mother by a Christmas tree. How far he’s come. 10. I’m very much looking forward to Ryada demanding and then trying Alden’s Thunder lettuce substitute. 11. Now I’m thinking, what if Thunder Lettuce was actually stabilizing the lab a little? …What if planting a whole field of it could have saved the moon and the universe?” Alden, in that scenario I think you’re the Thunder lettuce that was stabilizing the lab a little bit. And I’d love to see a whole field of Aldens being planted as future Knights to save the universe. 12. “Is it a message from one of your enemies?” asked Ryada. “You’re frowning.” I was happy see Ryada’s sense of humor coming out in this chapter, especially since Stu seems to have been the one to bring it out. This is the first time I remember seeing him relaxed and happy interacting with anyone except Alden. Although, notably, he’s talking with her *about* Alden.
11. I think you exactly nailed why Mother is so helpful. She wants him to raise his bloodline on Artona I in the service of the Artonas, and she's willing to humor him a lot to get that, IMO. He's grown, and so now she sees him as Investment, maybe her best.
There's a lot to unpack with Stu and his family drama, but I don't see much conversation about the small bit Alden got this chapter. This line particularly stood out to me: “I feel less inferior now that you’re making it so obvious you need rest,” said Seth. “You’ve half carried us all this way, and you seemed immune to fatigue." Contrast that with Stu's family's comments about how Alden was not featured in the Team Vatha highlights. Also, in the small bit we got, did anyone else get the feeling as if Alden was leading the team? Obviously, he knew the way and was showing them where to go, but he felt like he was almost acting as the team leader in that moment. I wonder if Avowed in general are just not considered features in any highlights that are put together as this is meant to be an exercise for the knights. Or if Alden in particular is getting a snub for some reason. Now to the art'h family drama. Just when I was starting to think Jozz might pull his head out of his arse, he goes and pulls a stunt like this. Even with the most forgiving assumptions about Jozz's intentions, deliberately interfering with Stu's attempts to make friends is a gross violation. Using your family name and rank to strong-arm some kid your brother is kinda friends with into teleporting to you for whatever interrogation/discussion/shake-down he's got going on should be criminal. And poor Stu. When he declared his intentions, his friends and family all tried to talk him out of it. No one was willing to work with him. No one was willing to accept him. He fled to LeafSong to escape the overbearing nature of his family and the other Rapport families who were all ganging up on him to try to change his mind. And now even LeafSong, which has had its own share of issues for him, is no longer safe from his familiy's influence. I've wondered for a while if we might get an arc where Stu goes to live with Alden on Earth, and this - plus whatever talk his parents have planned - could end up being what push him to that extreme. The other possibility is that he just rips the bandaid off and decides to affix now, but I think his actual support system - mainly Alden with assists from Ryada and Esh - would talk him down from doing so when he was in an unstable emotional state.
The family said Alden WAS featured in the highlights. “We have taken a look at Emban’s squad though. The highlights. Alden Ryeh-b’t does seem to be a highlight.” I think it is interesting that Alden seemed so untiring to all of them. I’ve seen hints that Artonans don’t have much of an exercise/physical training culture. Sleyca once confirmed that humans are at least a bit better at distance running than Artonans, due to our origin as persistence hunters from the plains and theirs as arboreal. Alden himself tends to keep quiet about his own suffering. It’s hard to tell which factors are having the most influence under the circumstances, but all of them could be playing a role.
I’m honestly trying to decide if Jozz appears this dense to us as readers when we have the full breadth of context. Or if he is just generally that out of tune with everything lol. Cannot believe this man has been on the wrong side of every conversation we have seen him in 🤣
Stu - “ya know I was mad at you, but I am kinda taking your advice. I’m gonna try and think on a recent conversation with my housemate. And try and make amends + be friendlier.” Jozz “cool let me immediately insert myself into the narrative”
I believe I saw an earlier comment mention that this upcoming conversation with Veln and Aymeg is likely about Alden and the unhappy points raised by the und’h knight. Thinking about it more, I think this conversation will be about that, but also about how Stuart is “negatively” influencing Alden the Avowed about his place in society. I.e. “Avowed should listen to orders and not disobey.” “Avowed are tools. Tools don’t think, they do what you want them to do and nothing else” This may even lead into a request/demand that Stuart not see Alden or needs to “treat him as his/his station demands”. It will only serve to push Stuart away. ============ I am also curious what exactly is the spreading story that makes the family think Emban is in the right… It might just be something as “simple” as their belief that Alden is not Artonan and has no authority sense, so he cannot understand. Which is incredibly wrong, but possible.
Alex, I think Kon being planned for the Sdyelis Branch crew contraindicates that all Artonans see Avowed that way, and so does Kraaaa and Rrorro's experiences shipboard with Alis, and our view into her mindset about them. Chapter 56 for Alis' view. Alis is a conservative art'h, the Quaternary. She doesn't think of Avowed that way. Maybe it's an und'h faction that does, aligns with the Beast of Burden faction? It's possible the Beast of Burden faction is largest, but the Branch being constructed for an art'h-led campaign, with Avowed crew who aren't summoned/teleported to perform a function and go (they may very well be teleported around the ship for this, but they're not teleported between ship and Earth, or else there would be no need for a ship...) kinda speaks that the Gifts from Heaven group have enough pull to do it their way with the Avowed crew. For more evidence, the excitement of everyone *but* Zakathee to meet a Human Avowed, Ro's treatment of Sophie (and Alden), and the Avowed who live permanently in the Triplanets. And all Alden has to do to cancel Aymeg's likely bluster is point down at the field below and wear his commendation. Remember, Alden *serves* people who bother him.
We look at Jozz’s intervention from a human perspective & think, Wow, inappropriate. I wonder what the average Artonan reaction would be and whether their reaction would be the same if this wasn’t the Primary’s family. Is this kind/level of interference something they’d think of as normal and unremarkable, or would they look at it & be as horrified as we are? Sleyca does a good job with letting Artonan culture be distinct from human cultures, so I’m very curious about whether this is a cross-cultural perspective thing or a messed up art’h family thing.
Stu considered it an insult when Emban spoke with Alden & offered him candy while he was too occupied with his spell to object or consider the gift before its offering (like with the earring). I bet it's wildly inappropriate.
Really trying to parse why Jozz brought Eaner there. - More information on Stu’s relationship with Alden - More information on the party for Stu - Pressure him to befriend Stu - Encourage him to be a votary I don’t think there was a previous arrangement with Eaner, but I suppose anything is possible.
I think he just wanted to smooth things over between them, after hearing about the incredibly bonk noggined things Stu said to him... He just did it in a hasty, unintentionally terrifying way.
Alden needs to introduce Jozz to Vandy or even Winston as revenge for doing this to Stu.
Oh my God, Jozz IS Vandy. Same certitude in their own rightness and same lack of boundaries in informing everyone about it.
I want Jozz to be there when Eaner hits it off with Alden & invites him to the party. If Jozz's motive was to distance Stu from Alden, I want him to see when it blows up spectacularly in his face. Jozz never listens. Stu *just* told him that Alden weaves relationships with other Artonans & receives their invites.
I think his motivation was to help smooth things over between Eeaner and Stu... But he didn't know Eeaner had just blown up at Stu, so he didn't realize what summoning him right after that would look like. He'll probably succeed at helping them patch things up and deepen their relationship... Just not in the way he intended, lmao.
Also poor Eaener. That's so awkward and uncomfortable for him
I think you mean pants shittingly terrifying? He just blew up at that the primaries son, and finds him self summoned by his brother directly afterwards...
I love Ryada so much
Everyone does. That’s her problem.
to give Jozz some credit, I think Stu was torn about his decision to leave Eaner behind and his brother could tell, and maybe decided to do a nice thing and relieve him of one of his worries. To give him less credit, I think he’s also hoping that a friendship with Eaner would develop and maybe Stu’s “ill-advised” friendship with Alden, the strange Alien Ryeh’bt, will crumble as he gets more friends. While I think Jozz is meddling and needs to learn boundaries, I hope Stu is able to gain some good from it anyways. Like a warmer friendship with Eaner, and some support on his journey to be a Knight. Maybe a votary, if that’s not too much to hope for.
But if that’s what’s happening, why is Eeaner with Jozz instead of Stu, and why does he look like a trapped animal?
I hate Jozz. More than I hate Marks with an ”s”
Jozz is presently being an idiot. It's still worth remembering that Jozz has sacrificed much comfort, several sources of joy, his life's work, and probably ultimately his life to the betterment of the triplanets, and to a lesser extent, of their allies and all life in the known universe. Marks, on the other hand, is petty and worse than useless all the way through.
Moar pls
Only a week to wait...
Okay, so this might not be as bad as it seems. If I heavily delete/sterilize a lot of text and split some paragraphs, the conversation with Jozz basically reads: Stu: "I’m worried about my housemate at school.” “I was in a hurry to get here after my classes." "I think I spoke wrongly to him.” “I don’t dislike Eeaner-ket, I dislike some things about him, but…" "He wants to include me in the social events he enjoys." "He’s smart and among the most talented in our year.” Jozz: “Not as talented as you, I imagine.” Stu: "He may be in his own ways.” “He said things that made me believe he considered a life of service like ours.” "He was making an effort to be warm to me." "I shouldn’t have told him I’d change my expectations of him." "It upset him.” Jozz: “You told him you’d expect less of him in the future?" Stu: “I thought he wanted me to.” Jozz: “After he was warm to you?” Stu: “He did something thoughtful for me.” “He’s been planning a party he says is for me." "It may actually be for me, in his mind.” Jozz: "Really, Stu..." Stu: “I’ll contemplate what happened at length and discuss it with him” “I’d like it if I could weave something happier with Eeaner.” “Anyway, I don’t dislike him." "Don’t put your thoughts on my housemates at LeafSong with so much else going on." "Have you all seen what my friend Alden has done?" So this could really be just Jozz looking out for Stu and trying to see if Eaner *actually* considers service in the Raports. If so, he could decide to solve all the problems that Eaner might have, to make it a reality. Even if not, Eaner seems to at least be comparable to Stu in talent and making connections may be productive. Especially since Eaner got upset when Stu considered expecting less of him in the future. Eaner also spent effort forming a connection with Stu. Stu also made it seem like they just had a falling out. Getting in front of that right away is smarter than letting it fester. Something even Stu considered doing, but prioritized Alden. You know, the human that Jozz seems to think Stu prioritizes too much. Inviting Eaner over and at least forcing reconciliation with Stu by being the adult in the room (that makes small children be friends with each other again after something dumb happened between them) seems like such a winning move on so many fronts, that it'd be silly not to do. That it would take Stu's attention away from Alden and give him more agreeable friend options is just a bonus on top.
It could simply be that Eaner-ket came here for his own reasons, and Jozz notized, calling him over.
Jozz having a fairly strong shot of discovering Alden's skill if he contemplates him later. He doesn't have the neon sign that Stu did that something suspicious is happening with the skill, but he's familiar enough to already recognised Bearer without realising. Eaner-ket seems to be being set up as a future Votary for Stu, while Ryada-bess as a fellow squadmate for him and Alden. Stu has realised he has the confidence enough needed to affix any day now, and now Alden has accepted he's ready for Intensity 99.9% Could we really see Alden sprouting leaves up where he can be seen in the next arc?
I agree Jozz is close. One of the things that led Stu in that direction is Alden’s performance in thegund. If Jozz is curious enough and tries too find out how strong a human rabbit of his rank should be he might make some links. One clue (I think) that Stu is close to affixing is him saying “Alden weaves friendships with knights who aren’t me” is it ok for him to refer to himself as a knight when he’s only a declared/soon-knight? Or is that a hint that he started subconsciously thinking of himself as a knight
What are all the comment hidden - all from one (on-their-way-to-being-banned) poster?
I said "someone, you were warned" in the comment below. I think it's an overzealous filter.
Jozz... you were warned.
For a whisperer of refuge Jozz sure isn’t refuge-ing anyobody right now!!! I know Stu must feel so bad but did anyone stop to think how Eaner is feeling !!! He must be horrified.
I believe Jozz is trying to create what he thinks is refuge. To ensure everyone is here and safe. That is not what Stu needs, and not what refuge is. Refuge is a safe and welcoming place one can return to after braving the world outside. This is constraint and captivity to Stu.
Jozz, here we go with the love! You *didn’t* just throw stu into an awkward situation. You *didn’t* just drag him away from something enjoyable. He *will* be happy you intervened. There. Are you comforted? No? I must need practice.
*chef's kiss*
I think Alden has forgotten about his Sympathy for Magic. Mentioning that he could sense his focus being pulled towards the thing in the ground the same way it does with something magical wouldn't be too suspicious right?
I think sympathy for magic only works with magic devices so that it’ll be easier for Alden to interact with them and not be a bother to the wizard who summoned him. I don’t think the mouse is a magic device that’s meant to be interacted with. Otherwise the glow would have been mentioned when he saw the mouse.
Oh dear. I don't think Stu is going to have a good time next chapter. First he needs to speak to Jozz about interfering in his relationships. Then he needs to speak to Aymeg and Veln who have just spoken to an Undh knight. Presumably he will be defending his friendship with Alden to everyone next time. Unfortunately I do not see him having a good time
Poor Alden is stuck climbing infinite hills until Stuart finishes all of his character development scenes
niether of them are having a great time right now
Oh no, this poor repeatedly betrayed boy.
Best possible outcome: Aymeg-art'h wants to discuss the delivery of a large amount of pink dye from the und'hs...
Little Und'h reminds me a lot of Stu. So serious about doing the right thing despite not grasping the social connotations.
The Arths should go out more often. More socializing! More mingling! Get out of your well you winter frogs! Also, the possibility of Alden attending that party got more likely? I think?
it'd be midweek Alden's school week as pointed out above. Maybe we just need to settle for Alden-Eeaner conversation here at the observation deck.
From chapter 103: “I just remembered something I wanted to ask you,” said Alden, when Stuart’s questions finally stopped for a moment. “There’s a food they served us when we were working on campus at LeafSong. I think they sell it at one of the restaurants nearby, too. It’s this short, thick tube. It’s crunchy. It’s cooked in hot oil maybe? And inside, it’s full of some kind of vegetable. And the vegetable tastes like meat. To me. Earth meat. I really want to know what it is, so I can try to import it.” Stuart was in the woods right now, preparing a hunting game for his ryeh-b’t. He had a small basket full of creatures he was calling “bugs” for her to find. They did look like beetles, if beetles were rat-sized. “Was it coated in a substance similar to < coagulating > blood?” Stuart asked. “I was thinking of it as a delicious sauce, but now that you mention it…yes?” “The tubes are k’rethkan. The majority of the < first and second wave of settlers > to Artona III were from a culture in which it is popular. The vegetable you like is native to III, and < colloquially > it’s called ‘meat petal.’ So I’m sure that’s what you mean.” “Meat petal,” said Alden reverently. Stuart gave him an odd look.
This is the missing link! I am convinced Alden needs to be at the party and now Jozz has arranged for Eeaner-ket to be where Alden is and in a situation where he will also realise Alden's connection to Stu. Invite incoming! That's no excuse for Jozz however. I don't care if he's conflating Stu's situation with Sina's (which I suspect is his driver) he needs to treat Stu with a bit of respect.
I wonder how the interaction between Alden and Jel-nor will go this time? And what Jel-nor's relationship with, and awareness of, Bash-nor and his interactions with Alden are?
oh come on! this is agonizing! i love it but this is agonizing
I’m slowly turning into a masochist
I don’t think I’ve ever felt so much dread at the end of a chapter
I can already tell that the wait this week will be long and full of suffering.
Man, I really hope Alden finds his weird mouse. Has to be some special mcguffin. Hopefully it happens right when stu is done with whatever blowup thats about to occur.
Jozz's friends are meant to be questing in that spot tomorrow. I'm sure that what Alden discovered was that group's Treat. So once the Vatha Squad claims it themselves they'll be reassigned to the Vatha's original Treat.
I've been thinking this for a while, that one of the things growing unseen is Stu's resolve undergo his first binding. First we see his lack of interest in school, then his lack of interest in his housemates. Now we're seeing how his bonds among the knights are replacing those with his old "friends" and family. I thought the final push would come from Eaner-ket throwing Stu a farewell party, but it seems like his family is going to get in one last kick in the head first
A fitting Welcome End for the one rapport member to be ostracized from the rapports. A party thrown by those to appreciate Stu for Stu and not just for the mental well bolster he provides to the Primary.
I love the way Alden-isms infiltrate the Artonan language. Also, Jozz is behaving as a shitty demon goat.
not a stinky Gokoratch?
Thanks fot the chapter!
Oh, Stu's got trouble brewing on more than one front. Good luck with that!
Stu gets a main quest notification and immediately gets lost in a side quest. Peak LitRPG moment.
I know the Arths are a celebrity family, but I didn't expect Velra-tier drama
Jozz! What the heck? No!!!
So while Jozz is likely being an inappropriate busybody of some kind here, this does mean Eaner is about to learn that Stu was in a rush bc Alden was in the training exercise. Alden and Eaner meeting is how Alden is getting invited to the Leafsong party
As was pointed out to me last week, Alden and Eeaner-ket have already met, by a pond containing a mishnen. But, yes, absolutely, I want Alden and Eaaner to have a conversation.
I still hope Jozz is just trying to say: „Hey! I heard you tried to do something nice for my baby brother and he was rude in turn! Please be patient a while longer, he already regrets it and will get back to you. Let’s go to surprise him and share this great experience 🤗! My latest fear what is happening: When Eaner let Stu take his rings for Alden, he said something like „my mom will be happy and get me new ones when she hears who needed them.“ What if he tries to get a hook into Stu for his family for political reasons - and Jozz knows and is warning him off? Not the worst-case szenario. Still bad.
Alright, crackpot thinking cap on: So I've been thinking about ways this meeting could maybe surprise me in a positive way, and I've thought of something that surprised me with how plausible it sounded. Things we know: Odds are, that the Undh that called the meeting is the famed Sausage Roll Knight (Yes, that's his name now as far as I'm concerned). The one we learned last chapter is in charge of Ryada, and that wanted to consult Arths. We know Veln is one of the more reasonable, or at least moderate, of the parent of Stu. Even though he is still in favor of pushing Stu towards votaryship. Aymeg is the most hardcore 'push Stu towards votaryship' parent. Ryada is (temporarily) slotted into a new squad with the major focus on keeping her as stable as possible. And the Sausage Roll Knight and his partner noted that Ryada had unclear but strongly positive feelings about the human avowed. So what if the Sausage Roll Knight proposed to the Arths that Alden be included in Ryada's new squad. Probably as not much more than a mascot. Very safe back-line support type stuff. And the Arths initially thinking it's a dumb idea but then realized that it's a perfect way to force Stu to do votary things. Stu wouldn't let Alden do something that 'dangerous' alone... --- This isn't my ride-or-die theory of what's going to happen right now, but it's surprisingly plausible in my mind. Especially because it would come with a lot of interesting plot points. A. Stu would have to consider on whether or not to hold off on his affixation for it. B. Alden hanging around experienced knights for longer stretches of time is bound to be a hazard to quiet rabbit time. They'd notice something was off about his skill sooner or later. C. It would give people the Ryada team-up everyone is waiting for. With the added quirk that Alden and Stu are obviously hiding something from her. Which is especially hard to do because she is a naturally social creature. Plus, both Stu and Ryada probably advocating for Alden to join properly instead of being on mascot duty. All in all, more plausible than I would have expected. Both from a doylist and watsonian perspective.
Really the biggest reason I don't think this will happen is the many other plot threads that are hanging right now: Coursing Eeaner-Ket Stu's affixation The 'dropped' plot thread of Zeridee's cousin coming to investigate the shenanigans going on on Anesidora (which I'm guessing was just pushed forward.) Lute's eye
No matter what Jozz is being nosy and intruding, but god I hope this is “Stu says you were thinking about being a knight but also you had a fight so I thought giving you a tour would be a good peace offering” and not “tell me everything about Stu and help me convince him not to be a knight”
@Jacob: That would be a great thing for Jozz to do! I have the feeling that that was the last thing on his mind, though....
"''And he uses his skill versatilely. The preservation talent with the requirement for another person’s participation…someone was inspired by one of the old ones maybe.'" Jozz absolutely spotted the similarity to Bearer of All Burdens and assumed Alden had a knock-off version. Jozz. *Jozz.* You see but you do not perceive. Look again.
Jozz looks at Alden with only one eye and less than half his mind, when he looks at all.
I thought this often, but Sleyca is a true master of telling a story through juxtaposition. The way that the Esh and Ryada bunch talks about Alden just makes Jozz and the rest of the fam seem so much more... inhuman (inartonan)
I wonder if the situation with the uhn'd Angry Uncle and what Alden did for Zeridee is going to feature in the talk that Stu's dad wants with him.
The part of the story told by the und‘h knight ended with her looking for available art‘hs, so I agree, she probably talked to Stu‘s father(s) this chapter and now they want to talk to him, maybe as Alden’s friend or as Emban‘s votary, to better run interference with Nitpicking Angry Uncle und‘h.
Jozz doesn’t seem to be embodying his skill very well. He’s supposed to create a safe zone within the chaos, not make chaos in the middle of a safe place.
lol 😂 this is great and so true
Peak SupSup - what a chapter. That cliffhanger will have me stu-ing in anticipation for the result of the next chapter.
also, is anyone else picturing a mooncake with egg yolk for the bun stu's eating? its midautumn festival next week and mooncakes are on my mind... yummy
I was thinking pan dulce with an unusual egg yolk glaze to give it a golden color.
I am imagining the k’rethkan as Tacos as I try to decide what filling best represents Bithe, to which my answer is a one of those overengineered 'Asian-Mexican-Fusion'-Really-Just-Californian Tacos that is a bit too spicy.
Aren’t Tacos half-way open? Don’t know if there are regional differences, but I was imagining more of a wrap. You normally leave it open on one side, too, but if you use less filling you can just close that part, too.
This has me contemplating Artonan idiom equivalents. I wonder if "on thin ice" and "burning your bridges" are both represented by breaking tree branches instead. That adds a nice touch of "you are hurting another life (and it will also remember this)" to the warning that they're about to fall out of the tree and possibly get eaten by unclimbing beasts.
we did get the bit about joe reaching for high fruit and hitting every branch on the way down.
Am I the only one who read the entire chapter with a sense of dread? I KNEW that someone is going to burst Stu's bubble in some way, and I was just waiting for it to happen. I feel so sad and angry for Stu. I really hope that he sets some very clear boundaries with his family.
Yes his family cannot let him be happy, their are such a pain.
I know that given both Stu and Alden's asexual tendancies many of you ship them, but asexual doesn't necessarily mean never having sex/kids/relationships and I could totally see Ryada and Stu hooking up.
I don’t really see asexual tendencies in Stu at all, actually. He’s temporarily doing celibacy because he fucked up bad last time he got sex-drunk and because he doesn’t trust his classmates. I expect that as soon as he’s done punishing himself and around people he thinks better of, he’ll go back to the usual Artonan rate of hooking up left and right.
You can feel the tension ramping up as every single weapon is being loaded and is getting ready to fire. I would find it incredibly amusing if team Emban fucked up their own quest, but accidentally resolved the quest meant for Jozz and as a result punched above their weight and got great marks. Carried by a Rabbit to victory! I found it really touching by the Alden fan club formed by Ryada and Stuart. I can see them being great buddies and providing comfort for each other - and they can participate in cultural human exchange, trying Natalie's food and Earth fruits in general.
I'm rooting for Emban and squad to rescue Jozz's squad's treat! I feel increasingly sure that's exactly what Alden previously found. There's something gallows humor funny about two of Emban's nearest and dearest that she's been most worried about and recently at odds with weaving a closer relationship with each other and being so happy plotting to come bring more desperately desired food to great Emban (not to mention Divin!), Bithe, and the others while also teasing them gently about the emotional rollercoaster of a quest disaster turned good - Stu and Emban are making up again! Ryada is going to greet her with a genuine smile! What a relief! and now it's Jozz's turn to meddle in a way that will invoke the (rightful) wrath of Stu. It would be distinctly karmic if *Jozz* was the next person Emban turned the sharp edge of her tongue on. Especially if Emban swallowed her pride and admitted she had been wrong on multiple fronts and Alden had been right.
“Eeaner-ket was it? The housemate?” -> This totally gave the whole I'm sending a votary hit squad vibe but I didn't think it would pay off this chapter as I first read it. I'm wondering if Stu is hallucinating but it's unlikely (To my understanidng it's mostly his mom he sees, with one time where he thought he was seeing Alden as the exception, which wasn't a hallucination.)
He thought he was hallucinating alden twice at least, at the start of the here to there he said "your real?!" After initially walking past him. He must hallucinate more than just his mother, her protection was more just allowing/forcing him to only experience good happy things. Alden is clearly part of Stu's happy life.
“Stu couldn’t imagine anything better was happening indoors.” Nothing better seems to be happening indoors. Stu finally gets enjoy himself, and family appears to ruin the fun. Alden doesn’t have a secrecy of the house tattoo, and that’s my guess for his parent’s intervention. Also, Jozz is getting a little obsessed with Stu’s friendships. Is he trying to say “see, I can meet your friends if I want?”
They already knew Alden doesn't have the Secrecy of the House tattoo. That was the cause of the big argument Stu had with his parents that resulted in him putting off affixation for half a year and becoming a temporary votary to Emban.
Stu giving Alis a root as big as her head gets funnier when you realize this isn’t something he did as a kid. He did it a year or two ago, when she was pregnant with the triplets she was carrying when Alden first met her.
Funnier…and sadder when you realize how hard it is for him to differentiate between formality used in history, tradition and books and socially acceptable formality. Even in his own family. Look how much work went into the root! He he grew it himself. I feel like Alden in listening to the storyteller‘s tale, laughing with you, and then remembering who we are talking about… I honestly feel shame. It is too easy to laugh about the mistakes of others.
My opinion of Jozz is plummeting like Bithe yeeting himself off a mountain.
The parents might have talked him into it
*emphasises my accent all the way, for humourous purposes* aur naur
Such a mountain of drama incoming, and I just want Stu to get to go rejoin Ryada under that soft blanket with snacks and warm, supportive funny EshLind arriving.
Jozz does seem to be terrifying a LeafSong student he doesn't know quite thoroughly. (What the heck, Jozz!) At this rate Stu is going to need to scoop Eeaner up (metaphorically speaking) and deposit him on the soft blanket with Ryada and EshLind for safety while Stu trots off to deal with his votary parents.
One of the sweetest things my husband ever did for me was throw a party I would actually like. I don’t like noise or crowding or being thrown in an unstructured situation and told to “socialize”, and I’m not comfortable drinking heavily in public situations, which really meant I didn’t get much out of parties in college or grad school. I showed up briefly if someone I cared about invited me, then made excuses and disappeared after an hour. It was in December, so we took our classmates for caroling in his neighborhood and then back home to make gingerbread houses. There were fewer people than usual, mostly people I liked. There were enjoyable, structured activities throughout instead of lots of noise and disorder and drinking. It was… really nice, that he’d figured all that out. That’s what Eeaner should be doing for Stu, but it’s not clear Stu has opened up enough for them to understand each other.
Maybe, just maybe, Jozz is sharing some details with Eeaner about how to throw a party Stu will actually enjoy? I'm not sure I trust Jozz to tell him 'invite Avowed Alden Thorn as a guest' as the must important bit.
TFTC! Oh no, you just know Stu's family will do something fucked up, again... I'm so sad for Stu, this could've been a chill moment for him, spending time with actual friends.
It's inhuman to tear him from a cuddle pile watching his favorite friend being awesome to just give him another annoying as fuck lecture that definitely could not have waited until later.
We need Esh to come to the rescue here!!!
I wish, but I don’t believe he would meddle with the Art’h family private discussion…
What if Jozz got Eeaner-ket there to encourage a friendship that's preferable, in his eyes, to the one with Alden?
I would say that that is absolutely one part of it
Oh no… I hope he wasn’t going to try and manipulate him through his roommates/friends! But whatever his reasons, I guess Stu is going to be very hurt… again… I really want this ‘waiting’ phase to be over! Whenever it feels like Stu is getting ready to get his first bindings, someone from his family & friends does something to confuse him! I hope we don’t have to wait too much longer for this one particular conflict to be resolved!
I suspect Stu's resolve will be the final thing that will be revealed to have grown unseen.
Whelp, I think it's pretty likely Eeaner-ket is going to be introduced to why Stu thinks Alden is a serious person with bigger goals than waiting on drunk wizards at parties. Will you rise to the occasion, Eeaner? I hope Stu realizes he could message Esh or Lind (or both!) for a rescue here.
I want to see Esh tearing into them so so much
Jozz's behaviour rarely approaches perfection. smh.
TFTC!
Lovely soup. A great start to my morning on an unsought extra work day
""Lind, I do think thry're plotting against this unfortunate Bithe. Isn't that great?"" I love Esh Thank you for the chapter
Wherever Esh is, in whatever situation, he is always the star of the show, and I love him for it. :)
Stu vs Jozz Round 2 is long overdue. There are a lot more combatants on both sides this time, let’s see how it plays out.
You words brought to mind a cage match except where Jozz is expecting a kitten he will be greeted by a Flerken.
Oh no. I think they are trying to do some sort of understanding session or intervention. Let's hope this is good news!
Thank you. What a privilege it is to be here and to read this story. The gratitude I’m able to hold for every new piece of this story feels so unbelievably warm each time. So this is love, I ask myself and each time the answer is- Yes. Yes to everything this is, I love it.
This post is close to perfection.
Where are the arth's on the FAFO graph, im sure they are about to find out. Everyone loves it when their family chooses their friends for them. How close is Stu to following Bithe's example and dropping his surname and moving to a different Rapport/planet and finds a home that accepts him. reminder what Evul said to Jozz: "Our brother seems to be slowly wearing out. And maybe everyone else sees that as an opportunity, but I’ve realized that I don’t know what happens when Stu gets tired of fighting. We’ve never been here before, and I don’t think I like it." Jozz didn't learn from that discussion, he still calls Alden "the human".
I doubt Stu will drop his family name because his birthfather is still his personal hero. But yeah, I bet something drastic is about to happen between Stu and most of his family.
Jozz quickly cementing himself as the douchebag sibling to contrast against Evul's chill nature. He's clearly perceptive enough to understand Stu's emotions, but is also making an overt decision to try to bulldoze past what he actually wants. Super manipulative - and it's kind of a microcosm of Stu being treated poorly by his family: Stu meltdown incoming perhaps? The big question is... ...how will this result in Alden being dragged to another party :P
Jozzzzzzz you’re giving so many reasons to be disliked Also, did Stu not set the Klerms free…. They just live in that box now. Maybe he’ll infest this planet
No time to stop for setting kkerms free today! Hope thy keep till later.
Ya know the more I read about Stu’s family the angrier I get. They feel so destructive.
they are very toxic codependent problems. i only like evul really.
There are so many characters in this story that are complicated, interesting, and have some kind of evil in them but somehow Jozz is the most annoying. His good intentions suck. He’s just a bully
Strangely, this person seems to be constantly sending out some kind of authority screaming. But in a positive way. Perhaps we should revisit them next week to see if it continues
I only ever see them as 'comment hidden' but I am imagining the typical negative 'I pay for this thing I hate' bull and then realizing that they are probably being banned afterwards, at which point they are paying the subscription fee to do so... every week. Strangeness I will never understand.
I can imagine Jozz trying to find a "better" friend for Stu than Alden.
Stu is going to be in need of votaryship soon. I'm trying to be positive
Ooh my tummy is all wibbly wobbly after this chapter. All stirred up. Tyftc.
Oh no. Oh no. I cannot imagine anything good coming from Jozz interfering like this. This is not normal. This is weird territory *at best.* Is Jozz trying to bully some poor kid into being nice to his little brother? Trying to encourage Eeaner to party it up to distract Stu from knighthood ambitions? Outright recruiting Eeaner to help squash said ambitions? Trying to find a better friend for Stu than Alden? Completely unnecessarily spying on Stu? I’ve got so many ideas, and not a one of them is good news. …If he’s trying to get Eeaner to talk Stu out of knighthood, I suppose the good news is that we don’t have to rely on Stu to open up to Eeaner about his basics. Because Stu really could not be relied on to do that of his own volition, as much as I wanted him to.
Maybe the real good news is that after this Eeaner will be like “Oh my god, how are you as normal as you are? You grew up with these people?”
Ohhh I feel a lot of different plots coming together now
Oh! I'm confused right along with Stu! Has Eeaner-ket been influenced to be more serious? And so many family members. And Esh. And the lovely Ryada, such a sweet scene. This chapter produced so many unresolved threads it feels like a cliff hanger. And meanwhile team Vatha stumbles on towards Demon Goat Valley. English words making themselves into Artonan Vocabulary, so delightful! Might be an interplanetary first!
I think it's possible he was influence to be less serious. I could believe that Stu's family figured that at a non-knight college surrounded by non-knight people he'd forget about his aspirations.
AAAAAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHA I hope stu is only mildly hurt with this and his parents. if they give him some kind of ultimatum that will ruin their plans for the future I may very well riot
We are being dangled over a cliff!!!! Thank you.
It seem Stu's family are the bothersome type.
There are innocent possibilities for what this conversation is about but pretty much everything we've seen about Jozz so far says that no, this is some way of being a jerk.
Dragging a young wizard you don't personally know to an event stuffed with votaries and knights and wannabees... No wonder Eeaner-ket is looking uncomfortable
I want to throw Jozz out of a moving train. He may be ruining movie night for Lind, Esh, Stu, and Ryada.
If you threw Jozz out of a moving train, he would probably do an annoying flip and land near perfectly. He seems like that kind of person.
I get the feeling Jozz isn’t gonna be winning Stu over with this stunt
Jozz is really failing to whisper a refuge for Stu....
tyftc, very excited for the read
ohhh nooo...... i really had no expectations for this arc! i thought it would be Big Gym! suddenly every added pov ratchets us up and now we're tipping over the peak of the drama rollercoaster aaaa. are we thinking its like... jozz encouraging their friendship since stu's only friend shouldn't be a crazy human rabbit? aymeg talked to an und'h (possibly the racist one?) and to veln and now theyre like calling stu to the principals office its so ominous
Yeah, Aymeg and Veln don't seem like the right ones to champion Alden to an Undh who is on the warpath.
Wow, Jozz… boundaries?!
Yeah, I've been thinking of the Arth family's actions as extreme, but understandable from their point of view. But this crosses the line right into asshole behavior. Especially if the 'meeting' is about what I think it will be...
Amazing chapter, thank you
Just caught up on a full reread after letting chapters build up since Waves. I feel like I could have read 6000 more pages and running out would still have hurt too much for words. You get my sensibilities for a progression serial and how it should be paced better than any other author and you write it so well too, it's like the perfect storm for me, even the themes that have become more prominent since my last read are very near to me. Thanks a ton, I'm glad I kept my patronage since the first time, worth.
I try to save chapters too, so I unsubscribed to Patreon. But I know myself and will certainly le back next month 🫣
Placeholder comment in case it's needed for scheduling updates! I'll also post a brand new fresh comment on posting day like usual if I need to. Trying to make it easy to find me for everyone no matter how you sort comments.
Thanks! You're too considerate in trying to make our lives easier.
hype
I didn’t keep track of the schedule this time and this caught me by surprise. Felt like I only had to wait for 2 days. What kind of cheat code is this and whoever activated it for me, please do it again.
Could you do it for me as well?
I've been working for 30 mins - guess I've earned a break !
It works like that for me, too 😁
Shhhh, I'm reading...
Okay, done! I sense a storm of epic proportions. First with Jozz, then with Veln and Aymeg. But first Stu should go get a big stick.
Yaaaay ty for chappy
Thank you so much, timely for our son’s birthday 🎁
Happy birthday to him!
Thx
Jozz what the fuck? Is he trying to be helpful? I hope that's it. Even if he is, Eeaner is still terrified, and he still violated Stu's boundaries and broke confidence and trust. I guess he doesn't know Eeaner just blew up at Stu? He might be trying to smooth things over, give him some Stu wrangling tips etc, but Eeaner just blew up at Stu and got instasummoned so he's probably shitting himself.
Yay !!!
I have a far fetched theory. What if Eeaner actually want to be a knight, but he got overwhelmed by Stu’s seriousness so he refrain from mention it to Stu later? And now he is asking Stu’s parents if being knight is that hard and they are summoning Stu to ask why is he scaring potental knight.
I remembered who Jozz, Vein and Aymeg is and now I realized how naive I was :(
Thank youuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuu