THREE HUNDRED TWENTY: Divisions
Author's Note: Sorry for the delay. Some changes I was making to the larger story outline meant I ended up needing more time to sort out exactly what would happen when in the next few chapters than I usually do.
I'd like the next chapter, 321, to come out a bit closer to this one than usual. I've already jumped into it to make sure it's off to a solid start. I'll be attempting to get that one out as close to 48 hours from now as I can manage. I think that's a sweet spot for people having time to discuss and reread one chapter as much as they want while still feeling like the next one came out fast. It's not a promise, but at the moment, it looks like a reasonable timeframe.
Next Chapter: as close to 48 hours from now as Sleyca can manage
I hope you've all had a good weekend!
Here is a chapter.
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THREE HUNDRED TWENTY
Divisions
If the dead watch, they watch this place.
And their eyes have gathered dust.
Study is the sweetest part of life,
eaten from a bowl that never empties
at a table that hasn’t been lonely
since the first student became teacher.
Stu laid a transfer cloth carefully over the pieces of a spittlesnout nest he’d just cut, also covering a few words of a poem that was inscribed into the table.
“You were trying to divide it into twenty-one with this cast, weren’t you?” Amantha asked. She sat with her legs crossed in the chair beside him. They were sharing this practice table with several other people in one of the classrooms Eeaner had reserved. They could see one another’s work through the transparent spell barriers between them.
One of their instructors had suggested they improve their precision with a spell that divided things into fragments of equal mass. Instead of nests, Amantha was chopping up blocks of soft candy.
“That’s right,” said Stu, picking up the cloth and the pieces of nest that clung to it to move them to the silver scale in front of him.
“You did get twenty-one, and they all looked equal enough to me,” she said. “I bet you’ve succeeded.”
The scale identified the pieces and weighed each of them simultaneously, sending the results to Stu’s eyerings.
Not perfection, but close enough to say he’d done the spell correctly. He dropped the nest into a jar with the others he’d cut and lidded it.
“Are you finished now?” Bayab asked. He was sitting across from Stu. “Can you help me? Jel wouldn’t help me before she left. Pozmot only helped me a little.”
“Are you having trouble understanding something about this spell?” There was nothing all that unique about it in method or concept.
“Not really,” said Bayab, “but wouldn’t it be nice to work together?”
Stu had never enjoyed casting with Bayab-oth much, so answering that question was difficult.
“Bayab,” Amantha said in a kind voice, “Stu’s got more to do before he finishes for today. And you don’t have to have a partner for everything just because we’re all studying together.”
“I’m not as good as the rest of you.”
“You’re very capable when you actually try. But that won’t be the case for long if you keep begging the rest of us to cast with you on basic spells,” said Pozmot from his workspace near the end of the table. “You divided your candy into six twice and then quit to wait for someone else to finish. You’re so obvious about it. I don’t understand why you even want a partner for this. It’s not exciting magic. We’re all just trying to get through it so that we can get to the good part of this weekend.”
Bayab held his auriad at his fingertips, over an uncut block of yellow candy, but he didn’t start casting. “Maybe there’s nuance I could learn through observation.”
“For this?” Pozmot scoffed. “What nuance? And I think you’ve gotten less collaborative since we first met. You act more like you want to be carried through the spell when we cast together instead of helping with it.”
“I do not!” Bayab said.
He does, thought Stu.
“It’s like tutoring my little brother, and you’re not my little brother,” said Pozmot. “You were distracting me earlier and slowing me down. Just do your own work. Eeaner had a good idea reserving these classrooms and dragging us all into them first thing this morning. Take advantage of it maybe?”
“Poz,” Amantha said, “you’re being a little irritable.”
Bayab-oth’s head had dropped, and Stu had seen his mouth trembling before it did.
“I’ll cast it with you,” he said. “Once. But then I do need to practice other things.”
His housemate straightened like a freshly watered oipin. “Thank you, Stu!”
They are here for me. To some degree, thought Stu, heading around to the other side of the table to join Bayab.
A good party on the third day of a LeafSong student’s weekend began with the attendees getting all of their schoolwork out of the way on the first. Eeaner-ket had explained that when Stu spoke to him this morning.
“We’re going to cast spells together at the party,” he’d said. “Which I know is the part you’re most interested in. If you want to get a decent group together for that, then we can’t let them show up exhausted with excuses about trying to finish their homework right before they arrived. The first day of the weekend is for getting that out of the way. The second is for individual preparations. The party begins just after dawn on the third, with everyone freshly rested and eager for challenging magical experiments! Aren’t you excited? I know you are even if you don’t know you are. It would be helpful if you stopped wearing the hairstyle of self-deprivation, since it feels very unparty. Consider it. This is going to be a memorable weekend!”
“All right, Bayab,” said Stu, directing his own auriad to his fingers. “How many pieces do you want to divide this into?”
Having just been chastised, Bayab-oth matched his casting to Stu’s. Their authorities supported each other.
He’s not bad at this when he puts in effort. He’s not Alden, but this should still feel companionable.
The poem said they were eating at a table that had never been lonely. Stu liked that poem.
Everything here is fine. I am making progress with my work. I am surrounded by people. My authority moves with another wizard’s right now. And Eeaner is more considerate than I realized.
He was ashamed of himself for feeling alone.
******
******
The next morning, Eeaner told Stu to get out of their student house so that he’d stop causing stress to the workers who’d come to install a pair of teleportation hoops.
“Why does a simple party need those?” Stu asked while he was being shooed toward the bridge that connected their treehouse to others. “I don’t understand.”
“Because Ryada said you’d like it, and I’m good at accomplishing wonders on short notice.”
“Ryada said I wanted rapid teleportation for party guests?” Stu said, as his own boots were thrust toward him by his housemate. “She must have been confused.”
“I doubt it,” Eeaner replied cheerfully. “You may sleep in your room tonight of course. But until then, begone. Spend today like you’re excited about tomorrow! Don’t dwell on anything else. Now, Stu’s taken care of, so I just need to wake up Bayab and set some rules for him.”
“Are you aware you’re still talking out loud?” Stu asked.
“I’m using my mouth to assist my brain. Go. Remember I gave you my rings! Remember it’s stripes out! Excuse me! You can’t put the hoop there. The largest hammock will extend from the middle of that spot to—”
Spend today like I’m excited about tomorrow, thought Stu. Tomorrow, Alden is coming back to LeafSong.
It sounded like a bad idea.
If Stu hadn’t gone to the observation station, Alden would have been rewarded for helping Emban’s squad with lessons from und’hs. Who thought he wasn’t acting enough like a shield the Triplanets had bought to break. Here…Stu couldn’t imagine the people here treating him well.
Differently, certainly. Eeaner said he understood their friendship. Ryada would be around. But there would be so many people who weren’t Eeaner and Ryada.
Alden had been sending Stu more messages than usual over the last few days. His school week was going smoothly. He’d talked several times about the party. He seemed more worried about Stu than about himself.
That’s not right, Alden. I’ll be fine. I’m the Primary’s son.
“You’re not leaving!” Eeaner shouted from their balcony.
Stu started moving his feet again.
Normally, if the party was bad, we’d leave and go to streamview cottage for the rest of the day.
It had become their haven. He’d really liked it. He knew Alden did, too.
I don’t want to go there now.
And, at the same time, he wanted it more than anything.
But not as it currently was.
Almost everything was there in the heart of the siblinghold. A blanket Sina had given Stu was in the drawer under his bed. The place where his father had held him and told him stories like “The Elder’s Croak” was by the stream.
How many times had he sat by Olorn Mom’s cottage to watch her at her work? And how many times had the door to Rel’s room opened just as Stu was passing by so that some word of advice or reminder could be spoken?
Most of what I have loved. Most of my memories. All there.
But it had never been right, needing a haven for his friend and himself in the middle of his home.
If it’s not right…if it won’t be…what must be done?
******
******
******
“You know…I think this is it. I think I’m done.”
Boe Lupescu said it while he was ripping open a box of baking soda he’d bought to deodorize his family’s apartment. He said it almost under his breath and with some quiet emotion that wasn’t anger.
And those words weren’t the right response to any of the things Alden had said to him just now.
Alden played back over the conversation in his mind to make sure. He’d told Boe that some people had been unusually annoying in the gym class he’d had this morning, that the fried ravioli he’d gotten from the quick pick-up place instead of Cafeteria North had been on point, that Victor was still doing great as an indoor cat, and that he was interested in meeting up this weekend.
Stuart or Ryada would be able to set the Chicago consulate as his destination when he left the Triplanets after the party. He’d have some of Saturday and all day Sunday to breathe in the Illinois air and hang out with Boe, who seemed to be in a decent mood. Great stuff.
“Done with what?” Alden asked. He’d thrown all of his pillows and cushions into his enchanted tent a while ago so that he’d be comfortable for casting practice and this call. It wasn’t perfect, but he’d made himself a pile to plop on. “Deodorizing?”
“I’m done trying to hold you down so that you don’t fly into the sun,” said Boe. “A party with teenage wizards who already showed you they’d feed you to a crocodile to keep themselves out of trouble. Spending every weekend with Stuart, who sounds like a guy who’ll launch himself directly into the big ball of fire with you. Hanging out with other people like him whenever he’s not available. Well…that’s how it is.”
Boe started sprinkling white powder onto the stained carpet in front of the television. “I think you’re about thirty seconds away from melting your wings off. I’ve been acting like I’m mad about that. I am, but it—most of it—is me finding an excuse to yell at you because I can’t go with you. You know what I’m talking about. You’ve already called me on it. I’m admitting you’re right.”
“You can go with me, though,” said Alden. “I’ve told you, but I’ll tell you again. Come hang out with me and Stuart and cook some meat petal with us. Come to Anesidora and live like a rich dude. If you show up at the TC today, I’ll be there. I’ll be one of the first faces you see, and I’ll lurk around intake every day waiting for you to come out and tour the city with me. You’ll like Lute. Only a monster wouldn’t like Haoyu. If you want to fuck up chaos with me, then yes. Let’s do it. Let’s make it happen.”
Alden was trying to make eye contact from across an ocean, but Boe was watching the box in his hand empty.
“I can’t,” he said.
“But you literally can. Can’t you?”
Boe shook his head. “Listen, I’m not saying we’re not friends anymore. I’m just saying…I need less. My fault, not yours. You should still come this weekend if you want to. Jeremy’ll be happy to see you. And I told you Gorgon’s alien emotions were surprisingly extreme when you died, so he’d probably like a check-in. But I think I’ll do my own thing again. Maybe leave the city and go for another long run.”
“Um…I don’t get…”
Alden’s chest kind of hurt.
“I obviously didn’t think you were saying we weren’t friends. Obviously. Because you wouldn’t say that. Especially when nothing’s happened between us…the thing is…right, Esh-erdi told me about U-types. That came up last weekend. I wanted to tell you I know how Uniques get made now. I wanted to say it in person and check on you. Find out how you feel without the System getting in the way anymore. I…uh…wanted to be face to face for that. So that you’d know I care. How much I care. Are you okay?”
“I wish he hadn’t told you,” said Boe. “Did he talk about me specifically? Or about Uniques in general?”
“The second one,” said Alden, rushing the words out like they were going to do something special. “He talked about them in general. I thought you’d tell me your own story yourself now that you can. Like you said you wanted to.”
Nothing special happened.
The words simply disappeared.
“I wish I’d told you all of it myself a long time ago,” said Boe. “And I wish you didn’t know even this much. Crazy of me, isn’t it? I hope I’m wrong, and that everything you’re going after is amazing for you, Alden. You deserve to touch the sun without getting fried if anyone does.”
“Boe, you are still going to answer when I call, right? This isn’t…”
“I’ll answer. I’ll look out for Connie if anything ever happens to you. I’m still here. I’ve just been thinking differently.”
“What does that mean? You know what…I’ll come to Chicago right now! To your apartment if you give me permission. Who gives a shit about international law? Not me.”
Alden was reaching toward the part of the tent that would open into a door.
“Don’t,” said Boe.
“I’ll be there in a second.”
“Don’t,” Boe said more firmly. “There’s not some kind of emergency going on.”
Alden’s heart was pounding like there was. But he stopped and sat back down.
“Boe, this is coming out of nowhere.”
“I’m sorry,” said Boe. “I know what you mean. But if it’s really out of nowhere, why does it feel like it was inevitable?”
******
Alden didn’t remember deciding to take the bus to the girls’ apartment in Boomtown after that. Normally, he would have taken the nonagon, so it was perplexing that he’d ended up in a seat, listening to people talk in different languages while their shoes squeaked on a floor still damp from the rain they’d had that afternoon.
He had a meeting with Emilija this evening, and the bus did put him out near their building on time for it. So that was good.
“Hello, Burder—” she began as soon as she’d opened the door for him.
Inside, Natalie was on a baking spree. There were towers of pink and white treat boxes on the counters. Hadiza was sealing one with a sticker.
<<What’s wrong with you?>> Emilija asked. <<Are you all right?>>
“Yeah,” said Alden. “Do I look off?”
<<You look like you’re…not happy.>>
“Oh. No. I’m fine.”
She led him into the living area.
“None of it’s vegan, Alden! Sorry about that,” Natalie said loudly into the open fridge. “I’m filling some orders.”
<<Do you want to go somewhere else?>> Emilija asked. <<Or stay here smelling food you can’t eat?>>
“Either. Whatever’s easiest for you. I think my best friend from back home just tried to break up with me. Or he decided to break the ‘best’ part off of best friends…something like that. And we’re not even fighting. I thought he was doing better, actually. Weird, right? Weird.”
Their silence eventually penetrated his shock. He felt embarrassed. He smiled around at them—Emilija squinting her brown eyes, Hadiza holding up an extra sparkly sticker sheet, and Natalie backlit by the fridge with a huge plastic-wrapped lump of cookie dough in one hand.
“Wow. Please ignore me,” said Alden. “Emilija, we could do the emails at a coffee shop or somewhere like that. Have you had supper?”
Emilija turned her back on him. “Hammer,” she said to Hadiza.
“Hammer,” Hadiza agreed with a nod. “He can use Natalie’s.”
“No, I’ll come too!” said Natalie, shutting the fridge.
“Five hundred cookies by tomorrow!” Hadiza pointed at her like a disappointed parent. “No more procrastinating for you.”
In less than a minute, Emilija was on her way back from the bedrooms with a pair of pink sledgehammers.
“This is how we do email today,” she said, passing one to Alden.
“I’m fine,” he said, taking it from her. “Honestly.”
“Some turkey thief gave us these for Christmas,” said Emilija. “They work.”
“They do,” said Hadiza.
“I’ve drifted apart from so many people I knew back home, Alden,” said Natalie. “We’re so far away here. I’m sorry about your friend.”
Alden and Emilija didn’t get around to his inbox at all that night. But he swung the hammer so many times at the recreational demolition place that he won a t-shirt with a hazard symbol on it—a starry explosion threatening the borders of the warning triangle that contained it.
Danger: Magic.
******
******
******
Stu waited for nightfall to take almost everything he owned from the siblinghold.
Hiding in shadows and avoiding certain hallways. Holding his breath when a sister’s eye turned in his direction.
This was not how a person walked through his own home, and so, in a sense, the tragedy had already happened. He was gone from here, and it was gone from him, in ways that mattered more than things.
He tried to be quick about it, even though it was a significant decision and he hated to be quick about significant moments. He wanted to return to every beloved corner and remember. He needed to say goodbye at length.
He hadn’t been cast out, and he would surely see all of this again. But would it ever be the same?
His parents were sleeping in their suite of rooms. He wanted to run to them for a farewell. At the same time, he was angry with them. For making a farewell something necessary and, more pettily, for being located in a part of the house that made it too difficult to visit his father’s personal room without encountering them.
He collected Other Alden last.
It wasn’t practical to have her with him tonight, but he couldn’t bear to go all by himself. She was nibbling on Murmur in her sleep again, on the floor in front of the deepwinter hearth.
Stu picked her up.
“Grandpa-grandpa,” he said softly to the sleeping mleirt, “I love you very much. I’ll make where I stay in the old house comfortable for you if you ever want to visit.”
He spoke to no one else before leaving. Not even to Evul when he took her tablet from her room. If she wanted it back badly enough, she’d have it.
Magic made the whole escape feasible before the night was through.
Stu arrived at the old house and greeted it with more uncertainty than it was due.
Too big. Too empty. The house welcomed him, but the welcome of an ancient building was not like the voices of his family.
While he tried to make just one of the rooms into a space where he wanted to spend much time, he found himself talking more and more to his ryeh-b’t about what he was doing.
She was enjoying herself. An adventure to a place where the windows didn’t impede her flights in and out suited her.
“When I’m in the Rapport, we’ll be here together,” Stu told her, his feet crunching a leaf he’d somehow missed with his sweeping spell. “When I’m not, you can stay at the siblinghold like usual. And we’ll start taking short trips to LeafSong, too, to see if you like it.”
After placing senva seeds where he wanted to make his bed, he leaned out of one of the empty windows to watch her while she tried to figure out how to hang upside down from a trellis.
“This place will be all right, won’t it?”
She missed her grip and tumbled through the air before catching herself with some flapping.
He admired her for the fast recovery. He’d been falling for days, and he didn’t know if he’d found ground here at the old house or just more wishful thinking.
He turned back to the room. He hadn’t lit enough candles. All of his husenots were piled in the hall beyond the open door. He was sure he didn’t feel strong enough for a party. He’d rather sort through his hibernating pets for the rest of the weekend, remembering which ones each family member had given him.
That’s not a wise thing to do right now.
He picked up Evul’s tablet.
[Will you bring me a husenot from Earth?] he wrote to Alden.
He regretted it immediately. This was his first message since they’d talked in Rapport III. And it was in reply to days of thoughtful messages from Alden.
Stu hissed at the tablet. “Why must I be strange in my grief!?”
[I mean when it is easy to do so.]
[If you do not mind.]
[Husenots are not an urgent need of mine.]
[All of the pictures and messages you sent me were very appreciated. I hope you enjoy your classes today.]
He barely had to wait for a reply. Alden called him back so quickly.
He was walking outdoors at Celena North. His Forgetful Traveler’s bag was on his shoulder. At this time, he would be on his way to his storytelling class.
“I didn’t mean to worry you,” Stu said. “Did you impress your so-called instructor during the obstacle course this morning?”
“Not as much as last time, but we managed to slip in a couple of surprises for him. I think Jeffy being random works in our favor. You’re in the old house. In the middle of the night.”
“I am.”
“You’ve got a lot of stuff with you.”
Alden stopped on the edge of the pathway. It was sunny there. Stu knew Anesidora was cold, but right now it didn’t look it.
Green eyes studied him, or perhaps the room behind him. “What color husenot do you want? A new house needs a new husenot. Even if it’s an old house.”
Stu found he could breathe a little more slowly. “Any husenot you like. And the one closest to it in the container where it’s living now! So that when it wakes up it will have one it’s familiar with.”
“Husenot and friend husenot. I’ll find them.”
Stu nodded.
“You’ve got a party soon. Very soon.”
“I know.”
“Enjoy it until I get there,” said Alden. “Most Artonans seem to be…above average at partying from a human perspective. So I bet you can do it.”
“Eeaner wants me to change my hair.” He touched the bald side.
“Does it matter for this?” Alden asked.
“It indicates I’m engaged in a period of self-deprivation and reflection because of what I did wrong the day we met. The tradition is not as widely recognized as I thought it would be, so I have had to explain it many times at school. Eeaner says it’s unparty.”
“Don’t let anyone pressure you. But if you’re asking me, you shouldn’t deprive yourself right now. If something sounds fun, you should do it.”
“Thank you.”
“I’ll throw you into that summoning pool if you need me to,” said Alden. “To make sure your scalp knows you’ve done more than enough to make amends with the human you met that day.”
Comments (291)
Something about the three-part nature of this chapter feels like ONE HUNDRED ONE: Anesidora Time, 07:15 PM. In that chapter, three dominoes moved, and two out of three of those have finished cascading like bombs blowing.
1. Jacob meets Orpheus, and retrieves the object of his personal doom to come, the Sinker-Sender, which Orpheus (?) had stolen. Hazel collects blackmail material, which she will later use to coerce Jacob to be her pretend boyfriend to attend her relative's party.
How long do you think it’ll be before Alden gets another affixation? About a month and a half after returning to earth he guessed he had only a year left. Since then he’s gone through a lot and probably sped up his leveling speed by quite a bit. It’s also stated that his authority will grow stronger faster as his free authority grows closer to and applies more pressure on his bound authority. I’m guessing he’ll undergo another affixation before his next official summoning.
The real fork in the prediction road is based on when Stu affixes. At that point, assuming the esvulginas thing goes forward, he’ll be shunting authority to Alden until they are matchy enough to pull it off. Until then, Alden will be affixing every couple months or something
I’m always reminded by this quote during some interactions : “I know you think you understand what you thought I said, but I’m not sure you realize that what you heard was not what I meant.” Alan Greenspan
"I don't know half of you half as well as I should like; and I like less than half of you half as well as you deserve."
I love this story and am excited for the next installment, whenever it is ready
Aaaaah… I am not impatient, YOU are impatient… 🤥
You're trying to be patient You say it's up to fate But no one can blame you When you double-check the date It's human nature We're all in the same boat Want to live in the future Living the now by rote It's probably not healthy It's probably a bad plan But are you really alive If you don't F5
Is Boe gonna become a villain? His character arc is really reminiscent of a tragic villain
Boe has always been positioned to (potentially) become a villain. I hope he doesn't. Imagine how things will go if Alden eventually loses his life in service to the Artonans, though.
I know that Alden is getting therapy from Yenzu-peth. However, an entirely predictable problem he's having (and Maricel, and Natalie are having) is that he's growing away from his globie friends. You'd think that ALL globie kids would get therapy for at least their first twelve months as Avowed, and one of the things therapists would watch for is just this kind of thing: sad feelings about former friends drawing away from them.
Being sad is normal. Alden is getting therapy for trauma. I think Boe needs therapy for his trauma too. I think something awful happened to him when chaos bloomed around him and the System had to intervene. He's been pretending to be normal for so long, he doesn't know how to ask for help.
I really want to know what Alden put in his letter to Boe 'for New Year's' before he took that leap of faith teleport to Rapports I to tell Stu. Was it as emotionally honest, loving, and a little devastating as his letter to Ryada? We know Ryada was changed by reading (and rereading) her letter; was Boe changed by Alden's?
I suspect that Boe is not nearly as intelligent as Alden thinks he is. He's been using his interface to cheat at school since he was, like, 11.
While we wait… predictions for the next chapter title? I’ve got: Stripes Out I. Or more ominous: Maker of Narrow Ways I.
I'm of the opinion that the next chapter is going to be Alden's POV bringing his kelsithe to story telling class and making preparations for the party, and the chapter after that the start.
Conspiracy theory of the day while the next chapter is still in progress, Body drainer was doing part of a word chain cast and it went wrong. kick starting his chaos event somehow. Maybe even a really bad debt snap back. The system intervened and affixed. Body drainer then gained powers related to the transference of authority qualities as a natural power. (I am personally convinced this is how word chains work. really wish I could still see the old message chain where I put my thoughts down. See if it’s different than what I’m remembering) can now take people’s strength/speed etc by rapidly draining them. The bodies drained of authority forcefully become withered husks or puddles like Lute did paying off the debts (but much worse). The energy blasts he used don’t line up super well with this theory, but could be close ish
My theory about the energy blasts is that they were a result of overload from trying to drain Arjun, who was way more powerful than Drainer could contain.
What is Sleyca's day job? We got a hint in '23: Chapter 26 came about 6 days late, and in the note Sleyca said, “The delay was due to work + chapter length.” That was before the Patreon, so having a day job and writing on nights and weekends made sense. It was incredible that we were getting chapters every 3–5 days with that workload. Too much, in retrospect. Now, the Patreon is doing quite well, but if anything, Sleyca is posting later into the night and deeper into the weekend. It begs the question: What day job could possibly pay so well, or be so hard to leave, that it's worth losing this much sleep over? My guesses over the years: • A variety of famous authors • CEO of a large company • Heir to a family empire, taking care of business • Heir to a family empire, can't be seen wasting time with the liberal arts • The only pediatrician on Midway Island • John Patterson's ghost writer, locked in a usurious contract FWIW, I'm never going to actually research this, and getting the real answer would probably be disappointing. It's a fanciful mystery to me.
I could easily see nurse or other medical professional. A super supporter if you will. But also not gonna try and actually find out
Has it been 48 hours(approximate) yet?
Yep.
Given Boe's unwillingness to entrust Alden with his burdens, maybe Alden isn't the best person to help Boe with his current problems. Maybe the person Boe really needs is Stu, who wishes to embody cutting through any blocking obstacles to healthier connections. Meanwhile, Jeremy continues to embody being the actual saint (or is that savaant?) among them. Maybe someday he will be one of the lawyers helping renegotiate a healthier Contract between Earth and the TriPlanets.
Healthier for whom? This feels like projecting human morality and assuming that leads to “healthier.” The Artonan’s seem to be real sticklers for fairness instead and fairness seems to be what defines the health of a contract. Or at least a shared understanding that it is fair. But fair does not mean benevolent: let us not forget the Artonan’s allowed an entire species to go extinct because they could not accept a mutually “fair” contract. [In short, I am saying the Artonan’s have no incentive to capitulate as you seem to be suggesting. They hold all the cards. Humanity holds none.]
I would love some Soup for my birthday... Only two more hours til my birthday ends... Fingers crossed...
HAPPY BIRTHDAY PATIENCEHONEY!!
I'm getting upset by the lack of delay notices. Only have to have one per delay day to make a lot of soupers happy.
Sleyca usually gives delay notices. So what do you mean?
I want to say it came out of nowhere, but it really didn't. This has been building for a while. From a writing perspective, it's very common in coming of age stories for childhood friendships to end. Maybe they drift apart because of different interests. Sometimes the relationship grows toxic. Other times, the character(s) realize the relationship was always unhealthy. I was hoping Alden and Boe would stay close friends, or at least have more time before the break happened. Jeremy was already a bit more distant because he's got a girlfriend. But, Jeremy also set aside time to spend with Alden and was genuinely happy that his friend was thriving. Meanwhile, Boe was upset about every decision Alden made, even some of the logical and purely beneficial ones. He's upset by the risks Alden takes. He's incredibly envious of Stu. I don't know that Boe will go to SAL, but I do expect that he ans Alden will continue to go in very different directions. I cannot see them staying friends. I have to wonder if Boe will continue to "match" Alden's rescues. He still seems to think that Alden's risk taking is too extreme. It's also worth noting that this break was a lot slower than the ones Alden's classmates experienced. At intake, it seemed like everyone was realizing they couldn't maintain their old friendships. Even people who grew up on Anesidora had their relationships change a ton when their affixations arrived. It's amazing Alden and Boe's relationship lasted as it had for as long as it did. Except, I'm not so sure that it did. Alden and Boe got to see each other when Alden was most of the way through intake. If things had progressed as they "should" have, with Alden safely returning from Leafsong on time... I think they may have gone separate ways while Alden was still in intake. Maybe not. Alden wouldn't have become friends with Stu if that had happened, and having Stu to lean on makes a massive difference. It's interesting to imagine what might have happened. How far diverged would this story be it Alden had been able to evacuate all of the assistants from Thegund?
Personally, I'm seeing this more like Emban and Ryada, or any other pair where they try for a deepening and then stop or take a break for a while; a different kind of relationship may still flourish there someday even if long-distance hero partners doesn't work out the way Boe was initially aiming for. Alden has repeatedly called Boe basically his brother - he doesn't have so much family left that he can afford to lose one of the remaining people he identifies as his family. Heck, Alden still hasn't taken *Joe* off his priority contact list or gotten rid of his ring, even if he's stopped wearing Joe's ring. Alden doesn't give up on people he's decided are important to him easily, even when they go out of their way to make it hard for him to continue their previous relationship.
*eats soup for dinner while looking forward to other soup*
me too! mine was butternut squash turkey soup with kale and beans, what was yours?
While we wait for Eeaner's party to begin, what are you favorite party moments from Soup so far?
Aulia's birthday. We were so much more aware of undercurrents there, after the Lute mini-arc, than with the unknown tensions at LeafSong.
Boe and Stu are both focussing more on their own lives. For Boe it means a period of extricating himself from Alden's rush to adventure, and for Stu it means drawing closer to Alden. It's exciting!
Looking back again in chapter 231 during the here to there and the fertility ritual “This land’s fruit will fill your stomachs. The fruit of your body will fill this land. You will hold those you love between the Mother and the sky here. And everything that a home has been and can be will be yours.” ---each will is emphasized--- Every time Leeter-zis said “will,” the effects that Alden was feeling increased sharply. He was rooted to the ground; the piece of wood seemed to want to burrow into his hand. initially I read this passage from the POV of the people who the ritual was for, the non-wizarding class. Reading it now I envision it as someone talking only to Alden, declaring to reality the eventuality of what is to come for Alden. Also it may have been said before but the first time a child of the reports goes to the ceremony in which other Hn'tyons take their final rest, they begin their choosing season, Alden was also somewhat formally given his choosing season as well by the Mother when she showed Alden Sina's rest in chapter 59.
Yes. for a while, before chap 304, there was a vocal subsection of the commenters here and on RR who stated Alden was *already* a knight, but 304 kinda pointed out he needs the oaths. I'm about 99% sure Rel will volunteer to oversee.
I'm so incredible excited for this stripes-out party! I am already so hyped for it since we heard about it in january! I love Eeaner so much and hope we get to see all the details about this party and what Stu will experience and am so happy that Alden will come there!
Next chapter predictions in haiku, or otherwise? new views on old hurts new hurts shifting entrenched views now enter Kofa
Emban brings candy Ryada brings more blankets Rel sends his support
While we wait for next chapter, have a fun article about fruit trees and the people who love them: https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/how-apple-detectives-solved-the-mystery-of-an-ancient-tree-and-rewrote-the-history-of-fruit/ This story also taught me a new word for my wordhoard: scionwood ("the twigs that become grafts").
A cautionary tale against the "industrial workflow" mentality that is being drilled into people's brains as the normal way of things. Nature has multiple redundancies for a reason, and is *much* more resilient for it.
Just rereading as I'm want to do as I saw an interesting passage from chapter 57 that has more relevance now due to the past few chapters Alis-art'h : “Someone who treats their own species well while behaving as if a member of another one is a disposable tool is not a good —————.” said about Worli Ro-den, could also be said about some of the Unds as well. In other matters, we see Stu finally getting his Welcome End, not that one he deserves but perhaps the one he needs. Also from a couple chapters after 57 in chapter 59 Mother says "My children tell me home is harder to find every time you change. But you can try.” Here we see Stu change in yet another significant way. Previously we saw Stu for the first time after he declared his intent to take the highest path and be met with horror and shunned by those he considered him closest to. After the mishnen and Alden's "death" we see Stu change yet again, getting the pet ryeh-b't that he asked for when young but was denied and placated instead and getting the hairstyle of "self-deprivation". Finally the break between Stu and his family but in turn we see him finally opening up to others that aren't his family, trying to take solace with the fact that he will always be seen as a bit broken and othered by his family and those peers he saw himself as equals to. Home, Family, Belonging, Friendship, Love, Sacrifice. It's always an unforeseen treat to go back through this story and see foreshadowing and parallels written some thousand or more pages apart and see them come together as characters become foils to one another in more ways than one. I'm not ashamed to say this is my favorite story I have read and I've truly reread this at least 9 times at this point and I know I'll continue to do long after Sleyca has completed this masterwork.
Well-spotted! Alis-art'h is definitely *not* aligned with the same political faction as the und'hs.
I'm not quite at JJ's wriggle-in-anticipation, but I'm super looking forward to Artona III's greeting to Alden today.
Heh. I'm definitely already doing a little wriggle on my end; I keep finding my toes warming themselves up for enthusing.
Boe, sweetheart, go down to Lowes or Home Depot and order some cheap waterproof flooring. I know you don't want to start throwing a lot of money around but you can at least do that for heaven's sake.
With all the talks of U types, i just imagined what was happening to people like Body Drainer and Ghosten (Principle Saleh). Was body drainers chaos event gonna make him absorb authority or mass? Was ghosten gonna turn into some ethereal ghost demon? Heck Boe could’ve easily turned into a demon similar to the one that Stuart’s parents had to fight. Intelligent, and able to attack the mind of everyone nearby
'Body Drainer' (authority drainer?) being a young man who felt entitled to other people's bodies/power/potential would certainly align with how his unique powers manifested. A thoroughly nasty individual. I've always thought he came across as the Soup-verse version of a school shooter / [insert entitlement-motivated guy with a grievance mass shooter type here].
A thought that may have answers ive missed/forgotten, who actually summons Alden when he visits, I know the invites come from Evul, but is it her sending the teleport request or merely her tablet that Stu lets do as he pleases. Is "permission" needed for inter-triplanet teleports or just for leaving earth? Also does the old house have a sumonarium, does it work passively or is it in need of repairs? Can Stu do that without help from the family? Mother will let Alden skirt the teleportation rules and send him straight to Stu / the old house, but will someone question how he got there? Ryada being at the party makes that summoning easy, at least .
The Here-to-There made it really clear there's obligations in a summoning and it differs from a visit, and that Alden is not being summoned - recall, he has an 8-month moratorium on summoning, with about 4 more months to go. Alden is invited (recall the printed, formal invite Stu gave him for his first visit?). And, lately, since Chap 273: The Other Side, he can request teleports himself (and Mother cemented that in 304, An Art by calling him "My Alden"). I think it would be unwise for Alden to have teleported himself to the new house/siblinghold (as opposed to Rapport I in general and the old house in particular) at this point, Veln/Aymeg may try to tatt him.
Long Distance Friendship, like any Long Distant Relationship is hard. Alden is pulling away from Boe by what he is doing and what he is becoming. Boe has accepted that and is letting him go. That's life and it's very mature of Boe. Of course Boe keeps in mind his renegade status as an unregistered Avowed, It's just not safe for him to be around other avowed/wizards, because it will get him outed, sooner or later.
He's protecting himself by distancing himself, knowing that he cannot register & leave his parents in Chicago after melting their brains (that's the theory). He wants to tell Alden, but he's also ashamed and does not want Alden to know. He's worried that Alden will realize he already was an Avowed when they met, and he'll connect the dots.
>>> He’d rather sort through his hibernating pets for the rest of the weekend, remembering which ones each family member had given him. >>> [Will you bring me a husenot from Earth?] >>> “You’re in the old house. In the middle of the night.” >>> “What color husenot do you want? A new house needs a new husenot. Even if it’s an old house.” >>> “Any husenot you like. And the one closest to it in the container where it’s living now! So that when it wakes up it will have one it’s familiar with.” Sublime!
Very Bob Ross
I hope Eeaner’s rules for Bayab are how to not treat Avowed Alden, Stu’s best friend, like he’s Bayab’s willing servant. It would be so unparty to ask a guest to, like, get you different snacks or whatever Bayab is doing with his Etwee (Eetwee? I forget)
Eetwee? Etwee? Eewtee? It’s three letters and two sounds and I can’t remember how it’s spelled
I've been been having some real FEELINGS about the parallels between this chapter and the ritual in the Here To There chapters. (https://www.royalroad.com/fiction/63759/super-supportive/chapter/2438817/two-hundred-thirty-one-here-to-there-xi) Back then, Stu's sense of family burned so bright his ember looked like tongues of fire. >>> Stuart held a palmful of flame. >>> Alden held a dim wooden splinter with a flicker on one end. >>> “The opportunity will pass soon,” Leeter-zis said, suddenly conversational. “Look to your neighbors if they hold less than you. To strengthen one is to strengthen all.” >>> Alden didn’t completely snap out of the trance until he felt a hand close over his own. Stuart had just covered the barely glowing wood chip with his palmful of fire. Red flames flickered around their wrists and across their knuckles. Back then, Stu helped Alden see home as not something in the past he had lost forever, but something he can hope for and work toward in new ways and even with new people. >>> Not just something that happened a long time ago, he thought, recalling the way his dad had once laughed when Alden had come out of the Nashville house struggling with the weight of a punch bowl he’d ferreted out of the back of the kitchen cabinets. He’d thought it would be a superior vessel for catching a firefly in. His vision of the largest glass container he could find shining like a spotlight in their yard had been too powerful for him to worry about practicalities. It’s something that can happen again, even if it will be a little different. Stu even has a model from his own family to look to that he shared with Alden back then. >>> “My father, Aunt Alis, and Uncle Tesen hated much about their first home. When they were our age, I think they would have had trouble with a ritual like this, too. But they kept each other and Murmur and built the siblinghold together. And it’s a wonderful home for the people they love. So I think a home you imagine for your future may be more powerful than whatever you’ve had thanks to good or bad fortune before now.” Undoubtedly, Stu buried his own ritual ember in the Siblinghold. Now he's in the Old House with leaves blowing through the open windows that let in the weather, staring through the tablet to where Alden is standing in the sunshine, looking warm and steady. Stu doesn't even have a mattress to sleep on or anyone to sit with him on this long first night. Now Stu is the one with the burnt out ember barely glowing. But Alden sees him; he understands without having to be told. Even across the distance of a galaxy and a universe, he finds just the right way to reach out and offer his fire.
One of the things that makes this chapter so painful is that we get to experience the pain of a sudden division, a sudden withdrawal of consent to intimacy, from both sides at once. We are with Alden, hearing Boe say, "I think I’m done.” And we are with Stu, who already realized days ago that talking to his votary parents about anything significant to him "felt pointless" because they "don’t expect me to have reasons worth knowing", making him wonder if they really see him - or love him - at all.
We feel Stu's pain stealing into the siblinghold to take all his important things and his much-loved pets like he is a thief in the night instead of a much-loved soon-adult child of the siblinghold. And we can, if we open our hearts to listen for it, anticipate his parents' and siblings' pain in the days to come, discovering the empty room where the husenots once lived and loved, and the empty room where Stu once lived and loved them back.
>>> This was not how a person walked through his own home, and so, in a sense, the tragedy had already happened. This is one hell of a line.
Good stuff, thanks!
I just realised... Happy approximate day everyone! Nb yes this is directed at you sleyca
20 hours or so.
TFTC!
I love that, when in need of emotional support, Alden heads straight for his Bun Girls. And they don't disappoint.
Well, to be fair, he had booked time with Emilija to finish sorting/replying to his emails.
So... how hard is Jel-nor going to hit on Alden at the party?
She's probably got a few pH test strips ready
My bias: Boe truther My truth: Boe and Alden are literal children, they are people yes, but they are far from adults. It hasn't even been 6 months since Alden got back from thegund. Of course Boe is still struggling with Alden's death and resurrection. Of course he hasn't healed from that. And of course he would be opposed to watching his friend throw himself in harms way again. Boe and Alden are literal child soldiers. They are conscripted against their will to fight in a war that they had no choice in fighting. Sleyca has done such a good job at writing nuanced characters and settings. I feel like we owe it to her as an audience to take a step back and look at the story as a whole to get a grip on the reality of their situation. 2 children were forced into a forever war. One chose to assimilate, the other chose to hide.
And the one who is trying to assimilate is in the process of learning just how much (or little) value some of his 'betters' place in him. Alden was really fortunate in his early encounters with Artonans. Joe seemed like a decent mentor. (He actually /was/ a decent mentor - when he thought that Alden could be of use to him.) Alis-art'h recognized his bravery. Stu accepted him with open arms. Esh was warm and supportive. These positive experiences made it easier for him to ignore the negatives. Not everybody is a member of the gifts of the holy universe faction. Bti-qwol was a micromanaging nitwit, but it's not like there aren't humans who are micromanaging nitwits. Bash-nor was somewhat concerning with his mix of boredom and veiled threats. Grand Senator Servin-ith's patronizing attitude was grating. Ro-den (when he was showing his true colours) was a bitter disappointment. Aymeg was dismissive. For the record, I do not anticipate that Alden, even when he comes out as a wizard, will have a character arc like Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer. All of the Artonans will NOT, in fact love him. Some may. A large number may be prepared to grudgingly tolerate him. He'll still be facing micro-, meso- and macro-aggressions on a daily basis. And who knows? Maybe some Artonan will decide on direct action to resolve this troublesome discrepancy.
Boe should really call Alden using the Empathetic Telepathy option (from ch 4). Let Alden finally learn what Boe’s been feeling all this time Not like Alden can’t afford it
Empathetic Telepathy might be an example of Early Installment Weirdness. I can't recall seeing any other reference to it in the text.
Scary chapter. I’m suddenly worried that they’re both going to be in the mood to make bad decisions. Like going straight for inesvul with Stu’s first affixation. I hate the thought of them freezing forever linked parts of themselves that are feeling what they’re feeling today.
I don‘t think inesvul works this way? Like, I don’t think you can do it too fast and you end up as the magical equivalent of married teenage parents. If that was the case, I think we would have heard of miserable inesvuls or something, like we have heard of knights who chose a wrong skill or who could not bear being bound. Two people can be not compatible for inesvul. Maybe the process might even kill them - that is not mentioned, but would be very intensity 99. But you are right - let’s hope both of them keep enough of their cool to not do something they will regret later.
I think if he just asked, Alden could get Emilija transferred to Celina North. She'd do well on a track that would put her in hero management or art restoration in college. It's not like those courses would actually need the students to be powerful.
I could be wrong, but wasn't it the case that celena north doesn't take F rank students in any of their programs? I remember something like that, but I'm not sure if I remember it right.
Obviously this chapter is titled “Divisions” because of all the multiplying that’ll be happening in the upcoming stripes-out party chapter
Goodchild Kwoo-pak's parents: "Punishment closet. NOW."
I feel like Evul's has access to everything the boys send to each other when they are using her tablet. Just like how Stu could see what Alden accessed on Stu's tablet. Maybe that will help her see Stu's point of view enough for her to slow down the rest of the house when they discover Stu gone. If they even do notice, cause really the assumption should be that he took all the stuff to his dorm room.
Boe's comeback to the story prompts a thought experiment: how would it go if his unique skillset makes him the only choice for summoning by some -und'h? Will he unleash his sharp tongue to tell them how he feels about being a contract refuser summoned by force?
I doubt he would be until the situation is so fucked even Boe agrees he needs to be there. You don't want soldiers on the field that strenousely don't want to be there. They'll be more trouble than helpful. In any situation where an Und'h would summon an avowed, they don't want conscientious objectors to appear.
Am I the only one who had massive alarm bells ringing as soon as I read that Boe was deodorizing his parents place? Because that seems like a big ol’ red flag getting planted if it was just routine maintenance - especially if he’s finding ways to cut off his old life with Alden and the Chicago crew
Probably yeah. In a different conversation he was scrubbing mould out of their shower. If there's anything we know for certain of Boe's parents it's that they aren't great at doing housework...
This feels like a ramp up to something intensity 99.9 happening at the party. Dunno about anyone else, but I am ANXIETY
On a re-read of the chapter. I think Boe has, all this time, had an incorrect or incomplete image of Alden's character. Probably subconsciously driven by what he feels he needs from Alden as a friend. He's had this image of Alden as this wholesome cinnamon roll, that knows how to be realistic and sarcastic at the same time. Perfect for what Boe thinks he needs in a friend. And while Alden certainly is all of those things, he's ALSO definitely some kind of Hero Type, to use the in-story term. And Boe has been trying very hard not to see it, consciously or subconsciously. And because of it he had these ideas that he knew what was good for Alden more than Alden did. Probably not helped by the fact that Boe is used to being the smartest person in the room. So in a way, I think this is a good reality check for Boe. But I also doubt this metaphorical path will lead him to a healthy place if nobody helps him...
My reply is a yes-and reply. I think Boe thought Alden didn’t value his own life nearly as much as he valued his friends, so to Boe, adding himself to the stakes seemed like the perfect solution. (I.e., you do something stupid to save a life, I do something stupid to save a life.) I don’t think Boe really understands chaos to be a solvable problem, so Alden throwing himself at it every chance he gets is frustrating, because from Boe’s perspective, Alden is going to get himself killed without making a difference, and Boe’s not suicidal.
The way Stu remarked on Alden's eyes,, I hope he gets husenots in each of their eye colours, it would be symbolically beautiful. Also the old house... maybe Alden could get a room there? or at least help Stu decorate. Having more pieces of Alden might make it feel more like Home
@vicky, My personal theory only, I have no foreknowledge, not affiliated with anyone, yadda, close cover and use under adult supervision (light fuse and get away...): Alden's sort of promised the old house he'd live there, and the trees more or less have promised to let him. I think the Aymeg/Veln branch of the spouses will get a cup of STFU when Alden pulls out the leaf from under his auriad and shows them. He also hinted at it with Esh way back in Chap 303 "An Art": > Esh-erdi patted his shoulder before pulling his hand back. “Earlier, when you spoke of having a home somewhere, were you thinking of belonging here rather than on Earth?” > Alden went still. > *Whoa. There it is. Said out loud in someone else’s voice. > So that’s what it sounds like.* And, I think both Mother and Sleyca hinted this with the chapter title and Mother's first words to Alden (right AFTER he told Esh-erdi he wanted to live on Artona I): "... An art. ...Hello, my Alden."
From what I read Boe has been in pain about something since before he met Alden, and Alden has been a big part of how he coped with life around that pain, (without ever coming close to the source of that pain). Now that Alden is no longer part of his daily life Boe is no longer coping with life. Like others here, I suspect Boe hurt his parents with his power, which would mean that his power manifested at a VERY young age. Since then he has been alone with his guilt and pain. Jeremy and Alden could only help him cope with school and everyday life. They have not been able to truly help because he has never been able to share the reason for his guilt and pain. Earth's Contract is almost certainly the only being to share the secret, and as established is an un-empathetic dick and will only have made things worse. Boe needs someone to share his secret and his fear of his power with. Alden certainly, as he already knows some of it, but someone more like Aldens therapist if Boe is ever going to stop hating and fearing himself. Perhaps Alden could ask Stu, once he has sufficient privileges, to summon Boe, and Mother could talk to him and be the first being to fully understand him. Or would Boe need to accept Earth Contract's contract first?
I feel like Earth Contract isn't an unempathetic as we assume, but it's getting at something resulting extremely awkward empathy through a vastly more convoluted process than any organic being. I bet Earth Contract is very attached and protective of its Uniques, its children it managed to save from the worst, and that it keeps trying to help into more stability and wholeness again. Earth Contract chose Alden, didn't it? Even though Alden had already been stabilized once. It know Boe needed a friend who would understand someday.
Boe: "So, on an intensity scale of one to a hundred, that was at least a ninety-nine point nine. And I can’t handle it right now. I am really tired. I want an intensity level of, like, four. At least for the next year or two. I want to go to high school. Maybe join a club. A boring club. A book club. Not an alien demon-fighting club.” Also Boe: *is definitely not living an intensity level 4 lifestyle right now*
I wonder how much of the Alden money Boe is holding onto is being spent on supervillainy rather than escape plans.
Natalie procrastinating on cooking related things? Looks like the honeymoon phase of becomming an Avowed is officially over and they got a reality check. I hope they manage.
That makes sense when you couple emilijia saying she can reheat food herself.
What does everyone think will happen when Stu's parents find out he left the house and took all his things? I can imagine it being quite a shock to see the entire room of husenots just being gone. Will they finally get angry or will they dismiss it as another childish whim? I hope Evul can be a voice of reason.
They find that he's at the old house and go there to badger him. He's just being so unreasonable! He should face reality and get with the program! (That's bound to work, don't you think?)
I think Ryada's suggestiong about the teleporter is linked to Maker of Narrow Ways. That would be so thoughtful of her since Stu rarery gets to talk about and show off his future knight skill to people other than Alden.
I think she might be arranging some of the things Stu missed on Welcome end, like the waterslide? She's definitely up to something.
Neat parallels. Both Alden and Stu are seeing a break-up with their family here, even if Stu is doing it of his own volition and Alden is the one being broken up with. Both Stu's family and Boe are trying to hold back Stu and Alden out of concern for their safety, they don't believe they have a chance of seeing their vision come true. It's definitely not the last we've seen of them, I wonder which direction the story will take Boe. I have a hard time imagining Boe going supervillain. That would definitely come out of nowhere for a character who hasn't shown any inclination of wanting to cause harm to anyone and who is trying to lay low.
I think he is infiltrating the humans first organisation SAL
I feel like I get Boe's perspective despite us having spent much less time with him. Imagine if your small country got sorta-invaded by another embroiled in a war and they brought the war with them. This war then drops a (chaos) bomb on your family permanently scarring them, makes you a fugitive and also gives them the right to enlist you for very-likely-not-a-kind-thing. Then your best friend gets enlisted and dies in the same war. He comes back only to now decide to enlist for their most dangerous position and his new best friend is their top military leader's son. All while you still struggle with the way the war and this invading country has already permanently affected your life in ways you never got to choose. Probably hard to be best with friends with a super solder for that country. We and perhaps a part of Boe knows Alden has found some of the most genuine people in Stu, Esh and Lind, and the way knights are treated and Alden being super special. But we also know how close he does fly to the sun with the recently discovered Uund views. And even if a part of him wants to join Alden because of all he's learned from him, he is very aware of the larger military machinery of the triplanets and deathly afraid of what his own abilities would be used for if he accepts. So they can still be friends and he wishes the best for Alden, but Alden has chosen to spend his days training to be a soldier in a war Boe can't be a part of. He's been 'thinking differently' and I'm excited to see how that is woven into the story. But right now I'm just awed by how inevitable this division does feel in retrospect.
This right here ^^ I completly agree. There's so many factors at play for why Alden and Boe have diverged. I'm a Boe truther through and through I just hope this doesn't mean we'll be seeing less of him. Maybe he'll play a bigger role within earth politics.
Out with the old best friend, in with the new 🍿 TFTC
I can't help but think that Boe will be at least a little bit right about how close Alden is flying to the sun. He'll enter the party late, after everyone is already moved by the 'comraderie of celebrants'. Including Stu because he feels like he owes Eeaner his sincerest best effort for this, despite being a dumpsterfire of shitty emotions right now. What happens if he accidentally makes an effort to include Alden in a spell? Or tries to practice closeness with him in the authority sense? He admits to feeling deathly lonely right now, so I can see it happening. Alden will probably have enough sense to practice damage control if something like that happens, but people who know Stu will definitely know something is up. Especially Ryada and Eeaner. Right now Alden and Stu should be carefully gathering allies like Esh and Lind, it's too early for others to find out about their plans. Though I think Ryada and Eeaner will support them eventually, I'm not sure they would grasp the seriousness of the situation and keep it secret. Especially during a party... Either way, I can't help but feel like this party is going to be a catalyst to a shift in the story. Maybe Stu will affix afterwards, maybe some people who shouldn't will find out about Alden? Maybe the trip to earth afterwards will go wrong? I see omens for all of those things being laid out. Like the logo on the danger: magic shirt being close to bursting, or Ryada offering to watch Stu's affixiation in an earlier chapter.
@Ladybug I also had the sense during the last short arc that it was the tension building just before the damn broken in an unexpected direction. This tends to be a recurring theme in the story, buildup, slice of life, slow exposition dumps, followed by ratcheting up tension, followed by a mostly unforeseen or unexpected disaster. Like how before Moon Thegund we had the initial "Alden gains superpowers arc" followed by "General fuckery at LeafSong + Mannon" arc, and just before the submerger incident we had "Intake and the first days of school" followed by "Tensions in gym and some mostly light rank/class bigotry". Now we've had "Learning Magic and the contract removal" followed by "Stu/Boe's grief + Knight training" and it feels like there is another BIG incident right around the corner any moment now. None of this, btw, is me saying anything about the story is *predictable.* Just that the structure of the story itself so far seems to be following this kind of setup - Slice of Life + Lore, Escalating tension, Big Damn Event/Disaster.
Jeneth, Alis and Tessen left the old house because it reminded them of a time in their life where choices were taken from them. Stu left the siblinghold because everyone is not accepting that he is capable of making choices on his own. I'm sure there's something more symbolic about that, but im not sure how to put it into words..
He seeks strength for Alden’s sake and so he returns to the house of his ancestors to walk a bloodier, more tree filled, path. He must learn this ancient ruthlessness that still inspires fear long afterwards, for while his parents set out to prove chaos could be fought with less brutal means, Stu may need the level of fear his grandfather inspired even to extreme genius/powerful wizards like Joe as they will be his opponents. Make a few more welcoming tables. [Just random brainstorming, to be clear. I think that is unlikely.]
So, just in general, what do we think level ups and bindings look like for U-types? Can Boe learn more about his skill and how it folds, as Alden has?
generally a level up and binding would look the same as any other avowed class, early consistent levels, given a list of complementary skills, and an instant no-pain binding, casting said magic moments later. But uniques learning more about the skill, Esh said that most uniques go to the triplanets and have their skill designers help guide their progress. what is that if not learning more about the skill. the "folding" is simply Alden visualising his self more artistically than a machine with buttons to jab. and without an authority sense that specific inner awareness likely is not possible for a unique, or any avowed.
Bayab might be a foil to what Stuart's parents expect him to be. Note Bayab's childishness and reliance on others, wanting to be safely led by others. Refusing to do things on his own. Clinging to an Avowed as a source of emotional safety instead of engaging with Artonan peers as equals. This is what the arths expect from Stuart. The Rabbit is a sign regression into childhood. The blood rituals at the old house are a game. Of course Stuart needs guidance! He's just a child and lost without them. Their attitude demeans Stuart and their forceful extension of his season of choosing is the same like pressing a teenager into his childhood clothes. They fail to see that Stuart is NOT Bayab and that Stuart is preparing to go to war with the entire world for Alden and his own ability to choose his future.
The forceful extension of his choosing season might be even more thoughtlessly cruel than we realize. Iirc it has been mentioned there is a point of no return, like an Artonan growing either too old or too strong to survive the binding. And Stu is both strong, sensitive, and exceptionally talented at casting. Delaying his choosing season might literally also make it less likely that he survives when he finally does bind himself, and if so it was a very stupid move on the part of his, admittedly desperate, parents.
Alden has a superpower that Boe lacks - Alden can ignore everything that sucks about the Artonan Empire and shrug it off with "What can you do?" Even when Gorgon called Avowed "property of the Artonan Empire", Alden just said "That's a weird way to put it". Alden does not deny that it's true, but he is committed to ignore it and shelve this thought in the deepest drawer. He knows how unfair the situation is and how harmful withholding knowledge to humanity is. He knows how much it sucks to be summoned by a bad summoner or uncaring knight. But Alden is not a rebel - yet Boe might be. Right now, Boe is a conscientous objector who refuses to sign the Contract and to be summoned by Artonans. He does not want the normal Avowed life, because he does not trust the Artonan Empire to behave ethically and to do the right thing. Finally, he might also object to this automatic servitude. These are very valid points, especially considering that Artonans very likely brought chaos to Earth and then "enslaved" humanity for their own good. To add the cherry on top, the human governments took away even more choices from Avowed and forced them to live on a segregated island. Freedom this is not. At the same time, what can you do? You need Artonans from protection from chaos. You need the Contract - a Contract Boe has friendly rapport with. Therefore if smashing the system is not what you want, how can one retain their freedom and follow their principles as a fifteen year old unregistered teenager with mind powers? He will search for SAL, I think, and try to find a faction that is not completely cuckoo.
Additionally, the only way to match Alden is to go fight chaos with him. Even Alden hesitated to commit himself to this fight - and Boe never entertained delusions of grandeur or wanting to save the world. Fighting chaos sucks. Fighting chaos for your alien overlords might suck even worse.
Thanks for the chapter !
So... who thinks Boe is already a member of SAL and has been for a long time?
Unregistereds must definitely have some way of contacting each other. Most likely SAL is involved with this, so it's not that much of a leap that a long time unregisterd like Boe would have a way to contact them if needed imo
I'm starting to feel that Boe probably has a lot better handle on what his skills are about. If we think about Kon as a long term effort to have a logistics support that can repair for the war effort, then Boe potentially fits within that realm too. Although as he is more phycology based it's likely returning avowed to the fight. I wonder if for him the idea of being disposable resources has been something right in his face from the start, hence his feelings for wizarding society.
For a long time, Boe has felt like a distraction to me. His scenes have felt like digressions from Alden’s forward progress. Now, Boe even came out and said that he’s been trying to hold Alden back. I have no idea where the Boe sub-plot is going, but, as an anchor holding Alden back, it would feel thematically appropriate for him to be cut away and left behind, at least for a little while.
Today's Friday 25 Jan 2041 in-story, and we glossed over this week's Coursing run. Natalie has 500 cookies to bake and deliver by Saturday morning, so I guess she won't be going to Eeaner-ket's party with Alden. Other Alden might. Between Red Alden and Ryada-bess, our Alden might be safe from Jel-nor.
When I was 20 I volunteered for a while at a place that let me live there in exchange for volunteering. Although I lived in essentially a dormitory, I had access to the facility's kitchen. I decided to learn to make excellent cookies, went to the store, and bought one bag of each brand available. I then made each according to the recipe on the bag. 2 large ovens, 6 cookie sheets baking at a time, roughly four and a half hours and around 600 cookies later, I learned Ghirardelli chips make the best cookies. In any event, I think Natalie will probably be free the next day after delivery.
Thank you for the chapter!
I am excited about Alden seeing Gorgon though...
Divisions indeed...
sledgehammers were mentioned in 262, at the xmas festival, before running into bash-nor.
A chapter full of fractures, and Esh is nowhere to be seen... Now I wish even more that we understood Boe's situation in full. It feels heartbreaking even without the full picture. But whatever, forget that loser! Ryada's going to be at the party! WHOO!! Stripes out! (this was joke. but I am excited for party)
*Esh reads the title of the chapter and his skill twitches*
Boe really needs the connections that Alden is making. He's too self-destructive to see it, but he doesn't have to have "nightmare powers" or be a "scumbag type." He could become a walking Inward Path or who knows what. He isn't doomed.
He could, but he's not.
The emphasis on Stuart and Alden's maturation last arc had me anticipating a dramatic shift in the status quo, but a severing of their old lives so abruptly was not at all what I expected. What exactly is going to happen at this party, and how will it lay a new foundation for them to build on? Will Alden remember his sensory gum? Ryada will be there, which will surely be significant. There's little chance that Stu’s exile will wait until after the party for his parents to notice and confront him about. The boys are so fragile right now, this party is either going to be exactly what they need or the exact opposite. The rabbit girls handled it as perfectly as they could.
The party is happening *today*, so I think his parents will wait to notice until after.
'at a table that hasn’t been lonely since the first student became teacher.' :) '“Are you finished now?” Bayab asked.' Ah. The eekeekeek roommate. 'Stu had never enjoyed casting with Bayab-oth much, so answering that question was difficult.' Ha '“I do not!” Bayab said. He does, thought Stu.' >:) 'He’d talked several times about the party. He seemed more worried about Stu than about himself. That’s not right, Alden. I’ll be fine. I’m the Primary’s son.' >:) 'But not as it currently was.' Hmm 'If it’s not right…if it won’t be…what must be done?' Hmm 'Stu waited for nightfall to take almost everything he owned from the siblinghold.' :o 'This was not how a person walked through his own home, and so, in a sense, the tragedy had already happened. He was gone from here, and it was gone from him, in ways that mattered more than things.' Hmm 'He spoke to no one else before leaving. Not even to Evul when he took her tablet from her room. If she wanted it back badly enough, she’d have it.' >:) '“When I’m in the Rapport, we’ll be here together,” Stu told her, his feet crunching a leaf he’d somehow missed with his sweeping spell.' Hmmmm 'He admired her for the fast recovery. He’d been falling for days, and he didn’t know if he’d found ground here at the old house or just more wishful thinking.' :( 'He barely had to wait for a reply. Alden called him back so quickly. ' >:) 'Green eyes studied him, or perhaps the room behind him. “What color husenot do you want? A new house needs a new husenot. Even if it’s an old house.”' :) 'Stu found he could breathe a little more slowly. “Any husenot you like. And the one closest to it in the container where it’s living now! So that when it wakes up it will have one it’s familiar with.”' :) '“I’ll throw you into that summoning pool if you need me to,” said Alden. “To make sure your scalp knows you’ve done more than enough to make amends with the human you met that day.”' :) Thank you for the chapter >:D
Old house is a practical choice in some ways. He already knows it accepts Alden (love that human blood, amiright?) and I bet it has a local teleport room. Not too many places in the Rapports you can squat in, either. He has a claim to it by ancestry, even. I'm feeling validated -- I thought Stu and Alden might make it their newlings base. That chance has just jumped!
I forgot what the old house was. Is it the place Stu made for removing Alden’s tattoo restriction ?
I feel so sorry for Boe- he’s been carrying so much pain and responsibility for so long, all by himself, that he was never going to be able to fly with his friends. He’s weighted down too much. He needs so much support, so much love, and right now I think he would struggle to feel or accept any. Alden better not drop him!!!! If Alden can keep sending stuff to Gorgon without expecting reciprocation, he can keep a connection with Boe! I know it’s not the same, & I know there’s more pain associated with Boe stepping back, but Boe is also worth so much more. Alden better not let go of him!!! Side note - i cannot believe Boe had anything to do with his parents problems, unless it was a mundane accident (eg little Boe messed with their medications in a way that hurt them) because the timelines cannot match up. They were already messed up (I believe) when he was 11ish when he and Alden first met. Boe did not have any system-allocated powers then. However, I did get the feeling that Boe might have already had some kind of empath/mental connection inclinations then, which made me wonder if chaos was already encroaching on him, but I would have thought that would also mean that the System would have been doing something about it. I got the impression from Esh that U-supers were more likely to be a sudden unexpected situation that had to be dealt with *now*, so that doesn’t fit with the idea of him being a chaos inclined child… so yeah, there are BIG questions we still need answers to, quite apart from needing Boe to still be around so we can see him begin to feel self-secure… he deserves security and comfort. ❤️
Boe might already have had his powers by the time he met Alden for the first time. Boe never said when he received his powers, and the unique types seem to break the system in general.
I find myself wondering if the Knights have their own version of uniques.
I was wondering that too - but it looks like it’s a “young Contract” phase where uniques could be created. From Esh’s Unique talk: “This should be a temporary phase in the growth of your planet’s Contract. There’s usually a period in which a Contract isn’t adept enough to prevent every such occurrence [of high CP folks starting to abominate] but is adept enough for a few people to be saved with its assistance.” So presumably not on the Artonas per se. They also seem to have other ways of treating high-CP Artonan/authority-aware kids than affixing; Kibby did mention she was tested way back when.
I'm not sure Stu moved far enough away, but good start...
Some “I’m running away (to camp in the backyard)” vibes
Boe and Stu are such interesting foils to eachother. Stu is open and direct to the point of bluntness. He's introspective and thoughtful, knows exactly who he is, and isn't afraid to tell people. Boe is so ashamed of himself that he hides most of himself from everyone, including himself. Stu is struggling to separate from his family even as Boe pushes everyone but his parents away. It's almost like someone planned it
Dang it, Sleyca. I didn't expect to cry this chapter.
Holy shit holy shit holy shit. Boe's right, it did feel kind of inevitable that his tolerance for Intensity 99 would run out, but I'm not convinced that this direction of his isn't just avoiding short-term stress at the cost of future processing and healing. I almost cried when Alden blurted out all that and then felt ASHAMED about it, wow.
And Stu's disillusionment with his family is finally boiling over into decisive action!! They can't get over his difficult childhood and accept his actual goddamn self as anything more than a silly adolescent phase, and don't even get me started on his dearly beloved queer friend. The allegory is so very potent here, I'm angry at his parents too.
I've always thought Boe was destined to be Alden's super villain. Too cynical, too practical, unable to forgive himself or let himself dream. I don't mean that I think he's a bad or evil person. But as Alden becomes more fully himself, Boe is shutting down and turning away. Which is probably why he got so sad when Alden first told him about becoming Avowed. He has always had some inkling it would go this way.
Agree to all except the villain label. Let's not mimic the infantilism of public "good vs. evil" shows where an F-class soccer mom is called a villain, shall we?
Whatever happened to that "troubled" person Boe was monitoring from the roof when Alden called after telling Stu? Was Boe monitoring that person again (or someone else) when Alden called him when Boe was out "on a long run" out in the woods? I get the creeping sense Boe's third rescue mission may still be ongoing, and he might be in over his head this time. If Boe flat out told Alden not to come to Chicago, Alden would know he was in trouble and very little could stop Alden from coming and trying to help. Boe refusing Alden permission to teleport to his bedroom, though? Boe telling Alden he probably won't even be in the city - deliberately - if Alden comes to try to see him? Alden will be too hurt to *want* to come to Chicago for quite a while. Maybe even long enough for Boe to rescue himself from whatever he's stumbled across.
I think Boe was sincere when he chose to become Alden's mirror in heroics. I think that was his choosing season choice, and it changed his life. So what happened between then and now that he doesn't dare let Alden know what he's feeling, or learn specifics of Boe's own origin story that Boe was previously so torn about not telling him?
A wizard party with Jel - sounds like a bash, no(r)? (I sincerely apologize for the above. I do wonder why Jel’nor had to leave so early from the study session or perhaps she’s just that talented. Also jealous of 3 day weekends holy crap)
They have longer weeks, though, so I suspect 5 on 2 off is still overall more generous.
Midnight soup!
Ryada knows Stu's heartache so I hope she gave Eeaner great advice about the party while they were sitting together watching the training in Rapport III.
This chapter feels… ominous. I don’t know what’s going to happen at the party, but I’m betting it will be dramatic, one way or another.
this...means a lot to me at this time thank you
As someone who has experience with depressed and/or emotionally complicated friends; sometimes it be like that. It really is just that sudden.
Word.
I'm glad Alden went to the girls' place. Of course they've been through their own painful friend losses, all the globies have. I worry that Stu is much worse at making friends than Alden is...
Yeah, the globies losing friends thing calls Maricel's situation to mind. Wonder how she's doing...
At the last LeafSong party Alden wore an Artonan outfit that said “look at me, I’m a wizard” and was told to smile at people like he hoped that choke to death. Now he has a new Andesorian shirt that literally says “danger: magic” and if he wears it to the party someone might choke to death because the Human who they thought died in a magical accident wearing that shirt would be the kind of dark humor that the wizards at the first party loved.
Good thing Alden knows to steer clear of clothing with writing on it when visiting with Artonans!
The more I see of Eaner, the more I like him. The more I see of Boe, the more I want to see him gone. He's a frigging *terrible* friend. Also, I look forward to Stu's family realizing just how badly they've screwed up.
Eeaner seems to be taking seriously the 'make a party that Stu will like' instead of one Eeaner would like.
I was not in the right head space nor heart space for this chapter. My chest tightened, and tears keep starting up. Boe... hard to know what's going on in his head.
Hugs from a random stranger!
Do we know what Aulia Velra’s Leafsong job was? What did she contract Manon to accomplish? Why did it take so many years of work from Manon and the rest of the boaters? What’s the jobs current status?
Ironically probably the same thing Alden thought he would want back in the early chapters — whatever tidbits about magic can be picked up from a school.
What's the line about the summoning pool a reference to? Normally I get the punchlines but this time it's escaping me.
The summoning pool is where Alden was emergency teleported to help footless Stu but instead was made to chase a mishnen. That was how they met and happened just before he got stuck on Moon Thegund
This chapter reminds me of a scene from Life is strange (the game) where the song Mt. Washington by local natives plays in the background over different characters… The lyrics go : Diggin' like you can bury Somethin' that cannot die We could wash the dirt off our hands now Keep it from livin' underground https://youtu.be/bIeEFvRXV1U?si=ZE7qbM0SNYCWLT4F
I hope Natalie hired Hadiza to make the extra sparkly stickers for sealing her treat boxes!
Oof, losing things, especially homes and friends, always so rough
Sleyca, what are you doing to me? I have an urge to pat a fictional teen on the shoulder and say “ it’ll be okay, I promise”. 😟 That shoulder pat is for Boe, by the way. Alden got a hammer and two friends to destroy stuff with. I suspect Boe is isolating himself. He needs a friend and is setting up a life where he has none. It’s heartbreaking.
Yeah, he absolutely needs a friend. And a responsible adult. And a therapist he trusts. One person is just not enough.
“You have choices to make,” the woman said. “Important ones. Hard ones. Irrevocable ones. Several of them.” “And then I can go home?” “You can go where you wish,” she said. “My children tell me home is harder to find every time you change. But you can try.” Hopefully, Alden can help Stu build the best home at the old house.
Thanks for the chapter!
I really did expect a bit more breathing room before we got to Stu enforcing his boundaries. And Boe - I knew he was not happy, but didn’t expect this break here. All said, a very emotional chapter. It’s too sad for a reread, so I’ll wait for the next chapter so we can hopefully move on from this really low point.
It’s very on point for Stu, he is quite brutal when he takes a decision.
Bit with Boe seems to have come slightly out of left field. Great writing though.
That scene in the woods was VERY sus, though.
“It feels like teaching my little brother, and you’re not my little brother.” Dayyum Pozmot, in front of witnesses?!?
Obviously devastating for Boe, Alden, Stu. But I am giddy fantasizing about the sh- hitting the fan tomorrow when the art-h family realizes Stu has left…. I mean, if they care. They probably don’t even care except that they’ll have to explain to Jenneth when he calls or returns.
I think you are shortchanging the art‘hs a bit. In my opinion they care very much about Stu (see: the discussion about him stopping fighting, the reaction of both dads when he started talking about the party during the knight trials…)- they are just trying to interact with child-Stu. Who has left the building quite a while ago in a metaphorical sense. Now adult-Stu is following more literal, so there will be shit flying around, I think. As long as they don’t think the Husenots have been taken as party-decoration or something, then they really might take a while to notice.
I felt the hurt in his chest like my own. Damn you Boe for devaluing a rare friendship like Alden’s. I wish both Alden and Stuart a peace of mind. v_v
Bad news from Boe felt imminent, and I'm kind of glad that now we finally have it! And honestly, Alden and Stu being in similar (if vastly different intensity levels of) break-up moments works really well for me in a way I didn't predict. They are both so ready for a big transition right now. We've all been saying something big is coming (Stu affixing, Alden taking first steps toward knighthood or coming out to someone, etc), and this upped that feeling in a way I didn't see coming, despite maybe being the obvious consequence of Boe's bad news.
I'm not sure if Boe needs the inward path or a warm blanket and a cup of cocoa made by cook of the moment. Probably both
Wish I could give this comment more than one heart. Boe needs this so much.
Thanks for the chapter. Never disappoints. The Boe discussion hurt - Stu moving did as well, but I felt my chest tighten during that phone call with Boe. It truly feels like Boe is starting to make a line in the sand. Makes me think he’s falling in with a crowd diametrically opposed to Alden’s lifestyle. I hope Alden doesn’t give up but… Could easily see a sympathetic League of Villains (SaL) successfully turning Bakugo story for Boe. Looking forward to the next chapters, whenever they may come.
Sniffle. Goodbye, old friend 😔 Goodbye old home 😔 Time for new beginnings
Goodbye to you, my trusted friend We've known each other since we were nine or ten Together we've climbed hills and trees Learned of love and ABC's Skinned our hearts and skinned our knees
Oh yeah, my limerick prediction was pretty much spot on. We thought that we would get at least five chapters or so of surcease but the drama's a-waiting; we're perambulating right into Eeaner-ket's feast. "Divisions" is totally the perfect title for a very long and very dramatic Arc. When is Alden going on that Chicago tour again? Feels like he has unfinished business there. Like, he needs a magical contract with Boe not to keep secrets, but so Boe can feel like they have a strong enough connection. A friendship Contract, like what Stu wanted.
I’m legitimately furious with Alden for not trying to learn contact magic as Boe asked him to. And for not noticing any of the clues about Boe’s other secrets.
This is shaping up to be a party so bad, Stu chooses binding over partying
Metaphysically speaking, affixation is a form of division, so yeah, probably.
Alden, hon, gonna need you to head in to meet Stu early with Husenots, mangos, and a care package including a playlist of good music to bawl your eyes out to, some classic awful feel-good movies, a pair of very plush robes with mismatching slippers, a ten gallon drum of Artonan-safe vegan Ben & Jerry's, and giant mugs of hot cocoa -- the real stuff, with cocoa powder, sugar, vanilla extract, (vegan) milk, and salt cooked stovetop. You both need a night to just feel your feelings.
I am trying to think of some really good movies from our timeline that they could watch. Stand By Me comes to mind. What other ones?
I'm really hoping Eeaner and Ryada Come Through with the party
I have so many hopes! I also sincerely wonder if Emban and/or Evul are going to try to crash the party.
I like how Alden didnt mention Lexi when trying to convince Boe to come to Anesidora.
Huh, a meister whose weapon responds to his emotions and an empath - is this the real super support pairing?
Ouch my heart hurts. Just, damn, ow. This is worse than stepping on a lego. In a good way, mind. Soup = best. But I think I need to go curl up in a corner and cry.
Yeah... yeah the chapter title did indeed set the tone, though I wasn't expecting quite so much melancholy.
Boe, are you about to embark on a scary self-assigned mission like infiltrating SAL or something? That sounded both like you were *done* cleaning up after your parents and also like you're trying to get Alden out of your splash radius so he *doesn't* immediately come running to aid you when you decide you're going to continue your vigilante career somewhere other than Chicago. Good luck, Boe; I'm not sure it's the right decision but I'm glad you're finally making adult decisions beyond an unsustainable status quo for you and your family. I have so many feelings about Emilija, Hadiza, and Natalie reciprocating the gift Alden gave them of recognizing their capacity for destruction and all the things that hide behind destruction - grief, anger, despair, hollowness, yearning, making space for something else to exist next - and helping him vent it with company where it does no harm. Stu has claimed room in the old house, because the siblinghold wasn't really welcoming his friend or him the way he yearned for. Sometimes separation helps with changing entrenched grooves. I hope Emban and Ryada visit to bring him some more husenots for his chosen home. I wonder if his eldest brother might also come for being with for a time.
Boe, I was not expecting you to start imitating Joe with engineering a Sharp Break. *Ow.*
The fact Stu of all people missed a leaf when using a cleaning spell shows how bad he fells during his move in a very creative way. What he is most talented att and what his family thinks he will die because off if he affixes is so off balance he can mess up a simple cleaning spell. I desperately hope he will take his time building a tower with new foundations that is strong enough that he can affix without anyone’s else’s doubt or that of his own clouding his judgement.
Listen, there's so much to be serious about in this chapter, but I need to take a moment to acknowledge the following: EVERYBODY SHUT UP THE STUDENT DORMS ARE TREEHOUSES, LEAFSONG PROMOTED TO BEST UNIVERSITY
We already knew this! But it is indeed one of my favorite things about LeafSong.
Boe was really really young when he became a U-type. Whatever skeletons he has in his closet (whether it be disabling Tuyet's brother— although I still think that one is farfecthed and narratively uncompelling—or anything else) none of it was his fault. He should just come clean to Alden about whatever happened back then that he's so ashamed of.
Boe’s ability as I understand it is limited to pushing his own emotions onto another person. I don’t think that’s enough to mess up Tuyet’s brother like he is now. He hasn’t accepted the contract so I don’t even know if he even can be summoned. Assuming he can be summoned he wouldn’t ever be summoned alongside multiple other sways to do a job which is what happened with Tuyet’s brother IIRC correctly. I don’t think according to the lure it’s possible for him to be connected to Tuyet’s brother.
I wonder what Ryada suggested to do with a pair of teleportation rings... could it be a trip to the world's largest slide that she made for that party way back when? 🤔 That's the only thing I can think of off the top of my head that it could be for.
Alden can teleport *directly* to Stu's home instead of taking a cart across campus - and if Stu needs it, he and Alden (and Ryada?) can rapidly escape away afterward.
Is the "old house" the cabin that the boys weekend together in? Still nearby the siblinghold but a little more remote in the rapport?
No. It's the old house the art'hs lived in millennia ago, and relatively-recently (like this generation) left because of the bad memories the ancestors/child-warrior factory ancestors left. It's in the forest, and is the place Alden donated blood to (though maybe could not control the amount given). .
Dang, that was a lot - emotionally, not like, events wise. Kinda wish I had waited for the next. Maybe even the one after that.
Gonna ignore the rest of the chapter for a sec cause jeez. But, why is Anesidora cold rn? It's in the southern hemisphere and its January which means it should be late spring/early summer?
It's also in the middle of the Pacific ocean, about 48°S latitude. If you want to know what their climate is like, the Kegulen Islands (49°S) are probably similar. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kerguelen_Islands
You know what my face looks like now? Like a puffy, leaking tomato. I had to take actual breaks so I could see my screen. I'm so grateful for these beautiful imaginary people whose pain squeezes my own heart. But I'm not ok about Boe. Not at all. Boe really is alone, and I can't bear that for him. It's cruel. I'll just be over here having feelings.
SAMUEL ALDEN THORN. ‘And those words weren’t the right response to any of the things Alden had said to him just now.’ ‘Alden’s chest kind of hurt.’ The way he dissociates on the way to the apartment??? “Oh. No. I’m fine.” “Either. Whatever’s easiest for you.” “Weird, right? Weird.” “Wow, please ignore me.” Honey?????? And Stu is moving out!!!!! Big changes in everyone’s lives!! This must have been a REALLY fun chapter to write.
Everyone needs a hug. And a sledgehammer! And a Natalie cookie!
I slowed way, way down to read this one. Boe.. I hope can be rescued, but hope doesn't need rescue, and does not become a villain. Stu... my heart is breaking a bit, and I feel an awful way. Some of that is my personal experiences leaving home. I feel this chapter is the proverbial monkey-wrench in the works, a left-turn at Albuquerque.
I am glad that we can expect a new chapter soon, I need a soft landing after that emotional rollercoaster. Should have known it was a risky decision to read it before (trying to) sleep.
Sleyca: sees this comment and says “uh oh, maybe I shouldn’t start the ‘Alden catapulted through the Unsealing in a teleport ring mishap’ arc next chapter”
Ohh! Boe! Stu! Alden.... I was feeling Boe's inevitability. He needs to go discover who he is for himself. Seeing Alden have Adventures and picking his path and landing on it, on his feet! But I am afraid for Boe. Stu, also needing to find out who he is again. What happens when Stu gives up ... He goes his own path. In a house without windows. The old family place. He'll become more himself there, I expect. Alden. Having to let Boe go his own way. Being able to support Stu. Bringing a husenot and a friend for the husenot. And a party on the near horizon. Oh boy.
The old house has windows. Its windows lack window panes. They are empty windows.
Ugh. Boe is going to self destruct. I hope he doesn’t fall into being a real villain. He’s a bit of a jerk, but he’s got good reasons for being that way, and I want better for him. At the end of the day he’s a hurting, neglected, and lonely child. And despite that, he’s doing his best to prevent more harm. Not well, but he’s trying. Then there’s how Tuyet is set up to kill him. An unregistered sway? She’d kill him before learning a single other thing about him, because of what happened to her brother.
I suspect he'll be more likely to be a hidden hero than a villain, given he can feel what people are feeling. Not a great power for a villain. I'm still curious about what he was actually doing in the woods the other day...
Our boys are all going through some things right now. Hugs to them. 💕💕
*happy dance of anticipation!*
*goes to give each and every transplanted husenot a little kiss to release some of the big feelings engendered by Boe and Stu's respective attempts at Sharp Breaks with important family*
How dare you spend extra time on the most important part of a long-running story =o
I heard it said once that adulthood was when you realized all the people you'd looked up to your whole life were only mortal and would disappoint you sometimes. I'm sorry for your welcome, Stu. But you and Alden and Punzee will build a home together with your Husenots and your slowly accumulating horde of dearest people who truly understand you. May it arrive swiftly to chase away the chill.
And to those who miss the joke, "Punzee" is Samuel Alden Thorn. "Alden" is the literal ryehb't whose claim to the name is endorsed by a very young cousin of Stu's, and is therefore unimpeachable. 🤣
This whole sequence reminds me of the mocktail party scene when they added every random ingredient into one disgusting drink. Everyone is contributing to it, most not knowing or caring to know what else has already gone in, and I think a lot of people will be choking on the results when the time comes to drink.
Moo
Impatient cow, is that you?
It sounds like Boe has two severely mentally disabled parents, totally emotionally distant- and Boe’s power manifested as a way to connect to them. He is now demonstrating all the signs on Caregiver Burnout.
I’m afraid the more likely scenario is that the chaos event that made Boe a Unique also injured his parents psychologically. There is a lot of self-recrimination going on here.
Oof. Rough day for both Stu and Alden. Somehow Stu's request for husenot and friend husenot seems to reflect Alden's situation. The girls had the right answer.
Goddamn it, Boe. You sure are critical of Stu, for a guy so devoted to a life of self-flagellation. ... I am a little surprised by the number of comments implying this is where Boe and Alden meaningfully diverge. For my part, I disagree. They might go radio silent for a little while, but I truly believe their friendship is stronger than stubborn stone.
Powerscaling: Alden’s spell ~= Boe’s friendship > Stubborn stone ~= Lute’s balls
I have such horrible mixed feelings about Boe. And Stu moving. Not about Stu getting less ritually apologetic hair, it's definitely time for a new hairstyle. I'm here for pro-party hair choices. I'm glad Alden has friends and a destruction room.
Stu: what is a good party hairstyle? Alden: (sends a picture of Jeffy with his blue mohawk) Stu: perfect, I can do that by shaving the other side of my current hair with a bit of alien hair gel or a quick spell Eeaner, upon Stu's arrival: straight up trips in shock and face plants into a wall
I was happy because I got fresh soup on the beach at sunset and then I was sad because I really like Boe. Its for the best probably, for Boes sake. But he is the only person Alden is truly 100% unfiltered around (Stu is getting there but not there yet) and it's rough to lose your person like that even if it's hopefully only temporary.
Its so hard when you lose someone you were so close to over nothing. No big fight no blowup just nothing. Just went through something like that myself so i get what alden is going through. He honestly hasn’t processed it enough yet
Thanks for the chapter. Interesting stuff. Feels like some very proper aftermath to everything that's been happening and a prelude to significant development.
Damn Boe, that was rough. It's understandable in a way, but it's not like his current behavior is less self destructive than Alden's. Also, that kinda of pushes Alden to go in the only direction left to him. His aunt moved on, Jeremy has his girl and now Boe basically said they are going in different directions. Not much keeping him attached to Earth. The girls get a lot of points for their reaction though. Solid friends.
Stress relief demolition was definitely a good call
ryada’s going? That automatically makes the party 15% less awful.
I'm so glad she's going. These two need someone there that'll notice they need a little (read: a lot) of cheering up.
Boe no 😭 Not like this. Boe please just let Alden drag you to Anesidora and maybe to therapy too. And Stu, I hope you'll be okay! Also, thank you for the chapter!
Oof this chapter felt heavy
Approximate day part three blesses us with a brand new approximate day right around the corner.
Boeeeeeeeeeeee
Stu's getting a new hairstyle!?
Quick, someone call Met-oosa!
Boe's decision is a little bit 'the divorce came out of nowhere' isn't it? Like an unsurprising surprise. Except to Alden.
Yes, I called it ages ago, that Boe is just going to go deeper into the dark side
I love this fucking story so much.
Wow, what a bittersweet chapter about what is left behind while moving forwards. - I love how the breaking apart of Boe and Alden (temporary?) is written; it feels very teenagers-growing-up appropriate. It’s unparty for me because I like Boe, spiky creature though he is. - love the girls’ reaction to Alden being sad and seeing through his attempted covering of it - very much the opposite of Ryada’s squad’s not seeing her. The reaction makes sense too after Emilja’s realizations of how they had treated him by dragging him to the Hop party; you know they group-discussed that post-burder and felt a bit bad (and then had an eye out to support our supporter) - I feel like Stu might need to go further than the old house to get distance from the art’hs - he seemed to think his value came from being “the son of the Primary”, not from being Stu. -We- all know his real value is from being Stu-dad to Other Alden. Which is why he and Alden need to found Rapport VIV in a Tennessee parking lot.
I honestly thought Stu might be attempting to stow away to earth. I wondered how he’d manage school then, but if he teleports between triplanets, earth might not be so bad to commute to for weekends.
Hmm, the Boe thing always felt inevitable. So did the development we can see here with Stu. Delicious soup.
I’m being boiled in oil reading the Boe section. Boe-iled. AUUUUGGHRGRGAHSSHSHHHASAAAAAHHHHHHHH It’s just so awful holyyyyy (in like a “I feel for Alden and Boe kind of way”)
Notable entries from the “Top 10 Soup Moments to make you cry”: -“I just need less”- Boe -“‘Um… I don’t get’ Alden’s chest kind of hurt”- Alden -“He admired her fast recovery”-Stu If this chapter didn’t include Emilija and Hadiza recovering with Alden, my heart would have imploded.
NOOOOOOOOOOOOO BOEEEEEEEE. NO! I refuse! Bring him back! Kill someone! BOE NO. BOE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
This is why I need the next chapter in next 48 hours, so Sleyca can say "haha, jk, Alden staged an intervention and all worked out".
Chapter 321 in 48 hours. Wee woo wee woo.
Don't jynx it lmao
Thank you!!
Sleyca this is the best timing you’ve ever had. I just submitted the worst assignment ever, felt my phone buzz, looked at it with dread, and then got to see THIS. Thank you!!!!!
And then you read the chapter and the formless dread is still there xD
I just checked for soup two minutes ago; and there’s *soup* with *comments* before I even turned back! This is sad chapter. And happy chapter. And scary chapter. How can I worry so much about fictional characters? That’s normal, right?
It’s normal for me.
Thabk you!
I'm happy and sad. Sadly happy?
This scratches an itch!
Is this the fabled double soup incoming? Something to look forward to as Brazil's election results derail all my trains of thought during the following days
I'm also Brazilian, and the chapter was really helpful today to get something else for my mind to think about
I want you to know i put my Ursula k le quin book down for this <3
High praise! Which book?
Midnight soup, yeah!!!! TFTC
One hundred chapters to go until funny number! And probably lots of Artonan pharmaceuticals.
Thank you for the meal, I am sure it was worth the wait!
Oh boy! It’s your soup time!
let's go, too bad if it was the time to go to sleep Thanks for the chapter
It's tiiiiiiime!!!!!
WOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO! Truly, soup is all the more scrumptious for the delay.
SOOOOOUUUUP
We few, we happy few, we band of broth-ers!
A good joke to make on the 611th anniversary of the Battle of Agincourt.
Wooo! Thank you
Thank youuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuu