The Fury's Book Club-- Reading Cursed World: Initial Sparks

[Mith]

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And now we start to see why Aria is my favourite character (she was the "favourite character in the book introduced in Chapter 1")

[LaZodiac]

It was brought up a few times, and I only just now had a realization about it...

I never actually specifically made it clear in Initial Sparks that Aria is from Exova and Samson is Kaigan, and likewise never made it clear that Ella's mother is Kaigan and father is Exovan. So in english terms, they're both half-japanese half-german. It's one small thing I never really thought to make a note of it because it's something I know internally.

I'll be sure to have it come up in Hidden Embers. Also by the way I tweeted it but I've started writing Hidden Embers, book 2, now!

[Mith]

It was brought up a few times, and I only just now had a realization about it...

I never actually specifically made it clear in Initial Sparks that Aria is from Exova and Samson is Kaigan, and likewise never made it clear that Ella's mother is Kaigan and father is Exovan. So in english terms, they're both half-japanese half-german. It's one small thing I never really thought to make a note of it because it's something I know internally.

I'll be sure to have it come up in Hidden Embers. Also by the way I tweeted it but I've started writing Hidden Embers, book 2, now!

It probably works well to expand on that in book two anyways, since there is no clear "world map" that really pins those details down for the reader.

Which is fine, since this first book is the protagonists getting their first steps in the shallows before striking out to deeper waters.

[LaZodiac]

It probably works well to expand on that in book two anyways, since there is no clear "world map" that really pins those details down for the reader.

Which is fine, since this first book is the protagonists getting their first steps in the shallows before striking out to deeper waters.

I intend to rectify that "no world map" thing for Hidden Embers. I have a map made up but it's not completed and I kinda want to make it look more professional...

[DataNinja]

I intend to rectify that "no world map" thing for Hidden Embers. I have a map made up but it's not completed and I kinda want to make it look more professional...

"...uh, here there be dragons?"

[Mith]

I intend to rectify that "no world map" thing for Hidden Embers. I have a map made up but it's not completed and I kinda want to make it look more professional...

To be absolutely clear, it isn't a criticism. It's me going "this problem is easily rectify with the general world expansion that is in Book 2." in a way that works really well in Watsonian terms.

[Lord Raziere]

To be absolutely clear, it isn't a criticism. It's me going "this problem is easily rectify with the general world expansion that is in Book 2." in a way that works really well in Watsonian terms.

Especially since you have someone like Gamma there to not know things so people can teach them to him, thats real convenient and important.

[LaZodiac]

To be absolutely clear, it isn't a criticism. It's me going "this problem is easily rectify with the general world expansion that is in Book 2." in a way that works really well in Watsonian terms.

I know, was just saying that I AM going to have a professional map done, I just need to find someone who is good at making maps, and commission them to make my map look cooler...

There will also be more world building in book 2, obviously. If it wasn't clear from the characters so far, Dulace is meant to be Canada/America-ish, more leaning on Canadian since... I mean, duh. Felis is euro-france, leaning more on the French aspect. Exova is German, but probably incorporates some other stuff from that area like Austria and Beleruse and stuff. Trestaria is meant to be Arabic-y but I'll be honest this chunk I just need to do more research on, I'm so bad at learning about these places. Kaiga is of course Japanese.

Especially since you have someone like Gamma there to not know things so people can teach them to him, thats real convenient and important.

This is true!

[DataNinja]

If it wasn't clear from the characters so far, Dulace is meant to be Canada/America-ish, more leaning on Canadian since... I mean, duh.

Whaaaaaat? You mean Canadian authors want to bring more Canadian pizazz and references into mainstream culture? I am in shock, young lady, at the sheer gall.

[The Fury]

Spoiler: chapter

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I mean, aria knowing about powers in some way was pretty obvious, at least me.

So... If Kestral didn't know that Rei was a Pyromancer, why was he after her?

Is ONY just marking random people for kidnapping?

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My thought is that Kestrel isn't the sort of person to question why ONY wants him to bring people in or what they do with them. All he really knows is, "This is the target. Get her."

For that matter, it's not yet clear just what the plan to use Rei for once they have her.

Spoiler: Chapter 18:

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And this is why I pointed out the pipe thing: pipes, while a common thing and a common tropey improvised weapon, aren't something you can just causally get off the street to use in a fight, because often they're being used to y'know, transport water and built within homes out of sight and tightly screwed in, you'd need tools to properly get one out and use it, so either it was a tropey shortcut to give Kestrel an advantage....or as it turns out, kestrel can use magic to get pipes without needing to bother, which makes more sense.

as for kestrel going for Rei but not knowing about her mancy: well, there is the fact that he is also chasing Gamma, and that she is in fact a good person to target to get close to him, so even if he didn't know she was a mancer, he somehow figured out that she was associated with Gamma somehow. keep in mind he was pretty meh towards her until that fight with the thugs, so I doubt he knew much about her ahead of time, I'd say him manipulating Rei was more of an opportunist thing than a planned ahead thing.

also Aria! she is a pyromancer, and my theory is that she is the one who burnt the club in the first place. I don't know, why but she is the only pyromancer known aside from Rei, and this clearly confirms that mancies are inherited through blood.

and yeah the puppets are creepy.

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The detail with the pipe is kind of a cool one. I remember that you brought it up and I pointed out that there's a likely mundane explanation for Kestrel using a pipe as a bludgeon. I mean... bits of metal pipe are things that you can just find. While it's hard to get them out of buildings unless you know what you're doing, discarded pipes, (like ones that have rusted internally and have started to leak,) sometimes show up in scrap metal dumpsters. At least around where I live. In rougher areas the might be discarded a little more casually. Like a lot of details in this book though, later events contextualize this bit differently.

It was brought up a few times, and I only just now had a realization about it...

I never actually specifically made it clear in Initial Sparks that Aria is from Exova and Samson is Kaigan, and likewise never made it clear that Ella's mother is Kaigan and father is Exovan. So in english terms, they're both half-japanese half-german. It's one small thing I never really thought to make a note of it because it's something I know internally.

I'll be sure to have it come up in Hidden Embers. Also by the way I tweeted it but I've started writing Hidden Embers, book 2, now!

Ella actually does say that her mother is Kaigan when she's asked why she always refers to people so formally. It was just one scene in an early chapter, so I guess it can be overlooked.

Also, hell yeah. You know that I'm going to be on board for reading Hidden Embers.

By the way, the next chapter post is coming. It might take a little bit though since I've been pretty tired.

[LaZodiac]

Ella actually does say that her mother is Kaigan when she's asked why she always refers to people so formally. It was just one scene in an early chapter, so I guess it can be overlooked.

Also, hell yeah. You know that I'm going to be on board for reading Hidden Embers.

By the way, the next chapter post is coming. It might take a little bit though since I've been pretty tired.

Right, I did bring up that. But it doesn't make it clear that Ella is mixed Exovan-Kaigan, beyond the implicit point that she WAS born in Exova, but has a Kaigan mom.

I'll be sure to keep you posted on its progress, among other things!

I'm excited to hear it! Don't push yourself too hard though, you deserve sleep.

[The Fury]

Alright, babies... it's time for a Chapter Nineteen!

...I don't know why I called y'all "babies." *ahem* Anyway...

Spoiler: Chapter Nineteen

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Rei wakes up after having dreams about fire. This time also about shadow and iron, and Gamma's face getting consumed by flame.

While I don't think dreams are being used as a way of foreshadowing here, I think they are being used as an insight as to what's inside the character having them. Rei had dreams about fire before her powers started awakening, Gamma had dreams about shadows before awakening his. In this case I think we're having a look at Rei's anxieties. Rei feels responsible for Gamma but worries that she can't protect him.

Rei wakes up understandably a bit frightened, but is thankful to have a sleeping Verde hugging her. She is also very sore and exhausted from what happened the previous night though. Not to mention the wounds she got from Kestrel. Gamma's awake too, he's got a bandaged-up torso which as noted, is kind of like a shirt. Or rather the closest Gamma will ever come to wearing one. Dude hates shirts. It's left deliberately vague if the pauses in Gamma's dialogue are due to having a hard time breathing after being stabbed or if he's just fumbling for the right words. It's possible that it's a little of both.

He explains that he followed Rei after she had described Kestrel to him. To him it sounded like she could be describing the ferromancer, but he needed to be sure. Gamma's earlier line of wanting to meet Kestrel takes on a different meaning in light of this. In the moment he said it, it could be taken as a sign of his softening attitude. That he might be learning to trust and wanting to know the other people in Rei's life. As it turns out, no. He specifically asked if Rei could bring Kestrel to the burnt out dance club, which suggests that Gamma wanted to lure Kestrel into a fight on his own terms. This time it was lucky. It's likely that Rei would not have escaped Kestrel if Gamma had not intervened.

It's a moment for Gamma to bare his soul a little. When he first met Rei, he wanted to kill her. Which on it's face is a bit of a "yikes" thing to admit, but he explains that he thought that she might have been sent to hunt him down. This is kind of an interesting development, since it suggests that Kestrel, and probably Kite, aren't the only teenage mancers that ONY has on their payroll. Obviously things happened differently when Rei was attacked by the mnemonic puppet and Gamma defended her. He didn't really think about saving her as such, he just acted. Now Gamma... is not nice. In fact he's kind of a vicious little weirdo with a strong vindictive streak. Him admitting this to Rei while going on that Rei was the first ever person to be kind to him with tears in his eyes suggests that there might be more to him. Maybe that vicious side to Gamma is just what he became to survive, not really who he is at his core. He does have a better nature, and sometimes it even gets a chance to shine through.

Re drags her aching body to the kitchen, where Aria is cooking breakfast. Pancakes! While Aria seems relatively normal and cheery, it's still pretty clear that she's a bit shaken. As weird as things have gotten, Rei takes this chance to ask if Aria knew. About Rei's pyromancy. Aria admits that she did, but kept it from Rei so she might have a chance at a normal life. That is, something that Aria never got herself. While Rei is fairly understanding, she also points out that by not knowing about her pyromancy, she could have hurt someone with her powers. In fact she did. At this point it's a question of what could have been. Rei isn't even sure about if what happened with Chloe could have been avoided if she knew about her pyromancy earlier and had training. What's eating away at her is that for a moment, Rei actually wanted Chloe to burn. Aria had plans to tell Rei about her powers on her birthday, but... dragging in a critically injured Gamma kind of knocked any plans off the rails. All the while, Aria avoids directly mentioning her own pyromancy. The only real suggestion that Aria might have powers is the mention of a "normal life" that she never had. In the meantime, Aria has Rei go wash up. She's still sort of gross and sticky from all the blood. After that's done they'll talk more about their plans.

We join Chloe in the hospital. She's well enough that she can leave it seems. Or at least she won't have to wear a hospital gown. Though Chloe notes that the sweatpants and wool shirt she has to wear aren't especially flattering. They're a little too big. Possibly to avoid irritating her burns. At least she's alive. A crash from a medical supplies cart brings her out of her thoughts.

Now strange noises in the night aren't the sort of thing that you tend to make you want to leave your room. Chloe inches a little closer to the door and asks if things are alright. I'd say that's a "Nope!" As Kestrel walks in, his left arm covered in bloody bandages. I guess he did use that iron to make himself a new arm. He also seems really out of sorts. Kestrel demands that Chloe come with him, and that it's urgent. Mm-hm. Yeah, buddy. I'll bet that it is. Chloe is hesitant to leave the hospital room with this guy. She also notes the dead-eyed look that Kestrel has now. Unfortunately, Kestrel isn't giving Chloe any option. He grabs Chloe's burnt hand. Hard. (Ow.) He even threatens to break her knees and bodily drag her out if she resists.

As Kestrel kicks open the door while pulling Chloe along, she notices the bodies of the nurses that Kestrel killed. He evidently used the same trick that he killed the cop with on them. Using the iron in their blood to make spikes that impale them from the inside out. Chloe screams but there's no one there to hear it. No one alive anyway. Kestrel continues to pull Chloe along, hard enough that it's actually hurting her arm. She gets an idea though, as they pass the overturned medical supply cart. She fakes a trip, and manages to pocket a scalpel without Kestrel noticing. Clever, though I'm not sure I'd be up for going against the scary man with tiny bladey thing. The fall frustrates Kestrel, and like I mentioned before, dude's got a violent streak and anger issues. Luckily, he needs Chloe alive. He instead opts to yank Chloe back to her feet, hard enough that Chloe almost feels her arm pop out of its socket. Between getting burned and kidnapped by a violent ferromancer, Chloe's having a rough week.

Freshly showered and in clean clothes, Rei gets some breakfast with her pals and her mother. She even wears her favorite T-shirt. One with her favorite character from Knights of the Stars on it-- Leona, a bastard sword-wielding knight. Fittingly, she's even fire-themed. Nobody really saw what happened the previous night except Rei and Gamma, so understandably Verde wants to know what the hell and this seems a good a time as any to ask.

Rei explains that Kestrel attacked her. She says that Kestrel is after Gamma, but corrects herself-- Kestrel is after her. Rei seems to be the priority target. In any case, the way the encounter went, Rei is probably correct in assuming that Kestrel could have taken either Gamma or her separately and it's only because they worked together that they managed to escape alive.

Some chapters ago, it was speculated that Gamma might be an artificial person grown in a lab. Here it's actually confirmed that ONY basically grew him in a tube. Evidently Gamma was meant to be a weapon of some kind. He also spills that Orochi is the one running the show.

Now, I don't think that ONY's trying to pull a Weyland-Utani-- like trying to sell mancers as weapons to the highest bidder. On the face of it, it doesn't make much sense that ONY would be interested in developing weapons this way. They likely aren't planning on starting a war since Felis pretty much controls the world and ONY controls Felis. Then again, why would ONY need mancer operatives? Why are they interested in capturing other mancers and growing their own? ONY's actions only make sense if there's more to the situation than is seen. It could be that there are factions working against ONY's interest and ONY likes to have mancers to sic on them.

In any case, an omnipresent corporate entity that controls everything being after you is a terrifying idea. Rei has an idea though-- find Kestrel and beat the tar out of him until he spills what he knows. Not... an awesome plan. Kestrel did come close to winning when he fought Gamma and Rei at the same time. Although he did get the drop on Rei that time and he's missing an arm now. If Rei's ready for him and has Gamma backing her up, they might actually come out on top. No telling if they'll be able to get Kestrel to talk, but he's the best lead they have for figuring out what ONY and Orochi want.

Rei still has Kestrel's phone number. She can contact him and set up a meeting. While Rei feels that putting her friends at risk isn't acceptable and insists that she should do this alone, Gamma and Verde aren't having it though. Rei has already hurt Chloe and doesn't want to risk anyone else, even though pretty much nobody is onboard with Rei going against Kestrel on her own. Even Ella, in her own timid way doesn't find this acceptable. Aria has something to say about this.

Rei might be worried about seeing someone she cares about getting hurt because of her. Indeed, everyone is. That is to say that Rei has people that love her. People that don't want to see her get hurt. So for their sake, please accept their help.

For now, it's probably a good idea for our heroes to rest, recover their strength and formulate a workable plan. Apparently, the house they're in is relatively safe. Thanks to a lawyer trick from Aria, the government, and probably ONY, thinks that they live on the other side of town. Which explains why the cop gave Kestrel the wrong address. Evidently Aria was a something of a rebel when she was younger. In truth, she still is kind of.

Verde takes this opportunity to demonstrate the magic that she's been learning. She's officially a wind mage! Her magic is even green! Unfortunately using wind magic indoors tends to make a bit of a mess, much to Aria's chagrin. Rei is a little put out at being the last one to learn about something this cool, though to be fair Ella got Verde the book that she's learning from and Gamma helped her train. Aria only found out this morning. In any case, Verde is feeling pretty good about herself. Possibly even stoked about coming up with a plan to take down Kestrel. Then... the news report starts.

We'll have to wait until next chapter to see what the news report says, but for now a lot of the seeds that were planted earlier in the book are starting to pay off. That said, there's still a lot that isn't confirmed, like what ONY wants with mancers. While our heroes are working on their plan to fight Kestrel, Kestrel himself seems to have a plan to deal with them. Part of it is taking Chloe hostage of course, a smart first step. We'll have to see where he goes with it.

Next time... Toss a coin to your Fury! Oh, valley of plenty! Chapter Twenty!

Chapter updates might also be a little less frequent. Just from the general malaise I've been feeling from long work hours.

[DataNinja]

I'm sorry, we cannot toss pennies for your thoughts. We have them not here in Canada.

Anyways, take care of yourself.

[Rater202]

Spoiler: chapter 19

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I always hate it when the bad guy becomes a lot more proactive in the middle of the story.

I mean, I know it's good storytelling but I hate it when the hero has a plan that won't end up going somewhere becuase the bad guy doesn't have the decency to lick his wounds like a normal person.

I can't help but feel that Chloe trying to stab a guy with iron powers, down to the point of being able to control blood becuase of iron molecules in blood cells, with a steel surgical knife and escape is going to backfire on her horribly.

I hope to god she turns out to have powers that can heal someone becuase if she lives through this she's gonna be a mess of scars.

[The Fury]

I'm sorry, we cannot toss pennies for your thoughts. We have them not here in Canada.

Anyways, take care of yourself.

I also accept arcade tokens. It's a shame that there are no Canadian pennies. I guess you could lob a toonie at me or something, but that seems kind of expensive. Especially if you miss.

Spoiler: chapter 19

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I always hate it when the bad guy becomes a lot more proactive in the middle of the story.

I mean, I know it's good storytelling but I hate it when the hero has a plan that won't end up going somewhere becuase the bad guy doesn't have the decency to lick his wounds like a normal person.

I can't help but feel that Chloe trying to stab a guy with iron powers, down to the point of being able to control blood becuase of iron molecules in blood cells, with a steel surgical knife and escape is going to backfire on her horribly.

I hope to god she turns out to have powers that can heal someone becuase if she lives through this she's gonna be a mess of scars.

Spoiler: Chapter 19

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Rei and company's strategy is pretty much "find Kestrel and kick his butt." Not much of a plan, but I guess the details are all about making the fight happen on their terms. Not that those details have been hashed out yet. Kestrel does have a plan for controlling the fight though. Not much beyond "have a hostage," but still.

Speaking of Chloe... yeah. I'm pretty sure that Chloe doesn't know that Kestrel is a ferromancer or even what a ferromancer is. Even then, her idea of using a tiny knife to escape could easily go wrong.

[LaZodiac]

Canada does actually still HAVE pennies, physically, they're just no longer being printed.

[DataNinja]

Canada does actually still HAVE pennies, physically, they're just no longer being printed.

Shhh. That doesn't sound as good as us casting them all in the fires of Mount Doom from whence they came.

[The Fury]

Shhh. That doesn't sound as good as us casting them all in the fires of Mount Doom from whence they came.

...Canada is friggin' metal.

[LaZodiac]

...Canada is friggin' metal.

Without an air of sarcasm I'm pretty sure Data Ninja is not even lying on that point.

[Mystic Muse]

So, I am going to be catching up with everybody, going chapter by chapter in my sumups as has been done so far, and try to catch up within a few days while I'm supposed to be listening to Networking videos.

Spoiler: Chapter 1

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We get a really nice description of a rather interesting dream. Way better than the dreams I usually have.

Our main character is understandably annoyed that she was woken from the dream by her alarm. Especially to get up at 7:30 to go to school.

On the bright side, she gets to have pancakes and strawberry jam! On the not so bright side, she got up late so she can't savor it.

The descriptions continue to be vivid and memorable. We get our first mention of ONY manufacturing, who seem to be making electric cars quite popular. I hope they take off in the real world soon.

Rei makes it to school just before her teacher, seemingly. She then meets up with her first friend, Verde, who sounds absolutely tiny. We're not given an actual height, but I'm assuming she'd be lucky to break 5'0.

We get our first mention of Knights of the Stars as well.

After that, onto meeting two new students, Ella and Kestrel. I actually frequently forget that Ella looks this way, I tend to imagine her hair being a paler color. Honestly, I almost kind of imagine her as a good-aligned Nui at times. Also, don't feel bad Rei, I don't know what the difference between a Parasol and Umbrella is either.

Rei and Verde are chosen to be the class representatives. It doesn't seem that we're given a reason for why the teacher chose these two, and I'd be curious if there was one, besides the obvious of "Otherwise the plot doesn't really happen."

Rei talks to Kestrel for a bit, and he seems a bit awkward. We've established he's not interested in science, and probably not interested in math either. He seems a bit interested in Rei however, which sets her heart ablaze.

The lot of them sit down for lunch. Kestrel begins talking and sounding more ominous. He trains...no, works out. Okay, I'm now imagining Kestrel as Goku.

I like that Ella is completely casual about her love fortunes, and alleged magic. Kestrel is interested, Verde and Rei allegedly think it's BS. Ella doesn't get much from Rei.

They talk about Ella's special parasol, which has some interesting details. Two foxes dancing along after a Red, black, and silver snake.

Kestrel seems mostly interested in who is hunting who, and seems to imply he likes hunting foxes. Screw you, Kestrel, foxes are wonderful.

And thus ends both lunch and my sumup of things for now.

[DataNinja]

Oh, nice, additional readthrough.

Looking forwards to seeing the different observations between this one and The Fury's.

[The Fury]

It has happened before, and it will happen again. The time for reading another Cursed World chapter is nigh! Now, join me for Chapter Twenty!

Spoiler: Chapter Twenty

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The news report, as a few of you have probably already guessed, says that Chloe has been kidnapped from the hospital by an unknown assailant. And that assailant killed some workers in the hospital. It doesn't stop there though. There's two other violent assailants that hurt two road safety workers and managed to kill one of them while the other is in critical condition. While the two events initially seemed unrelated, it's possible that they are. To that end, the chief of the local police will be turning the investigation over to ONY security forces.

From this we can infer a couple things-- One, the two events are definitely related. And two, this is one way how ONY controls the narrative and keeps public favor on their side. By controlling the investigation of incidents that they cause, they can control what information becomes public.

As to how are heroes are taking the news... no great. Rei is fuming and consciously trying not light stuff on fire. Verde is on the verge of panicking-- her mother is a doctor in that hospital and was only saved due to the fact that she was with a patient. If she had been there to be in Kestrel's way... things could have gone differently. Ella, being a sensitive person, is just in tears.

It's sort of agreed right then that they won't have time to come up with a workable plan. Rei borrows Verde's phone and calls Kestrel.

Kestrel's demands are straightforward and what you would expect. Kestrel wants Rei to give herself up. She's to come to him alone, and Chloe will be let go. He'll even recall his companions, I assume he means the mnemonic puppets. Rei agrees, but Kestrel wants to spook her a little so she doesn't try anything funny. Chloe's voice comes on the line, she's panicked and tells Rei to not come. Kestrel's a killer and she thinks he'll kill her too. The call ends with Chloe saying, "Rei, I lov--" followed by the call abruptly ending. Then Rei gets a text of the location shortly after. A house close to Gold Row, where he was supposedly living.

This has "trap" written all over it as Verde is the first to point out. But as Rei observes, Kestrel doesn't handle surprises well. She and Gamma were able to catch him off guard in their last fight. So the plan is Verde and Gamma sneak over to where Kestrel is and stay hidden. Then when Kestrel releases Chloe, Rei will give the signal to attack. The only argument is over who gets to kill Kestrel. Which... that's a little dark.

What about Ella though? She's been cowering behind Verde this entire time, which is a little funny because Verde is so tiny and Ella is a bit on the tall side. Ella wants to help, but she's understandably scared. Aria isn't really able to fight either, so she says. So she suggests that Ella stay with her and maintain a home base of sorts. So it's agreed.

Rei heads out towards her encounter with Kestrel. Quietly seething. As a pyromancer, she runs a bit hot, actually melting the snow where she walks. She has her doubts about what could go wrong. Really, a lot could go wrong, but Kestrel has demonstrated that he's the sort of person that needs to be in control of a situation in order to make it work in his favor. If one detail is out of place, his plan falls apart. Rei on the other hand... her approach to problem solving is more uncomplicated which gives her an advantage.

Verde makes her way to the meeting location as well. She isn't with Rei, so she's probably on a different route. Verde feels like she has a lot to prove, but with her wind magic she'll be able to make a decent showing. More importantly she feels like she can pay back Rei for what she's done for her over the years. Which says a lot about the kind of relationship the two have. Verde feels a lot of gratitude towards Rei to the point that she feels that she owes something to her. Rei meanwhile... Verde was a friend when Rei needed one most. So it kind of insures that the two have a deep bond with one another.

Though Verde's thoughts are interrupted by an older woman. She's brown-skinned has long black hair and is wearing a long dress and a quilted winter vest. She seems very timid and very worried. Her son is missing, see and she hasn't heard from him. Not since he left to go to his friend's house. He's about Verde's age and it's getting dangerous out here. Verde's normally a pretty helpful person, but can't agree to help this person. As you might have guessed, this woman is actually a mnemonic puppet in disguise. Verde doesn't grasp the particulars, but she does mentally ask enough questions to get suspicious just before being attacked.

Meanwhile Gamma is perched on top of a building. Like Batman. It occurs to him that he'd probably just make his injuries worse if he tried to fight for very long. He too, feels a sense of gratitude, maybe even obligation to Rei. Speaking of, he spots some ONY Security Force soldiers that are probably looking for Rei. These guys might do alright against Rei, considering Rei's only a fledgling pyromancer that might try to hold back. Especially if they got the drop on her. Yet Gamma got the drop on them and he's a much more experienced shadowmancer that does not hold back. It's worth noting that while there is a practical side to what Gamma is doing, pragmatism is not his goal. He's acting more out of revenge for what ONY did to him. The fact that he allows one of the soldiers to radio for backup so he'll have more to kill only emphasizes this. Hopefully Rei's plan doesn't go off the rails because Gamma has to get his vengeance on.

Meanwhile poor Ella is back at the house with Aria, nervous and pacing. It's been noted a few times that Ella is more timid and sensitive than her friends and all this stuff that's been happening has weighed pretty heavily on her. In fact she seems on the edge of breaking down in panic, clutching her umbrella and trying so hard to keep calm. Aria is taking this in stride though. From what little we know of Aria's past, this likely isn't her first rodeo. Ella's thoughts are to how she tried to keep the situation under control before they had met Gamma. She had seen something in Rei when she did a reading. Up until now, it's not been clear if Ella's fortune-telling is just a cold read or if it's an actual power. It's the latter. Ella's fortune-telling is done by reading someone's blood, which actually makes a certain kind of sense. The mnemonic puppets seem to operate on a similar principle of reading the memory within a target's blood and using it to construct a disguise. Since Ella hasn't used magic circles or words to activate her power, it's likely that she's some kind of mancer rather than a magic-user.

After Rei, Verde and Gamma have left, Aria cheerfully noted that Kestrel may have very well tracked Verde's phone and the house might be attacked. Ella takes this news about as well as someone who's nervous and danger-averse as she is could. Aria also asked her for a reading. Unprompted. However she managed it, Aria seems to know just what Ella is. When Ella read Aria's fortune, it was like "gazing across a vast see of cooling magma." Our chapter ends with a knock at the door, which nearly gets Ella to faint.

This chapter is building up to the climactic encounter with Kestrel, so it's more about tension than it is about plot. That said, there's still some interesting character stuff. Gamma's been treated as a character that's basically decent, if a little rough around the edges. This is still true, but it's also shown here that his violent streak can also make him a liability. While we still don't have a complete explanation for what Ella is, we're starting to get one. In future chapters, this is elaborated on, so we'll get there.

See you next time for Chapter Twenty-One! *finger guns*

Also, Thanks to Mystic Muse for jumping in and offering her experience of reading the book. I guess it's lucky that I'm getting slower with the updates. I'll be nice to give her a chance to catch up a bit.

[Mystic Muse]

I should be able to get through at least one chapter each day, possibly more if I can get through enough of my Primaris Space Marines backlog.

Spoiler: Chapter 2

Show

So, we resume at Computer science, and Rei is goofing off.

We get introduced to a few other elements of their school. Primarily, the Heathers. That's not their actual name, but they're a group of awful rich cheerleader types so that's what I'm going to be referring to them as in the future. Sadly, I don't think they'll be singing "Candy Store" at any point, which might redeem their presence. They're all flirting with kestrel, which is no surprise.

We also get introduced to the fact that Rei is bi. She thinks Kestrel is more her speed than Ella, which is of course perfectly fine.

She's also reading articles from a rather sketchy sounding website, the hidden layer. Somebody pulling a Chicken Little and saying the sky is going to fall (moon, but details).

She goes to another article by "The Laketown Times" Which mentions an occurrence similar to Rei's, where a woman started feeling hot and everything went up in flames soon after, and then everyone was saved by a woman in purple with a cat's tail. The article has also been edited recently, to say the building might be haunted.

Rei of course gets a great idea. Let's go check out the haunted building! Rei, you need at least two guys and a talking dog before you start handling mysteries. A psychedelic van wouldn't hurt either, but isn't strictly necessary.

Then one of the Heathers comes over. Chloe, an ex-friend of Rei's who insists on being called MISS Chloe by her. Not exactly sure why it matters, but whatever. She teases Rei about the idea of kestrel ever ending up with Rei, and calls him her future boy-toy. She then flounces back to the other Heathers, who I want some sort of nuisance to happen to. One of their sodas to explode all over their nice new clothes sometime, or something similar.

Rei mentions she has ammo against Chloe if Chloe ever actually goes too far. She knows that Chloe smokes, because she's noticed a bulge in Chloe's breast pocket that looks like a pack of cigarettes and lighter. Verde questions how often Rei looks at Chloe's chest to notice that. Rei finds Verde's implication gross, and says that dating Chloe would be worse than dating Verde. Verde insists that dating her would be great because she's 'fun-sized' but knows she isn't interested in girls because her and Rei have kissed before.

Then we cut to Gold row. I love the description here, particularly of the scent of cigarrette smoke having marked this place like a scar. The description of the place kind of reminds me of Wily's city from the Protomen albums. Old, dirty, falling apart because of lack of care, and not many people wanting to stare there. Luckily, Gold Row isn't run by a tyrannical scientist who will disappear you for making too much noise. I hope.

Verde, Ella, and Rei are here. Okay, so we've got Velma (Verde), Daphne (Ella) and Rei...Rei doesn't really fit any of the Scooby Gang. She kinda dresses like Shaggy a little, but personality wise doesn't fit him, Freddy, or Scooby. Oh well, guess my comparisons to that end here. They arrive at the burnt-out club, which only ever had enough clientele to just stay open, and after the fire could not recoup from the losses, so the city sits abandoned and condemned.

And Rei wants to go in anyway. Rei, don't go in condemned buildings, they aren't safe. Bits of it could collapse on you or under you at any time. Rei puts her hand on the rusted iron door, and thinks about trying to get in, before a singe of pain occurs and she recoils, thinking she's left a burn mark in the shape of her hand on the door. The more she looks, the less sure she is, and Verde and Ella convince her to just leave.

Don't worry Rei, there's nothing here anyway!

Except some dude with crystal blue eyes who was watching her the entire time, and has noticed she has some sort of fire abilities.

Well, we'll find out about him later.

And there's chapter 2. Full disclosure, I've actually read multiple drafts of this book, as well as other books Zodi has written for NaNoWriMo, so there's not a lot I'm going to be surprised by. There are some things I'm noticing that are significant, but they don't really stand out unless you've read said books, or she's told you about plans about things later on down the line. I'm not really saying much about these, or drawing much attention to them, because spoilers are rude.

[DataNinja]

Full disclosure, I've actually read multiple drafts of this book, as well as other books Zodi has written for NaNoWriMo, so there's not a lot I'm going to be surprised by. There are some things I'm noticing that are significant, but they don't really stand out unless you've read said books, or she's told you about plans about things later on down the line. I'm not really saying much about these, or drawing much attention to them, because spoilers are rude.

Even with that, musings and observations are fun to read. It's always interesting seeing how someone else sees the world!
(Also, good luck with the painting. I kinda burned out on my space marines long, long ago, and then fell out of the hobby. Whoops.)

[LaZodiac]

I think a fun thing about seeing someone who's read through the book more than once do something like this, is seeing what they pick up and what might go unnoticed. I've found whenever I read through a book I discover new things.

To use an example, there is actually a textually implied reason why Verde and Rei were picked to help out with the transfer students!

[Rater202]

Spoiler: Chapter 20

Show

Oh no, the abused child who was apparently physically and mentally tortured into being a super soldier and who has repeatedly shown that they have no idea how the world works outside their experiences is gleefully slaughtering mooks associated with the people behind his abuse, who could ever have seen a child soldier lashing out like this?



Okay, in truth, I did not see it coming, but honestly, in hindsight, I am not the least bit surprised.

The question is: Are they just mooks? Or is it gonna turn out that these people have no idea just how shady the boss is and are ultimately just people with families doing their job and what they've been led to believe is the right thing, making Gamma no better than the people who made him?

[The Fury]

I should be able to get through at least one chapter each day, possibly more if I can get through enough of my Primaris Space Marines backlog.

Spoiler: Chapter 2

Show

So, we resume at Computer science, and Rei is goofing off.

We get introduced to a few other elements of their school. Primarily, the Heathers. That's not their actual name, but they're a group of awful rich cheerleader types so that's what I'm going to be referring to them as in the future. Sadly, I don't think they'll be singing "Candy Store" at any point, which might redeem their presence. They're all flirting with kestrel, which is no surprise.

Spoiler: Chapter the Second

Show

One of them is later shown to be named Heather, so it's not far off. I'm sure it's a deliberate reference to The Heathers as well.

Spoiler: Chapter 2

Show

Verde, Ella, and Rei are here. Okay, so we've got Velma (Verde), Daphne (Ella) and Rei...Rei doesn't really fit any of the Scooby Gang. She kinda dresses like Shaggy a little, but personality wise doesn't fit him, Freddy, or Scooby. Oh well, guess my comparisons to that end here. They arrive at the burnt-out club, which only ever had enough clientele to just stay open, and after the fire could not recoup from the losses, so the city sits abandoned and condemned.

And Rei wants to go in anyway. Rei, don't go in condemned buildings, they aren't safe. Bits of it could collapse on you or under you at any time. Rei puts her hand on the rusted iron door, and thinks about trying to get in, before a singe of pain occurs and she recoils, thinking she's left a burn mark in the shape of her hand on the door. The more she looks, the less sure she is, and Verde and Ella convince her to just leave.

Don't worry Rei, there's nothing here anyway!

Except some dude with crystal blue eyes who was watching her the entire time, and has noticed she has some sort of fire abilities.

Well, we'll find out about him later.

Spoiler: Chapter Two

Show

Maybe Kestrel can be Fred? Maybe he owns a van. He'd probably look good in an ascot. Rei isn't really a Shaggy, but maybe they'll meet one later. Of course this means that Rei will probably be outed as the bad guy by the end when Kestrel pulls off her realistic rubber mask. She would've gotten away with it too...

Jokes aside, Verde does remind me a little bit of Velma too. What with her glasses and big sweater. Beyond a surface resemblance she's pretty different from Velma in ways that are seen later.

As for the dude with the blue eyes... yeah, he was my favorite part of this chapter. Someone vaguely ominous and threatening lurking in the shadows.

And there's chapter 2. Full disclosure, I've actually read multiple drafts of this book, as well as other books Zodi has written for NaNoWriMo, so there's not a lot I'm going to be surprised by. There are some things I'm noticing that are significant, but they don't really stand out unless you've read said books, or she's told you about plans about things later on down the line. I'm not really saying much about these, or drawing much attention to them, because spoilers are rude.

Hey, I'm still interested in what your thoughts are. I came into this totally blind, and you having some idea of what to expect no doubt gives you a different perspective.

Spoiler: Chapter 20

Show

Oh no, the abused child who was apparently physically and mentally tortured into being a super soldier and who has repeatedly shown that they have no idea how the world works outside their experiences is gleefully slaughtering mooks associated with the people behind his abuse, who could ever have seen a child soldier lashing out like this?



Okay, in truth, I did not see it coming, but honestly, in hindsight, I am not the least bit surprised.

The question is: Are they just mooks? Or is it gonna turn out that these people have no idea just how shady the boss is and are ultimately just people with families doing their job and what they've been led to believe is the right thing, making Gamma no better than the people who made him?

Spoiler: Chapter Twenty

Show

As a general rule, most people are... people. I'm sure that these people that Gamma is killing do have families, friends and whatnot. Maybe they do know about ONY's more unsavory side and are OK with it, maybe they have no idea. I don't think they're just random cannon-fodder to be killed off without a second thought by the heroes though. And I feel like Gamma's actions here are not meant to be seen as heroic.

[Rater202]

I have acquired the book for myself and the process of devouring its secrets shall commence shortly.

Because why the hell not, I too shall post my thoughts chapter by chapter...

Though my first impression is that the book's heft feels good in my hands.

[DataNinja]

Gasp.

This is turning into a real proper regular book club now.

[LaZodiac]

I have acquired the book for myself and the process of devouring its secrets shall commence shortly.

Because why the hell not, I too shall post my thoughts chapter by chapter...

Though my first impression is that the book's heft feels good in my hands.

Hell yeah! I hope you enjoy Rater, and look forward to hearing your thoughts!

And god yeah just... just SEEING the printed book for the first time blew my mind, finally getting my hands on it was such a powerful feeling. It's really just... nice, to have that physicality to it.