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Trailer Trash really reached down deep and grabbed me by the heart. The April Fool's "joke" was so evil I stopped reading it, though. Placed at another point in the story it would have been funny, but with the cliffhanger right before it... oof.
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May 27, 2023 03:28
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Trailer Trash is probably the best serial out there, and it is surprisingly popular even though it updates less than once a month. I always see it high up on the Royal Road rankings.
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May 27, 2023 03:38
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Selkie Myth posted:Authors I consider stronger than Super Supportive, in no particular order: Also I have almost read AnimeCon Harem like 4 times because I like Trailer Trash so much but... That name.
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May 27, 2023 03:41
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Ch 4 of Super Supportive Hmm these aliens grabbing a bunch of child soldiers to fight their wars for them seems pretty hosed up. I hope the author confronts how messed up this is.
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May 27, 2023 05:53
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Selkie Myth posted:Authors I consider stronger than Super Supportive, in no particular order: Pretty strongly disagree about Void Herald, at least based off of Perfect Run. They're plenty good at what they do, but their stories fit firmly into a couple of the more common web serial "archetypes." Void Herald is basically just a competent "cool guy (or guy the audience is obviously supposed to think is cool at least) is witty and badass" story (that manages to stand out from the zillion other similar stories because of its consistency and much higher quality action sequences). It's actually sorta at the limit of what I can tolerate in a web serial, where my desire to find out what happens next just *barely* manages to exceed my annoyance at the aspects I dislike. (I also disagree with a couple more things on this list, but the reasons are more subjective) I like Super Supportive because it's one of the very few serials I've seen where the story itself is "genuinely" interesting, rather than just serving as a repeated series of dopamine hits. This usually comes from one or more of a few things - being a "page-turner" (where there are a lot of cliffhangers and you want to know what happens next), character progression (most transparently done in stories that involve leveling up), "wanting to see characters I like be cute/funny together," or a wish fulfillment fantasy. I think these four categories hit on most of the major categories of web serials, though they can (and usually do) often overlap. These things aren't *bad* (and I certainly enjoy stories that incorporate all of them to varying degrees), but it's still nice to read something that is actually interesting and compelling in a way that doesn't involve the more overt manipulation used by most other stories. One thing in particular I've noticed is that Super Supportive rarely relies on cliffhangers and usually resolves a lot in the space of a specific chapter. This is something even my favorite web serial author (Erratic Errata) often doesn't do (and is probably my biggest criticism of Pale Lights so far - it seems to lean even more into there being constant tension than PracGuide did).
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May 27, 2023 08:01
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Peachfart posted:Also I have almost read AnimeCon Harem like 4 times because I like Trailer Trash so much but... That name. Trailer Trash is very good and weirdly so. I'm an adult male reading about the life of a 15 year old girl but it's pretty loving gripping for some reason. The timetravel fits and creates an interesting starting point but I'd almost like to read a version without it. I read Anime Con Harem because I liked TT and while it's still well written you should go into it knowing that its basically porn and also a bit problematic what with consent.
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May 27, 2023 10:13
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On typos prac guide is riddled with em but it doesn't get in the way.
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May 27, 2023 10:47
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Selkie Myth posted:Authors I consider stronger than Super Supportive, in no particular order: Thundamoo doesn't deserve to be on this list. They just write edgy but not particularly thoughtful fiction. Void Herald is okay but tropey and especially his most recent serial was very masturbatory. The rest of these are fine. hy (katalepsis, necroepilogos) is better than them as is madwhitesnake (pith) imo.
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May 27, 2023 17:42
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shades of blue posted:Thundamoo doesn't deserve to be on this list. They just write edgy but not particularly thoughtful fiction. Void Herald is okay but tropey and especially his most recent serial was very masturbatory. The rest of these are fine. hy (katalepsis, necroepilogos) is better than them as is madwhitesnake (pith) imo. Did Pith ever end up getting published? I remember it got taken down a couple of years ago and it was a really good serial!
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May 27, 2023 18:07
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I thought the pith author had some serious health issues, did they ever come back? Anyway speaking of cliffhangers, player manager has the most dogshit cliffhangers I've ever seen. In general, I don't mind cliffhangers if it's an interesting situation that I want to see resolved but every cliffhanger in player manager is just super lazy, blatant poo poo like 'little did I know that I was about to make the worst mistake of my life.' At this point I assume it's a joke, like the author notes, but it's also actively bringing down the serial for me. Otherwise it's strangely engrossing even though I have no interest in football.
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May 27, 2023 19:18
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Super Supportive ch 19 Well so far no one except for Gorgon has even considered how hosed up the alien slavery contract is. But the fact that he, at least, did so puts my mind at ease that the author isn't of those LITRPG folks who thinks slavery stories are rad. Either way, the MC is this one is getting dragged into slavery, not the one doing the enslaving. So I'm not really worried about this being a power trip for the.author to write about his fantasies of owning slaves. On another note, I do like the prospect of the more restricted space-butler "Rabbit" class with what I presume will require creative thought and use by the author/MC. That sounds much more interesting than another dime-a-dozen wizard or strong guy role.
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May 27, 2023 20:01
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^ Enjoying reading these! and yeah the author seems pretty solid so far.
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May 27, 2023 22:59
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I like Joe, he's cool. The man knows the value of pocket sauces.
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May 28, 2023 01:41
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Joe is incredible. Patreon spoilers: Oddly enough, I think Joe is maybe the character most likely to be a casualty of this chaos moon disaster. No way Alden is dying so early in the story. Kibby could die but that would be so brutal. I think she has solid odds of pulling through. Joe was already on probation and this whole thing is such a clusterfuck. I could see this arc making the point that the chaos eating away at reality is a really bad existential threat, but politics are the clear and present danger.
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May 28, 2023 02:10
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Xemloth posted:Did Pith ever end up getting published? I remember it got taken down a couple of years ago and it was a really good serial! MWS went the tradpub route but she did eventually get an actual agent and will probably actually get published at some point.
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May 28, 2023 02:25
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Patreon Katalepsis: Holy poo poo that's one way to start a chapter Heather both literally and metaphysically ripping a dudes head apart, like a monster out of a gorefest horror film. And Edward's response to that is just... what the gently caress
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May 28, 2023 02:27
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SS 48: So at this point we finally figure out what the artonans get out of their resource worlds. the contract pretty clearly targets non-artonans with natural aptitude for authority and forces it into a predefined shape. While it is extremely likely the inhabitants of these worlds would almost never become aware and further develop their authority, this is still forcibly hijacking the races' greatest potential for a servile purpose
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May 28, 2023 12:23
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Well, all caught up with the most recently released free Super Supportive stuff. It's certainly piked my interest and I'll keep following it. I don't think $10/month is worth it for me for the Patreon though.
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May 28, 2023 17:55
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SS Patreon: It is interesting to me that Alden's Gorgon gremlin apparently has no opinion about spellcasting. Word chains unbalance the self and annoy it. Eating milk and eggs is no go because the animals didn't entrust them to Alden. But spellcasting is A-OK? I figured chaos was a global warming-esque consequence of Artonian spellcasting, but if it is, it's not because spellcasting is unbalanced or a violation of metaphysical consent boundaries. Intriguing. Anyway, we already knew what the Artoans were getting out of the contract, but it's nice that now Alden realizes the exploitation inherent in the deal. Kind of a bummer that his naivete is being blasted away, but at least he is still kind and committed to helping people.
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May 28, 2023 19:17
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BadMedic posted:Patreon Katalepsis:
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May 28, 2023 19:22
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Selkie Myth posted:Authors I consider stronger than Super Supportive But uh There's probably some bias in there
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May 28, 2023 23:56
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Listening through BTDEM book seven and what a super change in pace but totally Elaine goes with it. I'm loving all the little side notes like the cultivator with a chicken there or "she who fights with monsters the class" and others. Totally the way to do a homage. Also everything is just so thoughtful.
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May 29, 2023 00:11
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SS 39 Joe really is the best. Surprised he dropped that much info for Alden and wonder how much was just to surprise the Primary one day.
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May 29, 2023 04:01
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SS 39 Joe and Alden really give off Rick and Morty vibes.
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May 29, 2023 04:54
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Dream Weaver posted:Listening through BTDEM book seven and what a super change in pace but totally Elaine goes with it. I'm loving all the little side notes like the cultivator with a chicken there or "she who fights with monsters the class" and others. Thank you! That's very kind
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May 29, 2023 05:16
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SS 49: Looks like we're unfortunately at the "10 chapters ahead of RR" point, so no more daily chapters  Seems like the end is finally in sight, but things are also getting kind of bad for Kibby. I absolutely refuse to believe that anything bad will happen to Kibby (because that'd basically be so incredibly dark that it'd cast a pall over the rest of the entire story), so Alden's presumably going to come up with something.My guess (and why Alden was like "I hope you won't think I'm weird") is that Alden wants to do the Gorgon ritual with her, in the hopes that it'll stabilize her some like it did him. I'm very curious where things will go after all of this. The current situation is a Big Deal because, if Alden gets back to Earth, he will instantly advance the entire planet's understanding of magic (and the setting's metaphysics in general) by a huge amount. But at the same time, it'd be a little strange if he just doesn't return to Earth, after all the set-up there. In general I like the way all of this has happened. It's a "very rare, but still plausible" situation that is leading Alden to gaining some very unique skills/knowledge in a way that still makes sense within the setting. Like Alden himself mentions, this couldn't have happened without Kibby as his patient teacher. And it makes sense that other humans haven't ended up in situations like this before - it's not only dependent on "getting stuck in chaos for a very long time," but also on "having a wizard child companion who is willing to help you learn the basics" (because an adult likely would not be willing to teach an Avowed like this). So it's hard to imagine this happening in pretty much any other circumstance.
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May 29, 2023 07:09
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Ytlaya posted:SS 49: I'm not sure he can advance the planet's understanding. The Triangle of Absolute Secrecy won't let him tell anyone anything that might even tangentially reveal Lesson One, or give them guidance in a way that's based on information from Lesson One, and I feel like basically anything he could specifically teach regarding magic/authority/chaos is very arguably going to lead back to that if you follow it (IIRC, when they were walking to the teleporter afterwards Alden couldn't even talk about it with Joe because potentially someone might be hiding in a bush listening, so odds are his mental gremlin is going to be very letter of the law on that when it becomes relevant). So I do anticipate Alden will go back to Earth, and at best find he's only able to really talk with Gorgon about it (since Gorgon already knows and is demonstrably incapable of revealing it), giving a whole bunch of drama on that end. And yeah, the moon's already got enough of a body count, Kibby better make it out fine (I am also willing to accept "fine but Gorgon ritual has unforeseen consequences" if the story does go with that as the plan). The implication of "Hannah never returned because she decayed into a chaos demon" is dark enough as it is.
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May 29, 2023 08:26
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SS 49: I'm honestly more interested in how exactly alden is going to interact with other avowed if/when he gets back to earth. This has to be by far the single most extreme onboarding for any new superhero that has ever happened on earth, and the matriarch of that one family is going to go full ham on loving with his business since she'll see his survival as incredibly relevant for the family's advancement that said, i have no idea why people are confident about kivb-ee's survival, consideration the very start of this series was a child having his parents killed next to him, followed by the person who rescued him also dying shortly after (in terms of chapters) e: A big flaming stink posted:SS 48: So at this point we finally figure out what the artonans get out of their resource worlds. the contract pretty clearly targets non-artonans with natural aptitude for authority and forces it into a predefined shape. While it is extremely likely the inhabitants of these worlds would almost never become aware and further develop their authority, this is still forcibly hijacking the races' greatest potential for a servile purpose kind of have to revise this, since it seems that avowed left to their own devices have a higher risk of turning into a universe-threatening entity/energy. Now it seems less like direct colonialism and more like the global north coming down hardcore on the south for worsening climate change (after the north has burned enough carbon for +3C) A big flaming stink fucked around with this message at 08:47 on May 29, 2023 |
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May 29, 2023 08:41
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A big flaming stink posted:SS 49: I'm honestly more interested in how exactly alden is going to interact with other avowed if/when he gets back to earth. This has to be by far the single most extreme onboarding for any new superhero that has ever happened on earth, and the matriarch of that one family is going to go full ham on loving with his business since she'll see his survival as incredibly relevant for the family's advancement There's a very big difference there in terms of the impact on the story, since we don't get to know Alden's parents at all and Alden's relationship with Kivb-ee is way closer than his relationship with Hannah was (he basically visited Hannah once a year and talked to her on the phone sometimes, but he's been living with Kivb-ee as surrogate family for many months). There also just isn't much to be gained in terms of narrative/character development from that. His parents dying makes sense in terms of defining his general attitude towards superheros and his own personal goals, and Hannah dying (or whatever happened to her) basically reinforces that in addition to reminding the reader that summons are a thing that happened to Avowed and can have bad outcomes. But Alden has already been deeply impacted by demons/chaos, and Kivb-ee dying would just be be kind of excessive and not serve any narrative role that hasn't already been served by their current ordeal. Nick Buntline posted:I'm not sure he can advance the planet's understanding. The Triangle of Absolute Secrecy won't let him tell anyone anything that might even tangentially reveal Lesson One, or give them guidance in a way that's based on information from Lesson One, and I feel like basically anything he could specifically teach regarding magic/authority/chaos is very arguably going to lead back to that if you follow it (IIRC, when they were walking to the teleporter afterwards Alden couldn't even talk about it with Joe because potentially someone might be hiding in a bush listening, so odds are his mental gremlin is going to be very letter of the law on that when it becomes relevant). So I do anticipate Alden will go back to Earth, and at best find he's only able to really talk with Gorgon about it (since Gorgon already knows and is demonstrably incapable of revealing it), giving a whole bunch of drama on that end. That's kind of tricky, because it's hard to figure out what technically falls under the stuff he learned from Joe there. I wonder if this is similar to what happened with other humans who achieved the non-letter ranks and then claimed to not know how it happened later.
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May 29, 2023 10:44
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Questions re SS patreon they put an example of an S class avowed advancing to "1" but can they also advance from B to A? Other crap about patreon knowledge So Aldens plans, i think he said he had three plans? Sealing themselves into the vault might be one but they might die from suffocation and another should be start moving towards the cleared area but thats also crazy cause they cant carry enough food and water to survive that long. What one guy suggested up above could be one solution; Alden eats some of Kibbys blood and maybe provides the same benefit Gorgon gave him. However that still leaves Alden as on the edge of dying himself? Unless it strengthens them both? Given what Alden knows and what we know we ought to be able to figure this out I think.
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May 29, 2023 10:59
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The plan I feel confident has to be in the mix is using the bomb as an extra destructive version of an emergency flare. The bomb is a huge Chekhov's gun so it has to be used somehow. I basically agree with the points about Kibby dying. The story may be dark enough to handle it, but it feels like a waste. Kibby is more interesting long term if she survives and complicates Alden's life. Alden is being crucibled into what will make him a hero, but I think that Kibby dying doesn't add anything interesting or valuable compared to how much the situation is already loving him up. This story is so incredible at juggling things. Each chapter I am on pins and needles about how they'll resolve this horrible chaos moon situation. At the same time, I am rubbing my hands together in gleeful anticipation of Alden returning to a contract and getting some sweet level ups. And then also my mind is spinning thinking about how the crazy unique skill set and knowledge base he has accrued will collide with avowed and Artoan societies.
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May 29, 2023 12:39
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For SS's free chapter 39: I wonder if Alden will get another face-to-face with The System like he did when he first accepted the contract when/if he's nearing the top of the Authority that it's able to handle as he grows his "Let Me Take Your Luggage" skill. I imagine that Joe would be extremely interested to know about that little encounter he had. I also think that this: "A scale tips. Too much excess authority will unbalance the original skill affixation and damage it, which would result in either a gruesome and agonizing death or something much worse.” probably refers to the "abomination" the Earth System referred to. Joe would love to find out Alden's relationship with Gorgon. I have to wonder how Gorgon and his people got such a deep insight into the System, especially if they are refusing to get drawn into the contract with the Artonans. The Earth System at least said that it had never encountered their presence before.
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May 29, 2023 14:47
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SS 39. I was not expecting to learn the secrets of the universe. It's a really awesome reveal, though. And one that I think expands the narrative options in some clever ways.
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May 29, 2023 16:00
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Nitrousoxide posted:For SS's free chapter 39: I'm still going with my theory that unbalanced contracts eventually lead to chaos/true demons.
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May 29, 2023 16:00
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Nitrousoxide posted:For SS's free chapter 39: My take with Gorgon is His race is probably one of the earliest integrated into the system, and knows exactly how it both helps and hinders. Remember the condition of his 'release' is accepting the system. Also I called it that the system doesn't really give you power, it just makes use of your own latent abilities. Though here's my question: Joe says it gets really expensive for the system if you have excess 'authority'. Is that a cost in terms of magic power, or a cost in terms of karma because the contract becomes 'unbalanced'?
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May 29, 2023 16:07
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Where does this concept of "true demon" come from for SS? Have we seen any "demons" other than Gorgon? Alden specifically rejects the label of demon as false for Gorgon. We've seen a lot of translation fuckery from the Artonans. Have we seen anything in the public chapters to suggest that there are other kinds of demons as opposed to it just being a nonsense word applied to people-what-we-dislike in much the same way we use terrorist or rebel or guerilla?
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May 29, 2023 16:10
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Keeping away from spoilers Gorgon is probably part of a conquered race that didn't want to accept the system or something like that.
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May 29, 2023 16:26
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LLSix posted:Where does this concept of "true demon" come from for SS? Have we seen any "demons" other than Gorgon? Alden specifically rejects the label of demon as false for Gorgon. We've seen a lot of translation fuckery from the Artonans. Have we seen anything in the public chapters to suggest that there are other kinds of demons as opposed to it just being a nonsense word applied to people-what-we-dislike in much the same way we use terrorist or rebel or guerilla? I'm working under the assumption that "demons" are Avowed "abominations"
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May 29, 2023 17:06
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Do we have anything that says that Gorgon's race didn't sign up with the system? Gorgon refuses to sign up, but that doesn't mean that his people never did.
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May 29, 2023 17:53
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Patrick Spens posted:Do we have anything that says that Gorgon's race didn't sign up with the system? Gorgon refuses to sign up, but that doesn't mean that his people never did. SS 39 They *probably* couldn't have chained him up for refusing to sign the System contract if his race's leaders hadn't agreed to it originally. It seems like contractual magic is extremely powerful and probably the reason they are able to bind whole species and even people who didn't actually agree to it thanks to their forefathers. I'm personally of the opinion that his race signed originally, but then balked at being the Artonans' child soldiers, and they were (nearly) wiped out for it. From Gorgon's POV it seems like he is the last in a line of people in his species attempting to subvert the Artonans. On another note. I put a 50/50 chance on Hannah still being alive and that Alden will save her at some point. It would be a nice reversal of her failure resulting in him losing his parents to his success returning Hannah to her mother. She could still just be dead though. Her death being used to establish the callousness of the Artonans would be a completely legitimate literary purpose
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May 29, 2023 23:21
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