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yuuagoAs I read more of SSSS, it's getting harder and harder to hold myself back from just reading everything at once. But! I will try to be vigilant. ... And yes, I've decided that these tl;dr chapter impression posts will be something I'm doing for the rest of the complete chapters, because they're the easiest and most efficient way to put all of my thoughts together. Flailing enthusiastically on twitter is all well and good, but my excitement can't be contained in 140 characters. So-
When discussing A Redtail's Dream, I often tell people that Chapter 3 was the turn-around point for me. That after that, I was hooked, and there was absolutely no going back. And this is true! And I'm a little surprised to discover that I have the same feeling for Chapter 3 in Stand Still, Stay Silent. I was enjoying it before, but now things are really starting to get going, and this chapter was VERY exciting. But only reading onward will tell whether I'll keep enjoying it so much. I think I will, though. Will it get even better from here? Entirely possible.
A few details: We don't see much of Tuuri in this chapter, but we get lots of interesting developments for Lalli and Emil. Especially for Lalli. We also have the first direct (and dangerous) encounter with the world outside. And, as a bonus, toward the end we catch a glimpse of the rest of the team! Though we aren't formally introduced to them yet.
Things I suspected, but now know: The outside world is terrifying. Additionally, I did not expect the monsters to be transformed people, nor to have the remnants of human consciousness, nor to be able to speak, holy shit. This is just awful. Our heroes have their work cut out for them.
I really loved Lalli and Emil in this chapter. Especially Lalli's protection spell - he knows the danger, and he takes action. (Translation here, down the page) It's the first sign we see that he has something to offer the team, that even though his head seems to be in the clouds a lot, he is capable of something. ... That is, if one assumes his magic is genuine. Which I think/hope it is. Anyhow, that spell is so lovely, and that page is so lovely, and I just -- love it love it love it.
Another thing I liked was that Lalli and Emil get some great personal moments together. They don't exactly get along perfectly, since their personalities are a bit different and - more importantly - they don't speak one another's language. But there are a few pages where they make a bit of a connection. Like this followed by this - so cute! I take it as a sign that even though they didn't get along that great initially, they might get on very well eventually. Incidentally, the bottom half of that second page is such a contrast to their cute interaction - and a good reminder of what kind of world we're dealing with.
Speaking of which, this page is amazing: 158. My gods, if this page were a print, I'd consider buying it, except that I wouldn't want to have that thing in my room, as it's fucking terrifying. Poor Lalli!
Um, Emil, a pillow to the face is not a very good way to comfort your colleague, thanks. ... Though admittedly, he did try before that, but - language barriers strike again!
And here's Lalli being useful again. Dude has psychic powers? I didn't realize, though I suppose it's kind of implied in the mage info page, though less "foresight" and more "awareness that there is a scary thing out there trying to get in", I suppose.
The fact that Emil runs back into the room to get Lalli out of danger pleases me so much. (165, 166, 167, 168, 169) True, they work together now, and protecting each other is part of what they need to do as a team. But I appreciate that the first thing Emil does, in the middle of that commotion, is realize that Lalli isn't there, and he goes looking for him. It shows that he has a sense of responsibility. And I appreciate that; Emil is kind of an egotistical snot, but he's an egotistical snot who has principles, and who cares about making sure that everyone is okay.
And I think this (172) is probably meant to be Lalli's attempt at comfort. I'm not sure if it worked. But it's nice of him to try. Emil looks like that encounter gave him quite a fright. No surprise, considering that not only are the monsters terrifying, they're also aware (170), at least to a degree.
Aaaand finally, a glimpse of the other characters! So, I expect we'll meet them in Chapter 4.
Overall impressions: Holy crap, we're finally seeing the horrors of the Silent World! VERY EXCITING. And I'm officially hooked. Lalli's beautiful magic and the development of his relations with Emil helped. Though I do hope I'll see more of Tuuri in the next chapter. And I'm looking forward to meeting the rest of the team, of course.
When discussing A Redtail's Dream, I often tell people that Chapter 3 was the turn-around point for me. That after that, I was hooked, and there was absolutely no going back. And this is true! And I'm a little surprised to discover that I have the same feeling for Chapter 3 in Stand Still, Stay Silent. I was enjoying it before, but now things are really starting to get going, and this chapter was VERY exciting. But only reading onward will tell whether I'll keep enjoying it so much. I think I will, though. Will it get even better from here? Entirely possible.
A few details: We don't see much of Tuuri in this chapter, but we get lots of interesting developments for Lalli and Emil. Especially for Lalli. We also have the first direct (and dangerous) encounter with the world outside. And, as a bonus, toward the end we catch a glimpse of the rest of the team! Though we aren't formally introduced to them yet.
Things I suspected, but now know: The outside world is terrifying. Additionally, I did not expect the monsters to be transformed people, nor to have the remnants of human consciousness, nor to be able to speak, holy shit. This is just awful. Our heroes have their work cut out for them.
I really loved Lalli and Emil in this chapter. Especially Lalli's protection spell - he knows the danger, and he takes action. (Translation here, down the page) It's the first sign we see that he has something to offer the team, that even though his head seems to be in the clouds a lot, he is capable of something. ... That is, if one assumes his magic is genuine. Which I think/hope it is. Anyhow, that spell is so lovely, and that page is so lovely, and I just -- love it love it love it.
Another thing I liked was that Lalli and Emil get some great personal moments together. They don't exactly get along perfectly, since their personalities are a bit different and - more importantly - they don't speak one another's language. But there are a few pages where they make a bit of a connection. Like this followed by this - so cute! I take it as a sign that even though they didn't get along that great initially, they might get on very well eventually. Incidentally, the bottom half of that second page is such a contrast to their cute interaction - and a good reminder of what kind of world we're dealing with.
Speaking of which, this page is amazing: 158. My gods, if this page were a print, I'd consider buying it, except that I wouldn't want to have that thing in my room, as it's fucking terrifying. Poor Lalli!
Um, Emil, a pillow to the face is not a very good way to comfort your colleague, thanks. ... Though admittedly, he did try before that, but - language barriers strike again!
And here's Lalli being useful again. Dude has psychic powers? I didn't realize, though I suppose it's kind of implied in the mage info page, though less "foresight" and more "awareness that there is a scary thing out there trying to get in", I suppose.
The fact that Emil runs back into the room to get Lalli out of danger pleases me so much. (165, 166, 167, 168, 169) True, they work together now, and protecting each other is part of what they need to do as a team. But I appreciate that the first thing Emil does, in the middle of that commotion, is realize that Lalli isn't there, and he goes looking for him. It shows that he has a sense of responsibility. And I appreciate that; Emil is kind of an egotistical snot, but he's an egotistical snot who has principles, and who cares about making sure that everyone is okay.
And I think this (172) is probably meant to be Lalli's attempt at comfort. I'm not sure if it worked. But it's nice of him to try. Emil looks like that encounter gave him quite a fright. No surprise, considering that not only are the monsters terrifying, they're also aware (170), at least to a degree.
Aaaand finally, a glimpse of the other characters! So, I expect we'll meet them in Chapter 4.
Overall impressions: Holy crap, we're finally seeing the horrors of the Silent World! VERY EXCITING. And I'm officially hooked. Lalli's beautiful magic and the development of his relations with Emil helped. Though I do hope I'll see more of Tuuri in the next chapter. And I'm looking forward to meeting the rest of the team, of course.
Yuu. Fic writer & book lover. M/Canada.