Shirtaloon
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Chapter 968: A Brief but Firm Reminder
🕑 Added 2024-11-29 22:00:06 +0000 UTC“Are there any kind of warning signs I should be aware of?” Anna asked. “Some kind of indication that you or your familiars are about to go off like a powder keg?”
“Yes,” Jason said calmly, then sipped at his fruit juice blend. “Some humans, in a display of idiocy so grand I have no metaphor to compare it, are trying to DESTROY THE PLANET THAT THEY ARE STANDING ON!”
His outburst was mirrored by the land around them as the gorge was rocked by a tremor that shook leaves from the trees. Thunder pealed in the sky as lighting danced through dark clouds. Anna was sent stumbling back as Jason’s aura took on physical force, pushing out of him like a wave.
Anna had made multiple visits to Jason’s astral kingdom. She had seen its wonders and witnessed his power, but it was only in that moment that she truly understood. This place had a god, and that god was angry.
Suddenly struck with the urge to escape, she found a portal open next to her and hurried through without further consideration. On the other side was the central hub of Asano Village, bustling with diplomatic staffers from across the globe. Portal travel was relatively common amongst them, but they all recognised the portals belonging to Jason. They also knew Anna, and watching her emerge, wide-eyed and trembling, had many stopping to gawp. She stood up straight, tugged a couple of adjustments to her suit and took a deep breath, letting it out long and slow.
“That bad, huh?” Farrah asked. Anna turned around, finding her leaning casually against an electric buggy. It was one of a fleet of busses and buggies that, along with an underground tram system, connected the disparate locations within Asano Village. Farrah took a swig from a bottle of iced tea, sold from a vending machine beside the buggy depot entrance.
“He’s not happy,” Anna said. “What exactly did you tell him?”
“The same thing I’m here to tell you. More or less. We’ll need to meet some people after, so let’s do it on the road.”
Farrah got behind the wheel of the buggy, basically a juiced-up electric golf cart, and Anna sat beside her. The private roads of the village were well-maintained asphalt, and they took one that soon led them into bushland. The sun was warm and the air filled with the scent of eucalypts. Farrah tapped a button on the console and the fabric top of the buggy folded back.
“Lovely day,” she said.
“It’s very nice,” Anna replied, her tone less enthusiastic than her words.
“Shame how the people of this planet decided to take all this away from Jason’s family.”
Anna’s lips pressed tightly together.
“Yes,” she said.
“He’s angry at the people of your world. Again.”
“I noticed.”
“I’m not without my own outrage, you know. Do you recall how I spent my first weeks on this planet?”
“You were held and tortured.”
“By?”
“A rogue—”
“Who?” Farrah interrupted, her tone a warning.
“Members of the Network,” Anna admitted.
“And when I escaped, they moved me to an astral space. Not one of the proto-spaces you had back then, but a fully developed one. From which I was in the process of escaping again when Jason found me.”
“This, while interesting, is not new. I thought you were going to brief me, Ms Hurin.”
“Oh, Ms Hurin, is it? Are we not friends anymore, Anna?”
“You’ve been gone a long time, Farrah,” Anna said, then her expression turned awkward. “Susan did tell me to invite you to dinner.”
Farrah grinned.
“And how is she?”
“She’s been spearheading a project to retrieve art from abandoned European cities. She’s stockpiled a collection of works she’d be lucky to allowed in the same room as, back in the day. She’s happy, although seeing cities in what amounts to a post-apocalyptic state has unsettled her.”
“The stakes are high. Something that humanity still has trouble grasping, it turns out. That’s why Jason is angry. I’m angry too, I just don’t have a universe to shake. I have to make do with being pissy at old friends.”
“Is that what you’re doing?”
“Anna, do you recall the man who perpetrated my incarceration, here on Earth?”
“Adrien Barbou.”
“He was one of yours. A Network man.”
“He was a traitor, not a true—”
“Don’t,” Farrah said. “You need to retire the ‘it wasn’t us, it was a bad apple gone rogue,’ speech, Anna. I won’t tolerate it. And if you try it on Jason, you’ll regret surviving what I do to you. He vented his rage on you, and I’m guessing the sky. A few earthquakes in unoccupied parts of his main planet. Maybe a tsunami or two. Which is healthy.”
“That’s healthy?”
“Compared to roaming the Earth, killing anyone who displeases him? Yes. Instead of that, he’s having a therapy session with Arabelle Remore. But I saw it when I told him, Anna. He had the old eyes, from the last time we were here. It was just for a moment, but you don’t want that. Not with the power he has now.”
“What did you tell him, Farrah? What set him off like this? You keep talking around it. I thought rambling, tangential explanations were how he worked, not you.”
Farrah snorted a laugh.
“Fair enough,” she said. “My explanation had gotten as far as Adrien Barbou.”
“My information was that he died in the Saint-Étienne transformation zone, along with Jack Gerling, Mr North and most of the vampire lords who went with them. Only Jason and the vampire queen emerged, until Gerling return in his current unfortunate state. How does Jason feel about that?”
“There are a number of topics he intends to raise with Elizabeth. But Jason did bring Barbou out of the transformation zone alive.”
“Barbou is still alive?”
“I didn’t say that, Anna. Mr North asked Jason to make Barbou’s death quick and clean. Jason told him that it was up to me, since I was the one he held and tortured.”
“And did you?”
“There’s a lot of different tracking magic out there. Rituals, items, essence abilities. A lot of familiar powers. There’s a whole sub-branch focused on different ways to find corpses, which makes disposing of a body you don’t want found rather laborious. You can use magical countermeasures to hide it, but for every ward, there’s a way circumvent it. Only one thing consistently foils most methods of tracking a body. You have to break the corpse down. Very extreme dismembering can work, like putting it through a woodchipper, although burning it to ash is better.”
Farrah glanced briefly from the road ahead to give Anna a smile.
“Complete liquification is best,” Farrah continued. “You need an alchemist who’ll give you the right supplies and keep their mouth shut, though. Any experienced tracker will check the alchemists for anyone buying the right supplies for body disposal. Whichever way you go, though, the trick is to scatter what’s left of the corpse over as wide an area as you can. A fast-moving waterway is good.”
“Farrah—”
“A good tip is that they don’t have to be dead when you start rendering them down. It does make it easier, but easy isn’t always the point, is it?”
“So, ‘Barbou isn’t alive’ is what you’re saying.”
“As I recall, it was quite a controversy, discovering the astral space he’d been hiding away for the local Network.”
“It wasn’t the—”
“What did I say about blaming bad apples, Anna? I’m not going to warn you again.”
Farrah’s light smile as she drove the buggy in the sunshine was incongruous with the sudden, heavy silence.
“It was a large controversy, yes,” Anna said. “They were hiding things from the larger Network community. Which was still one group back then, although it was already shaky. It had been clear for a while that the days of magic remaining a secret were numbered. Everyone was positioning themselves for what came after. You and Jason dropped into that pond like a bomb, but the ripples of schism were already shaking the waters.”
“Barbou and his people had been masking grid activity. Hiding the astral space from grid operators elsewhere in the world.”
“Why the history lesson, Farrah? I was there.”
“So was I, Anna. In a concrete room, with a shackle around my neck.”
The buggy followed the road along the top of a ridge by the coast, giving them an impressive view of the Pacific Ocean. Farrah pulled over at a lookout spot with a small gravel parking area. A wooden bench offered a place to sit and look out over the water.
“What are we stopping for?” Anna asked. Farrah got out of the buggy, walked over to the bench and sat down. Anna let out a sigh and then followed.
“I liked living here,” Farrah said. “I liked having a part in building it. Jason’s family was very welcoming to me, a stranger from another world. Helping them establish this place felt like putting down roots. How long was Jason gone before the people of this world pulled out those roots?”
“Farrah—”
“That’s all we’ve ever seen from this world, Anna. People taking because they could. It happens in my world too, don’t get me wrong, but things are simpler there. When someone takes just because they can, they don’t have a list of justifications. They don’t blame bad apples they knew were in the barrel the whole time. They say ‘this is mine, because I have the strength to take it.’ It’s not good, but it’s honest. As is the solution. Every time you explain away some shady deed, all you’re saying is that you’re allowed to do things to people, and they aren’t allowed to do things back.”
“Farrah—”
“I’m talking, Anna, and you will listen until I’m done.”
Unlike most essence users of Earth, the elite adventurers of Pallimustus did not leak their auras. There was no inherent intimidation through rank, simply by their presence. That was a testament to their control, but also meant that when needed, they could use their aura a to make a point to those around them. Farrah gave Anna a brief but firm reminder of who and what she was.
“Anna, I’m not sure you understand the degree to which Jason is bending over backwards to not do the things he very much wants to do. He’s sensitive to his more dangerous proclivities, and that if he lets this world trigger them, he will act in ways he ultimately comes to regret. That is why we recruited you, Anna. To help him take the complicated option when the simple one would be so much easier. He doesn’t want to break the world in the process of doing what needs to be done.”
Farrah reached out with her arm and made an upward motion with her fingers. Out to sea, an obsidian spire, the size of a building, rose from the water like an ancient sea monster. Displaced water sent waves crashing into the shore. Anna watched as Farrah casually created a new landmark with a terrifyingly dismissive demonstration of power.
“How long do you think it will take the ocean to wear it down?” Farrah absently wondered as she stared at her creation. “Ten thousand years? A hundred thousand? I’m not Jason, Anna. Our friends are not Jason. We only care about your world because Jason cares, and if we decide to reshape it, we can and we will. Your job is to guide Jason away from going too far in one direction. Ours is to stop him from going too far in the other. If the people of this world keep acting the same way, we’re going to stop doing our job and things will become a lot simpler. But not nicer.”
“What are you even talking about? What actions have affronted you to the point of taking me out into the woods and threatening me?”
“Years ago, Jason and I once told you that the people of Earth need to stop harvesting reality cores from transformation zones. You told us that the Network couldn’t afford to step back from the arms race over them.”
“That was when you stopped working with the Network altogether. Are you suggesting that someone has found a way to make new zones?”
“Not suggesting, Anna. When I was destroying the devices placed to modify the grid in Sindh, I didn’t have to destroy them all to shut it down. A few remained for more delicate extraction and later examination. I’ve been using them, along with the readings we took during the event, to reverse engineer what happened. Someone used the grid to feed magic into the active manifestation. It should have created a transformation zone, but Jason did one of his ridiculous Jason things. Grabbed the torn edges of the universe and held them together with not much more than stubbornness and a smug expression.”
Anna had been briefed on what happened in Pakistan, so she knew that Farrah’s description of Jason’s part in it was colourful but essentially accurate. The information about transformation zones was new to her, and horrifying in its ramifications. Jason broke ties with powers of Earth over reality cores once, and now he had the power to break the Earth entirely.
“Do you know who was behind it?” she asked.
“During the monster wave crisis, I led a group of Network researchers in repairing the sabotaged grid. The magic we found in Pakistan was based on that work. Most troubling was that it had been refined.”
“Refined?”
“It showed signs of iteration. Solutions to flaws that would only have been revealed through previous testing. It was not an experiment, but a developed and workable process. Whover did this has done it before, at least several times.”
“You can’t just make transformation zones. Not without anyone noticing. Even if you masked their presence on the grid, which is what I assume you’ve been leading up to, a transformation zone is a glowing dome the size of a small town.”
“Yes. You would need a large region where no one goes. No one, perhaps, but vampires.”
“Europe,” Anna realised. “If you could mask the presence in the grid, and were able to manipulate the satellite coverage…”
She stood up and paced, her mind gaming out the idea.
“The presence in the grid, and the satellites. Both could be accomplished by a relatively small number of people, if they held the right positions in the right organisations. You’d need people on the ground to actually do the thing; you wouldn’t trust it to the vampires. Why would the vamps even…”
She turned to look at Farrah with eyes widened by realisation.
“Harvesting reality cores,” Anna said. “That’s what would get the vampires onboard. That’s what would make participation worth if for anyone. The stockpiles from the old transformation zones were depleted years ago. Maybe there are a few still stashed around, but they haven’t existed in any practical fashion in almost a decade.”
She plonked back down on the bench.
“That’s why Jason was so angry,” she said. “The thing that made him break ties when multiple betrayals didn’t. And now, people are doing it again.”
“Anna, this is the time for the powers of Earth to stand up. To clean their own house. Because if they don’t, we will. And our approach will be a simple one.”
“Simple solutions to complex problems always have consequences.”
“Yes, but we have the power to handle them if we must. Again, Anna, the entire reason Jason pulled you into this is that if we do things our way, it won’t be us paying the price. The last time we were here, we saved the world. Now, it’s your turn to save the world from us.”
“The Americans attempted to make an overture.”
“We’re aware, and we’re open to it. I hope that it’s a good start. But make no mistake, Anna; we set the pace, and we set the terms. If the Americans want friendship, they need to earn it.”
“You don’t earn friendship, Farrah.”
Farrah grinned, stood up, and slapped a hand on Anna’s shoulder.
“Now you’re getting it. Come on, we’re off to see some of the people I worked with back in the day. See if we can’t figure out where this conspiracy got its hands on the magic we developed.”
Comments
Shae Carson
Naw, the reality cores being plundered is like turbocharging global warming. Instead of all of the countries coming together and saying, "let's end this theft," some people started dumping oil and plastics in the ocean, pumping greenhouse gases in overdrive, clear-cutting all of the forests, paving over plains, and building distrust in government instructions to keep their filthy spoils. Jason's suffered so much to save Earth, which his family still lives on. Farrah has seen just how shitty earthlings are firsthand. I think she's reacting exactly as she should.
Addie
This chapter made me hate both Jason and Farrah to the point that I stopped reading halfway through. I think, after 860+ chapters that this story has lost its substance and has descended into emotional bait without any consistency. It felt abusive, from characters we're supposed to like. The main characters aren't growing, they're becoming awful and unlikeable. The point of continuing to read this just seems to be gone.
Phallusar
This talk has been 9 books too late. Sophie got her, "stop being a jackass," speech early and she grew into a great character instead of an insufferable one. Anna just hasn't had anyone do that for her and has been a stagnant caricature until now.
Sandra Pomeroy
TYFTC
ItWasIDIO!!
Nice
Nea
I love Farrah so gd much
Joshua Little
Thanks for the chapter.
Vincent Ciavone
Only now after over a month of rereading it, I realize how horrifying it really is in Jason's domaine for Anne, even ignore the physical power he holds there(which is ultimate) he also holds your soul, even though the story emphasizes it so much, it must be traumatizing for Anne to be in this space which she trust, to suddenly feel that danger to her soul again
Eleeyah
NEXT link missing: https://www.patreon.com/posts/119225992
ByLAWphoto
@Michael Albert-Appell--date formats are available in all languages and a SET clause could have been used earlier in the code to define. Lubridate is your friend. 😉
Michael Alpert-Appell
That Date object looks improperly formatted, @ByLAWphoto.
ByLAWphoto
@Tavon LaChapelle-- IF (today()) < 01/03/2025 THEN "no new chapter";
Shannon
We don't? I've wanted to see Jason go full blown God mode since he pulled himself back from doing so on his first trip to Earth. Having a line you won't cross is absolutely pointless when crossing that line would save the lives of the innocent and less deserving. It's taking the high horse in the worst possible way. Basically, it's the problem of evil.
AA
It's too late for sorry. The excuses will just continue forever. The whole damned leadership of all those organisations is a cancer and they all need to be killed publicly and brutally to set an example to any other fucker thinking about following the same path. And shirt for one thing wrong, if you kill every single person on the planet who has held power and influence then set a new standard you can change things very fast. Yes it would be bloody, but letting the moron brigade carry on and wish they will change also leads to deaths, just those of innocents... I would rather they killed off the guilty
Tavon LaChapelle
So not today?
mhaj58
No Shirt wrote that the next update would be Jan3/4 depending on the time zone
Soli116
Reload page. Reload. Reload reload. Reload Reload. 2 more hours. Reload.
Joanna
Should be 🤞🤞🤞
Tavon LaChapelle
So are we getting a new chapter today?
OLiVER CV
We should frame this and hang it on all government bldgs "Thieves that can’t frame their theft within the law and established decorum are deemed criminals, whereas those that can properly contextualize their theft are members of Administration Boards." - ThoMiCroN
David
It would be fun, but filler unless tied to an event.
David
Well said. She has deflected with Rufus, Emmy, Jason, and Farrah since they left and started to return. The lack of accountability since then and even right before Jason left Earth had been infuriating for me.
Dustyn Sawall
Conversely, Anna is/was clinging to the "it wasn't us excuse". Still. Again. Farrah is trying to beat her over the head to get her to shift her view point. Might have worked this time.
Skalias Pablo
Man, this is such a perfect and amazing description of something I've felt but havn't been able to formulate into words
Daniel is ŁØNE
Farrah telling Anna to stop that it wasn't us BS as an excuse for being the cause of everything that both she and Jason hate about earth felt so supremely validating. One of the reasons I struggle to tolerate her character is because she keeps doing it and acting like it makes even a lick of sense. She is complicit to everything that caused Jason to loathe earth and it's powers at be, whether she was wiling or unwilling to be complicit doesn't matter she was, and the only reason she is tolerated to any degree is because she is one of the few who have said sorry, but sorry doesn't erase the wrong, due to that it is so very irritating that whenever he gets angry over it she acts like she has no hand in the matter and defends the very people who caused his suffering.
Kristy Riedel
I think this may be the first time we are seeing the result of Farah becoming Jason's "defier of the will" (rather than voice of the will). He made her one who can stand against him, but it's a deep connection that must shape her personality as well. We can see that such links affect personality in how Jason's familiars have been shaped by him: they become what he needs them to be and so will Farah (to a lesser extreme since she is not a summon).
Zac Richards
Also did anyone tell Clive there's a new ship to investigate? I'd name it Clive's First Wife just so he could finally ride his wife instead of the magic society
Zac Richards
I think the reality for harvest went from a happy coincidence to a mandatory need when several territories became blood smoothies for an absent God. After that, extreme measures were no longer restrained in the hopes it would prevent attacks. Him turning an extra-planetary invasion force into a demonstration of why violence only serves him shows restraint and power.
Soli116
After rereading book 13, this chapter is Farrah warning Anna not to try and fob off the Network's bad choices on "a few bad apples" when the reality core / vampire alliance comes out.
ABTelford
I also think Farrah went about presenting the info in a way that is odd for her (she’s usually very direct) but I don’t think it was smug - I agree she was pissed. That being said I think her presentation speech should be compressed to be more in line with her personality. But…she is one of Jasons voices now so…I could see her channeling her inner Jason. If that’s so it should be mentioned.
ABTelford
I bet Clive hits it first after Jason
ABTelford
Those who have the best self-knowledge and self-actualization so…I’m betting on Clive and Sophie and Neil. In that order. Humphrey and Belinda seem to get stuck on who they are vs who they view themselves as vs who they want to be. Rufus will struggle because he’s always struggled with how he views himself. Farrah will have an easy time I think. Taika I think will make it too with guidance.
Tommy S
So it seems Elizabeth has a stash of reality cores that are maybe behind her staying sane and maybe used in making those blood trees. Maybe shes trying to leave Earth before Biscuit figures all this out.
Tommy S
Going through Gold to Diamond rank is more about conceptual growth right? People that know themselves and act according to their nature? So probably Hump and Rufus first. Also Humans have a slight edge in lvl ups so maybe Clive too.
wanderer117
Farrah can't hit diamond before Jason (probably, Jason is weird) but Farrah is an anti-voice of the will. Regular Astral Kings don't let their voices reach diamond. Maybe that breaks the connection letting them be regular diamond rankers?
Taylor Hill
This is unfair to Anna who was being threatened before she knew what was happening. If they trusted her, fully trusted her, they’d treat her like they treated Sophie when they told her about her mom. EXCEPT she’s not responsible for just one person. She’s responsible to represent the world. They want to impress the seriousness of it in dire circumstances. It’s appropriate for them to have these discussions with her and to be adamant about doing it in a way that both protects her from real harm while making VERY clear the consequences of her failure. That’s what it means to trust someone. If they had done it just slightly differently, by trusting her with the information first, it would have felt honest. Like an intervention rather than a stab in a dark corner. Honestly, I think Shirt’s approach here was a good one. It exposes the fact that Jason’s faction knows they have all the power, and that there’s real risk of them acting like a dictatorship. These were the moves of dictators. It puts Anna in a position where she sees that an autocracy is basically a waive of the hand away. Unfortunately, it also ostracizes her—which I hate because I’ve always liked Anna. This could make it harder for her to see Team Biscuit in a positive light in the future, which would completely wreck the entire reason for having Anna in the first place. This would make for an interesting story arc where the team really does become the monsters. That’s not how I want to see the story end, personally. I hope Anna gets creative in using shows of force to demonstrate this same point to the rest of the world to iterate the same point being made to her, but that she also, eventually, confronts them after earning back some credibility. All in all, this is the most fun chapter I think we’ve had in awhile because of how it toys with the dynamics of the expanded team. I’m hopeful that we can see more real-world consequences played out, for better or worse, as a result of this. I love that Shirt seems to be asking, “Are the people of Earth really even capable of saving themselves?”
Adrian
The Networks are just doing what most committees in power do when they think they might lose it: something desparate that's likely to get them and everyone around them killed. Anna doesn't have a bad rap. She's an apologist for those people, essentially helping to justify their short sightedness. And frankly, she appears to have no imagination whatsoever.
Daniel Wills
Anna gets a bad rap and… it’s on purpose. Like Afro says, she represents the world at large. We’re supposed to be annoyed with her because we’re annoyed at this Earth taking so long to get their collective heads out of their collective a$$. The whole thing of “showing the world he isn’t invincible.” WHY?! Space pirates came and got quashed like bugs, why keep testing Jason?!
Ariellus
The issue is that they use Anna as the punching bag and she does know nothing about the problems with the artifical astral spaces.
Sam
I think Farrah's issue is that the "conspiracy" is using magic that Farrah helped create/research. Something she did to help people is now being used to help destroy the world.
dragon
Correction: that was mentally unstable Jason. You don't want mentally unstable Jason.
sean abrahamson
@stephanie Reading comprehension and context clues are important here, (I'm not meaning to imply that you don't have any just that it is important) as it seems you misunderstand something. The issue is that Anna knew what was happening during the time of Jason's first visit to Earth. She did not exactly know who Farrah was at the start or what they were doing to her, just knew she was an outworlder that showed up when Jason did. However, when she looked into it more and got the photos and found out the name and that it was a "black site" and that torture was involved. Her pushing it off on another group is essentially saying "yeah so? That wasn't me it was them" a very nonchalant and dismissive outlook on what Farrah her supposed friend went through. So, Farrah rehashing what happened along with pointing out Anna's "it was a rogue element not the people I work for/with", excuse IS exactly the issue. Anna knew all along what was happening behind the scenes and by making excuses was trying to justify it or shift blame. It is one of the major reasons that Jason and by extension Farrah had so many issues the first visit. The fact that despite everything it is still going on with shady deals behind the scenes is the point that Farrah is making. And to the fact that someone else pointed out Anna never tried to stop anything that was happening in the past. Just shifted blame and moved on. My main issue with Anna is her lack of credibility or ability to take anything Jason says or does seriously. She treats him like an entitled child that throws tantrums, instead of the "short answer no, but kind of yeah" god like powerhouse he is.
3rdImpact
I'll go for clove since Ethel ranking up mechanic changes and hence he would have an easier time with using his inquisitive nature to rank ip
chase pickett
Isnt Farrah linked to Jason, so when Jason becomes diamond it would rank her up as well or help in some way?
Doug
Darth, I like that distinction. “It’s the difference between adventurers and people with magic” Stephanie: my two cents here. How do we know Anna couldn’t have done anything? She never tried. Could iron rank Jason have saved Sophie from the silver rank Director of the magic society? No, absolutely not. But he was willing to put his life on the line for what he believes is right. Could Jason have stopped the builder from killing him and his friends in that astral space? No, but he did anyway, and died for it. What could Anna have accomplished if she had actually TRIED to get rid of some of the bad apples? We’ll never know, because she never tried. All she has ever said is “That’s not my responsibility” IMO: this is what drives Jason crazy more than anything else. How can people who have power, see something objectively wrong, and say, “hmm someone should do something about that. Not me because I can’t be bothered to try. But someone definitely should”
mhaj58
Top 3 are Sophie, Rufus, and Farrah according to Dawn
mhaj58
Anna, like Cheryl, was born into a world where personal power wasn’t a factor in operating systems of the world. Money, connections, and social status was everything and anyone who defied the system was summed up as a selfish, power hungry barbarian who was ill suited for civilization and the social contract. It’s a major problem with democracy. People look at the part of the truth that fits their narrative and focus on it without taking a longer view. Anna was a diligent worker bee in the network and decided that the power plays were not as relevant as the people like Jason and Farrah, who put their own agenda above the greater good. She’s learning the hard way that her judgment is not as infallible as she thought it was, but she has a long way to go. I almost see Jason’s relationship with his mom going the same way. Parents are supposed to protect their children, Cheryl broke her son.
mhaj58
Anna is like Jason’s mom. She has too much faith in her perception and can’t see the difference between the reality of her situation and the illusion of her situation. To her credit, neither she nor her trusted confidants had anything to do with what happened to Farrah, and helped Jason rescue her. She nevertheless holds on to her belief that the Network was the solution and Jason is the problem continues to drive a wedge between her and Jason. She accepts the US representative as part of how the game is played. She’s similar to Cheryl in the belief that you can’t always flip the board every time you’re beaten and when you do you leave a big mess for everyone to clean up. Anna in particular has been scrambling to get a middle ground with Jason and the world. Hopefully she realizes that Jason can flip the board and disregard the consequences. If she can’t she’ll likely end up thrown away and forgotten
deadly chibi
My money is on Sofie
Jacob Goodrich
This is brilliantly put. This should of been used by Farrah when she was explaining things to Anna.
BloodStorm
So other than Jason. Who would be the first of team biscuit to hit Diamond 💎 rank in the future? I see Clive for some reason. I can see him traveling the Astral with Jason
ThoMiCroN
Allegedly.
Alex Schellenberg
Jamar doing a tour of all the speakeasy bars would be fun.
ABTelford
Oh my gosh, I totally love this comparison! O my gosh, I want Shirt to use it in the book so bad now!!! 😄
Soli116
@Stephanie - Farrah: "It happens in my world too, don’t get me wrong, but things are simpler there. When someone takes something because they can, they don’t have a list of justifications. They don’t try to shift the blame onto bad apples they knew were in the barrel the whole time. They say ‘this is mine, because I have the strength to take it.’ It’s not good, but at least it’s honest. "
AfroMocha
realistically, the only thing stopping the majority of powers from doing anything is because it’s Jason‘s home world and they really don’t wanna deal with Jason. Not so much afraid they just don’t wanna deal with them but opportunity diesel rise and there will be minor fractions that become a problem.
AfroMocha
He has a planet full of them. One's born in his own astral kingdom. It's time Jason sends his messenger to send the message
AfroMocha
I think it boils down to the fact that like Anna is supposed to represent the world at large. and they are referral from what I understand getting fed the same information and they’re still trying to do stuff behind his back so it would make sense that and I still kind of like not all behind it and stuck in her old way she did work the work with 40+ years.?
AfroMocha
This comment needs more love
Darthnarciss
It's the bad apples argument. Everyone glosses over that the whole saying is "a few bad apples spoils the bunch". Point fingers all you like, as long as you are doing something about it, otherwise, it's tantamount to complicity. Everyone knew that at least some of the higher ups were doing shady shite, but instead of doing anything at all, they looked away and saved themselves over and over. Only really saying anything after the fact. Once again, it's the difference between adventurers and people with magic.
Stephen Kabes
One of these days they should do a, remember when Jason did (insert bad things here)? That wasn't this Jason, that was bad boy Jason. They aren't the same netwo... I mean person
3rdImpact
That one I do not know. It feelt/read more like validation. As im they want her to acknowledge that the majority of people in power did stupid shortsighted and cruel things in the past. And that they seem to be still doing that but now they are not really,"in" power.
Stephanie Washburn
Wasn't "the Network" controlled by a version of the UN? It didn't even have a central government - it's kind of like holding Australia responsible for everything France does because they both show up to debate stuff at the UN. Oh, and not the Prime Minister of Australia either - one of the deputies.
Stephanie Washburn
That would be lovely. Maybe Shade will make a copy of the set of "Downtown Abby" and Wayne Manor from "Batman Begins" in Jason's world?
Kalanaere
It would be nice if the US would come to reason but I have this nagging feeling that both Australia and the US are going to cause Jason to go full Hedgemon on them just to make his point. I hope I'm wrong
Kalanaere
As much as we don't want Jason to go full blown God mode on the people I get the impression that he just might have to at least once to get his point across
Stephanie Washburn
Also on the Jason's power thing, she's struggling with how to express it in ways that don't sound like Jason started a cult. She finally got major buy in from the United States and didn't expect Shade to turn that away (but hopefully they do actually just reschedule for a few days later).
Stephanie Washburn
@Kalanaere hm. I can see some argument that Anna's role in Australia should or could have helped her prevent what happened to Jason's family after he left. I can also understand why people would be mad at her for having a patriotic attachment to the Network. For large portions of her life it was the organization she was in that did as much good as it could, however inefficiently that turned out to be - it's hard to let go of that organizational loyalty and recognize that the Network had too many criminally stupid elements in it. Jason and Farrah come along and they've never really seen that much of the Network, so they were much faster to go to "this organization is BS and I want you to make me feel validated by hating on it as much as I do". Then they feel annoyed or angry at Anna for not saying the thing that would make them feel better.
Stephanie Washburn
@ByLAWphoto it's also that I feel like the argument is: Farrah/Jason expect Anna to make them feel better by accepting across the board responsibility for everything bad the Network ever did. And they want her to make that feel good blame game before they'll even tell her why it's relevant or what it has to do with current events.
Stephanie Washburn
I don't think Anna ever went "yeah, so?". I think Anna was internally thinking: "Why am I being blamed for the actions of a criminal secret society who I would have happily destroyed, if I had A) known about it and B) had the power to do something about it at the time? It wasn't even like I was the head of the entire Network, not that there ever was such a thing."
Stephanie Washburn
I mean, calling it a defining feature of Earth makes it seems like it wasn't a normal part of humanity on Palli?
ByLAWphoto
I agree: it would be immensely satisfying. unfortunately, Jason would never do it. if he wanted Earth to fall, he could've just done what Shade said he wanted to do--grab their friends and [truck] the rest of the planet.
ByLAWphoto
to be clear, jerkiness is NOT limited to Earthlings. I don't think anyone said it was.
ByLAWphoto
@Stephanie Washburn--I think it was just context. Anna specifically asked why Jason and his familiars were so mad. again, Anna just shuffles things away like they're unimportant. when Farrah says, hey--I was kidnapped and tortured, Anna's like, "..yeah, so?" but context is key to why Jason and Farrah are both raging.
Ariellus
But there is no THE Network the first time they went to earth it was made cristal clear that the network is a group of sub-factions with their own agendas. It would be the same to call all the Advent. Soc. evil because you found some evil adventurers. + Anna cant Do anything if she dont know what happened.
Soli116
99% of the old Network were "rogue" or, in other words, the Network was shitty and it was their SOP.
Stephen Kabes
One of these days someone is gonna see Jason show up and asks you here for business or pleasure? And when he says business either how they can help or start evacuating the country....
DirePants
Shirt does a great job pointing out the stupidity of the majority, and the greed of the minority.
Stephanie Washburn
Yeah, Anna really is just trying to do the job they gave her. I understand Shade's line there. Because he genuinely doesn't care and his loyalty is only to Jason in this circumstance. But Farrah was being kind of an a$$ by withholding critical information about a world threatening criminal conspiracy because she wanted to vent at Anna about it. Like, yes maybe Farrah feels a little better and the audience needed the recap about what happened several books ago, but she took away Anna's ability to respond more appropriately.
Kalanaere
Well technically the AS was corrupt as hell. The MS still is. You have a good argument but I think what people are mad about is Anna still trying to pretend she's got no responsibility in how this all went and she keeps downplaying how powerful Jason really is. Either through sheer ignorance or just stupidity. Hopefully this little demonstration though will rattle her enough
ThoMiCroN
It would be nice to have a chapter with the point of view of Jamar, the bartender from Greenstone, when visiting the bars of Melbourne.
Stephanie Washburn
Note, I was not agreeing with the Nagasaki reference.
Stephanie Washburn
Yeah, more or less. But the people have figured that out when the transformation zones started occurring and the Network people who worked with Farrah saw the results matched her predictions and theory. My main frustration was that Farrah took half an hour to be threatening and angry instead of telling Anna what the problem was. Farrah took away Anna's ability to react like a sane and empathetic person confronted with humanities selfishness by making it a generic rant about the past where Farrah was the only one who knew the reality core problem had continued.
Stephanie Washburn
I thought the returnees had been returned? But yeah, Earth's governments are going through sticker shock right now. "There's no way that's real! Okay that's real, now what?" They're starting to try but it's gonna take them a minute. The truth does sound patently ridiculous in a world used to charismatic and smug guys who build fake cults claiming to know who really created the universe. Finding ways to demonstrate power and knowledge so that Earth's governments get it and prepare appropriately is part of why Jason is doing all this. Helping that happen as non-destructively as possible is Anna's job. She's not perfect, but she is trying.
Stephanie Washburn
It was also that she refused to clue Anna in on "hey, the world is being destroyed as we speak, but I need to be angry at you for things you couldn't control"
Stephanie Washburn
Hang on, but her job is being an interface between how Jason might want to do things and how the existing governments of Earth will see things. Her ability to understand how they think, twenty years on from the wide knowledge of magic, is what stops them from getting into the stupid plots you all hate so much. Of course there are still some people who are criminal idiots - that was true back on Palli too, where do you think priests of Undeath or Destruction come from? - but that happens on Earth and suddenly it's the fault of all Earthlings and every human government? Heck, by Farrah's reasoning the entire Adventurer's Society should be seen as the same as that person who tried to sell Sophie into slavery.
Critical Meyhem
IMHO I do realize that. And I will keep thinking about this chapter and how this could play out over the next month. But I'm glad that Farrah pulled the Faafo card. Somebody needed to. But with Jason's impulse control issues and his trauma he shouldn't. Farrah has his back. This was Farrah saying "Be Very careful of your responses, from now, on Or Else". This is Farrah saying enough to the greedy and grabby, and enough to Jason. (but for different reasons).
Stephanie Washburn
I probably did need the reminder about what Farah went through. It just bothered me that she refused to tell Anna about the critical problem until the very end of the conversation.
Stephanie Washburn
Maybe, but she's also acting like Palli doesn't do the same with slavery and poverty and the way crime worked in Old Greenstone. There, the justification is just "I'm noble and my cousin is an adventurer."
Stephanie Washburn
I mean, she was also pissed. But the smugness comes from being totally unwilling to accept that Earth has its own way of doing things and that those ways have any value at all. She sees it as a lack of responsibility and accepting blame, when there was genuinely nothing Anna could have done about it at the time, for the most part. I agree that Anna did shift blame back then and is still a little hesitant to accept it now, but I've also seen that happen in Pallimustus (spelling?) among noble heirs. They just accept it more when you punch them in the face for it.
ThoMiCroN
Farrah did nail a core aspect of Earth: what matters is not the ability to steal something, it’s the ability to justify that you are entitled to steal something and that the opposition is not entitled to keep what’s theirs. Thieves that can’t frame their theft within the law and established decorum are deemed criminals, whereas those that can properly contextualize their theft are members of Administration Boards.
ThoMiCroN
Not really. Japan didn’t stop anything until Nagasaki… so… Or the Soviet invasion of Mandchukuo, in direct contravention to the Soviet-Japanese Neutrality Treaty.
ThoMiCroN
Nah, what she needs is a vacation to Palli, a place where all the decorum she assumes matters is absent, where having no personal power automatically means becoming a slave. She needs to have conversations with people of power in Palli and see how much they don’t care for what the little ones feel. Then realize that these people could eventually visit Earth.
ThoMiCroN
She’s part of these idiots that take seriously government declarations about « democracy » (which in reality means in their words the absence of civilian strife, a form of structured order). She thinks that proper procedures matter and refuses to see the ugly power plays underneath that make this decorum exist in the first place. She believes in impotent and useless institutions like the United Nations or the International Penal Court just because they symbolize order, and mistakes the symbolic representation of order for order itself.
Lesley Holmes
First Shade, then Jason and then Farrah. PMT for the 🏆
Kalanaere
Yes Anna is becoming a Problem. She can't understand old world politics don't mean shit anymore.
Idan tal
Hiroshima saved the lives of tens if not hundreds of thousands of Americans soldiers.. now that there is enough knowledge on how to get to gold without cores, and there is enough magic in the world that a gold rank doesn’t need the reality cores to live, the story is different. this is this, and that is that.
ByLAWphoto
I mean, if you put him through a wood chipper, or liquify him, or burn him to ash...do you check for a pulse after? TECHNICALLY, we can make a presumption of death, but without anyone actually checking, it's hard to say definitively--especially in a world with magic.
ByLAWphoto
Anna is WILLFULLY ignoring the truth. unfortunately, humans are stupidly stubborn when it comes to our viewpoints. she grew up knowing about magic, so she thinks she's got her head on straight and knows what's what. now Jason comes in and tries to tell her that she really doesn't know her @$$ from a hole in the ground, and she blows him off. because she knows the "truth". and anything that conflicts with that "truth" is deception of some kind--he's lying to himself or there's a trick or it's an agenda. I honestly think the only way she will pull her head out of the sand is if Jason were to genuinely traumatize her. he would have to release his aura at full strength, use his god voice at her, and warp her body (recall Jason saying to the first group that he could turn their bodies into pots and boil lobsters in them). THEN she would believe. ...but I also think it would make her basically catatonic because it would disrupt her sense of self so badly, she wouldn't recover. no...I have no hope for Anna.
ByLAWphoto
you think Farrah was being SMUG?! Anna keeps brushing off the fact that Farrah was TORTURED at the hands of the Network. maybe you forgot that at first, they didn't know what her story was, so they tortured her for it. then they figured it out and thought, "well, we're in too deep now. we can't stop." so they kept torturing her. meanwhile, Anna keeps trying to shift off blame. Anna's head is so far up her own @$$, she can't see anything. Jason spent days explaining things to her--while he was in another universe--and it's still not until now that she starts to get a glimmer of truth. and while Jason was abused and stimied and losing his sanity, Farrah had to deal with her own PTSD while keeping Jason together. she's got her own trauma about it. and here the Earthlings are, doing the same stupid shit. she's getting triggered and still manages not to punch anyone in the face. smug?? no. she's PISSED.
ByLAWphoto
no, she doesn't get it. she is WILLFULLY ignoring the truth. unfortunately, humans are stupidly stubborn when it comes to our viewpoints. she grew up knowing about magic, so she thinks she's got her head on straight and knows what's what. now Jason comes in and tries to tell her that she really doesn't know her @$$ from a hole in the ground, and she blows him off. because she knows the "truth". and anything that conflicts with that "truth" is deception of some kind--he's lying to himself or there's a trick or it's an agenda. I honestly think the only way she will pull her head out of the sand is if Jason were to genuinely traumatize her. he would have to release his aura at full strength, use his god voice at her, and warp her body (recall Jason saying to the first group that he could turn their bodies into pots and boil lobsters in them). THEN she would believe. ...but I also think it would make her basically catatonic because it would disrupt her sense of self so badly, she wouldn't recover. no...I have no hope for Anna.
ByLAWphoto
nah. these are kids on a playground. they convince themselves they're powerful enough because they're only comparing against their peers who are equally stupid. they're not concerned or afraid because "the important people" are all of a similar level, so that's probably all there is, regardless of who else shows up. ...when the grown ups show up, I will have to lay down to read it or I may fall over laughing.
ByLAWphoto
...not to put too fine a point on it, but do you think knowing what they do will keep Earthlings from using them? 'cause Hiroshima says, "they knew and they did it anyway."
ByLAWphoto
yeah, sorry, Anna is straight up and down AWFUL. she doesn't try to help. she tries to keep everyone in line of where SHE thinks people should be. she chides Jason like he's a child. she refuses to see how powerful he truly is. I mean, good grief! he spent DAYS talking to her about everything. she just keeps saying that he's grandstanding and saying, "Jason, you have to acknowledge that this is a powerful person," while completely ignoring that Jason is the most powerful person in the room...by lightyears. he talked to her from another universe and that wasn't impressive enough for her. it's not until NOW, when he got angry, that she's like "whoa--he's really powerful. I had no idea!" and she asks Farrah for the update, so she wants to know. Farrah's trying to talk to her about it, but Anna keeps putting up walls and shifting blame. she's so damned deep in denial that she just refuses to see the truth. Farrah was tortured by the Network--period. if you know that there's corruption but you stand by, then you're complicit. you don't get to push off blame and pretend to be righteous. as for Jason, the guy has PTSD. now he's being faced with triggers. it's been years, but it's not like he was on vacation. jeez! he was being killed several times a day for 15 years...in his soul. he is being very self aware and working out anger in an extremely moderate way. he's not attacking the world. he's not freaking out and killing people. he's in his own universe letting out his anger instead of bottling it up. that's HEALTHY. even IRL therapists say it's OK to scream into pillows, punch your pillow, and exercise. that rage is a poison and it's better to let it out. and Jason is. he's minding his own business and Anna shows up like a princess demanding that he get over himself and keep going. he doesn't attack her; he doesn't berate her; he doesn't even lecture her. he said, "I'm pissed." she freaked out and left. he didn't give chase. he's dealing with his anger. he doesn't need to be judged; he needs Gordon to pour him another drink.
ByLAWphoto
@Stuart Thwaites--that's just your addiction talking. take some deep breaths, have a drink of water, and repeat after me: "it's going to be okay."
ByLAWphoto
I keep thinking of a Dr. Who special. the bad guy wanted to indoctrinate the world, so he hijacked the satellites in a subtle way and sent out subliminal messages of compliance. I think it would work here, for magic. "Reality cores keep the world together. Stealing reality cores is evil. Destroying reality cores will be the end of the world." ...on repeat until it's part of the collective consciousness. I know human greed is always an issue, but if everyone on Earth believed that subconsciously, I think they'd be in a much better place to fight hese idiots.
Kismet
We humans lie more to ourselves than we ever do to anyone else. I feel like Anna is no different. I appreciate that Farrah & Jason allowed her the time, in the midst of everything else going on, to try and come to grips with everything. She obviously just needed her blinders forcefully removed.
Stephanie Washburn
Honestly, Farrah went about that in an uncharacteristically smug way.
Kismet
I hate that he could describe my husband so perfectly, but the truth can tickle at times. Sir Terry was an unmitigated genius.
Kismet
Curse you all and your inevitable betrayal... by logic. 😉
Kalanaere
Actually he doesn't. All the messengers were released to the Cabal if I recall. That aside they don't respect nor believe in the power Jason or the Cabal holds so Mayne they need a little demonstration from the being thst literally built the dam. Universe itseld
Tempitheadem
Asking the builder? For what.. he has an army of messengers..
MrCynical
The returnees haven't been offloaded yet. All the earth authorities know is what they've learned from touring Jason's universe or what Anna and Jason have told them. Only China knows more because of Li Mei's conversation with her uncle.
3rdImpact
Great chapter . I loved the buildup of the conversation how Sarah referenced the part a good reminder after such a long while and great I intensity. Have a nice holiday season evryonr!
Idan tal
That’s not true, they know what they are, but Jason also told them there are billions of them.. like trees, they give you air to breathe but you need a pencil or a furniture.
KollegvomMirgan
Nice one before the break!
Kalanaere
It was just a stray thought
David
You had me up until the Builder part.
Doodlyboy15
Fun stuff, thanks!
Harbby
Finally stomping that bullshit excuse once and for all! Good job Farrah!
Justin Crisler
She did, but, it was kinda sus how Shirt did that. There was some definite foreshadowing of his involvement. Made has undead, blood servant etc.
Justin Crisler
I mean, it’s actually a pretty good stopping point…
Justin Crisler
Anna was as much a problem as any one else. She is still part of the problem in many ways and either can’t or won’t see the big picture. This is hammering that home so she starts actually thinking and acting in a way that actually moves the ball forward.
Kalanaere
Farrah laying down the law. Do you get it now Anna? Jason for all practical purposes IS THE GOD DOMINION on Earth. Earth wants to FAFO and they are not going to like what happens. Om a side note of they don't listen to Jason, I can see Jason sucking up his pride and asking The Builder for assistance with getting his point across.
Sloth
Quite true. If earth doesn’t do anything, that bridge is an invasion waiting to happen. An invasion earth will lose handily
stanley richard
Merry Christmas everyone! See you in the new year!
Soli116
Some humans would do anything to see if it was possible to do it. If you put a large switch in some cave somewhere, with a sign on it saying 'End-of-the-World Switch. PLEASE DO NOT TOUCH', the paint wouldn't even have time to dry. Terry Pratchett, Thief of Time
Soli116
Jason said definitively that Barbou is dead. Farrah just told us it was neither quick nor clean, without saying it directly.
BloodStorm
I won’t lie. I would love if both worlds collide and make a new hodgepodge world with whoever is left
BloodStorm
Not even close to the nobles. They are only out for themselves. Jason is actually trying to save the planet….. again. Eventually you have to remove the idiots.
ThoMiCroN
I am surprised the debriefing of the returning Earthlings that spent years on Pallimustus has not alarmed the authorities more. Once the worlds will be connected, any force of significance in Pallimustus would be a major threat to Earth. Just realizing the necessity to adapt to them should motivate people a lot more to cooperate with Jason.
Omy Sadat
Another work of art. Your ability to transmit emotions through words is a thing of beauty. Thanks for sharing Shirt.
BloodStorm
Last chapter of the year? See you guys in 2025
ThoMiCroN
The core of the issue is that Earthlings have no idea what reality cores are aside from being powerful sources of magic, have no reason to trust the words of a random Australian guy and have no way to verify if their appropriation can really cause the breakdown of reality. It’s not like Jason has ever tried to do the pedagogy of Astral magic either, not really. From the point of view of the intelligence services of Earth, Jason has never really made verifiable claims. The only faction capable of understanding Jason’s arguments is the Cabal and that’s because astral magic is basically knowledge stolen from the messengers in the first place.
Joshua Stevens
I mean, it could be in the middle of a big battle
Mike Stewart
Merry Christmas Shirt, see you in the new year!
Stuart Thwaites
You complete masochists! I'm pretty sure this I the last chapter of the year and you think it was 'a fantastic stopping point'? WE HAVE TO WAIT AN ENTIRE MONTH! You're insane
Dave
Good stuff Shirt 🔥
Mist Sparrow
Yeah it's gonna bring priests at the very least, possibly even priests with new portable holy domains
Scott McCarthy
Honestly, inhalf expect the link to bring over the Palamustus gods, or connect the world's in such a way they are on Earth as well.
Ariellus
Why are they all using Anna as a punching bag she tries to help i thougt after 15-20 years Jason should have learned a thing or two to handle such situations. Is it frustrating that some power hungry people farm the Cores? Yes, but that Is no excuse to jump at your allies. If Jason is a ticking bomb again, with his power, he is worse than all the powerfull ignorant nobles on Palli together.
Liesmith
Jason: "Oh I'm sorry, I don't usually lose my composure like that, I'm just a little bit *absolutely livid*."
Larsi
Very nice getting a Farrah chapter.
Critical Meyhem
Wow what a fantastic stopping point. I can't wait for next year. May your Holiday be filled with family, friends, much health and happiness. Thank you
Justin
Great chapter, TYFTC! Enjoy the rest of the year and your time off!
Crysus
Thanks for the chapter It’s going to be a long month, but thanks for putting in the effort the last weeks despite everything Hope you have a good respite and enjoy the holidays
Mist Sparrow
Happy holidays, enjoy your break, just part of a rant that's been rattling in my brain since the "Jason's illuminati" idea came about
Mist Sparrow
This is a large part of why I think Jason's secret society won't work, all it takes is a bit of corruption for it to have severe impacts. Unless it's all Jason's friends, or if Jason can starseed people, I don't see it working out if it has to last until earth develops it's own gods in 500+ years ( based on the purity God timeline). I think magical world fairs, open source magical education, magical collages (maybe mra branches ?) Etc that make magic into the mundane would be better. Especially if they focus on summoning and Astral magic to slowly but surely acclimate people to the idea of a reality beyond their own. will there be luddites, probably, but the world at large can change similar to how electricity was introduced and made mundane over the decades.
Laura Hemly
I suspect Barbou has been helping Marie and Elizabeth create and hide transformation zones, unfortunately.
Crystal Donak
She does not believe that it any way shape or form She is an idiot. On a world full of idiots. Who never learn.
Anthony
Excellent End of Year chapter!
Anthony
I love this analogy, and think it should be made canon.
Philip Pleiss
At a certain point, I almost wonder if he should wash his hands of it and notify all these world leaders he was done warning them. "I have reported your actions to the cults of the Builder and World Phoenix. You should expect a very heavy handed visit from some extremely intolerant zealots in the near future. Have a nice day."
Mike Zebill
I want a chapter of Shade and Susan pulling off Art Heists across Europe
Mike Zebill
I was wondering if Barbou would turn out to be locked in the obsidian column
Soli116
Plausible deniability.
Gnothi Seauton
So, idiots are playing Jenga with reality, and they don't know how many blocks they can remove before it falls down.
Harbby
Hell yeah shirt.
ByLAWphoto
I know what I want for Christmas now! it's the only thing on my wishlist. I want Anna to finally say, "yes, I was part of the Network and it, itself, was a piece of shit organization of greedy asshats. by permitting it, we promoted it. I was a part of the problem. I allowed it to continue. I deserve part of the blame. I am very sorry, Jason and Farrah."
Aaron
Have a happy holidays and a happy new year!
Rachel Clements
TYFTC!
Laura Hemly
Thanks for the chapter, Shirt, and a very happy holidays to you and yours! But why is Anna STILL making excuses? She's had at least 20 years to accept the truth, but it's still a rogue this and a not MY Network that! Good on Farrah for really forcing her to accept the real situation. Like others have said, though, there have been worse cliffs to live a month on. so take good care of yourself and your mum, Shirt, and we'll see you in January!
David Cooper
I notice that Farrah didn't actually say whether she killed Barbou.
chris k
Great place in the story to break for the holidays. TY
Devlin
See you next year. Best of luck with the family shirt.
Dec
It’s a cliff but not one that makes me want an immediate fanfic. While I am now really looking forward to the next chapter, enjoy your break and hats off to you Shirt!!!!
Cam
Tftc! Man. I’m furious for them. Scary Farrah!
SmokeJam
Have a lovely December folks, see you again next year!
a battle
Thanks for the chapter shirt now i wish i had a Stash the dragon cookie jar that said “no these are my biscuits!” then have humphery say “Stash Sharing is Caring” when the lid is put back on.
J Rodriguez
You also- and the same to everyone else!
AfroMocha
Tftc and have a good holiday Shirt see everyone in the new year!
John Durrett
Denial is one of the greatest lies in the human psyche
Kelly
She’s still trying to hold on to the status quo because she’s comfortable. Makes me wonder if Shirt is setting her up to be radicalized. 😯
Zachary LaCount
That was fury inducing I feel an empathize with the rage.
David Cooper
Enjoy the time off, oh esteemed one.
John Durrett
Let the hegemony rule! Biscuits for all!
Josh A
Excellent chapter! Enjoy your break! You deserve it! Thank you for everything you've given us so far, and everything you plan on doing. We know there's so much more that goes on behind the scenes, but we just get the finished product, and we appreciate all the work you do. Thank you!
patrick__starz
Thanks for the chapter Shirt!! Hope everyone has a happy holidays!
John Woosley
Thanks for the chapter
Michael McMahon
Thanks for the chapter Shirt. Enjoy the time off
Ryan Pepp
Biscuits
David
How does she still not get this?
Jake Rands
Oh man, month long cliff! Have a great break Shirt!!!
Psykohamster
That was a nice cliff for us to hang off of, as far as those things go.
Cyrus McEnnis
Have a good break sir, luck and life to you and yours!
Tyler S.
Smol delectable biscuits
Wesley Finger
Amazing as always.
mhaj58
Have a lovely new year everyone
