[dkstories] Rich Boy: Growing Pains

[MikeL]

Chapter 17 of Rich Boy:Growing Pains has been posted. Have a great weekend.

[MikeL]

Great chapter, Dan. All hell breaks loose. Anything more would ruin it for other readers.

[steph]

The chapter was so good and so many things happened that I don't even know what to comment on... Very well written, Dan!

[Orrock]

What can I say ! Exciting Chapter - Shows Worthington is not infalible! and has a lot to learn ... Hope we have mideweek update!

 

Thanks Again Dan !

 

MikeM

Edited May 4, 2008 by Orrock

[Demetz]

Likewise looking forward to a mid-week update

[dkstories]

I deleted the extra post by Orrock, if anyone notices it's gone.

 

Considering that I wrote this chapter something like six months ago, rereading it again reminded me of how much I loved this story, and the events in this chapter. We really got to see Worthington in action, and I think it really set the stage for what's happening right now in bigger events. There were a lot of little things in here, beyond the outright action that I thought were important.

 

1. The discussion between Worthington and the humans that he'd 'wronged' in some way by his actions. It's part of the old classic 'end justifies the means' arguments, but it also really draws the line of differences between mages and mundanes. How can any mundane live without being afraid of mages when a mage can do these types of things to them? In this case, these men trusted Worthington, largely because it was either trust him or die at the hands of demons. That trust allowed them to work with him, even knowing what he could, and had done, to them. This whole dichotomy is also a personalization of the larger debate we've had in this country since 9/11 of security versus freedom.

 

2. We got to see Branodon in action, and he's a sneaky little devil. He looks all helpless, and acts that way, but in dire circumstances, he keeps his cool and pulls the rabbit out of his hat just when the rabbit is needed. There's also more in there about how Channels work, how they process power and deliver it to their mages, and more of why a soul bound Channel is better than one like Carl.

 

3. Dwarven Armor, Dwarven Weapons, Dwarven Bullets added to American Soldiers make a deadly combination for demons trying to take over our world. Don't think the dwarves aren't going to get very, very rich in the coming years from this deal. I think the demons have just been given a very bloody lesson in modern warfare. Hopefully they won't learn from this lesson at all.

 

 

I really, really loved this chapter, if you can't tell.

[MikeL]

I really, really loved this chapter, if you can't tell.

I really, really loved it too. Thanks for sharing your thoughts and some explanations about this chapter.

 

Why is Worthington not using the old methods to fight the demons? Is his way better or does he not know his history well enough?

[steph]

1. The discussion between Worthington and the humans that he'd 'wronged' in some way by his actions...

Yes, this part was definitely surprising, but kudos to Worthington for choosing the correct path! His honesty also helps the soldiers continue to work with him, yes? I think, too, that his actions are furthering the definition of the Gray Path. Funny how "gray" also brings up thoughts of "black and white, and shades of gray" not just as a mixture of light and dark.

 

2. We got to see Brandon in action, and he's a sneaky little devil...

I was totally cheering Brandon on!

 

4. Even controlled by a demon, there's something left of the person inside. Lowenthal fought against the controls on him, just enough to allow Collins to knock him out...

I must admit that I was having difficulties keeping track of each of the soldiers and government mages, so I missed any subtleties there. I'll have to go read it again.

 

5. Worthington's been depending on the Light a lot in fighting Demons. It's left me wondering why the Dark doesn't have as much power in fighting the Demons. During the last Demon War, Dark mages fought with Light Mages against the Demons. What did they use in those fights and why isn't Worthington using the same thing?

I assumed that the knowledge was lost or horded or Worthington just wasn't taught it yet.

[Tiger]

That was a great chapter, and I'm sure you enjoyed writing it as much as we enjoyed reading it. Zorac is back, and I have a feeling that things will get much worse before they get better. If Worthington is scared of a demon, you know he has to be a powerful threat. I'm just wondering if Worthington's uncle has something to do with Zorac. It would be an interesting twist.

[mikemcb]

Dan's stories certainly put him up there with the other cliff-hanger specialist. I can't wait to see what happens next.

[Tiger]

Dan's stories certainly put him up there with the other cliff-hanger specialist. I can't wait to see what happens next.

I can think of a couple of them actually. Welcome to GA! Yes, I absolutely love Dan's cliffhangers. I'm always ready for Fridays too.