Spoiler: dumbass

Oh shit it's finally time to get real. While rushed that was still a good chapter. All is not lost either, all of the mental notes Zorian still has can be given to allies, though he's lost the versions of them that went through the temporary markers. Should have killed the cultists even with the Litch hanging over them. That was an unfortunate over site.

 

I liked how that went down. This chapter was finally exciting, and the long climax begins now.

Time to rip through Zach's mind blank.

 

Spoiler: dumbass

Well, it went a little different than I was expecting, but I like that only Z&Z are out. Now it's time for them to save the world.

 

More like time to fuck Taiven.

 

That chapter was awesome! Really been enjoying the build up here.

Spoiler

Daimen's sacrifice was a great moment. I think MoL as a whole could generally do with lingering more on character-defining and traumatic moments, but this one didn't need more than the old subtext of Zorian's old forgotten hostility towards his brother to be touching. I feel like this will have an ongoing effect on Zorian after all concludes: that and all the other loopers who didn't make it through. Definitely keen on seeing an epilogue that processes all that.

The final hurried plot to get out was an exciting end to everything, and thematically goes really well into everything MoL does best, a massive subversion on the general theme of time-loop stories: where every other story is about perfecting that final outcome, MoL just lets everything go wrong constantly and Zach and Zorian deal with it as shit hits the wall. Couldn't have predicted any of it - so there's no better way that could have panned out.

As is tradition, to conclude I must throw out another Red Robe identity conspiracy theory. It's Zach! Zach all along!! The mind blank spell hides his terrible secret. How?? Uhh. Maybe Red Robe was Zach's evil simulacrum, afraid of being wiped out of existence. The simulacrum turned on Zach, modified their marker to be permanent, and made original!Zach forget all about it. Hey! Don't poke holes in my crappy theories.

 

I like your crappy theory. I'm going to put on my aluminium tricorn and join the conspiracy.

 

Sorry for the spoiler. I'm going to blame @Lion for my mistake.

Spoiler

One scene for the chapter I really liked was when Z&Z fought Ichl and all the Eldemarian response could do was observing it from a distance. It puts into perspective just how these three outclass even elite normal mages.

As for the outside world there are two things to consider right now.

One, just how good at magic the Red Robe is compared to Zorian. I'm sure he did everything he could do to be as powerful as possible, but where exactly he was on this road when he decided to escape the loop? He probably doesn't feel strong enough to fight Zach since he made sure it was Ichl who subdued him, but how would he manage against Zorian right now?

The second thing to consider is just how well the Red Robe and Silverlake will cooperate. Sure they have common goal, but they may have different opinions how to achieve them, not to mention they will worry about the other betraying them before it's all over. Z&Z's teamwork gives them an advantage there. Assuming they will resolve this big problem of Zach possibly being controlled by someone, but Zorian already started working on it.

 

I don't know if it's because I'm reading the chapters sporadically as they update now, or whether this is objectively true, but it seems like actual quality of the prose and characterisations are decreasing.

I'm enjoying the events, and I'm invested enough I am going to read every chapter until it's done. But, in my head, this previously had a level of vividness and interest that only really dragon from ash matched. The places and characters felt real, and now they seem more of an afterthought and it seems more like a retelling of events rather than things where we're seeing gripping character reaction and depth.

 

That specific dungeon, it's never exhaustive, although they do go and find various interesting things and various interesting people and why it's so potent, perhaps.

It's kinda split into three arcs by intention, and, although I don't remember where chapter 30 leaves off roughly, he deals with various problems and the scope of the story expands out to cover more and more of the world with drop ins to Cyoria. Zorian goes where his interests and worries take him. He sometimes wants nothing to do with the spiders - that said they never go away and are established background posse in various big scenes even until this most recent update.

 

Your feeling could be caused by the focus on the solution to the loop problem and only that in the recent chapters. There weren't too many character moments between Zorian and anyone else that aren't about that when there probably should be since there is an opportunity for exploring these relationship when any change isn't erased after one month.

That said, this close to the ending the author probably wants to finally get to write the big finale instead of adding even more chapters.

Time between updates is usually 3 weeks, but since the author isn't afraid to extend it if needed, I wouldn't say that it affect the quality that much.

The interactions with the spiders did get old after a while, but fortunately, even the author got bored with them and moved on to more epic things.

 

I actually think you're right, and it's been the worst part of the story throughout - namely: everything is skimmed. Everything.

On the one hand, it's been the only way to keep the pace for a time loop story that has us go through months at a time, every chapter. I think Mother Of Learning does a good job with the pacing overall, but to achieve this Kurmaic had to sacrifice depth of storytelling for breadth. This generally works well too, and for a story that's mostly summing up events it does a great job of being engaging and fun to follow.

I think where this really becomes a flaw is that the skimming doesn't stop when it should. Kurmaic tries, but falls back into a hurry.

Fight scenes are a prime example - this is when we should be the most present in the action, but after the initial tension we start seeing the prose fall back into cliff notes. For example, Zorian loses an arm at one point and it's mentioned in a few lines at most - mostly as an inconvenience. I often think of this bit as an extreme missed opportunity: we could have had so much insight into his character and it's development from how he'd react to that, had the moment lingered just a little. Or at all.

We're never wholly present in the story any more - Kurmaic needs to have us stop and smell the roses every once in a while, engage the senses with vivid, present, action and description.

I really hope MoL is published at some point, after some very heavy editing. That would be the perfect time to go back, cut the fat and reassess a lot of the scenes. It would make so much difference to strike that balance between the months passing and the moments that matter most.

 

You might want to pick this up then. Less than 10 chapters to go as of now.

The spider sub-plot gets resolved and afterwards you barely hear from them. You'll still see mentions of them, but its not a focal point in the story.

The dungeons does get somewhat explored, but not fully. In any case we do learn the true nature of the dungeon.

I think this as far as I can go without adding spoilers. Tbh I found it boring to read at the beginning too, but it just keeps getting better. Definitely try it out again, imo.

For more in-depth and spoilerish things:

Spoiler

The Spiders you talk about all get perma-killed (in-loop at least). Also they were planning on betraying Zorian anyways. Further contacts with spiders are from other 'secs' or 'cults' not based on Cyora.

The Dungeon is so mana abundant because it's actually a dimensional prison for a god-like ("primordial") being, and the prison bleeds his mana, so to speak.

 

First chapter out of the loop posted.

Spoiler

Hm, this one's interesting. Abuse of shadow clone but that just makes sense. Glad to see Zach made it out mostly intact. I think we're basically going on a quick recap of all the major plot threads before the conclusion?

Now I'm curious which plot threads will actually get picked up. Zach/Spiders/Silverlake/Red Robe was in this one. Assuming Taiven/Xvim/Kael/Alanic and maybe the shifter family will be in the next one?

 

We don't get everything that the Red Robe is doing, but I would say he's the one on the defensive at the moment. He needs the invasion to be as successful as possible within a month of preparation when the only reason why Z&Z doesn't stop it within a few days, simply to make it impossible for him and Silverlake to finish their mission, is because they want to avoid an unnecessary bloodbath.

Spoiler

If the Red Robe probably isn't Veyers and it may not be Jornak too, but he does have a connection to either of them, then I have no guess who it could be. I suspect that there is a clue hidden somewhere pointing to some other person that would fit, but I can find it.

 

Really enjoyed that chapter. I love seeing how everything's playing out against all expectations now that we can finally feel Red Robe's direct interference. It feels damn good to be in the final stages of this story.

However, when it comes down to Red Robe's identity I can't help but feel... Out of the loop.

 

Spoilers because new chapter and speculation.

Spoiler

So Silverlake and Red Robe are doing something. This is from Red robe not going all out to try and kill Zorian or more predominantly Zach and neither of their real selves turning up at all so far.

Thinking about it are they maybe trying to open the prison immediately? Silverlake is effectively the best expert on the Prison itself and although the planetary alignment helps with big magics like this as the timeloop happening early shows it still might be possible?

Other than that they Silverlake might have insisted they assassinate Alanic as they had a history? I'm sceptical. She may have just gone full screw the primordial or just thinking longer term and just gone straight for the spider and salamander. None of these ideas really seem right to me though.

I think Red Robe might be Jornak? He killed Veyers once because he annoyed him and felt bad afterward? It feels too obvious though.