It was my impression that after talking to the Guardian, Zorian felt that the only person who would be able to leave the loop would be Zach, so he was going to improve his Soul magic ability so that he could hitch a ride/leave a trojan horse attached to Zach's soul, who would then inject it with outofloopZorian so that Zorian gets to keep his shaping/mana/etc which are tied to the looping soul.

 

Hey, guys, this thread has been around for a long ass time and now I'm curious about the story itself.

What is the quality of the story? characters? themes? setting..etc.

Is it worth picking up or is it more of an almost recommended type?

 

It's worth a read. It's not for everyone, but if it was awful it wouldn't have the sort of following it has. Give it a shot. Read like the first five or ten chapters see if it hooks you.

 

There's 92 votes averaging to a rating of 4.5 and fifty pages of discussion. I'd say it's a safe bet it's worth checking out if nothing else.

To me one of the greatest draws is how it handles character interactions and development when people outside the loop can't remember what happens. It's a very interesting dynamic that isn't usually handled very well.

 

If you like groundhog day style time travel its a great read. There are pacing issues to be certain, but the characters are well done and the story is interesting itself. The world building is also quite neat, I've never seen 'video game' fantasy done well in literature.

 

Updated. https://www.fictionpress.com/s/2961893/75/Mother-of-Learning . Fun times. Bit of an incremental chapter. Progress made on all fronts. Interesting to hear (only a bit though) from Fortov and the mystery of the consistent purple creeper patch.

 

Glad Zorian finally has soul sight. Wonder how it develops from there.

 

I suppose this is a final confirmation that Veyers is the Red Robe. Sure, there could be a twist to that, but unless it's something really amazing that have plenty of clues we simply aren't aware are clues before the final revelation, I would say forcing it isn't the best choice.

 

I wouldn't go so far as saying 'final confirmation,' but yeah, Veyers is probably red robe. However, he could just as easily have been soulkilled for some reason, and this wouldn't be a plot twist; Zach suggested it in the scene.

Anyone else getting mixed messages on what soul magic is supposed to be capable of? Alanic said that it isn't really used in combat, but that plant was doing some pretty ridiculous shit with souls as shields, weapons, and as make-shift limbs.

I am also thinking that Silverlake is going to be unique in that she will become more difficult to deal with once she learns of the time loop rather than easier. With her immortality, she has very little to gain compared to everyone else that has been brought in so far. A few years of research notes isn't going to be a good bartering chip with her.

 

In a way it's still great for her. She gets the chance to try to make her experimental immortality potion. They'll still probably have to get the spider eggs though (or at least the salamander).

 

Yeah she'll get many opportunities to test her potions with incredibly rare ingredients. Zorian gets to offer her exactly what she wants.

 

About this chapter:

I agree with those above; Silverlake is only going to get more annoying and difficult to deal with, after accepting the time loop being real. Her pride will probably be hurt that 2 'brats' got a lot more from her than she did from them.

Also,

Couldn't they have used a Golem to collect the soul flower? Golems have no souls for the flower to affect and would be among the safest options possible. I was honestly waiting for Zorian to bring that subject up; it seems out of character for him to be so reckless.

And

I honestly cannot see Ibery as a yandere

 

The author addressed a similar query on his Patreon account:

J H
Wouldn't it be way easier to just send his golems to take care of the soulseizer flower? They don't have souls that can get attacked.

Domagoj Kurmaic
They also cannot kill it carefully enough to preserve it's value as an alchemical ingredient. If he just wanted to kill it, he would have burned it to cinders with artillery magic while staying firmly outside it's striking range.

 

Updated. https://www.fictionpress.com/s/2961893/76/Mother-of-Learning

I find it very hard to feel sorry for Fortov. Sure, Damien was not exactly a good brother, but Fortov wasn't without faults either. And I've never been fond of being lazy and complaining about hard work (This was not exactly confirmed, but heavily implied).

Red Robes situation continues to be interesting.

Silverlake is still fun. Very curious about what she has to say about the primordials.

 

Well after this chapter I'm back to thinking Daimen is Red Robe.

 

Interesting chapter. Seems like the next one's gonna have big reveals. This chapter solidified to me how fundamental Zach is now for y enjoyment of this fic. Just Zorian alone would've been a lot more boring, specially with how he tends to isolate himself.

 

The chapter title had me worried. Critical Blunder? What was?

I actually stopped reading this fic just before Zorian's meeting with Daimen. For some reason. I love the fic and I've reread it like three times... I guess I just dreaded the meeting and wasn't enjoying it too much atm? Regardless, I caught up like a week ago. Stuff with Silverlake was probably my favorite bit in those chapters.

Zorian and his brothers are such realistically flawed human beings. It's kinda impressive how well the author managed that. And yeah, I have no sympathy for Fortov either. Frankly, Zorian's attitude is like 90% justified if you ask me. His parents are even more unlikeable than his brothers.

I have no idea who the Red Robe is and I'm actually kinda happy about that.

 

I think that Red Robe is the lawyer. He has a connection to the cult, to Veyers and from him to Zach (who was looking for lawyers at a point in time to learn how to deal with his tutor) and a reason to want the government down.

 

Daimen forgetting the promise he made to Fortov? Thereby getting Fortov to depend on Zorian and we all know how that turned out. It's not a very pretty family overall...

It could also be telling Silverlake the entire truth AND giving her the salamander too. Although it didn't look like such an error at the end.

 

My guess is that it's related to her comment at the end about primordials, though I'm not too sure about the details.