Re: Chapter Five - A Lesson in Civics
Notes From Iterant Point
Notes from Iterant Point Re: Chapter Five – A Lesson in Civics
Week 5 of our look through Ascension at Aechyr.
While the title of the chapter hints at worldbuilding (of which we certainly get some), I think this one is mostly about characters.
Specifically, three of the female stars of the book all get a moment in the spotlight in their own way. Two of whom are introduced in this chapter, the bookworm Quincy and the arrogant Charmy – Avery.
The meeting with Avery and her little gang actually does double duty, informing us about her character and doing a little of that worldbuilding I mentioned. As they explain just what being a “Charmy” means, Avery demonstrates her unique combination of snark and diplomacy, deftly maneuvering Kennedy and Brooks (aka Sleeves) into a quick truce. Indeed, her striking blonde hair and occasionally erudite manner of speech seems to mislead Kennedy for a moment. But instead of a potential princess, he might have found an odd sort of friend.
Speaking of odd friends maneuvering Kennedy, Quincy is also introduced in this chapter, though we don’t learn much about her directly. Her scene in the library was at actually two separate ones at one point. One chapter would have her discussing Civics and the crown with Kennedy and Blake, while a later one would feature her giving Kennedy advice and pushing him to make a move with Scarlett. At some point in the editing process, I realized that I could save space by combining the two scenes. As an added bonus, this avoided recycling the library as a setting. I think shaking up the locations of various scenes adds a little extra flavor, as does giving the characters props to interact with as they speak. In this case, the books the crew are studying.
I had a lot of fun with their back and forth while Kennedy stumbles through the concept of talking with Scarlett. Depending on where one is in life, I think either Kennedy’s befuddlement or Quincy’s exasperation will come off as relatable. I particularly like the final push, again using the books as a prop, which finally forces Kennedy to act.
And lastly, we learn a bit more about Scarlett. While superficially outgoing, she holds quite a bit back, so each scene we get just a little peek at another layer of her personality. In this chapter, her drawings hint at how she thinks about the world and what fascinates her – but just a peek. We’ll see the theme developed more later. We also get a chance to see how she and Kennedy click, albeit with a small helping of awkwardness to boot.
Before we wrap up, let’s return to the title of this chapter. Sure, Kennedy and Blake get a quick lesson from Quincy about the finer points of the monarchy, but that isn’t the big lesson, is it? The real class on Aechyr comes from experiencing the Charmies, and their point of view. Here we get a better view of the conflict brewing under the surface of the island nation, rather than just a high-level briefing.
Lastly, attentive readers will note that as with some of my previous chapters, I’ve tried to bring things full circle with the beginning and ending of a chapter. Did you spot the connection?
That’s all for this time, folks! Join me as we dive into the tech of the Eternal War in our next Notes from Iterant Point!
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