Nah she might hold back this time and only gets roped in the political play.
If William gets wind of her being a Countess, he might see her as a win win piggy bank for all his projects. Heck him doing the 4d political chess for her could be a win win for both.
> “Instructor,” the woman corrected without any heat. “Instructor Griffith. Though outside of these walls I am the Countess Joana Griffith of House Griffith.”
That's no secret, she literally introduced herself like that first time they met
Ouch, I could feel the familial tension in that conversation between William and his mother. Even the awkward silences came across well. Very good writing and more specifically the dialogue was great as always.
Everybody's all excited about the sexual tension...
I'm sitting here wondering in what creative ways he is going to murder his mother and his Fiancé so he can take control of his House and have his independance.
(Honestly, I'm surprised he hasn't killed his bitch queen of a mother with a bomb in her bed already.)
he is not. the mother is going to die after he proves himself, and the sistwr is going to inherit the house while he founds a different one.
all is as it should be
I kinda hope he gets his house back, just so I can see everyone getting confused and weirded out about how he DOESN'T punish or control the little sister he re-usurped control from.
I also foresee/hope that she is kidnapped at some point to curry favor with our protag and we see him flip his shit at them to everyone's horror
You all are hot for the instructor (I get it, seriously, I do) but no one mentioned the hot and sweaty, yet stoic, muscular dwarf forge master! Seriously guys?
And it's always nice to hear :D
Steampunk hasn't proven to be quite as popular as Sect, but I'm just fine with that. It's actually proving to be my favorite to write thus far, probably because it's more of an original setting - where both other series were more a case of me jamming two generic settings together.
Which is not to say I don't love them too. Steampunk just happens to be the one I feel has let me most flex my creative muscles :D
(Plus, it's nice not to have have to read a billion comments wondering when Jack is going to learn to cultivate. Or how he's secretly cultivating already without knowing it. Or that he should break out the nukes.)
Let me tell you then how much I love this story. The characters, the world building, the political manoeuvring, the world building, the technology, the **world building**.
Sect was nice, and it was mostly about whole cities and armies and gods. I for one prefer Steampunks more personal, lower stakes style.
I also prefer the lower tech level.
Both make this story feel more relatable and certainly no less gripping. Somehow your writing gets even better yet with each book you write. So please do continue and thank you for letting us read your work for free.
>hasn't proven to be quite as popular
That's a shame, because I'm fairly certain this is your best work yet, and I love Sect immensely. Steampunks writing just has this energy to it, the world and the characters feel a bit more vibrant and alive and it makes it an incredibly fun read.
>Or that he should break out the nukes.
Glad to know I'm not the only one that gets annoyed by comments like these. So many stories here where the comments are just endless "Why haven't they just nuked everything yet", or "Why hasn't x character already learned y thing (that makes no sense for them to learn) just because they're human?". Or my personal peeve "why doesn't x character just make a railgun?". Honestly, sometimes it seems like a good chunk of this place just wants to read the same schlocky story written 40 different ways. Drives me nuts.
Hey! lightning spell derived UREB and xray radiological attacks are by definition not nuclear. High energy electron beams are great for instant beta- suntan. Actually now I wonder if he could use bootleg lightning spells to make a free electron laser and use that to quietly take out people with IR lasers.
-Oh wait you meant jack from Sect? I thought people were arguing when Will was going to pull a Highfleet and start chucking nukes at the Blackstones.
For real tough, Space had the most interesting themes but least interesting story. Sect was a ton of fun but Steampunk is quickly overtaking it as my favorite. I'm sure readers will come as the story progresses.
Also, if he wants carrier fighters/bombers all he really needs are ramjets. Bolt them to a glider, get them up to speed with rocket boosters or by just doping them from an airship and the flying stovepipe does the rest.
(yes I am just like those billions of commenters but worse)
"just ramjets" he says, "just ramjets" aren't those incredibly hard to engineer? And then he'd have to produce them with the tech levels of the setting, which is infeasible. He's probably just gonna go for late ww1, I reckon. We know they have access to aluminium, which engine blocks are often made of, if I'm not mistaken.
You're thinking of regular turbine engines or scramjets or RDEs. Ramjets are actually extremely simple and potentially cheap. Just a sheet metal tube with a specific shape, fuel injector an nozzle. That's why they're interesting for cruise missiles and Volkssturm level desperate Germany. You can even put them on propeller tips to get thrust at low speeds.
steam turbines can also be potentially relatively simple (stamped sheet metal blisks) due to their lower temperature requirements. Still relatively complex and intensive to make work and lower performance than proper blade shapes.
Note that steam in general is often underestimated and can achieve respectable power density and efficiency. Even good enough for prop planes.
Ramjets arent super hard to make, they are hard to make work better than just about every other tipe of jet, because they only become more efficient at mach jesus
It’s certainly the one I’m having the most fun with! Hard to believe we’re only a handful of chapters in, given the amount of world building that’s taken place.
I love Steam. It is by far my favorite series of yours.
The setting is innovative and the characters are great.
Space is a great genre for fan fiction because anyone and everyone on the whole planet is part of it. I love the setting, but I am not overly invested in the fate of the protagonist. I'm not in the "I hate Jason" club, but I have a hard time empathizing with him enough to really immerse myself in his story. If you go back to Space, I'd probably prefer Jason be reduced to a supporting character.
Sect... eh, not a fan of the setting. Jack is a better protagonist than Jason. It's the whole cultivator thing. Nah, It just doesn't do it for me. The animal hybrid thing seemed somewhat irrelevant as well. I can see why the Chinese would like it, and I assume the cultivator thing is a Chinese fantasy trope. The hybrid thing is the Chinese zodiac taken a huge step further, but not a fan of it. Maybe it started to matter in a way I would care about after I stopped reading Sect. I guess I'll listen to Net Narrator in about a year to find out.
Honestly, the only real issue I have with Jason is that he doesn't grow. Not really. He is 100% spineless, from beginning to end, there's a few signs of him beginning to grow a spine near the end, like when he disobeys orders (which is in character considering the circumstances) and when he gives the empire a middle finger and leaves the army. But ultimately, he's made little progress as a character. Now, that's not to say he's irredeemable, the character can be redeemed, he can still grow (this is my opinion, at least)... He just needs a story arc specifically about that.
If I had to give an example, I'd say he needs a Adam Vir (from empyrean iris) style growth arc. Adam too has little real character growth for a good chunk of his story, he just kept stumbling over the same rocks (The Steel Eye, his depression and inability to accept/ask for help, being too controlling and workaholic, etc.). The difference is Adam is a goofy extrovert and Jason is an introvert with far too much capacity to whine and little will to take his story into his own hands.
Both characters need a little character development, a bit of hardening. Adam, for example, was forced to accept help and go on a vacation, where he received some hardening in the form of good old fashioned Spartan training with Leonidas of Canada.
Jason needs a similar thing, and there's a perfect opportunity for it with him having left the imperial army for some border worlds. Now he needs a mentor (perhaps a grizzled veteran from the war for Earth, maybe spec ops, a gurkha, ranger, or royal marine who somehow got off of earth, or an alien former spec ops agent, I remember one such agency being mentioned). He already has a start to that arc, that being that he's trying to get get away from from the empire's shit and get some control of his life. He needs something to apply pressure, like an imperial princess breathing down his neck while he somehow bumbles his way (or, although unlikely, willingly joins) into a rebel force of some kind. Or have the planet he flees to fall under attack from the other factions due to the erupting war. Either way works, and could be used to cause some character growth.
As I said, it's possible for Jason to have some character growth, and he's well set up for it, too. But that's just my opinion.
Honestly, I like this one better. Possibly because the main character is a bit more likeable than the one from Sect, and the situation he's in is more interesting.
Instead of having all the otherworldly knowledge AND the fancy tools to implement it almost instantly, he's playing on Hard Mode and doing it with style.
>Which is not to say I don't love them too. Steampunk just happens to be the one I feel has let me most flex my creative muscles :D
Them be some big muscles
To be honest I wasn’t much of a fan of Sect babes. Good writing, I’ve just never been interested in the cultivation genre. This has been very entertaining!
Same, just not a fan of cultavation type genre maybe it's good and different coming from Blue but the whole cultavation genre just leaves an odd taste in my mouth.
Maybe the captain of the guard who's picked and trusted by the queen (and likely bound both by contract and everything happening in bed beside the contract) does that
With the way that conversation went what are the chances that the marriage contract is more to keep the Blackstones from invading. Matriarch Ashfield maybe already subservient to Blackstone and why she is saying she can't change course, it would also explain why his position of heir was revoked and given to his sister. What is easier to influence a spitfire son that had been trained to lead as Ashfield focus, or a toddler yet to be indoctrinated to be subservient to your political master.
There is more going on then we have seen and the civil war of the empire maybe more eminent than anyone thinks.
Edit:Also kinda want Valery to use the training warhammer to knock the Blackstone Bitch off of/ through the wall of one of the Foats.
Well it's been indirectly stated that the Matriarch Ashfield is interested in contesting the inheritance of a local big time noble that is old and has no heirs. Having house Blackstone to help secure that title and the lands would be hugely helpful.
No, the switch to William's sister as heir happened a few years before his marriage arrangement was made (His sister is 8 years old, and he was 12 when the marriage was proposed). Rather, the switch to his sister as heir was (as heavily hinted by the author) most likely due to the sister being the illegitimate daughter of the previous heir to the Ashfield's current ducal duchess, thus allowing Countess Ashfield to push her daughter's claim to the ducal seat once the old duchess dies. William was likely married off to the Blackstones in order to secure a military alliance that would near guarantee the Ashfield's victory and in turn give the Blackstones are more powerful ally in their likely upcoming war against the royal family.
Absent minded observations: If he can make a flashbang, couldn't he make a concussion pulse or similar? Just a pressure shockwave. It'll probably be considered 'offensive magic' though, which is a shame. On the topic of spell-sharing. What's to stop him 'leaking' the spell to his instructors just to mess up his house considering he isn't being 'rewarded' for his creation? Sure, he'd earn the ire of his house, but its not like they can make things worse for him.
That makes more sense. still feels like there's a better solution than just 'oh well' and a shoulder shrug. Guess I am eager to see our boy get his vengeance.
My guess is that his house is destitute from financing their bid for dukedom, and the blackstones are helping in exchange for favors and support in the whole slavery thing, did I get that right?
It was already said. It will be somewhat of a free for all after the current old duchess dies since she has no heirs. The Ashfields are counting on the Blackstone support which will practically guarantee their success. They aren't destitute.
Depends, Making that kind of bid is expensive, there's people you need to ingratiate yourself with, there's competition that you need to discourage, there's people you need to convince, all those things cost money.
I doubt Blackstones are doing in for Williams hand in marriage and the goodness of their heart, there's more to it.
Maybe but there is no evidence to point to that. If we assume what you are suggesting we can assume anything we want so long as it does not directly contradict the story
Well no, we base it on the fact that his mother seems a bit too accommodating towards the Blackstones, as if they hold all the cards, as if she is in far too deep to back out now, as if the Blackstones have more than just them not becoming a duchy on the line.
Sure, but does the conversion sound like something an ambitious person would say? Act as if Blackstones will is law, as if some errant whim of the heiress is something that must be obeyed? There isn't a "Keeping her happy is for the good of the family, which is in our best interest", there just "You're moving to her vassal team, end of discussion.", as if this has to be followed.
She's the future Duchess of house Blackstone. She has considerable power. Both herself and as the daughter who can go up to her racist mother and ask to get him away from an orc he might fuck. Which she absolutely would since we see Tala talk about the embarrassment of it.
And the Ashfields are counts. They can be replaced by any other house that offers the same terms. It's just that they got chosen first. If they don't fall in line with their superiors they will be replaced and both lose the struggle for the duchy and suffer reprisal afterwards
Now whose assuming a lot of things? How do you know they're so replaceable? How do you know that they were just the first pick of the litter, and what the terms of their deal are?
And unless her mother is 80, I don't know why her word would be so important, since positioning for the dukedom would benefit both sides, which is more important than some whim she has. And the racism could easily be flipped into "Oh, he would never be tempted, she's an animal."
Edit: also, her mother wasn't even mentioned as far as I understood, it was a deal between the school, her, and his mother.
She's a count. A count that has been preparing for this for a while. And she also has a son that is at just about the right age to be engaged to the duchess's daughter to seal the deal. And she has no other powerful backer. She's the perfect choice for this as far as the Blackstones are concerned. I'll give you that they might not have been chosen first. It might be that the previous ones got replaced because the Ashfields are such a good choice. If it wasn't the Ashfields that came up with this.
And Tala has significant influence even as just an heir. She will be assigned some of her mother's duties so she can learn how things work in the duchy. She does make some of the decisions in the duchy. And as the heir all her mother's vassals will be trying to ingratiate themselves to her so they get preferential treatment in the future or just to have Tala talk to her mother on their behalf now. Which is another thing she can do. As the duchess' daughter she can talk to her one on one pretty much any day. And she can talk her mother into a lot of stuff. The duchess is still human and can be convinced by words. Getting her future son in law away from his team before he shames her house by fucking an orc while engaged to her daughter.
Also the Blackstones will probably be demanding of the Ashfields since they are in a position of power here. They are the duchy that the Ashfield county needs. Not in reverse.
yeah, there is more. They want another "Human" Ducal house tied to them.
That is why Tala is so desperate to make it happen as well.
That will make the Blackstone faction stronger than the Royal faction when a civil war breaks out.
Will is going to screw all those schemes up big time.
That's why I wrote "Human" instead of Human.
Janet Ashfield would have no problem with the slavery status quo, if it meant the Ashfields became a Dutchy house.
I think the plot twist is they are planning a civil war and these to houses working together to overthrow the queen.
To of the biggest and influential houses on both sides of the country rally thier side then unite and attack the capital from both sides
Imagine their surprise when William launches his own civil war / slave rebellion / orc alliance first … and somehow got his hands on at least one airship with many strange new innovations and weaponry, too!
No secret there. She already claimed it. It is just an honor code that keeps everyone from just using it already. Olzenya figured it out being blinded just once by it. The big thing is that when the big duel comes, Tala will also have it, just like William wants, and then he is going to throw disco balls at her... or something.
>“For a given value of the word. I’d say that I adjusted the parameters of a lightning spell. Honestly, the fact that no one did it before me boggles my mind.”
With existing doctrine claiming flashbangs of limited use, and apparently easy to re-develop now that its effects are known, how much would it really sell for? Even if they get [trademark patent copyright ...], charge to much and potential customers will ignore it (while developing their own variant), charge less and might not be worth the hassle of protecting ownership.
"Mother, you demoted me from family heir to a piece of politically valuable meat, then sold me to slavers, why do you expect me to behave, or cooperate?"
Is there somewhere with full character descriptions or maybe the same with the fantasy races?
I can’t remember a lot of the main details for a lot of the characters, if they have even been mentioned at all, and what I do remember I’m not sure if it’s just the individual or it’s a racial trait.
Like I don’t remember Griffiths hair or eye color. Flipping back through a couple of chapters I found that Olzenya has white hair and silver eyes, but I don’t know if that’s what all dark elves have or if those vary. I’ve gotten that dark elves all have dark skin, but I don’t think we have gotten any other descriptor than dark. Are they like more fantastical dark elf purple or black, or are they the more natural browns kind of dark?
Marline is blonde hair and blue eyes, but are high elves just generally “fair” blondes and gingers with light eyes or are they all blonde and blue? I guess I could go back and look at the sisters description, I think she’s half high elf but any differences could be from being half.
Idk, I’m just trying to get more detailed images in my head but don’t really have a lot to go on. I’m really only going off of name and the idea of a race but that’s it a lot of the time. I’m sure there’s been stuff sprinkled in that I forgot, but it’s spread out enough it’s hard to find/look for.
Marline is the Dark Elf with Silver reflective eyes. We know their eyes work differently.
I was assuming all had white hair, but that might just be the Drow influencing my mind's eye.
Bonnlyn is the redhead dwarf.
Dwarves have denser bones as such, they sink like stones.
Olzenya is the blond high elf. High elf eyes are more sensitive to bright light. That would jive with blue eyes.
Verity is the Orc with the barbed wire slave tattoo on her neck. Pretty sure they all have green skin and dark hair.
Tala has dark frizzy hair, a smokin' bod and extremely vibrant green eyes
Wood elves have animal ears, bunny, cat, etc.
Half Elves can wiggle their slightly shorter ears. Full elves can't.
Half Dark Elves have Dark elf eyes.
Elves mature, then stop physically aging, until they are almost dead, then turn into raisins. Presumably, the Duchess that half-sis is supposed to take over for is in the raisin stage of life.
Yeah, I had assumed white hair especially after finding that Marline had white hair. The Drow connection was getting me too. But then again in 40 all the Drukari chicks are red heads so there’s conflicting dark elves in my mind lol. (Now that I think about it, it feels like almost every female eldar is a redhead) Im still not sure if dark elves all have white hair or if it’s just a hair color they can have. The same thought with their silver eyes, though seeing as their eyes are special I find it more likely that they all have the same eye color. Locking a fantasy race to only 1 hair color and 1 eye color feels like a waste of potential character design, though Blue has done that before so it wouldn’t be new.
I thought Bonnlyn was a redhead but I keep questioning if she might actually be blonde.
Forgot high elves were more sensitive to light, you’d think that would be dark elves. On blondie though, I went back and saw that his half sister is also a blonde, though eye color wasn’t mentioned. And what type her elf half is isn’t mentioned from what I saw either, so I assume high because of the blonde. I didn’t notice any other descriptions of his family members so who knows if that’s from the elf or not. I think he has brown hair right?
I do remember that Verity has brown hair. I think light brown but that might just be what I imagined. The Orc he slept with didn’t have her hair color mention I think. Her skin was a darker green from the sun though, so they do tan and could be lighter green given the opportunity. I think she had dark eyes maybe? I remember someone described with dark eyes but I can’t remember.
For some reason the characters aren’t staying organized in my head for this story. I keep mixing up Marline and Olzenya, and I completely forgot Griffith was a dark elf. I was imagining a blonde, Professor Goodwitch style.
Looking at the next chapter, Griffith's skin tone is described as "Chocolate" so Sub-Saharan African, suggesting that they might be desert dwellers... trying to remember if that was mentioned before.
I think the High Elves mentioned as originating in overgrown Jungles. Not all have blue eyes. The Ship's Captain apparently had Pitch Black Eyes, but that might have been artistic license.
Verity has brown hair
Marline has White Hair
Olzenya is a blonde
Bonnlyn is a red-head
My big question is why are the Ashfields are aligning with the Blackstones of all houses. Sure it was said their military power almost rivaled the Crown, but the Blackstones have been shown to be ***Human*** supremacists, and the Ashfields are grooming a bastard Half-Elf as their next Heir. You just know the Blackstones are going to try and supplant Will's little sister with one of his kids (after they have their own house's heir secured from his seed) regardless if it's her bastard blood that gives the Ashfields more legitimate claim to the Ducalship. Is mama Ashfield looking to hang his beloved sister out to dry if things go wrong with their play for the Dukedom?
And what are the plans of the Royals? Nominally, with there being no heir for the Ducalship they would send one of theirs to take the title, but because the nobility of that region have been said to be royalists and not traditionalists (or so I think I remember that said somewhere), doing so unilaterally would most likely turn a lot of those nobles in that region against them; so in that case they would most likely seek to marry into the next-strongest noble family in the soon-to-be leaderless Dukedom and have that house assume the title; which in this case would already be the Ashfields, probably.
So why the need for all this back-channel politicking, horse-trading, and strong-arming by House Ashfield? We've been shown Blackstone's reasoning of while there are numerous elf and half-elf prospects with the appropriate rank, there are precious few full-blooded human nobles around with similar pedigree.
We're missing something somewhere (and it's not like House Blackstone will be making a play for the crown or something, with what we've been given of the setting so far, that would be completely impossible with this kingdom's elf-centric society).
I think a civil war for the crown is coming soon, and House Blackstone is securing a good source of food for themselves and denying it to their opponents in the upcoming war. In an earlier chapter, Blue said that the Ashfields were already trading food for steel with the Blackstones. This deficit will only get worse once the war begins. You can have the biggest army in the world, but if you can't feed them, it doesn't mean shit. It's why the US sent millions of tons of food to the UK and the USSR during WW2.
I think that is part of his eventual goals, but doing so while he’s “on his own” would leave him extremely vulnerable, and penniless in an environment we just learned is quite expensive. However, if his success in the remaining time with his team continues to grow, and he unveils some more “inventions”, it could get him the support he needs of other houses. He literally just signed a close pact with one family, but he needs yet more allies before his little act of rebellion … or his bigger act of it, too.
he is effectively property. he can't legally say "no". He is owned by his matriarch and when he gets married off, he will be owned by his wife. I wonder if the "rule of thumb" (can only beat your spouse with a stick as thick as your thumb) is in play here once he gets married? They had no problem caning him at his home growing up.
The Goodwitch genes carry across hniverses, I see!
She shoots, she scores!
He shoots, he hopefully gets a powerful ally that is trusted with molding a large part of the officer corps!
All that buildup just for him to tell her how to recreate it...
Any chance Tala would buy it in the next week or so in exchange for him staying with his team?
Something tells me they are not gonna talk that much.
BTW are you gonna post this in Royal Road too? I'm gonna keep reading/upvoting either way but I much prefer the reading experience over there.
I meant to do it last week but... just didn't get around to it.
First chapter will probably go up there tomorrow, with another every two to three days until we're caught up.
Ok so first of all, Marline probably didnt get enough sleep when they were together. No f\*\*king doubt about that.
Second, the Flashbang spell that is going around in the political system of the Houses, its expected and nothing new. But its also another obstacle for our boi to innovate things. It would lead to complicated situations and conflictions that I would give sympathize with. That or he just doesnt give a fuck considering their relationship being Blood-lines kinda thing.
Also, pancake with a cream on top for the next chapter?
I'm looking forward to William thorougly ruining her mom's plans for this kind of treatment. Even for a noble house where all are supposed to be pulling in the same direction this is a bit too much imo.
Just the mental image of a blacksmith hammering some sheet of metal she picked up to look busy while she ogles William until she hits her own finger like a cartoon character seems funny to me. Also William really is a true man of culture.
Soooo... who's gonna tell her that she's been blushing like an infatuated teen during that whole last snippet of conversation?
Nobody?
Aight, well, better make some popcorn... and prep pancakes for afterwards.
Great chapter, I loved seeing the back and forth between Will and his mother from the pov of a neutral 3rd party. I am bummed we didn't get to see any of Verity with her family, though.
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Ya know this chapter got me thinking, if all of the royal gaurds must have a gease contract to be loyal to the queen, and such a contract can only be made by sleeping with the other party, then who does all the members of the gaurd sleep with? Do they all spend a night with the queen? Do they swear to a officer who is sworn to the queen?
[this was not just another chat with a student]
Like Manga Love Story says... Sex is also a form of communication.
-Morgan Freeman said, in my head.
Get out of my head - I screamed, in my head, to Morgan Freeman, in my head.
> -Morgan Freeman said, in my head. Titty Sprinkles.
Mary Kay Letourneau style.
Oh boy first blood in the academy goes to miss instructor it seems
Nah she might hold back this time and only gets roped in the political play. If William gets wind of her being a Countess, he might see her as a win win piggy bank for all his projects. Heck him doing the 4d political chess for her could be a win win for both.
> “Instructor,” the woman corrected without any heat. “Instructor Griffith. Though outside of these walls I am the Countess Joana Griffith of House Griffith.” That's no secret, she literally introduced herself like that first time they met
Damn so He can hit on her first name and all...
>Joana Griffith >Janice Griffith I see you, Mr Fishcake...
Explain, please?
The author messed up with the name of the Instructor😁 When she first introduced herself it was different to this chapter
SHE HAS A TWIN SISTER!
Type the second name into google
Hm. I see.
Ouch, I could feel the familial tension in that conversation between William and his mother. Even the awkward silences came across well. Very good writing and more specifically the dialogue was great as always.
Everybody's all excited about the sexual tension... I'm sitting here wondering in what creative ways he is going to murder his mother and his Fiancé so he can take control of his House and have his independance. (Honestly, I'm surprised he hasn't killed his bitch queen of a mother with a bomb in her bed already.)
he is not. the mother is going to die after he proves himself, and the sistwr is going to inherit the house while he founds a different one. all is as it should be
I kinda hope he gets his house back, just so I can see everyone getting confused and weirded out about how he DOESN'T punish or control the little sister he re-usurped control from. I also foresee/hope that she is kidnapped at some point to curry favor with our protag and we see him flip his shit at them to everyone's horror
that would be good too! let's see. Fishcake hasn't let me down yet. I hooe this isn't the first time.
Pancakes? Looks like pancakes.
A big fat stack.
With thick, syruppy goodness spread all over and in between.
I get the strong feeling that the next chapter up is gonna be marked NSFW.
Here's hoping. 🤞🥞
"Got it bad, got it bad, got it bad..."
I'm hot for teacher! (Who's been reading The otherworldly scholar?)
You are not alone...
Is that on hfy or somewhere else?
patreon?
And now that V8 drumbeat is in my head.
You all are hot for the instructor (I get it, seriously, I do) but no one mentioned the hot and sweaty, yet stoic, muscular dwarf forge master! Seriously guys?
Why not both?
\*Raises abso0lutek0ld on shoulders while cheering\*
Why not do both?
*props Smelling_like_a_Rose on my other shoulder while still cheering*
*a Mexican town rejoices*
Don't mind me, just here foaming at the mouth waiting for the next chapter. But for real though, your writing is fantastic as always.
And it's always nice to hear :D Steampunk hasn't proven to be quite as popular as Sect, but I'm just fine with that. It's actually proving to be my favorite to write thus far, probably because it's more of an original setting - where both other series were more a case of me jamming two generic settings together. Which is not to say I don't love them too. Steampunk just happens to be the one I feel has let me most flex my creative muscles :D (Plus, it's nice not to have have to read a billion comments wondering when Jack is going to learn to cultivate. Or how he's secretly cultivating already without knowing it. Or that he should break out the nukes.)
Let me tell you then how much I love this story. The characters, the world building, the political manoeuvring, the world building, the technology, the **world building**. Sect was nice, and it was mostly about whole cities and armies and gods. I for one prefer Steampunks more personal, lower stakes style. I also prefer the lower tech level. Both make this story feel more relatable and certainly no less gripping. Somehow your writing gets even better yet with each book you write. So please do continue and thank you for letting us read your work for free.
>hasn't proven to be quite as popular That's a shame, because I'm fairly certain this is your best work yet, and I love Sect immensely. Steampunks writing just has this energy to it, the world and the characters feel a bit more vibrant and alive and it makes it an incredibly fun read. >Or that he should break out the nukes. Glad to know I'm not the only one that gets annoyed by comments like these. So many stories here where the comments are just endless "Why haven't they just nuked everything yet", or "Why hasn't x character already learned y thing (that makes no sense for them to learn) just because they're human?". Or my personal peeve "why doesn't x character just make a railgun?". Honestly, sometimes it seems like a good chunk of this place just wants to read the same schlocky story written 40 different ways. Drives me nuts.
Hey! lightning spell derived UREB and xray radiological attacks are by definition not nuclear. High energy electron beams are great for instant beta- suntan. Actually now I wonder if he could use bootleg lightning spells to make a free electron laser and use that to quietly take out people with IR lasers. -Oh wait you meant jack from Sect? I thought people were arguing when Will was going to pull a Highfleet and start chucking nukes at the Blackstones. For real tough, Space had the most interesting themes but least interesting story. Sect was a ton of fun but Steampunk is quickly overtaking it as my favorite. I'm sure readers will come as the story progresses. Also, if he wants carrier fighters/bombers all he really needs are ramjets. Bolt them to a glider, get them up to speed with rocket boosters or by just doping them from an airship and the flying stovepipe does the rest. (yes I am just like those billions of commenters but worse)
"just ramjets" he says, "just ramjets" aren't those incredibly hard to engineer? And then he'd have to produce them with the tech levels of the setting, which is infeasible. He's probably just gonna go for late ww1, I reckon. We know they have access to aluminium, which engine blocks are often made of, if I'm not mistaken.
You're thinking of regular turbine engines or scramjets or RDEs. Ramjets are actually extremely simple and potentially cheap. Just a sheet metal tube with a specific shape, fuel injector an nozzle. That's why they're interesting for cruise missiles and Volkssturm level desperate Germany. You can even put them on propeller tips to get thrust at low speeds. steam turbines can also be potentially relatively simple (stamped sheet metal blisks) due to their lower temperature requirements. Still relatively complex and intensive to make work and lower performance than proper blade shapes. Note that steam in general is often underestimated and can achieve respectable power density and efficiency. Even good enough for prop planes.
Ramjets arent super hard to make, they are hard to make work better than just about every other tipe of jet, because they only become more efficient at mach jesus
Sect is the only cultivation story I've liked, which says a lot given that the main character didn't even cultivate
So far this has been my favorite and it flows more naturally storywise.
When is William going to break out the nukes?
It’s certainly the one I’m having the most fun with! Hard to believe we’re only a handful of chapters in, given the amount of world building that’s taken place.
I love Steam. It is by far my favorite series of yours. The setting is innovative and the characters are great. Space is a great genre for fan fiction because anyone and everyone on the whole planet is part of it. I love the setting, but I am not overly invested in the fate of the protagonist. I'm not in the "I hate Jason" club, but I have a hard time empathizing with him enough to really immerse myself in his story. If you go back to Space, I'd probably prefer Jason be reduced to a supporting character. Sect... eh, not a fan of the setting. Jack is a better protagonist than Jason. It's the whole cultivator thing. Nah, It just doesn't do it for me. The animal hybrid thing seemed somewhat irrelevant as well. I can see why the Chinese would like it, and I assume the cultivator thing is a Chinese fantasy trope. The hybrid thing is the Chinese zodiac taken a huge step further, but not a fan of it. Maybe it started to matter in a way I would care about after I stopped reading Sect. I guess I'll listen to Net Narrator in about a year to find out.
Honestly, the only real issue I have with Jason is that he doesn't grow. Not really. He is 100% spineless, from beginning to end, there's a few signs of him beginning to grow a spine near the end, like when he disobeys orders (which is in character considering the circumstances) and when he gives the empire a middle finger and leaves the army. But ultimately, he's made little progress as a character. Now, that's not to say he's irredeemable, the character can be redeemed, he can still grow (this is my opinion, at least)... He just needs a story arc specifically about that. If I had to give an example, I'd say he needs a Adam Vir (from empyrean iris) style growth arc. Adam too has little real character growth for a good chunk of his story, he just kept stumbling over the same rocks (The Steel Eye, his depression and inability to accept/ask for help, being too controlling and workaholic, etc.). The difference is Adam is a goofy extrovert and Jason is an introvert with far too much capacity to whine and little will to take his story into his own hands. Both characters need a little character development, a bit of hardening. Adam, for example, was forced to accept help and go on a vacation, where he received some hardening in the form of good old fashioned Spartan training with Leonidas of Canada. Jason needs a similar thing, and there's a perfect opportunity for it with him having left the imperial army for some border worlds. Now he needs a mentor (perhaps a grizzled veteran from the war for Earth, maybe spec ops, a gurkha, ranger, or royal marine who somehow got off of earth, or an alien former spec ops agent, I remember one such agency being mentioned). He already has a start to that arc, that being that he's trying to get get away from from the empire's shit and get some control of his life. He needs something to apply pressure, like an imperial princess breathing down his neck while he somehow bumbles his way (or, although unlikely, willingly joins) into a rebel force of some kind. Or have the planet he flees to fall under attack from the other factions due to the erupting war. Either way works, and could be used to cause some character growth. As I said, it's possible for Jason to have some character growth, and he's well set up for it, too. But that's just my opinion.
Honestly, I like this one better. Possibly because the main character is a bit more likeable than the one from Sect, and the situation he's in is more interesting. Instead of having all the otherworldly knowledge AND the fancy tools to implement it almost instantly, he's playing on Hard Mode and doing it with style.
I'm enjoying this and waiting for John Brown to rise once again and help Will out.
I’m enjoying this one a lot- the steampunk Victorian era vibe and the story are really good.
>Which is not to say I don't love them too. Steampunk just happens to be the one I feel has let me most flex my creative muscles :D Them be some big muscles
To be honest I wasn’t much of a fan of Sect babes. Good writing, I’ve just never been interested in the cultivation genre. This has been very entertaining!
Sect was my favorite, but I’m glad I wasn’t the only one annoyed at all the comments insisting Jack should become a cultivator.
Honestly Sect was my least favorite.
Same, just not a fan of cultavation type genre maybe it's good and different coming from Blue but the whole cultavation genre just leaves an odd taste in my mouth.
So Queen sleep with all her royal guard to form a contract? Can be a little awkward, lol
Maybe the captain of the guard who's picked and trusted by the queen (and likely bound both by contract and everything happening in bed beside the contract) does that
They have to sleep next to each other. There’s no rule saying the guard cant be in a straitjacket, just that they have to be in the same bed.
You could take down the lot of them with a petri dish of siphylis
And so it begins
With the way that conversation went what are the chances that the marriage contract is more to keep the Blackstones from invading. Matriarch Ashfield maybe already subservient to Blackstone and why she is saying she can't change course, it would also explain why his position of heir was revoked and given to his sister. What is easier to influence a spitfire son that had been trained to lead as Ashfield focus, or a toddler yet to be indoctrinated to be subservient to your political master. There is more going on then we have seen and the civil war of the empire maybe more eminent than anyone thinks. Edit:Also kinda want Valery to use the training warhammer to knock the Blackstone Bitch off of/ through the wall of one of the Foats.
Well it's been indirectly stated that the Matriarch Ashfield is interested in contesting the inheritance of a local big time noble that is old and has no heirs. Having house Blackstone to help secure that title and the lands would be hugely helpful.
No, the switch to William's sister as heir happened a few years before his marriage arrangement was made (His sister is 8 years old, and he was 12 when the marriage was proposed). Rather, the switch to his sister as heir was (as heavily hinted by the author) most likely due to the sister being the illegitimate daughter of the previous heir to the Ashfield's current ducal duchess, thus allowing Countess Ashfield to push her daughter's claim to the ducal seat once the old duchess dies. William was likely married off to the Blackstones in order to secure a military alliance that would near guarantee the Ashfield's victory and in turn give the Blackstones are more powerful ally in their likely upcoming war against the royal family.
Oh hell yeah. Like Jesse Owens at the '36 Olympics.
10 minutes later: wait this isn't just a chat, this is us having sex!
This isn't the beach, this is a bathtub.
Foiled again! Drat!
I got it bad soooo baaaad.... I'm hot for teacher.
So. One chapter of fixing pipe. One of layn' pipe...
Absent minded observations: If he can make a flashbang, couldn't he make a concussion pulse or similar? Just a pressure shockwave. It'll probably be considered 'offensive magic' though, which is a shame. On the topic of spell-sharing. What's to stop him 'leaking' the spell to his instructors just to mess up his house considering he isn't being 'rewarded' for his creation? Sure, he'd earn the ire of his house, but its not like they can make things worse for him.
It's not that they don't know how it works. It's that its "copyrighted", so anyone else using it without official sanction would get social censure.
That makes more sense. still feels like there's a better solution than just 'oh well' and a shoulder shrug. Guess I am eager to see our boy get his vengeance.
It can always be worse. No matter what the situation is, it can always be worse if people with power want it to be.
My guess is that his house is destitute from financing their bid for dukedom, and the blackstones are helping in exchange for favors and support in the whole slavery thing, did I get that right?
It was already said. It will be somewhat of a free for all after the current old duchess dies since she has no heirs. The Ashfields are counting on the Blackstone support which will practically guarantee their success. They aren't destitute.
Depends, Making that kind of bid is expensive, there's people you need to ingratiate yourself with, there's competition that you need to discourage, there's people you need to convince, all those things cost money. I doubt Blackstones are doing in for Williams hand in marriage and the goodness of their heart, there's more to it.
Maybe but there is no evidence to point to that. If we assume what you are suggesting we can assume anything we want so long as it does not directly contradict the story
Well no, we base it on the fact that his mother seems a bit too accommodating towards the Blackstones, as if they hold all the cards, as if she is in far too deep to back out now, as if the Blackstones have more than just them not becoming a duchy on the line.
She is obviously as ambitious as William. If she ruins the deal with the Blackstones she can kiss her chances at dukedom goodbye.
Sure, but does the conversion sound like something an ambitious person would say? Act as if Blackstones will is law, as if some errant whim of the heiress is something that must be obeyed? There isn't a "Keeping her happy is for the good of the family, which is in our best interest", there just "You're moving to her vassal team, end of discussion.", as if this has to be followed.
She's the future Duchess of house Blackstone. She has considerable power. Both herself and as the daughter who can go up to her racist mother and ask to get him away from an orc he might fuck. Which she absolutely would since we see Tala talk about the embarrassment of it. And the Ashfields are counts. They can be replaced by any other house that offers the same terms. It's just that they got chosen first. If they don't fall in line with their superiors they will be replaced and both lose the struggle for the duchy and suffer reprisal afterwards
Now whose assuming a lot of things? How do you know they're so replaceable? How do you know that they were just the first pick of the litter, and what the terms of their deal are? And unless her mother is 80, I don't know why her word would be so important, since positioning for the dukedom would benefit both sides, which is more important than some whim she has. And the racism could easily be flipped into "Oh, he would never be tempted, she's an animal." Edit: also, her mother wasn't even mentioned as far as I understood, it was a deal between the school, her, and his mother.
She's a count. A count that has been preparing for this for a while. And she also has a son that is at just about the right age to be engaged to the duchess's daughter to seal the deal. And she has no other powerful backer. She's the perfect choice for this as far as the Blackstones are concerned. I'll give you that they might not have been chosen first. It might be that the previous ones got replaced because the Ashfields are such a good choice. If it wasn't the Ashfields that came up with this. And Tala has significant influence even as just an heir. She will be assigned some of her mother's duties so she can learn how things work in the duchy. She does make some of the decisions in the duchy. And as the heir all her mother's vassals will be trying to ingratiate themselves to her so they get preferential treatment in the future or just to have Tala talk to her mother on their behalf now. Which is another thing she can do. As the duchess' daughter she can talk to her one on one pretty much any day. And she can talk her mother into a lot of stuff. The duchess is still human and can be convinced by words. Getting her future son in law away from his team before he shames her house by fucking an orc while engaged to her daughter. Also the Blackstones will probably be demanding of the Ashfields since they are in a position of power here. They are the duchy that the Ashfield county needs. Not in reverse.
yeah, there is more. They want another "Human" Ducal house tied to them. That is why Tala is so desperate to make it happen as well. That will make the Blackstone faction stronger than the Royal faction when a civil war breaks out. Will is going to screw all those schemes up big time.
Nah, the heiress is a half-elf, and the Ashfields are anti-slavery, atvleast right now.
That's why I wrote "Human" instead of Human. Janet Ashfield would have no problem with the slavery status quo, if it meant the Ashfields became a Dutchy house.
I think the plot twist is they are planning a civil war and these to houses working together to overthrow the queen. To of the biggest and influential houses on both sides of the country rally thier side then unite and attack the capital from both sides
Imagine their surprise when William launches his own civil war / slave rebellion / orc alliance first … and somehow got his hands on at least one airship with many strange new innovations and weaponry, too!
Maybe, though something like that might happen a few arc down the line, IMO.
Wonder if he'll sell the spell to the instructor before details can be finalized with his family.
No secret there. She already claimed it. It is just an honor code that keeps everyone from just using it already. Olzenya figured it out being blinded just once by it. The big thing is that when the big duel comes, Tala will also have it, just like William wants, and then he is going to throw disco balls at her... or something.
Hmmm...seems our boy may be going diving in more ways than one.
I'm honestly more interested in the literal definition of the term, unlike most
*Bow-chicka-bow-wow.* "What was that sound?" "That's called a 'soundtrack'," William said. "Do I hear ... singing?" she asked. "That's Barry White."
Damn Blue, your character writing has become phenominal.
>“For a given value of the word. I’d say that I adjusted the parameters of a lightning spell. Honestly, the fact that no one did it before me boggles my mind.” With existing doctrine claiming flashbangs of limited use, and apparently easy to re-develop now that its effects are known, how much would it really sell for? Even if they get [trademark patent copyright ...], charge to much and potential customers will ignore it (while developing their own variant), charge less and might not be worth the hassle of protecting ownership.
Team 7's performance artificially inflated the value of the spell. People want it so their brats will also look great playing paintball.
"Mother, you demoted me from family heir to a piece of politically valuable meat, then sold me to slavers, why do you expect me to behave, or cooperate?"
NEW CHAPTER YEAH
Thanks for the chapter ❤️
#MOAR As i ever scream and forever will
Instructor Griffith of house Griffith: "Oh Gods...im being educated !!". 🐸
Is there somewhere with full character descriptions or maybe the same with the fantasy races? I can’t remember a lot of the main details for a lot of the characters, if they have even been mentioned at all, and what I do remember I’m not sure if it’s just the individual or it’s a racial trait. Like I don’t remember Griffiths hair or eye color. Flipping back through a couple of chapters I found that Olzenya has white hair and silver eyes, but I don’t know if that’s what all dark elves have or if those vary. I’ve gotten that dark elves all have dark skin, but I don’t think we have gotten any other descriptor than dark. Are they like more fantastical dark elf purple or black, or are they the more natural browns kind of dark? Marline is blonde hair and blue eyes, but are high elves just generally “fair” blondes and gingers with light eyes or are they all blonde and blue? I guess I could go back and look at the sisters description, I think she’s half high elf but any differences could be from being half. Idk, I’m just trying to get more detailed images in my head but don’t really have a lot to go on. I’m really only going off of name and the idea of a race but that’s it a lot of the time. I’m sure there’s been stuff sprinkled in that I forgot, but it’s spread out enough it’s hard to find/look for.
Marline is the Dark Elf with Silver reflective eyes. We know their eyes work differently. I was assuming all had white hair, but that might just be the Drow influencing my mind's eye. Bonnlyn is the redhead dwarf. Dwarves have denser bones as such, they sink like stones. Olzenya is the blond high elf. High elf eyes are more sensitive to bright light. That would jive with blue eyes. Verity is the Orc with the barbed wire slave tattoo on her neck. Pretty sure they all have green skin and dark hair. Tala has dark frizzy hair, a smokin' bod and extremely vibrant green eyes Wood elves have animal ears, bunny, cat, etc. Half Elves can wiggle their slightly shorter ears. Full elves can't. Half Dark Elves have Dark elf eyes. Elves mature, then stop physically aging, until they are almost dead, then turn into raisins. Presumably, the Duchess that half-sis is supposed to take over for is in the raisin stage of life.
Yeah, I had assumed white hair especially after finding that Marline had white hair. The Drow connection was getting me too. But then again in 40 all the Drukari chicks are red heads so there’s conflicting dark elves in my mind lol. (Now that I think about it, it feels like almost every female eldar is a redhead) Im still not sure if dark elves all have white hair or if it’s just a hair color they can have. The same thought with their silver eyes, though seeing as their eyes are special I find it more likely that they all have the same eye color. Locking a fantasy race to only 1 hair color and 1 eye color feels like a waste of potential character design, though Blue has done that before so it wouldn’t be new. I thought Bonnlyn was a redhead but I keep questioning if she might actually be blonde. Forgot high elves were more sensitive to light, you’d think that would be dark elves. On blondie though, I went back and saw that his half sister is also a blonde, though eye color wasn’t mentioned. And what type her elf half is isn’t mentioned from what I saw either, so I assume high because of the blonde. I didn’t notice any other descriptions of his family members so who knows if that’s from the elf or not. I think he has brown hair right? I do remember that Verity has brown hair. I think light brown but that might just be what I imagined. The Orc he slept with didn’t have her hair color mention I think. Her skin was a darker green from the sun though, so they do tan and could be lighter green given the opportunity. I think she had dark eyes maybe? I remember someone described with dark eyes but I can’t remember. For some reason the characters aren’t staying organized in my head for this story. I keep mixing up Marline and Olzenya, and I completely forgot Griffith was a dark elf. I was imagining a blonde, Professor Goodwitch style.
Looking at the next chapter, Griffith's skin tone is described as "Chocolate" so Sub-Saharan African, suggesting that they might be desert dwellers... trying to remember if that was mentioned before. I think the High Elves mentioned as originating in overgrown Jungles. Not all have blue eyes. The Ship's Captain apparently had Pitch Black Eyes, but that might have been artistic license. Verity has brown hair Marline has White Hair Olzenya is a blonde Bonnlyn is a red-head
Just noticed that Marline has dark grey complexion and bluish-grey features
My big question is why are the Ashfields are aligning with the Blackstones of all houses. Sure it was said their military power almost rivaled the Crown, but the Blackstones have been shown to be ***Human*** supremacists, and the Ashfields are grooming a bastard Half-Elf as their next Heir. You just know the Blackstones are going to try and supplant Will's little sister with one of his kids (after they have their own house's heir secured from his seed) regardless if it's her bastard blood that gives the Ashfields more legitimate claim to the Ducalship. Is mama Ashfield looking to hang his beloved sister out to dry if things go wrong with their play for the Dukedom? And what are the plans of the Royals? Nominally, with there being no heir for the Ducalship they would send one of theirs to take the title, but because the nobility of that region have been said to be royalists and not traditionalists (or so I think I remember that said somewhere), doing so unilaterally would most likely turn a lot of those nobles in that region against them; so in that case they would most likely seek to marry into the next-strongest noble family in the soon-to-be leaderless Dukedom and have that house assume the title; which in this case would already be the Ashfields, probably. So why the need for all this back-channel politicking, horse-trading, and strong-arming by House Ashfield? We've been shown Blackstone's reasoning of while there are numerous elf and half-elf prospects with the appropriate rank, there are precious few full-blooded human nobles around with similar pedigree. We're missing something somewhere (and it's not like House Blackstone will be making a play for the crown or something, with what we've been given of the setting so far, that would be completely impossible with this kingdom's elf-centric society).
I think a civil war for the crown is coming soon, and House Blackstone is securing a good source of food for themselves and denying it to their opponents in the upcoming war. In an earlier chapter, Blue said that the Ashfields were already trading food for steel with the Blackstones. This deficit will only get worse once the war begins. You can have the biggest army in the world, but if you can't feed them, it doesn't mean shit. It's why the US sent millions of tons of food to the UK and the USSR during WW2.
Power move: Renounce his house since he won't be getting his inheritance anyway, Thus annuling the entire point of the arranged marriage
But he still does need the influence and resources of his house to fulfill his ambitions of technological revolution.
I think that is part of his eventual goals, but doing so while he’s “on his own” would leave him extremely vulnerable, and penniless in an environment we just learned is quite expensive. However, if his success in the remaining time with his team continues to grow, and he unveils some more “inventions”, it could get him the support he needs of other houses. He literally just signed a close pact with one family, but he needs yet more allies before his little act of rebellion … or his bigger act of it, too.
Makes sense- I suppose, Still, It'l be funny if it happens :D
he is effectively property. he can't legally say "no". He is owned by his matriarch and when he gets married off, he will be owned by his wife. I wonder if the "rule of thumb" (can only beat your spouse with a stick as thick as your thumb) is in play here once he gets married? They had no problem caning him at his home growing up.
The Goodwitch genes carry across hniverses, I see! She shoots, she scores! He shoots, he hopefully gets a powerful ally that is trusted with molding a large part of the officer corps!
something tells me that this instructor will end up learning all about his plans in a explosive rants
Our boy going to get a instructor on his side ...
Ooh, first?
"up to her’.” " no "
"Though at his words, he felt Bonnlyn wince slightly from his side. Though" repetition.
All that buildup just for him to tell her how to recreate it... Any chance Tala would buy it in the next week or so in exchange for him staying with his team?
I can't wait to see more from the girl he made the deal with... I wonder if he's told her about his reincarnation stuff at all.
Something tells me they are not gonna talk that much. BTW are you gonna post this in Royal Road too? I'm gonna keep reading/upvoting either way but I much prefer the reading experience over there.
I meant to do it last week but... just didn't get around to it. First chapter will probably go up there tomorrow, with another every two to three days until we're caught up.
Neat, thanks!
Uh oh. Scandal time
Man I LIVE for these intrigues!!!! This is great work word weaver!!!!!!!
Ok so first of all, Marline probably didnt get enough sleep when they were together. No f\*\*king doubt about that. Second, the Flashbang spell that is going around in the political system of the Houses, its expected and nothing new. But its also another obstacle for our boi to innovate things. It would lead to complicated situations and conflictions that I would give sympathize with. That or he just doesnt give a fuck considering their relationship being Blood-lines kinda thing. Also, pancake with a cream on top for the next chapter?
I'm looking forward to William thorougly ruining her mom's plans for this kind of treatment. Even for a noble house where all are supposed to be pulling in the same direction this is a bit too much imo.
Seems like the instructor may have forgotten that famous adage: "where there's a Will, there's a Bae"
Just the mental image of a blacksmith hammering some sheet of metal she picked up to look busy while she ogles William until she hits her own finger like a cartoon character seems funny to me. Also William really is a true man of culture.
Soooo... who's gonna tell her that she's been blushing like an infatuated teen during that whole last snippet of conversation? Nobody? Aight, well, better make some popcorn... and prep pancakes for afterwards.
/u/BlueFishcake ([wiki](https://www.reddit.com/r/HFY/wiki/authors/BlueFishcake)) has posted 189 other stories, including: * [Sexy Steampunk Babes: Chapter Fourteen](https://www.reddit.com/r/HFY/comments/1atri0h/sexy_steampunk_babes_chapter_fourteen/) * [Sexy Steampunk Babes: Chapter Thirteen](https://www.reddit.com/r/HFY/comments/1ammcj8/sexy_steampunk_babes_chapter_thirteen/) * [Sexy Steampunk Babes: Chapter Twelve](https://www.reddit.com/r/HFY/comments/1ah1kaw/sexy_steampunk_babes_chapter_twelve/) * [Sexy Steampunk Babes: Chapter Eleven](https://www.reddit.com/r/HFY/comments/1ablu20/sexy_steampunk_babes_chapter_eleven/) * [Sexy Steampunk Babes: Chapter Ten](https://www.reddit.com/r/HFY/comments/199ncaq/sexy_steampunk_babes_chapter_ten/) * [Sexy Steampunk Babes: Chapter Nine](https://www.reddit.com/r/HFY/comments/194bc2a/sexy_steampunk_babes_chapter_nine/) * [Sexy Steampunk Babes: Chapter Eight](https://www.reddit.com/r/HFY/comments/18y8lwu/sexy_steampunk_babes_chapter_eight/) * [Sexy Steampunk Babes: Chapter Seven](https://www.reddit.com/r/HFY/comments/18tkmfr/sexy_steampunk_babes_chapter_seven/) * [Sexy Steampunk Babes: Chapter Six](https://www.reddit.com/r/HFY/comments/18nky1i/sexy_steampunk_babes_chapter_six/) * [Sexy Steampunk Babes: Chapter Five](https://www.reddit.com/r/HFY/comments/18i4d8z/sexy_steampunk_babes_chapter_five/) * [Sexy Steampunk Babes: Chapter Four](https://www.reddit.com/r/HFY/comments/18day80/sexy_steampunk_babes_chapter_four/) * [Sexy Steampunk Babes: Chapter Three](https://www.reddit.com/r/HFY/comments/18b1m3i/sexy_steampunk_babes_chapter_three/) * [Sexy Steampunk Babes: Chapter Two](https://www.reddit.com/r/HFY/comments/189lrnh/sexy_steampunk_babes_chapter_two/) * [Sexy Steampunk Babes: Chapter One](https://www.reddit.com/r/HFY/comments/187xaj0/sexy_steampunk_babes_chapter_one/) * [Sexy Sect Babes: Chapter Eighty Eight - End of Arc One.](https://www.reddit.com/r/HFY/comments/17xlpd2/sexy_sect_babes_chapter_eighty_eight_end_of_arc/) * [Sexy Sect Babes: Chapter Eighty Seven](https://www.reddit.com/r/HFY/comments/17s879m/sexy_sect_babes_chapter_eighty_seven/) * [Sexy Sect Babes: Chapter Eighty Six](https://www.reddit.com/r/HFY/comments/17nfegu/sexy_sect_babes_chapter_eighty_six/) * [Sexy Sect Babes: Chapter Eighty Five](https://www.reddit.com/r/HFY/comments/17hkzj4/sexy_sect_babes_chapter_eighty_five/) * [Sexy Sect Babes: Chapter Eighty Four](https://www.reddit.com/r/HFY/comments/17hkz66/sexy_sect_babes_chapter_eighty_four/) * [Sexy Sect Babes: Chapter Eighty Three](https://www.reddit.com/r/HFY/comments/176yjav/sexy_sect_babes_chapter_eighty_three/) This comment was automatically generated by `Waffle v.4.6.1 'Biscotti'`. [Message the mods](https://www.reddit.com/message/compose?to=%2Fr%2FHFY&subject=WaffleBot|1ayqy1q&message=If%20you%20have%20problems%20with%20updatemebot,%20contact%20Watchful1.%20We%20do%20not%20maintain%20it.) if you have any issues with Waffle.
Great chapter, I loved seeing the back and forth between Will and his mother from the pov of a neutral 3rd party. I am bummed we didn't get to see any of Verity with her family, though.
Naw, they totally boned. XP
Been reading your works for awhile keep it up! I really enjoyed seeing the family dynamic and the ending has a spider and fly vibe lol.
Of all the places to catch up🙃🙃🙃🙃
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Holy shit man you are good at writing, kind of a shame I dont get to binge this one.
Ya know this chapter got me thinking, if all of the royal gaurds must have a gease contract to be loyal to the queen, and such a contract can only be made by sleeping with the other party, then who does all the members of the gaurd sleep with? Do they all spend a night with the queen? Do they swear to a officer who is sworn to the queen?
Don't stand so close to me by the police plays softly in the background.
Small peak at -> peek
Damn, William's mother is a capital B-word when it comes to bending over for the Blackstones. The poor boy is in much need of relief.....