Thank you to George for commissioning this episode!
In these chapters we get to meet Bliss, who is super intimidating and seems to have just enough connection to human compassion (in that she knew Calder's mom would be bummed if he was made insane) to make her somehow even more frightening.
Oh also, there's a worm cloud. It's a cloud of worms. I hate it.
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Thank you to Yama for commissioning this episode!
Starting this new book feels like a fresh start after the fraught subject matter of A Wizard Alone and I'm very hopeful that this book is about an actual vacation. Like, as in, no crisis or threatened apocalypse or death. Can't our people just have some time to learn about cool wizard stuff?
Meanwhile I'm really REALLY annoyed with Nita's father.
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Thank you to Florian for commissioning this episode!
Yaaaaaay we're finally defeating Arlong! I'm not saying "Yay" in the way that I did in the Don Krieg arc, where it really meant, "Ugh finally chrissakes", but instead "HaHA! fuck that guy" because he sucks.
The only disappointment is how little Nami actually has to do with his defeat. At least we get her decking that rat guy in the face a few times, although I don't think they should have even left that guy alive. Also I find it interesting that we get a full view of Arlong's body to ensure we know he's dead. Note to self; if there's no body, it definitely means we're seeing someone else again some day.
Thanks for listening, see you again soon!

Thank you to George for commissioning this episode!
In these chapters we find out who Calder's mother is, and she's pretty badass. He's disappointed that she works for the Blackwatch, but it seems as if she's trying to recruit him to one of the guilds, if not that one specifically. In the present day, we get sort of an introduction to everyone on the crew, and we also meet Naberius whom I get mixed up with the client at the end of the previous book! Oops.
Thanks for listening, and I will see you all again soon with a new episode.

Thank you so much to Florian for commissioning this episode!
Yaaaaaaay we get two very fun battles in these episodes! The first, and the most fun in my opinion, is Usopp's battle against Duck Lips, and in many ways Usopp's battle against himself. He has to fight against all his instincts to run out of cowardice and lie for the sake of it, in order to turn around and make himself face down this enemy. Good for him!
Then there's Sanji and his underwater battle. That's the one where he's trying to get down to Luffy and help get his feet free, and keeps getting stopped by Fish Karate man. Now that's a weird fight.
Thanks for listening, and I will see you soon with a new episode!

Thank you very much to Yama for commissioning this episode!
Wow, this was pretty fascinating. Comparing the original ending to the revision is compelling stuff, and it makes a lot of sense that people had a negative reaction to Duane's depiction of autism as an inflicted punishment to be escaped rather than an aspect of someone's personality. I'm afraid that I focus so much on the comparisons that I don't talk a lot about the actual plot details of these last chapters, but I hope that you will all find it as interesting as I did.
Thanks for listening, and I will see you soon with the start of Wizard's Holiday!

Thanks so much to George for commissioning this episode!
We're starting the companion book to Of Sea & Shadow and I'm really excited to see what the story looks like from Calder's perspective. We're starting off in a similar fashion to Shera's story, jumping back and forth in time between some key moments of Calder's childhood and present day. We're seeing him with his father, getting his initial training in breaking and entering, and I'm curious how that translates to his present circumstance.
Thanks so much for listening, and I will see you soon with a new episode!

Thank you very much to George for commissioning this episode!
In these chapters, we FINISH THE BOOK! And shit ends on a helluva cliffhanger. We've got Shera working with an Awakened weapon and apparently she's Soulbound now! Meanwhile, someone gets away with the Heart, and Calder says that they're going to have to team up together.
Meia gets captured somehow (she was unconscious lol) and the cliffhanger ending is her essentially commandeering the ship for her own purposes. I love her so much.
Thanks for listening, and I will see you soon with the start of Of Sea & Shadow!

Thank you to Florian for commissioning this episode!
Apologies for the sound on this, but you may hear me mention in the beginning of the ep that my computer was being a dick...and that had evidently not stopped. It recorded a whole blank sound file, and I had to rip the sound from the Crowdcast.
These are the episodes where Luffy gets involved in the fight, and Zoro reenters the ring as well, against Hachi. I hated seeing the poor CowMonster get forced to fight! I hated it!
Thanks for listening, and I will see you soon with a new episode!

Thank you so much to Heather for commissioning this episode!
These chapters are the ones where we find out that Doctor Spears is an alien from another planet who has been here on earth for what SOUNDS like millenia, and I'm so curious what could be going on back on his home planet. Will they be sending follow-up folks if their agents don't return?
Also, there's a badass scene with Jordan that I really want to see on the big screen.
Thanks for listening!