The Soul Blade Chapter 30 - Commentary

Even absolute power needs some training, in The Soul Blade Chapter 30.

While Tricia is learning how to harness the raw power at her fingertips, Brenna's dealing with a home life that involves bizarre towel rituals.  Tricia's carrying the story for now; she's the villain and her next move will be what gets Brenna going again.  Yet, it's Brenna's story.  She should be taking the lead.  Unlike Brenna's reaction to Amy, it's not an easy fix.

Carly, who was originally meant as a one-shot and done character, returns.  Her original purpose was to show that Brenna isn't alone in having paranatural abilities.  However, Carly's sensitivity meant that she'd feel what Tricia had done.  Opening a portal to another dimension isn't quiet, at least on the magical wavelengths.  Missy did have a good point.  Calling the police to say, "There's evil afoot," is going to get at best a polite brush-off.  Police, at least in fiction, tend not to be as willing to believe in the supernatural without proof.  Brenna did get a pep talk out of it, though.  Sometimes, we all need someone who can take a look at what you've done and tell the truth and that we've done good.

Missy's line, "The ghost of the Seventh Cavalry riding down Broadway odd?" had a placeholder in for the street name.  I was in the middle of an idea and didn't want to lose my train of thought by derailing it with research.  I put the placeholder in to fix later by looking for popular places in San Diego along a main drag*.  As with Crossover and using Washington and Main, a placeholder is good to keep things moving along.  Just remember to replace it later while editing.

Tricia, now that she has phenomenal cosmic power and no itty bitty living space, has to learn how to use that magic.  Mostly, she's acting as a conduit for her passenger.  Of course, having someone at your ear telling you to concentrate doesn't always go well.  I'm starting to set up the climax, though.  I finally figured out where I was going!  Problem is, everything still hinges on Tricia.

Matt returns again!  Last time we saw him, Brenna had revealed the Soul Blade to him, telling him about its legacy.  He's had time to think about what she said and showed.  They're going to try to be a couple.  Now they just have to work out how to have a relationship between his crazy hours, her crazy hours, her crazy sister, and her tendency to have full conversations with people he can't see.  That should be in a follow-up story.


Friday, Brenna has another night off, in The Soul Blade Chapter 31.
Also Friday, over at Psycho Drive-In, Jem and the Holograms.
Saturday, over at The Seventh Sanctum, Fixing the 2015 Jem and the Holograms.


* If you're looking for someplace busy to have a ghost regiment or a zombie horde charge through a busy street in Ottawa, I recommend Bank Street from Wellington to the Queensway, Somerset Street from Bank to Preston (which gets you Chinatown and Little Italy), Preston Street from the Queensway to Carling, or Richmond through Westboro, from Churchill to Golden.  Right now, Rideau Street, which would have been decent, is under heavy construction due to the installation of a new LRT.  Another good place, though with no street names, is the Byward Market.