After her time trapped in Warbler, Lani takes a big interest in language. She becomes fluent in Warbler sign language (Sky taught her what she didn' talready know) and also learns a great deal of Grimere's native language through Maiven and the other black-eyed people. She enjoys going through her books to find words in different languages and attempting to find out their meaning / pronounce them with varying results. She keeps a list of the aforementioned words and the definitions she's decided on for them. Sometimes, when she's bored, she'll try to make up entirely new words or signs. She thinks a lot about how language was formed and how specific languages developed and frequently wishes she could speak with the people who first started using said langauges.
Alex: Passable handwriting, legitibility is only slightly more important to him than Aaron because he's Head Mage and if he needs to write something down he wants his people to be able to actually read it, it's nothing fancy and some words are harder to make out than others but it's readable, writes his letters big and runs out of space quickly, fast writer
Aaron: Chickenscratch / generally hard to make out, he did start to learn writing in Quill but I don't see legible handwriting being a priority for him during that time, even post redemption I don't see him caring much for legibility as I don't see him needing to write much unless he was making a blueprint for something in which case it would only matter that HE can read it, his siblings can read his handwriting and so can Kaylee after some practice and Liam can too on account of them learning to write at the same time but other people struggle
Meghan: Silly style handwriting, readable just in case she needs to write down song lyrics or dance moves or something but she really doesn't care about writing and rarely does write things down so she just has fun with it, her handwriting changes a lot and is rarely consistent
Samheed: Neat handwriting, his handwriting didn't start out neat at all but purely because he writes as much as he does it evolved into a very clean style of writing, doesn't have any sort of fancy style of writing but he DOES have a nice, vaguely fancy, signature that he made to sign the plays he writes, values legibility because people need to be able to read his scripts
Lani: Heavily values legibility (reading and writing is her talent after all), small and compact handwriting, always tries to fit as much onto a page as possible, taught herself cursive as a bragging right but rarely actually uses it because she wants others to be able to read what she writes, has a journal that she writes in in cursive because few others can read it
Now we're at the part of the book where Alex gets to be happy. Enjoy it, because it doesn't last long.
Still so Young
"Alex, who had already turned and started walking, looked over his shoulder, a pang of jealousy slicing through him. 'I wish I could go,' he said softly. 'I really kind of miss you guys.'
But Lani was already chattering excitedly and pulling Meghan and Samheed in the other direction, so they didn't hear him."
While Alex and Mr. Today are growing closer, Alex's relationship with his core friend group is falling apart a little bit. Especially him and Lani. They just don't quite get each other. Alex needs someone to support him as he's going through a hard time, and Lani can't provide that to him because she wishes Mr. Today had chosen her instead of Alex. Lani needs to be someone's first choice and the center of their attention, and Alex is too distracted by everything he has going on to give that to her. And on top of that, they want different things from life. I do think that Alex could have been very happy with never leaving the island of Artime/Quill and living a quiet, peaceful life focused on perfecting his art. Lani would always have been looking towards the horizon. She wants to see the world and experience everything there is to experience and learn everything there is to learn. And while, with those differences, they can still be fantastic friends, this makes it hard for them to maintain a romantic relationship.
"Whenever Alex couldn't sleep he took to wandering the mansion. Sometimes in the dark of night he saw Samheed, who had a similar sleep problem. Tonight was one of those nights. They left their rooms almost simultaneously, Samheed firing off a snide comment to his blackboard, Stuart, as he closed his door, and Alex responding 'I won't' to Clive's 'Don't die' reminder. The two met up and walked together without a need to speak."
On the other hand, we have Alex and Samheed. I love Alex and Samheed's relationship, either romantically or platonically or as a secret third thing (because there is some very homoerotic tension between them, at points). Alex is able to be vulnerable with Sam in a way that we don't see him being with his other friends. The two of them bond over their insomnia and bicker casually without it getting too pointed. But they can also talk about things that Alex mostly hides from his other friends, like their families and their fears. I think part of the reason Alex feels comfortable doing that with Sam stems from where their relationship started. That being, Samheed did not like Alex very much. They grew closer and came to respect each other over time, but they will always have started in that place of antagonism. And I think that allows Alex to worry less about what Samheed thinks about him. Samheed started by thinking the worst about Alex, so that left the only place Alex could go in Sam's view of him as up. He has less to prove to Samheed, and he knows that Sam will always tell him what he's really thinking, so he doesn't worry as much about how he comes off to Sam.
"Only Meghan stayed seated, looking from her brother to her friend and back to her brother again. Wearily she buried her face in her hands as the place erupted into arguments and accusations about who was right and what should be done."
Because I've talked about Alex's relationship with Sam and Lani, it's time to talk about the final member of the friend group: Meghan. I honestly feel like Meg kind of gets the short end of the stick when it comes to attention and character development out of all of Alex's inner circle, but I still like her. In this book, Meghan represents the tensions within Artime. She's pulled between Alex's desire to fight for expression and Sean's desire to avoid more conflict and maintain a relationship with Quill. Which puts a lot of pressure on her and makes it hard for her to help keep the friend group together. But Alex is still Alex and is very loyal to her and wants her to be safe. Which is why he carries her through the ocean at the end of the book, even though her thornament is digging into his skin. It's why he leaves behind Lani and Samheed because he can't risk losing Meghan on the off chance he could save either of them. Meghan was his first friend, someone he knew before Artime. She's a tie to his childhood and his youth, and Alex will always value the comfort and familiarity she gives him.
It's why it breaks him when she dies.
"Alex looked at the almost-setting sun, and then peered in the direction of Artime. His heart pounded and he sat upright, leaning forward, squinting and worrying. 'I can't see home.'
'I can,' Simber said. 'We'll go togetherrr, as always.'"
But we still have a couple more books with Meghan, so let's talk about Alex's other friend in this book: Simber! In the first book, we didn't really get a lot of meaningful interactions between them. Sure Simber defended Alex against Lani's spells/teasing and Alex was in his group for the battle, but they didn't really do a lot of bonding. They did generally have a good relationship, though, maybe a bit closer than Simber was with other Artimeans. In this book, though, we see their friendship blossom. While Mr. Today has some ulterior motives in coaching Alex and getting closer with him, Simber doesn't. Simber sees a kid who is afraid of the responsibility that he wants and who is still figuring himself and the world around him out. Simber sees a kid who needs a hand (or wing) and a guide. He needs someone who will always be there for him. And Simber knows that he can be that for Alex.
"Simber turned once again to face Alex. His eyes were warm and they glinted in the moonlight. 'I am alrrready herre forr you, Alex. Wheneverr you need me, as long as you need me. And even longer,' he said. 'It is my duty. But it is also my pleasurree.'
Blood rushed to Alex's face, but, at the same time, warmth also flooded his chest. No one in Alex's memory had ever said words quite like that to him before."
I pretty much always get emotional at the scene where Simber falls into the ocean, but I was surprised when, this time, I got emotional when reading a scene with Alex and Simber early on in the book, where Alex goes to Simber for comfort and advice. And Simber sees Alex. He sees exactly what Alex needs and is able to provide comfort in a way that Alex's friends and Mr. Today can't. Simber offers support while expecting nothing of Alex, which isn’t something Alex has had with any other adults in his life. His parents expected him to try and fit in in Quill. Ms. Octavia expects him to create beautiful art pieces. Mr. Today expects him to become the next Head Mage of Artime. Simber just wants Alex to be Alex.
"Then he looked at Simber and asked, 'Do you think I have drive?'
Simber tilted his head, as if he were searching for the meaning behind the question. 'The rrright question is, do you think you do?'
Alex pressed his lips together tightly and nodded. 'I guess so. I think I do.'"
At this point in the book, we also see Alex acknowledging that yes, he does have drive. He is ambitious. We also learn that Alex is not just ambitious, but afraid of his ambition. I think mostly because he's seen Aaron's ambition and is worried about going down a dark path (more on that later). But Alex also surrounds himself with good people and is not arrogant or egotistical, so his drive is actually a positive thing, for the most part, that helps him do what he needs to do for Artime to survive.
"Alex just looked at her, and his heart clutched and spluttered. 'We're awesome,' he said finally. 'I'm smiling because we are awesome.'"
Which leads us to the middle of the book where Alex gets his confidence back. This is probably the happiest we ever see him. The combination of Simber's consistency, Mr. Today's confidence in Alex's abilities, and the constant praise of those around him allows Alex to realize that there are things that he's good at. That he is good at inventing new spells and that he is good in battle. He did it. He survived and now he has the chance to thrive. He looks around himself and realizes that his friends are pretty amazing too. They're all incredibly talented and all worthy of stepping up into leadership positions. So Alex finds a way to make that happen. He sees his friends' strengths and brings them up to Florence and Mr. Today. That's part of what makes him a good leader: Alex is able to acknowledge his own skills and the skills of his friends. He pays attention to the people around him and what they're passionate about, so he knows how to guide them to places where they can put those talents to work.
"The woman chuckled. 'You're so modest. Don't you realize that everybody here knows who you are? In our hallway you're known as 'the guy to stand behind' if we ever have to go to battle again.'"
In this part of the book, we also see the way that other characters look up to Alex, mostly through Carina. Alex still thinks of himself as the one who ruined everything. Carina lets him know that everyone else already looks to him for leadership. He's the person to stand behind if they ever go to battle again. This shows how people around him see his skills and kindness and protectiveness and know that he would do anything to keep Artime safe. He was willing to sacrifice his life in the first battle. He stood out in front of the Quillitary's army and responded to General Blair's challenge. Mr. Today and Florence and Simber and Octavia have all singled him out for his skills. The people of Artime trust him and his abilities, which becomes incredibly important at the end of the book.
"Alex sat up in his seat, shocked and even a little angry. Before he knew what he was doing, Alex stood and said, 'Mr. Today, how can you say that after everything you've taught us? You taught us that we shouldn't hide. You taught us that we have the right to exist and live freely! you saved us, and we have to save Artime-that's the price we pay for getting a second chance to live.' The room was quiet again. 'And anyone who doesn't agree can just go somewhere else.'"
We also get to see Alex's expressiveness. He is someone who firmly believes in Artime's message of inclusivity and self-expression. He doesn't want to hide who he is and he doesn't want anyone else to have to hide who they are, either. We see this in how he pushes back against putting the gate back up. He's willing to fight for his right to exist how he wants to exist. We also see Alex's own expressiveness throughout the book, particularly the first time he meets with Eva. He trips over a chair and wipes his chalk covered hands on his pants. He rolls his eyes at himself and allows his emotions to play across his face. In this scene, the purpose of emphasizing this is to contrast him with Aaron for Eva's benefit, but it also shows the readers just how much Alex has grown. He loves expressing himself. He loves creating art. He loves being in Artime and he isn't going to let anyone take it down without a fight.
"Arrren't you supposed to be in class?' he said pointedly.
'We're skipping,' Alex said proudly, feeling sneaky and brave at the same time."
Despite all this enthusiasm and maturity, Alex still feels very young in this book. And he is. He's fourteen. In our world, he'd be a freshman or sophomore in high school. He's just a kid who's still learning about how big the world is, who hadn't realized that people from different places speak different languages. He marvels at the Museum of Large and imagines Mr. Today as a pirate. He's also a touch rebellious and gleefully tells Simber that he and his friends are skipping class. Oh, yeah, and they all still go to class (except when they're skipping, of course).
"'That,' she [Carina] said, 'was quite an experience.' She coughed a few times as Florence examined her.
'I'm really sorry,' Alex said again.
And then the woman looked Alex in the eye and said very seriously, 'No, don't be. I mean it. That was intense. I'd do just about anything for you, Alex, if you'd make me a dozen of those.' . . .
Alex let out a rattle laugh, still slightly unnerved. 'Okay, sure,' he said. 'No problem.'"
Alex is still learning about all the depth of emotions there are to discover. And, sure, the highs are high, but the lows hurt so much. He’s never experienced this breadth of emotion, so sometimes it makes him think that it would be easier not to feel anything. It takes his friends and his art to convince him that feeling is worth it. Alex also has a sort of dissonance between ideas and reality. He thinks of things, like lethal spells, but doesn’t understand the full consequences of using them. He’s excited to show off the heart attack spell but then freaks out when it works exactly as he wanted it to and he sees how it hurt Carina. But he picks himself back up pretty quickly. People tell him that the spell is something to be proud of. So he is.
He's so young and that makes what comes next hurt even more.
I don’t know who this will reach who has these fandoms overlapping but Lani from the Unwanteds kinda gives aimsey or maybe more specifically Gwen (aimsey’s no dice character)
