Feel like stella/candy being from emilykos past is a bit cheap and BSy. Am definitely interested in where this is going
It feels like a hook, that makes no sense now, but will probably be well explained later. It would make more sense if they just thrown now that Emilyko knows here, and then explained where she know her from later, when they can give us a plausible story, instead of just mentioning it in passing as a talk Flower Garden and Kate had.
(...)
Doing it like this feels bad, because it's author trying to have it both ways.
I agree. I think it feels out of place because Emilyko should've talked about this WAY earlier. It feels like Kate and Emilyko should already have lots of opportunities to talk about this, and talking about it in the garden instead of in their own room does feel a little off. I guess they're simply busy.
I must've simply missed this or forgot, but "Candy" being another member of Emilico's circus troupe (actually the star acrobat and the one that Emilico admired) had me surprised.
Considering she went missing even before Emilico and the others got abducted into the manor, I'm puzzled over her entering the manor after Emilico did (including her presence in the school just before abduction, I really thought she came from that village), normally I'd assume she got abducted first.
I was also about to say this! I mean, the "circus" is travelling, right? The circus isn't originally from the village in Soot Island.
So how would she actually be part of the troupe?
I can suspend my disbelief on this aspect I just asked about, sure. Let's say
"Candy is someone Emilyko already knows for months because she's already part of the troupe".
Then how did she enter the manor? I can't believe she followed the "normal procedure" of being a school children in the village in this case, because if she's part of the troupe, it means she must have been missing from school for LONG periods of time since the troupe we're talking about is a "travelling circus" that normally visits different towns. That by itself would rule out her behavior being "good" in the eyes of the school, and I doubt she would enter selection that way if she's originally from the school.
You can't have both. She's one or the other. Either:
1. She's originally from the school and somehow she got roped in to be part of the troupe during the short amount of time that the circus is visiting the town (which doesn't explain how she's so well-trained to walk on the tightrope and is apparently Emilyko's mentor),
2. Or she's actually part of the troupe and didn't enter via normal procedure of the school selection.
I'm more inclined to believe the latter theory. Especially BECAUSE her brainwashing is undone, and even her own shadow seems to be scared / surprised at this relevation. If she knows something is amiss in this manor, then that explains both her entering the manor outside of standard procedure (like Kate does), AND explains why she could have her brainwashing undone in the first place (suspicion towards the manor -> avoiding the soot coffee, again, like Kate does)
Now all we need is just a motive. She is trying to protect a friend who she knows is going to the creepy manor one way or the other? Seems likely. It could be Emilyko, it could be someone else in the school who talked enough about what goes on in the village to make her suspicious. Either theories are still more believable to me than her being part of the school in this village.
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