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Oh wow, this updated? I'm sorry I forgot about for so long, I'm still really enjoying this little story and am genuinely wondering what her choice at the end will be.

Despite never remembering to leave comments on your work I've loved pretty much everything I've read (I keep begging people to read Meteorology, even when they've never played Crystal Chronicles). What really stands out in your writing is how well the words flow together to make an easy but still visually appealing read. Imagery gets across in a small amount of well chosen vocabulary, and that's an amazing feat.

What I like most about this story in particular is how it adds an everyman feel to the game world and explores what happens when outside of the caravan. I sympathise for the protagonist's family situation and, even if she can't make it as a caravanner, I hold onto the hope she could be successful in her small apathocery business and be able to live her own life.

It's great to see people keeping the FFCC section alive, even after all these years. Still one of my favourite games.

SAS! How did I not notice you'd updated this? D:

I love this fic, I really do. It's so interesting to see a caravanner's lifestyle from the perspective of someone who stays in the village but isn't a family member/relative. There's this weird sense of detachment from the whole thing when Dinah is weighing up the pros and cons in the earlier chapters, but as the story progresses and you can tell that she's beginning to want it more and more, "you can't" starts to sound less like a statement of fact and more like a desperate sort of mantra. Her conversation with her mother was painful to read, but in a good way; hearing other people state what you're already thinking hurts sometimes, when all you want is for them to disprove you. You're doing such a good job portraying that horrible seesawing feeling between what you should do, what's expected of you, and what you want. I love Dinah so much. I want her to get what she wants! Maybe now Quinn's (oh-so-casually) demonstrated how much money she could be raking in, that seems more likely...?

Speaking of Quinn - get off the floor, young lady. Mind your manners. I imagined her as this sort of all-imposing beauty queen but now I've done the math and realised she's fifteen I don't know whether to be impressed or horrified haha! The older I get the more I think that the canon age-range for the Front Of The Box kids is just plain scary. Who trusts teenagers to do these things, I ask you.

Other things I wanted to say - Dinah is super sweet and conscientious and it's honestly delightful to me that you bothered to imagine a whole set of neighbours for her with their own little/big problems, specifically so she can worry about them for a line or two. It really adds depth. You're so good at that. Also, I've never heard the word gambeson before! Had to look it up. Thank you for being educational as well as crippling me emotionally~

Keep going! I will wait forever to finally read about Dinah's decision.

This is amazing, and I deeply wish more Crystal Chronicles stories here reflected the game's depth and interesting world and culture. This is a slice of the other side of life - what happens back home,

Furthermore, I honestly say that I like the characters, and after only three short chapters with little action and no adventure, I became hooked. That definitely means you are doing something awesome!

Wednesday is fairly quiet in terms of action, but it's certainly given Dinah (and me) lots to think about. I particularly like how it contrasts with Tuesday, where Dinah (and therefore the reader) begins to think that being on the caravan might be a distinct possibility, only to come home and be faced with reality the next day and have my opinion dragged back the other way again.

To see the "cycle of poverty" laid out like that was very unsettling. When Dinah was doing the verbal maths and realised how much of her life is not going to be focused on her, I felt incredibly sorry for her.

I honestly wonder why Effie keeps sending Quinn Riel to persuade Dinah into leaving that cycle behind, when the two of them have so little in common and at best have an uneasy truce. Trying to... goad her into joining, maybe? Or to prove that the two actually could be good team-mates, if only Dinah were to join? I'm not saying it's an oversight or her part, rather wondering if Effie has some master plan she is trying to execute here.

I'm a little bit ashamed to say I hope she does, and that magical arrangements will be put in place to sort all of Dinah's problems out. But alas, this fic is grounded dangerously close to real life and solutions don't just appear out of thin air like that :(

At this point, I'm really not sure about what I think is best for Dinah any more! She's not trained, and even if she went and managed to survive her first year I'm not sure if she could live with the guilt of leaving her family. On the other hand, remaining home and losing that chance would be crippling to her happiness.

Wherever you decide to take this, I'll be surprised. But regardless of what happens, please have Dinah punch Quinn Riel for being incredibly dismissive of things she knows very little about.

On an unrelated note, Baby Gollywhumper is an excellent name for a dolly.

(Oh! Just spotted this as I was closing up! Towards the end, you've got "Karl and Misha are at the perfect age to begin mimicking everything they here" rather than "hear". Didn't notice it on the first run through!)

I can't wait for Thursday! Thanks for the read :)

This is great, but the fact you updated means you aren't doing your homework you naughty girl! P

So this seems to be one of the stories nobody tells, of the person who is NOT an aspiring caravanner and already has too much "on her plate" to be one. Dinah fits this bill: too many younger siblings to care for. While she and her siblings are not orphans, they might as well be, given that Mama and Papa work such long hours in the coal mine. Can't Effie and Quinn see that Dinah is clearly not caravanner material? She's never held a weapon in her life, and can't afford a proper weapon OR anything resembling proper armor. Were I Dinah, I would tell them no and don't ask me ever again - my family needs me more than the caravan does.

Very fitting for the "Commitment" prompt on your card.

nice skip, it really worked out! _ See, and it didn't take an extra 1000 words.

I really liked the interaction with the parents, its how I feel when talking to my mom sometimes.

Love it! D

This was great! _ It was an interesting writing style that I never seen you use before. It was quite interesting. What a horrible decision to make! Leave your family or follow your dream. Are the Lilty the pretty onces are the short guys?... I can't seem to remember...

Either way, I really liked it! _

I am assuming from the subtitle "Monday" that we're going to be treated to at least seven of these little snippets?

I really hope so, because while this was a very succint little piece that presented a dilemma and prompted the reader to consider their personal response, there were also lots of questions raised. Why does Effie need a healer so suddenly? What happened to Dinah's parents? What is Dinah going to? It must be hard to make a choice between two options that both require a sacrifice for the greater good; the second person perspective really draws you in and makes you wonder personally what choice you would make. But perhaps the most important questions of all: Why is Quinn Riel such a massive cow?

I know I'm probably not supposed to like Quinn Riel, but I do, dammit, I do! I can picture her now, even though you haven't described her much. She's such a snob! Mean characters are so easy to love, because you just wish sometimes you could be that much of a donkey's backside and not even care. Hah! As if she continues to be perfectly immaculate out on the road when she hasn't washed in three days. Her name is lovely. Shame the rest of her doesn't match!

I for one would like to find out more about this little group, especially since your AN suggested the location was Marr's Pass but you've elected to create your own caravan rather than using Leuts, Rolf and Lynne. In Dinah's place, I wouldn't go. I'd feel too responsible for my siblings and I certainly wouldn't feel the need to protect my pride from Quinn's comments, plus I'm a little bit of a wuss so I would not have the courage to step up the plate. So, in a way, much though I want Dinah to look after her siblings, I also want her to do what I would be too scared to do and join up (and also punch Quinn).

Thanks for such a neat little read!

- Trin