EARLY ACCESS: STORMWEAVER II - Chapter 4 [ROUGH]

Isn't the MIND literally in every system though? It certainly speaks to people. Not sure how often or who rates indepth conversation. But certainly enough to override certain decisions in the military. And the MIND has never interfered with others receiving sponsorships before. I do see and get your point though. Certainly something for Rei to consider along with a ton of other variables. MIND said he was curious about Reidon and how far he could go in his advancement and was using Reidon as a guinea pig. Reidon accepted being the guinea pig. So the big question is how much data needs for MIND to finish his test of Reidon. And how much sponsorship affect it. I don't see an issue. Reidon has always put in the hours for his advancement. And is heading to the point where resources are needed to maintain and excel. Reidon went up a level in a day because of Lasher. He wouldn't have been able to do it alone. He tried and was failing. And that's at C. B's won't be easier, nor A's. And we haven't gotten to S's. So if MIND was looking for solo...it would be insane to try. Though I am sure Reidon would try it. Lasher got help from Dent for training Reidon and his friends. So Lasher received better training for his efforts with Reidon and his friends. Dent can't be doing that for every trainer and tutor Reidon needs. Sponsors defray some of the heavy load if Type Shift leads to a few different modes beyond Saber. I think Bryce said by A's people have 2 or 3 abilities. If Type Shift has a couple of transformations Reidon would need to be well versed in Brawler, Saber and a different style as well plus another ability or two in the mix. Most ability users only have to learn 1 type of fighting. Reidon could have two or more with another couple of abilities to work on mastery. Even Galens can't show that much favoritism. Which leads to private tutors and expensive ones

Corwin

I imagine the thought going through Rei's head is at least in part whether this reduces his value to MIND. His purpose is to proof/test an unconventional path. So in a perfect world, Rei goes to an isolated room, looks up at a random camera, and asks. "Is this ok?" Because if MIND had wanted him to follow some well-defined path, wanted to boost his advancement with substantial resources, it could/would have done so. It wasn't his family that gave him this life, it was MIND, and for a very specific purpose. If accepting this sponsorship reduces his value there, he's turning his back on the one that brought him to this dance.

sdf

That's if he decides to go perfessional or military. Maybe the family wants him to go one way versus the other. He doesn't have enough information about the deal to deal with it.

Faf

Rei has certainly noticed the Japanese connection, but given the hype surrounding his fight against Grant, and the fact that he has already been given an unnoficial Field Name, he and Aria are the two most marketable faces in the First Years. Heck, even the teachers recognize it, with Haddish Barnes in Chapter 1 having said that with the exception of Christopher Lennon and Anatoli Sidorov, Aria and Rei are probably the most recognizeable Galens students right now. Plus, Rei is incredibly distinctive with his scars, hair, and height, not to mention Type Shift, which to viewers of the fight probably looks like Arsenal Shift, but which still marks him out as special. So if he asks Jasper "Why me?", she has a very reasonable face-value answer there. Rama Guest can probably tell Rei that is horse shit, except I would be willing to bet that the discussions between Guest and Jasper before Rei walked in included Guest being made to understand in no uncertain terms that he was to keep his mouth shut. As for what Rei will get out of it, I am fairly sure he will swing it so that the benefits go to the entire membership of Aria's squad, while the benefits he sees personally will probably be training partners to push his personal growth, because while his CAD rank can rise with fighting, his ability with the different weapon types he will gain access to as he unlocks the ability to type shift into the other types will need to be built from the ground up. Rei has the analytical brain to learn a ton from dueling people of a type, but having dedicated instructors for each weapon will give him something to keep occupied with. I would also like to see them try and convince him to transfer to a school in the Sol system, but for him to turn that one down, because he wants to keep the squad together and go places as part of a team.

John Cooke

Grandpa might not take no for an answer. The rest of the family might accept it...Bill Clinton, Hunter Biden and there are a slew of others have or been accused of having illegitimate children. Bill Clinton's hasn't taken a DNA test to prove or disprove he is related and that one has been going for years. But illegitimate children don't really have an effect on reputation for those who do it. The kids yes. But it will hit the news and their fall out won't be great. Seeing how Central manipulates things might push him to accept. They did it to Rei because he had no backing or network to cause a huge fuss. He may not accept. But the easy way is to string it along or accept it. Shady deals suck. But how many enemies can you make before you break. Grandpa isn't an enemy but the unknown numbers at Kamiya who might be against Rei is pretty fluid. He really doesn't need money right now. But a private Tutor like Lasher for a few hours a day? That does have appeal. And probably costs a fortune. Trying to train and get another ability. Sure he will get it eventually but there are probably tutors who could help him achieve the one he wants faster. If he doesn't take it. My advice would be to string it along until after sectionals. Sign with someone else and decline their offer. See if they don't give him a better NOED as a gift and a few other things while they await his decision.

Corwin

He gets to a stronger negotiating position by waiting them out. He’s already suspicious as to why him and why now? Sectionals are yet to start. My advice… decline politely, wait, train and kill it in sectionals. The family corp isn’t going to take no for an answer… because their rep will be pulverized when the story comes out! As a Galens student he doesn’t need funds immediately and he’s not in the habit of sponging off anyone. He’d probably opt to maintain his independence by working on campus before accepting a shady deal. Do remember he’s seen how central manipulates the situation. He’s going to be chill…

Xien

Yes he is smart but that doesn't translate to not being screwed over by contracts. 2) Guest and Dent have had Rei get screwed over on their watch. And the reason Maddie sent Aria the text "He didn't have a choice" 3) Viv and Aria don't have access to their parents money. Both parents stated clearly and in no uncertain terms not to get involved with a "Ward". Personal Financials won't be enough if lawyers are involved 4) NOEDs could help since they do have apps to download. But again you hire attorneys not looking at legalzoom.com for legal answers 5) Grandfather isn't the only family member at his company. His parents dumped Rei billions of miles away and hid the fact. You really think people like that can't backstab other people? And they have a daughter they acknowledge who just got on the circuit. So who says they don't screw someone else for their daughter to climb to the top. 6) Central cares but the same way I care who is in the draft picks this coming year. Reidon has potential. But assuming Shido can be used for someone else down the line if Reidon goes away its fine. Shido is what they really want

Corwin

A few things there. 1 Rei is smart - he'll do the work to not be tripped up. 2. Guest & Dent won't let hin get screwed under their watch. 3. He might not be able to afford good lawyers... but Aria and Viv can. 4. No clue how much assistance his NOED etc might be regarding contracts. 5. I don't think his grandfather will screw him. 6. Central command are actively showing an interest.

James McLeish

How well do you think Reidon speaks legalese though? Even Grandpa could get tripped up by his legal department without realizing it and screwing over his grandson. Whatever there standard contract is I am sure Grandpa wrote it to be slightly better. Any negotiations Rei does though will be through Jasper. And if I betting on contract negotiation I bet on older not younger winning. He just doesn't have the experience and knowledge to truly negotiation a good deal for himself

Corwin

That's workable but probably only workable since it's Grandpa's company. There's a reason most big corporations don't do that though. They usually have people fighting to get in

Corwin

He was also difficult to work with. Fans can hate you as long as you perform well for the team. Tom Brady, Tim Tebow, LeBron James, and numerous other athletes are polarizing. But they also are highly paid and very effective. Exactly he has to be polite and respectful. Personally I would rather Reidon take the offer depending on how good it is. Simply so he can scope out the family. Of course I would also like him to dump them in a way that they have to pay out millions to him as well and kick them to the curb.

Corwin

Eh, agree to lower base salary. The whole reason incentives work is that your earning your salary. Perform well enough that you become a household name (which increases the value of the sponsorship) you’ve earned the salary. Do nothing, make nothing. He’d be betting on himself in the long run and their really isn’t risk for the corporation bc they only pay him if he performs up to a level he’s earned those incentives.

Robert Shaw

True. But pushing for aggressive incentives and performance escalations as an unknown is cocky. Again he is in college. Being aggressive to start sets a bad precedent. Corporations talk to one another to varying degrees. And this isn't a small one. This is a huge one with multiple smaller subsidiaries. Push too hard and suddenly you find yourself looking at smaller deals with smaller backers. He doesn't have to agree with a sponsorship. But there is a huge difference between college and professional athletes. Yes he is getting trained. But every teacher at his school has sponsors to varying degrees. All of whom will probably say something to their sponsors in regards to him. How his teachers perceive Reidon's actions will lead them to deciding what to tell others about him. And let's not forget he has Guest there. So how well it goes can effect his dating life as well.

Corwin

The Colin Kaepernick example doesn’t really work imo. He was basically black balled bc his protests alienated fans. As long as Reidon doesn’t do anything to burn bridges in the long run he can just politely decline and say something that for now he’d like to explore his options but he’ll consider their offer.

Robert Shaw

I just don’t see the pressure for him to have to agree to anything right now. He’s at school. He may not have the best private tutors atm but he’s still getting trained at school. If he keeps progressing with his rapid growth he’d be in a better position to negotiate. If your looking for your college sports analogy it’s like a JR quarterback with 1 college start vs a sr who got to start a full year. You become more of a known and your future value is able to be more quantified. Rather than agreeing to something before he’s done anything he can just wait a bit and hope he does well enough to bolster his value. Doesn’t cost him anything other than time and some money in the shirt term for potentially a much better deal in the long run.

Robert Shaw

How? What cards does he hold do you think he has that would allow that? With any corporate sponsorship not just this one. He is an unknown, no known family ties or connections. Established professionals can dictate terms and renogiate contracts. But all Reidon has is himself. Sure celebrities talk big but did you see that Black Widow didn't drop from Disney + even with Scarlett Johansson blasting them about it. Reidon needs sponsors. He needs extra cash to help him progress otherwise that S Growth won't mean crap. He will stagnant because if he pushes hard enough he becomes like Collin Kapernick. Notice he isn't playing football. His sponsors pretty much gone. He wrote a book last I saw it bombed. That doesn't mean he can't push for somethings. But realistically. Otherwise he will lose out. Sometimes you take low bids to survive

Corwin

He is. But there is a ton to unsettle him about the entire set up. You have a masked man, a retired user and the principal all in a room waiting for you. You also have information just dumped on him that he just got sworn to secrecy about. Plus you have a shadow company that he has never heard of suddenly explain that they control key parts to travel, and personal life. As well as information on military hardware. Not much to love and not get chills about. It would be like finding out you walked into a meeting with Warren Buffet. Sure he is American same as me and 300 million other people. But then he decides to explain that Berkshire Hawathay really owns Boeing, Facebook, and Amazon.

Corwin

He could negotiate for training and better resources such as a Noed. That could be pitched to a board as investing in an asset. He could also negotiate for performance incentives. That would potentially cover his ridiculous growth / future potential if he did a good job negotiating it.

Robert Shaw

Reidon would be wise to not agree to anything. With his growth his value to sponsors is only going to grow (and quickly). He’d be effectively selling himself at his lowest value. If he does agree to some sort of sponsorship he be wise to force aggressive incentives or performance escalations into his contract so that it would grow with him. I’d love for him to really push back in the negotiation if he doesn’t outright reject it (for personal reasons).

Robert Shaw

He notices the Japanese connection and it unsettled him. I think he has it figure out. Remember Reidon is ridiculously smart.

Hayden Leech

I don't think he will go sweet money and grab it and run. But I am not sure he will connect everything at first glance either. He doesn't have all the facts yet. He has a name that has Japanese origins for sure. But there is a little girl in Georgia with the name Allah who isn't from the Middle East by any means. Kamiya is a Japanese company and will definitely set Reidon to speculating. But jumping to that's his family company I think even Rei will snort at himself for thinking it. Rei will definitely speculate and ask questions. But just walking away I don't see happening. He wants answers. If taking the money to get closer to find the answers he wants than I see him doing it. Kamiya wrote themselves out of history books, literally in this case. Everything points to Kamiya having huge leverage inside and outside of government. Reidon doesn't have any support or network. And he doesn't know these people. The things he does know point to some scary stuff. And he doesn't know what any nasty refusal will get him in or his friends. There is a professor in the Philippines who made the US Government No Fly List. She hasn't had the ability to go lecture outside of her home country in 12 years. It was an accident that did it. And the US government is fixing it. And her last interview she didn't blame the US government or maligne them. She was supposed to go on a different list. But until it all gets cleared up no airline will let her fly. And that's the power Kamiya has. They erased themselves from history, bent military authorities to their wills, and they helped create CADS as well integral parts to NOEDs. Maddie was right lean into manners even if you decline.

Corwin

Ah you fixed it haha

Hayden Leech

I hope Rei asks a lot of questions. He clearly knows he has Japanese origins and Kamiya is clearly Japanese. At this stage Reidon is nothing special so he better ask something like “out of everyone why sponsor me?” Ask why Rama was given special permission from central to divulge obviously sensitive information to Reidon to get him to accept the sponsorship. “That’s an interesting choice of words Jasper. You said “given leave?” You clearly pulled strings with the colonels superiors to arrange this and to divilge obviously sensitive information in order to sway my decision but I have to ask why you would go to such lengths for something as mundane as sponsoring a fledgling CAD user?” Stuff like that. I’m hoping he doesn’t just go along with it for money. Reidon isn’t stupid and something like him refusing along the lines of him figuring out who they are and saying “No. I’m pretty sure I know who you people are and I want to be absolutely unambiguous in saying that I want nothing to do with any of you. All my life I’ve lived in a hell you cannot comprehend. I didn’t need you then and I don’t need you now. Please, never contact me again.” Before walking out? It would be epic. If he is like “Sweet! money? Boo yah!” It would be incredibly disappointing.

Hayden Leech

The description for this Stormweaver chapter says to enjoy chapters 2 and 3.

Hayden Leech

I think they mean the excerpt you released a couple days ago. Happy New Years btw!

blurb?

Wraithmarked Creative

You copy/pasted the blurb from the last one lol.

Hayden Leech

G I totally agree. But I am thinking Grandfather is going to spin it as getting in on the ground floor with the type shift ability. Arsenal Shift I don't think changes stats while Saber Mode does. Money is not Rei real drive. But better NOED, tutors for Saber Mode and friends if needed. Maybe taking Aria on dates and not scrapping by to do it Remember he paid for surgeries and school before entering Galens. He had to work to do what he wanted. Which means he will want to be financially stable. James he really isn't in a better negotiating position. The odds of a kid going from college sports to professional is steep. And that's been the world Bryce and Luke have created as well. Sure his Growth spec will entice others to come and sponsor him. But he will need money and help to get him so he moves quickly up the ranks not steady progression. He will maybe get one more sponsor this year. Second year a few more and a ton in his third year assuming no life threatening injuries that sideline him. Yes he will heal up eventually with his CAD. But freak accidents happen all the time. Look at professional athletes. Some careers get sideline for years or months after they get hurt. During that time sponsors dry up and leave. Sponsors look at the arrangement as a business expense and want return on investment. Rei has nothing to stand on. Only potential. And Grandfather has a board to answer to and his family. He can't give Rei everything. If he tried he would lose his position with a no confidence vote from the board and they tear up Rei contract

Corwin

I think he has a better negotiation position than that. He's done a term in his first year. Sure he's not in a strong financial position but money isn't his motivation. Given his growth tangent, it's only a matter of time before other sponsors come calling.

James McLeish

He isn't in a strong position though. They might negotiate to a degree because he is family(unknowingly to Rei). He hasn't won sectionals yet, and he is at the start of his career not even established. This is like first round draft picks. You push too far and they walk. And let's face it Rei isn't flush with cash. Pretty close to broke actually. Look at some of the top earners in sports and their first contract with sponsors. Decent but not Earth shattering. Look at when it comes to renew and suddenly it's either insane or lack luster. All depends on performance. And the rest of the team will all be getting sponsors as well probably. Sponsors want to start when the people are small so they can get better deals and access. Best Rei can do is maybe nudge them to look at his teammates

Corwin

Great chapter. His family moves fast. I hope Rei negotiates hard, i.e. he should push for training resources for his friends too so as not to leave them in his dust...

James McLeish

Thank you! Bryce!! But.. I called it.. love it though!!

Heather Herren

Oh wow wasn’t expecting that to happen this soon!

Devin Jaros