(from here) This implies there are no/very few kids in Downside. Are they all in Upside, just not revived, something else?
Hmm, do I have anything else? Oh yeah, it's interesting which things read differently the second time around. I don't remember being particularly interested by Belle's story the first time, but I enjoyed it much more this time. And I found the whole Chelise subplot, which I distinctly remember not liking before, much more affecting this time. Maybe it's because I hadn't made the obvious Chelise=Chelsea leap? Or maybe it just reads better with the Gift threads as comparison. But the whole "I didn't want much" thing is really interesting, and now I kind of want to see more VaguelySymphathetic!Chelseas.
"Do you know how long it's been since I've even seen a three-year-old?"
Hmm, do I have anything else? Oh yeah, it's interesting which things read differently the second time around. I don't remember being particularly interested by Belle's story the first time, but I enjoyed it much more this time. And I found the whole Chelise subplot, which I distinctly remember not liking before, much more affecting this time. Maybe it's because I hadn't made the obvious Chelise=Chelsea leap? Or maybe it just reads better with the Gift threads as comparison. But the whole "I didn't want much" thing is really interesting, and now I kind of want to see more VaguelySymphathetic!Chelseas.