Sunny and the Algorithms of Gloom: Chapter 1.1

I enjoyed reading this, and I found myself fascinated by what's going on. I seem to be in the dark on some of the backstory, but perhaps you intended that and will clarify things throughout the story. However, I did find the complete lack of details a little confusing, as it felt like there was no foundation whatsoever for who the characters were and everything. It feels like it just jumps right into a story where we're supposed to know who everyone is already. Obviously you don't have to infodump, but I personally think a little more structure, backstory, explanation of characters, etc. would help.

I love that idea of cursed books and the evident issue with them. I think you've done pretty well introducing the concept into the plot. Also, I like that Sunny somehow recognizes that she's a hero, but you show us a glimpse into her mind as she reminds herself not to let it go to her head. I think it's a very relatable approach and shows her as genuine. Another thing I liked is that you end this chapter with a question. It leaves the reader hanging and wanting to turn the page (if they were actually pages lol).

Overall, you've done a good job, and I enjoyed reading.

"Unfortunately, yes. This is the third cursed book this month." The librarian waggled her fingers impatiently. "Our policy is to burn them as soon as we see them."

Good Morning/Afternoon/Evening/Night(whichever one it is in your part of the world),

Hi! I'm here to leave a quick review!!

First Impression: Okayy a pretty solid start here. I think looking through it as just the start to a story this is still pretty solid in terms of getting your attention with the description, introducing this dark code magic and generally doing normal first chapter things and as the start of the sequel its nicely enhanced by a few of those references and Sunny's little moment.

Anyway let's get right to it,

There were many ways Sunny had imagined her fantasy adventure ending. Perhaps she would stand triumphantly over the corpse of the villain and raise her sword high, basking in the cheers of the crowd as a warm light enveloped her and took her back home. Or maybe she'd salute the allies and friends she'd made along the way and leave through a portal, promising to visit when she could. She would've even settled for a plain, no-sparkles-or-pizazz teleportation-to-Earth spell! But no. Instead, the portal had explicitly refused to transport her, and Jasper had transformed it into a rubber duck.

To be fair, it was a nice duck; it was shimmery and cute. But still. That didn't solve the problem of Sunny being stuck in Javaland.

At least Jasper had graciously provided the In-n-Out as a place for Sunny and Robert to stay the night. They had some burgers, regrouped, and examined their newest lead: A Guide to Dark Coding Magicks.

Sunny had flipped through the first few pages of the book, but after seeing "A Spell for Trapping Your Enemies in Infinite Loops" and "Semicolon-Related Curses," she was overcome by queasiness and had to set the book down. She suspected it was her innate hero-ness being repelled by whatever evil magics were in the book. Sunny supposed she'd just have to keep it closed until she could find its origins and then promptly get rid of it.

Now it was the following morning, and Sunny had placed the book in her trusty backpack in preparation for setting off on her quest again. Robert took the battery pack and gave Jasper some travel tips and recommendations for charging places for Jessica.

Finally, Sunny and Robert said their goodbyes and left the In-n-Out.

"It's a beautiful day for questing!" Sunny exclaimed. She nudged Robert and pointed up at the blue sky. "Look, that cloud kind of looks like you."

Robert raised his eyebrows on his pixelated screen. "Is that so." He floated past a clump of rocks.

Sunny looked over at him and frowned. "Are you alright? You look kind of grumpy…"

The robot huffed and navigated around a clump of spaghetti code with extraneous return statements.

"Is it because you thought you'd be rid of me, but it looks like you'll be stuck with me for longer? But wait, you complimented me yesterday. So then… hold on. Is it because your charge is low?" Sunny remembered the beginning of her quest, when Robert had dragged her to Professor Polly's house to charge.

"We should head to the public library of Method City first. We can get information and I can charge there. Now, excuse me as I stop talking to conserve battery."

Sunny pouted. She liked being right, but now it looked like she'd have to entertain herself as they walked down the mountain. She hitched her backpack higher on her shoulders and looked around.

By the time they reached the outskirts of Method City, Sunny had identified a dragon, a school of fish, and a stack of pancakes in the puffy clouds above. As they walked through the streets, Sunny brightened up as she observed the Javalandians going about their daily business. There were cafes on each corner, office buildings, and people bustling by.

"The errors are back!" exclaimed one businesswoman at a bus stop.

"I know! I was finally able to fix my toaster," another Javalandian enthused. "Turns out I was missing a semicolon on line nineteen."

Sunny felt a little glow of pride, although she wasn't quite arrogant enough to boast to everyone that she was responsible for the return of the errors. That wouldn't be very hero-like of her. So she just enjoyed it quietly as people expressed their gladness about the return of helpful debugging information and the reviving of the error guardians.

After a few minutes of walking (in which Robert didn't say another word), Sunny spotted a distinctive building with elegant columns. It stood at one end of a little plaza, and people were walking up and down the steps leading up to it. "Method City Public Library," read the lettering above the columns.

"Sweet!" Sunny glanced back at Robert. "We're almost there. Hang on!"

The pair headed up the steps and through the grand doors.

Right in front of the entrance was a large desk, at which a middle-aged woman was seated. To both sides, shelves upon shelves of books stretched outwards. Sunny caught a glimpse of a broad seating area behind the front desk, as well as staircases along the walls, leading up to a second level of books.

"First things first. Let's get Robert charged," Sunny muttered. She looked around for a charging port, navigating around library patrons. Finally, she spotted one by a table, and Robert settled onto it with a satisfied hum. He immediately closed his eyes.

"Right, then. Now to find out if we can get some information about this book."

Sunny walked back to the librarian at the front desk. "Hello?"

The librarian finished up helping another patron and turned to her with a grandmotherly smile. "Hello. How can I help you?"

"Well, I was wondering if you knew anything about this?" Sunny took the guide out of her backpack and placed it on the desk.

The librarian adjusted her glasses and peered closer at the title. "A Guide to Dark Coding Magicks?" Suddenly, she gasped, looking less like someone who'd bake you cookies and more like a neat freak swooping down on an scandalous speck of dirt.

"You must destroy this, immediately! Here, I'll help you." From somewhere beneath the desk, the librarian brought out a book-sized ashtray and a pack of matches.

"Woah, woah, woah!" Sunny snatched the book away, eyes wide. "I know it feels evil, but I've been tasked with finding its origins."

The librarian didn't put the matches down. "Honey, a book like that is better off as ashes. Trust me."

Sunny narrowed her eyes. The fact that the librarian had been prepared with an ashtray and matches was intriguing. "Has this happened before?"

"Unfortunately, yes. This is the third cursed book this month." The librarian waggled her fingers impatiently. "Our policy is to burn them as soon as we see them."

Sunny held the book a little farther away. "But don't you think we need to investigate where they're coming from? To prevent the appearance of more dastardly guides?"

The librarian rubbed her chin with the hand that wasn't holding the matches. "Well. How would you go about doing that investigating?"

Heyo mint!!! I was scrolling around the green room when I saw "1.1" and I was like this is where it all begins!

So, I'll be reviewing this work. Now, initially, it looks like the main character is going to be this person(?) named Sunny. Perhaps she's solving algorithms or something. Or . . . maybe she's a singer and her group name is Sunny and the Algorithms of Gloom? If that's what the story ends up being, then . . . actually I would still read it lol.

But no. Instead, the portal had explicitly refused to transport her, and Jasper had transformed it into a rubber duck.

To be fair, it was a nice duck; it was shimmery and cute. But still.

They had some burgers, regrouped, and examined their newest lead: A Guide to Dark Coding Magicks.

Sunny had flipped through the first few pages of the book, but after seeing "A Spell for Trapping Your Enemies in Infinite Loops" and "Semicolon-Related Curses," she was overcome by queasiness and had to set the book down.

The robot huffed and navigated around a clump of spaghetti code with extraneous return statements.

By the time they reached the outskirts of Method City, Sunny had identified a dragon, a school of fish, and a stack of pancakes in the puffy clouds above. As they walked through the streets, Sunny brightened up as she observed the Javalandians going about their daily business.

Sunny felt a little glow of pride, although she wasn't quite arrogant enough to boast to everyone that she was responsible for the return of the errors. That wouldn't be very hero-like of her. So she just enjoyed it quietly as people expressed their gladness about the return of helpful debugging information and the reviving of the error guardians.

The librarian rubbed her chin with the hand that wasn't holding the matches. "Well. How would you go about doing that investigating?"