I'll try to be non-spoiler in this comment as much as possible, but if you haven't read the chapter upwards, then don't read this comment:
Okay. First things first, I currently don't know what to feel about Rick's situation being treated like it was a Plot Twist. It rubs me off the wrong way when people use that thing as some plot device.
But I can definitely see and understand why it was written in this manner. And the very first reasoning I got was that we are following the story in Puck's perspective. Puck, who seems to be more interested in his own affairs and his love for Nova, would definitely be caught by a surprise. And two, I can't say that you should have hinted this for a long time, because there is no way you can tell someone is one, just by pointing out very trivial stuff.
So my final word for this recent chapter is that I am happy that you really moved Rick forward in terms of character and plot. And I am glad there is a roadtrip happening.
I agree with you, BUT, the target audience is a little bit younger so their perception of such things may not be as acute. Then, when you go back for a re-read, you realize that the hints dropped were from Nova, implying the there's an entire element of a deep Nova/Rick friendship that they can fanfic the shit out of ;)
Okay. First things first, I currently don't know what to feel about Rick's situation being treated like it was a Plot Twist. It rubs me off the wrong way when people use that thing as some plot device.
But I can definitely see and understand why it was written in this manner. And the very first reasoning I got was that we are following the story in Puck's perspective. Puck, who seems to be more interested in his own affairs and his love for Nova, would definitely be caught by a surprise. And two, I can't say that you should have hinted this for a long time, because there is no way you can tell someone is one, just by pointing out very trivial stuff.
So my final word for this recent chapter is that I am happy that you really moved Rick forward in terms of character and plot. And I am glad there is a roadtrip happening.