[Hereafter] Chapter CCXI: Dance Partners
Added 2025-09-13 13:38:02 +0000 UTCThere are so many Servants at play here that it's getting hard to keep track of all of them, much less give them all something to say and do.
Victoria...does not come off as very likeable in these last few chapters, does she? Well. Some of that has to do with the fact that she is very much stuck in her younger body, despite her mind being four years older. Some of it is just...Victoria being very opinionated.
This Singularity is approaching the end. We're solidly in Act 3 now, so the final battle is in sight, and let me tell you, it's going to be a spectacle.
EDIT: Moving down all the way. 10/25/2025
Comments
I really am loving this story. Especially the sense from the last two chapters of this being the Team's job. For all the drama from the parahumans about Khepri, Taylor really has moved on; and her 9-5 is dealing with things worse.
Diak
2025-09-15 19:07:35 +0000 UTCBeen a while since I last commented, opinions kept updating with each chapter and this section definitely flows better all together than week to week. However, there is one thing I still have a problem with even on a quick reflection. The good doctor specifically the focus on Riley and Taylor's dynamic, and the method which we were given the information of her actions. The mission report style of the chapter works fine for the rest of the servants, because were mainly just speed running through them until we get to the sisters and their relationship however, having all of Riley's actions, just plainly doled out in a paragraph after spending a chapter building up that she's here really isn't satisfying and it focuses on what I feel is the wrong team members dynamic. Here's something to help illustrate my point "Riley's done some horrifying things as Bonesaw, but these are dire circumstances and she's willing to help and showing genuine sincerity so even if I'm still concerned about her and what she might do, I'm going to risk it and trust her to at least do her job." Who is dynamic with her am I explaining? Spoilers it's everyone's dynamic with her, and Taylor's the same and it's not something that's even impacted or changed from the events of the story or gold morning. In fact, it's one of the only ones unchanged because of it. Which is why I think we really should have gotten a POV from Rika's camp. Both as a more natural way to explore her actions and the unique trio she's made with Ned and Nightingale, and even if everyone around her is terrified, I highly doubt that's gonna stop Rika. Enough of my negative let's move onto my my positive thoughts. First, I love how you've handled Cu. Using trivia from his legend to turn off his madness, so we can keep his dynamics with the group in function, whilst keeping the inevitable physical threat he'll be in play is fantastic. Next, I like how Ritsuka character is handled here in the meeting. The heroes quickly going to bond with him is nice, but what I really like is when the conversation turns toward shielder, he says, it's cruel to force the situation in this scenario, but he never states it's wrong to tell him. Which I feel is important, given how they are characterized in the lossbelts and they're inhabitants the fact he is fighting to ultimately erase their existence is not something he'll deny to them, but that doesn't mean he'll lose any of his empathy towards them either. Now we arrive to Victoria. Now let me preface that I read Ward five years ago when I practically skim through it to make it to the ending so I could read it while it was coming out. I'm currently rereading it right now and I'm very much enjoying it more than I did originally currently on arc seven and from what I've read and from what I hazley remember I believe you've nailed what Victoria looks like from an outside perspective. She stops in points and conversations were she were to get to heated at first, but her biases towards Taylor, and her want to see her as a villain clearly show through. She only met her early on as a villain spend Taylor's time as a hero in an institution, and only briefly saw her again to be pupated around, and it's clear she has a much more negative view of her than even the other heroes. Who well awkward with genuinely seem to see her in a much better light. I especially love how her remarks grow more biting as she's clearly trying to get under Taylor skin after she is continually disregarded, after all, Victoria hates being ignored. I'm unsure if it's recency bias because I'm reread arc seven, but the scene where she brings up Taylor, possibly having to fight her old teammates, feels like that scene where Victoria has her first real conversation with the new therapist. Where she keeps diving into darker details, because in her own head, she says she wants to gut him in order to prove that he can't handle it, and that her issues are too big for him. It feels similar to how the conversation gets brought up with it feeling like she more wants Taylor to show signs of strain in order to prove that she's not all that and can't handle everything, then a real strategic concern. Speaking of the undersliders conversation. It's peak Taylor, that she spends more time thinking through the practicality of how she would take each of them down then what it with emotionally mean for her. I love how quickly she realizes just how easily she can take all of them down, and I love as she pointed it out, for everyone else to react in horror at her apparent ruthlessness. Don't get me wrong if push came to shove I don't believe for a moment she would hesitate to seriously rough them up or simply choke them out with flies if they became a serious nuisance to the operation. Finally, we have Lily. Which is the one subject I'm actually unsure of what her dynamic with Taylor should even look like. We do get a few scenes of her and Taylor in the original book however, they're from early on and from a more antagonistic view, and she joins the team after Taylor surrendered to the PRT. We do see them working together in endbringer fights and the SH9000. However, the story skips through most of them and I don't know if word of God has gone into any detail about this in the time skip? Luckily, towards the end of the story, we are shown moments that prove that Taylor does legitimately care for her. The best example I can think of is when Taylor is losing her mind she makes a point of releasing her from her control and placing her near Lisa to keep her safe even if she can't fully understand why she is important to her, but she later retakes control of her when she figures out that she actually needs her power to win, and I don't believe either story is actually going to detail on her thoughts towards this? So out of all the capes here, Lily's opinion is definitely the one that would actually mean something to Taylor, but I generally don't know what that opinion would even be?
the pyro stick figure 76
2025-09-14 14:07:42 +0000 UTCA pity we've lost Manannan mac Lir - but the Morrigan *is* more compatible . . . :D And yes, Victoria DOESN'T come off well, which is sadly amusing, since if *anybody* could sympathise with what Amy *left* of her, Taylor would be the one who *understood - * or maybe Victoria's issue is that she knows Taylor did it *of her own free will . . .?* (Or dire necessity, which amounted to the same thing.) Good on Missy for giving her *some* recognition, at least; when the most battle-hardened Ward gives you respect, you *know* it's EARNED. . . . You've set up for quite the confrontation - I look forward to it *eagerly . . .* Thank you for your efforts, as always! :)
Geoffrey Sullivan
2025-09-14 00:54:20 +0000 UTC
