[Hereafter] Chapter CLXXXIX: A Promise Fulfilled
Added 2025-03-22 13:10:40 +0000 UTCThis...has been a long time coming. It's been part of the plan for ages. Back when I was first imagining some of the pivotal scenes in the American Singularity, this was one of the ones I came up with earliest.
I had other titles I wanted to use, but they spoiled things too much. So, for now, I'm just going to leave it there and hope you all enjoy.
EDIT: Moving down all the way. 5/3/2025
EDIT2: Finally got around to making some of those changes I intended to make, way later than I wanted to make them.
Comments
Coil does always know how to bring Skitter's ruthlessness out to play.
KD
2025-03-24 06:00:43 +0000 UTCI *figured* it was a spirit form use, since Medb isn't exactly a *Caster,* so pulling Medea's teleporting trick is out. As stated above, I *do* like the emotional weight of Arash's actions - we *knew* it'd be coming *somewhere* (he's too like Taylor *NOT* to, at some point), but that doesn't *lessen* it at all.
Geoffrey Sullivan
2025-03-22 19:20:50 +0000 UTCyeah, the problem with Taylor having a plan that doesn't pan out is that it's not mentioned. I know that "trust your readers" is a thing, but the caveat to that is that you have to make it clear that something is happening. All I thought when I read about Taylor shifting tactics to swarm the celts with insects was that she was finally doing what she should have done right out the gate. Also, I still think that Taylor woefully underprepared for something she thought might be an ambush. Like, she didn't even tell Jackie to shank Okita if things got hostile. I do like the endpoint, though! I love where it ended up, I just think the process of getting there is a little rough. Arjuna and Berserker Cu are strong enough on their own to force Stella usage.
Charles B. Andrulis
2025-03-22 17:24:20 +0000 UTCMedb is absolutely abusing spirit form. The editor brought up her disappearing act, too, and the way I told it to him is that Medb is essentially doing hit-and-runs. Aside from her little monologue at the start, she only ever stuck around long enough to spawn more warriors, because she knows better than to try and get into a fight against Aife, and Arash made a very convincing argument for why she shouldn't stick her neck out any further than she has to. Taylor also had a plan for helping Aife get one over on you-know-who that required being subtle with her bugs at first, if that helps, and she hints at what this plan was when she changes her mind to use it on the army instead. She wasn't making full use of it until that point, which isn't quite the same as making no use of it, but it was how she was keeping track of the other sections of the fight - as much as she was able to, at any rate.
Caractacus
2025-03-22 13:57:44 +0000 UTCLet me say this first by saying that I do like the battle scene--it's messy, chaotic, but at the same time, it feels weird. Taylor has effectively local omniscience. How was Medb evading her? Also, I feel like Taylor should have made more prep for an ambush--heck, just having Jackie ready to slit Okita's throat would have been a lot. I do think Arash's sacrifice at the end has a lot of appropriate emotional weight, though. It feels desperate, raw, and scrappy. Hell, it might even kill one or two of Coil's servants. Sorry, I think I'm rambling. I know that this is something you've been planning for a long time, but I feel like in the excitement of writing it you forgot about/missed just how strong Taylor's local omniscience is. Unless Medb is literally hiding in spirit form, Taylor would be able to find her, especially if she has a swarm thick enough that it can blind all the Celtic Warriors. It's definitely suitably dramatic, and all of these are just thoughts that occurred to me on a re-read, but given how well you've utilized Taylor's swarm vision in other scenes (especially when training the twins), it feels kind of odd that it's basically vanished for this scene, especially when it's so important.
Charles B. Andrulis
2025-03-22 13:34:17 +0000 UTC
