James_D_Fawkes

(CiP)[Hereafter] Chapter CXCI: Binary Friendship

You'll find out why this title is a pun later in the chapter. And also a bit more literal than it seems at first glance.

Link.

[Hereafter] Chapter CLXXXIX: A Promise Fulfilled

This...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 th...

(CiP)[Hereafter] Chapter CXC: A Familiar Face

CXC is 190, but this is technically, like, the 205th chapter or something like that when we count interludes. Speaking of, are we ready for one of those yet? Maybe soon. The Coil interlude wasn't that long ago, but there's one that people have been wanting for a while and it might be about time to actually pen it.

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[Hereafter] Chapter CLXXXVIII: A Quarter's Admission

Still haven't found a solution to my invisitext problem in markdown, and apparently, it's not working as intended across all devices even with HTML and epub files. I'm doing what I can here, guys. I tried a different kind of solution by converting the html file to epub instead of creating and editing them both separately, so I have to hope that fixed the issue for at least those files.

Anyway. This chapter's title is a pun that won't become obvious until much later. This i...

(CiP)[Hereafter] Chapter CLXXXIX: A Promise Fulfilled

I think...I can say that this is the end of Act 1 of this Singularity. You'll see what I mean by the end of the chapter.

Link.

[Hereafter] Chapter CLXXXVII: Faustian Bargain

I didn't get quite as far as I planned to in this chapter, and that's solely down to a certain someone actually taking up more screentime than I originally expected. Totally worth it, though, so oh well, we'll just roll with it.

I did say we still had plenty of surprises in store for you guys, right? Trust me, we're nowhere near done. I said that this would probably wind up being one of the longest Singularities in this story, and I meant it. There's a lot to cover, and we're not even 1...

(CiP)[Hereafter] Chapter CLXXXVIII: A Quarter's Admission

Still don't have a name for this one, but I'm sure I'll come up with something.

EDIT: Yeah, I like that title.

Link.

(CiP)[Hereafter] Chapter CLXXXVII: Faustian Bargain

This might wind up being a two-parter.

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[Hereafter] Chapter CLXXXVI: An Old Flame

More and more of the mysteries of the Singularity begin to unravel before Taylor's eyes. Questions get answered, and the implications continue to paint a strange and unfamiliar picture.

And in the midst of all of that...a conversation with someone she once cared about dearly. A stranger wearing a friend's face and speaking with a friend's voice.

Next chapter, the meeting with Coil. And perhaps another familiar face, showing up in the most unexpected of places.

EDIT: Moving d...

[Hereafter] Interlude C.2: Coiling Serpent

Yes, that's who this interlude is going to be from. I know some people were hoping for Jackie, but I'm afraid that this really was the only spot I could put this, so this is where it had to go.

You might notice, the America teaser I posted several weeks back took dialogue straight from this interlude. That wasn't an accident. There's so much loaded into this chapter that I'll be utterly shocked if anyone manages to suss it all out.

Go treasure hunting, guys and girls.

EDIT: ...

(CiP)[Hereafter] Chapter CLXXXVI: An Old Flame

How awkward can it be, meeting up with an ex-boyfriend in a world where he never even met you?

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[Hereafter] Chapter CLXXXV: Hitokiri

Who is that, uh, unmasked man? Why, of course, it's a certain manslayer from the era of the Japanese revolution!

There's also some more stuff learned about the goings-on of Brockton Bay, and the apparent absence of groups Taylor was expecting to be there. It seems Faultline isn't the only one who left the city for greener pastures...of those who were allowed to actually leave, that is.

We're gearing up for the meeting with Coil. I don't mean to tease you all with it so much, but t...

(CiP)[Hereafter] Interlude C.2: Coiling Serpent

This...has been a long time coming. It's been sitting, half-finished, for something like a year, because I planned for it that far in advance, and it's finally time to bring it out.

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[Hereafter] Chapter CLXXXIV: Palanquin

So this one got away from me a little bit. I had to chop the end off, because it felt a little disconnected from the rest of the chapter. That's why this got renamed.

In any case, there are some more hints about what's been happening inside the Singularity since the divergence, how a certain someone made it to the top of the dogpile when everything was said and done, and where certain people are and what they might be doing ("moldering in the ground" was always an option). There's still...

(CiP)[Hereafter] Chapter CLXXXV: Hitokiri

So as I said in the last one's edit, I had to split off a part of that chapter to make it feel more coherent, and as a result, the title had to change. That split off part became the start of this new chapter.

Link here.

(CiP)[Hereafter] Chapter CLXXXIV: Palanquin

Perhaps there'll be a little bit more excitement and action this chapter...

EDIT: Been a little while since I had to split a chapter like this, but for the sake of coherence and keeping things a little neater, here we go.

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[Hereafter] Chapter CLXXXIII: Friends, New and Old

There's a lot the team has still to learn. Where did the Singularity truly first diverge? What's happened as a result of that? How did Coil come to be the de facto leader of the entire eastern United States? Who took the Grail and where?

There's so much still up in the air, and I can't wait to show you all the answers. Next chapter, we meet some new and old faces, and then the chapter after that is an interlude, a very important interlude.

For now, though, this one is a little slo...

(CiP)[Hereafter] Chapter CLXXXIII: Friends, New and Old

After how emotionally charged last chapter was, we get something a little calmer.

Link.

[Hereafter] Chapter CLXXXII: Jamais Vu

"No punches pulled" is my motto for this Singularity. None at all. Every bit of emotional weight I can wring from the story, from Taylor, and from you, o readers mine, I'm going to wring. The editor is convinced that quite a few people will be ugly crying several times over the course of this Singularity.

Even I wasn't immune to some of the emotion in these scenes.

So! Some questions got answered this chapter, but there are more that still remain a mystery. There are...

(CiP)[Hereafter] Chapter CLXXXII: Jamais Vu

This is coming sooner than usual because I started this chapter sooner than usual. Normally, I try to get at least 1K into a chapter before releasing the CiP so that you guys have something to sink your teeth into from the start, but I started this almost as soon as I was finished with the last chapter because I'm loving this section, so you're getting access early.

2025-01-19 17:13:00 +0000 UTC View Post

[Hereafter] Chapter CLXXXI: No Place Like Home

Did your stomach sink at the end there?

There've been a few theories going around after the last few chapters about what and when this Singularity's deviation occurred, and some of them get kinda close at times, but some of them are way off base. A few more hints get dropped here, but there's still a lot of mystery about what's happening.

I'm not done punching you guys in the metaphorical gut. There's still a lot that Taylor has to face, too, and none of it is going to get any eas...

(CiP)[Hereafter] Chapter CLXXXI: No Place Like Home

There's a part I'm really looking forward to...but I don't think we'll get to it this chapter. Maybe next chapter.

Link here.

[Hereafter] Chapter CLXXX: Strange Bedfellows

The plot thickens.

I feel like I haven't shut up about the surprises yet, but there's still a lot in store and a lot Taylor and you guys have to learn about what's going on in this Singularity. For every point of familiarity, there's something new and different, and I'm just loving writing this.

This chapter, to that end, is all about building up some more of the mystery, answering a few questions just so that I can hand you a bunch more. There's so much going on and we've just sc...

(CiP)[Hereafter] Chapter CLXXX: Strange Bedfellows

This is another title that might wind up changing by virtue of the fact I'm not super happy about it, but we'll see.

Link.

[Hereafter] Chapter CLXXIX: An Accord

Oh man, I've been waiting to get to this part. There're so many other really good parts to come and so much deliciousness upon which I might feed from your reactions, but this is the first major curveball I threw, and it was great.

America is going to be a wild ride, and I'm looking forward to seeing how you all react to some of the absolute crazy nonsense that will be happening. Buckle up, everyone. There are no brakes and it only escalates from here.

EDIT: Moving down all the wa...

America teaser

Merry belated Christmas and Happy Holidays!

This took some work, and it was actually quicker and easier to do for the sole fact that it's all done in silhouettes. The actual character designs aren't anywhere near finished, but have a teaser for some upcoming stuff in NAET.

(CiP)[Hereafter] Chapter CLXXIX: An Accord

Just because it's my "week off" doesn't mean I can convince myself to laze about and do nothing.

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[Hereafter] Chapter CLXXVIII: Bargaining Chip

Changed the name for this one quite late in the game, because I didn't quite get as far as I intended to, and it's still over 7K. Next chapter, for sure, will be "An Accord."

There are a lot of surprises in store for everyone, and we're only getting started with this Singularity. So much stuff is just waiting for me to get to writing it... Oh man, I'm so excited.

As a reminder, with the holidays coming up, I'll be taking the week of the 24th off, and we'll get back t...

(CiP)[Hereafter] Chapter CLXXVIII: Bargaining Chip

The plot deepens.

EDIT: Didn't get quite as far as I intended, so the title needs to change.

Link.

[Hereafter] Chapter CLXXVII: The Black Rose

...is a real place, but has no connection with either myself or this story. I worried a little bit about it, seeing as it is...technically being used as a front for a crimelord, but when that crimelord is essentially the de facto government in-story, well...

In any case, there was actually a pretty big traversal section in this chapter, but during the editing pass, it was decided to cut it down to reduce bloat a little. I originally wrote it to give everyone a sense of the scale the tea...