No holds barred. This is getting quite interesting.

I enjoyed this chapter quite a bit. We had a throughline of similarities, with Taylor pointing out similarities between herself and Bitch, similarities between the Travelers and similarities between the Undersiders and the Nine, and each part was quite good.

The part with Bitch was definitely the highlight, though. Instead of focusing on locating her and getting her out of some sort of trouble, we got a really good interaction between Taylor and Rachel, in which they both opened up with each other more than ever before, for better and worse. I think they came out of it with some positive development of their relationship, and while there is still a long way to go, I stand by what I said at one point during the scene: This is one of the most important interactions for the development of their relationship so far.

I think it’s fairly likely now that the Travelers’ shared backstory and their overall high power levels have something to do with Cauldron. Yes, it’s possible they all triggered young, possibly together, but this chapter strongly hinted that that’s not the right track.

And finally, there’s the meeting. Taylor may need to work on how she introduces pitches like this, but it ultimately worked out. The no holds barred tactic seemed to get approval, with less reluctance than I’d honestly expect. And apparently she wants to blow the Nine the fuck up? I can’t blame her.

Sundancer’s reluctance to kill may prove troublesome later, we’ll have to see. A fair bit of time was devoted to establishing that, so I doubt it’s entirely irrelevant.

Next chapter, well… it’s time to attack. We’re not going to learn the plan until we’re seeing it in action, so I think it will for the most part work out, though complications may occur in the later stages.

See you then!

> Krixwell: Review.

This was a really strong one, though more on the emotional front than the combat front I expected the chapter to focus on going in.

First we got a really good Bitch scene, where it came to light in front of Grue and Skitter how much she cares about their companionship, in spite of how Skitter still thought Bitch was considering going through with the attack Burnscar was asking for. It would be interesting to see how that would’ve gone if Skitter and Grue hadn’t gone for third and fourth options. Then we had the escape, in which Bitch totally left her teammates behind. Who knows where she’s ended up now. Perhaps Burnscar got a good hit in before Genesis showed up?

Second, Charlotte and Sierra are both really good. Keep up the excellent work, girls.

Third, Taylor’s breakdown. That was the real highlight here. The situation is really getting to her, along with all the other pressure she’s put on herself, and her reaction to that boiling over felt quite genuine. Fortunately, Grue is a good friend and was able to stop Taylor from getting herself killed immediately.

And finally, Taylor’s come up with an idea for how to deal with the Nine… potentially better, by going on the offensive. I hope this involves the shogi plan.

Hey, Jack would succeed if he tried to cut Bonesaw. What if Jack weren’t controlled by Jack at the time?

Anyway, next chapter, we’re probably going out to find out what happened to Bitch after the escape, and perhaps talking a bit more about what going on the offensive against the Nine actually entails.

See you then!