[Report This]Date: April 27 2024 6:31 AM Title: The Temple of Eternity
Is it just me, or does Natasha really love France?
I have to admit, I wasn't expecting Cécilia and Gloria to step back into the story this late, let alone play such vital roles in the final battle. It was a really nice surprise, especially with Cécilia being the one to give Oklahoma the pep talk she so desperately needed in that moment. And seeing just how Gloria has pulled off getting into all of these secret, high-security locations was absolutely hilarious. I also love how she just walked up to Chloé and Higgins asking what their plan was, fully expecting that to work (like, why wouldn't it?).
It was a minor thing, but it was neat to hear that there were Nekos on both sides at the Alamo. It was also kind of funny to see Oklahoma show empathy for her enemy last chapter and anger toward an ally this chapter over it. It was interesting to see her patriotism factored into her emotions like that.
I think you did a great job of showing Chloé and Higgins learn to trust each other on the fly. Having them do so in such a short span ran the risk of it not making sense and feeling like a major plot hole put in place just to advance the story. However, to me, the back and forth between them at the start, Gloria's appearance and their reaction to her, and their strategizing session on the way to Brazil were all designed to make this transition feel natural, and the way this union comes about makes a lot of sense when all of that is weighed in with the urgency of the situation.
The idea to have human Chloé smuggle in the mercenaries and their arsenal in her stomach was a brilliant one, both because of its creativity and how this idea was subtly set up in previous chapters. It also shows how quickly the trust between the had to form, as, even with things being as dire as they are, I couldn't see Higgins and company doing this without some level of personal connection (no matter how brief or flimsy that connection may be) being there.
Yukia was once again quite intriguing. So now she has gone fully against Natasha (even if she was going to wait until Natasha shrank all the humans to strike), and she knows deep down that she's doing it for Higgins, even if she can't actually admit that to herself. And now Higgins is in denial, too, telling himself that he's "kicking the can down the road" rather than accept the real reason why he couldn't pull the trigger. And Yukia giggling like a crazy person and running away in that situation fits her character as well as anything she has done in this story, I think.
Again, as I said in my last review, your writing for the action scenes is top notch. That's no less true here, and I feel like you captured the struggle of Chloé and company well in this climactic battle. Oklahoma and Cécilia flying in to save the day certainly kept up with Oklahoma's Han Solo vibes.
You know, I think Celia from Neet of the Living Dead is still my favorite villain that you've written (at least from your works that I've read so far), but Natasha isn't too far behind her. She's ruthless and cold-blooded, yet disciplined and tactical, and the casual, almost uncaring way she taunts her enemies, as though they're not worth the effort of showing too much emotion or digging too deep to hurt them, makes her feel dangerous and superior. She shows off her particular brand of sinister quite well in the brief segments with Mika, Emilie and her here.
It looks like next chapter is going to be the big one, and I'm curious to seek how exactly the climax plays out. I'm not sure how, but I've got a feeling that old-school nuke might just come into play at some point ...
Author's Response:
Natasha, like most Nekos, has adopted much of the culture from the human tribes and nations she's hid within. It's kind of telling as well that some Nekos such as Cecilia and the dead "Texan" one become very involved in their adopted homelands, while Natasha fought the English in the 100 Years War mostly out of annoyance because they interfered with her own schemes.
Chloe and Higgins are ultimately being pragmatic, neither has any other options, so it's trust one another or lose the war.
Gloria's got a 10 in Charisma and Luck, and Wisdom as a dump stat. She's getting the scoop of a lifetime at least, but whether or not anyone will believe her is another matter.
Yukia and Higgins have a complicated relationship, neither of them are great with feelings, and both like each other a lot, which is naturally going to confuse them both.
Natasha is definitely one of my favorite villains I've written, although yeah Celia still holds a fond place in my heart. I don't know if you ever read my story Reunion, but throw Arisu in there too and the three of them are probably my best ones.