Taking a bit of time to address my thoughts on the New Sequence and why exactly they're so creepy.
Well, firstly, they're subtle. Very subtle. In most cases, a cult or religion is actively trying to sway the public to their side. And sure, the Sequence does it, but never obviously. The thing about Sequencers is that they can pop up anywhere, anytime, and seem inconspicuous enough but there's always something about them which refuses to sit comfortably with you. Loaning out your cottage by the observatory? This smiling, dark-spectacled "Surface astronomer" is happy to lease from you. It's almost normal. Almost. If you aren't the type that pays attention to your renters, you just might gloss right over it. That means it's working.
And you ought to wonder. Just how many live in London? How many masquerade are average citizens? You've heard there's a number of Sequencers within the Admiralty, but to what extent? They seem to be everywhere, yet on the average day, to the average Londoner, it's like they aren't there at all. But still they are, and they're busy.
Thus we get to their relation with the Dawn Machine. When one looks at a Sequencer, one has to wonder, is this fellow really their own? Or are they simply puppets of a false star? Thus far we can see that, appart from the constant chipper attitudes, and the fierce devotion to the Machine, they largely retain independent thought, and perhaps some aspects of their old personality. But there are some cases where we have to wonder if their words are really their own. Again, it's subtle. If the Machine does speak through its servants, it's smart about it. We don't yet know the full extent of the Machine's power; what it does, what it can do, and what it is going to do. The Sequence is highly secretive. We don't know the full capabilities of the Dawn Machine. For all we know, it could be much more than anyone ever imagined.
And above all, there's the looming threat which the Sequence poses. Sometimes you might forget about it, wrapped up in other things. Sometimes something horrible will unfold, or London will be threatened once again. But they are still there. Watching, waiting. They have an incredible amount of resources at their disposal, and they continue to amass more, by establishing connections across the zee and quietly infiltrating London's high society. They're always there, and they're dangerous.
That's what makes it frankly terrifying. It's a hidden danger and you have no idea how deep the roots go.
