Comment on A Contrarian's Lunacy

  1. Account Deleted on Chapter 13 Wed 30 Mar 2022 05:59AM UTC

    (Sidenote, I forgot the character limit for comments and that I was already close to hitting it last time. Welp.)
    And with that, the final piece of this puzzle, Doremy, enters the scene as well. My assumption was that she wouldn’t intervene directly right up until the very end (just that she would at some point cause of the art for this chapter) given the nature of the Dream World; Everybody’s goals in this scenario require that Seija get herself out of this situation (seemingly) out of her own volition, one way or the other, and, as Doremy says, her end conclusion on the how has already been settled by this point. Still, Doremy’s contribution in all this is far from insignificant, even if the more direct parts were acted out by proxy via Satori, and her recapping her involvement here goes to show how things could have easily taken a turn for the worst had she found out about all of it in the nick of time (in a way that I still find perfectly believably paced though). Plus, we get to hear your take on Dream Koishi logistics, which I found to be very interesting despite never giving her as much thought I have other dream selves and I can definitely see that it was something you’d been building up towards ever since her inclusion, and Doremy highlighting the passive yet vital role Shin played in keeping Seija safe as a very good (and equally important) note to leave the latter on. (Weeell, I almost hoped that Seija would have a few kinder words to say/think to Satori, but as long as Koishi’s happy it’s all fair enough.)
    Speaking of the inchling herself, I’m very glad she got to make an appearance right at the end! I agree that her being present during the actual fight between the two Seijas would have easily rendered this entire conflict a fixed match, but a part of me still wishes that she had been regardless, not only for her to get a much-needed word in with her partner’s dream self, but also because being there to support her Seija is exactly what she considers to be her responsibility (especially in this instance, though I’m saying this while already having read the next chapter). In any case, she gets to act on that wish now and I’m very happy for that fact. And finally, Seija reflecting on her dream self’s last action towards the duo after getting the Hakurouken shard back serves as the perfect way to end both this chapter and the Dream World plotline.
    Alright, with all those 2000+ words said, I hope I got across just how much I enjoyed this chapter. (Yeah I am naturally finding more and more things to talk about with each chapter but this one in particular also just completely earned that by its own merits.) I can’t stress enough just how much I enjoy deep dives into a character’s psyche and the gratification from said character overcoming internal conflicts, which is exactly what this chapter was - combined with intense fights, a whole lot of scheming and a rollercoaster of emotions (huh, fitting given the location). Given how much buildup this chapter had on top of that, yeah, it delivered on everything what the end of a first major arc of a story implies. I hope the amount of time it took me to write this didn’t imply otherwise. That said, it also left loads of groundwork for chapter 14 and beyond to pick up and build upon, that’s for sure. That’s going to be my next target in due time, but for now, I’ll just say it feels good to be back again and I hope releasing chapter 14 felt that way for you too. As always, thank you for the great time!

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    1. ecreiP on Chapter 13 Wed 30 Mar 2022 08:58AM UTC

      The sheer depth of your comments are mind-boggling and this is so insanely humbling I really don't have words for it. Thank you.
      I'm don't think I'm capable of adequately responding to every last point here, but I'll do my best to touch on a few things:
      One of my favorite small parts of how this chapter turned out was Seija's reaction to the two's attacks canceling each other out and I'm happy that landed well. To the fight more generally, I really wanted to give the spectacle something that had so much build-up deserved while still having substance. I could wax on with fight choreography forever and there's an enjoyment to describing it, but this story is more about the characters doing the fighting. I always try to break up fights to have some banter in them and I felt it was especially important here to have that level of communication between the protagonist and the closest thing this story currently has to to a main antagonist. That said, it was also difficult not to have too much exposition since there was still a lot left to explain during and after the fight (especially when Doremy showed up).
      I appreciate just how much you dissected the characters and scenes. There's not much I can add other than that it's very vindicating to know everything I wanted to convey came through. Very specific emotional responses were intended in this chapter especially and your comment indicates that I succeeded, thank you. For the Dream Koishi Logistics:tm:, that was one thing I really wanted to describe in detail ever since I first decided to have the Dream World play a role in this story (as I touched on in the notes). Anything related to her psychology is incredibly interesting and the Dream World offers a unique lens to view her through. As such, I'm glad you enjoyed it. Regarding the long term involvement of everyone who isn't the main duo, I obviously can't say one way or another here, but hopefully you'll enjoy whatever comes next for the cast, new or returning.
      Good job on getting through all your university work and other ordeals! I know it's not easy; always take as much time as you need. Thank you for your constant encouragement towards me and this story and I hope you have a truly fantastic day/night.

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