Re: Lisa the Legend - Chapter 61 up!!
Brian: Hey man, thanks for the prompt review as usual. It looks like I was right in being a bit concerned about how the emotion in this chapter would be received. Oddly, I was more worried about the Lisa-Gavin scene being overly melodramatic than the earlier parts of the chapter which focus on Lisa's isolation. In any case, I can't help but agree with you that it was a very off-kilter chapter; I kind of knew, as I wrote it, that it was rather different, yet I was also positive that it was the right thing to happen. I even considered re-writing chapter 60 before I posted 61, but that felt like a terrible step backwards, so I left it as it was. I thought I'd put enough hints in there as to Lisa's mental state, but I think it all got lost in the interaction with Emma, and the recapping, and the letters, and the spider. But, despite the way people have responded to chapter 61, I'm still sure it was all necessary, but I suppose that's because, as the writer, I have a different perspective on the story to the readers.
Ada: I hear you, and well, yeah - see what I wrote for Brian, I suppose, since it's the same explanation really. I suppose it didn't fit particularly well, but in my head it seemed logical, because I had been expecting Lisa to have this kind of breakdown-therapy thing for some time now. What I've learned from this is that I'll have to start looking at things a bit more from the reader's point of view. ^^ Thanks for reading though - and I'm really pleased that the Dr. Tanner scene and the Lisa-Gavin parting scenes worked, as they were probably the most vital things in this chapter plot-wise. I liked the way you spoke of Gavin and Lisa as 'two parts of a whole', too.
Sike Saner: Hi again, thanks for reading and replying once more! It's really good to hear that you found those discussions believable and engaging, because as I wrote them I thought I might get readers rolling their eyes at me or something. Yes, Gavin was rather proud of this particular wound, wasn't he? Rather more so than the scar the Union gave him earlier. His scar holds connotations of being trapped, helpless and, of course, tortured; while his latest wound reflects his (rather brave) fight on Mt Fairfax, hence the contrast. Oh, and the moment with Gavin was quite sweet I spose, but it was also a bit more than that.
About the panic attack: I'm glad you all thought it was depicted well - I tried to get the details as close as possible to described accounts of panic attacks. The reason it came out of nowhere was actually simply in the nature of those attacks, though: As Dr. Tanner explained, 'panic attacks' are kind of a latent response of fear and anxiety to something that has already happened. Whether or not Lisa was feeling calm and safe and emotionally sound one second before the attack is irrelevant, because they characteristically strike without warning and without any trigger.
About the next chapter: Lisa will be getting out of this damn hospital next chapter, I assure you. I've written some of this but I'm sure it will change, it always does with time. The planning of the rest of the book is still continuing, with very good results. I'm grabbing hold of all these flyaway threads and forcing them to weave. Much fun!
EDIT: 900 posts! I thought we'd never make it! Thanks to all my readers and reviewers and critics for all your feedback and support thus far, it's been great! [/unnecessary speech]
Originally Posted by mr_pikachu
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