oh no

it came

H I G H E R   T H A N   A N   A E R O P L A N E ! ! !

Everything in this story is visceral, a spiraling sequence of memories, struggles and desires that I went to bed and woke up in the morning thinking about. It's a feeling that continued 'til the end of the series, but I never felt it as strongly as when I wrote this.

Which isn't to say this story stands alone. It's understandable that people isolate it and identify with it closely. But I think it's one of the most "earned" moments in the series, built on years of everything I had to give.

I wish I'd done those messenger windows better. I would've also liked if those first 2 panels of Mar staring into the 4th wall matched the final ones a little better. But then I get annoyed at my impulse to "bookend" everything, as if that's what good storytelling is about, and I return to thinking they are fine.