Wow...this has got the be the most personal feeling of the arcs. Like, my carrot, my fellow human: take a break after this. It feels like this time, you are not exaggerating the pain this arc put you under, and I want you to be healthy and, most importantly, alive.
I say all of that knowing you're probably doing all of that already. But still, just felt it needed to be said.
OK, personal note aside...
THIS ARC WAS AMAZING AND I AM SOOOOOOOOOOOO HAPPY AND PROUD YOU HAD THE COURAGE TO PUT IT TOGETHER.
When someone tells me, "I don't feel comfortable with sex," I feel like I can honestly respond, "I get it," after experiencing this chapter. If one isn't comfortable and is just thrown into it or forced to do it, whether by themself or by others, it is deeply horrifying and not something I would ever wish upon even my worst enemy.
Like, I feel like this is the benchmark for "artfully and tastefully-put-together morality play regarding why sex is a choice" - and it makes me sad knowing most people will never see it just because of how obscure it is.
I could go into how Cecil is the opposite of Gidget's mother, in that when he says, "This isn't you," it's because he truly cares for Gidget and wants what's truly best for her. I could go into the sheer perfection of the audio and visual choices. I could lament in length how Gidget, so obsessed with fulfilling her mother's selfish wishes, failed to realize Gidget gave her the man she actually wanted. But the arc speaks for itself.
Like, the only criticism I have is the blood and gore lack the visceralness of the previous chapters. It sounds strange to say, but I've found you know how to execute such things in an artful way. It's gross, but it's appropriate. Yet given the subject matter, and given just how personal this arc clearly was for you, Carrot, I don't mind it at all - in fact, I feel a bit like a masochist just for mentioning it.
Also, looking forward to The Arc Where Everyone Else Joins Orlam in Remembering, And In Which Orlam Tries to Become Destiny (God).