Given the length and quality of recent reader reviews, and given how much time simply writing this fanfic is taking up, I'm afraid I won't be able to give detailed point-by-point replies to future reviews (or the most recent ones). So if there's any specific question you'd like to ask about a fanfic element, please PM it to me. There are a few general points I'll make here, though:
1. I'm really glad that Sayaka/Madoka is coming off well in Mami Lives right now, especially going by what Deikan and Dr. Casey recently wrote. The fact that Dr. Casey now finds it hard to believe that Sayaka would be happy with Kyousuke given the strength of Sayaka/Madoka really does say a lot I think.
I had been worried that Sayaka/Madoka might seem too sappy at this juncture, so I'm quite happy that the charming romance I personally envision with it is coming through well.
2. Trying to balance heartwarming romance moments (and happy moments in general) with good, intense drama is one of the bigger challenges for me with this fanfic. Recent constructive criticism shows where I can sometimes go too far one way (Sayaka handling Madoka's decision to become a magical girl in
Mami Lives, Sayaka Romance a bit better than perhaps she should have), or the other (perhaps making Madoka seem less faithful than even Makoto Itou in some narrative branches
). I will continue to do my best to strike a reasonable balance here, but I will occasionally be off. But if I do err too much one way or the other, I welcome further constructive criticism there.
3. Coldlight, one of these days I'm going to sit down and carefully go over your more detailed editing suggestions that I have not yet gone along with (such as the ones you recently made for Kyouko in the Canon Route). But I do intend to put those off until after the completion of the entire fanfic, if that's Ok with you. After all, the main thing (even to me) is Kimidori's final completion of the actual VN of this. I hope for that VN to be the true, final, entirely polished version of this fanfic narrative. The vast majority of this fanfic won't change, but some bits and pieces, and sections here and there might be polished up a bit for the completed VN (which I expect to be several months away, since I know it's a lot of work for Kimidori - work that I thank him greatly for).
4. To all of you, Kogetsu especially, thanks for the great, detailed reviews that are consistently of a mostly (if not entirely) positive nature.
Those replies are invaluable to me, and I ask readers to please keep them coming. In fact, I have to admit that some of my hesitation in furthering things along lately is uncertainty over how recent updates have been received by some of my more dedicated readers. I'm now going to make some general statements pertaining to that, as well as a request for some specific "fanfic-wide" feedback.
This fanfic project has always been something of an experiment, and many of the narrative branches and special ends I've chosen to go with are smaller experiments within the wider experiment.
Right now, I have to admit that I find myself a bit overcome by the growing complexity of it. There are now (or at least will soon be) routes within chains within chains.
I fear that this fanfic might be losing a certain "fun factor" to it, perhaps as its overwhelmed by increasing complexity for my readers as well.
With this in mind, there's a major course change I'd like to take - Something that I think will please Deikan at least, but I'd like to get everybody's take on it. I'd like to go straight through the rest of Mami Lives now before continuing on with the Canon and Homura/Sayaka Alliance Chains. Reasons in Spoiler Space below.
So, the big question is this:
Would readers here be Ok with me bringing the big Mami Lives branch to its conclusion before I continue on with the Canon Chain? I think if I do this, I can have Mami Lives completed within two weeks.
Some other specific questions:
A. Are people growing impatient for Madoka/Homura? That is the canon pairing, of course. If people are growing impatient for that, I can speed things up a bit.
B. There will be just one Madoka/Mami romance, and just one Madoka/Kyouko romance. But there will likely be multiple Madoka/Sayaka and Madoka/Homura romances. My thinking is that I'll make the Madoka/Sayaka romance on the Mami Lives side the 'main' Madoka/Sayaka romance, and the Madoka/Homura romance on the Mami Dies side the 'main' Madoka/Homura romance (and the "True Route" ending as well). Is this Ok with my readers?
Well, that's all for now!
I'd like to hear back from all of the people reading this fanfic on these questions. Even if you've never commented on it before, or even if you haven't commented in several weeks or even months.
I want this fanfic to be as pleasing to as many Madoka Magica fans as possible.
If most people are Ok with me writing Mami Lives straight to the end, the next update on this fanfic will be a Mami Lives one.
Otherwise it'll be Canon Chapter 14.