skyangel at 1:02PM, Jan. 10, 2013

Locoma: I'm glad you got that. I wasn't sure if it was too subtle or not but you picked up on it so hopefully others did too :)

skyangel at 1:00PM, Jan. 10, 2013

DV: This is all Sarah's dream, although the temptation to make it Nikki's at the end was strong too. But as we always see everything through Sarah's eyes, including the Skyangel scenes I think it's best left as being her own perception of how she thinks everyone else feels and what they would be most likely to say to her. :)

skyangel at 12:57PM, Jan. 10, 2013

Bistander! Did you make that account up just to post this? ;) Thanks for that lovely comment. You're quite right of course and I think you have echoed the voices of many other readers who were afraid I was trying to be too clever and turn the whole of SS into a coma dream or something. The Christmas stories have always been just for fun before and totally separate from the main comic. It was fun to use the characters we know already though as it added an extra layer of interest to the story and allowed me to scare you all with the fourth wall stuff that would have ruined the credibility of the main comic. So yes, I was worried that this whole thing might just come across as a completely confusing mess but fortunately you all seem to have enjoyed it, which makes it all worth while :)

tommym at 11:59AM, Jan. 10, 2013

Dear Sky, Glimmer of hope? Sarah will be thinking of Janey and I have the feeling she will want her back. tommym

Bistander at 9:43AM, Jan. 10, 2013

For an apparent "escape a dead-end story" though the 4th wall, this has turned out to be an _interesting_ twist. Skyangel, quite frankly, I cringed when I saw you write Nikki as your Mary Sue, I actually teared a bit when you started to unravel Sarah's world as your Mary Sue's comic, and got depressed when Nikki started to tell Sarah all about it. I was disappointed because in all other aspects this (and your other stories) are so compelling, presenting real life emotions and conundrums with no simple "happy ever after" solutions, and I was afraid this well of inspiration had run dry... BUT... You have _succeeded_ where so many other storytellers have disappointed me! I'm _sorry_ I doubted you, and I'm ever so glad I powered through the apparent de-construction of your tale, and how it made me feel so blue. Now I feel more intrigued than ever to see how Sarah & Stacy will take their moment of clarity back into daily life. Thanks for a "new beginnings" tale I can believe in! a fan

Locoma at 6:56PM, Jan. 9, 2013

that was clever, I liked how the line "this will change nothing except perhaps how you feel" started like a let-down in second panel and is a glimmer of hope in the last one.

Phantomduck at 4:53PM, Jan. 9, 2013

It could still happen since the story isn't finished yet but the question would be: does Nikki still want it?

BearinOz at 4:53PM, Jan. 9, 2013

Not kiss - the eyes are looking to his(her?) left. But I loved that last panel face too!

DarkVisor at 3:58PM, Jan. 9, 2013

Oh, and definately getting an 'Isla Fisher' vibe in the last panel (something to do with the lips mostly, but's the whole face as well) and she looks like she wants to kiss Nikki :D

DarkVisor at 3:53PM, Jan. 9, 2013

Agreed, a very good story. Is it really Nikki telling Sarah that what she does in the Dream doesn't really change anything except possibly how she feels? Or is it Sarah telling herself that, using the image of Nikki as a medium? Or maybe, Nikki didn't really know about Sarah's little Nightmare wrangling (only time will tell, and the next time Sarah sees Stacey)

KimLuster at 1:46PM, Jan. 9, 2013

Well, this turned into a really good little story...