A million thanks! I'm completely delighted with your analysis of this chapter, Bohemianne! The compliments are tremendously stirring, of course, but also you've touched on so many aspects of the production that I was concerned should work right! I'm deeply gratified that you enjoyed the layouts… the angles and POVs which I try to employ for visual interest! They're working for you just as I hoped they should, to help the reader feel as involved in the proceedings as possible! I'm not terribly good at designing well-balanced, artfully arranged panel framing (the sort of thing you've proved you can handle so masterfully in your comix projects), so depend on these point-of-view techniques to fulfill some of the same function… to direct the readers' attention and provide a feeling of immediacy in a cinematic way. It's more satisfying than I can say that this approach appeals to your graphic sensibilities!
You're right indeed… the tickling is rather more show-casey in this chapter than it tends to be generally (due to all three scenes employ it as their coda, I suspect). I prefer that fetish involvement seem more haphazard than deliberate (more as "instances" than "sessions"), but the pacing employed here can't hurt too severely if it's only occasional against a broader backdrop of credibility. I'm really happy that you like the way Ijoli's participation is developing! It's of primary concern that characters' separate story arcs should seem believable, even when they're called upon to act flamboyantly. And thank you once again for your kind words about my use of color! As I think I've mentioned before, much of my color sensibility derives from early '60s TV and may appear intense to the point of being garish. My sympathies are with those pioneer set designers, though… I favor bold, solid primaries and secondaries that demand attention! I find they deliver that sense of immediacy and personal involvement I strive for.
Thanks very much once again! I look forward to more of your own lovely, polished artwork very soon!