OH GOSH thank you again for playing, Akazukin, and for always leaving such lengthy and thoughtful comments 😭💦 I'm very honored that you picked up another one of my games! (And relieved that it didn't disappoint 😂)
===SPOILERS===
I'm glad that the characterization was realistic 🤣 (I might have known a few guys like the Doctor as well...) - it is interesting how quickly people "catch" on to the mechanic... and no no, no need to apologize! Loop mechanics is exactly what I was going for! I always think it's very neat when VNs use the medium in an interesting way (particularly with "game loops") so I really wanted to think of a cool way to use them 🤔 (I would like to play around with such game mechanics in the future - since usually I write rather straightforward/linear stories!)
And YES, you caught on my intent exactly 😭💦 the Doctor, upon hearing an answer that he does not like, doesn't seek to investigate the cause of this "discrepancy" or persuade Yumeko - he takes the easiest way out, to just "remove" the error, because he doesn't understand, and he doesn't care to. Violence is precisely what I wanted to mimic here - as I wanted to see if I could convey the brutality of abuse without outright physical violence 🤔
And yes 😓 while I'd say none of the endings are "canon," the final route you mentioned is the one that I would point out as the canon route if I were asked for one 🤣 simply because, well, it's a realistic and all-too-common outcome in these situations. Thank you so much 😭 You're too kind! And I am SO HAPPY that you found it rather queer-coded as well! I did want to echo this kind of experience - of being forced into a "feminine box." (Fun fact, I actually considered naming the "freedom" ending "The Person" and allowing the player to pick their name/gender at the end - but in the end I didn't want to make the message too complicated or muddied 😭) Gosh I'm really glad that you could relate to the message/ideas in such a way! (As a rather "strong-minded" woman I've also found myself scraping/banging against societal expectations 😓 it's difficult...)
GOSH I AM VERY GLAD THAT YOU NOTICED THAT, that the Doctor doesn't appear while Yumeko does 🥹💦 I did want to convey in the end that the Doctor isn't that important 🤣 since this is about Yumeko's story - and her trying to find a body (and power) for herself.
AND THANK YOU FOR MENTIONING THE NARRATORS, it was actually an idea that I had midway through production and I am so glad that I did 😭😭 all the VAs I worked with were absolutely stellar, and they added SO much to the experience that I can't imagine what the game would have been like without them! 😭
THANK YOU AGAIN for taking the time to play and leave all of your thoughts, they're really a treasure to read, gosh 🥹💦 and they really make my day (and my entire week!) I'm glad that you enjoyed it! 💕