Thank you so much for your comment! Since you took the time to be thorough here, I will try to do the same for a response :)
The fact that you felt something for all the characters really makes me happy, though I understand, much like the comment below yours, the disappointment that comes with the fate of some characters. All I can really say about it is that everything's been thoroughly planned and all outcomes carefully thought out; whether it's for character development or shock value to the reader, there's a reason behind it all.
When it comes to the art, your criticism is completely valid and one I've heard before from my close knit friends that play tested it. The lack of art variety (and arguably quality) is linked to two things: my overall apathy with drawing and a depression to boot. I'm not going to go into sob stories here, it's just a fact of my life I've been working to overcome. Whether it's a direct result of the depression or not, drawing has become something I don't enjoy anymore. The art you see was painstakingly made as is, so I went for the bare minimum. I agree with you that some scenes could have been improved with visuals, but it was (and still is) something that is very difficult for me to do. It does not excuse it, but I certainly hope this gives you a bit of insight into why it's so. My next VN will be illustrated by another artist, thankfully, so there should be more variety of sprites (expressions!!) and some CGs at least, so that should be something to look forward to :)
As for your suggestion of an alternate timeline, I actually like that a lot! There would certainly be things I could explore more with those characters and different outcomes could certainly be interesting. That being said, I stand by the decisions I've made relating to the story of Valentine's Rain. I'm all for exploring what ifs though!
And lastly, regarding contributions, the fact that you want to at all means already so much to me ^^ I used to have the donate button active here on Itchio, but some friends told me it dissuaded others from downloading the game. For me, it's more important that people feel free to play the game than any coin I could make. I created Valentine's Rain to be an experience to be enjoyed by the most people possible. And in having played the game yourself and commenting about it, you've already given me more support than you can imagine ^^ So yeah, consider that mission accomplished haha!
Thanks again for playing the game! Despite the art and some disagreements with the dramatic turns of events, I do hope you still had a good experience :)