[definitely spoilers in this comment!!]
Wow this game hit me in the feels in ways that no game has in years. I forgot games could hit you in the feels like that, what.
Clover is deeply relatable and I connected so hard over... like, everything about her? Her writing/creation aspirations, her optimistic, kinda naïve attitude about the world, her past not-great sexual experiences and the way she hasn't really found the way to move on from that yet, and also let'snotforget super cute trans girl, good
I cried a lot! Really good tears! There were a bunch of lines which just made me stop and gasp and take everything in and be like - nooooo whattt this is so painful and strong and also EXACTLY what I feel and, how am I connecting with a miniature video game story over this better than I've ever really been able to get across with the people who are closest to me? (I related to that part, Clover expressing herself more readily with Cerise (and Lexy!) than Hazel, too!!) It's cliche but I felt seen in a way that these kinds of stories are so good at telling.
Also, Clover getting up from the couch mid-breakdown (also midway through the story) and getting out of the house like that—that was chilling. In an, "I understand this and, though I haven't let myself feel anything like this in a long time, it effortlessly conveys exactly what this actually feels like" kind of way. I could ramble about every part of the narrative and writing for ages but I'll cut myself off and just say, I was completely emotionally gripped from start to finish, and I loved it.
The art and music are also just stunning. I love each character's design. I especially liked how Hazel was so expressive with gestures and poses and the like—naturally so, with less emphasis on their face, but goshdarn that's always a touch I love seeing! The transition from rubber -> plush Lexy was also so cool. I really liked how the backgrounds changed just a bit through the course of the day—and similarly, even though the primary tracks (home and amorous district) were reused, they felt different each time. All that changed was the tone of the story, but both of these songs felt so dynamic and continually emotionally connected! I have no idea how that kind of thing is pulled off, and maybe it's partially because I just love Flora music in the first place, but they played such a huge part in drawing me into the atmosphere, both Dewclaw-culturally and narrative-tonally. (also I love the Dewclaw Bazaar theme and hearing it reimagined here was so so cool.) Oh oh oh one last thing visiting Cherry Kisses and getting to decompress there and explore in ways Clover couldn't even come close to comfortably doing so before, was so good, and the music played another big part there!
Okay I think that's basically everything that I can fit without taking up two screen heights with a wall of text. This VN is awesome and I can't wait to see what you do with the full game!
[lots of spoilers in this comment if you are scrolling upwards for some reason!]
edit: "5 minutes, 31 seconds before the deadline" lol gg
Seriously though this entire creation owns!!