Even though I can't respond to every point, I want to thank you for writing all of this! I love reading the author's thoughts on projects, especially when they're written out as thoroughly as this.
I did notice on my first read that the more popular/typical species were thrust into the background and were generally made more unlikeable, but I don't think the execution came off as pretentious at all. It's more interesting from an aesthetic standpoint for diversity's sake, and it's more interesting from a worldbuilding standpoint considering the social hierarchies you're setting up in this universe. It's more interesting and enlightening to hear from the "lesser" members of the food chain.
I also think it was a good narrative move to kill Tucker. In murder mysteries, writers do often kill side characters or characters that they think won't be missed because they don't want to upset readers. But why even write a story centered around murders if you want to spare people's feelings? It's an inherently upsetting topic. Killing a character like Tucker right off the bat was shocking. It lets the reader know that no one's safety in this story is guaranteed, and it makes the murderer feel more like a present threat than if they were just bumping off nameless characters we don't really know. (Also, I know this is 100% wrong, but I hope the murderer is the bunny girl from Tucker's party. I wouldn't even blame her 💅)
Even one build in, this FVN already has a distinct flavor, so you should keep up what you're doing regardless of its future reception or popularity. I appreciate you branching out beyond the typical tropes so BYH doesn't get lost in the sea of FVN content. I'm excited to see how the plot unfolds in future updates. Whatever happens next, I'm almost certain it'll be completely unpredictable.