Well, just as you said I may not like your response, I have a feeling you may not like mine either.
I genuinely appreciate that you took the time to write all of this and share your thoughts. I welcome any and all feedback, from anyone at any time. You've given me a lot to consider, and I'd be lying if I said I agree with all of it, it's still something I appreciate hearing. I'm not gonna promise that everything you suggested here will be implemented into the game (stuff like the art assets are pretty much locked in 100% for example), but I appreciated your points about coding and prose.
And you're absolutely not the first person to mention the photo-realistic backgrounds having real people feeling wrong. For that point, my artistic intention there is to follow the vibe of things like Gorillaz and Roger Rabbit. The mesh of animated characters into photo-realistic settings and background is something I've always found artistically appealing, but I 100% understand it's not for everyone.
Also, I have heard frustration about Syd's obsession with Steph from players before too. As the game goes on, and choices are made, his attraction and focus on her fades. Especially if he spends more time with Jayda or Maisy. I can see why it's frustrating in the demo though. My intention with Syd's crush on Steph is to help characterize him and make him more than just player avatar, and for our decisions as players to inform his character rather than define it. I know that style of VN protag isn't for everyone though.
Anyways you might consider this another softball reply from me, but I respect that you can have any opinion you like on this game. I'm happy that it stimulated this much analysis and discussion from you, because that's ultimately the point of art at the end of the day!