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This was a very interesting story with some cool things to ponder over! I'm a lover of science-fiction and cyberpunk fiction, and this story seem to tackle transhumanism in particular. The elephant in the room of course is that this VN is very sparse with its visuals - it's more apt to call it a short story with some music in it as well. (By the way, the music is pretty good for being what I assume to be stock music! I liked the track during "The Competitor") However I didn't really mind this at all, although it could be a dealbreaker for some. The only thing I find to be a shame is that the concept art shown after the ending is super promising and great looking, and I wish the creator had incorporated them into the VN somehow, even if they were just a single sprite for each character.

As for the story, I feel like it was about how we dehumanise disabled people and how even disabled folks themselves internalise their ableism. My take on it is that while Vanessa is an open bigot who freely steals from the weak, Sam is equally toxic in that they feel extremely posessive over Millie and doesn't really seem to view her as a person. But I do have some criticisms - first, the dialogue is very stilted, and it could have been more smooth. Second, the story proper is too short to fully explore some of these themes, and the "bonus scenes" could have easily been incorporated into the main story. Anyway I thought this was a cool entry that definitely could've been improved upon even more!

Thank you for such a thoughtful and elaborate comment!

I agree with you about the visuals. I really struggled with those. And it didn't feel right to call it a visual novel so I called it “interactive fiction” instead (and then explained how it's supplemented with photos and music as a feature). Though there are some backgrounds which I thought worked pretty well: for example, the empty stadium in “The starting line”, along with the music, creates some atmosphere of loneliness and nostalgia, it's as we see things from Sam's eyes as she's sitting there and reminiscing. I also agree the concept art was promising. And I'm considering editing it and using it to make the game more illustrative in a future update.

And yes, I used royalty-free stock music. And it took a surprising amount of time to find the right tracks and edit the music to better fit my vision. So I'm glad you like it.

I meant the story to be more about toxic relationships in general, especially when it comes to people that are dear to you. But you have an interesting interpretation. Could you explain in what you see the internalisation of ableism? Other than that, yes, I did intend that Vanessa is the type of person to prey on the weak. As for Sam, while the idea is that she genuinely wishes happiness for Millie and even wants Millie to find a girlfriend, there is indeed a certain possessiveness to her, especially in “The losers”. She is putting a lot of effort to help Millie but she chooses to be the sole carer. And I had this idea that this is paradoxically her own way of being selfish.

I have also considered incorporating the “bonus scenes” in the main story. But they seemed to clash with what I was going for in the main game. For example, what happens at the end of “The losers” is meant to come as a bit of a surprise which is then elaborated in “The goal”. And I also liked the idea of additional fragmentation and the extra scenes as some reward for finishing the game. I thought it makes the game more distinct.

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Fair point about the bonus scenes! So what I meant by internalisation of ableism refers to how Millie has extreme self hatred of herself and perceives herself to be worthless and how a lot of this is her taking in what other people say about her and choosing to believe they are correct. I thought that was something that is actually rather common for disabled people so it was interesting to see!

Ok, I see. Interesting point. :) Maybe the way she acts like her life is already over can also be considered some form internalized ableism.