this game is difficult for me to talk about but i want to find the words anyway because i ended up really liking it. this game was upsetting and painful, but i like that. i found it both relatable in a very real way but also less relatable in others. still i took those parts that aren't relatable to me and handled them with empathy. art that is challenging is important, for many reasons but especially for taking in other perspectives that could or will conflict with your own and so i enjoyed it for that especially.
it's hard to talk about without going too in depth about my own experiences. my mother never did anything as bad to me but she was still cruel to me in ways that were often very subtle and i still ended up developing feelings for her despite that, feelings that i still hold now. the depiction of that attraction, of wanting to please your mother, of wanting to save her, even of the mother encouraging that behavior was all very cathartic to read written out like this. i think that i have come to a better understanding of my own relationship through reading this work.
something i am still ruminating on is your depiction of plurality. i related to this less but i do think that is natural between plural experiences, as these sorts of things aren't set in stone and are highly variable from person to person. additionally i have found the depiction of plurality a difficult thing to undertake for many. i think you did well, it not being totally clear working well with how unclear it is for the characters themselves. at least in my case i didn't catch on to what was happening until later within the work, which feels consistent with how plurality often develops unnoticed before becoming more apparent later in life.
the letters in particular are probably my favorite part of the game as a whole, and i made sure to finish reading them all before leaving a comment. i found them a good look into your thoughts while writing, putting much of the story into context and clicking into place the last remaining pieces in my understanding. they are personal and messy and conflicting and indicative of the sort of emotional state that comes from undertaking a project like this. i think their inclusion isn't just insightful but necessary.
i have more thoughts but i would rather not get into them in a public space for how much they relate to my own experiences.
thank you for writing this,
~plushie