Aw I love it! A really fun little framing for the scene. And I'm glad it snuck up on you, that's always the ideal circumstance for stuff like this. Especially with the looping in the first game, since there's some fun potential that people will expect it to just be the same again.
"Hypnovember prompt challenge (yes it’s July…)" Sounds like about my pace (though the game art for 3 IS coming along, finally). But thanks for the art! I've said this before, but it helps, especially on these long dev cycles, to be reminded people are still thinking about, playing, and enjoying the games.
Also, should I take this to mean you haven't played GT yet? If you enjoyed CS this much, GT should be quite a ride.