Thank you for leaving an in-dept review! They help me a lot with writing, art and future productions. I'm pleased that this game left you a lot of positive thoughts. I added a lot of things I like about otome games or things in general that is rare: variety in routes which makes replaying fun, diversity in plot but the same universe, importance of side characters and more. The bonus content is a reward for people who like to explore all the world's corners. I had a lot of ideas and that shows in how each route is presented.
Your perspective depends on the playing order and it shows multiple sides of the supporting roles. Each main character faces the story from a different perspective and I wanted to do that with others as well. I purposedly didn't let the main characters interact much so they're left in mystery until you play their route. Junoru's route did have the most hidden characters. Even though they had short screentimes, I'm happy that they made an impression. The Kenriji parents are based on their sons (I designed them later). Yokishi is an older OC. Instead of creating new, I wanted to give an existing character a place to shine.
Regarding your questions:
1. Kaichi was stabbed in his heart which caused his first death. Rasumi removed the heart from his corpse later for keepsake and curse. It's Kaichi's emotions and the odd circumstances that gave him the chance to be revived as shinigami. It's a similar story with the ghost boy where he couldn't move on with missing body parts. Rasumi has a tendicy to curse people into children. To her, children are weaker and more 'pure' than adults. It was an attempt to make Kaichi forget about his hatred, but he actually retained all his memories. Another reason is that having no heart is a metaphor for having no feelings. It isn't exacyly in Kaichi's case, but in most cases he follows logic (until he met the MC haha).
2. Rasumi's motives were never clearly releaved. She seems to have different goals in every route. I initially wrote her to be an observer. She acts according to the situation. Hence MC's choices decide the outcome in Zeikun's route. She seems to act for her own entertainment because she is used to perform with a smile (her background as an angel and following orders with no obligation). Rasumi's own story isn't the focus in all routes, so I left that behind (future idea?). It is hinted that she had links with Jace.
3. Roya learns that Junoru gets along with the MC and tries to involve her further with them (just to hangout). His little brother gets lonely and he isn't the right person to comfort. Since his awakening, Roya has been chasing down every blood relative of the people that betrayed his parents- which is also his food source. Since the chase is coming to an end and he knows no other decent way to stay alive, he rather die. Part of it is his guilt for killing. He remembers his emotional abuse towards Kurato in the past so it feels like a justified way to die in his hands. At the same time, he is chased by Chain. It's impossible to run and hide forever in this small village. The last thing he wants is being taken by Chain.
I'm only a hobbyist writer so I can only share personal tips and things that I did.
- Something that gives inspiration is studying other's work and note down what you like/dislike. Even badly written pieces are interesting resources because they tell you what to avoid.
- Consistensy. More of a technical part. I had multiple editors and proof readers working on 1 route. I did that to lessen the workload and more opinions. I did limit the amount of people per route, otherwise the style will go all over the place. It took a few trial and errors to assemble the teams. Even if you're a top notch writer, you need at least a second/third opinion. It can do good to ask someone within and outside the community. They'll give a fresh look.
- Mannerism, speech and way of interactions with other are all elements that add dept to a character. Each individual has their own and that makes them unique. It's not that just their hobbies define who they are. I try to avoid arch-types and make my characters multi-dimensional. It's not that they're a bit of everything, but it surrounds a core.
- Keeping the world small. The more you add, the more you have to explain. You'll risk plot holes and maybe write about them just for the sake of it. One of the biggest problems creators face is that it doesn't get finished. Often I start with the outlines, then fill the details. I do that with drawing as well. If the fundamentals don't make sense, it's harder to edit it all later.
Now about art. This is a seperate journey. I took some time off the project to improve my skills.
- For projects like visual novels, I had to produce a hell lot within a short time. I was experimenting with styles and found something that is easy to work with. Simple, pleasant to look at and can be easily drawn. All characters were designed 'simple' in my standard. The designs weren't hard from any angle or pose. Keep in mind you'll be drawing the same character over and over if you plan do add CGs. A lot of small details might be overlooked. The definition of 'simple' is subjective.
- To be honest, initially I wanted to use stock images for background. Later, I realized that will look very inconsistent paired with other art. I didn't need to learn amazing background skills, but just something that works well with the sprites. I used not to enjoy drawing environment art, but grew to like it after studying them. So my advice is; start on things you like to learn. The first few creations might not turn out great, but that is a step further. Continue to polish your skills.
- Focus on one thing at a time. You'll be less overwhelmed and improve faster.
I started a short webcomic "Monochrome meets Color" to improve my composition and story telling skills. It was a small project of about 180 panels done in 3 months. Those short projects are very informative and I get to know my limits.
I hope this answers your questions. Thank you for the support!