Thank you sooooo much for taking the time to write your thoughts on the VN!! ;n; Please don't apologize for writing a long comment! It always makes me absolutely thrilled to get these kinds of comments! I read every word you wrote and I can't tell you how much I appreciate it!
I'm really glad you loved the illustration I commissioned from my friend, Mmishee! I saw examples of their work and knew right away I wanted them to draw a poster for the game!
And I'm glad you liked the artwork in the intro! That I drew myself! Though I struggled a bit, I really wanted to do all the in-game illustrations and sprites myself! :) And I'm glad you liked all the cool little coding things I put in the game, too!
!!! SPOILERS
I'm so glad that you thought that Sans was written well. I really strived to make him as close to the funny skeleton we all know and love (with a SOULmate twist, of course!) But of course, I had to add a little flirty flair via the MTT Resort comedy routine. ;) And I'm glad you thought I re-created the vibe of Undertale! I really wanted to re-create that feeling of the Underground as best as I could!
It seems that you found the secret route by resetting the second time! And that's a really cute way to interpret that route with Papyrus! I wanted to make sure the other skelebro got some love, too!
I did want to mention, however, after the Hopes and Dreams segment when you load up the game again and Flowey talks about giving you a SAVE file... he actually does do that. It's the SAVE file called "Sans Reservations." And that would've taken you directly to the end of the True Love route and to the part of MTT Resort where you can tell him the secret codeword. :D You eventually found it, you just took a little detour! And there's nothing wrong with that, either! It means you got to spend time with Papyrus more, too!
That scene in the judgment hall was probably the first scene I wrote and the first scene I imagined when I was in the writing process of Dating Start! I wanted it to feel like a release of all the emotions that have been building up to that point. And the "daring the resets to try and tear you apart" was one of my favorite lines to write. :)
Good luck if you to the True LOVE/No Love (Genocide) route! I don't want to say any more about it. You understand, I'm sure. =)
Thank you again for writing your thoughts on the VN and for playing it! I'm glad it warmed your heart with love.
Stay determined,
Cho 💜