1. The bachelor I liked most was definitely Reksa. While all three of the bachelors' stories were compelling in their own way I liked Reksa in the way he handled both aspects of good and evil (though I could do without him calling Tamara woman all the time). He was good but he wasn't afraid to toe the boundary between the softer and rougher sides of him and that's what I find most intriguing and exciting about him. Because his reactions/emotions were so intense it made the story more exciting for me. That in combination with his moral stance when it came to his character really made me adore the guy - it wasn't just me he protected, he worked to protect the villagers and even in Rama's route he came back to warn Tamara of the oncoming Komodo attack. I felt like Reksa was somebody who gave you the best of both worlds: he would never hurt anyone unless they were a threat and his chracter (outside of where Tamara's concerned) is admirable and interesting independently because of all the different aspects of his personality; at the same time he's not afraid to be rough with Tamara which let us see Tamara's rough side (referring to how Tamara was punching him in his good ending to try and escape loll) and that was really funny to see. I did Reksa's storyline first so even when I played Rama's and Mitra's it was easy to spot the differences and it just made me love Reksa's character even more ^.^
I also really liked how he diverted from the sort of ordinary stereotype of the man being the dominating power and the woman being the meek one - Mitra was a family man and he was an incredibly good person and he preferred Tamara fulfill the roles of a gentle homemaker and mother rather than her developping the skills of a warrior (which is okay and i understand that he doesn't want to see Tamara getting hurt) but I really wanted to see Tamara being all badass on her own lol even though she really didnt have much fighting skill, its really refreshing seeing an empowered heroine (when seeing her display her CPR skills with Reksa -- i mean even though it didn't work just seeing her out there in the field demonstrating what she was capable of was great and with Reksa it felt more like a team effort when they were taking down the Komodo's).
2. I really love games that dive into the past. Something about history and the lives of those who lived before us has always fascinated me and so this VN's spin on that spiked my interest from the beginning. I also really like the fighting/action that's often woven into stories that dive into the past (i'm a sucker for a good action scene) so that (and of course the romance aspect) kept me interested throughout all the storylines.
3. Honestly I really loved it - and I know it's a simple thing to say but what I mean by that is the best stories are those that succeed in creating a new world for you to live in and be a part of as you read the lines of the tale. I was able to step out of my own world and join Reksa, Mitra, Rama, Granny, Asih and Yuda in theirs and it was really fun. Plus I became pretty emotionally invested in the VN - I mean the shock, the horror, the laughs, the sadness - I experienced it all. The art was beautiful and intensified and brought to life the words written for the story so that was definitely something that stood out to me each time Tamara had a moment with one of the characters, but I mean the story and the art went hand in hand for me - neither could be made so wonderful without the other. The endings were really fulfilling, they put a soft end to the story - it wasn't like the characters were ripped away from you and you were rid of the world, instead the stories and the characters kind of stayed with you which I thought was a pretty surprising effect that the story managed to have on me. (The music was fantastic too btw - I have the piano melody playing in the background as I write this - it makes me feel so at peace aha)
The Indonesian aspect of it was really refreshing to see. For me, the books/movies/tv shows I have available to me to read are based in primarily in America so it was great seeing a change in setting and culture. I'm really interested in Indonesian culture too (even though I don't know a whole lot about it) so I was pleasantly surprised when the story drew from there so thank you for including that. It was nice seeing that part of you woven into the story.
3. I'd really want to know about the process behind the novel - what you were thinking when you decided to create it, how the story came together, what influences in your life influenced how the story turned out, what you love most about your own story and what you're thinking in terms of VN's for the future? (I know these are a lot of questions but i'm really curious!)
Critique wise -hm, I think it would be awesome to see a more skilled female lead (though Tamara was adorable and I loved her lol) it would be cool to see someone more capable and independent (though I did admire Tamara's emotional skill when it came to handling these relationships). That's all I can think of right now! Seriously the story was great :3
4. yES!