Soooo.............
Sitting here crying LOL
Thanks for that /j
This hit me pretty hard. Though I never had a first date like this, as someone who never actually "dated" and didn't find a partner until, well, let's just say a good while into my life and who got made fun of a number of times for not having kissed anyone (or more than that) "at my age," I related to Katekyo more than I can say. Particularly the realization afterwards, the attempt to refute it -- because it can't be true, right?? -- to the research and posting on forums about it (AVEN), to the acceptance that you know what, that actually makes sense, and the eventual relief and comfort I found from it (for me personally, figuring things out made it so I didn't have to assume/accept I'd have to do certain things with a partner, which provided me comfort as before that I had always assumed it was inevitable no matter what somehow LOL).
Ehhh... anyway. Didn't mean to ramble on so much but just wanted to show how much I could put myself in his shoes and then why there were tears running down my face in the part where Katekyo was having his realization/denial panic moment.
Lara made me want to scream. And it's not even just like, her as a character, but the fact that so many people think like this that I think is what really gets me. So having so many her comments just stark and out in the open like that really cut into me. Like, even just from the very beginning -- Katekyo feeling uncomfortable because of the way he knows she's looking at him and the sexualizing comments she's making were already sending uncomfortable shivers up my spine as I feel similarly in that just knowing that someone is looking and thinking about me in a sexualized way unsettles me to the core. You did a really good job of writing a scene that would make an ace person want to shrivel up and die LKAJDLFKASDF I really enjoyed when Katekyo finally shot back at her with his own insensitive and demanding questions. I could probably never have done this myself in a situation like that, so it felt incredibly empowering and I enjoyed getting to feel like Katekyo (and I) had regained some of his agency in the end at least.
GOD SHE MAKES MY BLOOD BOIL THOUGH.
Guh...
Going back to the whole realization/denial scene, that was so well done. With the sprites and the expressions and the animation and everything. It was incredibly intense, especially as I was already overwhelmed by the whole experience, so it really hammered it home. You're really good at directing those kinds of "jolt" scenes that cut straight into some kind of intense emotion and really make you feel it as the player (similar to those scenes in High School Lolita).
Mmm. OK finally my heart has started to calm down a bit LOL I had to just kinda sit there and stare at the title screen after it was done before I was able to write this LOL And now writing this has helped me work through my feelings LKAJDLFKASJDF Anyway, this was wonderfully done. I MEAN SUPER INTENSE. But really well done. And also I'm really excited and curious to learn more about Katekyo!! I feel like we have a lot in common LAKJDLFKSD