WHAT A BEAUTIFUL GAME, and a truly emotional reflection on asexuality.
I'll comment on the make of the game first. It's beautifully made. I loved the presentation as a Skype-style video call; it's a really clever way of having both characters on screen while making it immersive. I also really like the shifting position of the dialogue bubble; it was immersive and helped communicate who was speaking even without the speaker tag. I really liked the painterly quality to the background and the general purple tones (ace flag~) The sprites are well-rendered, and I especially liked Jace's design. He immediately gave me the impression of a "stressed kid trying to figure himself out" with his two-toned dyed haircut and the bags under his eyes. The music is well-chosen and atmospheric, appropriately melancholic. I really liked the incorporation of the menu into the PC as well! (And for some reason I LOVED the UI sounds? They were so satisfying...)
==SPOILERS (though the game is short, you should really just play it!)==
Jace is a very sympathetic and relatable character. I appreciated how, even though he is "standing up for himself" - he's not all the way there yet. He's uncertain, he's not as firm as he can be. He's still figuring himself out, coming to terms with his identity and his abuse. But at the same time he's absolutely firm about his boundaries.
Alois is, in many ways, despicable - an irredeemable villain (particularly for cheating on his wife and grooming Jace from a young age). However, I appreciated the nuance in his portrayal. Alois IS nice to Jace in some ways, telling Jace how he appreciates him, remarking on his attractiveness, emphasizing that he is there to listen and support. It is these acts of kindness that lead Jace to be kinder/softer to Alois, even now, when the older man DOESN'T deserve it (avoiding crying so as not to bother Alois with his tears; not telling Alois that he groomed him and was a criminal when he WAS). Alois does not act like a villain all the time - and this is what makes him all the more villainous.
From a metaphorical perspective, I also appreciated the presentation of Alois as being much older and a groomer. As the dev mentioned, he represents an allosexual society - the "old establishment" that imposed his own values on Jace, "grooming" him into the thing that Alois wanted - a sexual object. (I also appreciated the fact that Alois grooms Jace from the age of 14 - the age when kids finish puberty and SHOULD start getting interested in "sex" - the age when society begins to bombard them with sexual expectations and imagery.)
The conclusion is a questionably "happy" one, but it is realistic. Alois does not try to understand Jace, not in the slightest. He curses Jace for "leading him on." It's appropriate. In society today, asexuality is something that is not well acknowledged or accepted.
While I have not experienced anything like Jace (or even close to it), as a person on the asexual spectrum I felt very seen in this game, and I really saw my own experience in it. It is difficult, especially as I am not sex-repulsed like other aces (so sometimes I question myself). Seeing Alois invalidate Jace's identity because of his occasional libido was relatable. Oftentimes, I feel the need to "play along" with the sexual gaze of people around me, as a way to feel normal or accepted (perhaps even "validated" as Jace felt). It is not something that BOTHERS me, but I have always felt like I was "playing a role," acting a part because that's the way everyone else is, not being myself. So I really saw myself in Jace, who "acts the part for Alois." I also related to Jace's late realization of his identity; even as an adult, I am still making discoveries about myself. I think that those discoveries can be difficult to accept since you feel like you should have it all figured out.
The reference to Kissing Snow White was ADORABLE (I loved the background), and I think that it communicated something rather meaningful about works of art. I might be biased because I make games myself, but I do like to think that art can present new ideas and sometimes allow you to recognize things in yourself that you didn't see before. Kissing Snow White is an interesting example because it is a very IDEALIZED version of asexuality. The prince and Snow White are both asexual. They both love each other and respect each other's boundaries. And I think that the idealized version can be a meaningful portrayal as well - not just portrayals that depict realistic struggles (as TDBAMHS did). Because Jace played this game and saw a reality in which he COULD be accepted, in which he COULD be recognized - and as a result he gained the courage to express his identity and draw boundaries with his abuser. His world is ugly; it doesn't have the beautiful ending that Kissing Snow White does. And I think that's realistic. Oftentimes fiction has a clean, pretty ending - it's not as complicated as real life. But it can still be meaningful.
While TDOTS is still my favorite from you artistically, I can say that this is my favorite on an emotional level! You are much stronger now; thank you for letting the world know, and thank you for making this game.