Thank you so so much for taking the time to read this VN (and for reading my two other released VNs on top!! I’ll be replying to your other comments next!).
It always warms my heart to hear of people who read & enjoyed it so long after this release (well, 2017 is not that far from 2024 but it seems like an eternity in Internet years ahah).
It was really interesting to read through all of your thoughts (and criticisms), thank you so much!
It’s especially weird (in a good way) to read someone’s impressions & understanding of the entire story through a summary. I won’t confirm, comment or correct on anything too specific, but it really is fun to hear how you perceived the story in full on your end!
(I guess I’ll just say that on top of the theme of social class, race is the other underlying background of Lord D. that explains his unease. But the references are obtuse.)
“style and narrative of this story aren’t really suited to the visual novel format. (…) I hope that the absence of sprites wasn’t too unsettling!”
In my personal opinion, this is not a problem; after all, I am an avid reader.
And you should know that the first visual novels were like that. (see Otigirisu, 1992)
Your vn only has a strong text focus and that is quite valid.
You’re entirely right about this!! At the time of writing this VN, I used to feel like no one would really be interested in NVL-style novels, that take after sound novel presentation & history as you mention (Otogirisou, Kamaitachi no Yoru, etc and their more modern successors with varying degrees of faithfulness like Higurashi, Umineko, OG Tsukihime, 428 Shibuya Scramble, Tsukihime Remake).
But I definitely feel more confident about it nowadays (and I feel like more people are interesting in reading or writing VNs in this style ; like Misericorde, or some Domino Club VNs). I’m glad it was also effective for you too!
But is it really lovecraftian?
I have read Lovecraft myself. I can identify common elements, like a main character isolated from the world and educated in a library, and also the presence of extraordinary and unexplainable events. However, Lovecraft never wrote anything about France or explored a relationship between two friends, this isn’t bad however, this is what makes the story original.
Yes, you’re right! I struggle to think of a story by Lovecraft that isn’t initially set in the Northeastern United States. Even in stories which explore ancestral European heritage, the protagonist is always American, and returns to Europe on a journey (eg The Rats in the Walls).
But yeah, as you said, otherwise, Lovecraft suited what I wanted to do here.
Thank you again so much for taking the time to read & comment!