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PLEASE DO NOT SELL ANY PARTS OF YOUR BODY?????????? THIS IS BAD???????? HELPDLKFJASLDKFJADSF

Weep I am touched by the sheer fervency though... 😭💕 I'm really happy you enjoy the game so much! And all the other games too!! I always feel extra touched if people even go out of their way to play all the side games lkasdfasd

"Genzy has a special place in my heart and I will be playing Our Wonderland again from the start just because of them!" --> YOU'RE REALLY MAKING ME CRY HERE????

I'm so glad you liked the Genzy route ending... I also really liked how their scene turned out. It felt really cathartic and touching for me and I still get a bit weepy thinking about it lakjdfad They really mean so much to me. Maybe it's all my cathartic ace thoughts manifesting in them but they truly just make me feel so soft and warm when I think about them. This makes me doubly weepy if other people also like them 🥺💕 I could write them finding each other in a thousand other universes and still never get tired I think LMAO I just want to create things about them forever maybe.

I'm glad the ending could also help you like Gidget a bit more!! I never blame anyone for any lingering uncomfortable thoughts they might have about them, at least in regards to Iggy. But I'm happy if by the end, even those that may have disliked them can still come to understand them and their struggles.

"Him and Iggy are sort of cute? in a way." --> KDFJADSF I don't know why but this made me laugh... 🤣

"now that I've finished it.. I feel like I don't know what to do with my life anymore haha!" --> YOU AND ME BOTH LOLOLOL

But for real though, thank you so much for all these kind words!! And thank you for loving the game and the chars (and Genzy) and taking the time to write up all your thoughts like this. It really means so much!! And I'm really happy you enjoyed the game and its finale!! 🥰

Ahhhhhh thank you so much for playing, Pri!!  It really means so much! And I'm so happy you ended up enjoying the finale! 😭💕

Also that you liked the final message. It was something I was thinking about a lot even throughout production, both as how the ending in my head evolved a bit, but also like, how exactly I would handle everything afterwards (helped a lot by working on OC). But I felt like a big part, or maybe at least one of the themes of this game in general, is that 1) things aren't perfect, that's just not realistic, and even if you get close to all the things you want, it still won't be perfect, and 2) that life in general is oftentimes beyond our control, but we still have to just do what we can. And I thought that by showing that, even with them remembering small bits, they would still go on to make some of the same mistakes or have some of the same things happen is precisely because no matter what you do, you can't control everything. You can try to be as calm, as cool, and as levelheaded a person as you possibly can, but even then you might still snap at someone if you're stressed. You might still get flustered and make a mistake. And the idea behind life isn't to eliminate these mistakes but to figure out how to better respond to them and act after the fact. (Obviously this doesn't like... adhere the same to like, all things, but still.)

At any rate... I'm really happy you liked Genzou's ending (and Orlam's too but lol). "(plus it just hurts me too much to see Genzou sad dksjgbksjb)" --> LKDJFALDSKFA NO REAL SAME. It made parts of working on the finale a bit difficult for me tbh because I kept having to compartmentalize parts of it in my mind because I would feel too sad otherwise 🤣 Maybe because as much as I love all the ships, Genzy will always hold a special place in my heart. And also the fact that I think Genzou hurts the most if Iggy doesn't choose him. And maybe also because I feel like the other two have like real strong supports and relationships with others in their own endings even if they're not chosen -- and Genzou does, too! Like I really wanted to show that him actually not focusing on Iggy and making more friends outside of the group and more general connections is what really helped him to be happier with his life. But at the same time his does feel the most like it's missing an Iggy-shaped piece lakdjfasdf 💦 (maybe that's just my heart talking though LOL)

I'm happy you liked the little ace themes woven into the endings, too sob 💕 I included it in different ways no matter the ending. Whether in the form of Iggy coming to terms with himself or in the way he interacts with others. But I really enjoyed how it ended up taking shape in the Genzou ending. Maybe because thinking about the two of them like, having this really trusting way that they experiment with things, and like, Genzou just being always so kind and patient and understanding and never once judging Iggy for anything, and thinking about that kind of love and support, it just makes me really soft and weepy... 😭💕 It makes me want to actually write about it in more detail and what it could look like and also with some silliness and warmth idk. I don't know if I ever will though.

"It will forever be one of my favorite games and I'm so happy to have played it and met the characters and read their story." --> WEEP this really means so much!! Thank you so much for all of your kindness and support and just wonderful friendship over the years, Pri! And thank you for playing the game and for always being so encouraging about everything! It means the world!! 🥺💕

I don't know if there are other places, I only know about the places where I also hang out and post stuff, but from what I can tell, most people are on Tumblr. There's also people on Twitter, though I think it feels like less of a community there?? But that's just my observation not as part of the fandom but as the creator lol. I don't really have a presence outside of those two places though so I can't say if there's anyone anywhere else.

Oh god I'm sorry????? 😵‍💫

lkdjfadkfasd I'm glad to hear your opinion has evolved 🤣 (though I also don't fault anyone who still has reservations about them) They would indeed make a pretty cool friend.

"carrot youre so incredibly cool and i love you." --> WEEP??????

Ahhhh... I'm getting really teary-eyed!! Thank you for this lovely comment and the kind words! I'm so happy you ended up enjoying the finale and just the game in general!! It means so much hearing that the game means so much to you... 😭💕

"What the fuck am I going to do with my life now?" --> THIS IS THE QUESTION I HAVE FOR MYSELF AS WELL........ 💦

Sob, at any rate... I'm going to cry from this comment. I'm not only overjoyed you ended up enjoying the last part, but that you'd take so much time??? To write so much??? My heart...🥺💕

You played through the whole game again beforehand ahhhHHHHHH. Somehow this is so touching to me... 😭 I can imagine it could definitely be helpful especially if you haven't played it in a while. Also there's definitely a decent number of times in the finale where I reference past parts of the game. Sometimes even just little small lines, etc. It's obviously not necessary to notice all of these, but it could definitely help if some of them are more fresh in your mind going into Arc 5... (it is a very long game after all and has been in production for a long time lakdjfas) I'm glad that doing so could make the finale feel like it has even more impact!

"That isn’t something one single apology can just fix, and that’s not even considering all the things in the loops that they had to undergo." --> Indeed... I did kinda think about how to approach them for a little bit before diving right into the writing for the finale. In my mind, it would have just felt weird and out of place for them to suddenly be all hunky-dory with each other, not only because it's so fresh, but also because with all the stress and uncertainty of what's to come, they would likely resort back to their typical coping mechanisms LOL That and I kinda see these two as just... well, it's them. Like. Even in the best timelines they'll still be bickering away. But that's moreso because of their personalities and views. Like how even in OC where none of the "worst" things that happened in OW happened in that timeline, they still bicker constantly LOL They just get on each other's nerves and always will. But at least their bickering has less hate behind it and is no longer one-sided.

Hearing you talk about Gidget's part is making me very weepy. I'm glad you like how their route played out. I know it will always probably be the most decisive of all the options, just because of everything that happened, so I really tried to approach it carefully. But I also don't blame anyone who doesn't want to play their route or just doesn't prefer it as much. So hearing that you did still enjoy it and the direction that Gidget's character took is very touching to me 💕

"Funnily enough, I was thinking about Orlam being awake and just watching them" --> LKDJFALSKDF THIS MADE ME LAUGH LOL.

I also feel like Genzou's scene and route in general is the most romantic. Probably because I feel like that's just more the dynamic he and Iggy have. Like of the three possibilities, even though all three of them can settle in and care for each other and have a life together, Genzou and Iggy are the only one where I would say "yes these two are in love with each other," so I think that comes out a lot in how I ended up doing their scene. Plus they had more build-up, I think, that led in that direction. I'm really happy you liked their scene in general WEEP. It may be the one that affects me the most on an emotional level, I'll admit... I just think they're so precious... sigh...

"Notably, there’s also the juxtaposition of how they’re feeling extremely conflicting emotions about each other when Iggy visits Genzou’s house in the beginning, to how SURE they are of their feelings right before they confront Bucks." --> I'M GONNA WEEP

Lol your comments about Orlam... I am indeed always curious how people will react to not only Orlam himself but the Orly dynamic. And I freely admit he's not everyone's cup of tea in general 🤣 I'm touched you still played his route though in spite of not liking him as much! I'm mostly quite fascinated by their dynamic and think it's really fun to explore, even if it wouldn't really be described as romantic. I enjoy what they bring out in each other and how neither one really cares about what the other is doing. I think that also plays into a lot of how they act in the rest of the finale if you take their route. That and Orlam's personality in general. Like he's just not the type of person to show outward distress/fear at someone else's predicament the way the others are, so even in his route, it felt weird for him to ever shout at Iggy in a fearful way. And yeah, you said some really interesting things about him being more accepting of their fate either way than the others are, which I think is also true.

It's really lovely hearing all your thoughts about Bucks's scene and the tree and Saydie.

"He wished that “he could make his friends this happy forever”, but… what happened, exactly? Under the assumption that this wish disappeared just like the others, does it mean that the loop was broken?" --> kdjaldfa this is one of those things where I like to leave some of it rather vague and up to interpretation, which is part of why I went with cutscenes here, as they were a great way to kinda just... show things without necessitating a thorough detailed explanation. I really like letting players/readers come up with their own thoughts about a lot of the things that happen (unless it's something that's like... crucial for the story ofc). I'll say though that yeah, Iggy's childhood wish kinda influenced... everything... after he made it. Like even in his head entering this mindset of focusing on others over himself, which usually just backfired because he was too young to handle a lot of the conflicts and emotions. But also keeping everyone close by even if they would have been better leaving. Keeping everyone with this connection to himself they can't escape from. To then leading to the literal loop where he couldn't die because that went against the wish so restarting again and again, each time focusing on someone else, but it never works, because he can't make everyone happy ofc. And so him destroying the wish destroyed his life in a way, because his life itself had become the result of his wish. And so all the loops and everything after his original wish was destroyed. That's kinda how I see it, but I'm also fine if people come up with other interpretations and theories for that part, too.

"So I will leave it at that, and tell you that this was truly a fantastic game. I’m very happy to have discovered this game when it was still in the works and it feels so great to see it be finished." --> Ahhhhhhh... 💕😭 That really means so lot! And I've always enjoyed reading your comments so much!!! It makes me so happy when people enjoy the chars and story enough to want to dissect it and figure things out and look for connections, etc. So reading those kinds of comments truly means the world.

I'm ecstatic you ended up enjoying the finale so much! And the game as a whole! I can't really believe it's over now. And it's all been hitting me pretty hard. But hearing from people that have enjoyed it and the journey it's taken has really helped so much. Thank you for all the kind words and all of the support and love you've given to the game!! 💕

HELP YOUR USERNAME I'M SOBBING??????

"The world of “Our Wonderland” is so much more than a game. It’s everything!!" --> Sob this is so incredibly sweet... I'm really happy the game and its chars could have such an impact on you and resonate with you so much!! I ALSO CAN'T BELIEVE IT'S OVER. I think it's part of why I've been just kinda numb since the launch. 

Ahhhh your words are so kind and sweet and really making me weepy. It really means so much so hearing that! Thank you for the kind words!

"Iggy especially though, he’s so relatable and I really connected with his struggles at times." --> HHHHHH I'M REALLY GLAD. Hearing that people can relate to Iggy really makes me wanna cry as there's so much of myself in him. I'm really touched!! 😭💕

"but like i said earlier I’m not too good with words" --> YOUR WORDS ARE VERY KIND AND I APPRECIATE THEM VERY MUCH!!! 💕

Ahhhhh truly thank you! This was such a wonderful and kind comment and I'm really honored that you enjoyed the game so much!! Reading this really brightened my day!! 🥰

"The level of nonsense this game is on is unmatched." --> HELP DJLAKSDFJAD

It's so interesting to me in general... I feel like I went into this game wanting to make something horrific and intense but with some underlying feels, but by the end, I feel like I'd transitioned away from wanting to make something horrific and became much more focused on the characters and their stories and wanting to make something that could resonate and move people rather than be horrific for horrific's sake. And maybe that's partly why I've been nervous with the direction of the game and especially the finale. Since I do feel like the game has changed over time. So it probably feels different to those who have been following it the whole time. Not that there were a lot of people back then but still lol. Maybe it's a part of me just growing as a dev and realizing what the stories are that I really want to tell. Unsure.

But I digress.

"These characters are dysfunctional, they never learned how to be close to someone without ripping their skin off, and its sad, and its funny, and it's hitting on a personal level. " --> This is such a great line and a great summary of the characters in general ldkjfasfd

I'm glad you were able to accept the ending even if it sounds like you probably didn't like it at first LOL 🤣 I'm noticing that this seems to be a bit of a trend for people that have played it perhaps. I knew that the ending would probably cause some conflicts and that not everyone would like it. But I'm glad at least if people are able to accept it as the end even if it might not be exactly what they wanted 💦 Even before I started working on Arc 5, I knew I wasn't going to be able to please everyone. Not only with everything that happens throughout Arc 5 but also with the final ending. In the end, as a creator, though, you just need to go with what feels right and stick with it hahaha. 

"Sometimes I feel like I carry every age I've ever been with me, so I'm more experienced at being 9 than I am at being 26." --> God I resonate with this so much 💦 Also for the sheer fact that it seems like no matter how old I get, I always feel behind. That I'm even more lost than I was in the past, where my brain thought it knew what it was doing even if it didn't.

LDKJFALDSKFA I'M GLAD YOU LIKED THE GIDGET/CECIL/ORLAM. They are just such a fun little interesting group to me and I want them to find happiness in each other in whatever ways they want to and move past the people that have caused them harm. The little Orlam bits in Gidget's epilogue weren't planned at all, they just kinda snuck in there as I was working on them because it felt right and a bit cheeky. Also that you liked the Orly ending. They are indeed so sweet to me... something about their dynamic just makes me smile. I like that they just do their own thing with zero expectations for each other but still have each other as a sort of anchor.

Thank you so much for the kind words and for taking the time to leave you thoughts!! Sob it really means a lot. And I'm really happy you ended up enjoying the finale and the game as a whole. It took such a big chunk of me to make. And a big chunk of my life in general. So I'm just really happy if people can come away with it feeling like it was worth their time perhaps dkjafd 🤣💦

WHY WOULD YOU SAY YOU'RE NO GOOD WITH WORDS this is such a lovely and sweet comment!! It means so much that you'd take so much time and effort to write up all your thoughts like this... 😭💕

Thank you so much for all the kind and lovely words ahhhh... I can't thank you enough. And I'm really touched that you were able to resonate so well with some of the themes. And even to listen to the music!!! LOL I also listen to the music a lot. Even though it wasn't composed specifically for the game, I spent so long seeking out music for each scene and really living with it and the vibes and such that it's become incredibly key to the game for me. It not only inspired some of the game itself but I feel like it's become fully engrained into parts of the game's own identity in a way. I feel like if anything it acts as a good example of how royalty free music can be just as impactful as unique music if you just put some thought into it maybe?? And that there's so much amazing royalty music out there in general so one should never feel like they're less of a dev for using it or something. Idk, I have a lot of feelings about music in general.

Anyway...

I'm glad you enjoyed the finale and all its different bits, from Bucks to the tree, to Saydie. And also the final ending! I was more nervous for the finale than any other arc simply because there was so much build-up and this was like... the end... and I knew I wouldn't be able to please everyone. But I hoped that whether people completely agreed with the ending or not they'd still be able to enjoy it as the final piece of the game.

KLDJFALDSA I'M GLAD YOU LIKE ALL THE SHIPS. I do, too... 😭 They are all very important to me in different ways. And I love the fact that they all feel so different from each other. So they all give me different kinds of feels. I wanted the ending to feel complete and satisfying no matter which route you went with. Not only for the sake of the characters but also for players, whether someone prefers a certain ship and only plays one or likes all of them and wants to see all the possibilities. (Though I do think that seeing the complete story/final arcs for all the chars rounds things off the best even for those who might prefer a single ship, since I feel like each character arc hits its finale in the individual cabin scene, but still.)

dkfaljsdkf the order people go in is always very interesting to me so thank you for telling me! I'm always curious if people will go for their preferred one first or wait or play in order from top to bottom, etc. (I personally always go in order of the arcs in everything I do, almost because I feel like I can't do it any other way, it's become so engrained lakdfjas.)

Sobbbbb.... your words at the end really mean a lot 😭💕I'm really so happy this game could mean so much to you and inspire so much!! Hearing something like that means the world. Thank you so much for playing and for your kind words of support and love!! It really brightens my day!!! 🥰

HELP LITERALLY IN LOVE

I... love that for you 💕 (though I apologize for any future pain)

ldkjfafd you are so welcome...

SOB SAVING GENZOU'S ROUTE FOR LAST. Somehow that is so sweet to me... 🥺💕 This whole comment is making me tear up something horrible multiple times... ahhhh I'm trying to collect myself enough that I'm able to write a somewhat cohesive reply lsakdjfasd 🤣

I'm glad you liked Bucks's part. "The whole situation is complete when you realize in Arcs 3 and 4, Bucks just...disappears from mind, because they forgot about her." --> SOB YES. Like. They've always kinda just treated her as this extra that mostly only exists when they need her. When they need her to be a "monster," whether that's protecting them or making them laugh or being some form of entertainment. Because even from back in school, the "love square four" were so wrapped up in themselves and their own complicated dynamics that they didn't have any spare thought to put towards Bucks and always just kinda assumed she was fine and would always be there. Which is really sad. 💦 And I kinda tried to mirror that in the structure itself of the arcs. Because yeah all the complicated convoluted dynamics and drama of the other four always takes center-stage because they can only focus on each other and their own issues and forget that Bucks herself was the one who even started this whole thing to begin with!! 🤣

At any rate, I had hoped it would feel like "enough" for Bucks, especially since she (and Hunar) never got the same screen time as the others. So I really tried to put my soul into that whole part, between the action and flashbacks and cutscene. So I'm just glad if some of that could get across and still be impactful for her and her story 😭

"even IGGY seemed to think his happiness was exclusive to theirs, which was just untrue" --> GOD REALLLLL. Like even from childhood, his own joy coming from seeing his own friends happy. And how that would form his wish, which would in turn go on to cast this veil over his life. Constantly in pursuit of giving happiness to everyone but himself. Which is in itself an impossible task, hence the endless hopelessness and futility of the repeating loops lakdsjfalsd

That whole part was very personal for me and I had a hard time working on it 💦 And I got a bit worried just in general how people would respond to it 🤣 I'm glad you enjoyed it though. And also the whole part with the tree. And the ending!! (lol I'm just listening everything at this point alkdjfas) I think I was particularly anxious about the final ending and people's reactions. I knew no matter what I wouldn't be able to make everyone happy with it but I did what felt right to me and the story. I'm glad you enjoyed seeing how they all ended up lol. I feel like a big part of what I wanted to show with it was that so much of life is beyond our control and we can't blame ourselves for everything, but we can try to make a difference in small ways. And like. Showing how those small ways, even if obviously they didn't fix everyone's problems and issues, they helped give everyone more strength and support to keep pressing on and to find their own selves and their own happinesses.

LKFDJALSDFASDF WHAT AN ORDER TO PLAY THE ROUTES IN 🤣 I'm so interested in what order and/or which routes people will end up playing. Like those that want to play all, which order they go in. And those who only want to play some, which ones they choose, etc.

Sob you're the second person to point out the similarity of the bed CG with Orlam to the one where they were kids I HONESTLY DIDN'T MAKE THAT CONNECTION WHEN I DREW IT LMAO. But that is nothing new, I'm so often only pointed out these things after the fact LOL And now it seems so sweet to me and feels like it makes the final culmination of their dynamic even more fitting.

"It did hurt seeing the other's reactions though, but I feel it helps the theme" --> WEEP FOR ME TOO TBH. I knew going in that it would be hard to write the others' reactions, which is I think also why I tried to keep those after-choice scenes rather lighthearted. Both to ease my own heart, and also because I never wanted anyone to feel truly bad about their choice lkdjads But at the same time not wanting to just gloss over it. So I hope I was able to find a happy medium of still acknowledging the sadness while keeping it lighthearted enough not to drag it down 🤣

I'm glad you also liked Gidget's route! Their special scene honestly turned into one of the most personal for me. Hitting on some of the things you mentioned like wishing you could have done things differently, etc. And also I love how you mentioned this: "All in all, Iggy and Gidget felt like the most "new" relationship" --> because that's also so much how it felt to me. Like. For one, the two have not really had any chance to be with each other as "their true selves." And yes sure in their childhood they did a lot more before everything began changing, but so much of their adult life was spent behind masks, so it almost feels like they never truly knew each other even when interacting. That and ofc everything that happened in Wonderland... like, I didn't want to just gloss over any of that either and say that immediately they'd just be able to patch things up and move on when clearly that would never be the case. That's a big reason to why I made their special scene less romantic in general and didn't include a kiss or anything. Because they weren't ready yet. They needed to meet each other again and re-discover each other and grow comfortable with each other again before anything like that could happen. Which is why I had it only be in the epilogue that things took a more romantic-ish turn for them again. Only after they were able to do things over and grow close actually knowing their true selves.

SOB I'M SO GLAD YOU ENJOYED GENZOU'S ROUTE/ENDING THOUGH. EVERYTHING YOU'VE WRITTEN HERE IS SQUISHING MY HEART AND BRINGING TEARS TO MY EYES????????? Out of all of them, I think the Genzou and Iggy pair will always feel the most special to me... I tried not to let this happen as I do truly love all of them to bits and I love love LOVE the different dynamics they each bring and I wanted each one to feel like a beautiful thing and a potential true route for Iggy. But in my heart I couldn't help but let Genzy take over just a bit... perhaps because their relationship was the most cathartic for me throughout the entire game. Not only from an ace perspective, and how their scenes really let me let out so much of my feelings and struggles tackling my own sexuality. But also just the feeling of pure acceptance is something that melts me to the core. (Also pining. I'm very very weak to pining...). Something about these two has just changed something fundamentally inside me maybe LDKJAFSDFA So. Getting to finally bring them together for good did things to my heart that I may never recover from 🤣🤣🤣 I feel like I could write them falling in love in a million different universes and I would never get tired of it. (Hence why I constantly have different semi-AUs of them playing out in my head at any given time LKDJAFDS)

"I hope you can tell I loved it, and them, with all my heart!" --> I CANNNNNNNN GODDDDDDDDDDDDD everything you've written here... I don't even have the words to respond.... but like.... thank you for putting into words so many of my own thoughts about them and like, their dynamic and the build-up and everything. I've never been good at describing why I write things the way I write them. Because so much of what I do is just based on vibes in the moment. What feels right. But reading everything you've written about their relationship and what it needed and how it culminated feels so incredibly right and in-tune with my thoughts and vibes for why things happened the way they did lakdsjfad Reading it both made my heart twist while also making me smile so much HHHHHHHHHH 😭💕

"That got super long, and I hope it's not too much," --> IT'S NOT TOO MUCH AT ALL. IT WAS WONDERFUL. AND I AM SUPER TOUCHED AND HONORED. I feel like my own response doesn't come close to getting across my sheer feelings at reading what you wrote, but please know that I was incredibly moved. And I'm so appreciative and touched that you would take so much time to write all that out!!! Thank you so so much!! For playing the game. For loving the chars and their stories. For writing down all your thoughts. It really means the world. I can't thank you enough!! I need to go decompress now... LKDSJLFAKSDJFLAKD 🤣💕

Sob I'm glad you liked the other routes, too!!! I tried my best to make each one of them feel very special and unique and a good culmination of each chars' arc and their dynamic with Iggy 🥺

"But then they kissed Cecil and Orlam and I blanked, but thats Gidget. " --> LKDJFALSKDFJA I LAUGHED OUT LOUD 🤣

"OUR CINDERELLA CANON??" --> HAHAHAH that was my cheeky little easter egg 🤭 It just felt like a neat little way to connect OC. And also perhaps a slightly self-indulgent gift to myself, allowing for Iggy to still get together with one of the others even if he does choose to focus on himself first.

LDKJFALSDKFA I'M SORRY THAT THE ORLAM SCENE WAS MILDLY TORTUROUS THOUGH 🤣 I can imagine that if you are not much of a fan of him in general that it would not be the most enjoyable scene LOL Especially yes... the next morning... (though the next morning is rather sad for all of them, but I feel in particular the one for Orlam's route is especially awkward hahaha)

"I've never cried so much over a game before" --> SOB I would like to say I'm glad but that sounds a little bit cruel so I'll just say that I'm very touched that this game could have such an impact. Thank you so so much for playing and for loving the chars and writing up such kind and encouraging words!! It really means so much as a solo dev just making these games because I want to tell stories and share experiences. Hearing from others who can relate to those stories and experiences really means the most. So I'm really glad you took the time to write up your thoughts and share them with me!! 🥰

HELPPPPPPPPP sob that's so incredibly kind 😭💕 It doesn't really feel that way to me ldkjasd but hearing that others could really enjoy it so much really means so much. These chars and this story are so incredibly important to me and become such a huge part of my life. Hearing that they are also important to others makes me very weepy 🥺

AND THANK YOU FOR FOLLOWING ALONG SO LONG ON THIS JOURNEY???? I feel like there aren't that many people that have been around since the very beginning lakdjfa Especially since it was even more unknown then than it is now (not that it is even very known now 🤣)

Your words are too much ahhhhh... you're really going to make me cry!! Thank you so much for playing! And for all your words and support and encouragement and love throughout all of production! I'm really happy you're still here at the end and could enjoy seeing how this thing all finally wrapped up!! It means so much! 🥰

HELP UNLOCKED EVERYTHING EXCEPT GENZOU'S ENDING???? Oh my gosh... I feel like this takes talent 🤣💦Since I've always felt like Genzou's just in general is the easiest to unlock. Especially if you even did the "thinking about" choice and the night chat in Jerry's hideout. Admittedly, Genzou requires the most points to unlock, but this is because he has the most possible points (the structure of the game kinda lent itself to allowing me to create more choices for Genzou since he's just... always there LKDJALKDSF)

At any rate, I hope you were able to eventually unlock his ending if you wanted it!! I still plan to release a guide for unlocking all the chars with some general hints. I just haven't yet as I've been a bit overwhelmed trying to keep up with everything after the launch hahaha

I'm really happy you still liked Orlam's route though 🤭 Orlam, and in particularly Orly, is so interesting to me as they have such a different dynamic from all the rest. Well, I think all three have quite different dynamics, but Orlam is the most unexpected. And since he and Iggy normally would seem to be at such odds with each other and are so different from one another, it makes for a very interesting and fun dynamic to me lol. I really like how their scene ended up turning out though, as I felt like it really encapsulated their dynamic while also revealing a few cheeky things about wonderland and the loops.

"genzou’s </3 at seeing iggy with orlam" --> SOB LAKJDFLAKDSF a part of my heart felt crushed in every single post-choice scene since no matter what, there will always be some feelings of sadness from the others. Orlam's in particular since it comes as such a shock to both Gidget and Genzou 🤣 But I tried my best to inject some lighthearted humor in there no matter what to keep it from getting too depressing alksdjfads since overall no matter what I want people to enjoy their choice heheh.

And I'm glad you liked both Bucks's part and the final bits with the tree. And Iggy's stuff!! Even though I generally knew the direction I was headed in for the ending, a lot of new surprising things happened while I was working on it (like always), and it ended up turning out very emotional and personal for me, how everything wrapped up. So it makes me really happy if people enjoy how it turned out... 😭💕

SOB THANK YOU FOR THE KIND WORDS. I'm really so happy that you ended up enjoying the game so much!! AND THE ACE JOY WEEP. It gives me much ace joy, as well. And ace catharsis. AND ACE TERROR??? FKDJALSDFA Well at least that settled down by the end LOL 🤣But just truly, I ended up putting so many of my own thoughts, struggles, and experiences in this, that I hope that others can relate in a way or feel seen or even just feel a little bit of their own joy inside when playing. Especially other aces. Thank you for giving this little game a chance and I'm beyond touched how much you ended up enjoying it!! Thank you so much for taking the time to write up all your thoughts and all the lovely and kind words! It means so much!! 🥰

THANK YOU SO MUCH????? It's been such a journey 😵‍💫 I'm really happy that I was able to actually finish this thing after all this time sob.

I'm really happy to hear that you enjoyed the finale (and also OFW LDKJFALSDKAF). Sob that means so much!! HELP A VIDEO ESSAY IN PEOPLE'S MINDS 🤣

That is really too sweet, you'll make me cry!! I'm really glad you enjoy the game so much!! Thank you for taking the time to write up this sweet comment and for all of your support! It means the world! 😭💕

Thank you so much for this sweet comment! 😭💕Ahhhh I'm really touched to hear that you relate to Iggy so much. Hearing you say things like that makes me get a bit teary-eyed as much of Iggy is also based on myself and my own experiences. I hope that Iggy and his own struggles (and accomplishments?? kdljfad) could help you feel a bit more seen. It certainly helps me also feel a bit less alone when I know there are others out there who've had similar thoughts and experiences as me.

I'm really sorry to hear that things haven't been good for you mentally. But I'm glad that this game could help even a little bit to give you some spot of happiness or distraction 😭 Please take care of yourself and I hope that things might get a bit better for you soon 💕 Sometimes it can be really tough. But I hope that you can find something to hold onto and some spots of brightness so that things don't get too dark.

Thank you so much for taking the time to write up all your thoughts and feelings. I'm really happy that you enjoyed the finale (and also just the game in general). Your support and love really means so much 🥺💕

Ahhhhh I'm glad you were (kind of???) able to figure it out? I admit I don't really kno whow the Itch launcher thing works... I've never used the app before, so I'm not sure what you mean when you say it allowed you to choose from different files 😵‍💫

I do know that going back and forth between, for instance, the 64-bit and the 32-bit versions of the game can cause weird errors though. I noticed it when I myself would try to test something using the data from my 64-bit version in the version I made for 32-bit. I think it's because the data is either put somewhere different or generally just handled different, so it's like, able to find some but not all of the persistent data. Which could explain why it wasn't allowing you to skip, because it kept running into strange errors??? I'm not super sure, but reading that, that was the first thought I had as to what could possibly be going on.

Also the persistent data and your save data files are kept into two different places, which could now explain why your persistent data is working again (the fact that you can skip) but you can' t find your save files (because the save files are in a folder for the other version). It's all very complicated, but I'm sorry this is happening 😭 My best piece of advice would be to try downloading the file manually from the browser site rather than the app so you know which one you're downloading maybe? And if your persistent data is working now, you might be able to manually move your save files from the other version into the folder for this version perhaps. It sounds in general like a lot of the files just got really mixed up between the versions, which is probably why it's causing some weird errors... 💦

Ahhhhh Quamai thank you for this lovely comment and pouring all your thoughts and feelings into this!! It really meant so much to read this! 😭💕 And I'm really happy that you enjoyed (most of) the finale lakdfjad

"It felt like it was actually my life, like I was the one going through it all" --> LDKJFALDSKFAJD??? Somehow this really made me tear up. This really touched me sob

And thank you for all the wonderfully kind words about the art especially??? It's also so weird even for me to go back and look at some of the older stuff because my art feels like it's come such a long way. But also hearing anyone say they actually like the art always touches me so much as to this day it remains one of the things I feel the most vulnerable about (and is also what will likely always be one of the biggest factors in why people wouldn't to play this game to be honest lkadjfas) So truly thank you so much for saying such kind things. And about the cinematography and such too!! I feel like I put my whole body and soul into those cutscenes GODDDDDD. They take so long 🤣 Especially since Ren'Py doesn't have any kind of built-in easy way to handle animation so it ends up being me just watching the scene over and over and over and adding one new CG at a time and carefully trying to guess and tweak the right amount of seconds to show it then watching it again from the beginning again and again LKDJFADA It's a very laborious process. But I'm always really happy with the results and I couldn't imagine not having some of these scenes be cutscenes as I just don't think they could have the same impact.

Ahhhh I'm happy you liked all the different LI route scenes! I really wanted to ensure they got across the different dynamics of the relationships. Not only the special cabin scenes but also the epilogues. It's one of my favorite parts about the different pairings to be honest, how different they all feel, how different Iggy acts with all of them, etc. They all bring out different sides of Iggy in a way. And it really shapes the core of the different relationships. And I was really hoping that I'd be able to show all of that in their unique scenes and that each one would feel "earned" in a way, so hearing that makes me really teary-eyed!

"it was because the characters themselves didn't adress it yet" --> sob... yeah.... that was a big part of what I was going for. The fact that Bucks was already kind of the odd one out, not only because she's younger than them, but also she's not included in the "love square." And kids growing up are self-centered, they tend to think mostly about themselves, so with the complicated dynamics of the love square four trying to figure themselves out and their complex feelings for each other, they don't even think to wonder about the way they're treating Bucks and whether or not they're being cruel to her in a different way. Which then helped reflect part of the structure of the entire story itself, with the love square four still completely focused on each other for the first four arcs and forgetting about who started the entire mess and who they were looking for to begin with, etc.

Sob you didn't need to strikethrough all your thoughts about the ending 💦 To be honest I pretty much expected there would be people that wouldn't vibe all the way with the direction I decided to go there. But I also knew that it didn't matter HOW I ended it, there would be people who didn't like it. Which was part of why it felt like such pressure in general. There was no one way to end this that would make everyone perfectly happy and I knew that. So in the end I just needed to go with what I felt personally was right for the story. But that doesn't mean people who don't like that direction aren't valid and can't have their own conflicting thoughts about it. So don't feel like you need to not think that or something if you just didn't like that part 💦

OC didn't actually have anything to do with my decision to go that way. I knew ever since I came up with the idea of the loops that that was how I was going to end it, since I already knew that it was Iggy's childhood wish that caused the loops and so it made sense in my head that once the loops were stopped they would go back to where the loops began. OC just helped me think through a lot more about where each of the chars would be and their lives in that reset timeline, which then made it easier for me to write the different epilogues. (Well, the neutral ones at least LKDJFADS though it still did help me to have somewhat of a base even for the different LI-focused ones.) Actually way back when I started I thought I would end the game right after the final forest scene and that would just be it. No follow-ups or epilogues or anything. THAT WOULD HAVE REALLY SUCKED LMAO. But through the years working on it, the idea of that abruptness began really putting me off, so it slowly expanded in a few different ways until it finally fully evolved into what I eventually would write as the epilogues.

For me, I think I decided to go with the "reset" for 3 main reasons, first of which was just because in my head it made the most sense with the lore. Destroying each wish destroyed the result of that wish. Orlam's wish for a family that loved him getting destroyed destroyed the rabbits. Bucks's wish for tomatoes getting destroyed destroyed the little tomato guys. And all the other wishes, too. And the result of Iggy's childhood wish was... Iggy's life itself in a way. Because the moment after he wished that, the wish became this veil over his life (and formed the loops). So destroying that wish destroyed the life that had formed because of that wish. The second reason was perhaps my gift to Iggy himself. Wanting to free him from the shackles of that wish, since it had influenced so much of his life (and his friends', for instance, it was what kept all of them so physically close). I wanted to gift him a chance to live his life without that I guess. And the last reason is perhaps the most selfish and it's somewhat of a gift to myself. I don't have the chance to have a reset. To go back and figure things out about myself earlier on to have the potential to be happier. And I'm too much of an anxious mess scared of change to do anything about it now after all these years, so I feel a bit trapped. But I can at least give a gift to these chars that have become so important to me, especially Iggy, who has so much of me in him, and give them a chance that I can never have. And in that way it feels like a gift to myself since these chars are such a big part of my life. LDKJFASD THAT GOT A BIT SAD. But. I think that kinda explains my whole mindset of not only why I had originally planned for that ending but also why I continued with that plan even when I had reached the end (even if I ended up greatly expanding on it).

HAVING SAID ALL THAT. That doesn't mean you need to agree with it. Or that anyone needs to. Because we can all have different opinions on things and feel like things should have happened differently. So I don't mind at all if you think that it was a bad way to handle it at the end. I can really only stand behind how I did it for myself. The same as any creator can only do when they create (and especially complete) something. 🤣 No matter what, though, I am happy to hear your thoughts about it!!

"GIDGET REALLY JUST KISSED EVERYONE. THAT'S INSANESAADOHDSHSJ???" --> LDKJFASLDKFAD it was very funny to me because I hadn't planned that into Gidget's epilogue at all when I was first trying to piece it together but somehow it just... happened... LOL I just really like thinking about that little group and their dynamics 🤣

Re: the OC question, when I wrote OC, since I knew that the plan was always for the reset, I did always know that OC was technically canon. (At least for the neutral ending.) I just didn't want to say that when I released it because I felt it would have opened up too many potential spoilers/clues for how the game would end. I already had a lot of thoughts running through my head about what each char would be like after the end of the game in the new timeline. Orlam in particular, as I feel like he changes the most. I had a lot of Orlam's general direction figured out already as thinking about a much better "true" version of Orlam made me happier to think about than the subdued lacking-in-confidence Orlam we see pre-Wonderland.

SOB AT ANY RATE. THIS WAS SUCH A LOVELY AND WONDERFUL AND KIND COMMENT. Thank you so so much for taking so much time to think through everything and leave such thoughtful words filled with all of your reactions! It really means to world to read through them, especially since you've been following the game for so long now. And I'm happy that for the most part you were able to enjoy the finale!

"You have made one of the most amazing visual novels of all time, and you should feel nothing but proud of yourself for such an accomplishment." --> LKFDJALSDKFAD THAT IS INCREDIBLY KIND SOB YOU'RE GOING TO MAKE ME CRYYYYYYYY... 😭💕

Thank you again for all of your support!! 🥰

Ahhhhh thank you for such a kind comment!! I'm really happy you enjoyed the finale! FAVORITE OF ALL TIME HELPPPPP FLKDAJFALSKDFA that is too much of a compliment, I will cry... 😭💕 But I'm really very happy that you enjoyed it! And that you took the time to write up all your thoughts like this, it's very wonderful and thoughtful.

dlkajsdfa unfortunately with the structure of the story, it did make it harder to fit more Orlam and Iggy-centric things in until the end, since Orlam just isn't there LOL 🤣 But I did my best to make sure all of the special scenes and epilogues no matter who you ended up choosing would have the same amount of impact and love. It was also perhaps a bit difficult for me to think about Orlam and Iggy in the same way that I for instance think about the other ships, because they're just such an entirely different dynamic. Even for instance where you mention Orlam not showing up as much in the fighting scenes was because to me that would have been really out of character for Orlam to get showing too much concern for Iggy or shouting Iggy's name, hence I went with the characters who are much more open to showing emotion lkdjfadsf But I did still attempt to show Orlam's feelings in the scene where he comes to help Iggy at least, to hopefully make it obvious that he does care a lot he just doesn't show it the same as the others 🥺

They do technically "remember" everything even after the wish gets destroyed, it's just that it's so deep that it only bubbles to the surface if there is something to remind them of what happened. I think that perhaps if they'd fully remember everything they would have had to go through intense therapy and turned out really traumatized... especially as they would have been kids again having to deal with all that inner pain and trauma 😭

At any rate, I'm really happy that you enjoyed not only the finale but the game in general! And that you always like Orlam so much!! It really means so much to hear your thoughts and have had your support and encouragement throughout production!! Thank you so much for staying here until the end and for all your lovely words!! 🥰

NEUTRAL LOL. I've been very curious in general as to which routes people would take or which they'd do first/the order, etc. I would personally find it so hard to do the neutral route myself LKDFJLADS at least first. Perhaps because I'd want to do the game "fully as I would want it to be" when experiencing it for the first time, and the idea of the neutral route feels a bit short to me, though perhaps that's because I'm the dev and know there's not as much content there. (Having said that, I still did try to make the neutral route sweet and had a lot of fun connecting it to OC, though that was perhaps a bit self-indulgent LOL)

At any rate, I'm really happy you ended up liking it!! 

""Carrot, are you okay?" - I was already thinking to myself " --> HELLO????

"it seems either you are cunning, or you changed your mind later" --> LOL it was mostly just me wanting to leave things more open and connect the games more so than anything else 🤣 And perhaps to leave something fun and cheeky to get people to want to try out the neutral route. I liked the idea of having it where even if Iggy decided just to choose and focus on himself, he could still have a chance for companionship later in OC 🤭 (this made me feel a bit better I think hahaha)

Thank you for taking the time to leave a lovely comment with your thoughts and I'm really glad you enjoyed the finale! LOL AND I HOPE IT HELPED YOUR BIRTHDAY HAVE A LITTLE EXTRA DOSE OF JOLLY LKJFADFAD 🥰

This comment is so sweet!! Thank you so much for taking the time to leave your thoughts! 😭💕 I'm really happy you liked the game so much THOUGH I'M SORRY FOR THE TEARS LAKJFDAD

And I'm glad you liked the finale DESPITE THE ADDITIONAL TEARS LOL

Ahhhh I'm really glad you liked the special scene for Genzou's route!! Sob I was really happy with how it turned out and it's become one of my favorites... those two are just so sweet to me... 🥺 Also that you liked the Bucks part with the flashbacks!! It's such a conflict for me because I love those flashbacks so much and the different dynamics they show and getting to showcase finally more of Bucks and Hunar while at the same time they're so sad...💦

"No comment on the freaky-deaky tree" --> LDKJFALDSKFAJD

"Was that a human Jerry in the back or am I just loopy" --> LMAO YES IT WAS

HhhhHHHHHH thank you so much for all of this!! It really means so much to hear! If you ever do get the chance to go back and do the other routes, I hope you'll enjoy them, too! But I'm just really happy that you ended up enjoying everything and the game in general! Thank you so much for taking the time to leave such a sweet comment! 🥰

LDKJFALSDKFJADS I'M GLAD??? I HOPE YOU ARE ABLE TO PUT YOUR BRAIN BACK TOGETHER THO????? SOB PLEASE REST AND TAKE CARE OF YOURSELF 🥺💦

I'm really happy you enjoyed it though!! Thank you so much for the kind words! 😭💕

Re: your question, I leave some of it up to interpretation as I like people to take away their own messages from everything rather than explain my own boring cut-and-dry explanations for stuff. But it was less the tree and more just the fact that Iggy's initial wish was destroyed along with all the other wishes. And when his wish was destroyed, it destroyed what that wish had created, which was essentially, his life (or at least everything after he made the original wish and the start of the initial loop). That's why it went back.

Do you mean Jerry??? I'm not sure who else could be the human bunny LOL But if it's Jerry you mean, he does have a cameo in the ending, so he's still there... 🤭

CHATTER WHAT

WHAT

WHAT IS THIS ESSAY

I'M SOBBING

HOW AM I SUPPOSED TO RESPOND TO THIS???????????? YOU'RE SLAYIN' ME OVER HERE MY GOD????? TEARS RUNNING DOWN MY FACE?????

Now I have to somehow craft a semi-cohesive response while I suffer from intense emotional overwhelm and the tears decorate my keys... /over-dramatic

But I digress.

Reading this truly made me tear up. And I feel like nothing I say will come close to like, getting across how much it has emotionally affected me. Nor how much it means to me that you would take so much time to not only play but then write something so beautiful and heartfelt and kind 😭💕 So I also apologize in advance if my response feels a little aLl oVeR tHe pLaCe and rambly LOL

I'm glad you liked how it started... 🥺 I had a lot of fun with the cabin scenes in general. Partly because I just enjoy writing small warm little moments (and silly banter) but also just seeing these four finally all together having reached this final resting point felt somehow very monumental to me (I got emotional the first time I put all three LIs' sprite on screen at the same time alkdjfas). Though I was admittedly also slightly worried as because of my decisions in how to release the Arc 5 parts I wasn't sure if it (as well as the resulting Final Choice scenes) would be a weird place to just jump into after the break between 5.15 and finale release. (And now I'm also curious about how different it would feel as a player who'd played 5.15 and been waiting for the finale compared to somehow who plays Arc 5 for the first time all the way through without any of the breaks.......... 🤔 I DIGRESS THOUGH.

PLAYING GENZOU'S ROUTE FIRST LKAJDFASD I'm really curious what order a lot of people went in 🤭 Almost makes me wish I had a way to keep track or something hahaha. His scene though is extremely precious to me... it was also the first of the LI scenes that I wrote. And we all know Genzy holds a special place in my heart.... GUHHH. So just. Mfmmkmfdajdsfadfj it's very important to me LOLOL I LOVE THEM SO DEARLY MORE THAN WORDS CAN SAY. So I'm glad you enjoyed it... 🥺 

I'M GLAD YOU LIKED THE PHONE CALL PART. Tbh it was one of those things that I wasn't quite sure how to handle and it wasn't until I was actively working on the finale that it kinda formed. Mostly from like, really thinking back through some of the key themes and the dreams in particular. How each dream had been something that Iggy needed to do in order to reach the center. The importance of the cabin and the door. And then perhaps somewhat cheekily harking back to the fact that I had originally been going to release the middle arcs in such a way that you could do them in any order, so Iggy's choice of who to call felt even more ~ baked in ~ to kinda the overarching narrative. It just somehow felt fitting as a callback, to him being vulnerable enough to reach out to the person he had chosen. Idk. I wasn't quite sure if people would get what I was going for (or if it would even be that big of a deal for people to get it in the end lakdfjad) but hearing that you did enjoy it and resonated with its inclusion is kinda making me really happy right now lol.

Bucks's part was another where I was hoping it would "be enough" (then again that's kinda the theme of this whole finale... me worrying every single scene will somehow "be enough" for the build-up that preceded it; that the finale as a whole would "be enough" to act as a satisfactory ending to the whole story and the chars and their arcs). The structure and build-up in general felt like it necessitated Bucks's part to come at the end, and I'm not one to go against my instincts in these things usually LOL But I wanted to make sure it didn't feel like it was just glossed over and that it did indeed have a reason and purpose for being there. So I tried to make the flashbacks and cutscene and the whole fight and honestly just everything, I just really tried to put my soul in it and make it feel quite intense and conclusive for her arc (even if not everything is obviously solved, but somehow there's some emotional catharsis, at least for the time being for them to be able to pull themselves together and fix the rest of this thing once and for all hahaha). I had a lot of fun with the flashbacks in particular though, as I really love show bits and pieces of the group dynamics throughout the years, even in these ones had that constant twinge of sadness to them when you looked at them all together... sob.

"I got confirmation that the Iggy in each route WAS bent into a shape to please his companion of choice!" --> LKDFJADSF YESSSSSSSS. I was kinda jazzed about finally including this confirmation myself. Mostly because there were so many times throughout production when people would ask questions and I would be like... I JUST WANT TO SAY WHY. I WANT TO SAY WHY IGGY WAS LIKE THAT. BUT I CAN'T REALLY. I CAN ONLY KINDA GIVE VAGUE HINTS. BUT I WANT TO SO BADLY. Particularly in Arc 3, which is the most obvious shift in Iggy's behavior. But even in Arc 2, why it was so easy for his heart to kind of naturally shelter itself in Genzou, and in Arc 4, particularly leading up to the bedroom scene at least, where he was mostly going along with Gidget (until even wonderland couldn't influence him enough to go all the way with it). But just like. That has become who Iggy is because of the wish that he made. Malleable to an extent, so as to make his friends happy. Except that no matter how he's influenced and changed, it never truly works, at least not the way Iggy would hope. Because making one friend happy leads to problems with the others. So in the end no one is happy. And the futility of devoting yourself to the happiness of others is all the more evident. The endless cycles of trying but failing to make everyone but himself happy.

Sob.

See now I'm rambling a bit LKDJFASLD But this part in general was just so important to me... the whole field scene and the reveal. I had a really hard time working on it and had to take multiple breaks because I kept starting to cry LOL It was a part in general that hit really close to home for me personally.

"I LOVE how you aren't given a choice to break the cycle" --> WEEP I'M GLADDDDDD. It got very meta there by the end. Not only with the tree referencing others making choices for Iggy as a direct call-out of the ppl playing the game, but then using the choice mechanic to show Iggy making his own choice and taking it away from the player. Another one of those things I really loved adding personally but that I was worried about the response LKDJFALSKDFA

"I love the fact that they still all make the same mistakes" --> Sob I'm so happy you liked the ending in general. It was probably the biggest of everything that I was worried about, and I know there will be some that don't agree with it. But it's what felt right to me for what needed to happen. Not only from a story and lore perspective but perhaps a bit selfishly for me and for these characters. Obviously I can't make their lives perfect now. That's not what this game is about. And I wanted to show that even with at least some subconscious knowledge of their other lives, they can't "correct" everything because so much of your life is out of your control to begin with. Even your own mistakes are out of your control. Because we all make mistakes. But there are things we can do after the fact to try and make up for those mistakes. And so often that is what really matters. (Ok so maybe things like cold-blooded murder wouldn't count for something like this BUT I MEAN MORE LIKE IN THE RELATIVELY NORMAL COURSE OF ONE'S LIFE.) And to that same end I wanted to show how much even small changes to try and fix mistakes or change responses to things can help make things better. Not perfect ofc. But at least better. Because yeah each of them still has plenty of issues they need to work through, both in themselves and with each other, but they were better able to find themselves and figure themselves out and have more of the support necessary to do that, giving them more control over their own lives.

I'M RAMBLING AGAIN SOMEONE STOP ME LKASDJFLAKSDFA But see this is what all your words are doing to me they just make me want to talk and talk and talk because they make me so happy and also so thoughtful and excited lkadjfad

I'M SO GLAD YOU PLAYED ALL THE ENDINGS???? Even the neutral one LKDJFADS IT WAS A CHEEKY LITTLE EASTER EGG TO MAKE THE NEUTRAL ONE TO CONNECT TO OC HAHAHAHA. It felt like a little treat to add. Not only for players so they can still see something rather sweet and surprising even in the neutral route. But also for myself, because it can leave me with warm thoughts that even if Iggy doesn't pick someone he still has the chance to find companionship with someone later on after he's spent more time just focusing on himself first.

Ahhhhh... not you listing out all the themes... 🥺 I feel like I could not even list out all the themes LKDFAJSDFA This is so lovely for me to read as the creator LOL I'm really bad in general at trying to analyze works for themes and motives, even in my own work. Since so much of what I do just kinda happens as I'm writing and thoughting and barley any of it is planned, so it's all just this vibesy exploration that somehow comes through at the end still working (IF I'M LUCKY). So having someone tell ME what the themes are is honestly so helpful for me to also take a closer look at my work and what it's doing and why hahaha. "And it shows how even the smallest actions can change their lives so much." --> Sob sob yes... this one hit me pretty hard. That we don't need to do these grand showcases of pure and selfless friendship. That sometimes all it takes is a kind word or act to show that you care. To think about someone and check in on them. Because god knows I need to also do this a lot more often as it's something I really struggle with, friendship in general. And letting friendships fall away because it always feels like it requires so much energy. But does it though? Maybe it doesn't. Maybe you just need to be able to show that you care. Idk. SOB.

" In the end, he breaks free from any sort of expectation, any sort of need to PLEASE anyone, to make anyone happy - and makes his own choice, for his own happiness." --> TEARS RUNNING A DELUGE DOWN MY FAAAAAAAAAAACE. Also that you brought up the "mask " thing because only upon like looking back over especially the Arc 5 and finale stuff did I realize just what a running theme that had become without even thinking about it. Which is also a big theme of my own life I feel sometimes. So maybe it's why it got itself so rooted into the OW narrative. But just this idea of never really letting your true self out. Whether that's because you want to fit in. Because you're terrified of change. You're an anxious wreck. You feel like no one will like the feel real. (Or all of the above LKJADFA) But that the more that you do that, the more you change yourself for those around you. The harder it will be to see your true self. To the point that you might lose it entirely.

God sob your words at the end. Now I'm really really gonna cry. Thank you SO MUCH, Chatter. For being so open and thoughtful and for writing such heartfelt things and for always showing me so much even about my own works. COMING FROM YOU??? ESPECIALLY??? LIKE SOMEONE WHOSE WORKS ARE SO AMAZING AND ALWAYS LEAVE ME IN AWE AND INSPIRATION???? I shall melt down into a pile of goo right here in this chair I SWEAR IT I WILL LKDJADF Seriously though, it means more than the whole world hearing that. And I'm so so glad not only that you would take your time to play and write such lovely things about the game but also that you would be such an amazing friend and an amazing fellow dev and always being so sweet and kind and thoughtful to others. From the bottom of my heart, thank you for joining me along this journey and being here and lending so much of your support and encouragement to me and my games!! THANK YOUUUUUUUU.............. and now before I really lose it and jump into a well I'm going to stop rambling incoherently and attempt to get myself under control LMAO 🤣💦💕

HOW AM I SUPPOSED TO RESPOND TO THIS COMMENT, CHIM??????? I DON'T EVEN KNOW WHERE TO START?????????? 🤣💦

OK no I do and that's first ofc to simply thank you! Thank you not only for this essay(?) but also all the love and support you've shown for this game even long before this. I always look forward to hearing your thoughts about each new update as you always have so much to say and always analyze things down to their core and make me realize things about my OWN game and I just am always filled to the brim with so much love and appreciation and gratefulness and joy whenever I read your comments. AND THIS TIME WAS NO EXCEPTION I HAVE TEARS IN MY EYESSSSSSSSSSSSS. The amount of time this must have taken to write!!! GODDDDDDD. Thank you so so much for all the kind thought you put into your words 💕

"HOLY GOLLY MOLLY IGGY" --> LAKJDFLAKDJFALDSKFJAD

"the perfect conclusion to a perfect game" --> DON'T SAY THAT YOU'RE ALREADY MAKING ME CRY?????

But I digress your words are too much LKDJALKDS Thank you for all the kind words about the writing and music and animations. THOSE FREAKING ANIMATIONS LMAO. They are always the biggest time suck (and CG filler lkdjlfakd). Sometimes I just know that a scene needs to be set to music and no matter what I do, I'll never be able to make it match and be as impactful it is in my head unless I actually set the scene to the music, as opposed to just have it be written while the music plays in the background. It first happened ofc in Arc 1 where I actually did try to just write out that final scene first, but I was so displeased and unsatisfied with how it was turning out and lacking the impact I wanted it to have that I eventually just attempted to semi-animate it. And after I did that first one, ofc then every time I had a similar feeling, I had to do it again LOL (Thank you Arcs 3 and 4 that didn't require this somehow??? Though Arc 5 then made up for it by requiring multiple cutscenes lkdjafsd) ANYWAY THOUGH. Hearing such kind words about the animations in general makes my heart very full. I'm by no means an animator but I try really hard to think about how to stage each scene and take advantage of what I can do in Ren'Py to create different compositions and effects. NOW IF ONLY THEY COULD BE COMPLETELY ANIMATED LOL living in a dream world... sigh.

LKFDJALSKDFA I'M REALLY HAPPY TO HEAR THAT YOU WERE SO MOVED / RESONATED SO MUCH WITH THE ENDING????????? The ending in general was something that I had kinda half figured out in my head before actually moving in to working on the finale. I had some scenes kinda set in my mind (like I knew I wanted them to confront the tree / the stuff with the roots, and I had the scene in the field in my head even since towards the beginning of production). But so many of the actual details and especially a lot of the meta stuff that ended up happening throughout those scenes only formed as I was actively working on it, so I consider myself very lucky that I was able to pull together so many of the strings and themes of the game and make them all come together the way that I did 🤣💦 (then again, a LOT of this game was that way, I really have no idea how I managed to get lucky so many times LKFDJALKDSFA)

"This theme of the monster residing in the perception of others, rather than being something inherent to a person, really touched me a lot, and it was the perfect conclusion for Bucks." --> LFDKJFKALDS THIS IS SO POETIC????? I was a bit nervous in general how people would respond to Bucks's part, not only because she's been kind of an enigma up until now, but also because she's done so many things to actively make people dislike her LOL And yet compared to the others, she has a lot less screen time. Though the structure of the story ended up kinda necessitating that. So I really tried my best to try to make her (and Hunar's) part of the story have as much impact as I could give it.

"And only the ignorant can remain innocent, because the world has its darker colours, and so do we. " --> THIS IS ALSO SO POETIC??? AND PHILOSOPHICAL????

"Being nice. Being kind to others. Trying to understand them. Apologising for our wrondoings. Always making sure we act with kindness and respect. These are the things we can do." --> Yes... sob.... I'm getting teary-eyed again...

The way you've written out so many of these things is really cutting to the core of me. I feel like I could never make a good analyzer, I would never be able to like pinpoint a lot of these things and write them out so succinctly and eloquently. I CAN'T EVEN WRITE THESE TYPES OF THINGS ABOUT MY OWN GAME???? So so often while working on this I would have people present to me themes about the game and I'm just like... omg you're right... BECAUSE I HAVE NO IDEA THAT'S EVEN A THEME THAT WAS THERE THAT I WAS GOING FOR. I'm really bad at putting things in words and instead just vibe through the story in a way that feels right to me for the way the chars and story is heading but I could never tell you why I do a certain thing or exactly what I'm attempting with it at any point in time. So whenever you come along and are like "it's doing this" I can only be like OMG YESSSSS THAT MAKES PERFECT SENSE LDKJFALDKFAFD So thank you for being able to put so eloquently all these things I didn't even know what I was doing half the time. 

I'M GLAD YOU LIKED SAYDIE WEEP. I was really happy with how her whole part turned out... 💕

"And seeing these characters happier, realising their dreams and being still imperfect, of course, because who isn't, but so much healthier." --> WEEP. I was also a bit nervous about this. What people would think about the skip back. If it would somehow feel like a cop out to not have to face the repercussions of everything that happened especially in Arc 5. But to me it's not that they don't have to face them, because they do, all those experiences are still there, but they've changed them enough that when they do go back, they're able to influence their lives enough to create better versions of themselves. Not perfect ofc. Because nothing is perfect. But better. Happier. Still making mistakes but being able to work through them better. And able to support each other better. 

"accepting exploring a soiled world will also soil you, and that some soil is okay as long as you act with kindness was an excellent message." --> 🥺💕 This is so beautifully put.... ahhhhh.......

Sob I'm glad you liked the romance, too!! I really tried to make each choice feel not only earned but very different from each other in how the dynamics play out. Not only in their special scene but also in the epilogue. Because Iggy has such different dynamics with each of the possible LIs that play out completely differently. And also ofc hopefully putting a nice topper on each character arc in their special scene, too ldkajfda I feel like to really experience the entire story for all the chars you do need to play through each ending, but I hope that I haven't made it too difficult to achieve that 🤭 I also felt really cheeky in the neutral ending for having it to connect to OC. Maybe it's just me being self-indulgent but I liked the fact that even if Iggy chooses to focus on himself first as an outcome of the main game doesn't mean he still can't find love and companionship later (in OC).

" you and your game are the reason I've started working on Waterlily on the Froth lol" --> HELLO?????? AHHHHHhhhhhhHHHHHHH I'M SO TOUCHED???????? To think I could be the inspiration for something that also means so much to you!! That really makes my heart squish! 😭💕 Not that I wasn't already looking forward to it but now I am even more lakdfad

Goddddd.... how do I even wrap this up after all that LOL I am honestly just so moved and touched. Reading all this. Weeping inside (and out). Thank you from the bottom of my heart for all these words and also for all your wonderful encouragement all throughout production since we first met!! It's been such a journey. FOR BOTH OF US. With all of our own games. And I'm so glad to have met you! Thank you for always taking so much time to write out all your thoughts so beautifully! And for your love and support for my games and characters and stories. And for being here as I saw this game through to the end (finally!!!). It really means the world!!! 💕

OH GOD???????????????????????????????????? I HOPE YOU ARE OK LFAKFDJLFAKDFA PLEASE TAKE SOME TIME TO REST AHHHHHHH 💦

HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA WHOOPS DID I SAY THAT 🤭

I DID DIDN'T I

Well, I couldn't give it away........... 😔

I'M GLAD YOU ENJOYED IT THOUGH??? SOB. I look forward to any thoughts you may have no matter how incoherent but also just knowing that you enjoyed it means a lot!! 😭💕

GREY I CAN'T EVEN BREATHE THIS IS THE SWEETEST COMMENT EVER MY GODDDDDDDD

I'm having a hard time even figuring out how to respond to it lakdjfa I'm really so happy that you ended up enjoying the game so much (and also that you were able to experience it through Joy's streams!!!) My heart feels like it's bursting read this I can't even come up with proper words to describe how kind all of this is and what it's doing to my insides (and soul) lakjdfads

"These are my FRIENDS lmao and I love them." --> THIS REALLY MAKES ME WANNA CRY AHHHHHHHHHHHH I'M REALLY TOUCHED?????

I'M ALSO EMOTIONAL 😭💕 To be honest I think I'm just so awhirl and a tad been overwhelmed right now that my mind doesn't know quite what to think or what to do so I'm just a bit of a whirlwind right now. But I'm just really happy that the ending could mean so much. IT MEANS SO MUCH TO ME. I cried many times while working on it, especially the part in the field... sob... I think I just somehow ended up putting even more of myself into it than I had ever expected to, so some of the big moments just hit me really hard and also the realization that it was all coming to an end for real. I feel like I'll never be able to create something quite like this again LOL But I'll try to keep in mind those words of advice you gave in Joy's stream last night. It was really thoughtful and kind, all those things you said. Though first I really just need to kinda decompress and let everything settle for a bit and let my brain and psyche have a bit of a rest... LOL

AT ANY RATE.

THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU GREY. For all of your support and kindness all while Joy was streaming! For loving the game and chars! And for taking the time to write this incredibly touching comment! It really means so much! And I'm just touched to tears that it could mean so much to you!! 💕

Ahhhhh thank you so much!!! I'm really glad that you enjoyed the game and its ending! 😭💕 And hearing that means so much, especially as someone who's had a lot of their own struggles and back-and-forths trying to figure out who they are. I wanted that to be a part of the story as something for others in similar scenarios to perhaps be able to relate to... 🥺

And thank you for the comment about the music LOL The music is such a big part of the identity of this game even for me as the creator. It's done so much to help inspire and shape parts of the story and this game definitely would not have been the same without it!!

ahhhhhhHHHHHHHH I AM TEARING UP THIS IS INCREDIBLY SWEET 😭💕 Thank you for taking the time to write up such a sweet comment and also for all your support and words of encouragement.

"I feel like the world of OW belongs to me too" --> I'M LITERALLY CRYINGGGGGGGGG

Hearing that truly touches me in the deepest cockles of my heart. To know that people could possibly care about these chars so much. I'm still very much in disbelief to have reached this point in general. I'm very much one of those who has lots of grand ideas and starts on lots of different projects but never finishes them, so I don't know why this game would suck me in so much that I would actually be able to finish it even though it took me almost 3 years LKDJAD It has been a journey beyond a journey 🤣

Thank YOU for always being so kind and lovely!! It really means so much! AND I WILL TRY TO REST AS MUCH AS POSSIBLE 💦

CHATTER WHY ARE YOU WRITING THINGS TO MAKE ME CRY ON LITERALLY EVERY THING LKDJFALDSFAS

And LMAO I do think I want to eventually put it on Steam it's less about the fee and more about the combination of potential bad actors + I am scared of filling out all the forms and tax stuff and doing something wrong this causes me an incredible amount of anxiety 🤣🤣🤣 We shall see though...

THANK YOU FOR ACTUALLY READING THIS WHOLE THING???? WEEPING IT'S SO LONG I really just started rambling at one point dlkfajdfa

SOB THANK YOU THIS IS SO SWEET????? I don't know what to say, ahhhhh... 😭 I am just so glad that so many people were able to enjoy my stories and chars. I hope that I can continue to create things that people can love and relate to!

And I will attempt to rest!! I'm feeling a bit overwhelmed right now I will admit with everything but hopefully once things calm down a bit I'll be able to decompress a bit lakdjfad

I HOPE YOU'LL ENJOY THE FINALEEEEE 💕

YEAAAAHHHHHHH 🙌🙌🙌

FJHFHDHD I'M GLAD TO DELIVER LOL I hope you'll enjoy it!! 🤩

I HOPE YOU'LL ENJOY IT!!!! 🥰

IT'S OUT NOW LKDJALFSKDF

Ahhhhh thank you very much!!! And I'm happy to hear you found the game through that bundle! 😍 There were a lot of amazing games in it and I was really excited to be a part of it!

LOL it would be quite the coincidence indeed! I'm quite excited to be able to finish it up though! It's been a really long time in the making. I hope that if you do get around to playing it or streaming it that you end up liking it!! Thank you so much for the kind words!

Ahhhhhh thank you so much for the kind words??? I'm really happy that you've enjoyed the game so much (and even only having gotten through three arcs so far lkdjfas) THO PLEASE TAKE CARE OF YOURSELF TOO PLEASE REST AND SLEEP????? 💦💦

Re: the bug, that's very odd, no one's ever reported something like this happening before... 😭 I'm not quite sure what exactly is going on, is there anyway you could show an example of what you mean? As I'm not sure I fully understand. I'm really sorry this is happening though... I'm not sure if for instance it's some unique conflict between your computer and the Ren'Py engine or something as I've never heard anything like this before 😢

LOL Iggy has, uh, a lot of myself in him, I will admit 🤣💦

Re: the song, it is here: https://dova-s.jp/bgm/play10979.html

If you ever need to find a song in the game, you can check out the Music gallery in-game. You can listen to the tracklists to figure out which song it is/if it's the one you're looking for, then click on the composer's name to go to the site where the song is. For instance, this song in the game is called "Our World":

SOB I DON'T KNOW ABOUT THAT?????? I just try my best with what I can do and work on silly (or not so silly) things that I may be a bit too obsessed with lakfasd That's incredibly kind though. Thank you so much 😭💕

Ahhhhhh and I'm glad you like Gidget!! And Genzou!! I love the different dynamics that all the pairings bring, it's really fun exploring the different relationships. (But I'll admit that Genzou/Iggy holds an especially specially place in my heart lakdjfa 🤭)

At any rate, thank you so much for playing and for your incredibly kind words and support!!