"I needed it to be a dance. There needed to be moments of pause and reflection... and moments of whirlwind emotions that swept players into the world."
You absolutely accomplished this. As a writer myself, I can see the care that went into creating that vision, and as a player, I felt it.
Also -- I ended up admiring your writing so much that I wanted to know your thoughts and choices for the True LOVE route just THAT badly, so... jakl;sdff;kasd I did end up deciding to play it. I'm glad I did, because even though it was gut-wrenching, I got to see what you, as a creator, envisioned, and I think you did a great job. Hopefully this doesn't sound too creepy, but I wanted to know your thoughts and feelings about both the story that you've created, and about Sans's story and the central themes of UT more broadly. In other words, I was wondering, "What is this creator's lens on the more painful aspects of UT itself? How will the personal impact that UT had on her be 'translated' and constructed into this story and game? What choices as a writer and game developer will she make to reach the players?" I was so moved by the parts of the game I had played that, well... I'm going to sound like a broken record, but I really wanted to know!
So I had to separate myself out from being "in" the game as the character, which is a shady thing to do, if we follow the game's internal logic. I tend to really buy into a world as it's presented if I find it compelling, so the stress that Undertale's, I guess we could call them "metaphysics," puts on my moral core is what keeps me from ever being able to play anything but pure pacifist in UT proper (although I've read extensively about the parts of the game I didn't explore and one could call that cheating;;;; Flowey certainly would). But... I wanted to know what you had created strongly enough to erect that mental division, and it allowed me to appreciate something you put a lot of time into thinking about and creating. What you did with the True LOVE route is very evocative and meaningful, intimate to your specific game but also relaying a clear love and respect for Undertale's vision itself, at least as far as I understand it without being in Toby Fox's head. Also? I think the way you did the Sans battle was very clever and well-executed. Just wanted to mention that specifically because it stands out so much in terms of mechanics.
Anyway, thank you so much for creating and sharing this. It really is a wonderful work.