Hey! I’m a reader from China. I've read about a dozen Novermuck entries so far, but this one is hands down the most interesting one, so I just had to leave a comment. ^^
I love how you used horror and symbolism to explore themes of masculinity and tradition. Combined with that collage art style—something I've never seen in an FVN before—The whole thing feels so unapologetically queer in every sense of the word😉
The grotesque art style hooked me from the very start. It’s definitely not a downside; instead, it really amps up the eerie atmosphere. I mean, I never thought I’d be genuinely terrified by a hot deer's d**k popping up on the screen. ;)
The direction and presentation are top-tier. That squelchy, growth-like sound effect is still stuck in my head. And the text effects during the deciphering scene with Theo gave me goosebumps (I actually checked the code immediately after to see how you pulled that off!).
I’m also a huge sucker for the ending. I’m so glad the story wrapped up on such a warm, hopeful note. Maybe it’s "too cute" for a horror game, but I loved it! It’s obvious Hartland loves Carter deeply. Seeing him hold Carter without hesitation under the millennium fireworks, after everything they went through... that really moved me. 🥹
The side characters are great too—Theo is very cute! I really appreciate how he actually contributes to the game's themes, giving the story more layers. Also, the Theo x Lee ship? So cute!
If I had to nitpick one thing, it might be the text pauses/wait tags? I'm not sure why, but I often found myself clicking to the next line before the current sentence finished displaying. Maybe reducing the pauses at the start of sentences would make the reading flow a bit smoother?
I also had a small idea/suggestion regarding the tape decoding scene with Theo: When I played, I saw the full sentence appear with a "beep" sound playing right at the start. Then Theo mentions the beep happened "somewhere" in the previous sentence... but dude, I heard every beep at the start! It made me think: if there were a voice track (or just mumbled gibberish) with the beep inserted exactly where the missing word is in the audio, that scene would be even more immersive! (Hardcore players might even be able to decode it early that way, who knows~ well!)
Anyway, I must reiterate: this is such a creative piece. I’ve already shared it with my friends. Sorry for the long ramble, hope this makes your day! ^^