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• Your point about making the warnings clearer is fair and I have updated them accordingly! I thought that mentioning there was an age gap would be sufficient but in hindsight I should have been more specific as I understand that trope can be icky for some people. Sorry about that!

• Regarding the abuse towards Cyrus by Mikael’s father as well as what happens in the bad end - I will say that what I had in mind was for it to be subject to the player’s interpretation of whether it is sexual or not, but I’m sorry for not warning about that explicitly as well and I have updated the warnings to mention the undertones present.

• Regarding Mikael’s father specifically, he did NOT do anything sexual to Cyrus as a child. Even as an adult, it is not meant to be anything beyond what has been depicted in the game. In my mind, Cyrus always tried to avoid his advances, but tolerated him in the carriage ride because he was trying to lure him into a trap. As for Mikael, outside of the bad end which could be interpreted in that way, he also does not do anything sexual towards Cyrus without his consent (unless you count his persistent flirting which I don’t personally see as abusive). Nevertheless, I understand his behaviour can be uncomfortable and Mikael is in no way supposed to be an ideal romantic partner.

• Regarding the point you made about showing more of Cyrus’s inner turmoil, I do agree that I could have definitely elaborated more on why Cyrus has feelings for Mikael, but ultimately their relationship is really not meant to be healthy (thereby the theme of toxic love). Cyrus loves and cares about Mikael since the beginning of the game, but also hates him for the similarities to his father. He constantly rejects Mikael until the end because he is unable to accept his own feelings for Mikael, but is at the same time unable to bring himself to commit to killing Mikael because he still cares about him. I’m sorry if it sounds quite cliched but that is just what I had in mind.

• Regarding Mikael, I understand perfectly if his character might not be everyone’s cup of tea and I didn’t intentionally write him to be likeable or unlikeable. You are perfectly welcome to hate his guts because he is not meant to be a good person 😂 He is supposed to be obnoxious and unhinged, doing whatever he wants without any regard for others. Personally I find these kinds of character entertaining in a fictional context, which is why I made this game. Again, he is by no means supposed to be a perfect romantic love interest. And what happens in the bad end is supposed to be, well, bad. Mikael is meant to be really awful in that, showcasing the extremes of his character.

• The good ending is also not really supposed to be a happily ever after moment, although the player is free to interpret it as they wish. The relationship between Cyrus and Mikael is flawed at its core due to the extreme power imbalance between them as you have mentioned. But I do agree that maybe I could have showcased some improvement in Mikael’s behaviour to demonstrate some character development.

• I’m glad that you feel sympathetic towards Cyrus and I also sometimes feel that he deserves better. I will consider making Mikael a more considerate and caring partner to him but I find it difficult to depict their relationship as something truly healthy given the inherent inequality of their dynamic. In a realistic situation, of course leaving Mikael is the healthiest option for Cyrus. But again, in the end, the very basis of this pairing is that it is supposed to be problematic and that is what makes it interesting to me personally. It is also why I have termed this as “toxic yaoi”. I understand that everyone has different tolerance levels for these sort of things, so I’m sorry for any depictions that bothered you.

• Ultimately, I understand perfectly if this game is not for you. I did not intend to make any sort of commentary as I do not believe I have the skill or experience to tackle complex and nuanced themes. I only made this game for myself as something that is entertaining for me personally. I definitely did not intend to make light of abuse and I did not depict any of the abuse Cyrus faced in a comedic way. I absolutely would not condone the behaviour of someone like Mikael or his father in real life but this is a work of fiction in the end. I will definitely be mindful of labelling warnings more clearly in the future!

Still, thank you very much for playing the game and leaving very thoughtful feedback!! I will keep in mind what you have mentioned and I hope you have a good day as well!