I'm pretty late to the thread, but I did not want to let this slip by without saying a few words. I figure that I might not have another opportunity to speak on this topic ever again.
I've been following Tlaero's work since she worked with Phreaky. What hooked me originally about Tlaero's games was that they were more grounded than most things you come across in this genre. Whereas I mostly feel like games, these days, are about collecting points, grinding stats, or just being a super-ultra Übermensch alpha male, I enjoyed the degree of "realism" that Tlaero always injected in her stories. One thing I noticed was that the player had to assume a personality and maintain consistency with that personality. Deviation from who a character's personality is would usually end the game or penalize the player. You had to think like the character, or become the character to complete the game. I enjoyed that more down to earth writing. Another aspect that hooked me when it came to Tlaero's games was that the characters the player assumed control of or interacted with were, for the most part, fallible people. They had their flaws, their baggage, the own problems, and have made errors in life. These were usually presented at the beginning of the game, and it was the player's objective to navigate "a day in the life of" the character within these constraints. It all came together to give me a more memorable and enjoyable experience.
Case in point, I remember when I first played Finding Miranda. It came out very soon after I had a lost someone very dear to me at the time. I remember that the game begins by letting the player construct the foundation of the player's character's personality. Because the options allowed it, I was able to pick something similar to the situation I was going through at the time, not because I was looking for some sort of catharsis, but because I wanted a more immersive experience. But by the end of the game, catharsis was what I got. Tlaero's exceptional writing had captured the feeling of being on "autopilot," which was what I was going through back then. Operating day to day and appearing normal on the outside, but not really being there inside. When it was said and done, I betrayed my usual pragmatism and, perhaps naively, wished that I would soon meet people like the characters in the game. These small moments are what I will miss most.
Another point of praise I would like to make is that, while following Tlaero at the lagoon or here, I was always impressed by the thoughtfulness and maturity displayed. I cannot think of a single instance where Tlaero wrote something at these boards that was not well thought out and illustrated a large degree of professionalism.
To have done such work for around a decade and still be able to realize that it would be best to step back and reorganize one's priorities takes real bravery. Too often, in life, we can't see the forest for the trees, as the saying goes.
Truly, games being created now are built upon the shoulders of giants such as Tlaero.
I will sorely miss your works, Lady Tlaero. Godspeed.