#How to Clear a Dating Sim as a Side Character
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How to Clear a Dating Sim as a Side Character - By Dalzo (6.5/10)
Well, well, well. We have a real predicament here. First, this is a harem. Harems annoy me when they get too big. The only big harems that can work are comedic ones. Our heroine here seduces like ten men (and women). She is pretty cool but keeping track of everything and the huge cast is exhausting. Also. The second problem is uh...haha. Oops. I don't like the main love interest. I like the asshole prince character better.
What a mess.
Eveness Harin is the Saintess. She was sold to the temple by her family after her powers were discovered. She has no backbone, no desire for romance, and she's extremely conservative. She's the triple SSS hard route protagonist in a successful otome game series called Midnight. It's a very highly rated game. The developers added Harin's route as an Easter egg. It's not meant to be enjoyed. It's a challenge for hardcore gamers. Harin is doomed to fail and die 99.9999% of the time because her route is too damn hard. One day Harin awakens with a different soul. The soul of a gamer who died after a long otome gaming session. So now she has a higher chance of survival because she knows what the plot is.
I wanna cry and scream. Eveness Harin was incredibly interesting. She was raised by an abusive high priest to become the perfect Saintess, and she did it. The people adore her. She is a symbol of morality and justice for all. Only she can cure the deadly magical disease that rips people apart (after they use too much magic). She's invaluable and beloved because she has saved thousands of mages from death. Her devotion made her into a weirdo. She fell in love with Prince Yuri, in a distant kind of way. She fawns over him and watches him from under her veil. Her route is near impossible because of course the Saintess can't get married. The prince would have to be willing to break the rules to have her, and he just finds her annoying. Harin became awkward, quiet, and weak because she's a hard worker. (and her life sucks)
Her purification powers drained her energy too much. She can't even take a short walk without feeling ill. The other noblewomen think she's an ugly hag because of her veil. She's kind of a pushover because of her upbringing, so she never fights back. The abusive asshole who raised her gives her a potion. A mind control potion to use on the prince. She doesn't quite understand love but she wants his attention so she uses it and she's executed. The Prince does it gleefully because he thinks Harin is a willing puppet, but she never knew how evil the temple really was. They were using her good reputation and hard work to do evil crap behind closed doors....For the love of Jesus pisspants Christ please write the story I just described. Enough of this reincarnation harem crap.
I'll miss you Harin, but I have to talk about the actual plot we get now.
Anyways the otome gamer girl boss is pretty good. She's ok, ok? She's alright. She knows the temple is evil so she immediately tries to run. The Saintess has actual duties to attend to so she can leave to work. She decides to romance Daniel. He's a really nice and religious man. He likes Harin but he's too faithful to see the saint as a woman. He develops a giant crush on her. It's pretty cute, and I completely understand why a relationship doesn't develop. He's too religious to kiss a godly woman.
Harin was gorgeous under her veil all along. Hooray. The hardcore gamer gets to enjoy her face and power. Hooray. Beatrice, the true protagonist, almost immediately becomes her best friend. Hooray. Harin avoids the master of the magic tower because she knows how scary he is, but her cute stubbornness steals his heart. Hooray. One of the love interests actually gets turned into a plot device bodyguard, which is genuinely funny. Like he doesn't even get any scenes with her. He serves the master of the tower and he protects Harin on his behalf. He swoops in when the Master is too busy to swoop.
Lol.
This is the harem in the original game. Beatrice is unrecognisable. In this plotline Beatrice just claps and compliments the new Harim. She's not a wicked foe or an enemy at all. Everybody is interested in Harim, because she changed. She's so much better now. She's not a spineless, religious, abused loser anymore. Hooray. It's not like watching characters heal and leave their abusers is satisfying or anything. Just give her body to a gamer girl boss. Who cares?
Prince Yuri is the only character who doesn't immediately love gamer girl boss. His mother was murdered by the corrupt temple. Harin is the symbol of that temple. He knows she's evil. He can't let go. He tries to foil her (innocent?) plans. He stalks her while she rolls her eyes like a girl boss. He's genuinely worried about what this evil temple is going to do to his country. Harin is only interested in eloping to the desert with Daniel. Also she doesn't love Daniel. She's just using him to get away from the execution ending. It's actually pretty fucked up if you think about it. Like some of these characters have depth and emotional issues. There's actual political problems in the country, but of course new Harin just cares about her own survival. That's fine but uh...the world building here is half decent. I feel bad for these characters. I want Yuri to get his revenge. He wanders around outside sometimes. He sleepwalks and looks for his dead mom because losing her traumatized him too much. Harin just thinks he's an annoying jerk.....but they are the most similar pair in the harem cast. She hates the evil temple and he does too. Sadly, that doesn't mean anything because the master of the magic tower is sooooo hooottt.
The main love interest isn't that bad. He's not boring. He's just too much. He has special eyes that can drive you insane if you look directly into them. He has every kind of magic. He's secretly a god. His puppet body (Duke Joshua) is currently the prime minister of the country. He hides from his subordinates because he doesn't want anybody to realize that one guy controls magic and politics.
He starts to stalk Harin. I realized he was the yandere a little too late, because I didn't care. His love for new Harin is very...bleh. He seems to know that her soul is new, and he doesn't give a shit about the actual Harin that is gone forever. He and his lackey (pictured above) solve most of Harin's problems for her. It gets boring and I noticed something. Everything Harin does on her own is inconsequential. She never does anything relevant on her own. The Master (Adam) is always there helping if something important is happening.
I don't like that.
Oooh! Sudden side plot! The princess is obsessed with Adam. Oooooooo. That's totally scary even though we already know that Adam is literally god and he can kill her no problem. Harin goes into the princesses salon in a pretty white dress. Yuri is there and that's when I realized I liked him. He's the better yandere. He has a really good reason to be obsessed with Harin. She's connected to his mother's death. She has a crush on him (in the other timelines) which disturbs him and repulses him. Which makes him obsess over her every move, because he's convinced that she's more evil than a demon. It would be so cool to see Yuri accept that she was a pawn who truly fell for him....but no. Gamer girl boss time.
Anyway. Master Adam starts..... slicing down trees???? Whenever Harin gets hurt or somebody flirts with her. Again. That's really lame yandere shit. He stays in the shadows and uh...chops trees when the Princess suggests that Harin should break tradition and marry someone. That is pretty yandere but it feels off. He also kills random dudes for her but...yawn. Feels a little eh...especially compared to the plot I could have enjoyed if Korean authors weren't COWARDS who think reincarnation is the only type of plot that exists....
#yandere#male yandere#yandere male#yandere boy#recommendations#recs#rec#recommended#webtoon#How to Clear a Dating Sim as a Side Character
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Wake up in a new world as...
A. Yul from My Alternate Ending
B. Chloé Battenberg from 50 Tea Recipes from the Duchess
C. Renesha from False Confession
D. Eveness Harin from How to Clear a Dating Sim as a Side Character
#manhwa#my alternate ending#i will rewrite the dead end novel#i will rewrite the devastating novel#yul#50 tea recipes from the duchess#chloe battenberg#false confession#renesha#renee#how to clear a dating sim as a side character#eveness harin#drama#fantasy#romance#reincarnation#isekai#webtoon#full color
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#mumblings#from me#akajdhaj I like wlw in manhwas so much everytime I see it I’m like YES#can you tell I like women (I mean I like men too but like; women)#how to clear a dating sim as a side character#ik this isn’t writing stuff but like; women
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Love a girl with no sense of direction
#A Trivial Extra in a Dating Sim#How to Clear a Dating Sim as a Side Character#Eveness Harin#webcomic
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This is from How to Clear a Dating Sim as a Side Character. I don’t recommend it at all. Just love purple hair.
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Fall 2023 Anime Overview: I'm in Love with the Villainess
Premise: Rae is reincarnated as the heroine of her favorite dating sim. But she has no interest in romancing any of the boys- she's head over heels for Claire Francois, the villainess of the game. Claire is horrified to find the major target of her bullying suddenly enjoys it, often pleading "step on me harder". But Rae isn't just here to flirt with Claire- she has a plan to save her beloved from a horrible fate.
I'm allowed to have a problematic gay fave. In fact, I would call it my right as a lesbian. And I enjoy I'm in Love with a Villainess a lot, despite some bumps in the road. It's tropey as all get out and a story that shows signs of having an inexperienced author, but it has real heart to it, it's full of joy, and connects with me in surprising way.
I'll try not to ramble too much, since I'm planning on writing a longer article on this series-- so keep your eyes peeled.
I'm in Love with the Villainess might not always be polished or expertly crafted, but it is very fun and entertaining. Rae ignoring all the male love interests to stan for her mean girl fave is ultra relatable to me, and her gremlin energy is off the charts. Claire is also a super fun character-- if you love ridiculous ojou-sama characters, she is max ojou sama. But she's also hiding a lot of insecurity and of course, a secret soft side-- her character arc over the course of the series is really satisfying.
However, Rae's pushiness might be a sticking point for some. Her worst moments are mostly contained to episode 2 where she does inexcusable things like ogling Claire while she's changing (against Claire's wishes) after having wriggled her way into a position as her maid (against Claire's wishes, though Rae does have secret noble reasons for that one). This is her worst moment and she calms down a bit from there as the story starts to find itself. Her pushiness remains, but gets a bit less uncomfortable as it becomes clear Claire likes her too.
This pushiness clashes a bit with a really interesting thing ILTV does--which is engage bluntly and honestly with homophobia and stereotypes. There's a great moment in episode three where the series. Rae is asked point blank if she's gay, she responds yes. When Claire moves away from her in response, it's pointed out to her that's a form of homophobia, and it's pointed out how screwed up it is to believe anyone who's gay is automatically going to creep on every girl they see. Rae also gently corrects someone who gives her the common "she just happened to be a woman, you're just falling in love with the person right? Your love just transcends gender?" line, (which is a common line that's used to avoid talking about queerness directly in manga and anime) with "no, I'm a lesbian, I only fall in love with women."
And yes, homophobes got big mad at this scene. How dare a yuri anime be gay! I'm in Love with the Villainess does not let homophobic yuri fans feel safe.
It's really refreshing to see a silly isekai series directly engage with stereotypes and lesbian issues like this, and it was a very pleasant surprise when I read the novels.
However, this message is a little muddled by the fact Rae did harass Claire, so Claire has every right to feel uncomfortable around her. The show does acknowledge this. The story makes it clear it knows Claire has a right to distrust Rae and it's her responding badly specifically to Rae saying she's gay is the problem. But it's still very weird to simultaneously have a "gay people aren't automatically predators!!!" coupled with "well also our gay main character does commit a little sexual harassment sometimes".
(Some of this weirdness could have been rectified if the story had character besides Claire act badly to Rae saying she was gay, and have them get the lecture, since the point was supposed to be that gay people don't hit on every member of the same gender they meet...but again, that point falls flat if the lecture recipient is Claire, since Rae has already been hitting on her).
I don't really begrudge the author this- Inori was obviously just engaging in the unfortunately typical anime tropes, but also decided to also use her story to passionately educate about and defend gay people and couldn't quite reconcile the dissonance. However, it is very "have your cake and eat it too".
But ILTV does do a very interesting thing with the common anime trope of the overly demonstrative lesbian character who does wacky hijinks and declares her love in a "funny" way. Rae reveals she's so used to being treated badly and rejected by friends and crushes for being gay that she treats her feelings as big joke as a defense mechanism. Because she’s so used to being rejected for her sexuality, she’s given up on earnestly pursuing Claire from the beginning. She doesn’t think she has a shot and she doesn’t want to risk being rejected. However, if she’s loud and obnoxious about her love for Claire, the inevitable rejection doesn’t hurt so much.
She makes it so Claire’s rejecting her for being a weirdo, not because she’s gay. If it's a joke, then when everyone laughs at it and dismisses it, it doesn’t hurt…and she can still be honest about and open about being gay. She can fool even herself and stay around Claire without any of that heartbreak and awkwardness that destroyed relationships the other times she confessed her love.
Rae's arc throughout the show is overcoming her assumption that Claire would be happier with a man and there's no point in earnestly courting her. She's so used to being degraded, she thinks it's impossible she could give Claire a good life and impossible that her real feelings will be accepted.
It doesn't excuse Rae's actions, but it does make her a very interesting character, and one that's meaningful to me as a lesbian. It adds surprising depth to a usually tired trope.
There's also some other interesting aspects of the anime, like how Rae simps for Claire but doesn't simp for her classism. She often gently challenges her on it, and the "commoner uprising" plot, while pretty weirdly paced and (temporarily) resolved, does treat the commoners sympathetically. Considering how other kinds of isekai regularly excuse shit like buying slaves, it's nice to see one that very much sympathizes with marginalized.
Though the commoner uprising plot does lead us to the other huge caveat with the anime- incest. Yeesh. There's a plot twist where it's revealed that side characters are in an incestuous relationship, and they're treated as tragic and sympathetic, they have a love that cannot be accepted, etc. The anime makes this worse by having Rae say "homosexuality isn't the only kind of forbidden love", which (unintentionally?) equates queerness and incest, which is something homophobes often do too. (The novels aren't innocent either, Rae laments "Why can't people be free to love who they want" at one point in a way that less explicitly equates the two things). However I was able to stand this because it's mainly executed as a plot twist. We don't get any details about the character's relationships, we barely see them even stand next to each other, and they're out of the plot fairly quickly. I can absolutely see this being a deal breaker for someone less numb to anime bullshit through.
And finally, a character comes in who acts fairly manipulative and skeezy towards Rae herself, though the drama she does stoke is great stuff.
So yes, I mean it when I say it has problems! But I find the fun shenanigans, blatant lesbian wish fulfillment, honest advocation for queer people, and the joy and earnestness of the series worth it enough I can grit my teeth through it all. It should also be noted that Inori, the author, is a trans lesbian, and that's another big reason why this is so special to many people-- it's a lot easier to forgive a new author for some uneven writing when she has a stake in telling queer stories.
The anime is obviously one that doesn't have a lot of resources (and I missed some of Rae's interior monologue, which gets more into what a nerd girl she is) but it does a decent job with what it had (though I would have liked it to condense or cut some of the magic duels and Rae doing harassment to focus more on the stories strengths, but alas). I have my fingers crossed for a second season, but the yuri don't tend to get those, so I'm not holding my breath.
Is ILTV's pacing sometimes weird? Yes, the commoner uprising doesn't get as much attention as it should. Is it sometimes clumsy? Oh yes. Do I still get a joy like no other when Rae kicks aside the screen prompting her to choose a male interest to yell for Claire instead, or when she fantasizes about herself and Claire being warriors together? Hell yes.
ILTV is often silly, often flawed, but you know what, queer people get to have our silly, flawed, but still occasionally touching stories as well. Straight people have has a monopoly on it too long. It's not a series for everyone, but it's a series that spoke to some struggling queer people regardless, and it's a series that makes me smile, and that's all that matters at the end of the day.
#i'm in love with the villainess#wataoshi#i favor the villainess#watashi no oshi wa akuyaku reijou#rae taylor#claire francois#anime overview#my reviews#fall 2023 anime#yuri
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Oh I had some YU-NO thoughts cache'd I never shared. Thought #1:
Btw YU-NO is a 1996 eroge time travel PC-98 VN, context I guess.
Anyway, so in visual novels you often have two goals: fuck multiple hotties and tell an engaging story. These goals are synergistic when your love interests are the story; you choose a girl, and your learn about her and date her and have relationship drama. That is one type of VN, but its not all types - every genre is present in the dating sim VN world, mystery & sci-fi/fantasy plots most commonly.
Here you start running into an issue; you want multiple romance routes, but you don't want to just repeat the story each time you date them. Most people will play multiple or even all the routes. But its not like you are going to write five different endings to your mystery plot. And you can't just...fuck all of them on the way to the ending as one cohesive story, because you are pathetic coward of a dev team and also a nation. A common answer to this dilemma (I first experienced it in G-senjou No Maou) is for you to have a "main" girl, whose romance arc is the plot arc. And then the other girls are clear side girls, who are involved in the main story, sure, and who will give you tidbits, of course, but at a certain point in your arc with them you just trail off. You forget about the murder mystery or whatever, you just date them, have sex scenes, and you will even sometimes have an epilogue where you remark "man, whatever happened with that crazy shit back then?" Its a bit of an odd genre convention but you can see how it works, its lets you have new content and date all the girls without ruining the story, you know who is the 'main' girl is after all.
YU-NO is a mystery sci-game, and it a quantum multiverse/timelines mystery game. You go through the story, and you collect objects along that story, and you also get jewels that let you anchor your spot in the worldline and teleport back to them with your inventory intact. It looks insane btw:
You get no in-game explanation of it at all, the idea of playing this without a guide seems like a cursed no-sleep streaming challenge.
But anyway, this opens up an interesting idea to you as a designer. You are intentionally supposed to hop back and forth in time, to collect items, and unlock the true ending. So why not build all the romance route storylines around that time travel? And put items at the end of each of those romance arcs? Now you can date them all! In fact, you have to! There is a perfectly logical, in-universe reason for why you have 5 different romance arcs; they are happening in different timelines. You date girl one first, then skip back in time, and start on the next - the main character only barely remembers the time skips, to him he doesn't even feel like he is cheating. Pretty sure its intentionally written that way to make that plot conceit work.
I'm sure other games have done similar tricks, but I think YU-NO is the first - it is a pioneer in VN space for using the high-concept quantum timeline stuff, that is its claim to fame. Its a cute little trick, I like it a lot.
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call me stupid, but what does ro stand for? love this game!!!
Aw, thank you! And call you stupid? I would never.
RO stands for relationship option in this context. And I think there's actually some variation between IFs, so it's a worthwhile question to ask writers employing the term what they mean by it. For some it stands for relationship option, I've seen others use it as romance option, and others might use it for other things.
For me—particularly since several of the ROs in Zorlok identify as aro/on the aro spectrum—RO isn't connected with romance (just as the relationships themselves aren't). A character being an RO means there's a more complex and intimate* relationship that you can elect to pursue with them over the course of the story. The exact nature of that relationship will vary based on the individual and what players decide to do/pursue.
Also, just as a side note, hopefully I've made it clear that this isn't a dating sim. Dating is not the primary mechanic / objective and ROs don't have to be romanced, seduced, or whatever else for players to get to know and explore them as characters.
* and by intimate I mean "private and personal", not just carnal/physical
Additionally, for what it's worth, I'll never be offended or annoyed by someone asking me to explain what I mean (well, as long as it's a sincere question seeking an honest answer).
I'm someone who's very curious about what people mean and frequently confused by lacking context. I'm always happy to share what I've learned about the weird world we all attempt to navigate. And questions about my intent and meaning are always appreciated. They mean you're trying to understand me. How could I do anything but appreciate that? To me, there's no greater compliment.
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Hi!
I love your Blog and love to read your takes in everything. So thank you so much for all your Posts and thoughts about the industry etc.
Here is my question: i came across one of your posts where you wrote "actually gay, not bl gay" (it was a Post about Jojo and Only Friends) and while I FELT that I TOTALLY understood what you meant and instantly was like "yes 100% clear" Id love to read and learn more about what this means exactly and why some bls feel quite heteronormative while some dont. Would you mind explain the take on "actually gay Not Bl gay" a little bit? And why some Shows feel just more queer than others (besides the unbelievable stupid "gay only for you" trope lol)
Thank you so much and I hope you will have a nice day!
actually gay, not bl gay
There's actually quite a discourse on this right now mostly originating with @waitmyturtles and @wen-kexing-apologist (Post @killiru references above is here.)
I tend to mostly talk about this in broad brush strokes as a queer lens.
But there's a great ven diagram (which of course I've lost the link to) that approaches the idea of and queer lens by tunneling into its approach and intent:
about queers
by queers
for queers
How do different BLs intersect in different ways with these three elements?
When I said "actually gay, not BL gay" I was alluding to this discourse. Specifically the "about queers" category of BL.
There are characters in BL who read as genuinely gay (as in belonging to the queer family of this terrible reality we live in) and then there are those that seem more performative (to exist in a bubble of fantasy were sexual identity is almost unimportant, only the romance matters, everything is safe sweetness & light). For some queers this can read as manipulative or even exploitive (because it is inauthentic to most queer experiences). For me, it's fine... even desirable. I like the safe bubble. I enjoy the utter delusional escapism of it. Sometimes I will call this sanitized gay. (Since it is designed to make gay palatable to non-gay identified folks e.g. seme/uke.)
A sanitized gay BL may be unintentional but it is nested in origin yaoi and mm romance whose target market has never been the queer community, and whose authors have historically not been members of it, either.
Let's be frank, we queers are generally a terrible target market, we don't have enough spending power - especially not for a piece of pop culture as niched as BL. And as creators we really want our voices to be heard (obvs), which makes us produce content that those unsympathetic or uncaring find uncomfortable. (Yes, I know, fuck them, but also, they have all the money and the entertainment industry is a numbers game.)
So in the arena of office romances, just as an example:
actually gay = The New Employee
sanitized gay = Our Dating Sim
actual gay = Step By Step
sanitized gay = A Boss And a Babe
All of the above have the same tropes, archetypes, and premises. All of them are BL. Some are just... queerer feeling than others. And the characters in those shows (Step by Step and The New Employee) read as more "actually gay."
This has nothing to do with the actors, chemsitry, or how much we may personally like the show (Our Dating Sim is one of my absolute favorite BLs). It has to do with how closely those CHARACTERS intersect with the reality of queerness as we inhabit it today. It will be lots of little touches given to the drama by director and script:
language use,
surrounding friendships (and friendship style),
mannerisms and physicality (specially body language around straights vs other queer characters),
makeup & wardrobe,
facial expressions,
surrounding queer-coded behaviors by side characters,
layers of story nuance that indicate a complicated queer-driven back story.
Markers of specifically a queer identity are given to the leads.
These kinds of BLs are satisfying the "about queers" category. ("By queers" can be difficult to extract because IRL outting is involved. "For queers" is the rarest kind of BL, because making something specifically for us often alienates the majority of the rest of viewership/market. I could be argued that SCOY did this.)
I'm sure I've missed things, but I hope that kinda makes sense?
By/For/About discourse from @wen-kexing-apologist here:
Parts 1
Part 2
Part 3
I'm indebted to them for the links!
More Queer Stuff from Yours Truly
BL Linguistics & Queer Identity - I Am Gay versus I Like Men
Will BL Get More Honestly Queer?
Queer lens (from the director) and chemistry (from the actors) in BL (A Tale of Thousand Stars)
Touch & Daisy in Secret Crush On You - Queer Coded Language and 3rd Gender Identity
BL in Taiwan & Gay Marriage
Debating Queerbaiting in BL ( + Devil Judge... is it queerbaiting?)
BL Actors and the Assumption of Queerness - outing actors, coming out, being out, more: Is that BL actor actually queer?
So is it really fetishization? straight women loving bl
Some BL fans are sasaengs, and it’s a problem in this fandom
BLs That Highlight How Society Treats Queers
10 BLs That Are Honest to a Queer Experience
(source)
#asked and answered#bl and queer identity#intersection between BL and queer stories#about queers by queers for queers#thai bl#korean bl#the new employee#step by step the series#actually gay#not bl gay#actually gay not bl gay#BL university
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INFO POST
Name: Kylee (they/them). 30+
A totally normal Korean American mostly known for my drawings, specifically my Pokemon nuzlocke comics. But I will talk about other things on occasion because I do have periods of being fixated on certain topics. I also am a doctor!
Interests: Pokemon, League of Legends (everything except the game lmao), Fire Emblem, Advance Wars, Animal Crossing, Mother series, Korean history/culture, character design
General FYIs:
General inquiries/commission work/etc should be sent thru kynimdraws [at] gmail [dot] com! Tumblr messaging/asks/etc is not 100% reliable
I will not follow NSFW accounts but I am fine talking/interacting with them. There may be suggestive shitposting but I like keeping my content on the SFW side
I am VERY picky about who I follow/interact with online. Fandom content in particular is a minefield for me aka I have many things I dislike and don’t want to see, even if it might be a popular thing in media that I otherwise enjoy. Therefore, I will unfollow/block/mute liberally. There are times I accidentally block a blog bc I mistake them for bots. So if you got hit with that, just send me an ask or email me
I am very open about what I like and dislike, and none of those things are a direct attack on your sensibilities. I have never gone out of my way to directly send hate or whatever have you if I end up seeing shit I don’t like. My complaints in my little online space ain't a personal attack on you.
My ask/submission box/DMs are open for criticisms if you have any issues you want to resolve in private. No one is perfect and I may have done ignorant shit that needs to be pointed out. I have deleted or edited posts in the past if people tell me what I did wrong. PS I get that some of my stuff may upset you, but try to act civil when pointing shit out please.
I try to tag all my things whenever I can. Again, send me a message if anything bothers you. I am all for good debate but if you send me excessive hate or threats bc I have different opinions about matters that are trivial, I will block/delete them.
If you wish to use any of my hcs, please credit me. And if you are comfortable with it, send me the works so I can check them out! Or @ me if that is easier.
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FIRE EMBLEM FYI: Specifically for 3Houses/3Hopes because I need a separate one for this franchise specificially given how many crazy things I got due to being involved in this fanbase via my fanworks:
DO NOT try to convince me to like or tolerate Byleth/student ships, ESPECIALLY the ones with the lords (aka CIaude, Dimitri, EdeIgard). I already summarized why I don’t like FE3H Byleth ships with student chars here. While the spinoff game FEW3H has now removed that teacher/student problematic situation, the fandom keeps putting the FE3H elements into the FEW3H fanworks (i.e. remembering Byleth from “another life” trope)...so no thanks!! DO NOT SHOW ME IT!!!
As for the Byleth ships with faculty members, my response is here so don’t try to bait me about that topic either thanks.
I do not care whom you ingame S-support. 3Houses limits the dating-sim part of the game to that character, so I cannot care less about how you play the game. The main issue I have is when people treat Byleth the “character” as a legit ship material when I personally think they are a cool character ruined by fans who are too obsessed with badly executed self insert otome tropes bc they self-project super hard onto them. Just to be clear, any FE3H or FEW3H OC/Canon >>>>>>Byleth ships personally. Even Byleth-sonas that remove the teacher/student aspects are better than canon FE3H!Byleth
Please don't drag FE VA statements as some sort of “gotcha” on my opinions like this post here. IDC what other people prefer with ship shit, that’s their problem and not mine. I am not gonna bother them about it. So don’t bother ME about it.
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Links to check out:
Myths of Unova + Episode Grey (Pkmn White/White2 Comic)
Tales of Sinnoh (Pkmn Diamond Comic)
Art Site (Portfolio)
Twitter
Instagram
#psa post#pinned info post lol#updating this for myself and also to use the “do not reblog” feature from the get-go this way
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Lucifer has just enough characters with history with him to feasibly be the main character of an otome game himself. For example:
Diavolo is the clear simp and lonely rich boy with more to him than meets the eye and a very complicated relationship with Lucifer
Simeon as the former childhood friend/first ex who would like to reconcile despite how badly the break-up went [I see them more like brothers in how monks are brothers, don't @ me]
Mephistopheles is the poncy vain jerk who resents Lucifer for past slights but has a nice side to him that he gets super embarrassed about
Solomon is the mysterious weirdo trying to prove to Lucifer that he means no harm and trying to get past all his abandonment issues.
MC is the brand new exchange student that Lucifer warms up to a lot and ends up getting super attached to, despite just how dumb they can be
And for the secret character, Michael, who is a fucking weird dude (I say this with love) and fellow former bestie trying to get close to Lucifer in secret so that Lucifer doesn't push him away again
Add in the brothers and the other characters as a supporting cast and write up some bad endings and you have yourself a good base for a dating sim!
#obey me lucifer#obey me#obey me shall we date#dialuci#lucimeon#lucifer x solomon#lucifer x mephistopheles#lucifer x mc#lucifer x michael#om! shall we date#omswd#shall we date obey me
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for some reason I feel that thing about movie romances is the fault of the medium itself, and the fact that directors have to just direct people to act certain ways to make the story hold together even when it’s clear people Do Not Act Like That. Regardless of who you put behind the camera, it takes real skill to realistically capture people falling in love, and it’s probably even harder to capture people faking it convincingly
That's a good point in regards to the medium in itself, especially since movies have a short runtime, so they have to get things going and doing in more of a hurry than most other artforms. Where I think this doesn't hold up too well, however, is on the realism part of what you said: I don't think anyone with realistic expectations wants a realistic depiction of falling in love in the runtime of a movie, with all the flesh and meat that entails -- you go to other artforms with longer runtimes for that, like books or games -- what I think people want is anything that isn't the whole "Male Main Character annoys and forces himself onto Uninterested Female Character until she gives in" thing. There's definitely WAY more ways in which romance can be shown, in which romance should be shown.
I'm going to run a very different, yet comparable situation by you: The Denko situation.
If you're not familiar with the Denko story, good ol' piece of netlore, it's about a guy without social or romantic skills, well, stalking a girl because he considered her his girlfriend just because he'd sent her a truly absurd amount of texts with small talk in them, inane stuff like "do you like the new McDonald's burger?" or "I wear my socks two days in a row, by turning them to the other side" or "what a nice weather!". When people in 2ch. asked him if he was trolling or if he was seriously thinking they were a couple, the guy answered he was not playing around, and then someone else mentioned "this guy thinks real girls work like dating sim characters" as in, just by talking to them a lot, about whatever, you win them over, and if you don't win them over, then they are heartless bitches that play hard to get, and you have to talk to them more.
The Denko story is about a lot more than that, but that's the part I want to focus on for the purposes of this: Moviebros feel much the same, and it's a pretty fucking sorry state of things having to see yet another article in the newspaper being like "THIS POOR ROMANTIC PLAYED PIANO OUTSIDE GIRL'S HOUSE SO SHE WOULD ACCEPT HIS FEELINGS..." sympathizing with the guy and not with the girl. Sympathizing with the guy! The guy being a public fucking nuisance that doesn't want to take no for an answer because Popular Mainstream Media taught him that a no is just a yes waiting to happen if you try harder and taught the general populace that these constitute romantic gestures and not stalking and harassment. He's suddenly not a creep that doesn't know when to back off, he's an underdog. We root for him.
And we should not root for him for the same reason we should not root for the Denko Guy: Because That's Fucked Up! And Women Deal With This Shit A Lot!
In the end, it's all part of a bigger Alpha Male Fantasy of "pulling yourself by the bootstrings" that a lot of the mainstream film industry seems to have a raging veiny throbbing hard-on for because a lot of them are narrowminded fossils: "The girl hated me at first, but through MY perseverance... Heh, well, I ended up winning her over!"
And it's that part that I think is really bad: That's not perseverance, that's just self-aggrandizing baby behavior. It's such an easy, basic, generic, digestible plot device to sell, despite how bad and silly and overused it is. I don't think anyone wants realism, I think what we want, is not that.
#thanks for the ask anon#that's sincere not sardonic I actually love talking about these things#and your point was good! which is why I felt the need to explain my take on the subject
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Prince Yuri Hate Compilation
#A Trivial Extra in a Dating Sim#How to Clear a Dating Sim as a Side Character#Eveness Harin#Yurisian Lunium Grancia#webcomic
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QL/BL Series I watched in 2023
This is a ridiculously long list because
I finally discovered the existence of this genre late in 2022, and after years in the desert with only occasional gay-themed media, am drinking deeply at the oasis, and
I have basically given up on other forms of TV this year (long story mostly having to do with the crap that's out there, the networks yanking content before it's finished just to avoid paying residuals…also, I will never watch another piece of Star Trek if JJ Abrams is within 1 parsec*).
I had a long period of convalescing from a broken collarbone.
*probably an obscure TOS reference but the initiates will get it
In Progress
IFYLIA
Kiseki: Dear to Me - I love all of the characters, main and support. Writing is fun, character motivations are clear, acting is good-to-excellent, directing is solid if unadventurous. And the colors! While it's not rigorously real-life, it hits harder than most because there are actual adult choices being made, and real consequences for those choices. The comedy is always in service of the plot or the characters. The cameos are off the charts. This is also an exception to my "generally don't watch BTS until the show's over" rule: the BTS have been fun. The actors are clearly having a blast.
Dangerous Romance - uneven, but not so much that I've given up. Had potential to be more of a commentary on economic strata: though there's room for more in the coming episodes, I think they missed the boat by bascially making Kang now the MC instead of Sailom, which is disappointing. Right now I can see this going into either "okay, but meh" or "don't recommend" categories, but I doubt it's gonna be a "recommend" because they haven't got the runway for a save.
Kabe-Koji-Nekoyashiki-kun Desires to be Recognized - unexpected depths to this show. The characters are revealed gradually, the comedy is a delight, the acting's great, the staging and cinematography are terrific. Quite enthused about this show.
I Can't Reach You - these two are a delight. BTW, @lurkingteapot says that they are working on their own captions, which should be infinitely better than anything else that's out there. Going to rewatch when they do post because I think it will be a far more engaging experience. (Also, if you like Japanese BLs, you should follow them for their linguistic and cultural insights.) (Note: I have no idea how to replace captions so I have to learning ahead. 😇)
One Room Angel - unconventional; not sure where this is going but I almost don't care. These two are just plain touching to watch. Only two episodes in and I'm hooked.
Finished and Enjoyed
If It's With You - so far, this is a palate cleanser I needed. Cute, sweet, low angst, and clearly made to be a dessert course, not a hearty main dish. Actors are doing a great job. (Side note: Makeup and wardrobe are doing a good job in making them look more conventional vs. how good looking they are IRL.)
Kieta Hatsukoi - this was just fantastic. Sweet, funny, and unexpectedly poignant. I see no reason to remake it, much as I appreciate Fourth and Gemini.
My Personal Weatherman - once I figured out that they'd only been living together for a short time after graduation, it fell into place. The crippling insecurity on the one hand and the cryptic overconfidence on the other made for a really engaging dynamic.
Sing My Crush - this was one of those almost perfect shows. Just watch it.
My Beautiful Man S2 - love me my babies learning to communicate, and Kiyoi taking Hira shopping and making Hira blossom for the day was delightful. This show is so unconventional and I cannot get enough. Nobody does "your low self-esteem is crippling you in ways you don't even begin to understand and people love you anyway" like Japan.
My Dating Sim - so sweet without being corn syrup. Palate cleanser.
Semantic Error - really, really enjoyed this smart autistic bossy nerd meets semi-slacker athlete artist. One of the rare shows where the actors are pretty obviously straight (BTS kinda made that clear and in the future, I am generally gonna skip BTS until the show's over) but I nonetheless bought their characters being into each other.
Laws of Attraction - I wasn't sure about this at first until I realized rather late that (a) lakorn is a thing, and (b) "lakorn = telenovela" and all the conventions that implies. After that, I sat back and enjoyed the camp and stopped being critical. Film and Jam are fun to watch, and you cannot tell me that Film didn't enjoy every second of scene chewing. The second couple were touching as all heck. And Nawin came in and briefly stole the show. And Silvy and Organ stole it back!
Unintentional Love Story - both couples were delightful; loved the pottery/creativity as a central element (and coveting it for my own). Looking forward to more of Ho Tae and Dong Hee in S2.
DNA Says Love You - Although I kinda had the plot twist figured out early—admit it, the casting for Amber was absolutely perfect—I still loved the journey. The "witch in the woods" bit was fun, even if I'm not a fan of predestination-style plots (I prefer characters arrive at their destination without supernatural assistance). I could watch Erek all day. Slightly slow to get out of the starting blocks but worth the time.
Color Rush - I'm not easily sold on fantasy premises but I enjoyed this one. Love interest played by Hur Hyun Jun was straight out of a manga panel (that jawline). Sadly, he withdrew from a reprise of the character in S2, I'm told because fans got weird. (Fans, learn to separate the artist from the art.)
Not Me - be gay, do crimes against the oligarchy. Gorgeous cast: Gun, Off, First, Gawin, Mond, Film; good cinematography; nice character arcs. Not perfect (Todd's character in general, and I never did get why Black got beat up in the first place; they kinda ended up at "it's just so"), but in general the show strove for a higher level. Fun fact: written by a (then-?) member of the Thai parliament.
Old Fashion Cupcake - devoted junior dogsbody doggedly digs dense dejected boss out of dumps. Okay, my alliterative talents are low today. Cute, and goes unexpectedly hard during the confession scene, and after. Thoroughly enjoyable and a bit of a rumination on how people can pigeonhole themselves to their own detriment.
To My Star and To My Star 2 - ah, these two. The sunshine man has to go hardcore to get his man to see his own value. I would rewatch this just for fun.
Takara-kun and Amagi-Kun - Oh, to be in high school with good friends who help you figure out your feelings. I will hear no criticism of this perfect little dessert.
Mr. Unlucky Has No Choice But to Kiss! - the unlucky/lucky balance gimmick could have been annoying but they made it work. Sweet, simple, seriously cute actors, very much in earnest comedy. Palate cleansing fun.
My Engineer - main couple: okay but I've already mostly forgotten them. RamKing were different. Ram's character was absolutely coded as autistic but no one ever used the word, no one called him weird, and King figured it out and went with it, no problems. Loved that part. (King had his plant obsession so maybe he got it on one level.) Also, the way RamKing ended left a huge opportunity for the fanfic on them, much of which has been great. Sadly, there won't be an S2.
The Eclipse - writing could have been sharper (pace and motivation needed work) but Khao and First were a ton of fun to watch. Loved the junior queens being the most fearless troublemakers.
Big Dragon - went into it knowing it would be a trash-the-pub watch 😎 yet it actually ended up a little more solidly than I had expected. Plenty of heat, and now I get why people are MosBank fans. Fun fact: Jeff Satur apparently wrote the theme that Isbanky sang.
Finished and Oh Well It Was A BL
Until We Meet Again - I know it worked for lots of folks and I get why, but (a) reincarnation stories and (b) I love me some Fluke but I hate the blushing maiden trope especially when as here they hammer it into the ground with a rocket-powered pile driver. ("P'Deeeeeaaan!") I actually preferred the past couple to the present-day couple because the characters were written better. (Not the actors' fault; the stakes were higher, and you can't act your way out of a sub-par script.)
Mr. Cinderella - Vietnam's probably not got a mature industry yet so I may have excessively high expectations, but…amateurish writing, directing, cinematography and sound. Characters were all over the map. And the bad guy ex was…uuuuugly toxic. (Also, polonium? Seriously?) Attractive cast to be sure, who didn't really have much to work with so for all the audience knows they are all Shakespeareans in training. The coy screeching nurse was so very repetitive. I did want to like it and if I had a script I would totally go to town on it as an exercise. (I'm an editor, not a writer.)
Why R U? Korea - Did they…lose a hard drive with the audio? Cheap out and not hire an audio engineer? Seemingly half the dialog was looped, and often jarringly. But the real fault was the writing: the behavior of the main couple was inconsistent, especially where they parted ways and then pretty much ignored that for a while, and in the last episode with the lead saying he didn't want to work together on the thing that was extremely important to both him and his interest. I wanted to like this because I really liked the main couple and Jeon Sa Ra's Do Yeon. Best scene was Lee Won after his audition teetering on the edge of losing it when his interest ignorantly came out to tease him: just a lovely little bit of acting by Lee Jung Min, without a word being spoken.
Seriously, this scene makes me want to learn how to gif. Lee Jung Min as Lee Won
Finished and Don't Recommend
TharnType: 7 Years of Love - the first season was objectively bad for reasons I and others have set out elsewhere (noncon sex, underage rrpe(!), sub-par acting/directing). The second season wasn't as bad, but it wasn't good either, with forced misunderstanding narratives being the most notable plot point. Seven years together and you still are that easy to convince that your man's stepping out on you? Like the first season, 7 Years also gave the sense that Mew (at least in this case) is a one-note actor, though this could have been the director's fault. Gulf had more good moments.
La Pluie - I so wanted to like a show that was gonna take a trope and upend it. And I absolutely get what lots of folks liked about it. For me the uneven pacing, sometimes blatantly contrived plot, often wooden direction, dialog and acting (with the notable exception of Suar, who was by far the best in the show and not just because he got most of the best lines) and terrible continuity did it in. (Lomfon's confession scene, though: Tien's going up on his toes for the kiss is burned into my memory.)
Started and bailed
Minato's Laundromat S2 - I so wanted to like this after S1. Instead of giving Minato a growth arc, the writers inserted a silly and ultimately pointless amnesia story. This seriously pissed me off to the point that I stopped watching. Not the actors' fault, but the writers, well, that's a paddlin' offense.
Only Friends - when certain folks start expressing concern, I listen. @bengiyo explained how this show failed its promise of showing actual queer lives. When it abandoned whatever vision its creators may have had in favor of contorting itself into something controlled by fan input, proving it was just an exercise in branding pair marketing, that confirmed it was not going to get me to return after Ep 3.
Naughty Babe - just, just, what in the Pennzoil is going on? MC, you seriously went how long without nookie and didn't talk with your man about it? And then you fake amnesia? Dude, you are not a serious person and the writers should be ashamed. I see from my Tumblr feed that they tried to redeem themselves later with the marriage and adoption bit, and good for that, but I ain't got time for incoherent messes.
Low Frequency - decorative actors, but incoherent plot where I simply couldn't see what was happening and where it was going. Couldn't motivate myself to continue after the second episode.
Step By Step - I've already posted about this. This had the potential to be wayyy above average but it kinda fell apart with the main couple, and the secondary couple simply were written so badly there was nothing to root for. I got almost all the way through this but after it became clear there wasn't going to be a late save, I gave up. The. Actors. Wuz. Robbed.
En of Love: Tossara - this felt like someone got their uncle to pull strings to get them a show. Dialog was anemic, character motivations were bland/absent, pacing was uneven. I started the second episode but I'm not sure I finished it.
If you made it this far, congratulations. Tell me what you liked or didn't agree with; I come across as opinionated but I'm always looking to learn. 😎
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a rose for you - albedo x gn!reader
tags: headcanons (longer ones!!), modern au, fluff!! you get transported into a dating sim. what can possibly go wrong. it's very silly and cute trust me
summary: after making the mistake of playing game during a thunderstorm, you get transported into your favorite christmas themed dating sim... oh well. chaos ensures.
a/n: is it too late of me to say happy holidays. anyways. @venexus hello!! i might not be your actual secret santa but i do have a gift for you! i tried very hard and oh no writing this much after another impromptu break was... fun. in more than one definition of it. but i hope you'll enjoy it! i am very bad at summaries. im sorry okie bye
- Imagine this– Your friend gifts you a silly, short, christmas themed dating sim to play. It's cute and fun, they say. You won't regret it, they say. So you play it. You play as a simple primary school teacher overseeing a Christmas performance of their class, and later on, fall in love with one of the supporting teachers. You don't… expect much, no, and yet you totally fall in love with the game and its characters.
- You liked all the characters, but of course you have a favorite. The art teacher, Albedo Kreideprinz is the sweetest guy ever, with an even cuter younger sister, Klee. He is loved by all the students, younger or older and has amazing artistic talent. Your heart melted when you saw him teaching your students, how much they adored him and, you too, wanted to take part in his class, just to listen to his voice. Oh, how good life would be if you could meet someone like this in real life!
- …well. One day, as you were playing as usual, a thunderstorm broke out. You shrugged it off, you used your computer plenty of times while a thunderstorm was happening and it was all okay, so why would it be different now? You were happily playing until a massive lighting struck with a loud thunder and then everything went dark. You thought to yourself that maybe just electricity went off. And you were very sure of that until you opened your eyes and noticed that you are standing right in the middle of… the main character's from your favorite dating sim room?!
- Oh dear. That was not in the plan. No. This isn't even real, it can't be. You blinked once, twice– still their room. Even their clothes on you. This is real. Very much real and according to the clock on the wall, if you don't go now, you will be late to school– to your job that you never worked at. Just how exactly you are supposed to survive this sudden turn of events?!
- You arrived late, blame it on spending like five minutes figuring out the car and everything else. According to the game, you should first meet Albedo and start his route. After finishing it, you would start another route, and then another and another, and after finishing all of them, you would be given a free choice of routes and a chance to explore all the other dialogues, secrets and side characters. And you were right, because when you arrived at your class, panting and still in your jacket, you saw Albedo, surrounded by a bunch of second graders. Your students. None of them noticed you, being too busy with Albedo. You sighed and walked closer. You cleared your throat to get their attention.
- "Oh, good morning, (y/n)."
- You had a moment of shock when Albedo said your actual name, until you realized that, yes, he will say your real name because this is the name you used for the game. You politely smiled at him and replied with a greeting of your own. His voice was even nicer here than in your headphones! And he just... was so nice to look at. Even better than on your screen.
- "I was wondering, would you mind if I took your students to help me with the stage decorations?" It would be good for their artistic development, a good way to start their school day, yes, yes, you almost memorized this dialogue already. The game gave you two choices– you could agree, just like that, or say no and deal with a bunch of whining… which would make you change your mind and agree for it anyway.
- "It would be no problem! We can spend the next class on it too." This, however, was not in the game. You were meant to spend only one class with the kids and Albedo, but since you saw Albedo's class schedule (an easter egg, of course) you knew that his first classes were in… three hours! Really, this man got up so early just to paint some decorations at school…
- And so it was no surprise that he agreed and soon your students and Albedo were walking to his classroom, for paints, crayons, colorful papers and everything else. It was a pain, bringing it all later to the wooden stage where you would be making the decorations, but! You divided the kids and gave them all tasks to do, and with Albedo you started cutting out cartoon stars to decorate for the kids later.
- You two sat in silence for a bit. In the game, your character was meant to start some small talk, feeling too awkward in total silence, but, oh, you weren't that good at it! And to that, the game offered you few choices and you somehow forgot them all! You had to think of something, you had to think…
- "Your students are very talented," said Albedo suddenly, looking at the students. Some of them were dutifully doing their tasks, let it be coloring the trees or painting ornaments for the big christmas tree on the stage. Some of them were just playing around, having fun. "It's a pleasure to work with them."
- That was not in the game. No. You were supposed to start the small talk, not Albedo! You blinked in momentary confusion before smiling.
- "They have a great teacher, after all."
- You wanted to slap yourself. Really. Maybe quit your job and never come back here again. You were meant to make small talk, not instantly compliment the teacher. Luckily, Albedo let your compliment go with just a smile and a quiet 'thank you'.
- "Your students are very passionate about all the art projects I give them and they enjoy talking with me about art. I must say, your class might be my favorite to teach."
- You weren't even their actual homeroom teacher, yet you couldn't help but feel so proud of them. You looked around the groups and a smile appeared on your lips." "Yes, they enjoy your classes a lot. I remember once they just couldn't stop talking about you and… your pretty paper roses you showed them."
- You said with a chuckle. It also was an easter egg you discovered on your fourth gameplay. You never got to see the roses, but you assumed they were really pretty…
- Albedo smiled shyly and you could swear on the stars that his cheeks got a little pink. You wanted to scream inside at how adorable he was. "I could make one now, I just need paper and a string."
- You quickly gave him both things he asked for and soon he started making the paper rose. You put your half-cut star away and focused all your attention on his work. After a bit of time, the rose was finished and, wow, yes, it really was so pretty…
- "They weren't joking when they said that it's beautiful…" Your words seemed to have a similar effect on him as previously, the smile and all…
- "You can keep it if you want, (y/n)."
- "I can?" It was a stupid question. You really wanted to slap yourself today. You laughed at yourself and gently took the rose, "Thank you, Albedo."
- Maybe… maybe this whole thing with teleporting into your favorite dating sim wasn't that bad, with Albedo on your side. And a bunch of second graders under your care. And a car you didn't yet know how to exactly use. But you could get used to all that, if that meant spending more time with everyone's (and yours) art teacher.
#heia's writin'#twilightthreatre#gixrsecretsanta2022#genshin impact x reader#albedo x reader#genshin impact imagines#gender neutral reader#AAAAAAAAAAA#i want to YELL#załamka po prostu załamka#ok bye see you soon
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Echo (Horror Visual Novel)
I'm sure most gaming nerds have heard of Doki Doki Literature Club. It's a horror-styled satire of dating sims. The problem is that its dating sim and horror sides sorta don't work together, even though each side works on its own. They're too disjointed and the horror really only works if you're not expecting it. The horror isn't incorporated into the world or the characters. If anything, it detracts from the characters and de-immerses you by making the characters feel less real.
Echo is very different. It does not bury its lead at all. The first few lines already hint at its horror edge before you even get an idea of even the basic elements of the premise, and while it's clear they will be important later on, those hints at the horror don't immediately affect anything for a long time. The horror is also incorporated into the world better, as Echo's horror primarily works by taking characters you get attached to and makes you worry about what will happen to them. It's also a better satire as the subversions of tropes are used to inform characters. Rather than presenting normal tropey characters and then adding on a ton of disturbing stuff with very little buildup, Echo ops to take some common dating sim tropes and interrogate what a person who fits those tropes would be like on a deeper level. I wish I could be more specific and give examples, but many of them are spoilers.
But really we should know, what is Echo about? Well, Chase is a journalism student who's planning a trip to his hometown of Echo, picking up his childhood friends who have since moved away, Jenna and TJ, to visit his childhood friends who still live there, Leo, Flynn, and Carl, for a little reunion. He's also going there to do a project about the town, in particular on a mysterious supernatural hysteria that happened over a hundred years prior, which definitely won't return during the game, I promise. At first, they hang out a few days. They eat some sandwiches, go to an amusement park, etc. Leo confesses that he still has feelings for Chase, revealing they used to date in the first place, and wants some closure to the messy breakup they had when Chase left for college. Later on, Chase suggests going to Lake Emma, the local lake, for some footage. But Leo says Flynn would have a lot of major problems with that, so they settle on a stream that's near the lake. However, Flynn is nonetheless pissed and when Chase comes back from getting his footage, you find out why. You see, there was a 7th member of their friend group, Sydney, who died in a mysterious drowning incident at the lake. Flynn seems to be the one who was closest to him, and TJ was the only one who witnessed the incident, but he refuses to say what happened. Eventually, the confrontation escalates to the point that Leo violently hits Flynn, which causes TJ to run and hide, Jenna to scold Leo over resorting to violence as he storms off, and Flynn to just bail. And this is the moment you pick your route. Fortunately, Flynn gives you an overview of each character besides himself, particularly their problems. Leo is obsessed with Chase, Jenna thinks she's better than everyone else, Carl is a spoiled fat kid mooching off his rich parents, and TJ is definitely hiding something about Sydney's death.
Now this does unfortunately bring us to some issues with Echo. The most relevant one here is route order. This game was built primarily one route at a time and some of the routes have major reveals that can affect how a player will perceive other routes. The common consensus for the ideal route order is:
Carl > Leo > Jenna > TJ > Flynn
However, when the route selection screen pops up, they're in the reverse order, with TJ and Flynn at the top even though they're intended as the two last routes of the game.
There's also a lot of jank as well. Echo had a very long and turbulent development due to technical issues, art overhauls, issues with proofreading, and growing pains with just learning to write for VNs. This was the first VN of the main writer, Howly, and he left the project to another pretty inexperienced VN writer, McSkinny, midway through, who only wrote a few side stories and a side game of Echo, Route 65.
Still, despite that, I highly recommend it. Although there's some jank to wade through, the underlying appeal is strong. The characters are written fantastically and even in the worst routes, they can make it all worth it. Carl is a great example as his route is really bad compared to the others, but that's because it was the first one written. And despite that, Howly's strength at character writing still shines through and the horror is still really effective, even if it is campier and less psychological. Carl is also really well written and his arc as well as the themes of his route are really well done. He's the most realistically written character and his romance with Chase is probably the closest it gets to real, sincere chemistry with any of the love interests. I could still easily recommend his route on its own and there are still 4 other routes better than it.
That said, if you're not sure if you wanna play 5 entire routes of this game, then please play TJ's route. It's the most gut wrenching and masterfully written route of the game. It was actually so emotionally intense that its ending, on top of overwork, caused its writer to suffer an emotional breakdown so intense that he left the project for his own health. If you want to see a truly masterful deconstruction of the toxic nature of dating sims, TJ's route is one of the best.
Regardless, even though the game is janky, it is still important for helping to start the rise of more dramatic furry visual novels that's still ongoing, which I think makes it worth trying out. And on top of that, there's still a lot to love despite its jank. It's why I consider it my favorite game of all time even though I know there are plenty of technically better video games and even other furry VNs, because it has this amateurish charm and drive to it. It was a huge creative risk to make and even when it did finally wrap up, it was such an achievement, especially since only a small handful of the VNs created in its wake have ever accomplished that, one of which was made by the same creator. I plan on talking about more of those projects too as they are very numerous. Until then, keep on yiffing (I wish I had a sign-off catchphrase)
Link
Itch.io
#echo project#echoverse#echo vn#furry game#furry visual novel#horror#psychological horror#recommendation#gay furry#bf4f
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