Okay, so I have no clue how relatable this is, but when I go through many of the full games and even the demos here, I am often too romantic? But it’s less of me actively pursuing multiple RO’s and more of me crumbling to anyone that interacts with me. But when there are multiple RO’s that express agency, I feel kinda bad because on one hand, I prefer one to the other, but on the other I know that myself as the pc would crumble and stumble regardless just because someone is giving me positive attention. I was mostly wondering if anyone else experiences the same, and if there were any works that take this kind of behavior into account narratively.
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Okay, so I have no clue how relatable this is, but when I go through many of the full games and even the demos here, I am often too romantic? But it’s less of me actively pursuing multiple RO’s and more of me crumbling to anyone that interacts with me. But when there are multiple RO’s that express agency, I feel kinda bad because on one hand, I prefer one to the other, but on the other I know that myself as the pc would crumble and stumble regardless just because someone is giving me positive attention. I was mostly wondering if anyone else experiences the same, and if there were any works that take this kind of behavior into account narratively.
(Whoops. I read that wrong. Personal angle, not dislike of gameplay element. Apologies.)
I don’t think I tend to crumble too much exactly, but I do like when romance interests are responsive to whether I’ve been flirting with lots of different people, and I’d be interested to see more conversation ingame about how things ended up like that. (I don’t think those kinds of conversations are very common in ChoiceScript games because they can be really complicated to design to account for all the different configurations of romance that you’ve ended up with.)
I do sometimes find that although I planned to romance one person, the timing of what else is going on alongside it means I go for someone else instead - it can be a nice surprise to have a little “twist” in my PC’s story like that.
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I wouldn’t say I crumble but I occasionally find myself “ninjamanced” by an RO. Basically, when I start out to play an IF or VN (or any game with romance, really), I always choose a character to romance on that playthrough but I’ll occasionally be swept away by a different character. Kind of like ‘whoops, romancing character A’ again. Although, I have to point out that I am also a little dense at times so I don’t realize that certain options are flirting instead of being friendly. 
There are only a few characters that I felt truly drawn to the romantic options where I just can’t help but be in a romantic relationship with them. Weirdly enough, most weren’t from romance games (like Alistair from Dragon Age: Origins). But again, I am as dense as a black hole sometimes, so it’s probably just the relationship story taking me by surprise.
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I think it’s majorly dependant on how we typically go into romances in IF. I personally let the RO take the initiative more often than I personally do, so when I have multiple people initiating, I cave to their feelings and their flirtations. This is typically more common in IF’s that have separate moments in which all the RO’s engage with the mc rather than somewhere like Wayhaven where you explicitly choose who you want to spend time with.
I’m demisexual IRL and I have noticed that it’s easier for me to get swept into a romance in IF, probably for a list of reasons too complex to note here. Something I’ve noticed is that I feel bad for some of the RO’s if I go with someone else. EG Katarina, Welles, the neighbor in the Infinity series, and also Agents A and N in Wayhaven, and I appreciate how that game has all of the characters react to who you express interest in and how awkward the triangle is.
There are often times when none of the characters grab me though. I prefer for the RO’s to have a life of their own outside of the MC and for them to find happiness without the MC choosing them.
I don’t really fall for whoever shows the MC attention though, especially if they come on too heavy too fast. I prefer slow and natural progression along with character development.
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I think this may be a problem for a lot of us. It may be why some authors have started programming in choice/path indicators. Certainly it helps me quite a bit.
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I love exploring the characters that authors write about. So, sometimes, in an attempt to get to know a character better, I push the relationship farther than I want to. I have accidentally locked myself out of the romances I wanted doing this.
It is times like this that I desire better signage from the author concerning being locked in/out and a save system that worked better than a general check-point system.
Agreed; as both an author and a reader, I feel these are a good thing to include.
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Testing the field is something I often do. So having a clear route indicator of which character to be with is important.
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