I mean, it could also be just a regular rogue who likes French word order and confusing people. That’s totally what I would do. 
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I’m not dyslexic, but y’all about gave me an aneurysm reading through your shenanigans jfc.
Also fun fact: In the french translation of Harry Potter, Snape’s last name was translated to ‘Rogue’.
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Circling back to disliked elements:
I click one of the provided options.
“Haha, you wish, am I right? Let me tell you what really happened, loser.”
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Gotta love those.
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So I’ve already made my general dislike of tragedy apparent, this is sorta building off of that.
I really hate when you have those characters that were designed for you to get attached to briefly before they die, then they die and serve no other purpose. If they’re compelling enough to get attached to, they’re better off living longer.
But I especially hate it in choice based games, especially in IF games, where causing the story is the central mechanic. I should be able to do something about this. That’s like, prime opportunity for what these games are ABOUT.
Frankly I think it’s a win-win if you can save these characters. If you can save them and the story meaningfully changes because of it, even a little, failing to do so adds the idea that the tragedy is your own fault. So it can amplify the effect. And for people like me who don’t WANT that sort of tragedy, well, you can prevent it if you’re good at this.
Now before anyone says anything, I get that some deaths would take a lot of extra writing to account for an alternative and that this site in particular is full of people with a shortage of time on their hands for their projects since they’re indie devs with day jobs. This makes it more UNDERSTANDABLE, I won’t hold it against anyone for this, but it’s still going to affect my enjoyment of the story significantly if it happens.
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honestly, i feel this soooo much.
it’s always the characters you actually care about that they rip away.
your reply immediately made me think of cyberpunk 2077 (not sure if you’ve played it, so quick context: very early in the game, you meet jackie, and he’s basically your ride-or-die. he’s funny, loyal, and feels like a real best friend. you barely have time to settle into the story before the game takes him away permanently. no saving him, no alternate path. it just happens, and you’re left grieving someone the game wanted you to love)
it hit so hard because they built him up so well. like you feel that loss, and it colors the whole rest of the story. but it’s also that feeling of “i didn’t even get a chance to try.”
i get why stories do it. for emotional impact, to make things feel real. but it still kinda wrecks you when it’s done well.
anyway, just wanted to say you’re not alone. it’s really frustrating when that happens, especially when you’re genuinely attached to the characters.
(sorry for my yapping)
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Nah, I’m still mad about Jackie. I understand crafting an emotional tale but Jackie was the one person on my V’s side who she never had to question. I played through as a traumtized isolationist after that.
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This reminds me how I hate when BioWare games force me to choose between saving character A and saving character B with no way to save both.
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Yeah that’s like the monkey’s paw response to my desire for choice in the matter.
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I rather like those hard choices leading to tragedy or, at very least, angst. So I liked Virmire choice and I often botch ME2’s suicide mission just for the sads. What I hate though, it’s when the road to sad is paved with stupid. Have to encounter that in an IF yet, but textbook example is Fallout 3, where you are railroaded into self-sacrifice via radiation, when you can have one companion with you who is immune to radiation and two who are healed by it. 
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As long as the one you saved is meaningful of the two choices. Instead of regretting ever deciding to. Hate Kaiden so much I wanted to kill him the moment I met him after our first departure. Like bruh, I’m not into guys, leave me the fuck alone.
I dont mind choosing one of the two in a game otherwise. I do however wish more time, more runs with a person (Jackie) to build up and continue before ripping them away.
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I am into guys, but after my initial ME run through ME2, I always sacrificed Kaiden. Between the post-coital “this is against regs” talk (seriously? what a turnoff!) and then him telling you to your face that he’d rather you be dead than have TIM keep you alive, that mf’er can go rot for all I care. The choice was never difficult after that. I’d rather save what’s her face than let that bastard live.
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Ashley, from what I heard, was botched way worse in 3.
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She grew from alien hating so was good to save choice. Never regretted saving her but as I couldn’t romance her. No idea into further story with her.
They gotta be liked and not regretted. As long as authors consider whom your saving, that they are done right. Otherwise end up with a Kaiden vs Ashley. Not sure IFs have this type of issue?
Bro did not watch “Pretty please I don’t want to be a magical girl” (it’s not exactly like you mentioned but it’s a similar trope of wanting to be “normal” and it’s overall a fun silly animation).
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Another trope that is related to some things I’ve mentioned before is that some speculative fiction has a bizarre tendency to assume that a species that can do something naturally that we can’t wouldn’t invent the technology we use to do it. Obviously there’s SOME stuff that applies to. I doubt fish people need SCUBA gear.
But it always grinds my gears when I hear stuff like “why would bird people invent aircraft when they can already fly?” Why invent cars when we can already walk? Energy is finite. I expect bird people to have little diving boards on their airships you can dive off of and land on at your leisure.
Fish folk again probably won’t need submersibles with air pressure in them but most sea life has a depth limit. Might also invent regular boats but with water in them.
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This is really interesting analysis, and I think it’s pretty neat. I also enjoy sandbox style games in TTRPGs- my preferred medium, so I totally understand the idea of wanting to have a game that’s about the experience and not the struggle, y’know?
One of my fav rpg game systems is about that slice of life style game-play!
I have never really thought about the utility of the kind of Mary Sue archetype you’re describing here. I might think of a good way to refer to it, since “Mary Sue” is kind of loaded with multiple meanings and contradictory understandings.
Maybe something star related? I’ve always found Cynosure to be a pretty word and it would make sense for a character who’s deeply central and the story flows naturally around them in satisfying patterns.
Thanks for the post!
Edit: I didn’t notice how old that post was 
but I stand by what I said. : )
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Yes. Species will advance tech regardless of flight, breathing under water and etc due to efficiency. Trying to make living easier.
Also, what drives innovation usually is competition as well. Under the sea. There are dangers to deal with for them.
Ignoring or not thinking of dangers people of any species can be faced with causes a disconnect to happen. Gotta know why they even evolved from hunter-gatherer to towns and cities of them. Safer to gather, start building ‘walls’. There are ways to do things. This element helps build a more believable people into a world. Sure, can ignore history lesson but gotta know as author. Believing the people are live and flourishing does make the background more alive and lived.
There are these blank or bland backgrounds within Video games and books of sorts.
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On land there are not strong air currents like on the high altitudes.
Question: with what? There are not big forests underwater where you can collect wood and you can’t work metals without a strong heat source; you can’t light a natural fire under water and submarine volcanoes are much harder to work with. You could use stone or clay but those are much more limited than metal.
Not guaranteed, people still leaved nomadic life when others where building metropolises, many didn’t figure out how to work metals and some didn’t figure out to live in a place called “state” before someone in uniform, with weapons, told them.
The idea there is no heat source underwater is confusing me. There is. To melt metal underwater? Its possible. Rock melts. Plus its possible to build via doing same thing above as below. Craftiness. Wood IS found underwater in places. Not just from sunk ships.
Farming was better than moving around, hence the settling. They CAN farm underwater too. Takes more work to get a ‘fence’ going. Corals, grabbing rocks into tools and etc. Its definitely feasible. Its a lot of trial and error as well to get things right.
Boiling water to high degree is also down below. If wasnt aware water does boil near hot locations. There are many empty zones as well. So its not vibrant.
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