So I’m one of those people who has a whole cast of characters but no static plot idea. I can throw my characters pretty much anywhere I please and have them make sense, but I wonder if it’s worth it to write a CYOA in the romance/fantasy genre focusing on my characters if no one is particularly interested in them.
The basic idea I have right now is that the MC is born in a world where access to the afterlife has been cut off, meaning the spirits of the dead have nowhere to go once their body dies. The lucky ones can boot new souls out of newborn babies- but the soul switching process leaves the body’s aura (what essentially keeps the soul tied to the body) damaged, leaving the soul uniquely susceptible to possession. The MC is one of these people. It’s not all bad- you get some perks for essentially being a walking meatsuit for a stray spirit. You can dreamwalk, astral project, and you get some fun empathic abilities too. The story starts with you waking up having been buried alive after being possessed, and you slowly start to put together the pieces of what happened while also dealing with partial amnesia. Basic customization options are there (height, hair, whatever) and I plan to have male, female, and non-binary genders along with an option to designate yourself trans.
But the most fun part of a romance is, of course, the romance options. So lined up, we’ve got five different options. Three have set genders- one male, one female, and one non-binary. Two are same-sex specific (so m!F will only romance masc!MC, f!F will only romance fem!MC), the rest are open to all.
N
Ever fantasize about sleeping in a bed with your SO and your seven dogs? N might be the guy/gal for you. If you can manage not to scare them off with talk of commitment first, of course. N’s chill vibes can turn into chilly vibes pretty quick if you use the L-word too soon, but it’s to be expected after the childhood they had. Soft-spoken, gentle, unexpectedly funny. Allergic to most things that start with C, including conflict, commitment, and cats (but they’ll still try to pet every one they see).
L
(Always male, trans). A necromancer with an attitude, and also S’s twin brother. Never what you’d expect- king of self love (but also bad first impressions). Irritatingly arrogant, except it stems from actual skill and not an inferiority complex. Interests include hot baths, wine, skeletons, and you, if you’re lucky. (Or not so lucky- because once he’s adopted you, you’re his friend for life, whether or not you want to be.)
A
(Always NB.) Do you look at someone over the height of 6’3 and immediately want to climb them like a tree, but you’re concerned about the bodily harm that might follow by doing it to S? You’re in luck, because A actually is a tree. Well, sort of. They’re a tree soul trapped in a human body (though you might think they’re actually a golden retriever soul instead). Sure, they might have a minor addiction to maple syrup, and yeah, sometimes they grow leaves instead of hair, but they’re normal just like you. If the word himbo existed in this universe, A would have it on their tinder profile.
R
(Always female, romanceable by women and feminine-presenting NBs.) Local genius uses massive intellect, photographic memory to annoy local spirit watcher for her fantasy YT channel- more at 11. Rune’s never experienced shame in her life, and she’s not about to start now. Good-natured disaster. Allergic to expectations- pretends to be less intelligent than she actually is. An easy liar, but she’ll be honest with the right person. 4’9, but it just means she’s better at fitting into places she really, really doesn’t belong.
F
(Same-gender/same-gender-leaning specific.) F is hot, and it’s not just because they were so overwhelmed by your flirtatious comment that they accidentally set their workbench on fire. But that’s probably a big part of it. F didn’t let their tragic dog allergy hold them back from being a dog person- they worked around it by using their tinkering skills to create a fully automated robot dog. Sarcastic at the wrong moments, licks things that shouldn’t be licked, that guy who has a YT channel dedicated to seeing what can and can’t be microwaved.
Edit: Removed these ROs, sorry
H
And we’re climbing trees again. Coming in at a cool 6’9, H is the tallest of the bunch, and they hate it. Like N, they also harbor the desire to run away and live in a hollowed-out tree in the middle of the woods with an entourage of various wild animals they’ve nursed back to health. Unlike N, they actually did it. Standoffish, selectively mute, and riddled with emotional trauma, H will be by far the most difficult to romance, despite being the one who most needs a hug.
S
(Same-sex specific.) Do you look at someone over the height of 6’3 and immediately want to climb them like a tree? Unfortunately, if you try to climb S, there’s a 50% chance they’ll instinctively supplex you. Which you may or may not be into. S is the first NPC you meet- a ‘spirit watcher’, an agent trained specifically to deal with spirit threats. Straight-backed and stiff-lipped, S isn’t the type for romance… mostly because any amount of flirting leaves this normally eloquent ghostbuster tongue-tied.
Edit: Updated some details, removed some ROs, added one new planned RO as of 6/30/2020.