I agree, but as writer I know how difficult is to pull that off. It is even more complex if by plot you really need that the protagonist is attracted to that character at beggining of the game.
Imagine a highschool drama game when the reason Pc goe to the starting is to be near the character he she they had a long crush. That is Grease film starting point. Sometimes plot needs define stuff for us to advance.
One of my favorite things, though it doesn’t happen often when being introduced to characters, is when what you see is basically what you would see meeting anyone IRL. You see basic physical characteristics and some of their gender presentation aspects. After you interact with the person, or get some more time to look at them - because staring is rude and if you’re able to fully describe every little detail about a person before you even talk to them, it means you’re staring - that’s when you start to notice finer details. Or at least, that’s when you should start to notice the finer details. You’re staring otherwise if you already know the finer details about the way someone looks.
And heaven help me if you read about how wonderful a character smells before you even start talking to them. Like, I had time to stare at you and smell you, and you haven’t called me out for being rude and staring (and creepy for smelling you if it’s ‘just a hint of’ fragrance).
Sometimes you don’t really notice fine details about people until you’ve been around them for months or years. If that’s incorporated into a story, the basic details - stuff you remember after glancing at someone for 3 to 5 seconds - and later in the story when interacting with that character some additional details. Depending on how many RO’s you have, also depends on how much detail you eventually add. If it is a single RO, and you romance them throughout the entire story, then by the end you can have added a lot of detail to that character. Bonus points if you do a description in the stats screen and update it each time you get a new detail about that person until it eventually is the description of the character you were going for. If it is multiple ROs, and you don’t really have much in story time to get to know them, obviously you’ll not have as much time to notice all the finer details before having to make the choice that gets you locked into that route. After being locked in, you can add even more detail, since staring at your partner is a bit more acceptable and less rude than staring at someone you just met.
Of course, if it’s absolutely necessary for the plot to have the PC attracted to a particular character, that’s fine. It may limit customization, though, and some players won’t like it. To use your example of Grease, that’s not a story that allows for, say, an aro-ace protagonist. Or think about Heroes Rise: The Prodigy. The PC’s crush on Black Magic is relevant to the plot, but a lot of readers are, understandably, uncomfortable at having that forced upon them.
Being demisexual myself, I suppose I have a definite advantage when it comes to writing characters who are attractive without sounding attracted, because appreciating physical attractiveness and feeling sexual attraction are nearly unrelated phenomena for me. For allos, my advice would be to describe your character the way you imagine a straight person of the same gender would describe them. If, say, my husband had to describe Chris Evans, he would say that Evans has a pleasant face and a lean but muscular build, not that he’s a rock-solid hunk with blue eyes you could lose yourself in.
Great advice. Set a limit for yourself and return to it later.
I purposely disregard physical ro descriptions. I look at character personality traits (i have always admired personality over physical anyway) and assign my celeb crushes based on personality. I self insert. Hate all you want, its how i play. I dont find the average “handsome/pretty” person attractive. I need something new. Forcing me to believe i have to romance a “People’s Sexiest Person of the Year” type will alienate me, as they are not my type. I won’t fall for white bread ro’s.