About romance:
Romance in interactive fiction is hell. It is the most subjective of the subjective, where reader opinions are wrapped in a death grip around very personal emotions.
It must be entirely optional, yet satisfy (most) of those who seek it. And those who do, in MC’s case, may be male or female, gay or straight characters. Four different dynamics that go well beyond how the pieces fit together.
To add to the difficulty, many awesome fans have written, drawn or otherwise put time into thinking about these characters over the years. What they’ve developed in their minds is something I’ll never fully be able to do justice to. Especially when I have premise lines and story structure elements to hit!
Romance is an important part of SoH, but it can never act as a pillar for the story. It’s not strong enough. What is strong enough must serve this almighty, five-word logline:
A ronin becomes a samurai.
@RRH
Hatch’s route is as closed as a Chick-fil-A on Sunday. The man was designed to have a relationship with MC that didn’t involve romance. Friendship, camaraderie, competitiveness: Hatch’s character gained a lot by losing the urge to bone MC.
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