I can go the cruel route, but I draw the line at being mean to the doggo. 
I could see my mean MC teaching the dog to growl at everyone but her, and laugh about it, though.
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@E_RedMark Iâm sure thereâs going to be a lot of running⌠from the evil lurking in the shadows⌠or towards it if your MC is reckless 
At least some of them must have exes or past flings, so If we ever meet them I wouldnât mind because I love drama! I would love to be able to react differently, like play it cool, or become insecure, or be possesive like âhands off my man/woman!â 
But please not Bowser, itâs too much drama even for me! 
@EvilChani Kinda same, I donât like my characters to be unreasonably evil or mean just for the sake of it, so I have to come up with an explanation why theyâre like that. Maybe something in their past made them that way, or itâs some kind of defense mechanism, or something like that. Basically, to enjoy the story I need to make sure that I like my character even if theyâre a jerk, I need to understand them.
I plan to play a grumpy and aloof MC with Bâs route, and a funny but secretly very smart underneath all the clownery MC with S.
If you will play cruel MC for either of them, do share your impressions, Iâm intersted in how itâll turn out!
@Snowflower Yeees, cruel MCs club unite! 
I remember reading about your cruel MC, was that Laurel?
Oh, and I wasnât mean to the doggo even with my cruel MC, never! 
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If it doesnât make it in the game, it becomes Fanfic! 
Just imagine, if the romance is only one-sided. Like Bowser has the Hot for J and J only sees them as a Mentor! She can be so denseâŚso it is perfect! 
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I hope that they all had past relationships (even if I suspect that Jâs past relationships ended because their partner wasnât MC, if MC and J have compatible gender/orientation). I also hope that they can end up with other characters after the lock-in point, if MC doesnât pick them. I low-key ship J/R when MC isnât pursuing them in the poly (or singly), and A/B is pretty neat (when B isnât with MC).
MC building question: did your MCs have any romantic relationships in the period between their departure from and return to Fernweh? All three of mine (Arthur, Laurel, and my newest girl Roz (short for Rosemary)) definitely had past relationships (edited for autocorrect. Whoops).
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If thatâs the case, Iâd like to know first so I can pick a single route and just play that one and no other ones. I donât like making MCs that interfere with ROâs happiness with other people and screwing with authorâs preferred pairings.
Only exception is A/B, who Reina will try to push together. Possibly Naia, too, not sure. But thatâs mainly because I love B but their path doesnât really appeal to me yet. If I find a MC that works with him, then I wouldnât push him with A in my other routes. AnywayâŚ
I am all for the past relationships for everyone, though, as long as itâs in the past. The Bowser thing, though⌠ewww!
Naia has had a single⌠fling. One of those things where they found each other hot and it was a sex-only connection that lasted until she started feeling trapped and bailed (he was fine with that, btw).
Reina dated two peopleâone nice guy and one utter turd. The first one is just something that didnât work out (no spark), and the latter was the most recent. Sheâs over it, but wary.
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@E_RedMark You know what⌠I can see that. I still donât support the idea, but who am I to deny how amazing and wonderful J is, so if Bowser has the hots for them, itâs totally understandable, I canât really blame the girl!
@Snowflower I know we have just bonded over âcruel MCs clubâ, but Iâm afraid I disagree with ROs pairing up if you donât choose them, Iâm too jealous for that, I canât watch ROs happy with someone else if weâre not together 
Confession: I decided not to do the poly route only because Iâm afraid I will get jealous of J and R with each other
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Mine are all frigid like cactus 
This makes all the romances that much more necessary, life-saving in fact.
In Wayhaven, the ex by default is Bobbie. For once, I like to pick someone and my pick is Bowser 
I imagine her grouchy, with an attitude of an old retired BulldogâŚand she ignored my MC existence. The nerve!
My Mc didnât say anything but Becca did. She is so sweet 
Bowser: How about you finish that report over a meal J?
J: No Thanks, Iâm due to start my usual patrol. Maybe another time 
Bowser: Right, donât stay up too light!
J: Will do Chief!
(Chief watch J walk out of her office and sigh looking down at the report)
Bowser: Damn newcomer, I have to try harder before that newbie makes a move!
Bowserâs memoir is titled: Musing of an old Grouch.
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Iâm not jealous, but as soon as I see the ROs pairing off with others, I have no desire to play more than the âtopâ path. I like the whole soulmate thing (fate/soulmate/whatever you want to call it), so if I am playing one route (say Râs) and see J get into a happy relationship with another RO or NPC, then Iâm not going to play Jâs path, since the author gave them their fate/soulmate already and my MC would just eff it up.
The poly is a bit different for me. If I saw J/R hook up during a W run, Iâd be fine, except then Iâd feel pressured to play the poly instead of R or Jâs solo route. If there was no possibility for a poly, then if J/R hooked up, I wouldnât play either of their paths. And would probably just play Wâs route and be done with it.
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My view on ROs pairing up when not selected is that it adds to the verisimilitude (it is the one blemish on Tin Starâs otherwise spotlessness that we cannot pair up Maria/Yiska in a more straightforward way), and I love matchmaking. Although I definitely want it to happen after MC locks in their RO (because I do not like false-advertising âROsâ at all). But we are all entitled to our own opinions and thatâs OK.
In Fernweh Saga, I am also here for the potential dynamics between the ROs (J and B, B and anyone else if you got a certain achievement, W and anyone else, etc.).
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I donât mind ROs pairing off if itâs been awhile since the lock in (like if F crushes on Tina after a few books in Wayhaven, Iâd be ok with that). But if in a matter of a few months the RO could have fallen in love with me or someone else (ahem, Crème de la crème), then it makes their route feel cheaper. Like it isnât as serious/deep
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Yes, me too! When I read fiction I want my MCâs and their ROâs love to be one of a kind, I want it to be special, like they could never be as happy with someone else as with each other. I want an epic love story, not a dull realistic bore! I might be okay with RO having some sort of an optional fling if you donât date them, but if I see their side relationship getting so serious it overshadows the MCâs relationship with them it makes me upset. I donât want my MCâs relationship to be treated as an afterthought compared to ROâs other potential partner, weâre literally the âmainâ character, for crying out loud.
I believe I saw you say that you enjoyed Râs solo route more than JR poly, correct? What you didnât like about the poly? I wanted to play the poly route with my fifth charming and sociable MC, but then I decided to switch this MC to Wâs route instead, and just randomly flirt with everyone for now. I still donât know if I should stick with my original plan to play poly route or just fully switch to W 
@Snowflower The only side relationship I want to encourage is Aâs crush on B when I will play Bâs route. I want to spice it up, as I said, I do enjoy drama 
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Precisely. I play these things for escapism, not reality.
Itâs bad enough that, in most of these games, I have to suffer through reading my MCs having never-ending angst fests (with nothing but longing looks, meaningless flirting, and âwill-they-wonât-theyâ BS) until the end of the stories, where they can kiss/bang/get a relationship with their RO (since no one wants to do actual relationships). I donât really want to have the MC be a âwell, they were there and interested and I was bored, so whateverâ thing for the RO, which is exactly how it comes off when the ROs start getting into relationships with other NPCs or ROs.
Actually, no. It comes off that way for my MCs. For the ROs that get to be with NPCs, they get the happy, schmappy, âweâre in love and everything is perfect and itâs us against the world!â romance with an actual loving relationship that happens quickly (because, apparently, they were meant to be), while my MCs get angst and no relationship till the end. To me, thatâs even worse.
Right. Plus, I spend a lot of time developing MCs for these games, once I decide to play, then spend more time playing and figuring them out (who they are and how they fit into the universe). To do that only to later find out that the RO they hooked up with was happier with someone else means I get to toss that characterâand the time I spent making themâinto the garbage. And I donât like wasting my time.
Honestly, it felt like my MC was in the way of J/R. There was moreânot interaction, but emotion, maybe?âbetween J and R than between the MC and either of them. Granted, the MC has been away for a long time, but it was very unsatisfying to me. I may try again with another MC. With Râs solo route (and Jâs, for that matter), it felt like there was more of a connection with the MC and them (until the end, anyway).
Give the poly a shot. You may interpret it differently than I did (and than my MC did). Of course, my run with the poly, Naia was all sweetness and light, save for a lot of snark. Now sheâs grumpier and more stoic, but still very merciful, so the poly may play better now. Couldâve just been the MC that was bugging me, really.
I have yet to make up my mind on a MC for W. Not sure what sheâll be like. Both Naia and Reina flirted with W, but that was me god moding them so I could see what happened. Not sure what theyâll do when left to their own devices and they are more solid as characters.
I want to do that one, too, but mainly because I have no interest in playing Bâs route at the moment!
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I agree with you on all points about ROs dating other characters!
Apart from the angst part, Iâm a huuuge angst fan 
Oh no, thatâs not good, the last thing I want is to be the third wheel 
Iâll think about that, after all I can have six characters for each route. I just need to come up with one more interesting MC that would be different enough from the other five. Thanks for the detailed explanation, you gave me food for thought! 
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Maybe make a more reckless, thinks with their heart, dangerously-merciful MC? That was Roz in a nutshell.
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I donât mind angst if it makes sense and isnât based on childish bullshit, lack of communication, or one or both parties being too stupid to find their way out of a cardboard box. Like⌠insecurity is an understandable âangstâ factor. Fear of being shit on when thatâs all youâve ever had from ârelationshipsâ is also understandable.
The angst I prefer is external angstâthreats against the MC, threats against the LI, people trying to come between them, events stressing them out, etcâwhere the MC and RO work together to overcome these things. Throw in the drama and pain like that, and I lap it up.
But long-term tormenting your MC or LIâwhether itâs the MC doing it to the LI or the LI doing it to the MCâwith hot/cold behavior, conflicting signals, and/or verbal abuse (without a real discussion about it) raises my hackles.
That was my vibe, using my initial âtakeâ on Naia. The end âstatusâ of the âromanceâ (I still have an issue calling any of these romances yet) is also discouraging.
Your mileage may vary, however. And I think it might actually be fun to play the poly with a carefree, reckless snarker that really doesnât care one way or the other. Alternative: a shy blushy type who stutters every time one of them speaks. That may work for the poly best. I just canât stomach playing those.
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Thatâs a good idea, I have a cruel and reckless MC, and a merciful and cautious MC, so mixing reckless and merciful together can create a different type of character!
@EvilChani Thatâs true, the quality of angst is also important, you canât just throw random obstacles without reasonable meaning behind it just to make things harder. I do like my angst to be well-thought-out!
The problem is that I already played Jâs route with a shy MC and Râs route with a flirty one, so now I canât experience a new type of interaction with one of them in the poly, I have to either repeat being shy with J or flirty with R, otherwise my character will end up being inconsistent. I dug my own grave with that one
Anyway, thanks for all the recommendations; Iâll give it a good think tomorrow and hopefully figure something out!
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Nope. One was far too traumatized, the other was already sort of in love with J and never moved on. I admit to being one of those suckers for True Love/Soulmate stories. 
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This is really interesting. I havenât played any other routes with my MCs. Hmm.
Gianna is the easiest. I made her with J us mind, but sheâs best friends with R and theyre so funny together so i might pair her with Reese. Fanny i might be with B instead of R. I hadnât paired them at first because I think theyâre too similar. Charlotte (primarily S) is hard maybe R denial route? Naomi (B) i mught pair with J instead because as a job I headcannon her as a model, so I can see their childhood bond being reassuring that shes being seen as a person and not an icon. (Also she had a crush on him as children.)
Ultimately, I think everyone is perfect in their cannon romance, but if you held a gun to my head and made me switch them up this is how I would do it.
All my MCs had a crush on their RO of choice except Naomi because she didnt know B yet, but J was her first kiss.
This is adorable.
Gianna: only one, and the reason us because she was silently (and subconsciously)comparing every guy she met to J which for her was such a high standard. There was one though and that ended badly.
Fanny: no one
Charlotte: Between 1-3 serious ones.
Naomi: if you can call them that. She dates a lit, but her longest relationship lasted 3 months. (Poor B having to watch this, and listen to the endless âwoe is meâ stories)
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@E_RedMark Add in the cake choice also! My MCs always go for the chocolate. 
My MC moved a lot in Chp. 11. I have a feeling they will need to be in shape for Book 2.
Interesting point about the LIs and their Exs. It could introduce some interesting scenes in future books. Bowser with Janeâsome interesting conversations could occur. Like @Snowflower, I would surprised if J had many flings; no basis in fact in this, just my own canon. There is also the name of the achievement for finishing on their route: âAlways Yoursâ
On the other hand, I think that R would have had flings, but they were meaningless; just one night stands to scratch an itch. I think R would keep up his emotional guard, not letting anyone get too close. That is why I remarked in an earlier post that if R did have a fling with one of our MCs after just the brief time in Fernweh, then R would not have any feelings developing for the MC. He would enjoy and then run, in my opinion.
I am not yet sure how to read S. @Lambkin Do you have any thoughts?
My MCs tend to be kind, sincere, friendly, or somewhat merciful. I donât usually play with a cruel MC, but based on what I am hearing, I am going to have to create another MC and force myself to go with all cruel choices (yes, even the dog, or maybe at least indifferent⌠I might feel too guilty since she seems traumatized or nervous). My new cruel and heartless MC will be Belladonna --do you guys have any other suggestions for poisonous flower MC names??
Trying to catch up with the discussion since work once again interfered with my fun.
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Oleander if you plan to play a guy (Leander might work better as a name, more subtle). You can also pick a non-indicative or punny name (Laurel Hunter was meant to be the âachievement finding MCâ, and became the âevil MCâ over time). Or perhaps you could use it as a surname (Monkshood for example).
What did people find to be the scariest bit of Book 1? I was honestly rattled by the house-ruins nightmare when I resisted fully. And it takes a lot for text to rattle me.
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