Playing the game does not, in fact, require you to have any specific sexuality. Or gender.
This is like the third time the “straight men have less ROs that biwomen to pick from” whine has come up, and it’s not any more entertaining with repeated viewings.
imao imagine comparing fictional characters with real life people…neia is just imaginative box of words thats about…and no changing sexuality does not remove life from characters, thats like saying that alessa would be a soulless bland character if author all of a suden switches her to be either gay or straight…no she would still be a great one…
This is not a novel but an interactive game so customers have as much right to express their criticism as author has to brush it off no matter if that critic is justified or not, especially in a case like this where a significant amount of people who bought this book got much less content than the others…if you are going to include both straight and gay ROs than give your customers relatively equal amount of options if you want to evade controversie, for example if dragon age 3 had same ratio of ROs when it comes to sexuality as this book bioware would 100% receive same “backlash”
I remember playing this game since the beginning when there was only 2 RO’s, which I loved. So finding out that are a lot more, kinda put me off, because I usually don’t like playing games with to many male characters/RO in it, so this is definitely an exception.
And about queer ROs, I never really liked lesbians RO in IFs because they’re always written by a straight person, and as someone who loves w/w, its kinda sad. Also idk but I always felt that the only reason there’s a lesbian character in there is because authors felt that they need to be inclusive, if not people won’t be happy. But they don’t want to make a gay male RO bc that’s less RO for some…people to romance and people won’t be happy about that either (I’ve actually seen people asking to change the code of a gay male character before! weird I know). Now, male ro’s is always available for everyone, especially for women. The only gay male RO that I can think of is that guy from fallen hero. And I think is just the same thing with trans characters and black characters, you usually don’t see trans and black male characters that much in IFs, which is a pity. This is actually one of the reasons of why I don’t romance male RO in interactive fiction, even though I’m pansexual. Anyways, I really wish there was more queer authors out there written queer characters you know…
A Mage Reborn has Falco, who is awesome (my favorite RO of the bunch in that game). Soul Stone War has Straasa, also a really good RO. Wayhaven has Felix. There are others with awesome black male ROs, but that’s right off the top of my head because they’re my faves.
But, on the topic, there will always be someone who feels left out with the ROs in these games unless they are all gender flippable and playersexual.
The ice cream analogy was actually a good one–sure, you can have 8 scoops instead of 2, but if most of the flavors are unappealing to you, then you really only have 2 scoops, no matter how many times people argue differently. I tend to play IFs only as straight females–I play men enough in video games and really only play them in IF if the story is exceptional and I can relate to the MC or if I am trying to work out a male OC of mine and need to stick him in a different playground to see what makes him tick–and I also have a type of RO I prefer to read stories about. As I said in another post, the flustery, blushing males turn me off, so in a game like this, I’m kinda stuck until I see how the rest of the ROs turn out.
So I get where @GhostScorch is coming from, and don’t see anything wrong with him pointing out something he takes issue with in the game. He wasn’t being nasty about it, wasn’t bashing the author, and clearly enjoys the game enough to want to have reason to replay it. And that’s a good thing. By the same token, it’s the author’s choice on how to handle that request–ignore it or see if there’s a way to work with it.
As someone else pointed out, @Bacondoneright graciously found a way to satisfy those who kept pushing for a M/M romance, despite not having planned for it. That was his choice, based on repeated requests from readers. If you don’t ask, you never get, you know?
I’m surprised this is a topic again. I feel like this was discussed at least 6-7 times in the past already.
Can we just admit that there are really only 2 ROs in this game so far? Sure there are technically more but they won’t go anywhere until the next book is written. For this title there is no real difference between flirting with Vallen who isn’t an RO and the Theers who are. We have the authors word that it will be different in the next book, but as of this title if Hadrian and Alessa aren’t your cup of tea you really aren’t getting much romance milage out of this game.
This isn’t a problem for me since Alessa is my cup of tea, and I’m not into this game specifically for the romance. But either way there are really only 2 bisexual (or player sexual?) options for full romance and a half dozen other options for flirting.
Until someone else writes a million plus word title and shows us how it’s done, y’all opinion is moot.
It’s so easy to say and ask (demand in some cases with some of your tones) but hard to do in practice.
Tbh this is the same as retail or service workers. If you haven’t worked in it, you take alotta shit for granted. And if you have worked in it, you’re a lot more understanding and reasonable.
In that case, I suggest, in a non-moot way, that we move on, because I’m bored with this topic, and there’s so many other things about this game to talk about. Otherwise I think we are running the risk of a circular argument and rising tempers.
Hello!
First of all, I’d like to apologize for the late response, especially to our lovely mods. It seems everything is calm now, but even so, I would have liked to help mitigate the arguments.
Truth is, life hasn’t been kind to me and my family lately, so while I navigate this rough patch, I’m staying a bit away from social media — I’m not sure the forum can be classified as social media, but you get my point. Whatever writing time I can get, I’d rather spend it actually writing the game and not browsing forums or blogs 
.
I’d like to, however, clarify a few points:
As @Radiantbliss said, I do allow myself the freedom to write organically, so if a character that I have planned as minor starts to grow and deepen, and their interactions with the MC become significant enough, then I won’t restrict myself. I’ll add them.
But the likelihood of that happening is, quite frankly, very slim. Everyone’s roles are filled, and between the 8 ROs plus four more non-romanceable but plot-important characters, The Rose’s cast is big. Book One introduces and establishes the big players, the rest of the books will feature them all. If someone hasn’t been featured in book one, chances are that their role in the story will be temporary and inconsequential at best.
It’s a good thing, then, that Neia isn’t written just to fill some representation quota.
She’s a character who has been with me for a very long time, and one of the aspects that makes her who she is (one of them, although it seems it’s the one people most focus on) is that she is a lesbian.
She’s a woman who carved her place and thrived in a heavily male-dominated space, and she also likes women. That’s who she is, and I won’t change it.
I can’t imagine her differently, much less write her differently. If anything, judging by this thread alone, my life would be easier if I made her bisexual. So your words and vague implications are, honestly, mean-spirited at best and insulting at worst.
As for Book Two, it’s taking shape!
I can only make a thread for it when I have a public demo ready (and let us all be honest, the demo is what everyone cares about ) so I’m unsure how to proceed until then. I could post about progress here, but this thread is for Book One…
Lots to think about.
I hope everyone’s been keeping well! May we all meet again in happier times.
Sorry to hear that things have been rough, @Anathema - best wishes and I hope that life calms down soon.
Thank you so much, Hannah! 
Glad to hear it. Honestly. It’s a part of her character that you refuse to take away because it would compromise who she is, and I have nothing but respect for it.
Best wishes to you Anathema, you are the best author i have ever read in all games weather it’s Hosted Games or Choices of Games and looking forward for Book 2!!!
Great to hear from you again. This whole year has been rough for me so I totally empathize. Stay strong and well out there. No one, I hope is rushing you. Quality takes time, every time.
Hi Hi a little late to the party but I just want to say that your book and your writing are phenomenal. So I’m pretty excited for your second book whenever it gets released.
Also about Neia, it’s your story and your character so it makes sense for her to be written like that.
how to gain combat skill and reason skill ?
And In the end MC always recive scar on face by guard right ?
You can gain Combat skill by practicing with weapons when those options appear. For Reason, read, write, and study objects when you can.
I just finished book one yesterday and even though I’ve never been very active around here, I felt an overwhelming need to come and comment on this experience.
And… Wow! I still feel dizzy, as if I’ve just come back from another dimension and, I’ll admit, I’m looking forward to going through the portal again!
This is a living and pulsating world with characters who won me over with their charisma and strong presence, even if their appearances were brief at first.
I miss them already, my boy Hadrian 
, my gorgeous Alessa and my beast from hell! 
Just thank you @Anathema for all the hard work. I could keep talking about all the times that I laugh, I felt sorrow or anger like I belong in this world! It takes me back at when I used to play RPG with friends. Good times.
Well… That’s it, guys! 
I’m a little confused. Rafael denied the person being an Eye because she was a woman? Are women not allowed in the Inquisition? I thought Neia was the leader of it. Am I reading this wrong?
From what I’ve gathered, Neia is the exception rather than the norm.