Forgot what initially sparked the thought, but I found myself headcanoning the heck out of what romancing Manerkol from The Soul Stone War would be like beyond the eventual ending of the series. I think it speaks to the complexity of both his character and his romance route that I wonder not just what happens next but also how he and the MC would navigate it.
My favorite RO would be a toss-up between him and Hades from Fields of Asphodel. Not sure what it is with me and cold (literally), brooding, immortal rulers with extensive hair care routine. Also interesting that one is a red flag whose goals directly oppose the MC’s (at the start) and the other is a green flag whose self-appointed task seems to be performing Acts of Service for everyone in his orbit.
I apologize in advance if I’m unfamiliar with the ROs you’re referring to, I never fully got back into the loop after my hiatus and now I just follow a handful of WIPs and ongoing series.
I always start CDLC planning to do something different and yet 7/9 playthroughs have ended up with me engaged to Hartmann. There is nothing I can do about this
Oh wow I haven’t replayed CDLC in a while! Might do it before I clear the backlog of its sequels/spinoffs.
I’m with you though, it’s hard to do a playthrough and purposefully ignore your chosen RO. Part of me feels mean, and another part is like “But why would I want anyone else? ” knowing full well I’m biased because I’ve completed their route.
Oh God, that’s a good question haha. I personally tend to have a soft spot for yanderes/red flags, or ROs that start cold/antagonistic and that eventually melt for just the MC alone. ROs that are mysterious or that act silly/unconventionally can also fit, depending on the character and context.
Manerkol didn’t quite do it for me because of the condescending pet stuff, unfortunately but I really liked Orion from the Evertree Inn Saga. It’s super fun to replay the third game with a character that hasn’t romanced him and see how different he is between playthroughs.
G from Shadow society was also amazing imo. They scratched an itch that you rarely see in fiction, of the goofy-silly character that has some more dark tendencies hidden underneath all the jokes and ridiculousness.
Tesla from War of the Currents was also a character that will forever stick with me, even if you can’t technically romance him because of his sexuality. I love the relationship he and the MC can have, and how it’s clearly loving in maybe more of a queer-platonic way if you decide to be close to him and stick with him/be a good friend.
There’s others too, like Blaise from CDLC, Hawkins from Mecha Ace, Leon from A Mage Reborn or literally any RO from The Golden Rose, but I’d say these are the main ones that come to mind to me rn that really had a lasting impact on me.
My favorite is the one that isn’t shoved in my face as soon as i start playing. I despise when i start reading, and in the first encounter with any given woman i either HAVE to go full gooner mode with the whole “she immediately attracts me” or she is just not a RO anymore. Or just in general locking romance route early on.
I just met you. Let me talk to you first. Let me learn something about you. Let me spend time with you. Hello isn’t enough for a lifelong romance. If you write, don’t do this shit.
But ye a slightly copout answer, but any RO within my taste range that allows me time to actually develop a connection before committing. Sadly not a particularly common occurence.
Enemies to lovers and defrosting ice queen are always great tropes though.
YES. Literally this!!
I feel like games recently have gotten a little better about this, but I HATE when a game forces me to immediately pine or be attracted to a character right out of the get-go, or forces me into a yes/no choice as to whether I want to date the character or not.
Maybe I do, but it’s so off-putting to be strong-armed into it immediately and not be given a say in the matter for the pacing. I hate fast burn, and I just want to be able to know the character first before committing to anything, and let the relationship be a natural gradual development of things.
I think it’s part of the reason why I like Orion in Evertree so much. He starts off super cold, and the adventure itself doesn’t have a ton of “romantic” scenes in it bc you’re both so focused on the job. But then, if you play your cards right, at the very end you can share a kiss, and then the repercussions and effects of that relationship are shown in the next game, which is so satisfying.
Raquel from Breach series, Zoriza from Ponpara series, Seraphina from Keeper series, Ai and Tang Ruo from Path of Martial arts, Azuridia from The Shadow sociaty, Julia from Shattered Eagle if I remember more I will add it later. Raquel is the best!
For me it’s a tie between Chen from Fallen Hero and Nathan from Thicker Than. I always tell myself that I’m going to romance someone else whenever I replay both games just to end up in their routes anyway.
I also really like Leon from A Mage Reborn (I’m a sucker for angsty routes, you see)
It’s still Toshio for me though. My ronin could use a non-toxic presence in her life for once. (Although I did fool around with the Baron in one playthrough. One.)
Leon from A Mage Reborn for a tragic romance, bonus points if you still love him in the next demo.
Marco from Blood Moon for a sweet and pining romance that gives coming of age vibes.
Uly from Whiskey Four for a heavy and dramatic romance with dark pining.
Morkai and/or Daelynn from Soul Stone Wars for a heavily flirtatious romance with a shy!MC.
Nate and Adam love triangle route for the drama. Added bonus if your MC dates Nate and still leads Adam on. Truly the messiest of messy romances, and it’s even better than their own routes because Nate’s feral with his feelings while Adam actually shows some.
Honestly I’ve been itching to try Morkai or Straasa’s route but every time I replay TSSW, I feel Manerkol just standing at the periphery like ”sure you don’t wanna do antagonistic long-distance and interact almost exclusively through fantasy VR Chat while I actively hunt you and your friends down?” and I fold every time.
Part of me feels mean, and another part is like “But why would I want anyone else? 
” knowing full well I’m biased because I’ve completed their route.
but I really liked Orion from the Evertree Inn Saga. It’s super fun to replay the third game with a character that hasn’t romanced him and see how different he is between playthroughs.
like yes, let me pine. 
My ronin could use a non-toxic presence in her life for once. (Although I did fool around with the Baron in one playthrough. One.)
”sure you don’t wanna do antagonistic long-distance and interact almost exclusively through fantasy VR Chat while I actively hunt you and your friends down?” and I fold every time.