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So this is probably a weird question. But I'm writing a VN that's a lot like a dating sim in that there's these "main girls" who each have paths, yeah? But at some point in a certain path I came to realize "wow these characters go really well together". These characters are a side character who's the best friend of the protagonist and a main girl from another path that you're not currently in. So I want to try putting these two characters in some sort of relationship. Have some cool, sweet interaction between them. Personally, I think it'd be rad. But I feel like some dating sim players might not appreciate, for lack of better wording, having a bro steal their waifu.

I don't know. Should I go out of my way to avoid this? Opinions?

No, don't avoid it! Go for it! As a suggestion, maybe you could, say, pair the two up on an alternative path if the MC does not date this particular character? Or maybe have the feelings of both the MC and his friend as a source of conflict on this character's route? Like maybe a love triangle played for heartfelt laughs or something? Just a suggestion.

Ultimately, you're the author, and you can see what's there between your characters, if that makes sense. If you see something there, go for it. If you're still worried about what dating sim players might think, don't. Most of us around here are pretty open-minded when it comes to trying things not usually seen a lot in dating sims. In Magical Diary, two of your potential love interests are Ellen (one of your roommates) and Donald (your other roommate's brother). If you don't pursue either of them, they dance together at the year end dance. Nobody raised their torches and pitchforks over that. And even if there are people who protest on the grounds of "BUT THAT'S NOT HOW DATING SIMS ARE SUPPOSED TO WORK", ignore them.

Want to write a story in which two characters, neither of which is the protagonist, develop a relationship? Go for it.

Want to create a story in which the protagonist competes with another character for a hero or a heroine in a love triangle? Go for it.

Want to design a story in which the main character can act as a matchmaker? Again, go for it.

In all three Tokimeki Memorial Girl's Side games, the protagonist has at least two female friends. She might end up competing with one of the girls over a boy. She might win or lose. If you don't have time to try these games, consider looking for FAQs and walkthroughs to understand how they work.

Also, there was a discussion about a similar topic -- BxG romance games with rivals -- on r/visualnovelsuggest a couple months ago. It might be helpful.

I'd say let the side characters have their relationship if that works best for the characters and the story. In the current version of the romance/horror VN I'm working on, the characters the player character doesn't try to date automatically pair up among themselves in every route except one where no-one ends up together. (So it's not just you that's writing something like that.)

There's going to be people who might not like that, of course. There's a mini-romance between certain datable characters in the BioWare games Dragon Age II and Mass Effect 3 if the player character isn't dating the characters in question, which had a mixed reaction when players noticed that. But if it works for the characters/story, I'd say it's probably better to have a few annoyed players than force the characters into the mold the players expect at the expense of the story.

Nooooo, do it! Showing that they can have healthy romantic lives beyond the player character is great. Honestly, it irks me when these obtainable leads have all these issues that they work through with the help of the protagonist, so if you're not on their route, they'll still not be doing so well? I'd much rather see them happy.

It's good when other characters interact among themselves, I'd just say don't focus too much on their relationship instead of MC's.

Never sacrifice a good story to the whims of your demographic.

Unless you are aiming to make a profit. Then, always do that.

Thanks for the response, you guys are all fantastic. I'll definitely try it now, see if it works out.

fuck the player. if they dont like it, they shouldve picked a different path! the bottom line is, as long as your writing is good and engaging, the player will continue to play and enjoy said writing even if a pairing isn't what they had in mind. you see this all the time with popular TV shows, where two people are dating that fans dislike, but they still watch and enjoy the show

That was actually what I did with Doppelganger, as the other characters end up with others when you are not pursuing their path (some even won't end up with you and ends up with the other person instead in their OWN path) and no one seemed to complain about that! So I'd say go for it!

My opinion: Go for it.

I thought about this too actually, but I was hesitant to do it because sometimes it can make the story messy if it's not managed correctly. but personally think it's a cool idea if it's managed properly. If the writing is good and the characters make sense together then why not? If the player didn't chose to be with one of the characters that have entered said side relationship, I don't really see how the player could get too upset. If they don't like that character being stolen away, they should go back and play it over. It might be a factor that makes the player want to play your game over again for a new outcome even moreso, and there's definitely no problem with that.

I'm a bit annoyed at how so many VNs avoid this. To avoid pissing people off, they could have a route where the player can choose to play matchmaker. That path might not even affect one of the main stories that much.

You probably don't need this anymore since it's such a late reply but a love triangle works ^^ Tokimeki memorial girl's side does that in which you have to fight your bestie for the guy. (Lol.)

I'm glad you're doing it. You better give us progress reports.

Hahaha, don't hold your breath. I like to take my sweet damn time when it comes to hobby projects.