Wish Fulfillment

[bellice]

So, guys, just a few moments ago I was lying in bed and thinking about VNs. And I came to the conclusion that most VNs are, in essence, nothing more than a kind of wish fulfillment...it is, after all, rather unlikely in real life to be a totally average guy/gal and suddenly have half the town begging for your attention.
Since I'm pretty sure all of you already knew that, I'll get down to business.
VN = light version of wish fulfillment, so why not just shrug off the pretense of trying to tell a story or whatever and simply make a VN that does nothing more than that: fulfill your wishes.
(Mind you, I do realize that there are a LOT of VNs out there that are genuinly trying to tell a good story. Please bear with me.)

It wouldn't be that different from usual VNs, just that the aspect of 'would NEVER happen in real life' is taken to the extreme.
And the main character would probably be someone who sits at home all day, playing video games and watching TV. Cause that makes the whole thing all the more unlikely.
(Let's face it, most avid VN players probably are people like that. And if I'm wrong, excuse me, I'd just like to think I'm not the only one like that.)

Anyway, long story short, I'd like you guys to tell me YOUR wishes and fantasies, especially those concerning romance. You know, all the things you imagine when you're lying in bed at night and trying to go to sleep. All these embarrassing fantasies we'd never tell anyone who knows us, because we'd have to kill them and hide their bodies if we did.

Maybe you imagine meeting your favourite singer or actor/actress in the street (maybe because their car broke down?) and him/her suddenly realizing they feel inexplicably drawn to you? Wouldn't it be fun to show that boyfriend/girlfriend off to your friends? (Don't deny it, that's half the fun of dating a celebrity...xD)
Or maybe you'd like your favorite tv/movie/game character to jump out of the screen and have to depend on you in order to find their way in this new and scary world?
Bonding with an older, sexy teacher who'd rather risk his/her job than be without you?
Suddenly finding out about your amazing singing voice and making all the girls/guys go weak in the knees?
Hell, loads of money?
Seriously, guys, go wild.
And give me details. I want exact scenarios. I want names. I want adres...- I mean, nevermind.

[Auro-Cyanide]

Pretty much all media is wish fulfillment. It gives us an opportunity to let go of our own reality and experience another. It is most strongly recognised in games because they can often place us in the drivers seat, but even non-interactive media like movies and TV are all about losing yourself in a fantasy. The story is the facilitator of this. The stronger the story the more likely we are to be ablt to invest in this other world, more more likely we are to believe in it. Mechanics is another one and is very popular in FPS where the story isn't the main point, but the way in which you play the game.

I have more fantasies than I can count, I'm a total daydreamer. It's just fun to experience things that I know I can't in the real world. Being rich, being powerful, being loved, being evil, saving the wrold, all that stuff is great, but you really do need some way of conveying that to the audience and making them invest in it as a fantasy.

[Anna]

The fun thing about wishes, is that they can be very varied. So how are you going to incorporate all the soon to come suggestions XD?

I'm not sure what you're exactly planning because this is so broad, but make sure it's carried by a story or something to keep the reader interested too. Otherwise I think it may become a bit boring.

[gekiganwing]

...And I came to the conclusion that most VNs are, in essence, nothing more than a kind of wish fulfillment...it is, after all, rather unlikely in real life to be a totally average guy/gal and suddenly have half the town begging for your attention.

It appears you're thinking specifically about romance stories and harem games. Most people probably do not want to experience anything in real life that resembles the events of Corpse Party, Policenauts, or Enzai.

As Auro-Cyanide said, a lot of fiction can be described as wish fulfillment. Yes, that includes prose, comics, theater, film, games, and more. If I may quote an article from a certain informal encyclopedia, "Wish Fulfillment is one of the driving points of fiction in general, most likely serving as the inspiration for humanity to start writing in the first place. After all, if Real Life matched our fantasies, we would not need to create fiction for Escapism."

There is a middle ground somewhere between "indulgent self insertion fantasy" and "genuine story that also appeals to fantasies." Finding that middle ground is difficult and elusive. And you know what, it's probably just as difficult to find and quantify well-written fiction which includes some wish fulfillment... Okay, enough of this tangent for now.

Anyway, long story short, I'd like you guys to tell me YOUR wishes and fantasies, especially those concerning romance.

My first idea was the Manic Pixie Dream Girl. But after some thought, I realized that under this character's surface, there might be a lot of serious problems. All that craziness and energy might be a mask for deep-seated issues.

[papillon]

Of course, literal wish fulfillment can make for all sorts of romantic comedy when it Goes Terribly Wrong.

Rabid yaoi/yuri fanboy/girl makes a wish to see more hot boys/girls kissing, and accidentally turns everyone they know into half-naked babes snogging each other all the time... causing chaos as they neglect their responsibilities!

[SusanTheCat]

I like the idea of pets becoming human. (and bishie!)

Susan

[ThisIsNoName]

I agree with Anna in that wishes can be extremely varied, even if you narrow it down to romance.

For example, I would never want to meet someone that I idolize because I know that the person won't live up to my image of them. I would much rather meet a "blank slate", someone who can experience the world completely objectively, without letting it skew their viewpoint.

[Sapphi]

Seriously, a thread where someone is specifically asking to hear MY wishes?! I am shocked... and delighted... ufufufufu...

You know, all the things you imagine when you're lying in bed at night and trying to go to sleep. All these embarrassing fantasies we'd never tell anyone who knows us, because we'd have to kill them and hide their bodies if we did.

Strangely enough... I usually insert myself into a story and pretend I am a character in a character pairing, rather than pretend I am personally paired with the other character. So, I'm a ridiculous fangirl, but a very observational, "enjoy this person/character from a distance" kind of one.

That said... I have a few ideas for you anyway.

I think there ought to be some kind of sim where the object is to become friends (or more) with your (older, smart, and very cute) teacher, who has no idea you exist and doesn't particularly like his students. There could be lots of ways to accomplish this, since ideally you would have a huge amount of choices. You could go the direct route and simply introduce yourself and try to make conversation, or you could stalk him (get his schedule, find out what kind of coffee he drinks, what he likes to do, what books he checked out of the library, etc.) and decide what to do from there. There would be a heavy educational slant because you would have to ace every test, do all the homework, etc. to get him to notice you... or, you could go the route of "FAIL EVERY TEST! HAVE TALK ABOUT GRADES WITH TEACHER AFTER CLASS!" The choices you made and the way you went about making them would have an effect on his reactions toward you. But it wouldn't be a puzzle game, more like a simulation of real life, where knowing basic psychology would be a plus. There would be no true ending, but lots of endings based on how you introduced yourself and how you guided the relationship along. (Jumping onto your desk in the middle of class and flashing everyone in the room while laughing maniacally, for instance, would not lead to the same ending as a hand-written note stuffed into his desk.) The fun part would be the simple joy of finding out what kind of person he was by exploring all the things you could do to him.

Obviously this approach would require a very likeable character to begin with, or it wouldn't be any fun. And because this is my fantasy, please make him smartly-dressed and at least unable to read without his glasses. >////////////>

Idea #2... I want to play a game where all the obtainable men are various sorts of doctors (with copious amounts of GLASSES! and WHITE COATS!!), and you play a cheerful girl who is unfortunately very sickly/accident-prone. Maybe to keep seeing your character of choice you have to... um... guide the unwitting MC into all sorts of catastrophes... (I am a terrible person.) You can also throw dentists in there, since they're a type of doctor, and you might as well have a psychologist too... AHH! The fun, it would NEVER END!

Idea #3... I wouldn't mind playing a game where you were a doctor and the object of the game was to torment your various cute female patients in fun and varied ways. ("Susie, I'm afraid you are due for an injection... um, actually, make that 20 BILLION INJECTIONS GYAHAHAHAHA" "KYAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!!") Obviously just for the lulz, but it would be so entertaining... and it possibly could be romantic, I guess ("Mary, you're due for 20 BILLION INJECTIONS!" "Oh, how wonderful! I love injections!")

Idea #4... like the first idea, but this time you're a maid and the object of the game is to get your really mean master to like you.

Idea #5... like Idea 3, but you are the owner of a maid, and the object of the game is to, um... act like the doctor in idea 3.

But in any case, don't forget the glasses.

[redeyesblackpanda]

Shy 2D girls blushing... Moe things... Oh, I just repeated myself... Pretty pictures?
saddest post I've ever written, probably

[Zylinder]

For most of my life after my 8th birthday, my wish was to fall into a magical world (which changes depending on what I'm reading or playing), fall in love with someone immortal, and then I will die. They will walk the rest of all eternity trying to find a way to revive me.

A primitive version of this includes my stepping in between them and a car accident, and I die. And they mourn me forever.

Alternatively, Takeshi Kaneshiro will show up on a rainy day in front of my house, needing shelter, and we will fall madly in love and procreate.

[sciencewarrior]

EDIT: a more relevant wish...

I used to wish I were this super-smooth, can't-do-wrong guy. You know, like the Persona 4 main character. I think a story with a guy that can't turn off the swag could be hilarious.

[Anna]

... and it possibly could be romantic, I guess ("Mary, you're due for 20 BILLION INJECTIONS!" "Oh, how wonderful! I love injections!")

*snortgiggle*

That is an awesome idea... perhaps :').

[papillon]

As for my actual adolescent ludicrous crush fantasies, I don't think they'd make very good game ideas.

The most specific one I can think of (please forgive me, this is worse than fanfic) was some sort of confused idea about this male figure skater I had a massive thing for. Somehow I would be at the rink, and he would be shot by bad guys and fall bleeding on the ice, and I would vault onto the rink and run to his side and kneel beside him, and then F'ING GLOWING ANGEL WINGS shoot out of my back and I manifest my MAGIC POWERS to defend him from further attacks and heal his wounds, and then we we would have a very angsty dramatic relationship together.

This is especially wince-inducing to me now because it was a long time ago and said figure skater suffered complete career collapse not long after that, and is now dead in a much sadder and less dramatic way, and I'm sure he never found out that I released a game with a character named after him (last name only)...

(Not saying who, and I don' think any of the rest of you are serious enough figure skating geeks to guess who I'm talking about.)

[Auro-Cyanide]

As for my actual adolescent ludicrous crush fantasies, I don't think they'd make very good game ideas.

The most specific one I can think of (please forgive me, this is worse than fanfic) was some sort of confused idea about this male figure skater I had a massive thing for. Somehow I would be at the rink, and he would be shot by bad guys and fall bleeding on the ice, and I would vault onto the rink and run to his side and kneel beside him, and then F'ING GLOWING ANGEL WINGS shoot out of my back and I manifest my MAGIC POWERS to defend him from further attacks and heal his wounds, and then we we would have a very angsty dramatic relationship together.

Oh... wow. Well, it made me feel better about my own adolescent fantasies in which I pretty much self inserted into every book I read. Glad to know I'm not the only one

Mostly now I day dream about being someone really cool and badass. It's fun but I don't think it's actually gotten any better since I was a teenager. Self indulgent fantasy tends to show why we all love that cheesy stuff. It's a guilty pleasure that makes up romance novels and shonen plots.

[bellice]

First off, I don't think my first post was very coherent and I apologize. I WAS just about to go to sleep, after all.
But from what I've gathered, everyone her would like to be a badass, ey? xD

Really, the idea I've had was quite simple, actually. The VN would be a very light-hearted piece of work.
Basically, the main character (a basement-dwelling, good-for-nothing gamer girl/guy) finds [inser mysterious sounding artifact here] and gets one wish. Depending on what wish the player chooses, the MC gets the opportunity to meet someone.
Example 1: You wish for a new, awesome car. On your way to god-knows-where, you find someone stranded in the middle of nowhere and it turns out to be [insert celebrity name here]. Since you luckily have your new, super-awesome car, you offer them a ride and they accept. BAM. They are grateful and you can now get to know them. And then show them off to your friends and prove just how damn awesome you are for scoring someone like that.
Example 2: You wish to become incredibly intelligent and have no problem acing your tests in school. Your hot, older teacher is surprised and slightly suspicious. BAM. They now pay attention to you and you can show them how mature and in need of guidance you are. And then show them off to your friends and prove just how damn awesome you are for scoring someone like that.
Example 3: Money. Looooads of money. Suddenly, everyone wants you. The challenge would be to find the one who's actually interested in YOU and not your newly aquired wealth. And then they can show you off to their friends to prove just how lucky they are to have scored someone like you. xD
This is a path that could very easily lead to a bad end.

Really, there are a lot of fun possibilities.