Stories that left you disappointed for a reason

[Zoklitsos]

I don't usually comment on IF here, but I do spend a lot of time looking at this thread and I agree with quite a few of its opinions. But, honestly, today I need to vent and release all my frustration and disgust at so many things I'm seeing in IF lately, that I don't even know where to start.

I'd like to point out that English is not my first language, so please ignore anything. I just really need to get all my disgust out there.

I want to start by saying that lately there seems to be some collective outbreak among IF authors, where they all seem to have come to the consensus that cheating ROs is interesting and cool. I'm an avid reader of romance and fantasy, so I'm always looking for IF that has both, but I have no problem reading IF that only has one. The point is that now, everyone I meet seems to be normalizing an unfaithful RO simply because they do. Because, seriously, honest question, who looks at an RO like this and says "That's the one I want"?
I refuse to think that there are people who like this kind of RO.
An example of my pure dislike for one of this type is the R in that recent IF "You can't stop your love from dying", which I'm not even sure is the right name, but you've probably caught who it is. Whom I have a deep dislike for. Since he cheats on the MC and doesn't mind saying so when they find out, because after all, *** for him isn't love, so he's not cheating. And to make matters worse, from what I've seen, R and the MC are still together.

And R manages to be the combo of the "******* who thinks he's right and MC is a drama queen" + "the infidel". Which to me is as if they'd stuck Milo and Seven in a pot and he'd come out. And I don't think I need to tell you how much I hate both of them and their entire IF, because, frankly, we'd be here for hours just stating the obvious that has already been stated by yourselves, which I agree with wholeheartedly.

Which brings me to the next point, which all these ROs have in common:
Authors with characters who make you want to rinse your mouth out with bleach, yet the authors try at all costs to justify their actions.

I remember seeing someone's comment here, saying that just because someone wrote about an unfaithful character, it didn't mean that the author agreed with the character's attitudes. Which I agree with, after all, it's not because you write an IF that has violence, for example, that you agree with it. BUT IN THIS CASE, it's impossible not to think that these authors like the attitudes they write about. Because the extent to which they justify their characters' actions is unbelievable.
I already hate the fact that characters like that are ROs, but it gets even worse when the author himself knows that the character's attitudes are bad and that their character is horrible, but they want to give me at all costs a justification for them being like that, when no matter what you tell me, they're horrible. Stop wanting to put flowers on their head as if they were an angel.

Not to mention the fact that any complaint you make against their beloved character, they'll go straight to rudeness and ignorance with you. Which we already know the authors of Infamous, Night market and CoAaF (which, despite the fact that the damn king isn't an RO, falls into the same category as sympathizing with characters that are impossible to sympathize with) love to do.
And to add to my disgust, they don't put a single warning on the IF page about this kind of thing. And so I go blindly to IF about it, and come away with the urge to wash my eyes out with bleach and throw my cell phone at the wall.
If you're going to make characters like this, let me know in advance on the IF page, so I can save myself the time of reading garbage like this. And by that I mean, preferably, ON IF ITSELF. I can't stand reading IFs like this anymore, only to go to tumblr to find out that I'm definitely not the target audience, because the authors refuse to put it on IF. A perfect example of this, again, is R. I only found out that he cheated on the MC because I decided to take a look at the author's tumblr, which at least freed me from the eventual anger that I would get if I continued reading this bomb. Which unfortunately didn't happen with Night market, where I only found out about Milo's forced polygamy when I was well into IF, which gives me a headache just remembering it.

That's what I wanted to get off my chest.

Of course, there are other things like WIP authors who never update, but still have Patreon active, and keep saying every month that they haven't abandoned IF, just to give readers hope and keep them giving money. Wayfarer and KOE for me are other separate issues, because they're both good, but Wayfarer has the issue of impossible schedules to be done alone and KOE doing rewrites of things he didn't need because they were already good as they were.

Oh, and there are also those who like to torture and put as much trauma as possible on the MC, which you won't be able to choose how to deal with, or even do anything about. If it's meant to be a revenge IF, I WANT VENGEANCE, not therapy with some NPC that makes me want to give up on revenge if it's not a decision I choose myself.

Anyway, that's it

I pretty much agree with everything you said, you do be be spitting facts fr and I don't have much more to add
But I just wanted to specifically say I am so here for The Night Market slander lmao, I was following that IF from the beginning and I am still so salty about how the author handled the romances which is the reason I dropped it before the first book was even finished. From what I've heard, that witch chick (Hazel, I think?) is the only decent romance. Milo.... do I even need to elaborate lmao, it's self explanatory really, and the main reason I dropped the IF is because the author literally never warned the readers that he is a mandatory poly romance, she just randomly dropped that info when the book was over halfway done and a ton of people were invested, not knowing that. And from what I remember she didn't seem to understand why people would have an issue with not being warned about that? I'm too lazy to check but from what I've seen apparently she caved at some point and did add warnings that he is a poly only romance but like.... people shouldn't have to nag you in order to add that vital information lmao. Then there's Gabriel and that vampire chick whose name I don't remember, who are exes that are so obviously still into each other and the game literally pushes you toward entering a poly romance with them even though you can technically solo romance them... but girl are you fr why would I want to romance a character that's still pining after their ex Like why is almost every romance there other than Hazel so cursed lmao this IF has one of the most horrid vibes ever

 

[Zoklitsos]

Characters that hate you for literally no reason **** me off so ****ing much. Examples: Morgan from Wayhaven book 1, that character (forgot the name) from A Mage Reborn: Book Two, Blane from When Twilight Strikes, etc. (When Twilight Strikes infuriates me for a lot of other reasons) Safe to say I don’t like assholish ROs at all, not even those "red flag" characters. The closest RO I like that could be considered a red flag is Junko from SOH and your ex-lover in that John Wick-like IF. I don’t know, they just **** me off. Unfortunately, few games let you kill annoying ROs, so you’re stuck with those assholish characters forever.

Oh hell yes, now you're talking my language lmao. I am a certified hater of all those characters you listed too M from Wayhaven especially drove me nuts and I never got why so many people were thirsting after them when they were such a jackass in the first book, like they do get better in the subsequent books but that first impression is rough A was pretty annoying in the first book too but not nearly as much as M, at least for me. Oh, and another honourable mention for the hate list can go to Asher from Golden and Lorcan from We Wretched Creatures, they're both annoying ****s lmao but I guess at least Lorcan has a reason to be an ***.

I am also SO tired of ******* red flag ROs in general tbh. I can appreciate an *******, enemies to lovers type of RO as much as the next person, it's admittedly one of my favourite tropes. As long as it's executed well. But the thing is that 95% of the time, this trope is executed so badly in IFs and they just make me really hate the character, which in turns makes reading the IF less enjoyable. In my opinion, for example Marcus from Defiled Hearts and Zillah from Superstition fall into that trope and toe the line between being assholes but not making me hate them in the same way the above mentioned ROs do, but I get that this is a matter of personal taste and I'm sure lots of people would disagree with me and tell me how they wanna dropkick them lmao.

 

[Benu]

I don't usually comment on IF here, but I do spend a lot of time looking at this thread and I agree with quite a few of its opinions. But, honestly, today I need to vent and release all my frustration and disgust at so many things I'm seeing in IF lately, that I don't even know where to start.

I'd like to point out that English is not my first language, so please ignore anything. I just really need to get all my disgust out there.

I want to start by saying that lately there seems to be some collective outbreak among IF authors, where they all seem to have come to the consensus that cheating ROs is interesting and cool. I'm an avid reader of romance and fantasy, so I'm always looking for IF that has both, but I have no problem reading IF that only has one. The point is that now, everyone I meet seems to be normalizing an unfaithful RO simply because they do. Because, seriously, honest question, who looks at an RO like this and says "That's the one I want"?
I refuse to think that there are people who like this kind of RO.
An example of my pure dislike for one of this type is the R in that recent IF "You can't stop your love from dying", which I'm not even sure is the right name, but you've probably caught who it is. Whom I have a deep dislike for. Since he cheats on the MC and doesn't mind saying so when they find out, because after all, *** for him isn't love, so he's not cheating. And to make matters worse, from what I've seen, R and the MC are still together.

And R manages to be the combo of the "******* who thinks he's right and MC is a drama queen" + "the infidel". Which to me is as if they'd stuck Milo and Seven in a pot and he'd come out. And I don't think I need to tell you how much I hate both of them and their entire IF, because, frankly, we'd be here for hours just stating the obvious that has already been stated by yourselves, which I agree with wholeheartedly.

Which brings me to the next point, which all these ROs have in common:
Authors with characters who make you want to rinse your mouth out with bleach, yet the authors try at all costs to justify their actions.

I remember seeing someone's comment here, saying that just because someone wrote about an unfaithful character, it didn't mean that the author agreed with the character's attitudes. Which I agree with, after all, it's not because you write an IF that has violence, for example, that you agree with it. BUT IN THIS CASE, it's impossible not to think that these authors like the attitudes they write about. Because the extent to which they justify their characters' actions is unbelievable.
I already hate the fact that characters like that are ROs, but it gets even worse when the author himself knows that the character's attitudes are bad and that their character is horrible, but they want to give me at all costs a justification for them being like that, when no matter what you tell me, they're horrible. Stop wanting to put flowers on their head as if they were an angel.

Not to mention the fact that any complaint you make against their beloved character, they'll go straight to rudeness and ignorance with you. Which we already know the authors of Infamous, Night market and CoAaF (which, despite the fact that the damn king isn't an RO, falls into the same category as sympathizing with characters that are impossible to sympathize with) love to do.
And to add to my disgust, they don't put a single warning on the IF page about this kind of thing. And so I go blindly to IF about it, and come away with the urge to wash my eyes out with bleach and throw my cell phone at the wall.
If you're going to make characters like this, let me know in advance on the IF page, so I can save myself the time of reading garbage like this. And by that I mean, preferably, ON IF ITSELF. I can't stand reading IFs like this anymore, only to go to tumblr to find out that I'm definitely not the target audience, because the authors refuse to put it on IF. A perfect example of this, again, is R. I only found out that he cheated on the MC because I decided to take a look at the author's tumblr, which at least freed me from the eventual anger that I would get if I continued reading this bomb. Which unfortunately didn't happen with Night market, where I only found out about Milo's forced polygamy when I was well into IF, which gives me a headache just remembering it.

That's what I wanted to get off my chest.

Of course, there are other things like WIP authors who never update, but still have Patreon active, and keep saying every month that they haven't abandoned IF, just to give readers hope and keep them giving money. Wayfarer and KOE for me are other separate issues, because they're both good, but Wayfarer has the issue of impossible schedules to be done alone and KOE doing rewrites of things he didn't need because they were already good as they were.

Oh, and there are also those who like to torture and put as much trauma as possible on the MC, which you won't be able to choose how to deal with, or even do anything about. If it's meant to be a revenge IF, I WANT VENGEANCE, not therapy with some NPC that makes me want to give up on revenge if it's not a decision I choose myself.

Anyway, that's it

I feel you, knowing im not the only one who felt this way washed my soul and made me feel vindicated.

 

[CQ2205]

I pretty much agree with everything you said, you do be be spitting facts fr and I don't have much more to add
But I just wanted to specifically say I am so here for The Night Market slander lmao, I was following that IF from the beginning and I am still so salty about how the author handled the romances which is the reason I dropped it before the first book was even finished. From what I've heard, that witch chick (Hazel, I think?) is the only decent romance. Milo.... do I even need to elaborate lmao, it's self explanatory really, and the main reason I dropped the IF is because the author literally never warned the readers that he is a mandatory poly romance, she just randomly dropped that info when the book was over halfway done and a ton of people were invested, not knowing that. And from what I remember she didn't seem to understand why people would have an issue with not being warned about that? I'm too lazy to check but from what I've seen apparently she caved at some point and did add warnings that he is a poly only romance but like.... people shouldn't have to nag you in order to add that vital information lmao. Then there's Gabriel and that vampire chick whose name I don't remember, who are exes that are so obviously still into each other and the game literally pushes you toward entering a poly romance with them even though you can technically solo romance them... but girl are you fr why would I want to romance a character that's still pining after their ex Like why is almost every romance there other than Hazel so cursed lmao this IF has one of the most horrid vibes ever

"Horrible vibes" is an understatement to describe this hell hole lmao. At the time I was new to the IF community, so when I saw the game's page on itch.io (I think it was there? I don't remember anymore), there was no warning about any of these things, either Gabriel or Milo. And to my great misfortune, I had been interested in Milo, and when the scene came where he says he doesn't believe in monogamy and he would only stay with me if I accepted him staying with other people, I simply stayed ?????

It was a shock to me, like...WHY WASN'T I WARNED ABOUT THIS?? If the character is polyamorous, the least you expect from the author is that she makes this known on the IF page, precisely for people who are monogamous and have no interest in polyamory, don't waste time with this character and don't have to wait until you get to the scene to find out. It was because of this dark IF that I was forced to have tumblr and check each page before starting to read an IF, you know, to avoid surprises. And even with tumblr, it's hard to escape surprises like this
People having to complain so much before you finally come to your senses and put up basic warnings is crazy. And it gets even more annoying when the author is rude and arrogant. And for me, if I am already bothered by an author's attitude and the author responds to me rudely, my anger doubles for both IF and the author.

 

[Fuffff]

Oh hell yes, now you're talking my language lmao. I am a certified hater of all those characters you listed too M from Wayhaven especially drove me nuts and I never got why so many people were thirsting after them when they were such a jackass in the first book, like they do get better in the subsequent books but that first impression is rough A was pretty annoying in the first book too but not nearly as much as M, at least for me. Oh, and another honourable mention for the hate list can go to Asher from Golden and Lorcan from We Wretched Creatures, they're both annoying ****s lmao but I guess at least Lorcan has a reason to be an ***.

I am also SO tired of ******* red flag ROs in general tbh. I can appreciate an *******, enemies to lovers type of RO as much as the next person, it's admittedly one of my favourite tropes. As long as it's executed well. But the thing is that 95% of the time, this trope is executed so badly in IFs and they just make me really hate the character, which in turns makes reading the IF less enjoyable. In my opinion, for example Marcus from Defiled Hearts and Zillah from Superstition fall into that trope and toe the line between being assholes but not making me hate them in the same way the above mentioned ROs do, but I get that this is a matter of personal taste and I'm sure lots of people would disagree with me and tell me how they wanna dropkick them lmao.

Wayhaven is always a questionable read. I don't hate it, but damn if it isn't boring when you're romancing certain characters. A, for example. I know about slow burns, but that one is a SLOWIFIED slow burn. To this day, even in the current book, A and the detective haven't shared a single kiss, I think. Wish we could call their bullshit out for playing games with the detective.

 

[ADB446]

Oh hell yes, now you're talking my language lmao. I am a certified hater of all those characters you listed too M from Wayhaven especially drove me nuts and I never got why so many people were thirsting after them when they were such a jackass in the first book, like they do get better in the subsequent books but that first impression is rough A was pretty annoying in the first book too but not nearly as much as M, at least for me. Oh, and another honourable mention for the hate list can go to Asher from Golden and Lorcan from We Wretched Creatures, they're both annoying ****s lmao but I guess at least Lorcan has a reason to be an ***.

I am also SO tired of ******* red flag ROs in general tbh. I can appreciate an *******, enemies to lovers type of RO as much as the next person, it's admittedly one of my favourite tropes. As long as it's executed well. But the thing is that 95% of the time, this trope is executed so badly in IFs and they just make me really hate the character, which in turns makes reading the IF less enjoyable. In my opinion, for example Marcus from Defiled Hearts and Zillah from Superstition fall into that trope and toe the line between being assholes but not making me hate them in the same way the above mentioned ROs do, but I get that this is a matter of personal taste and I'm sure lots of people would disagree with me and tell me how they wanna dropkick them lmao.

Eh, I'm one of those people that likes red flag Ros. IMO there really aren't that many, not true red flags. Most of them are from ifs that don't even get completed so we never see much of them anyway. I guess whats “well done,” is subjective. But If the flag ain't red, its not for me.

 

[ADB446]

"Horrible vibes" is an understatement to describe this hell hole lmao. At the time I was new to the IF community, so when I saw the game's page on itch.io (I think it was there? I don't remember anymore), there was no warning about any of these things, either Gabriel or Milo. And to my great misfortune, I had been interested in Milo, and when the scene came where he says he doesn't believe in monogamy and he would only stay with me if I accepted him staying with other people, I simply stayed ?????

It was a shock to me, like...WHY WASN'T I WARNED ABOUT THIS?? If the character is polyamorous, the least you expect from the author is that she makes this known on the IF page, precisely for people who are monogamous and have no interest in polyamory, don't waste time with this character and don't have to wait until you get to the scene to find out. It was because of this dark IF that I was forced to have tumblr and check each page before starting to read an IF, you know, to avoid surprises. And even with tumblr, it's hard to escape surprises like this
People having to complain so much before you finally come to your senses and put up basic warnings is crazy. And it gets even more annoying when the author is rude and arrogant. And for me, if I am already bothered by an author's attitude and the author responds to me rudely, my anger doubles for both IF and the author.

Well, I'm glad I found Night Market boring now. That's crazy that the author didn't think people would be upset by that.

 

[SasariRomanii]

Characters that hate you for literally no reason **** me off so ****ing much. Examples: Morgan from Wayhaven book 1, that character (forgot the name) from A Mage Reborn: Book Two, Blane from When Twilight Strikes, etc. (When Twilight Strikes infuriates me for a lot of other reasons) Safe to say I don’t like assholish ROs at all, not even those "red flag" characters. The closest RO I like that could be considered a red flag is Junko from SOH and your ex-lover in that John Wick-like IF. I don’t know, they just **** me off. Unfortunately, few games let you kill annoying ROs, so you’re stuck with those assholish characters forever.

On the other side of the spectrum, there are those overly cheerful bubbly characters that I must say grate on my nerves in equal, if not more, amount. Example is F from Wayhaven, Rainn from The Midnight Bay, Maples from Agents of Lucifer, and L + C from Apartment 502 (they're more subdued though, thankfully). And yes, they always come in a package deal alongside The Competent Leader, The Grouch who hates you for no reason, and The Suave Charmer. I f8cking hate this type of characters, and for some reason they just won't leave MC alone even when we chose to be an ******* to them they still look at MC with sparkly eyes and that mischievous grin. They're like a fly that is just begging to be squashed by an electric fly swatter.

 

[CQ2205]

Wayhaven is always a questionable read. I don't hate it, but damn if it isn't boring when you're romancing certain characters. A, for example. I know about slow burns, but that one is a SLOWIFIED slow burn. To this day, even in the current book, A and the detective haven't shared a single kiss, I think. Wish we could call their bullshit out for playing games with the detective.

The only routes I tried were N and M. I remember a lot of people saying they liked them so I ended up getting curious and did theirs first.
M's route was a cat-and-mouse feeling and vice versa, as I played with an MC who wouldn't hook up with M unless it was something serious. And every time he talked about a relationship with them, they took 10 steps back, and then came back to try to convince the MC to be with them casually. My MC refused and started the cycle all over again. Maybe things will work out faster if you have a casual relationship with M at first, but I've never tried it. And although I found M annoying at times, I could easily ignore their teasing, unlike A who managed to irritate me more.
And N was one of the best for me out of all of these, as they were straightforward about their intentions and they spoke their minds, so I didn't have to keep butting heads with them.
I never tried F's route because I usually saw them as the best friend of the group, but their romance seems to be okay too. So for me N and F are the best.

And for those who still have hope in the route of A...

 

[Parallax]

Oh hell yes, now you're talking my language lmao. I am a certified hater of all those characters you listed too M from Wayhaven especially drove me nuts and I never got why so many people were thirsting after them when they were such a jackass in the first book, like they do get better in the subsequent books but that first impression is rough A was pretty annoying in the first book too but not nearly as much as M, at least for me. Oh, and another honourable mention for the hate list can go to Asher from Golden and Lorcan from We Wretched Creatures, they're both annoying ****s lmao but I guess at least Lorcan has a reason to be an ***.

I am also SO tired of ******* red flag ROs in general tbh. I can appreciate an *******, enemies to lovers type of RO as much as the next person, it's admittedly one of my favourite tropes. As long as it's executed well. But the thing is that 95% of the time, this trope is executed so badly in IFs and they just make me really hate the character, which in turns makes reading the IF less enjoyable. In my opinion, for example Marcus from Defiled Hearts and Zillah from Superstition fall into that trope and toe the line between being assholes but not making me hate them in the same way the above mentioned ROs do, but I get that this is a matter of personal taste and I'm sure lots of people would disagree with me and tell me how they wanna dropkick them lmao.

I have a little secret dream for an enemies to lovers trupe where RO would be the polite and stoic gentleman type
But no! There would be no Where's the fun if they aren't at each other's throats and insulting each other in every scene or RO doesn't treat MC like a doormat???

Although I have to admit that Defiled Hearts with Marcus is a special exception for me. He didn't annoy me; he was too funny with those stupid dirty jokes and "insulting" MC. Maybe it's a combination of the fact that he doesn't really hate MC, he actually feels guilty (not that he wants to show it) and that the author gave good options to bite (sometimes quite literally) back. So these verbal sparrings were nice and fun to read. That's how it was at the beginning. Now I don't follow this IF because the author mainly writes smut and the pace is slow. I would gladly return to this game if it was finished.

 

[kecap asin]

I feel like wayhaven get boring fast once you got in relationship with the agents. F route especially

 

[Parallax]

I feel like wayhaven get boring fast once you got in relationship with the agents. F route especially

Yup. Same here. I actually enjoyed Book 1. But the thing is, in the later books, MC's life seems to revolve around vampires. UB this, UB that... Even if MC isn't around them, we still had to read internal monologues about ROs. It didn't fit the image of a competent, not very emotional, workaholic detective I wanted to create for my MC.

 

[Parallax]

The story is a bit slow for me. I've played so many games where you're a child in the prologue and the same prologue seems to go on forever, so I tend to avoid WIPs like this. But it has potential and is well-written

Not as long as Adoriel's Tears or Kingdoms and Empires! But the pace of this author is indeed slow (what a surprise) and it doesn't help that this version is a rewrite. I read the original version and it was almost the same as this one I don't understand the waste of time for rewriting.

 

[eightiesboi]

Out of curiosity, does anyone that is bored with Wayhaven's story/pace/plot feel excited with the new (villain) LI? Since it's supposed to be a "tragic lovestory" trope I imagine the LI and romance will be limited to only Book 4 (or Book 5 at most).
I am more curious if you can "change" your mind later and not romance Li-Sar or if they will try hard (read: force) you to love them.

 

[ADB446]

Out of curiosity, does anyone that is bored with Wayhaven's story/pace/plot feel excited with the new (villain) LI? Since it's supposed to be a "tragic lovestory" trope I imagine the LI and romance will be limited to only Book 4 (or Book 5 at most).
I am more curious if you can "change" your mind later and not romance Li-Sar or if they will try hard (read: force) you to love them.

I am, but I have two main gripes with it. I wish you could take the villain route while still romancing one of the main love interests. The drama would be so much more interesting. I also wish the villain romance had started earlier. Honestly, I think the plot in Wayhaven could be tighter. Seven books feels excessive, but that’s just my opinion.

 

[Parallax]

Out of curiosity, does anyone that is bored with Wayhaven's story/pace/plot feel excited with the new (villain) LI? Since it's supposed to be a "tragic lovestory" trope I imagine the LI and romance will be limited to only Book 4 (or Book 5 at most).
I am more curious if you can "change" your mind later and not romance Li-Sar or if they will try hard (read: force) you to love them.

Who's new villain LI? I haven't followed this series in ages, but you've got me interested xd

 

[seneya]

I'm afraid Li'Sar (?) will basically be Manerkol 2.0, what with the soulbond and villain romance and everything. Aka an interesting premise mostly wasted on angst and endless pining, and no real "villain route" (as in the story still follows the same main plot).
Goddamn otome games had it figured out by giving their villains their own story routes.

 

[Parallax]

I'm afraid Li'Sar (?) will basically be Manerkol 2.0, what with the soulbond and villain romance and everything. Aka an interesting premise mostly wasted on angst and endless pining, and no real "villain route" (as in the story still follows the same main plot).
Goddamn otome games had it figured out by giving their villains their own story routes.

... and all my excitement disappeared (*)

 

[Glitch]

I pretty much agree with everything you said, you do be be spitting facts fr and I don't have much more to add

I like how this thread turned into a space to vent. I haven’t touched Superstition since high school. I remember looking forward to Tuesdays for the episodic updates, but I dropped off around Season 2. I just couldn’t get into Chris's romance—he always felt so immature. He'd get possessive if you hooked up with someone else (even when you're not together or even heading that way), but then turn around and do the same thing himself and act like you should just deal with it.
Rahim always rubbed me the wrong way—arrogant uptight, and constantly pushing Roe away. But weirdly, I remember the author saying that if you don’t romance them, you can push Rahim and Chris into a relationship with each other? Like, are we talking about the same stuck-up Rahim and gay-panic Chris? Then there’s Zilah. I think he wasn’t even corporeal—just a voice in your head? Naggy as hell, sure, but at least he was consistently there for Roe in his own way. Sometimes he was funny, sometimes flirty, and he genuinely seemed into the MC, which gave him some points.

Spoiler: WWC

Now, about Lorcan—I won’t let you slander him like that! But seriously, I used to feel the same way until I found out Crowny outed his mom’s affair. I mean, that led to her death and his dad’s imprisonment—of course he'd be furious. Still, he can’t blame it all on them, especially since his dad was abusive. But you can’t reason with a kid processing trauma like that. I originally planned to romance Imre since he seemed into the MC, even though Nia warned us his attention might not be a good thing. I chose to ignore it, but after the latest update, I lost all interest in him—yeah, she was right. Lorcan, on the other hand, really grew on me. If you’re kind to him, he becomes this mushy tsundere mess.

As for The Night Market, I don’t remember Milo ever explicitly saying he was polyamorous or that he wouldn’t romance the MC unless they also romanced Mal. I just recall him mentioning Mal as his ex and alluding to their falling outs. Maybe I missed something since I haven’t replayed it after its full release—I only found out about the poly aspect through comments on Itch.
In Book 1, I actually liked Mal because he was the only one who genuinely asked the MC what they wanted to do, stood up for them, and consistently took their side. And after Milo betrayed us, I figured—why not go for Mal instead? When I later found out they basically come as a package deal, it didn’t bother me much since I was already considering romancing one of them anyway.
That said, romancing only one of them while they’re still in a relationship with each other feels awkward. And not being upfront from the start that they come as a duo? Yeah… that’s a problem. Honestly, it feels like it wasn’t planned from the beginning and the author decided to go that route while wrapping up Book 1.

Spoiler: Poly

Personally, I’m not a big fan of poly relationships when the two ROs already have a shared past. It tends to make the MC feel like a third wheel—especially when they start reminiscing about things the MC wasn’t there for or sharing inside jokes. But I decided to give it a try, because in Book 2, their relationship clearly still has unresolved issues, and both of them seem to care about the Night Market and you have got Mal to back you up when facing Milo again.
Milo is clearly still angsty over what he did to NM, and Mal—if I’m remembering right—had a crush on NM back when he was still a gatekeeper. So now you’ve got two fools who were in love, had a messy fallout, and fell for the same person. They get jealous of each other (especially Milo, when NM shows interest in Mal), and it’s a whole thing. But yeah, if you're planning to romance just one of them, there's a good chance the NM will end up feeling sidelined and forced to play couple therapist between their boyfriend and boyfriend's boyfriend.

 

[eightiesboi]

I am, but I have two main gripes with it. I wish you could take the villain route while still romancing one of the main love interests. The drama would be so much more interesting. I also wish the villain romance had started earlier. Honestly, I think the plot in Wayhaven could be tighter. Seven books feels excessive, but that’s just my opinion.

I doubt Mishka would ever make that many branching; will you reconcile with your LI after the betrayal? Will they betray UB just to be on the same side as you? And so on. And definitely would take more time to finish writing. As for the villain romance, I honestly didn't expect we would get a new LI. I would rather have Mishka make A dateable faster than having a villain that you can only romance in one book and doesn't even have a happy ending. But I guess it's her guilty pleasure to make A romancers miserable.

Who's new villain LI? I haven't followed this series in ages, but you've got me interested xd

Can agree with the Manerkol 2.0 comment. A very old being that is summoned(?) thanks to MC, immediately gets attracted to MC because of their "power" and so far giving off "I'll make you fall for me we're fated to be together we'll be power couple just you wait my soulmate (I don't remember the term lol)" vibe for me.

I'm afraid Li'Sar (?) will basically be Manerkol 2.0, what with the soulbond and villain romance and everything. Aka an interesting premise mostly wasted on angst and endless pining, and no real "villain route" (as in the story still follows the same main plot).
Goddamn otome games had it figured out by giving their villains their own story routes.

Lmao no wonder I felt dejavu reading the demo, it's because Li-Sar is just gender-selectable Manerkol, lol. And yeah I can totally see the supposed "angst" and pining because they're on the different side. Dammit Mishka just give us the whole A romance package already who cares about some old being that only shows up in one book?!