Characters

Here to gather our thoughts on the different types of characters, how important they are, how they're specialized for different types of appeals, and how to balance them and how much work to put into them.

Tags

We're going to label all the characters with tags. Each tag has its own purpose. Obviously a character can have multiple tags.

ATG (Attractive Target)

Our characters are designed for the "male/female" power fantasy. They're sexually attractive to the player sex, and it makes it fun to get them. The idea is for these characters to be appealing, not that there is a romantic storyline involved with them. This used to be called "Love Interest" but renamed to be more clear.

ATG Ideal

ATG characters very importantly are intended to be written in such a way that the reader likes that character. Therefore the writing needs to be careful about the way that the character acts. Making the character behave treacherously or in a way that inspires dislike from the reader should be avoided, even in their bad end paths. It shouldn't reveal a fundamental anti-MC stance or any type of selfishness. ATG characters should be appealing, even negative actions should be possible to be framed as having good intentions, or be misunderstood. They should not be giving readers an ick.

However, we also need to be careful about not making the characters all seem too one-note, too much of a suck up all the time. The characters do need some individuality and realism to them, so it's a careful balance.

ATG Levels

The ATG rules conflict with the desire for realistic, fully realized, and literary characters. While reader-pandering characters and likable characters are extremely important for an entertaining reading experience, if the cast is large, having a wide variety of ATG levels give us a best of both worlds: both appealing and with the realism that makes the story more immersive and gets rid of the nagging feeling of being pandered to.

The spread is designed to make it seem like, see, we CAN write realistic characters, so the [ATGF0I0] are perfect because hey, there are SOME people out there that actually are perfect lol, they have it totally together. It's not the writing that chooses to make them pandery, it's just that you really picked the elite to conquer. Meanwhile there are all these lesser, more flawed LIs all around you as well.

The levels explain the authorial intent for the reader experience, not strictly a lore based determination. For example, a powerful person with a full life can be I:0 to in a specific story, because the author intends for her to ignore that life to chase the MC, and that in itself can be the power fantasy. Any depiction of that life can be a stage to showcase that obsession, rather than present a viable alternative life for her. The execution is what makes the level, not the background story.

The ATG levels are scored on 2 axis, one is flaws, and the other is independence from MC (how not-obsessed with MC they are, if they have lives and loyalties outside of their relationship with MC).

Flaws Axis

How annoying their flaws are. The higher the number goes the more genuinely inconvenient they make life for the MC without a chance for the MC to fix things in a way that enhances their relationship.

Flaws Level 0

• All flaws are resolved by the MC and greater understanding of each other
• All flaws are still MC-centric (either in principle or in story-effect) and with positive, pro-MC intentions
• All flaws manifest in ways that enhance, not detract, from the romance with MC

Flaws Level 1

• Minor flaws that can be corrected by the MC in sexy or story relevant ways.
• Flaws can be non-MC centric.
• While the flaws themselves don't enhance the relationship, the process of resolving them is.

Flaws Level 2

• Flaws that cannot be corrected by the MC but are more fundamental to their person.
• May have non-MC centric flaws, has Ferrante-esque contradictions in their core character with harmful outcomes

Flaws Level 3

• Potentially genuinely off-putting flaws or makes inconvenient, romance-disruptive choices
• Problematic icky attributes (these characters tend to just be unlikable or unattractive)

Independence Axis

Increases by how central the relationship with MC is to their story. The higher the number goes the more capable of betrayal and NTR they are.

Important to note that this isn't the actual independence the character has in the world, but the independence the character has in the narrative. A highly independent person can be depicted as low independence for the sake of the story.

Independence Level 0

• Fully obsessed with MC, it is central to their story.
• All other aspects of their lives are in service to the central relationship story

Independence Level 1

• Has other independent elements to their life and personalities
• But comes back around to the MC eventually if they do leave (they regret rejecting the MC)
  • Quintessential example is this quote from Little Women: “Women, they have minds, and they have souls, as well as just hearts. And they’ve got ambition, and they’ve got talent, as well as just beauty. I’m so sick of people saying that love is all a woman is fit for.” and then she says "But I'm so lonely", and then saying she would accept the proposal if offered again.
• Other aspects of their lives are shifted into service of the relationship over the story, or they choose the MC over those aspects.

Independence Level 2

• Has other independent elements to their life and personalities
• Rather than shift those elements into servicing the central relationship, they try to balance them.
  • For example, if the ATG tries to get MC to accept their family that opposed MC.
• Narratively and emotionally depict the the LIs having other worlds they take part in that's not the MC.
  • If it's not depicted it doesn't count and would be lower level.
• If the MC withdraws from them or reject them, they have other places to go, they can pick themselves back up instead of being destroyed.

Independence Level 3

• Finds other priorities more important than the MC and betrays the MC
• For example: if an LI remains true to her values or country over the relationship, rejecting the MC or getting repulsed and emotionally withdrawing if the MC acts against them.

Independence Level 4

• This feels NTR and is a niche fetish of the ATG concept.
• The other independent priority is another person.
  • Specific example: if an LI has other lovers and she tells MC during sex how the other lovers are better.

NIA (Not Intended to be Attractive)

Our characters cannot be solely designed for that purpose, as plainly that would ruin the immersion of the whole world by making it feel really unrealistic.

The idea is for NIA to be more numerous but for ATG to have more screentime. It is pretty simple to achieve the purpose of NIAs. You just need to drop their names to make the reader understand that they exist. That's all you have to do, and the world will feel expansive and less pander-y.

Speed of Acquisition 0 (SA0)

Designed for ATGs, how quickly the player can acquire the character. This doesn't necessarily mean hooking up in the story, but can be more of a general sense of is the character into you. If it's too easy, then something can be lost. We don't want a situation where everyone is in love with you instantly, let's build certain levels of characters. SA0 means instant though, or the character starts off fully into you. Mind control also falls into this category if it's done from the onset, or 2/3 if done later.

Speed of Acquisition 1 (SA1)

SA1 takes a little bit of interacting, but the character becomes into you in 2-3 interactions.

Speed of Acquisition 2 (SA2)

SA2 takes significant interacting, perhaps 5-6. The character starts off disinterested or opposes you, you actually have to do something not just show up.

Speed of Acquisition 3 (SA3)

SA3 never really falls for you, and any relationship is coercive.

KQ (Kink Quotient)

Meant to show how much sexual kink content is in the routes (not to be confused with sexual content, which is plentiful always). The definition of kink is an abnormal or transgressive action that the MC takes or does to the character in question in a sex scene. The overall ambience of the world and setting is a vast power differential, the base setup and overall story and plot is a power fantasy. We're not talking about that! It's excluded! It's understood that that permeates everything.

The purpose of the KQ is to map out the tempo of the sex scenes so that it there's enough variation such that it doesn't ever get predictable/formulaic and avoid a kink ladder where every character gets beaten down into a submissive blob.

3 Axis:

Volume

How much of the route is kink content

V0 - None

V1 - A bit

V2 - A lot

V3 - Inescapable

Intensity

Generally describes the cap of the kinky sexual content in the true route.

I0 - None

Basically vanilla relationship, a couple of butt slaps at most.

I1 - Mild

Rough sex, choking, slapping, kneeling, spanking, namecalling, light toys.

I2 - Intense

Pain, degradation, objectification, rituals etc.

I3 - Extreme

Torture, body modification, forniphilia, scat etc.

Effort

How hard you try to dominate the character.

E-1 - Submit

Negative one, meaning she dominates you?

E0 - None

You try nothing, in fact, you feel no desire to want to dominate her.

E1 - Natural

Ambient, passive, just dominant Aura. You're possessive and have an ability to put people in their place with just a look or a gesture.

E2 - Reactive

You do what's needed and what works for the target. It's played by ear and not a plan.

E3 - Trainer

Full effort textbook application of rules, rituals, with an end transformative goal in mind.

Characters by Importance Tiers

Aside from the MC, all the characters will be sorted into tiers. Since this is my preference as the type of pandering story that I like to read, all the higher tier characters will be LIs.

Main

The main characters will have dedicated endings. In some ways the main story is a reflection of those characters.

• [ATGF0I0][KQV1I1E1][SA0] Yaling - Wife
• [ATGF1I0][KQV2I2E2][SA0] Peizhi Nam - R4

Important

Important characters are integral to the main story and have impact on it and the storylines of the main and other important characters.

• [ATGF0I0][KQV1I1E2][SA0] Weilan - Architect's Daughter
• [ATGF2I0][KQV1I0E0][SA0] Zhenzhen Ling - Old Whipping Girl
• [ATGF2I1][KQV0I0E1][SA1] Cinean Sung - Wife's Companion
• [ATGF0I1][KQV2I2E2][SA1/2] Deng Yu - Rising Star
• [ATGF0I1][KQV3I2E3][SA2] Dou Rong - Researcher

Side

Side characters offer optional major storylines that we'll strive to make as impressive as the main story, but are not endings in of themselves.

Foreign:

• [ATGF2I1][SA0] Genibel - Exiled Princess
• [ATG][SA3] Jui Su - Head of the Rhebryaic Order of Celestors

Household:

• [ATGF2I1][SA0] Lin Yun - Healthcare Baby Mama
• [ATGF2I0][SA0] Shuqin Tao - Rich Ex
• [ATGF1I0][SA0] Jiayi Seijun - H1
• [ATG][SA0] Yueyan Sook - H2
• [ATG][SA1] Huain Erba - H3
• [ATGF0I1][SA2] Winny Lo - Archivist
• [ATGF2I0][SA2] Jiaolong Lifen - Social Secretary
• [ATGF0I0][SA2] Sunwei Makio - Secretary

Supporting

Supporting characters are necessarily developed with some character work, but a lesser amount. Their focus is on supporting the storylines of the higher-tier characters. Characters in this category I think might get promotions as they get more work or ideas put into them.

These guys might have shorter storylines, or disappointing storylines in that it sets up but doesn't extend for very long.

Foreign:

• [ATGF3I2][SA0] Anastasia Coldren - False Solfrey
• [ATGF2I3][SA3] Auifang Sims - TV Producer
• [ATGF2I3][SA3] Lelaira Zhang - Genibel's Former Bodyguard
• [NIA] Moglukai Hyundak - Head of Divinic Paxere

Household:

• [NIA] Yao Hong - Cruel Friend
• [ATGF3I0][SA0] Mariwen Suksu - Stalker
• [ATGF3I0][SA0] Roulan Suan - The Pet
• [ATGF3I0][SA1] Nali Koyoo - Networker
• [ATG][SA1] Xuefei Li - Daughter of Subjustice
• [ATGF2I3][SA3] Hanzen Nor - Wife's Personal Assistant

Historical:

• [ATG] C1
• [ATG] C2
• [ATG] C3
• [NIA] R1
• [NIA] R2
• [NIA] R3
• [NIA] R5
• [NIA] SD

Supplementary

Supplementary characters are just there to fill in the lore and have the least work done on them. They can be archetypes.

• [NIA] Mother

• [NIA] Father

• [ATG][SA3] Celia Farrar - Cum in Eye Slave

• [NIA] Vir Gan Sung - Cinean Sung's Cousin

• [NIA] Meng Chun - Wife's Father

• [NIA] Hangen Shi - Duke of Ban

• [NIA] Loren Ping - King of Mireota

People from Piyse:

• [NIA] Yuze Yuan - Premier of Piyse
• [NIA] Augon Chao - King of Piyse
• [NIA] Yumo Chao - Duchess of Shangxin
• [NIA] Dan Dalo - Duke of Wa
• [NIA] Soofi - Dan Dalo's Ji
• [NIA] Sin Co Bin - Co-worker
• [NIA] Ki Samen - Friend's Daughter

Your personal staff:

• [NIA] Pinhan Zhilun - Bodyguard

People from Len:

• [NIA] Meiyu Ao - Mob Leader
• [NIA] Chunhua Kung - Architect
• [ATG][SA3] Ninghong Lim - Marshal's Loyalist Daughter
• [ATGF0I2][SA1] Xueya Rong - Dou Rong, the Researcher's Little Sister
• [NIA] Ryube Haerata - Major in your Army's Younger Brother

Len County Government:

• [NIA] Lin Jia - Vice Administrator
• [NIA] Gao Feng - High Chancellor of Len
• [NIA] Changpu Lim - Marshal
• [ATG][SA3] Jingfei Haerata - Major in Your Army
• [NIA] Rai Shing Wa - Director of the Chamber of Appointments
• [NIA] Baron Zhang Ming - Grand Emissary (Your cousin once removed)
• [NIA] Wang Li - Vice Emissary or Chief Coordinator
• [NIA] Yang Xue - Chief of the Bureau of Strategic Insight
• [NIA] Qian Hu - Chief of the Office of Commoner Order

Historical References

Some characters are referenced but are not part of major storylines.

• Queen Lylaesa
• Prince Nalen
• Mormalon
• Ian Ming
• Cahn - R4's Lover
• Anrui Yuncheng - R5
• Yan Hui - SD
• Luli Yuncheng - C1
• Huiying Yuncheng - C2
• Kaili Yuncheng - C3
• Lin Caoshai - Archmage Caoshai

Personality Overviews

Most people are "mirrors". The common social protocol is to walk into a room and mirror everyone's energy. Some people come in like an energy wrecking ball and set the tone of the whole room. They can inject 10% more energy into the room, or bring it down.

Both of the leads, Yaling, and Peizhi R4 have this. As does Auifang Sims and Winny Lo.

Pretty much everyone else does not.