Who is the best Love Interest?

Fantasy RPG game with all romance combos https://www.winterwolves.com/lorenamazonprincess.htm

Which character of the game you liked mostly?

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Little Birdie
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Re: Who is the best Love Interest?

Post by Little Birdie »

@Choklad

I think it can be easily said that in all--or at least almost all--of the romances Saren/Elenor does more of the healing than s/he receives. That can be said with a lot of other games (well, in the RPGs that I've played.) when it comes to romances as well, I believe. The player character ends up becoming the adventuring group's psychiatrist. Despite any of the negativity I had spewed in that long post of mine what I greatly appreciated in this game was that so many of the characters weren't above asking how Saren/Elenor was faring and then did something about it in their own way. Certainly made it easier to care about what was going on. Means there's a lot of good writing in this game.
Spoiler:
The farthest I got with Amukiki was confronting him after he had undermined Saren's authority after choosing whether to go after the succubus or corrupt barbarian(Is his name Krul? Oh, well for this post his name is now Krul.) first. I did know at least most of Amukiki's background and struggles, but I also believed it has to go the other way around as well when it comes to Amukiki trying to understand Saren's viewpoint--which I think wasn't really there. My memory might be a little hazy, but I think most of the dialogue I came across between the two of them was of Saren questioning and asking about Amukiki's past and beliefs. And yeah, Saren wasn't always very nice, but he was also the first to actually apologize.

So when I reached that scene of Amukiki trying to publicly take away what little respect and authority Saren had when Loren asked about who to go after first... I suddenly stopped caring about what was going on with Amukiki. To me it came across as his sense of pride being of so much importance that Amukiki did not really care if it harmed anyone else around him. How he acted during the confrontation with the corrupted barbarian pretty much reinforced that to me as well, that Amukiki was more interested in his sense of honor and pride even if it hurt (or potentially killed!) the people around him. After all, there he was still insisting to do everything his way when it came to fighting the other barbarian even though the rest of the party was mere moments away from getting slaughtered by the orc army. If it wasn't for Saren deciding to take orcs prisoners or just straight up attacking the corrupt barbarian himself, everybody there would have likely died.

I still don't understand how if you choose the taking orcs as prisoners option as somehow something Amukiki felt some pride in about... wouldn't holding others hostage to get what you want be against a sense of honor and pride? Especially since it just lead to convincing/manipulating the orcs to kill Krul themselves. How is that honor in battle? I thought the point of Amukiki insisting on taking on the other barbarian in a duel was to actually defeat the other in 1 vs 1 combat with some rules that have to be followed. If he didn't have a problem with unfair odds, then Saren and the rest attacking Krul shouldn't have bothered him--after all, by then Krul had the orcs attack Amukiki, Dora had gotten stab happy, and Rei had shot a bolt in Krul's neck. Duel? What duel? :lol: So again, it came across as Amukiki's pride worth more than the lives of others. As long as he didn't do anything to harm his sense of self, it didn't matter how it actually effected others.

While what I had seen of this relationship path was well written, I found it greatly detrimental in my search for a healthy!Saren/Elenor.

There's probably a lot of redundancy in what I just wrote, but please forgive me. I suffer from lack of coffee. Will try to fix when I am more awake. :mrgreen:
@Asonder
Spoiler:
At some point I do plan on finishing all the romances, so maybe I will in the end enjoy the romance with Amukiki. I can certainly see why others would like the whole 'two people trying to find worth in their life' rivalry/love. It is indeed pure personal taste on my part in disliking that character archetype the most. Probably due to how in RPGs I almost always play rogues, who are practically the worst enemies for honorable warrior sorts.

The reason I didn't get the same kind of reaction with Mesphit like I did with Loren pretty much comes down to how it was revealed that Mesphit hadn't specifically wanted to turn into an insane half-demon at times. He had simply wanted to help improve the lot of his people and was willing to do whatever it took, even at the cost of himself. It was just unfortunate that he wasn't smart enough to question and wonder about any loopholes Jul might take advantage of when he sought more power to help other dark elves. I think that is the goodness Saren/Elenor saw in Mesphit--that desire to help others even at the cost of himself. To me it seemed that Aren/Elenor learned/gained from Mesphit is someone who made her question what is or isn't evil, along with someone who was willing to listen to him/her when it came time to talk about what s/he went through as a slave in one particular scene. Elenor specifically mentions how much she needed that. For someone to listen to her and be there for her, who specifically needed her in turn to help push back the demonic insanity. Wonder why that was taken out of Saren's path. A lot more is straight up said in Elenor's than it was in Saren's.

And yeah, I know what you are saying about Rei. By completing his personal quest and choosing a certain dialogue option near the end of the game when he wants to shoot Mesphit you can get him to be more accepting. Wonder if what Rei says in the love triangle confrontation changes if you complete his personal quest before then. >.>
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Asonder
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Re: Who is the best Love Interest?

Post by Asonder »

Those are very good points. I have really conflicting feelings about Mesphit's route (my favorite overall for Elenor is a toss-up between him and Rei), and I think you articulated better than I did the things I actually like about it :lol: It's just hard sometimes for me to get past the whole Volatile Half Demon thing, and the squicky violent undertones it gives the relationship. But like I said, I only see him developing further in the next game(s).

I also have to say thank you for bringing this thread back. I'd wanted to share my thoughts on the romances when I first finished the game, but I felt like I was too late to the party to really get a response :?
All hail Rei's booty.
Little Birdie
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Re: Who is the best Love Interest?

Post by Little Birdie »

Oh no, thank you. I couldn't very well have a discussion about all this on my own either. Not without getting a bunch of funny looks at least. :mrgreen:

I might like Mesphit as a character more, but yeah... I do believe Rei with Elenor is the best romance for her. I fully understand why the violence is off putting in Mesphit's romance. On one hand, he isn't exactly 'himself' and in control of his actions when the demonic side takes over and once he does regain control is shown as guilt ridden to the point of trying to literally run away/kill himself so that he doesn't accidentally harm anyone he cares about again. On the other hand, it IS still causing harm against Saren/Elenor and thus incredibly unhealthy. I kept getting the impression that if Elenor/Saren had more self-esteem there wouldn't have been so much "It's okay if I get hurt... so let me chase after you!"

Random thought: Is Mesphit immune to paralyzation when in demon form? Why didn't anyone just throw a paralyze spell/potion/restrictive vines at him every time he started to lose control? Then just hold him in place until his sanity returned.

I can't wait for the next game as well. Really want to see how continuing relationships are handled. Several of the new characters that were revealed I thought seemed interesting as well.
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fabulaparva
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Re: Who is the best Love Interest?

Post by fabulaparva »

Interesting points brought up in all of the recent posts. :) In general, I tend to get a bit baffled with threads that are sort of a mixture between favourite character and best romantic path. I think Karen, Rei and Draco illustrate this the best in my case.

Karen is one of my favourite characters, but not my favourite romance option. Little Birdie, I totally agree with you on what you wrote. This is a romance that I would've preferred to see left to Loren 2 pretty much using the same train of thought that you so eloquently represented in your post. In the end, I did like the story, but I can't shake off the feeling that there's something seriously off because of how important Ryzom was and thus it can't be my fave.

Another top character for me...Draco. Yet, his romance path was definitely among my least favourites. I do get how it can be taken as the healthiest romance option for Saren, but those two in love just didn't work for me. It's no fault of the story, more like a personal avulsion of my from too much cuteness. I do love cute, but I guess I have limits when it comes to fictional relationships. What I value in the so-called real life and what I want to put the POV character through while RPGing are clearly very different. ( Sorry for being bit of a captain Obvious there. )

When it comes to Rei, (spoiler just in case)
Spoiler:
I hate his guts as a character, but the romance story was pretty darn well written and the character development was a treat to read. However, as Mesphit can be seen uncomfortable and dangerous/self-destructive romance option, with triggers to intra-relationship violence.... I tolerated those pretty easily (probably that genuine goodness-streak under all that half-demonness). Instead, I got stuck on some less dangerous, but in my eyes more trope-ish sides in Rei's story. An attractive ladies' man that Elenor converts into monogamy after she dutifully falls for him because he "educated her" about her own culture? Umm, no. There are always certain qualities in characters and/or storylines that don't resonate well with certain players due to mostly personal preferences. I'm not typing this to wish that anything was changed in the storyline, I like my expectations to be challenged and a strong negative reaction is for me sometimes more valuable an experience than being perfectly "pleased" with all the components... It would have probably suited my personal tastes better if Elenor would have had a one-night stand with Rei pretty early on in the game and leave it there without any grand feelings and conversions between them, but at the same time I'm glad that the storyline was there. I don't have to choose it as one of my favourites although I would list it as one of the best written. If that makes any sense..... :oops:

As a final note, and maybe trying to redeem myself after appearing such a callous bastard for typing the above.... I share Asonder's and Choklad's view on Amukiki, especially in his relation to Saren. It's one of my favourite storyline options due to those reasons, and also one of my favourite characters against my initial impression of him. I guess I could vote for him, but then again there's Mesphit...
Little Birdie
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Re: Who is the best Love Interest?

Post by Little Birdie »

Just fully completed Myrth's romance. Can safely say that a certain end scene somehow manages to out-fluff and out-cheese the entirety of the romance with Draco. fabulaparva, I think you might have jinxed me in discovering the limits of my own cute tolerance meter. :lol:

Been also going through the Amukiki romance as well, and yeah I'll concede that thus far (middle of chapter 3) he isn't quite as bad as I originally thought. I just wish so many of his scenes weren't about Saren/Elenor doing something dumb/weakly and thus showing Amukiki doing things better.

Also, I like to think the 'tension' in Draco's romance does actually exist, just not between him and Saren. More like Draco's fire spells verse nearby inflammable objects and how Saren tries to cope with it all. I wouldn't be too surprised if in Loren 2 the opening scene goes something like this:
Saren stares down at the ashes of the inn he and Draco used to own. He wasn't sure how he was supposed to feel. Being angry would make more sense to him, but what came over him was the resignation over his worst fears coming true and not being surprised by it.

"House trained, you said." Saren comments, turning away to look at Draco. The mage was kneeling down and desperately trying to wake up a three-headed dog that appeared to be passed out. "Wouldn't get into the mead and belch fire at the customers, you said."

"Trouble didn't mean it! He just got a little too excited over seeing me doing the firebird trick and wanted to join in...." Draco replied. His face was a shade of red that had little to do with blushing and Saren strongly suspected the dog hadn't been the only one getting into the mead. Perhaps it had actually been Draco who had belched fire at the customers and building rafters, but for now Saren wanted to blame the dog. The odds were against the fire being Draco's direct fault if only because it was one head verses the dog's three.

"Everything we owned was in that inn!" Saren suddenly shouted, forcing himself to act angry. He would have continued to yell further except Draco was already making that sad face and he couldn't bring himself to continue. Was it a form of insanity or love that Draco's antics no longer bothered him? Saren shook his head to clear it and then sighed. "Guess this means we'll have to go back to adventuring now."
Choklad
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Re: Who is the best Love Interest?

Post by Choklad »

Oh my god. Little Birdie, that Draco scene is perfect! :lol: :rofl: You need to start writing more of these things immediately.

Too much cuteness? I have never heard of such a thing. :mrgreen: The only time I think something is too cute is when it is out of character and serious issues are being ignored. Then again, I haven't seen the Myrth ending...
Asonder wrote: I also have to say thank you for bringing this thread back. I'd wanted to share my thoughts on the romances when I first finished the game, but I felt like I was too late to the party to really get a response :?
I think everyone's overjoyed when this thread spontaneously comes back alive. Or maybe that's just me. :mrgreen: It doesn't seem like there's a problem getting responses, I think the problem's more along the lines of everyone feeling awkward about being the one to restart the conversation. We just sit around waiting for someone else to introduce a good topic for discussion. :wink:
Little Birdie
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Re: Who is the best Love Interest?

Post by Little Birdie »

I fear the only other scene floating around in my head involves Mesphit and that is more out of a desperate need to figure out a way to keep him from running away.

If you do ever watch the Myrth sex scene, try to also imagine Barry White suddenly popping out of another giant glowing flower and start singing. You too will then understand the cheese. I recommend You're The First, The Last, My Everything of his. :mrgreen:

@anyone

Is Elenor's romance with Loren better than Saren's romance with Loren, in your opinion?
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Asonder
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Re: Who is the best Love Interest?

Post by Asonder »

Well let me just start by saying that I didn't care much for Loren's romance in general. I like her as a character, and I love her development over the course of the game, but for whatever reason her romance route just did not interest me. I think it had a lot to do with me being kinda wigged out by the whole former slave/princess dynamic she had going with the MC. Every praise Saren/Elenor sang of Loren, in the beginning at least, rang a bit hollow for me, and I couldn't help feeling that the MC was somewhat...brainwashed is too strong a word, but certainly influenced by their respective social standings. And that was something I could never really shake off for the remainder of the game, despite the growth both parties underwent. I have no idea why.

To actually answer your question, I would say I prefer Elenor's version of the romance to Saren's, simply because given the nature of the Amazons, this dynamic that was weirding me out so much felt a lot more pronounced with Saren. I felt like Elenor, being female, could have at least some semblance of equal standing to Loren by the end, whereas I didn't really feel that with Saren. But then, I never actually got around to finishing Loren's route with Saren (I did with Elenor), so maybe I missed something.
All hail Rei's booty.
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gamesempie
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Re: Who is the best Love Interest?

Post by gamesempie »

I partially agree with what Asonder said about the Saren+Loren romance. The master slave relationship didn't really do much for allowing a healthy natural romance to happen between them. But, that's what made the Myrth+Saren+Loren love triangle, my favorite romance option, work so well in my opinion. Saren starts his journey down loves road with Myrth learning what it means to love a woman while being nice to Loren, as any loyal slave would, until he's forced to choose between them. This makes it seem more like Loren fell in love with Saren and Saren responded to those feelings. While with Myrth at that point it seems clear that Saren has no future with her so it actually feels natural to me for Saren to let go of his attraction towards Myrth and allow his feelings of loyalty towards Loren to grow into love in response to her feelings.

The jealousy system really did a lot for me for developing the romances. What about y'all, did any of the love triangle, or any kind of octagon, make or break any of the romances for you?
Foelhe
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Re: Who is the best Love Interest?

Post by Foelhe »

gamesempie wrote:I partially agree with what Asonder said about the Saren+Loren romance. The master slave relationship didn't really do much for allowing a healthy natural romance to happen between them. But, that's what made the Myrth+Saren+Loren love triangle, my favorite romance option, work so well in my opinion. Saren starts his journey down loves road with Myrth learning what it means to love a woman while being nice to Loren, as any loyal slave would, until he's forced to choose between them. This makes it seem more like Loren fell in love with Saren and Saren responded to those feelings. While with Myrth at that point it seems clear that Saren has no future with her so it actually feels natural to me for Saren to let go of his attraction towards Myrth and allow his feelings of loyalty towards Loren to grow into love in response to her feelings.

The jealousy system really did a lot for me for developing the romances. What about y'all, did any of the love triangle, or any kind of octagon, make or break any of the romances for you?
Funny, I do more-or-less the same thing with Draco/Saren/Myrth. Actually, Myrth makes a handy unlucky third in any love triangle, since her relationship with Saren gets romantic almost instantly. It makes for an interesting contrast with the other arcs, which generally start with friendship, rivalry, or servitude, then grow into something more romantic.
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