So when the last update came out I was... sort of feeling punched in the gut (sign of fantastic writing though for it to hit me so hard), so I wanted to give myself a long while to wait and go back to reread Nor's route. I had feelings on it, but I wanted to make sure it was what I really was feeling and not because I had bought the book recently, so had been enveloped in it for a while at that point. Nope. Still hit me even on a fresh read.
I am the kind of person who reads A/B/O and werewolf fiction because I love the concept of mates, and the one person meant for one person. I don't buy into poly/3-way relationships because I don't believe one person can be in love with 2 people equally. Nor and Esha's story was tragic and very beautifully written. I wasn't sure I'd be able to sympathize with their situation especially because it would negatively effect the PC. However, it was so well written that I really did feel for them.
I absolutely adore Aura, and I can't bear to see him in a situation where he spends the rest of his life making someone his number 1, and he will always be that person's number 2. Earlier in the story we see how painful he finds it when Nor essentially ignores him while talking to Esha because he feels like they are in a world all their own that he'll never be able to be a part of. Like it's actually heart wrenching for me. No matter what I don't see a way where he can ever match up with the twin thing, let alone the twin thing + the I've loved you almost my whole life thing. Like that's a mountain.
I am going to seriously hope that there are 2 endings to the Nor route. An 'I love him no matter what' ending and a 'Power bottom Omega Rockstar I deserve more/better byyyyyeeeeeeeeeee' ending. Like just because he's an Omega he doesn't have to settle.
Thank you so much for the beautiful comment, it was such a pleasure to read!
(And the timing was perfect, I'm slowly getting back to writing another update for Mannequin and need all the inspiration and kind words I can get, haha!).
I understand your point and feel similarly towards poly relationships. To be honest, it's not 'my' thing, and in general, I think it kills the romance and potential for two characters to build something special just for themselves. In many ways, Nor and Esha's route is a challenge, but like all other characters in Mannequin Academy, I feel like it's them writing themselves, not me writing them.
I can't spoil too much, but there will be a few different endings for all the characters. Nor and Esha will definitely get more than 2, so there's a lot to look forward to (I hope!).
Once again, thank you for taking the time to leave a comment. Recently I've been feeling quite down about my writing and lacked creative drive, so it truly made my day.
There's just no way to not love this VN. The writing really is incredible. As such, it's hard not to have a strong opinion about every character in some way. I do understand what you mean about the characters telling their own story. I figured most routes would have more than one ending, as that's fairly typical for a VN, but I guess I was just expressing my heartbreak for Aura's plight, and wanting him to be empowered to make that choice when the time comes. Nor really is my favorite LI thus far, though I suspect I will also be quite fond of Noah once we get to know more about him. I really am looking forward to any future updates on this VN. It really is brilliant work, and while I think I've figured out somethings about the past mystery, I don't want to post them here. Plus even if I was right... you wouldn't confirm either way.
Thank you! It makes me really excited to slowly start unveiling some of the mysteries (there's quite a few, and I wonder if someone will guess them all!), as well as getting back to writing the other routes. Noah is making me so nervous that I actually already started rewriting his route (not the part that is in game, but the continuation that's in my notes). And I'm very happy that you like Nor - he and Esha are my favorites. I just can't get enough of them.