Feels like this was written for female MCs in mind, no women characters who are important in their early life, they're all men, and the MC shy about their chest. Called beautiful no matter your characters gender, also Oswin hugging me while I'm naked, and forced to go with him and think about him all the time?
You are entitled to think they way you choose, but as such, I am entitled and compelled to tell you why I disagree with your assessment and even take offense to it. Apologies if it's long, but I'm not going to sit back and let it slide.
It's ignorant. You do not have to like this story, that is a-ok with me, but don't make assumptions based on your own projections of what you think is happening. You are clearly searching for bias.
We are two chapters in (for a work-in-progress demo) and literally the only RO introduced yet is a man because I wasn't going to force every RO into 1 chapter. And, no, this was not written for female MCs exclusively. I take personal offense to such drivel as I am an a-gendered writer who uses she/her pronouns to simplify my personal life, but I identify as leaning more masculine. I play almost exclusively male MCs when I read IFs and I do not have any particular gender in mind while writing. Quite frankly, I believe that assigning genders to certain things like actions, clothing, or even speech is ridiculous - and it's on you as the reader if you do such things. People should just BE so that is how I write.
It might be you're projecting your assumptions onto what you're reading, we all tend to do that. Just because women are not directly showcased in the early life of the MC means literally nothing, but you are assuming that it means something. There are supportive male characters up front NOT because of what you assume is for a female MC (which, also, I do not get why this equates to 'written for female MC'), but because I want there to be male characters in a story (like 2 dads and a soft-hearted bestie) that allow for men to just be what they want without fitting a particular niche in literature (like a big strong bear of a man that cries openly or another man who hunts and fishes but also cares if his throw pillows match his curtains). I've said this before, the MC "shy about their chest" applies to men too! Good grief, I know more men who are shy about their chests than the women I've met. I wasn't going to write that and assume "just because man, means they are just not shy about anything north of the border." I'm also writing for 3 gender selections and it is better to just error on caution and not have to ham-fist programming in for something so benign.
If you read the list of warnings, it specifically says that this is not written with touch-aversion in mind. If your MC does not like the hug, then consider that Oswin simply reacted, you know, like humans tend to do - without thinking. I am not out to write these characters as inhumanly as possible and make everything perfect - it is not possible to account for every single thing that people will not like - hence the warning that there are limited instances where the MC can choose for or against a touch. If you feel "forced to think about him all the time" consider that maybe you are doing that to yourself? He's the only one introduced so far and is literally the path to the other parts of the story, so yeah, your MC is "forced to go with him." He plays a huge role in getting the MC from A to B. And again, 2 chapters.
I agree with YellowYello's point, since I also play as a guy and didn't find it geared to any specific gender. I am am especially big fan of a-gendered IFs. Although there's plenty of good IFs out there who aren't which is okay. Anyways I just wanted to say I'm very much enjoying the story. Keep up the good work Lunan!
Thank you, my dear! I really appreciate that you are enjoying the adventure. I didn't set out to do this for any particular gender, and like you, I enjoy IFs regardless of who they may have in mind, if anyone, when they were written. My goal is to continuing making this story just enjoyable for what it is and for who I am as a human. ^_^
Good Lord, I love your reply, Lunan! That is exactly what I think. I go by she/her because in the French language there are mostly gendered names and adjectives, so it is complicated to use non-gendered words even though I identify myself as NB. I don't personally like the "they/them" English alternative as I am single not plural, but I get it for those who use it.
Likewise, I personally like to think that before being a gender we are an individual and I despise the fact that societies and many religions tend to force us to fit a box labelled according to a physical, non-chosen aspect of our bodies. Furthermore, I feel the same way regarding words and expressions that seem to be used more for a gender than another. I like to use "beautiful" instead of "handsome" or "good-looking" as a personal choice because I think that it can be applied to all and any genders, and it holds a more powerful meaning to me.
Just like you, I also almost exclusively play male or NB MCs when I read IFs using if I can my own set of pronouns (zhe/zhim/zhir/zhers/zhimself). Therefore, I totally get what you say when claiming that "people should just be". That's what I like the most about IFs, we play as we want, choosing the choices, names, preferences and how we interact with others. I have read your demo the most of all the IFs I have read so far, and that's just saying how much I love it and feel connected to the characters.
Thank you, Lunan for your commitment to your story and offering us regular updates. You can even imagine how conforming it is to know that we'll get a continuation to your beloved story.
Yes! I totally get that. I appreciate your support and that you understand where I'm at with these things. I know that these things are highly personal and subjective and it has been so lovely to connect with others that know my heart. And I appreciate readers like you who are hanging in there with me and having fun! ^_^