#(Incidentally I feel like consuming so much of this helps me write romantic ships better)

[more-than-a-princess]

Code Realize for the fandom talk thing?

SEND ME A FRANCHISE OR SERIES AND I WILL TALK ABOUT IT - Accepting!

The way I feel about Code: Realize is the way I feel like a lot of people who like romantic fantasy/romantasy genre view Sarah J. Maas stories (Throne of Glass, A Court of Thorns and Roses, Crescent City): a lot of time spent on worldbuilding and developing the characters, little in the way of actual romance (and smut, in the books' cases), but Strong Badass Heroines.

To that end: both Code: Realize and SJM's works are kind of...outliers in the genre of otome and romantasy, respectively? I feel where otome is concerned, many fans look for quicker (not instant, but quicker!) romance with all of the LIs than what Code: Realize offers and in turn, get frustrated with the game.

This, IMO, is a mistake: because Code: Realize may not be the best example of an otome game, but it is an excellent story!

Code: Realize, usually, is the otome game I suggest for people to try who don't like romance games. They don't like romance novels or romantic dramas and think lovey-dovey fictional romance where a heroine has the chance to romance a harem of men played out on the page and screen is stupid and boring and they will definitely not like it.

Spoiler: If they play Code: Realize, they usually end up liking it.

So, all of that is to say: this franchise gets such a bad rap in the otome fandom because otome players are playing it expecting certain tropes to be met without evaluating it on the story and character development as a whole.

Yes, it sets up a lot of backstory and worldbuilding. And yes, not every route will be everyone's favorite, but I think it's a disservice to dismiss this game whether you're a big fan of otome or you think the genre isn't for you.

Now that said, my personal takes:

Cardia is one of the best/favorite heroines I've ever had the pleasure to meet in otome games. To be fair, I've backed off playing these for a bit in favor of romantic fantasy and contemporary romantic fiction: a lot of the common themes or tropes that grate on me about otome (wilting flowers/helpless heroines, controlling LIs bordering on sexual assault, everything about Yang from Piofiore and Toma from Amnesia) can be avoided much more easily in novels if you read the trope/trigger warnings. But Cardia doesn't have the wilting flower problem: yes, she has poison in her skin as a weapon but she's also just really cool? While other players rolled their eyes at the extensive training scenes in the main story, I really liked that she learned from all of the love interests before choosing a route. She gained useful skills! This also reminds me of Feyre training with members of the Night Court in ACOTAR.

I fully embrace Steampunk Code: Realize London is not adhering to any historical accuracy, and yet I'm still digging it. I'm also weak for classic literature references (Sonia and I share this trait, to no one's surprise), so it's fun pointing out "OH IT'S A NOD TO THIS!" during the games.

I'm not a fan of fandisc sequels for otome games as the side stories are usually paper thin and pretty dull in comparison to the main one (though I may bite the bullet and buy the CupiPara FD that just came out), but Code: Realize did this mostly pretty well. I like the first fandisc/second game better than the second fandisc/third game as far as extra story content goes. I am also biased because we finally got the Van Helsing kiss CG in the second game (the only kiss CG left out of the original game? Really, developers? Why must you do my fictional BF so dirty like this?).

My aversion to Impey Barbicane is entirely because he is the unholy combination of Kazuichi Soda from Danganronpa and Duo Maxwell from Gundam Wing, two characters who are just Not Sexy to me. Sonia's aversion to Impey in a modern Code: Realize verse is entirely due to the fact that he reminds her of Kazuichi.

My least favorite route in the original game was St. Germain's. I don't like him, he gives me the ick. My favorite routes besides the final one are Abraham van Helsing and Victor Frankenstein. Van Helsing for the backstory, Victor for his character development. Victor is also so underrated. If I had to choose any of them for a husband, I'm picking Victor Frankenstein any day of the week.

But because this is a roleplay blog...

I ship Sonia with Van Helsing, Lupin, and Victor, in that order. Only one of these is actually in development, with @scarlxtleaves' Arsene Lupin in a modern Code: Realize verse. He's saved her life and she still thinks he's sus due to the over-the-top flirtation (and yes, she has taken into consideration that he is French and therefore it is in his nature to do so). Her struggle, besides staying alive and safe from terrorists who wish to kill her, is figuring out that Lupin's affection towards her is genuine interest and care with real feelings behind it and not just flirting with her for fun and/or friends with benefits.

I believe in her, even though she's not exactly the brightest bulb when figuring out that someone really is in love with her.

Finally: the Code: Realize anime, just like the Umineko anime, is complete garbage and you should forget it even exists. Just play the games instead.

[housewarningparty]

Jack from Mass Effect for the character ask game?

General opinion/How much I care about them: soooooo much. Jack is one of my favorite squaddies - admittedly more in the sense that I think she's conceptually very cool and has some great writing, than she's someone I take on a ton of missions in game.

A ship I love: everyone knows this about me already but Jack/Miranda is THE non-Shepard ship for me. Their parallels are so good, there's so much potential in their dynamic, a lot of it feels deeply incidental but it honestly drives me nuts that the game doesn't dig into it more. Also I don't like this ship enough to write or read it but I think on a conceptual level Kaidan/Jack could be pretty good - he's got his own biotic trauma, very loyal, got that patient and steady thing going on: under the right conditions I could see that being good for her.

A non-romantic relationship that I love: I like Shep for this ngl. The thing I always try to build up to in my me2 playthroughs is giving Jack the bubble in the suicide mission. It's like CENTRAL to her character arc for me, and I really like the idea of Jack showing up as this wounded reactive dog in the cargo hold and slowly being handed enough trust and support to have confidence and build relationships. Shepard (even a fucked up Paragade Shepard, like I usually play) being the person who fosters that for her always works really well for me.

The NOTP: okay. Same answer lmao. I hate the Shep/Jack romance as-written. Not saying I don't think they could work as romantic pairing at all, but the weird paternalistic Nice Guyism of the romance in game bothers the hell out of me. Jack is so young and traumatized and vulnerable and technically all of Shep's romances occur (on some level) with a subordinate, but i don't think you ever really feel it as keenly as you do in the Jack romance. Yes, technically the age gap is bigger between Miranda and Jack, but like - Miranda explicitly isn't someone who has direct power over Jack's life and freedom the way Shep does. Makes a big difference for me.

My biggest headcanon about them: god I have a lot actually but here's one: I think if Liara actually for real offered to help Jack find her real family, Jack would turn her down. I think she'd panic and just be consumed with self doubt - there's no way that what she is now is what her family could have wanted her to be. Probably better that they think she died instead of ever finding out about the torture and the abuse, the fucked up things she's done in the aftermath. Even when she has her life together at Grissom and everything, even as a war hero, I don't think she'd have the confidence to agree to look them up. Not on her own - I could see it happening later, with some encouragement, but right off the bat she would shut it down.

An idea for a fanfiction I would like to write/read about them: (if I have none in my WIPs I'll make one up on the spot!) Somewhat related to the above: my dream longfic is a Jack/Miranda future fic about them deciding to have a kid. I think there's a lot to dig into with them wrt the concept of families and futures and commitment that would be really rewarding to dig into. But god it's such a big idea I can't bring myself to fully commit to actually working on it. All I've got are copious HCs and some half written scenes :(

Something that makes me think of them: (a song, a character in another fandom, an animal, anything)

Well. Veil of Maya DID actually write a song about her

Character Asks