Fiction And Fantasy Are So Fun Because It's Like. If I Met This Man In Real Life I Would Drop Kick Him

This might be an unpopular option but even as an aroace I love valentine's day.

I love flowers and seeing them everywhere brings me joy, all the nice pink and red decorations are cute, and who doesn't like chocolate?

Sure, the hyper consumer capitalistic side of it sucks. But if couples are happy, good for them.

Also, is a nice time to remind myself that as an aro person I love myself and I'm not less for not needing / wanting a romantic relationship

And this might be a bit harsh but being bitter about being single or about other people being happy in a relationship while you are not seems kinda immature.

I get it if it comes from other aros since society tells us repeatedly that romantic love is the most important thing there is and we are kinda tired of that lie but when the allos complain about valentine's just because they are single makes me more mad than what I would like to admit

ryuji kisses for kiss ryuji day!

hi i was checking your backloggd and you have excellent taste!!! 👀❤️ we have so many games in common, i followed you for otome only but you even played paranormasight, i didn't know there was anyone around me who played it!! fghkfhgk

Omg yes I loved Paranormasight!!!

I played it back in February and I could hardly put it down! The story was so interesting and I love love love when games get creative with how they mix the gameplay and narrative elements. It reminded me a lot of Zero Escape actually, so that could be part of why I like it so much lol. It's cool to see someone else who played it! :)

As much as I love otome, I've actually been a mystery game fan for a lot longer lol so I play a lot in that genre and I love to talk about those games too!

P5r has a lot of writing flaws generally But you have to admit. no matter how you view his character “highly marketable anime Pretty Boy who keeps going ‘woaww Protagonist you’re so interesting <33’ is actually a hired assassin and is acting like that because he’s actively planning your murder” is an objectively hilarious plot point

Otome Jam has started! Make an otome game in 2 months 💖

We allow games with customizable protags, varied gendered love interests and more, as long as there's an option for GxB romance. You can also finish previously started on games as long as you work on them for a portion of the jam!

Join the jam:

itch.io

Otome Jam 2025

A game jam from 2025-04-30 to 2025-07-01 hosted by Akua & Crystal Game Works. Games do not have to be in English! Translations: Français | D

Jeanne from Quartz

Otome Game Jam is back again!

Otome Jam & Josei Jam are returning this May! 💜

Join us from May 1st to June 30th for Otome Jam & Josei Jam, two visual novel-oriented game jams about making games for women.

Otome Jam gives you 2 months to make a romance game with a female lead (gender can be chooseable) and at least a partially male cast to date. Josei Jam gives you 2 months to make a game meant for women, regardless of romance or character genders.

General rules:

no specific themes for either - this year our banner was community-voted to be cyberpunk themed, but you can make an entry with any kind of aesthetics and themeing!

18+ content allowed

previously started games and brand new games are okay, but games finished before the jams start aren't allowed

visual novels and hybrid games allowed

These two jams are sister jams and run concurrently. New developers are welcome! We have a guide for new developers with lots of resources for making games.

Check out the itch.io pages above for more info.

various vn characters / bustafellows edits.  

     ↳   ♡  Paraiso Garage / Paraiso Time!

Aromanticism and Otome Games

I am an aromantic who loves otome games. It may seem incredibly contradictory, especially since a common perception of otome is that it's solely wish-fulfillment games for people to insert themselves into a story where they date attractive men. There's definitely nothing wrong with playing them in that way, and many people get a lot of enjoyment out of them, but that isn't the only way to play an otome game. In fact, many otome game players prefer not to self-insert at all and I’m one of them!

My personal experience being aromantic means I do not feel romantic attraction to anyone, and I do not desire or need a romantic relationship to feel fulfilled in life. I’m perfectly happy with my platonic bonds and my perpetual singleness! That’s how I experience it, but there are many different ways to be aromantic, and there’s no one universal experience that defines how all aromantic people live their lives. Some are repulsed by romance and its overbearing presence in nearly all forms of media, and others are comfortable seeing other people experience romance despite not experiencing it themselves (though these, of course, are not the only two groups). I personally lean more towards the latter category. I love romance stories! 

For me, playing an otome game is like watching a romance movie where I get to decide who the heroine ends up with. It's like a shipper's dream! I don’t self-insert because I am not comfortable putting myself in romantic situations, but by observing a fictional couple, I can explore the romantic plots and experiences that pique my curiosity. And let me tell you, I love a good romance plot. Especially one with drama.

A comparison I like to make when people don’t seem to get it is that I also really, really love murder mysteries and tragedies, but I do NOT want to actually experience them myself. What I want for a character and what I want for myself are two completely separate things, so there’s really no contradiction! 

In fact, playing otome games was a big part of my aromantic journey in the first place. I never had crushes as a kid that weren’t forced or peer pressured. When people talk about the characters in their childhood shows that they had crushes on, I can never relate. To me, there were only interesting characters and stories. I’ve never really wanted anything more than that. 

So when my second-ever relationship ended and I was wondering whether I really felt romantic attraction at all, I decided to try otome games. 

I chose Collar x Malice as my first game because, as I mentioned earlier, I am a huge fan of mysteries and tragedies, and the premise intrigued me. Then, throughout my exploration of various otome games (and as I quickly became hooked on them) I tried some games with less developed heroines, specifically made for self-inserting, and found that I couldn’t handle them. Separating myself from the heroine helped me enjoy the games more as I realized that I didn’t actually want to be in these romantic situations myself, but only wanted to enjoy the story.

So what was the point of this whole post? I guess just to share my own personal experiences as an aromantic otome-lover and address the contradiction. Otome games aren’t necessarily mainstream-popular, but they certainly have their dedicated fans, and I’ve really enjoyed the interactions I’ve had so far with these fandom spaces. 

Sure, the primary focus of the games may be pretty boys who you can date, but otome games can also be so much more than that! It’s a genre I’m glad I decided to try. 

I’m happy to be an aro along for the ride to read some good stories, puzzle out the right route choices, and look at some aesthetically pleasing character designs along the way! :)