Mainly since I’m planning on largely making this hack by myself. I might commission some art because I’m really reaaally bad at that, but besides that, I don’t think I’ll have many people to consult or get criticism from.
I was expecting mixed responses, but I was hoping for something else. It would make my decision a lot easier lol
Ultimately the story isn’t about incest, and it wasn’t my original intent to have it in the story either. As I keep writing though the more I realize the situation the main characters, or rather the royal family are in, is one that’s not normal or healthy. Having only one person who you have a connection with on any level, familial or otherwise, is not something that’s normal. In fact it’s that very scenario that often leads to incest IRL, which makes me wonder if it makes the most sense with the scenario I’ve built.
I don’t have any problem depicting controversial themes, but I was starting to worry about perception. This could possibly end up being my career path and my start into game developing. Do I want to start that off, end up making a steaming pile of crap, and then end up being known as the incest guy? What if I’m putting something cheap and controversial in the story without good enough reason?
But you’re right. I wouldn’t put lgbt and incest together, but upon self reflection I think I’m just scared.
It’s not any single reason that’s making me consider it, it’s an amalgamation.
The relationship the royals have is not normal at all. That’s removing the incest from the equation. The neglectful and alienating atmosphere makes it to where a few of the siblings only have legitimate social interactions with each other(for a variety of reasons). It’s to the point where if I were to make it without incest, I fear people may think it’s implied regardless.
It’s that in conjunction with the emotional complexity, and though it may make me seem morally bankrupt, the controversy factor. Controversy can definitely generate popularity. Though it wasn’t my intention to write a controversial story, if it’s going to happen I may as well make use of said factor the best as I can.
What you said about memeing is a really good point though. That’s kind of what I’m scared of, especially because this is a hack. It would be really easy to mess up, and even if I didn’t mess up, it could still go down the same path. That’s just kinda the risk that comes with it. That’s why I’m wondering if people think it’s worth said risk, cuz as somebody who’s just starting out, I’m not sure at all
Is it necessary? Is it conveyed in a proper and non-offensive way? If yes then you should be good.
In terms of the site FEU there is a content policy of course but as long as this topic is treaded carefully you should be fine.
From a purely artistic standpoint I’m of the belief that no topic is impossible to convey well in a piece of media, rules and standards for writing are for beginners, they’re rail guards to stop new and inexperienced (and let’s face it incompetent) writers from flying too close to the sun with too little experience and being metaphorically burned alive. However, in this specific context pay very close attention to site rules and generally follow writing advice that you get from specifically experienced writers.
Also just so that I am clear and concise for the love of God DO NOT add incest to your hack because it’s “realistic” or “fits the setting” such a heavy topic is NOT a set piece and it is NOT an element to be haphazardly thrown in because you find it to be more realistic.
It would definitely be portrayed as a bad thing, I can promise that, and I’m not really thinking of adding it for the “grittiness” or whatever shit people call edginess now haha
If I did add it, its purpose in the narrative would largely be to highlight the terrible circumstances(amongst other things) the royals have grown up in. None of them have any real friends for example, and their parents are neglectful.
I do worry whether I can execute it properly though, especially as somebody new to this. I keep teetering back and forth over whether I want to do it, so I’m kind of trying to let public perception be a push so I can fully commit to an idea.
It should be fine as long as you don’t turn it into porn, I guess
The best approach would be a FE Holy War approach (remember how there was actual incest in there too, specially with the Claude x Sylvia pairing?). It’s not like the series haven’t had stuff like this before and putting a taboo thematic there would give A LOT of spice to any plot, specially if you somehow put a debate ingame.
Example of Seliph and Yulia: they obviously like each other from the beggining and, even though the game doesn’t explore this relationship, it’s clear what the intentions of the devs were, specially because you can pair them by using glitches, which means it was programmed into the game. This is better explored in the manga.
Same with the example of Eldigan and Raquesis/Laquesis.
One hack I played this year (Darius the Conqueror, pretty solid hack would recommend) had a minor scene with almost incest and it is mentioned multiple times because royalty want to keep the bloodline pure. It was handled pretty well. I believe what you’re planning wouldn’t be that much different.
I would love to see it. These days anything bothers ppl. Go for it, in my opinion.
My only thing is: don’t make it explicit here, because this is kind of breaking rules
In my case, I always make a censored edit and keep the original version to myself. So, as I said, go for it. And be sure to remembers us to play it, I will forget in a few hours that I even read this thread.
Worth noting, there’s nothing wrong with leaving things to implication rather than confirming them outright, and it can in fact be more effective storytelling in some cases. It’s definitely a valid option to keep in mind, I’d say.
On the broader topic… I don’t think anyone’s gonna stop you or anything, and I don’t think it’s wrong to explore dark and taboo topics in fiction. Just make sure you do it tactfully, and with awareness and empathy for the fact that incestuous relationships in real life are deeply screwed-up for many more reasons than just posing health risks for any biological children the pair may have. It may warrant marking your project as for mature audiences, but I don’t think it’s categorically a bad thing to include in a story provided it’s handled with care.
This is very true, implying something can often be much more effective than just showing it outright. Implications allow the audiences mind to run wild, and that will always prove to have a more unsettling end result than just “hey these are siblings and also did the incest”.
This tells me more than anything else that in this specific instance… The topic is largely unnecessary to include in your work. If you’re unsure of if you can do it well and without being offensive then chances are you probably don’t have the experience as a writer to handle such a topic. Moreover, if you allow a thread of people to determine your written works direction with a certain angle then you either aren’t particularly attached to that story to begin with (something that I highly doubt in this case) or it wasn’t a necessary topic to cover in the work to begin with, that it’s so insignificant that you can cut it with little fuss.
This also leads into another thing I want to stress. Media literacy is dead. Or rather, it was never really alive to begin with. If you include such a heavy topic you NEED to be mature enough to handle both well intentioned, thoughtful criticism and unhelpful hogwash that comes from those who read everything at face value AND also be able to understand what is what as it is not always clear to the author whether or not the reader is at fault is at fault for not engaging with the work critically and as such views the work from a barebones and unhelpful perspective or if the fault is on you for not conveying your story in a way that is understandable and even accidentally said the opposite of what you meant.
As much of a meme as the game has become, the Coffin of Andy and Leyla does genuinely criticize incestuous relationships and evaluates the how mentally damaging such messed up relationships are, but because the game shows a portrayal of incest that shows a real connection between the pair of characters people oftentimes misinterpret the game’s core, whether they actually played the game itself or not. There will be people who deliberately or not directly misinterpret what you’re trying to say, no matter how well written it is.
Overall I would say, don’t head into such a subject so quickly unless you’re 100% confident in not only your writing abilities but also your ability to tell genuine criticism from unhelpful comments.
In a world where there is magic, surely genetic diseases can be cured.
If the problem of genetic diseases can be solved, then incest will no longer be taboo.
Rather, if we follow history, marrying in kinship has the great advantage of making it difficult to keep family property outside the family.
Depending on the culture, basically when you get married, your family property will be reduced because you have to divide your property.
For example, if you are rich and inherit property from your parents, but you go to marry into another family, the property you inherit becomes the property of another family.
It also helps to keep the troublesome presence of outside relatives out of politics.
It is common for a wife’s relatives to become involved in politics and destroy a dynasty.
(however, although it is also common for families to kill each other…)
Because of these advantages, rich and royal families have done a lot of marriages with close relatives.
Incidentally, erotic SRPGs also have various ideas, such as mating abducted girls with monsters to create stronger monsters.
Well, I don’t know if that is appropriate for this site.
I decided against it ultimately, but it’s an interesting point of discussion whether something controversial in a story has to be the main focus for it to be “handled well”.
Don’t let media-illiterate people convince you by putting something reprehensible like incest in your story, you’re advocating for it. Nobody says the same to people who write about people forced into slavery or prostitution. It’s not your responsibility to make every piece of work a family-friendly PSA that teaches everybody right from wrong. You should make whatever you want to make instead of worrying about whatever you make is liked. If you’re true to yourself, what you make will always have at least one fan… You.
