It's not a favorite of mine either, when authors make their characters get together if the MC doesn't romance them, but its their game. My personal stance as a writer is that if your game has romance options for the MC then they should be interested in the MC. Otherwise, why would they be a romance option? And whenever I've thought about adding options for the ROs to romance each other (because a small amount of people are interested in this) I am usually stuck because just because these characters know each other and are part of the cast doesn't mean that they'd be interested in each other romantically or physically.
i agree with you! it's always a little disappointing to me when an author makes the romance options to end up together if you don't pursue them. i get that it's their game and their vision, but it often feels like it cheapens the romance routes for me...
my personal stance is pretty much the same as yours! making that trope feel natural and believable is surprisingly hard, and so far i haven’t seen anyone pull it off in a way that clicks for me. that said, people are 100% entitled to write whatever they want, however they want! whether it’s keeping the love interests exclusive to the mc or exploring connections between them, it’s all valid as long as it serves the story they’re trying to tell. i just know for my own projects i’m keeping things focused on the mc’s routes hehe xD
