This is a fanmade story, written by @voltage-vixen and edited by @neerons

A list of tropes/unofficial commandments in otome games. There’s more than 10 listed because these days most games have more than 10 suitors choices.

Shoutout to @writingwhimsey for the impromptu collaboration!

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Otome Commandment 1: Thou shalt have at least one emotionally constipated suitor. This suitor speaks in commands, growls, and eye rolls. He is hot AF.

Otome Commandment 2: MC shall have at least one miscommunication with their suitor that could have been resolved if they had actually spoken their mind.

Otome Commandment 3: Thou shalt have at least one suitor who looks pretty in pink. Prettier than you.

Otome Commandment 4: Thou shalt have a suitor who IS sex on a stick whose every word is innuendo.

Otome Commandment 5: Thou shalt have one eye patch dude. 50% fewer visible eyeballs, 200% increased sexiness.

Otome Commandment 6: There shall be one suitor who is the default tired elder looking after everyone else. He shall know how to use whips accordingly. Yes Daddy.

Otome Commandment 7: No sexual experience? No problem! Thou shalt still have a hot steamy night and not get pregnant. MC is covered by protagonist protection.

Otome Commandment 8: There shall be several gentlemanly choices among suitors. Whether they are gentle is up to interpretation.

Otome Commandment 9: There shall be at least one route where MC gets kidnapped and must be rescued. Unless we are talking about Ikemen vampire. Then MC shall be kidnapped at least once per route.

Otome Commandment 10: Thou shalt have suitors whom exhibit violence to protect MC. The readers will swoon. MC will freak out and question their life choices.

Otome Commandment 11: Readers shall rise up in annoyance at MC when they get scared of the suitor. The suitor’s crime? Doing exactly what he said he was going to do.

Otome Commandment 12: Yandere(s)? Yes please. Note: this commandment may not be applicable in real life.

Otome Commandment 13: The cold, stoic consort is secretly the biggest romantic. Hey, we don’t make up the rules here. We just write them down.

Otome Commandment 14: Swords and an inordinate number of belts immediately make consorts more attractive. Bonus points if there’s blood on them.

Otome Commandment 15: There shall be one consort whom readers will agree is the in real life standard. The walking green flag. The man to bring home to your parents. The man who is the embodiment of protectiveness, teasing sweetness, and an overall great guy.

I fundamentally understand that this is an otome game, and that traits like dominance, jealousy, control, and arrogance are romanticized especially for the type of “king” archetype Eisuke represents. That part is not my issue. I’m not confused about the genre, and I’m not expecting realism or expecting Eisuke’s character writing to cater to me. The problem is that the way these traits are written doesn’t create engaging romance or meaningful tension. Instead, they actively block the relationship from becoming emotionally dynamic or equal.

I wouldn’t fix my mouth and say that the story doesn’t criticize Eisuke at all because that would be a lie, but Eisuke suffers from the fact that he is controlling, bossy, jealous, secretive, and stubborn, and the narrative consistently frames those traits as sexy or admirable rather than interrogating them those flaws.

These aren’t just flaws that add spice to the relationship, they basically shape the entire structure of the entire relationship. From the very beginning, Eisuke establishes absolute authority over the MC. He is her boss, controls her income, has overwhelming social power, and is positioned by the story as the central “king” figure whose is judgment is damn near always correct. Early on, he explicitly tells her that all she needs to do is stay quiet and obey him. This is not treated as something he needs to unlearn, it’s treated as part of his appeal as a LI.

Later in his route, Eisuke claims he wants the MC to be more confident and bold, but the moment she actually embodies that confidence in ways that challenge him, he shuts it down.

She is not allowed to be right. She is not allowed to stand her ground. The lesson the story teaches is that confidence is only acceptable when it aligns with Eisuke’s appeal of being an authority figure.

When the MC tries to act independently from him, Eisuke undermines her, framing her actions as naïve or dangerous. These moments aren’t used to help her grow as a character, they’re used to reaffirm his dominance as a LI. The story does not allow her mistakes to be learning moments. They are proof that Eisuke knows best.

What makes this worse is that Eisuke treats the MC differently from the other bidders because his power over her is total. All the bidders are powerful, but their power is meant to be challenged. Eisuke’s power is meant to be obeyed. He is not just dangerous or intimidating, he is institutionally protected by the narrative. When he withholds information “for her protection,” even when that secrecy puts her in danger, the story ultimately justifies him by having him save her afterward or having the bidders tell the MC that she would’ve ‘ruined’ her plans.

The status quo is always restored: MC is endangered, Eisuke rescues her, Eisuke is validated.

When you compare this to a bidder like Mamoru, the difference is obvious. Mamoru is deeply complicit in the auction system and actively prevents the MC from going to the police. That is not only a massive moral failing, but extremely controlling within their dynamic. But Mamoru’s MC is allowed to confront him within their relationship. She nags him, argues with him, and gets angry when he makes decisions about her safety without asking. The story lets her frustration matter. Mamoru does not get immediate narrative validation. He grows because the MC refuses to let his behavior slide.

Eisuke rarely has to deal with that level of pushback. When the MC gets upset with him, the story often redirects the tension instead of resolving it. Eisuke avoids emotional conflict by using reassurance or sex. This happens constantly to the point the MC literally learns to do the same thing if she is ever dealing with anything emotionally. Because the narrative allows it, Eisuke never has to truly engage with her emotional needs.

Hikaru’s route makes this issue even clearer. Hikaru is a literal assassin and yet his MC is allowed to be bold, stubborn, and confrontational. She questions his morality, challenges his worldview, and pushes him emotionally. The narrative does not punish her for it. This proves that MC assertiveness is not limited by danger or intimidation. It is limited specifically by Eisuke’s role as an unquestionable authority figure.

The MCs themselves are written very differently across routes. Mamoru’s MC is witty, assertive, and emotionally engaged. She pushes Mamoru because she expects growth. Eisuke’s MC expected to submit. Her endurance and silence are treated as romantic virtues. Instead of Eisuke adapting to her, she adapts to him.

When people defend Eisuke by pointing to his archetype, it misses the point. Eisuke’s MC isn’t submissive because she freely chooses that dynamic, she isn’t real. She’s written into submission because the story always protects Eisuke as a LI first. Even when the narrative criticizes him, that criticism is contained, softened, and never allowed to truly reshape the relationship.

(^∇^) Hello! hope you enjoy the scene from the recent VIP room story. Once I read it I wanted to create a small comic of this scene since I found it ver funny and cute.

Totally not inspired by a roach i found outside my dorm room at 2 am

Please let them reach true happiness ❤️

Nobunaga is the absolute worse! And why, MC, why do you only pursue him despite he badmouthed you, drew sword on you, kept kicking you out of the castle and and moreover, tried to assault you??!! MC is really a fool here.

She wanted to give a "second chance"...why would she?? What she had seen in Nobunaga?? The guy who pushed her away in these manners, I have to say, MC does not have a bit of self-respect.

And I hated how Mitsuhide tried to keep MC in the castle. He practically forced MC. If he was really concerned of her, he should have let her go to her home!!!

I just finished 12th episode and chose divine ending. But the story is at an end, still there is no good thing to say.

Everyone say, Voltage games make you cry. But I am really disappointed with it.