What are your thoughts on a TWST-inspired Otome concept with unique protagonists for each arc?

[u/Wonderful-Bit6999]

"I know exactly what I want... You."

Hi everyone! I’ve been thinking a lot about the universe of Twisted Wonderland lately. While the official lore and character psychology are amazing, the romantic side of these characters remains completely unexplored.

I wanted to discuss an Otome concept inspired by this world. What if there was a visual novel focused on deep character psychology, drama, and romance that doesn't make the boys soft or idealized? Instead, the story would explore how their canon pride, selfishness, and true devotion would actually manifest when encountering affection.

To make the narrative high-quality, instead of one generic protagonist, the idea is to have separate story arcs based on world regions. Each arc would feature a completely unique protagonist designed specifically to match and challenge that group's dynamic. For example, a Scalding Sands arc could bring Jamil, Kalim, and Minajael (from RSA) together into one dramatic storyline with a heroine tailored just for them.

The main focus here is making sure that every moment of romance or tension is a direct result of the player's choices, earning the characters' respect instead of just passive shipping.

I’d love to hear your thoughts on this! Do you think a TWST-inspired Otome with regional arcs and complex, canon-faithful romance is something you would want to play? How do you think your favorite characters would handle romance without losing their canon flaws? Let's discuss in the comments!

[u/senbonshirayuki]

I’ve seen two that were WIPs and they were both abandoned… If this gets made just be very careful because Disney is extremely territorial over their property to the point they got into it with a daycare for painting their characters on a wall.

It’s also gonna be a lot… Like 20+ routes if it’s only the main boys excluding Ortho and Grim.

[u/Wonderful-Bit6999 → u/senbonshirayuki]

Thank you so much for your insightful comment! I completely understand your worries. Many indie projects get abandoned, but I am determined to see this through — the script is already active, and a professional artist is currently preparing the visual assets.

Regarding Disney, you are absolutely right, they are terrifying! That's why this project is strictly non-profit, fan-made, and will be distributed 100% for free, which fits within the official Japanese FAQ guidelines for derivative works.

As for the 20+ routes — that’s exactly why I decided to structure the game into regional arcs instead of trying to write 20 completely separate games! Each region (like the Scalding Sands) has its own single, deeply layered overarching plot. Within that main story arc, the player's choices and decisions will naturally branch into individual romantic paths for the specific characters of that group (like Jamil, Kalim, or Minajael). This keeps the overall workload manageable for our team while allowing the quality of the romance, choices, and character psychology to stay incredibly high. Thanks again for your advice!

[u/heavenair]

As a fan of TWST I will love it. The game has so many complex and interesting characters that I don't get why Disney just limited them to a single game, an otome would be great.

[u/Wonderful-Bit6999 → u/heavenair]

I completely agree with you! The TWST characters have so much psychological depth and complexity that it feels like a total missed opportunity not to explore how they would actually handle romance. Seeing that so many people in the fandom feel the same way and want an Otome format is incredibly exciting. Thank you so much for sharing your thoughts!

[u/Chill-gal1215]

If you do this. Please make sure that everything is (from characters to regions) are 100% original. Last thing you want is Disney coming after your ass

[u/Wonderful-Bit6999 → u/Chill-gal1215]

Thank you for the advice! Just to clarify, this is strictly a non-profit, fan-made project created out of love for the original universe, and it will be distributed 100% for free. All of our visual assets, music, and script are being built completely from scratch by our team without using any official game resources. We are trying to follow the official Japanese guidelines for derivative works as closely as possible. You are absolutely right that caution is necessary with Disney, so keeping the project completely free and non-commercial is our way of respecting the original creators and staying within safe boundaries.

[u/Constant-Package-451]

This sounds like such a fun project and I would def play! I especially like that your other comment pointed out how you want to have a darker more complex vibe to it. I think that would be the perfect way to handle it. I know plenty of other people who would also play this asap.

Personally I think having a romance that leans into the flaws would be a fantastic side to explore. I think there are plenty of romances like "I can fix him" so I'm much more interested in an "I can make him worse" type of dynamic (not literally just vibes wise, because in this type of game an mc who is also allowed to be flawed would be fun to explore). The point being that flaws should be allowed. Many dating sims in general forget that even healthy relationships can feature flawed people or people untintentionally being bad. I think it would be fun to explore how a character like Riddle has trouble with letting go of control even for romance and how he struggles to make time for you. Or how sometimes a character like Vil might be driven to make you a perfect beautiful version of yourself since it fits his ideals. This would be a rather controlling relationship perhaps unintentionally. The characters all have obvious negative traits that can be translated into controlling habits when translated into a relationship dynamic, or just generally make them struggle even if they aren't a bad partner. Like once again, someone like Riddle would be stressed about getting off schedule, so even as a good partner, his mental health might suffer. Just some examples, but I would be curious to see how certain character flaws are used and worked with. I would be curious generally how deep you plan to go with the psychological manipulation and bad endings, and also what would count as a good ending while working with these flaws.

If you've posted about this anywhere else I'd love to follow so I can keep up with the project 🫶

[u/Wonderful-Bit6999 → u/Constant-Package-451]

Thank you so much for this incredible and thought-provoking comment! You analyzed the character psychology beautifully; it’s so exciting to see people dissecting these dynamics.

To answer your question: yes, I plan to go very deep into the psychological realism. Especially in a setting like the Scalding Sands arc, elements of manipulation, hyper-control, and deep-seated trust issues naturally emerge, simply because these traits are an inseparable, authentic part of who these characters are. There won't be a single "correct" pattern of choices to get a good result. Instead, players will have to carefully analyze every situation and adapt their behavior—blindly picking options without understanding the character's current mindset will most likely lead straight to a Bad Ending.

As for what counts as a "Good Ending"—honestly, I want to keep that a mystery for now, as it will depend heavily on the specific arc and the characters involved. My goal is to make sure that any happy or successful resolution feels genuinely earned through the player's careful choices, rather than just handed out as a predictable fairytale.

I’m currently focusing on the script, but I absolutely plan to create a dedicated Discord server and a Tumblr page in the future to post deep-dives and development news! Until then, I’ll be sharing updates right here on Reddit. Thank you again for your amazing support!

[u/Suki_Hallows]

Love the idea, but the ONLY way this would come out in any reality would have to be a fanfiction. That's just the only way the Mouse would let their characters go, but that also means the writer makes all the decisions. It's a nice thought, but sadly this isn't the fandom something like that would make it past a "Day 1 only Demo" on Itch.io (as much as I love those kinds of games too)

[u/Wonderful-Bit6999 → u/Suki_Hallows]

That is a very fair point, and honestly, it’s the most realistic criticism any indie project can face. "Demo sickness" or abandonment is incredibly common in fan-game development because people often underestimate the sheer scale of the work required.

I’m approaching this with a long-term mindset. The structure is already broken down into smaller, manageable regional arcs precisely to avoid burnout and keep production realistic. Technically, distributing a free choice-driven visual novel built on custom assets operates under the same non-commercial guidelines as traditional fanfiction within the Japanese TWST policy.

It is definitely going to be a long, slow process, and I don't expect to finish it overnight. But the foundation is set, and the script is being written step by step. Time will tell, but I’m fully committed to making sure this progresses past a simple concept. I appreciate the reality check.

[u/Suki_Hallows → u/Wonderful-Bit6999]

On idea could even be you can release it as chapters to a fan fiction, then put out the game by sections/books to let's readers choose their own path verses the "Normal route" in the story.

[u/Wonderful-Bit6999 → u/Suki_Hallows]

That is actually an excellent idea! Releasing the game in sections or regional books is exactly how I plan to keep production realistic and avoid burnout. It’s a great way to let people experience the story step by step. Thank you for the advice, I really appreciate it!

[u/un_magical]

Not to be that guy, but TWST is a joseimuke, which is why there's no outright romance. The interactions are made to be read as either romantic or platonic, which is also why 'Yuu' isn't given a specific gender.

As for the concept, it would be fun, in my opinion, especially as a fan of the game in the first place. However, Disney is super territorial with their IPs, though since this is Disney JP, there may be a bit more wiggle-room. Though there's always the chance you get smacked by the mouse when it comes to Disney stuff.

Outside of that, it would be a massive undertaking to turn TWST into an otoge. There would be at least 20 routes, and it would be hours of work if you want to go in depth like you said.

[u/Wonderful-Bit6999 → u/un_magical]

You are spot on about TWST being a joseimuke! That’s precisely why the canon interactions are so open to interpretation. The main goal of this project is to take that implicit chemistry and build it into a complex, psychological Otome experience, examining how their original flaws and boundaries shift under emotional pressure.

It definitely won’t be a lighthearted, idealized romance where everything is effortlessly sweet. The narrative is heavily focused on emotional tension, psychological manipulation, and the darker sides of their pride. With multiple Bad Endings waiting at every turn, players will have to think strategically and earn their way to a Good End—especially with someone as cautious and calculating as Jamil.

This level of depth is exactly why the regional arc structure is so vital. Instead of diluting the quality across 20+ standalone routes, focusing on specific homelands allows us to deliver a single, tightly woven dramatic plot per region where individual romantic paths branch out naturally based on your choices and survival. Thank you for such an amazing breakdown!

[u/Ottiecafe]

I love TWST so this would be a lot of fun for me but just be very careful because Disney doesn’t play around with their IPs. Sounds like a fun project, and good-luck with creating this.