Maven's Harem Anime Storybuilding Site

So I was contemplating the conventions of the harem genre the other day, and I how one could reasonably shake it up in an interesting manner without sacrificing all the usual conceits, and I came upon an enlightening conclusion.


I wanna see a harem story where each and every girl is faking their attraction to the hero, and he has to investigate why while prying deep onto their pasts and psyches.


So let's build one, shall we?



Anyone can post facts on the setting, provided they do not contradict preceding facts. You may expand on facts posted by others. You are free to ask that facts be edit or retracted, with sufficient explanation of the reasons. This is not a crack thread, humor is allowed, but within reasonable levels.



First facts:

The setting I'm going for is a mildy futuristic sci-fi fantasy with elements of eastern fantasy, deconstructed Xianxia, heavy martial arts, cyberpunk, psychological exploration, and Lovecraftian horror. In other words, a Shin Megami Tensei ripoff. With Kung Fu. Exalted Kung Fu.




Western elements exist, but no elves, no orcs, and dragons are representative of forces of nature.


Angels: Eldritch nightmares straight from the Old Testament with all that implies. No pansy silk-shrouded dove-winged harp-players are these (generally, some can take the form, but they tend to be somewhat... off) One of the few sapient races on the Earth actually older than humanity, no two are alike in appearance, ranging from normal sized humanoids with infinite blazing faces and city-sized wings made of swords (which somehow fit perfectly outstretched in the backseat of a car) to a sea of golden eyes eclipsing the sun, to an empty night. A literal empty night.

They are not malevolent. They are, however, responsible for humanity's forsaking of the supernatural. They are indirectly responsible for the rise of Christianity and Islam as dominant religions. They've also been protecting humanity from the Outer Gods for millenia. As to why? No mortal knows...



There is no particular grand unified understanding of how "magic" works. In fact, there is no Grand Unified magic in the first place. The baseline "magic" of humanity (also known as ESP) is derived by accessing the greater Unconscious and is mentally-based, whereas the natural abilities of angels are done by exploiting their greater insight into reality (basically, they hack the universe). Other sources of magic include that of the gods (who were themselves unconsciously created by man and whose magic revolves around projecting the core concepts of their own existence) the primordial chaos, concepts, alternate dimensions, technology, etc.


There is an entire class of beings, both the largest and most diverse, in fact, who derive their power and existence from human emotions, philosophies, belief, stories, and imagination. Gods belong to this category, as do demons. Angels and the outer gods do not. As of the modern age, many have been fading away thanks to a lack of belief.

Vampires can't die, but will wither into perfectly conscious but immobile dust if they don't feed or their regeneration is exhausted. Forever. Wood and running water paralyzes them and even standing water will fatigue them. The sun simply strips their non-physical powers.

The are many masquerades and secret organizations the world over, some more reluctant than others. One of this story's themes will be their exposal to the populace at large, along with the resulting fallouts.


There is nothing about magic which automatically rejects the concept of science.


There is an organization of magic users whose entire schtick is basically identical to the Alchemy of the Fullmetal Alchemist series.



The main hero is a somewhat genre-savvy hard realist (as in, "if I see it, it's real unless I'm insane or drunk and I don't get drunk"), typically calm and logical, sees having intelligence and willpower (ie, being a stubborn virgin whose more attracted to porn than actual girls) as a point of pride, and is one the first people to turn a magical ritual into a computer program.


The MC's main strengths lie in his intelligence and adaptability. He starts off as a muggle who gains power on his own initiative after being terrified in his first run-in with the supernatural.


He loves science, SCIENCE!™ challenges, and being smart. Mortally afraid of mind-altering substances being used on him. JJBA and Hellblazer fan. Will never touch an infinity+1 weapon without it being destroyed in a few minutes. Has one crush as of the beginning of the story (who he has never had a meaningful conversation with) and at least one close male friend. Will gain more non-trap male friends over the course of the story.

Looks like a typical generic harem protag until he invests in shapeshifting abilities and supernatural martial arts.



At the very least sixty percent of his male friends will not be traps. Will never learn an uber-powerful technique in a fraction of the time it usually takes to do so unless the feat is replicated, or someone figures out a counter in the same amount of time. Will be embarrassed, hurt and humiliated several times through the storyline. Will never defeat a stronger enemy through more dakka. Will troll the sadodere. Will respond to a "come at me with everything you've got" deceleration from a badass mentor by poisoning said mentor and being honestly surprised when it takes. Will trivially piss off and outwit several godlike beings only to be nearly killed at the last moment by getting overconfident. Will cry and engage in honest, emotional moments with friends both male and female a few times over the course of this story.


...have at it, ye dogs...

 

That's so depressing though. Just finding out one girl was faking their attraction to him is enough to destroy many guy's faith in romance and the honesty of the average woman.

 

Perhaps, yes, and I do see this as getting pretty dark at points. But it need not be overmuch. The whole point is the MC unraveling their motivations to gain deeper understanding of each girl, by which they may, possibly, truly fall in love with him. Or he may come out of this with no love life but many good friends. Ultimately, the story's only as depressing as we make it.

edit: Alright, I suppose all of them being liars is a bit extreme. But at least most of them. This is basic premise after all.

 

First, this probably belongs in NSFW Creative Writing, you can probably ask a mod to move it for you.

Secondly, if this is your first foray into creative writing or fanfic your world is too complicated, and I don't get a good feel for it from your description. (It looks like a Dresden inspired setting.) Think of it narratively, who is going to be our introduction to this world, and how are you going to bridge the knowledge gap.

Thirdly, your character motivations are going to fall flat unless you've got a lot more skill in writing than several published authors. Distinct characterization after 3-4 people is going to be a bitch. I'd seriously suggest writing out a few scenes and seeing what falls out. I'm sure you've got a girl or two in mind (call them Cindy and Sally if you don't have good names in mind).

 

Does it? Granted, I wasn't planning on letting anyone emphasizing on ecchi content or anything, but meh. Might as well get a mod ruling before the fact.

I get the feeling there is a communication disconnect here. This isn't something I strictly intend on writing. More a general world/character building thread where anyone contributes. Believe me, I have way too many ideas clogging my notes to actually try out this one. Now where's that tanuki...
edit: To be more clear, everyone can add something to the world. Not just me. This is an open thread.