I like the idea, but... how can you make this a thing? Because I have no clue
Well, technically the foundation is already there. Most scenes with Robin is platonic to begin with, because they're too meek on their confidence unless you build it up, so I'll expand on the possibility of their relationship below.
Whitney, Kylar, and Avery would be the trickier one, as they're more dominant in their attraction for the MC; I'll first have to state that I haven't dabbled too much in Kylar's content, mainly because I want to keep their jealousy at bay, while avoiding any obvious romance prompts (I have their love around 40%, where they're attempting, but failing, to get a seat next to me in English, and don't plan to increase it any further just yet).
Now, I'm pursuing Avery, so my explanation is going to be skewed in their favor, but I think the older/wilder LIs would need to keep their distance as they are now (From never really meeting Eden/Black Wolf/Alex/Grate Hawk, I think it would be more unlikely to begin a friendship if you're already pursuing someone else; their romance is a little too Stockholm Syndrome/Bridal Kidnap-ie to mesh with the High School crew, but maybe there might be a dynamic between those four??? I'll have to experience them before I can say much, but I'll refer to them as the "Wild Crew", with the three high schoolers and Avery as the "City Crew").
Considering Avery is a mature Sugar Parent, I would assume Avery wouldn't give two damns what you do, as long as you make your appointment when they come a-calling; their "friend" relationship would play out much as the business already does "Pretend to be their sparkly date for the evening, and cash out if you act well". I've dedicated my play to rejecting Avery's advances, so they already play out in the "reciprocated" way I'm looking for; Avery doesn't feel very possessive to me (not in the "You obviously want me" type of way), so I can't complain if they were to show up, and I was pursuing another LI, they already make the relationship feel like a business transaction, keeping their gripes to themselves when I reject them, which is all groovy.
Though, I haven't experienced their rage, yet, so I can't confidently say if I can disassociate myself from feeling like we're committed/my actions are one of reciprocated interests; I've heard nothing of it, but maybe the situation feels more "you're in it for more than the money" once at a breaking point? If so, then I would hope for a non committed route, where Avery remember there aint no labels on it (yet).
Whitney, on the other hand, is the epitome of possessive, they make a claim on you the first (second, actually) time you meet them, even if it's kind of a halfhearted "I own all the sluts" declaration. A few times I accept going along with them after school, I feel like a gang member, but a couple of other times, I felt like their date, more arm candy than Avery makes me feel, and my character going along with it, as if I was vying for their attention; which I wasn't, I was just submitting to their dominance to placated them, half in humor to see what's gonna happen, half in not wanting them to fall into their Dismissal Event.
One of my biggest complaint is when they picked you up for Halloween, of course, I could have rejected it, but the invite, which could have turned out to be another "part of the gang" moment like their school invites, turned into a heavy date event;
which I know is the whole point, but with one simple change, I could have imagined it was my character just hanging out with the town's rascals, and not reciprocating the gang-leader's advances (Whitney's free to think I was, but the tone of the event felt like I truly was, though I didn't want it feeling that way, I wanted it to feel more coerced/fed up).
Now, playing a defiant character, I'm sure my statement was different than the other two personalities, but at the end of the event, before parting,
sort of implying I would have been down for it, if not for the voyeuristic nature of the setting, which absolutely was not the reason I rejected it.
Anyways, a lot of Whitney's outings suggest I'm going along with them as Their Girl, which I'm absolutely not, but there's no option for me to refute this, and half the time, my character is responding as if inclined to the idea, which I'm not, but I guess that was me giving consent because I submitted to Whitney's dominance (I completely understand this, but that's the complaint, I'm hoping I could hang out with them without my character believed to be doing so in the hopes of cultivating romantic relations).
I understand Whitney sees my character as theirs, and feels any attention is flirty attention, and I don't want that to be erased, but I want my character to have the platonic option to either deny, or at least respond in ways that rejects that notion, while not rejecting Whitney's company. The game dynamic is pretty much "Hang out with them to build love, or ignore them so you don't"; I want a middle man option!
So far, Kylar stays pretty platonic for the time being, in fact, their Tsun-Tsun, runaway status, at the moment, is sort of a main factor, so I'm comparing them with Robin at this point (who acts like a friend until the end, unless you obviously flirt or pick lustful actions towards them, and even then...), Whitney will always see you as "Their Slut", and Avery will always expect you to play the "Arm Candy", but most of the City Crew's scenes can't be unlocked until you blossom the romance, and unlock their Love Interests Status; which I won't be doing, but do wish I could have further interactions with them.
Anyways, I've beat around the bush explaining what
is done with them (from my experience), so here's how I think a friendship with them could be solved: Personally, I've only interacted with Whitney, considering I'm avoiding Robin and Kylar for the moment (for various reasons that are too heavy for my game play at the moment), but Whitney could be a good homie for more delinquent builds, with more delinquent interactions between them, just like when they take you at the end of school, but instead, with a friend-zoning rejection that feels more platonic than "Not this time, Whitney, but maybe later <3" atmosphere I feel between them.
I don't want the sexual harassment to stop, I don't even want the passive "My Girl" quips to go away, I just want the moment to feel like being apart of the gang at the end of the day, a slow build up of "respect" and acceptance (hoo-boy, am I using those words loosely), with the occasional attempted gang-bang/fights (especially if sexually rejected, it's the high light of my day at school), like with all those Biker Club clichés where the rookie gets hazed/groupies get passed around; our character would be the perpetual "rookie/passaround". I'm not looking for a
good friend, I'm just looking for a platonic, non date like, hang out with Whitney, as apart of the crew; I believe I kicked their ass enough to deserve it
For the others, I find myself avoiding them and not talking to them, not because I don't like them, but because I don't want them falling in love with me; I have a feeling I can't really reject them, because me developing the relationship was my "consent" to begin with, so I just want more scene that doesn't lead to them initiating me as their partner.
Whitney won't leave me alone, so I see/interact with them every day at school (juggling letting them win some dominance, and taking it away when it gets too sexual; a real "pick and choose your battles" with them), which is fun, but when more content is added, I would like the pre-relationship content to expand, too. I kind of already feel like I'm friends with Whitney, with how many times we interact through the week; I want that energy with the other LIs (this isn't me being salty that I only see Avery once every Saturday
).
Robin wants to hang, but
, so I avoid them, but when/if I do, I'm concerned they're gonna confess their love to me, with my character automatically reciprocating it, when I'm here like "I love you, platonically, like a little baby thing. Now, let me take care of you."
; same with Whitney, I would like more Robin hangouts, but without the romance.
.
I don't know what Kylar got, but I want them to get their confidence to love me close up, and come hang out, just not with me reciprocating their advances (in that juicy friend-zone way, they can keep their Yandere Stalker/Jealousy/Rape-y quirks, just without me committing to returning the feeling).
I'm sure there's more scenes with Whitney, but I'm not getting their love up, because
or feeling like I
won't kick their ass for touching me. With Avery and the others, I don't feel they're apart of my peer group to care making friends with them outside of the context they're already in; further research with the Wild Crew would be needed before I can comment/suggests on them, so they can stay as they are.
In the end, I don't know, exactly, how it would be done, I'm not the writer, but food for thought: I wish we could build a relationship without a romantic gesture from my character, at least with our peer group.
Robin and Kylar should be easy, they have "innocent" intentions, Robin's crush being a poorly hidden secret, like all "childhood friends" trope, and Kylar's Yandere-ness leaving them to want to get close to you by any means necessary, even if with a trip through the Friend Zone; Whitney poses the most challenge, as they're the horniest of the City Crew, but what gang leader don't carry a bit of possessive sexuality to their attractive subordinates? (It's called gang-banging for a reason
) And, to be fair, I guess Avery should keep it professional (like those old Sugar Parents that allow their young, hot thing to "Sow their Oats", and don't mind keeping the relationship open, as long as you play your part), but so far, I think Avery is already like that...?
