Harem routes tend not to make sense storywise. These characters have their own personalities, motivations, agendas. They wouldn't voluntarily become MC's inferior playthings. If you openly pursue more at once, you can expect conflicts. They talk to each other. You can't please everyone.
I do want to say that just because a story is has a harem, it by no means would make the Ladies the MC's playthings.
I read a metric asston of harem fiction.
There is some fantastic stories there, there are some bad ones, and there is awful ones.
Want to know what makes the good ones, good?
When you have a talented writer who understands you can have detailed and nuanced characters who want to be with the MC because they grow to care for him and (in some stories) grow to love the women that are part of the relationship and understand that just because the MC loves another in the relationship, doesn't mean he loves this character any less.
People have successful polyamorous relationships all the time, with or without power exchange.
Is it a minority of relationships in most modern cultures? Absolutely.
Does that mean all works of fiction set in the myriad futures/pasts/other realities have to stick with the standard one male/one female relationship formula? Absolutely not.
Basically what I'm saying is harem should never be discounted as an unbelievable relationship type. Just because a bunch of shit writers use the Magic Cock trope to short cut a harem doesn't mean a talented writer can't use polygyny to craft a beautiful and believable story with strong characters.
All that being said though, I'm pretty sure that's not what Notty is going for and I fully support her telling the story the way she wants to. I'll just wait for a talented modder/walkthrough writer to find me the right path for maximum bang for my playthrough. lol
