Should the incest be a secret from NPCs or public?

[Family Fun]

A good story can be told a couple of ways. The incest is happening and it's a secret known to only those two. The other option is the incest is public or quasi-public. Close friends may know but it's not really open.
What I find boring is when NPCs know about the incest and are uninterested. "you're having sex with you Mom? Big deal, let's fuck."

 

[woody554]

unless it adds somekinda conflict or drama there's really no point in deluding the secret by having everybody know. even if you want to include outsiders, there should be somekinda added problem with it. something that threatens your sexy fun time.

 

[Adabelitoo]

If somebody makes a incest game with real life settings then 1) it shoud be kept as a secret or 2) let's others know and that should have consecuences for better or worse. Personally I feel okay if one or two characters find about it and say "not a big deal" but if the whole neighborhood know about it and nobody care then, for a game that says that it takes place in real life settings, it's just dumb IMO.

By the way, I'm totally down for some oyakodon/family fun.

 

[Hadley]

Depends on the Story. The most realistic thing would probably be Brother and Sister fall in love, obviously try to keep it a secret but Mother/Father find out about it but because they love their children they are OK with it, but try to act like nothing is happening.

 

[anne O'nymous]

A good story can be told a couple of ways.

Hmm... Yes, but no. A good premise can lead to many stories, each told in an unique way, but they would be different stories.

The fact that the incest relationship is a secret or not is a radical change. Not only NPCs will not react in the same way, but even the protagonists will act totally differently, influenced by those reactions. Take the classical, "come on mom, I take you to a date". If the relationship is, or have to be, a secret, the date will obviously be totally different than if it's something that is known.
In the first case, the mother will not be at ease, scrutinizing the crowd, staying cold, too cold for a mother, by fear that people would uncover the secret. As for the second case, it's in fact the second "cases". It would totally change, depending if incest is accepted (most NPCs will not care), tolerated (globally half NPCs will not care, and the others frowns), or condemned (it will not end well).

What I find boring is when NPCs know about the incest and are uninterested. "you're having sex with you Mom? Big deal, let's fuck."

Why should they be interested ? I don't care what people do in their bed and with who they do it. Whatever if they are homosexual, incestuous, or whatever, as long as it's effectively consensual between people able to fully consent ; so no p*d*philia, abuse of mentally challenged, and things like that. It's they life, it have 0 influence on my life, why should I feel concerned or interested by it ?
And this have nothing to do with acceptation. Feeling uninterested doesn't imply that you approve, just that you know it's not your place to judge. As long as it hurt no one, physically, psychologically or mentally, you just let them live and face the consequences if they happen. At most, my reaction face to an incestuous relationship would be, "hmm, don't you fear for your children, if you want some ?" And it wouldn't be a question of health, but of sanity. They haven't asked to be the offspring of an incestuous couple, yet they would suffer from this each time they'll encounter close minded persons.

I know that I'm perhaps not part of the majority, but I'm also far to be an exception. But all this depend of where you've been raised, because it's mostly a cultural thing.



This being said, the answer to your question totally depend to the story you want to tell. But if such a central part of its background can be changed at will by a poll, then you should think again your story. Unless you're a talented writer in search for a challenge, you don't know enough about it to write something coherent.

 

[215303j]

Why should they be interested ?

Because it changes the story considerably. Like you said in the previous paragraph

But anyway I think a situation where there is incest but nobody cares defeats the purpose of the incest (it becomes a vanilla romance). It would also be really unlikely and unrealistic. Even in the most tolerant societies and even if it were technically not illegal, incest (especially F/D, M/S or B/S) would still raise a lot of eyebrows.

 

[anne O'nymous]

Because it changes the story considerably. Like you said in the previous paragraph

Hey ! It's cheating

This said my question wasn't innocent, exactly for this reason ; it was an intent to make OP found his own answer. While in the same time I answered in regard of other stories, that aren't necessarily bad just because the NPC's seem uninterested.
They can be like me and don't care. But they can also not understand that it's a relationship, some families have a strong bound or no "nudity taboo", while some culture don't see a kiss on the lips as something sexual. And there's also those who don't understand that the partners are related ; it's by example the case of all those waiters and waitresses who served them during their dates. Generally in incest games the only persons who know that the MC is related to the girl(s) are family members and they will end as part of MC's harem.
The two last imply that they aren't necessarily uninterested, just unaware. And according to the girls' reactions, that is generally an initial reject, the society see incest as taboo ; therefore, the NPC would react, if they knew.

But anyway I think a situation where there is incest but nobody cares defeats the purpose of the incest (it becomes a vanilla romance).

Totally agree, as said, I was answering in a more global way. But in a game making the society not care would remove all interest. The purpose of an incest story is the taboo of the situation ; a love story that goes further than the biggest and most shared taboo. For once, it would be better if the girls were MC's landlady and roommates.

It would also be really unlikely and unrealistic. Even in the most tolerant societies and even if it were technically not illegal, incest (especially F/D, M/S or B/S) would still raise a lot of eyebrows.

Here again I agree. France have a long history of tolerance regarding sexuality, and incest is legal as long as it's between consenting adults and that there's no child. Yet I'm sure that my own regard over incest isn't shared by the majority of my compatriots.
Despite its quality, the island where incest is almost the norm killed part of the interest of Sisterly Lust. It's a counterpart to the repression the family encountered at home, but it's not a good one because it feel totally odd. When imagining an utopian world where sexuality is totally free, not many people include incest in this freedom. It can loose it's taboo status, but would still be seen as a line that shouldn't be crossed.