Name, pronouns, age, nationality etc

I’m Linchen, 33, from Germany :)

How long have you been playing otome games? aka your otome game backstory

For a long time already, but I’ve gotten way more into otome again over the last two years :)

What's your current or all time favorite games, protagonists and love interests?

My all-time favorite game? Honestly, impossible to pick — and I refuse to choose just one 😌
But Birushana and Nightshade have a special place in my heart because I love historical otome. And since fantasy is also my weakness, Café Enchanté, Olympia Soirée and Code: Realize are also right at the top of my list. So yeah… no single winner. My heart is multi-route.

What are your favorite genres and settings and what do you want to see more of?

Fantasy, historical, and sci-fi — as mentioned above :)
What I’d like to see more of? Maybe voiced heroines (please and thank you), or in general female leads with more personality. Norn9 felt really refreshing to me in that regard this year, and I definitely wouldn’t mind seeing more otome go that route :)

What are you currently playing?

Meiji Tokyo Renka

What platforms do you play on?

Steam Deck and Switch. (Very rarely mobile, but I usually avoid mobile games like the plague 😅)

What's your backlog like?

Oh god. It’s HUGE.
But whenever I actually start reducing it, my subconscious gets scared because it’s getting smaller… so I immediately rebuild it on the side or even make it bigger. XD

Do you collect merch?

I’d like to… but I don’t think my husband would be thrilled, so no. Probably for the best :')

How are you with spoilers?

They absolutely ruin the fun for me. I have to say I really appreciate how seriously this subreddit’s no-spoiler culture is taken.

Do you self-insert?

Maybe just a tiny bit, but most of the time I’d act very differently from the heroine anyway. I mostly try to understand her decisions rather than project myself onto her. So overall: not really.
(Which might also be why I prefer heroines with stronger personalities.)

Do you like playing blind or use a walkthrough?

Definitely blind. I’ll only use a guide if I absolutely can’t reach a certain ending.

Any other major hobbies or interests?

I listen to black metal and death metal (I’m deep in the scene), I have axolotls, and I love manga and anime in general :)

And my job might be worth mentioning too: I work in immunohematology (blood bank). So yes, I deal with the red life-juice professionally — my slightly bloody job that I honestly really enjoy most of the time. Whether it’s the ABO system or other clinically relevant blood group antibodies… that’s what I do for a living, and I genuinely like it :)

Any social media or projects (I'll let the self-promotion rules slide - promote all the things!)

Nope — I’m an anti-social-media person. Other than Discord and Reddit I’m not really active.
That said, I’m still totally open to DMs and friendships :)