LOVE SHOT: the sns & dating sim au
Worried over Kyungsoo's tendency to overwork and isolate himself in response to mental distress, his friends—namely Baekhyun—sign him up for a dating app, where he meets Jongin, in hopes of bringing him out of his shell. But what happens when Jongin isn't who he says he is, and Chanyeol, his best friend, starts acting differently around him too?
LOVE SHOT is a Kaisoo and ChanSoo Twitter AU that combines both SNS (social media) AUs and Japanese visual novels (or dating sims).
Every choice you make in this AU will affect your route and its ending. Choose wisely (or go back and try every option and read every route)!
Please read the FAQ before you proceed with reading the AU.
NOTES & FAQ
Please read before you begin the AU:
FAQ
What is an SNS AU?
SNS AUs are fictional spin-offs (usually with Kpop idols) using an electronic epistolary medium. It's the telling of a story through fake social media profiles.
What is a visual novel or dating sim?
Visual Novels (VNs) originated from Japan and are interactive "Choose Your Adventure" games with a heavy emphasis on narrative. Dating Sims are visual novels but you can romance the characters.
What does you mean by calling this is a hybrid AU?
I'm telling the story using the storytelling elements and visual aesthetics of VNs. For example, you'll be able to choose options in some points of the storyline that decides who Kyungsoo ends up dating and how successful the relationship is!
At the same time, parts of the storyline will be told through various social media accounts. However, since this story takes place entirely from Kyungsoo's point of view, there will be no way to see the social media of other characters unless Kyungsoo is looking at them (so you won't get to see Jongin or Chanyeol's private conversations, I'm afraid!).
Sidenote: this wasn't inspired at all by the new Black Mirror episode...I wrote this before it was released :'(
How many routes will there be?
Routes are the different storylines that exist in this single story. The route you end up on is decided through the character choices you make throughout the story.
There are two main routes in this AU: Jongin's route and Chanyeol's route.
As a quick note, think of every route as parallel universes. If you choose to explore both routes, the events that happened in Jongin's route does not necessarily happen or affect what happens in Chanyeol's route (and vice versa) unless stated otherwise.
How many different endings will there be?
Each route has 2.5 different endings: a good end, a bad end, and then a best end where you get bonus content or an epilogue if you completed the route perfectly.
So you could fail a route?
Yep! The choices you make for Kyungsoo will affect your ending, so choose wisely. Even if you're on the Jongin route, Kyungsoo may not end up with him if you choose too many wrong options.
How do you calculate what ending each reader will end up with?
I created a points system based on your answers. Unfortunately, since this is Twitter-based, there is no algorithm that would automatically calculate your points. I have to simplify the routes (and complicate my own work) to make it work.
What if I only like KaiSoo and not ChanSoo (or vice versa)?
Don't worry, the endgame pairings are either ChanSoo or KaiSoo. There is no ChanKaiSoo in this AU. It's up to you which route you want to take.
Will there be any new routes with other Soo pairings?
I plan on adding extra content (including new routes) once the main storyline is completed, but they might not be as fully developed and plotty as Chanyeol and Jongin's routes.
This is overly complicated and even reading your FAQ is giving me a headache.
D:
You couldn't come up with a more creative title than "Love Shot"?
No, unfortunately, I really couldn't think of a title.
I have more questions for you!
Ask me at my CuriousCat!
Notes
There will be a lot of detail about Kyungsoo's life since it takes place entirely from his POV.It might be hard to follow updates just by following the Twitter account since each route will have a separate thread. I will be updating multiple threads at once, and some of them may have overlap in events.I'm trying to think of an update system that will be easier for readers to follow without spoiling how your actions affect the storyline, but in the meantime, please bookmark or save your progress in the AU somehow and continue following that particular thread. For me, I send the last update I read as a DM to myself to keep track of where I last left off.I will try to create a "walkthrough" at some point so that if you're curious about the different ways the routes could have gone without actually "replaying" the whole thing yourself, you can just refer to my write up!
Contact
If you have any questions or comments, message me on my CuriousCat!
Latest Update
Quick Guide to Reading
1. FORMAT
First things first, I want to clarify that the heart of this AU is a Twitter/SNS AU! So all updates will be on Twitter, like usual.
Think of the "Dating Sim" part of the AU as a parody of it. I'm inspired by the aesthetics of visual novels and I wanted to experiment with the tropes and conventions of dating sims.
In other words, don't take this AU too seriously, please, or else you'll probably feel disappointed.
2. VISUALS
So what will this look like? There are two main ways the AU will look like. They will all be uploaded as images on Twitter.
The first is through "screenshots" in the style of visual novels (i.e. CG screens + dialogue):
Example of what visual novels look like (from Doki Doki Literature Club, which is horror just to warn anyone looking it up)
The second is through "SNS" like your usual SNS AU. If you haven't read any before, I recommend angelksoo and flower-girl's SNS AUs!
3. OPTIONS AND CHOICES
I got a lot of questions about how you'll make choices!
So, when time comes for Kyungsoo to make a decision, you will be presented with another dialogue screen similar to this:
Taken from Butterfly Soup, one of my favourite visual novels. It's free!
And to make the choice, you will be linked to new threads, one for each choice. This is how you go on different "routes."
If we're using the example above, each thread would be titled with the choice ("Zero," "Maybe like 15," "At least a few dozen") so it's clear what you're choosing.
What this means, however, is that you need to keep following that specific thread because the choice you make changes how your route takes shape. I try to minimize the amount of times I bounce you around between threads, so the only time there's a new thread is when you make a choice.
This is why I highly recommend you bookmark where you left off, so you make sure you're following the right thread. I just send the tweet I last read in a DM to myself to keep track of SNS AUs I read!
If this is confusing to read, please just wait and read the AU first before you ask any more questions. It should be more intuitive once you see it.
4. ROUTES
As mentioned, there are two routes: a KaiSoo and a ChanSoo.
Before you're on either route, we begin with a Common Route.
Definition taken from here
As I set up the characters and setting, you will be given a different choice 3 times to choose whether or not you want Kyungsoo to be on the KaiSoo or ChanSoo route. Each choice you make will affect your route differently (e.g. how strongly attracted and interested Kyungsoo is in the other character). During the Common Route, these choices will essentially be asking you to choose between Jongin or Chanyeol.
Once you're in the individual character routes, the storyline will focus on whoever you choose (so either Jongin or Chanyeol). The choices at that point will become more about building Kyungsoo's relationship with the other, or personal character growth.
5. tl;dr
It will all be posted on TwitterChoices are shown through subthreads, not polls. I find it frustrating when people vote poorly in those kinds of AUs, so I wanted to give people an actual choice.Don't take this too seriously as a game! At the heart of it, this is just a repackaged Twitter SNS AU. Please just have fun!If you're still confused and you haven't read the AU yet, please wait until the AU starts to ask more questions about formatting.
Thank you so much for your patience and for reading through all this information! The AU can be found on my Twitter ♥