I’ve been doing a series where I try to envision what solo routes would look like with Dateables who come in pairs or multiples!
The current “grouped” Dateables include Volt + Eddie, Curt + Rod, and the Hanks! This is gonna be a VERY VERY LONG POST!!! Tw for any uncomfortable subjects being mentioned in part with some characters becoming content aware
Also, another notice, I’m more critical of Hanks 3 and 4 in this
Volt⚡️and Eddie🔌
Love em or hate em, Volt and Eddie do display strong characters whose group dynamic *enhances* their existing characterization as opposed to being the *foundation* of it. They could still be together however in a paired ending à la Florence x Celia, Washford x Dryford, etc.
A Volt solo route would probably confront Volt’s inner darkness that he masks with a charming stage presence. This is something that is admittedly a little underdeveloped (we see his darkness, but very little about the factors contributing to it and his response to his own temper issues). A solo route could really delve into his personality and offer genuine growth at the end. You could make him better, or you could make him worse. Or you could friendzone him and call it a day. Volt would receive content awareness due to a potential for violent/terrifying behavior and “red flag” qualities that may unnerve some players.
An Eddie solo route would be a thoughtful take on the “fixing the bad boy” schtick in the original, but by tackling Eddie’s toxic work habits along with the player standing up for themselves. I thought the player was way too weak willed with Eddie, and despite the latter’s struggles, he really shouldn’t have gotten away with being an ass that often. His solo route will either result in him acknowledging his toxic tendencies and being inspired by House Owner’s friendship or love to be better, or by doubling down on his worst traits while swearing off any sort of connections.
Curt😇 and Rod😘
Curt and Rod are…really similar characters. Is their route enjoyable with the shade? Yeah, and some of the character interactions are funny. But Curt and Rod have very little to separate them as characters, so giving them solo routes would be harder and require adding new traits to them. What I would do is have them embody the different sides of shade. Curt would start off as too tame with his shade, while Rod is the one whose shade is more harsh. The player plays a key role in this as opposed to being a clueless newcomer who needs to be taught how to talk smack. Curt and Rod would start off with opposing ideologies that keeps them from realizing just how much they care about each other with a paired ending option that allows them to mesh their best qualities and discard their less good ones.
So, Curt strikes me as being a tad more sensitive, from his crying over the shutters and long standing offense to Rod dissing his mom. I would lean more into that, make him a bit of a goody goody who wants to be better at the art of shade. However, the way he does it is in a way where they sound more like lowkey compliments. Like “Hava” “Hava what” “Hava nice day lmao gottem”. Yeah. And on top of it, he’s a little fragile, and even the tamest of shade makes him start to cry when you first meet him. Poor baby. He also had a hard life alongside Rod, but Rod’s desperation to be accepted made him act harsher to gain favor; thus, the two men steadily drifted apart. So Curt’s route has you either encourage him to add more impact to his shade and improve his self esteem, stay true to himself while improving his self esteem, or diss him so much that he cuts you off and becomes depressed over it🥺
Now…Rod is a bit more ruthless with his shade. Oh don’t get me wrong. He’s charming. He’s hot. But he will make fun of your mom and he’s already been given warnings on Placebook. Edgy humor, but Rod is still a good guy deep down. The player will learn about how he used to have a more miserable life (possibly problems with a cruel mother, hence the mom jokes being a common go to), with Curt as his only friend. His struggles were joked about by others. Rod’s edgy humor is both a coping mechanism and a way to appear like he’s got everything under control. The player can either become a friend/lover who helps him cope more healthily while still giving shade. They additionally can make him realize that he was *genuinely* hurting people’s feelings and to make things right. A hate ending will make him go deeper into his darkness and lose even his charm as the player has made his worldview even more cynical.
The Hanks🌈
The Hanks are…a lot more complicated. Unlike the first two groups, they are explicitly advertised (even by themselves!) as a hivemind. Thus, all their interactions are founded on their group dynamic, with even the most independent Hanks still having their arc heavily tied to it. While Eddie and Volt + Curt and Rod do have a lot of focus on their togetherness, they are still shown or implied to have independent dreams and thoughts that never needs to be addressed. With the Hanks, this does need to be addressed because of how they don’t talk about their unique dreams until much later. This unfortunately leaves very little time to actually understand the Hanks and give them proper solo routes. Each Hank does have some qualities that could help add to a solo route.
Hanks 5 and 2 are by far the most developed. Hank 5’s subtle development from a shy friendly guy who stuck to the background to a guy who’s a wholesome romantic with dreams of having a family was adorable. Hank 2 finally being respected for his beliefs and worries shows a powerful break from the group status quo.
The other three, however, are sort of lacking. But contrary to popular opinion, I do not find Hank 1 boring, nor is he the most boring. Hank 1 prioritizes toxic positivity over meaningful discussion and reflection. This is a very solid outlook that can create an intriguing character. Additionally, meaningful progression can be implemented into a hypothetical arc. The only issue is how quickly it is dropped after Hank 2’s speech, and Hank 1 sort of devolves into a more generic himbo. Hanks 3 and 4 are more shallow, with their characters being defined by a single trait: Hank 3 with horniness, and Hank 4 with, well, being loud. Their brief exclamations of their dreams don’t add anything but implications which feels unsatisfactory? It surely adds maybe a layer to those characters, but outside of their outfit changes, are these dreams ever referenced again in their dialogue?
In terms of solo routes, all of them would need rehauling to fill in the blanks left behind from not just the dynamic itself, but also relying on the presence of other characters in order to carry a story. From least to most changes, these would go to Hank 5, Hank 2, Hank 1, and Hanks 3 and 4 are roughly equal. There would be no unified Hanks; the hangers would start out as separated and put off by each others’ differences, and they wouldn’t have grown up together, only meeting as the young adults they are implied to be. Like with the breaker box and the curtain rods, you can potentially pair the Hanks all together. However, you could pick and choose which Hanks end up together as they will provide options! Say Hank 2 for example—he could possibly end up with the other four Hanks, or only Hanks 4 and 1, or just Hank 5. Let’s begin with the solo routes!
Hank 5 would be the easiest! His shyness, romance, gentleness, and desire to be a dad would be emphasized more to fill out the emptiness left by the other Hanks’ absence. How can this make up a wholly unique route that isn’t a carbon copy of anyone else’s? Well, I’d make Hank 5 more of a dreamer, but so painfully introverted that he never allows himself to act upon his wishes. His self esteem is low, he doesn’t have any friends (he admits having a great conversation with Bat-Man and hoping they could be friends, until Clarence berated him and made him leave). So why does Hank 5 keep himself locked away from the world? Hank 5 was once lived the warehouse he was manufactured. He was constantly cat-called and harassed over his good looks, with no one ever bothering to get to know him and his dreams. So, he often spent his time alone, becoming a recluse who eventually lost everyone’s interest. He’d get a content warning for mentions of sexual harassment in his past that can be triggering. Hank 5 would fill his time with romantic, fantastical stories and movies. He’d dream of grand adventures, true love, and raising a family of his own. That’s why I’d also give him a gimmick of occasionally singing his dialogue so he (in his own words) could mirror his favorite movie which would be some reference to a fairytale movie he grew up on. His route with MC would be building up the will to live out his dreams despite his apparent hatred of the world. Despite the hatred, he himself is never rude. Hank 5 retains his gentleness and sweetness, but he’s very quiet and jaded. The MC can help him break out of his shell in his friend and love endings, but a hate ending will shatter any hope of confidence, leaving him to believe that stories are the only thing he can trust in, even if he knows they’ll never love him the way he loves them🥺🥺🥺 I WONT FUMBLE YOU HANK 5 MY BELOVED
Hank 2 is easy too, albeit less so than Hank 5. This is because his arc is slightly shorter and *does* depend on the Hanks dynamic more because said dynamic is what influences his cautious nature. So, his cautiousness will be elevated to a more negative level. Like Hank 5, he exercises a degree of isolation, but unlike Hank 2, he does have friends, with whom he has fostered a group of like minded worrywarts who he meets up with for secret meetings that discuss possible dangers around the house. Additionally, while Hank 5 hates everything around him, Hank 2 fears it. In general, would be a more stressed, pessimistic figure who also has a crutch due to being cracked before, something that traumatized him. His hanger would be shown with tape around the crack. Hank 6 would be a more crucial part of Hank 2’s story. Hank 1 would be involved too, as a former friend of Hank 2. Hank 6 died in the same accident both Hank 1 and Hank 2 were in; thus, Hank 2’s physical and mental scars represent the last memory he shared with Hank 6. Hank 2 has considerable PTSD which will be treated seriously, and I’d give him a content warning for that. Hank 2’s obsession with talking about and fearing danger cover up his trauma, something he needs to let out. MC’s route with Hank 2 is meant to help Hank 2 learn to stop being afraid of the world and embrace its flaws the way he and Hank 6 used to. Additionally, he would learn to process his pain instead of keeping it bottled up which will take time. A friend and love route would result in this being successful. A hate route would increase his paranoia, and make him see the MC as the most frightening danger in the house.
Hank 1, middle of the road. I think a lot of Hanks fans sleep on him tbh. He isn’t boring and I WILL DIE ON THIS HILL. That being said…I don’t really like Hank 1. Gasp! But yes, I don’t like him due to his rudeness and mockery of Hank 2, but on the one hand, I like how this gives him a stronger character amongst the Hanks. He has an evident streak of toxic positivity, a controlling nature, pride (since he assumes the role of a leader and tends to speak over the other Hanks), but he’s ambitiously shrewd (evidenced by how he knows how to keep the status quo unaffected for so long), brave, and despite his aforementioned negative traits, he truly does care about his friends. In the other Hanks stead, I’d have Hank 1 take on a protector role for the entire house, but he isn’t really respected on the same level as Florence and Celia. He’s more like a self-appointed protector who likes to pretend he has more authority than he does. And to more naive or new Dateables, he does carry some degree of authority. Sort of like a knight! I’d also make Hank 6 play a part in Hank 1’s story too. Both he and Hank 2 were strongly impacted by Hank 6’s death, but reacted in very different ways. Hank 1 and Hank 2 don’t see eye to eye because Hank 1 desires positivity and happiness at all times. I’d give him a content warning due to being a manipulative character. When MC comes around, Hank 1 expresses a desire to take MC under his wing. He subtly lets his point across of wanting the MC to not fear anything and to let him control everything. A friend and love ending would have the MC stand up to him, forcing him to come to terms with his trauma, comforting him as he has to let these feelings out. A hate ending can be achieved in two different ways. One: MC completely denies his authority but also lacks any compassion for his struggles. Two: MC fully enables him, and upon granting him more genuine authority, he tosses MC aside as he has gotten what he wanted. Hank 1 can really be a fun, deliciously hammy, love to hate character in a similar but different vein to those like Bathsheba or Lux (however, he has the potential to be a genuinely better person, especially if you want friendship/love). I wish his complexity was leaned into more and that he dint devolve into a generic himbo after he finally listened to Hank 2, but I understand the whole five characters in one route thing is more limiting.
Hank 3 is umm…so the whole Hanks’ dynamic softens the impact of his, let’s say “flirting”. At best, he’s a lovable horndog. At worst, he’s sexual harassment incarnate. The problem is there’s no established baseline (we’re meant to assume it’s harmless, but he never actually stops his flirting), so he can easily become a problematic figure. Thus a solo route means there’s no one to make his interactions more light-hearted. He would need to be changed a LOT to make him a more well rounded character who has something more to offer than one note characterization I’m gonna be honest, he’s a character I don’t like very much (same with Hank 4 too tbh), but while I’m not fans of the breaker box duo either, they also have a lot more going on character wise for me to not have to think of so much. For Hank 3, I’d make him somewhat similar in that he’s romance oriented like Hank 5. But where Hank 5 is the more innocent, lovey dovey kind, Hank 3 is lustful and objectifying because that’s what he thinks can lead to a good connection. He will have a content warning due to his sexualizing nature. A route with MC helps him see that he’s actually just making people uncomfortable and that’s why they aren’t receptive. He has to show people his true self, like his medical knowledge and other surprising intelligence, instead of pretending to be a dim sleaze bag. His hate ending will have him double down on his worst traits and have a weird loce/hate relationship with MC where he sees them as a prize to be won (MC will automatically refuse each time).
Hank 4 may not be as offensive as Hank 3, but is the Hank *I personally* see as boring. His entire schtick is being loud and fitting the himbo aesthetic to a T, moreso than even the other Hanks. For Hank 4, I’d make his simpler mind more of an insecurity of his, something he covers up by being a loud party animal who doesn’t take anything seriously. He’s a directionless man who doesn’t really have any desires outside of not being bored. A friendship or love route with Hank 4 would get to the route of what troubles him, which is that Hank 4 doesn’t really think he’s good enough. He’d be inspired to learn more in order to sate his desire to be smarter, but that doesn’t mean he has to compromise by giving up parties entirely. A hate ending would have him rebuff MC and continue on with how he is. He’s the only Hank I would not give a content warning to.
