What do I love about my novel and what inspired me to write it?
Honestly, the thing I love the most is how I'm writing a genre I usually dislike while turning it into something I'd read—hear me out!
I love the occasional harem, but I'm the type of person who also loves reading psychological stories that leave me with questions about the characters. I don't necessarily "like" characters who are traumatized or sad, but I do like the depth that comes with stories that deal with darker topics.
Then one day I wondered, "In a reverse harem, are all these guys emotionally okay? Are they genuinely okay with sharing a girl like this in some emotional [insert funky word that implies something unholy]?"
So I decided to write this, but I wanted to take it a step further. Heck, I'm a guy myself. I think the guys in shoujo always act a little funky.
Why not start the story before the would-be female lead arrives?
I think it's boring when the entirety of a character is based on their emotional reliance on another character. Twilight, Ouran, Fruits Basket, Rosario+Vampire, To Love Ru, Date A Live, etc. So many shows and movies do that, so I wanted to write characters that have... lives and hobbies outside of our would-be lady of the story.
On top of that, from my perspective, she'd need to be a really special girl for me to risk losing friendships, getting in fights with the CEO's son-type "male lead," and overall bringing drama into my life that wasn't there before.
I thought about the types of girls I've seen in these stories along with the types of girls I've had crushes on and created:
The type of girl that would boop your nose.
I'll let you interpret that personality!
Now I'll stop before I write a literal chapter's worth here! ^^;