The Cinderella Phenomenon

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Video game fandom
NameCinderella Phenomenon
Abbreviation(s)Cinphen
Developer(s)Dicesuki
Release dateCinderella Phenomenon: Evermore: 2020
External link(s)Fanwiki
Related articles on Fanlore.

Cinderella Phenomenon is a visual novel/game written in Ren'Py, which is available for free. The sequel, Cinderella Phenomenon:Evermore, retailed for $10 on Steam and itch.io. Dicesuki, the creators, are a small group of three.

Canon

Witches and Fairies used to maintain a balanced between good and evil, but after fairytales convinced humans to prosecute witches, the persecuted witches struck back and cursed humans; the 'war' between witches and humans remains at the time of the story's beginning. The protagonist is Lucette(though the name can be edited by the player), a coldhearted princess who is estranged from her father the king and hostile to her step mother and step family who she feels have replaced her real mother(who died 4 years ago). Lucette is cursed by a witch, Delora, with a twisted 'Cinderella' curse; she must complete three good deeds(as Cinderella was a good person) in order to return to her life as a princess.

There are five routes, each romancing a different love interest who has been cursed, and each with a different plot and resolution. There are two endings per route, a good ending and a bad end. Rod, the mute stepbrother who communicates through a stuffed rabbit, Karma, a beautiful man who dresses as a woman, and Rumpel, an amnesiac flirt, are unlocked. Two of these routes must be played in order to unlock the other two routes, Fritz, Lucette's loyal knight, and Waltz, a man trapped in a child's body. Waltz's route is the "true" route.

A fandisk, Cinderella Phenomenon:Evermore, has been released, with five chapters per love interest.

Fandom

Contentious characters: Varg, Myth

Discord group with small but active community, where creators are involved.

Roleplay group offshoots

Creators twitter, and Tumblr, where they engage with fans.

Lucette as unconventional Otome Protagonist

Lucette is often cited as one of the main draws of the game, as she is blunt, bitter, and distant as a result of her upbringing, and doesn't just sit around waiting to be saved. Many find her a refreshing contrast to the typical Otome Protagonist, who is a blank slate with no personality, who is always being funnelled around by the plot and the love interests. They like the character development Lucette goes through, and find it compelling that she struggles and grows over the course of the game. However, some dislike her due to her spoilt attitude and occasional cruelty at the beginning of the game.

Fanfiction

There exists fanfiction on Ao3, as well as on Tumblr. Reader-Insert fic is popular. Through miscellaneous discord servers, Cinphen themed exchanges took place

Some common tropes include:

  • Varg is alive

Fanfic Examples

  • Bloodlines by Verona_mira -- One of the longest fics in the fandom, this is a longform Lucette/Myth romance

Fanart Examples

Other Fan-creations