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still-a-morosexual-help · 4 months

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(Gonna use Queen B MC's default name because fucking Bea is a perfect name for her)

I have so much to get off my chest about this rn -> i'm chewing through my bars

!!! So the thing about Queen B is that there's only two LIs right? But Bea gets the option to flirt with and sleep with a whole bunch of other people. And the difference between these two sets of choices are shown by the icon that appears when you have a romantic moment with them.

So for the two LIs any romantic/sexual moment is followed by a -> ❤️

And for casual flirting/hookups it's followed by a -> 👄

And in Book 1, you get multiple opportunities to romance the two LIs but only about a couple opportunities per character to flirt with the other characters

And then, in Book 2, suddenly, this changes! Suddenly, you're getting almost as many chances to flirt with/sleep with Poppy (Bea's arch fucking enemy) as you are to romance the two LIs. But still her icon firmly remains as 👄.

Because she's not a Love Interest. Bea and Poppy hate each other. They're constantly trying to ruin each other's lives in the most Evil ways possible. At most they're enemies-with-benefits having a hatefuck to work out the tension. Bea straight up just Evil Laughs while thinking about killing Poppy using her bare hands on a regular basis

But then,

But Then, it starts becoming obvious that they're having fun together. Whether they're plotting the other's ultimate downfall or just sniping at each other this is fun for them. Bea accuses Poppy of never having met anyone more interesting & fun than her, and Poppy accuses Bea of being obsessed with her. And they're both right.

And then Bea starts joking about Poppy being in love with her, which Poppy never outright denies

And then Poppy compares Bea to a dog follwing her around, and Bea cheerfully reminds Poppy that she likes dogs, and not only does Poppy not deny it, she agrees by saying she's always had a thing for strays

And then Poppy starts saying insanely romantic things while they dance together, like how Bea makes her more herself/ths best version of herself (more cunning, manipulative and straight up evil of course)

And then Bea starts calling Poppy adorably cute nicknames like "Pop" and "Poptart" (while obviously ruining her life of course)

And then at one point when Bea teases Poppy about liking her and gets a scoff in return the achievement that pops up is "De-nial isn't only a river"

But through this all, it's still 👄. Because it's not Romance. They're still gleefully trying to tear each other down to use the other as a stepping stool to their own success. There's no actual Romantic feelings here, right? They're just flirting with their enemy as one more thing they can hold over the other. They're just flying a little too close to the sun.

And then at the end of Book 2 if you choose Bea's final moments after the gala to be spent with Poppy, you skip ahead to the graduation;

Rightfully, this should be It for Poppy & Bea. The last day they see each other. They don't ever have to meet again. Not after all the horrible things they've done to each other. Nothing binds them.

There are reasons why Bea will still be involved with the two Actual LIs because Zoey is her best friend & partner in crime, and Ina/Ian has instant sexual chemisty with her and is fully in love with Bea whether or not you choose any romantic options for them. There's nothing like that binding Poppy to Bea. Because even if they do have fun together they also spend an awful lot of time wishing to never see the other again - and now there's no more excuse left for them.

There's a difference between ❤️ & 👄 characters, and it's made obvious from the beginning that there's nothing more to 👄 options, there no strings attached at all. So that's the end.

Unless, Bea spends her last moments of the gala with Poppy.

Because then, during her graduation speech she starts talking about the most important person to her in Uni, the one who made the biggest impact in her life, the one she can't let go of, and it's Poppy. And it's all said with a sincere yet mocking edge to it, because that's what they's like. And Poppy is fucking furious. And where Bea & the LIs would have exchanged "I love you"s here, Bea & Poppy exhange a "I loathe you"

And then you know what happens, you know what fucking happens!!???

A Fucking ❤️ pops up and the entire series just ends.

Do you see why I'm tearing my hair out!???? The end of the fucking Queen B series is the start of Bea x Poppy's actual romance. It's an open ending for them and the only thing you can do is imagine where they go from here and it's beautiful. They're always gonna be plotting to destroy the other and they're always gonna daydream about the other's death by their hand but now they're going to do it while falling in love.

#THROWING up #every once in a while choices gives a MC the MOST INSANE relationship with someone who isn't actually a LI & expect us to be normal about it #choices queen b #queen b 2 #poppy min sinclair #poppy x mc #poppy x bea

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sparring-hyena · 3 months

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gorgeous.

based on this post i made recently because i have zero chill.

OR, the one where they meet again years later and maybe hate isn’t what we think it is.

Poppy hates her immediately. again.

a loud laugh rips through the ball room, slides seamlessly between mingling guests and gentle music. Poppy's attention snaps away from her parents' friend's cousin's son who's droning on about rowing and his private equity firm and about how it was oh so lovely to summer in Florence this year.

Poppy sips her drink, makes an effort to not roll her eyes, and tries to focus back on what... Angus or Anthony (something with an A, she thinks) had been saying.

and then there's the laugh again--loud and alive and unapologetic. no one else seems bothered by it. no one else even bats an eye at the disruption.

Poppy cranes her head to look around the ballroom now, fully forgetting about Arthur or Andrew and everything he had been saying. and then she sees her.

her in the dark dress shimmering in the light like the goddamn inky black midnight sky. her with the toned arms and long fingers holding gently onto a flute of champagne. Poppy's eyes dip to the slit in her dress that runs dangerously high up her thigh. up, up, up and then--

Poppy sees her face.

and she thinks no, it can't be.

and the universe hums and says oh, yes, it can be.

she flips her hair over her shoulder and for one glorious second, the world around them stops, they share a quiet smile that hides years of unsaid truths, and Poppy thinks that maybe, just maybe, she'll be able to get out of this unscathed.

then the world roars back into focus, she is smirking now, and Adam or Alexander is gently touching her arm and asking if she's alright.

"sorry, what was that?" Poppy says, blinking it all away and trying not to think about her racing heart.

"i was asking if you wanted to go for a walk," he says, "my place isn't too far from here."

"oh, uh, no, thank you." Poppy tips back the rest of her drink, leaves the empty glass on the table, and ventures deeper into the ballroom, hoping that she can get lost for the next few hours.

she grabs another flute of champagne from a passing waiter, takes one long sip, and decides that it's too claustrophobic inside. she can feel a warmth in her cheeks and a tingling itchiness beneath her skin.

she steps out into a small outdoor area, where the sounds of the party are muffled by the thick stone walls. Poppy decides that she will give herself one minute. one minute to breathe and freak out and curse out whatever force of the universe thought that this would be funny. one minute to do all of that and then pack it up and go back inside with her head held high as she braces for an assault of questions from her parents about why she screwed up yet another perfect and ideal match.

god forbid she be a person and not some status symbol for her parents.

Poppy's just about to go back inside, just about to pack it all back in, when she turns around and comes face to face with her--AJ Hughes.

"i thought i saw you across the room," AJ says as she reaches out to gently push a loose piece of hair behind Poppy's ear.

Poppy flinches away from the touch.

"ouch, really?"

"what do you want?"

AJ shrugs and actually has the audacity to look shy or nervous or unsure. Poppy has never hated anything the way that she hates that.

"i just thought..." AJ starts.

"thought what? that you'd walk back into my life after six years and try make a mess of it again? i am the best i have ever been and i don't need you dragging me down to your level. so if you don't mind--" Poppy pushes past AJ and at the last possible second, AJ reaches for Poppy's hand.

there's barely any contact. AJ's fingers barely touch her hand, but it's enough to make Poppy stop and look back at her. it's enough to send a spark of energy coursing through her veins and setting her nerve endings alight.

Poppy snaps her hand back. she doesn't say anything, can't say anything because the shock of it all renders her brain to mush and has her heart beat thundering in her chest.

she makes her escape quickly after that. doesn't say anything to AJ as she leaves her alone outside. doesn't even bother to say anything to her parents--she'll take the verbal lashing tomorrow when she wakes up hours after them and they accuse her of all sorts of things.

the outside air is cool against her flushed cheeks; reminds her that summer is well and truly over and that fall is setting in.

Poppy hails a cab and deeply exhales when she falls back against the seat. she decides that tonight was a one time thing. a one time lapse in judgement where she let her guard down and AJ caught her. it doesn't even matter really, because she won't ever have to see AJ again.

another six years will fall away, and then six more after that, and again and again, until she's so far removed from the life she's living now, that the name AJ Hughes will be the echo of a memory.

it's barely six weeks before Poppy's mingling and dancing and drinking at another gala that her parents have dragged her too. this one's to raise money for sick kids so she feels less bad about being here, but still wishes her parents would leave her alone for just one night and not try to set her up with someone.

she dodges another invite home, is always firm yet polite about how she does that, because her parents would never let her hear the end of it if someone took offence to something that she said or did, and she's on thin ice as it is with them. has been for years in fact, and can't quite seem to mend what was broken.

sometimes just as she's about to fall asleep, when she can blame it all on a sleep-fogged brain, she thinks about what her life could have been like had she just done something different. had she stood up to her parents all those years ago. had she stopped pretending that any of it made her happy. had she just accepted what AJ had been so willing to give her.

that last one always comes right at the end, right as she's about to fall off into sleep. and sometimes those what ifs bleed into her dreams and leave an ache in her chest when she wakes again.

Poppy moves easily between the other guests and even plucks another flute of champagne from a passing waiter. and just as she turns back around, Poppy sees AJ across the room. again.

and after a second that stretches on for way too long, where Poppy's heart beats dangerously in her chest for something that she refuses to acknowledges even exists, AJ returns to her conversation as though her entire world hasn't been shifted. as though Poppy's the only one experiencing this.

Poppy huffs. fine. ignore her then.

ignore ignore ignore. Poppy can do that.

the nights and galas and events carry on after that, bleeding and muddling together. sometimes there are sit down dinners, and sometimes--rarely--Poppy and AJ are seated next to each other and have to both play like civil acquaintances in front of everyone else at their table.

mostly though--mostly--Poppy doesn't entertain a single thought of AJ. although sometimes she wonders if by not thinking about her at all, it actually counts as thinking of her. that just winds up frustrating herself more and she reaches for more champagne from passing waiters.

and then some time at the end of winter, when the snow is slush and the sky has a hazy grey tint, Poppy makes a mistake. she's alone with AJ. although not alone alone. they're on a packed elevator, pressed shoulder to shoulder in the back.

AJ keeps one arm folded over her chest at first, tries her best to keep some space between them, but it's all so pointless because Poppy can still feel every minute movement from AJ.

so they aren't alone, but it sure feels like they could be, because for all her efforts, all Poppy can think about is the way that their arms press together.

and then--then then then--AJ moves her arm from across her chest down beside Poppy's own arm.

Poppy doesn't move, doesn't dare breathe or look at AJ.

AJ brushes her fingers against Poppy's, and then Poppy does something regretful. she forgets where they are and what they are and-- everything. she forgets it all and holds AJ's fingers in her own. holds on so tightly and desperately wishes for the elevator to slow or stop altogether.

she feels warm all over and wonders where it all went so wrong.

and then the elevator stops, dings, and the doors slide open.

Poppy releases AJ's hand and follows everyone else off. but AJ stays with her back against the elevator for a moment, and Poppy allows herself one more moment of weakness to look back.

Poppy wonders how the doors haven't closed yet. thinks that maybe this is the universe again trying do something-- nice or cruel? she's not too sure.

"we could be happy," AJ whispers, not that she needs to, there's no one else around.

and her words stab into Poppy's heart and twist and dig and burrow in so deep she doubts she's ever be able to get them out.

everything around her slows for a moment. Poppy can see the doors beginning to close, can see that AJ's not going to get out, can see this moment slipping away. can see all the other moments from years ago and years from now playing out in a montage in her mind, all slipping away.

and she wonders why why why it all has to be so stupid and messy and complicated and-- she steps into the elevator just as the doors shut firmly behind her. and in that same breathless second, AJ bounces off the wall, meets her halfway, and drags her into a perfect kiss.

she hates herself a little for refusing this, for spending so many years unhappy. because if what she feels right now with her hands in AJ's hair, and AJ's on her waist, and their lips locked together, is any indication of what she'll feel tomorrow and next week and years from now--

"promise me," AJ says, breathing the words against Poppy's lips. "promise me that we'll try, because i can't--"

"it'll be hard work."

"i know."

"i'm stubborn and mean."

"i wouldn't want you any other way."

"i promise." Poppy kisses her and then again for good measure. "i've missed you."

"i can't do another six years without you."

"you won't have to."

#poppy min sinclair #poppy x mc #my writing #playchoices #queen b

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gaiuskamilah · 2 months

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Hey drop the Poppy opinion babe (please!)

CW for mentions of in-canon racism, harassment. also i've only read the first QB book so i don't know how things played out in the second one.

i think one thing choices players sometimes forget is that yes, while the nature of the game of makes it so you typically self-insert as the MC, you are ultimately not the MC and this isn't wholly your story. the writers are in charge of the story, and they have a narrative in mind. the problem with poppy is that so many entered queen b with a pre-conceived image of her in their heads and got mad when canon showed otherwise. because suddenly then, she wasn't the funny just mean girl you wanted to become an LI, she became a full-on racist, classist, misogynist bitch who didn't care that her rival was sexually harassed. in my opinion, to deny her these traits is to misread queen b and misread poppy's character.

reiterating: poppy is a racist, classist, misogynist bitch who didn't care that her rival was sexually harassed, and in the context of queen b, it makes perfect sense. queen b is satire. you are not supposed to blindly root for poppy or for MC who is "taking her down" (more on the latter later). it's set in an university, a historically exclusionary institution that for the longest time has dictated what ontology is, often to the benefit of the (white, european) ruling class. belvoire itself is a mockery of universities, where majority of the people who attend are rich, where they form alliances between themselves to get ahead in life more than they already are, where they hold each to such disgustingly weird standards to protect their own status quo. these old money families and these institutions are racist, they are classist, and they are threatened by anyone who doesn't wholly fit the ideal image of who should be a member. that is why MC and zoey are ostracized by the rest of belvoire - they're new money, their blood isn't blue enough, and in zoey's case, it's no doubt it's partially because she's Black.

poppy exemplifies being raised in these institutions and blue blooded families. she is old money, she is racist and classist towards anyone beneath her, she only cares for people as a means to her end, she is a misogynist who doesn't care that her rival was sexually harassed, and she holds everyone impossible standards of beauty, even herself. she's blonde and blondness has long been associated with wealth and the upper class, which hasn't exactly been a very open group of people. these are neutral statements; i am simply describing how she is in-canon. these institutions allow for people like her to come into being and into power, and to deny her those traits and demand that her bacchanalia plot with zoey be removed so you can continue fantasizing about her in peace is to miss the point of queen b, as queen b is fundamentally criticizing people like her.

in the latest choices secrets: revealed, chelsa stated that she never intended for poppy to be an LI because then she would have to be redeemed, and she simply isn't a character where that seems plausible:

and i agree. if you want to romance someone like poppy, or whatever picture in people's minds were of poppy, characters like becca davenport are right there. queen b isn't the place for it because of the book's satirical nature. i think that getting mad (if there are any people who got mad) that poppy isn't a "true" LI is to not give justice to the vision that chelsa, a Black woman, had for the book.

now, do i personally think stanning poppy is bad, or that poppy is a terrible person? well, poppy already is a terrible person. again, a neutral statement. however, i find her a good character in which she was used by the writers to exemplify everything wrong in archaic institutions - she serves her function well as that. it's similar to how i think miranda priestly from the devil wears prada is a good character in which she embodies everything wrong in the fashion industry and how it holds women to impossible standards and pits them against each other; she is terrible, and that is the point. you are meant to appreciate and know that she is terrible without stripping those features of her character away. you are not supposed to be upset that anne hathaway left her terrible boss behind, you are supposed to be happy that she stopped stripping away and molding herself into an image that conformed to a fucked up, exclusionary image of womanhood and fashion. that a lot of people seem to miss this point and just view the devil wears prada and queen b (and mean girls!) as "yass girlboss slay" stories is concerning to me. big win for capitalist feminism and i hate it.

related here is the queen b MC and how she is postured as someone who will "take poppy down". one thing i liked is that in the book 1 finale (at least how it turned out for me), MC is framed as someone just as bad as poppy, and this makes sense. no matter if you played her as a good girl or a bad girl, she is still someone who works within the institution, playing the rules of the game, and someone who upholds the legitimacy and power of the institution. a ruler is still a ruler and being queen still means that you hold a significant amount of unbalanced power over others. you still maintain the status quo, which is an inherently exclusionary one. nothing fundamentally changes; the only difference is who's on top, and that's a very shallow way to make progress, if any.

another related topic is how queen b is actually pretty good in showing how living in and being raised in these institutions is to the detriment of those in it, which also criticizes the very nature of the institution of the family. i think it also does well in stories like veil of secrets and crimes of passion 2 where archaic old money families serve as antagonists. but that's for another time lol.

tl;dr uwu-ifying poppy is to miss the point.

#anonymous #answered #playchoices #queen b #poppy min sinclair #my post

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