zoey-wades

[zoey-wades]

Some interesting reading - latest Pixelberry review on Glassdoor by an ex-employee, giving their point of view of what's been going on at PB lately. Also says that those 200 people who were let go were around 75% of staff 😬

#the fact that they let go of Choices employees to KEEP storyloom employees #makes no goddamn sense #maybe they had an in somewhere with someone #also calling them out for the DEI promises that they don't keep in their content is spectacular

[zoey-wades]

Because I'm seeing cakegate on my dash again, let's stir up some old drama

#Drake saying the pink cake was girly because he's a little bitch was hilarious to ME personally #that paired with Drake crying because he would get a cake in the shape of a racecar while #leem would get a cake the size of a racecar #like bro you're 35 kfdnasfkjfdsa

[zoey-wades]

Maxwell and Penelope: When You Like Your Side Character So Much, You Gift Her a Shiny New LI

Series - TRR's Alternative LIs: The Romances that Didn't Happen

Previous - Liam and Olivia: When You Prefer the Side Character to the Main

A/N: There won't be a lot of exploration on Maxwell x Penelope, as there is very little the pair gets in canon. I will be largely looking at their individual characterizations and the changes and retcons made there. There will be a lot of exploration on Penelope x Ezekiel.

CW: Mentions of Penelope's actions as part of Constantine's nefarious plot against the MC in TRR1 & 2, mentions of Penelope's social anxiety.

(Screenshots from the Skylia YouTube Channel, Drake playthrough)

Compared to the other three alternative romances, Maxwell x Penelope turned out to be a bit of a one-chapter wonder. It was extremely short-lived, and the only indication that it had ever happened was one conversation between Penelope and the MC in TRR2 Ch 6, after which there is no reference to it, ever again.

In my mind there are two major factors behind this pairing being left behind, which I will get into later in this essay. However, what I find even more interesting is what the narrative and the writing team did with Penelope after they set aside that subplot. What did TRR3 give her in lieu of this alternative romance, and why, and what does it tell us about the narrative that she alone got that?

But before we can get into that, we need to look (separately) at how Maxwell and Penelope were written in TRR1, and how it culminated in the characterizations they got by TRR2.

The Evolution of (White) Side Characters

One thing that fascinates me about TRR1 is the trajectory of some of the characters, when you observe them on rereads. We often go into those rereads with a strong impression of their character type (or stereotype), before we learn to our surprise that the initial writing doesn't always match the image we carried in our heads.

In the case of some side characters, we may find traces and hints of a totally different characterization, before the team zeroed in on a trope or characteristic that may have hit the right chord with the audience. When done right, this could result in a more rounded character. But in the wrong hands, the writer may keep falling back to that one trope that made the character click, and turn them into caricatures instead.

Maxwell and Penelope are representative of different tiers of side characters, at least in TRR1 - which means that what we may expect in terms of treatment will vary as well. Even before TRR2, Maxwell was more LI-tier adjacent; until he got his LI-upgrade in TRR2, he was a frequent presence in the story and the MC's life, enough that his fans started a "Make Maxwell an LI" campaign. Penelope (along with Kiara) was a far less important character with infrequent appearances.

So of course their trajectories wouldn't be the same. It's interesting, nonetheless, to see how the writing changed over the course of the series, what parallels or complementary traits made the team consider Penelope as an alternative for Maxwell by TRR2, and why they ultimately let go of the pair after one chapter.

As we go through these stories, I think I'd like my readers to keep one thing in mind throughout - Penelope is an anomaly as a character. There are very specific things she is given that at least one other character in the same position doesn't get. Why?

I might not be able to give the answer in this specific essay, but I do think it's a question we need to keep asking ourselves as we go through her story.

Maxwell and Penelope - TRR1

A truly interesting thing about Maxwell was that he was initially not even conceptualized as a prominent character in the books! In their promotional interview for TRR2, Kara mentioned this about the creation of his character:

Excerpt from The Royal Romance: Book 2 interview.

Maxwell was initially conceptualized as a fun foil for Bertrand, the MC's tentative guide for the social season - who the writers considered too stiff and boring to stand alone as a character. Owing to his proximity to both Liam (close friend) and the MC (sponsor), it made sense that Maxwell was a part of the group scenes from the jump.

Going by the interviews, clearly Maxwell's 'fun nature' was his main USP for the writers. TRR1 does try to balance this aspect of his personality with scenes where he shows perceptiveness (such as pointing out opportunities to ally with Kiara or Penelope), but as time goes on he is viewed more and more as the 'funny guy' of the group. He also has a side-story connected with his older brother, who isn't very impressed with his work during the social season (tbh, for good reason!). This side story allows us to view him with sympathy and perhaps overlook all his failures as a sponsor (and there are many examples of this throughout TRR1. Most of the opportunities to connect with the main LIs emerge from all the times Maxwell failed to adequately guide her - teaching her the Cordonian Waltz, explaining the significance of the Regatta Race, finding the right tents, telling the MC to get swimwear for a beach party!).

Of course, because TRR2 (where the Beaumonts are her staunch allies from the jump, even before the LIs return and pledge their support shortly after) and the "Make Maxwell an LI" campaign created such a strong impression on the fandom, people remember him most as the "person who was always there for the MC".

Though he doesn't become an LI in TRR1, we do get our first ever hint of the possibility midway through the book:

(Screenshots from the HIMEME YouTube Channel)

Most of the people I know joined the TRR fandom either in the middle of Book 1, or after Books 2 or 3 - therefore, much of what I'm about to say next is down to conjecture. It is possible that either some stans did pop up in the initial chapters, resulting in the hint in Ch 8, OR that the writers tentatively teased this pairing with the dialogue at the Lythikos Ball, and were gratified enough by the response to continue teasing it. By TRR1 Chs 10 and 11, there was already plenty fanfic on Maxwell x MC. The writers were clearly encouraged enough by the response to toss a few more hints (the MC asking Maxwell about taking his shirt off at the beach, the implications of the MC telling Maxwell she is falling for someone else). Before the fandom knew it, Maxwell had already become the beneficiary of two diamond scenes focused on him in TRR1 (a flashback scene that introduced Savannah, and having fun sliding down banisters in the finale).

Penelope's trajectory in Book 1 didn't experience as meteoric a rise in popularity, but there were changes made throughout the series until she did become somewhat popular. Her trajectory could be categorised in three parts:

1. A minor noble who was very poised and proper (snobbish, if you weren't fitting in well enough)

2. Adorable ditz

3. The lady with social anxiety (TRR2)

From their entrance in TRR1 Ch 3, both Penelope and Kiara were written as extremely minor characters compared to the three frontrunners (and one female LI) of the social season. They accept early on that they don't have much of a chance in the competition, and are the first contenders (barring Hana) that the MC can get on her side. They represent the opinions and mindsets of the royal court.

Because of this, Penelope and Kiara initially appeared almost indistinguishable from each other. The only thing that seems to set them apart is perhaps the introduction Olivia gives at the Masquerade, pointing to Penelope's lineage and Kiara's linguistic skills and diplomatic pedigree. She was the titled one, Kiara was the "smart" one.

(Penelope's scenes from my failplay, in order:

1 & 2: Ch 3, while speaking about Olivia's connection to the Prince, and if you ask her and Kiara why they allow Olivia to call them 'harpies'

3 & 4: Ch 4, Penelope's response to the MC saying, "Penelope, hands off my man"

5 & 6: Ch 6, if you don't fall in line behind the Queen and bump against her instead

7: Ch 6, when Olivia is shocked that Liam chose the MC

8: Ch 8, reaction to Olivia kissing Liam)

Penelope's early scenes in TRR1 didn't showcase the traits she is now so well-known for. She wasn't the "adorable ditz" until the Applewood chapters; in fact her scenes in the first half often showed her as poised and very proper. At the Masquerade she calmly points out to the MC that there is no reason to be offended, when Olivia bluntly declares that no one else has a chance with Liam. She expects decorum from the MC when she cuts in during her dance with Liam, and even comments on the inappropriateness of some of Olivia's behaviours and cautions her when she gets a chance. If your MC makes mistakes in public in certain scenes, Penelope doesn't hesitate to laugh at her.

Her allyship scene in Ch 10 hinges on the MC's ability to convince Penelope of the advantages of supporting her, and rescuing the lady from a crab bite. She is extremely rude in certain options, and ends their conversation with the sentence "I'm not nice" if she isn't convinced the MC is worth supporting. In fact, she is allowed to call the MC a commoner wench in a certain dialogue option!

(Screenshots from my failplay. The top half shows a response to one of the MC's dialogues (she is merely sad if you choose the second one). The second is the end of the conversation when the MC asks for her support)

In a failplay especially, she can be very, very mean-spirited, which is truly ironic given her later characterization as someone who is herself uncomfortable in court and makes more than her fair share of silly mistakes. Fortunately for most of the players, the more "positive" version of the scene sounds a bit more like she's scared and uncomfortable and not equipped to handle the rigors of court. Which makes the "adorable ditz" direction that PB takes, post Regatta, a bit more believable.

Once Penelope is no longer a contender, both she and Kiara recede to the background. You don't see much of her in Applewood and Ramsford, but the little you do see primes us to view her as "sweet and silly" with a bit of a poodle obsession. Two very good examples of this is the "cheating scene" at the pie competition (TRR1 Ch12) and the aftermath of the Beaumont Bash (Ch 16). At the pie competition, Olivia and the MC can team up to distract Penelope so they trick the rival team into adding salt in their pie instead of sugar, by getting her to talk more about her poodle obsession. At the end of the Beaumont Bash, she is shown exchanging drunken chatter with a horse. The book also makes her preoccupation with poodles way more obvious, where before it was brought up only once at the Masquerade Ball.

Discrepancies between portrayals in the first book vs the latter ones is par the course for TRR. Every character has those in some way or form. Maxwell's story in TRR1 and 2 at least could make sense with enough headcanons to fill in the gaps (for why he was inefficient in his support of the MC, for why his relationship with Drake was so fraught) and his characterization is a little bit more consistent. But Penelope's, on closer observation, is a complete mess and her story doesn't make any sense when put together.

Maxwell and Penelope - TRR2

Compared to the other three pairings, Maxwell x Penelope doesn't go beyond a single chapter.

(Screenshots from Skylia's YouTube channel)

This solitary hint pops up in TRR2 Ch 6, right after the Big Clue about Penelope's social anxiety. We're given the usual options one gets for alternative LIs - a "matchmaking" one, a gently discouraging one and an insulting one, the last two of which could be read as jealousy from the MC's end. In fact, the MC's third dialogue option in this scene is so mean spirited that Hana is required to soften the blow!

There's something interesting about the matchmaking response for this scene, and I think it says plenty about the writers and the lasting impression of these characters they wanted us to have.

"You're both a bit silly...but in a way that works." It's a reading of Maxwell and Penelope that leans very strongly into their potential as comic relief, that views the two characters as alike. Both "cute", both "silly", both there to give the characters (and readers) the occasional laugh.

Is this completely accurate to their characterizations in TRR1? Probably not. But it's clearly what the writers imagined would work well for those characters.

Interestingly, TRR2 is also where the team seems to experiment more with these two characters, and finds the characterizations they think would land with the audience. Maxwell's changes are related more to the belated buildup the narrative was giving him to be an LI, and most of Penelope's was related to her role in the plot against the MC. Maxwell is given more heroic traits (eg. the Savannah storyline and his involvement in the investigation) to beef up his story a bit, and plenty of hints are scattered specifically to tease a romantic route with the MC for more than half the book. The narrative also leans far more into his position as comic relief than TRR1 does, making it his most identifiable trait.

There are tiny nods to his "perceptiveness" (Liam mentions it twice in TRR2), but he does a lot of things that you wouldn't see a TRR1 Maxwell do, like tossing a bruschetta at a foreign dignitary or playing with food to get the forgiveness of his friend (btw the Drake Maxwell friendship reads very differently from the first book; they're remarkably chilly in their vibes towards each other initially. Of course, one could headcanon what caused a rift, but that's still us doing the work instead of the writers!!).

Because so much time has to be spent bringing Maxwell's romantic route up to speed with the rest, the progress of the relationship is different from the other three and his romantic scenes cost less (until TRR3 Ch 10, his first 30 diamond scene). Much of this is par for the course for an LI who has entered the game late. In addition, the narrative also tries in TRR2 and 3 to balance his role as the MC's sponsor with his new role as LI, and it doesn't always land (eg. his excitement for Liam's proposal to the MC two chapters after becoming an LI, or his weirdly impersonal reaction in the TRR3 Ch 11 Armory diamond scene in his playthrough, in response to Madeleine mocking Liam for the MC favouring Maxwell). In part this is a result of laziness from PB's end, and in part it's because navigating Maxwell's new role itself may have been a tricky business.

Penelope's TRR2 trajectory, in contrast, is the textbook definition for "throw spaghetti against the wall and see what sticks". Hints of her involvement in the plot don't even show up until Ch 6, just one chapter prior to the reveal. The reasoning given for Penelope's actions in TRR1 - social anxiety - also directly contradicts what is shown of her during the timeline when she was supposed to have been involved in the plot. TRR1 Ch 14 and the Coronation at the finale shows her acting calm, collected and enjoying herself. A lot of Penelope's actions in TRR1 and 2 - esp at the Coronation and in Fydelia - cast an extremely poor light on her when you take into account that she knew the MC was innocent, and that she'd played a part in framing her. From the way the reveal of her condition was done, and the way we're expected to brush her wrongdoing aside immediately, it's clear that Penelope's "social anxiety" was more about tossing in a last-minute Hail Mary to excuse her actions, rather than any real interest in exploring the subject.

Given the sloppy execution of this reveal, it is entirely possible that Madeleine could have been the "lady" in initial drafts (the strongest evidence of this is TRR2 Ch 1's "constitutional clause", which is never referenced again once Madeleine is no longer a suspect), and they made a switch in the nth hour.

It is also possible that writers in the team liked Penelope enough that they wanted readers to still like her after she'd betrayed their MCs. She hasn't been referenced or mentioned in any team interviews, but the writing speaks for itself. No matter what she's done, the narrative insists the MC center her, sympathize with her, and coddle her. I will speak more at length on how in the TRR3 section.

Why did Maxwell x Penelope Not Take Off?

(The first three screenshots are from the Abhirio YouTube Channel, and the rest are from the Radiance Guardians YouTube Channel)

Unlike in the case of the other pairings, not a lot was said in the fandom about this pair either way, even among Maxwell stans. You did have the occasional "hands off my man!" post from a Maxwell shipper, but not to a great extent. At this point many of them were still unsure whether a Maxwell route would be finalized, and even kept Liam as a standby in case all that teasing from the team came to nothing.

Again, most of the theories for why this pairing had just one scene are mere conjecture, since there isn't much evidence overall. But looking at the placement of this scene and what happens before and after it, I can think of two possible reasons why it was nipped in the bud:

1. Maxwell being a late-in-the-game LI could have made balancing an actual romance route and interactions with an alternative love interest tricky in the long run. As it is, his writing was subject to gaffes and mistakes in TRR3 even without this added storyline. It's possible they decided to just ensure that they got Maxwell to the point where he could have his own 30-diamond love scene (which happened in TRR3 Ch 9 btw (half a book after Drake and Hana got their first 30-diamond scenes), and not focus on anything else.

2. This teaser scene came up in Ch 6. Ch 7 is when Penelope is revealed to have tricked Tariq into coming to the MC's room, and paid the photographer to take intimate photos of her. Now to be fair, the narrative does insist she be sympathized with rather than judged. But I do think a subplot like that would automatically make her an unpopular candidate for any LI, much less one who hasn't even been clearly established as an LI yet! Having Maxwell fall for a woman who did the MC dirty wouldn't reflect very well on him, social anxiety or no. In fact, in Ch 8, Maxwell's reaction to the news is the strongest - he calls Penelope "a few dogs short of a pack", "downright diabolical" and even suspects she was lying about having poodles.

3. It is just as likely that Maxwell x Penelope was never a serious consideration for the writers in the first place. Possibly, Penelope's scene here was simply another hint in a rising pile that teased a Maxwell romance route. Players often do get an added pleasure from watching their MCs mouth a catty dialogue or two to a romantic rival, so this scene may have been more for the benefit of a Maxwell stan who wanted to "fight for her man" rather than an actual possibility if he wasn't getting picked.

Whatever their reasons, Maxwell and Penelope's chances as a couple ended pretty much in the same chapter that it began. It didn't create much of an impact, and no one really seemed to notice this pairing, or the lack of it. It basically started and finished with a whimper.

TRR3 and Beyond - Penelope and Ezekiel (ft. A Flanderized Maxwell)

Penelope is an anomaly among the side characters (and even among certain mains!) in both series'. She is the only person seriously involved in the plot against the MC, who needs massive coddling to even answer our questions about her betrayal (if not, Hana has to take over for you). She is the only lady-of-the-court who can refuse to attend your wedding. She is the only lady-of-the-court who can choose to travel with the entourage to another duchy, despite not being part of the Unity Tour. She is the only one among the three former ladies-in-waiting who can openly complain about Madeleine's bullying, and expect protection against her from the group. Until TRH2, Penelope was the only side character for whom massive divergences in the narrative would be made as well, to accommodate her comfort and mental health (More on that in this essay).

She is also the only alternative LI to be "rewarded" with a brand new character, crafted specially for her.

Until TRR3 Ch 7, the fandom didn't even know Kiara had an older brother. Even though the person we know best in Castelserraillan is Kiara, we actually spend less than a minute with her, and far more time with Ezekiel Theron. There is an entire diamond scene that's about pampering and complimenting him, making him comfortable around us, getting him to open to us - even though his sister was the one injured at Homecoming Ball. And of course, the entire reason for Penelope to even be present at Kiara's estate is so that she and Zeke can be paired up by default! Even at the Food and Art Festival, Kiara's only real default dialogue apart from winning over her mother (or not), is about moving Penelope and Ezekiel's romance along.

Both Penelope and Ezekiel join the Unity Tour only by option, so the narrative puts in a great deal of effort to get the romance going (by having Penelope only stop at Kiara's estate by default) and allowing the two to still have a fledgling courtship going on if they weren't together at the Unity Tour (Penelope still gets to meet people who inspire her into dog fashion and she and Zeke still show their interest in each other, propelling the parents to discuss their match).

The only thing we know about Ezekiel, and pretty much the only thing that really matters, is that he loves animals. In a court that views Penelope's love for dogs as an oddity, Ezekiel is a character tailormade to romance her. He rarely features in scenes that don't show her (the only exception is the menagerie scene in Ch 14), he rarely has dialogue outside of his scenes with her, he doesn't even have a personality beyond what would best suit Penelope. This character exists only to romance Penelope, which is depressing esp when you consider that she is a white woman, and he is a black man - and she is clearly the only one who even matters in this relationship!

There wasn't any real reason to give Penelope a partner. "Penzekiel" doesn't really do much for the story in general, and not a lot would change if you dropped them. But the narrative deems it essential to give her a "reward", which is ironic considering what she put the MC through and how much we had to coddle her for her to even consider cooperating, either in the investigation or during the Unity Tour. Presumably this "reward" is for her "niceness" and "sweetness", which only works because the narrative completely erases her misdeeds in the social season after TRR2. She never has to remember what she did, nor does anyone in the core group remind her.

With regards to Maxwell, by TRR3 he is a full-fledged LI who gets a wedding with his MC, in certain playthroughs. Much of his playthrough focuses on trying to catch up with the other 3 LIs - you can sleep with them if they're your fiancé/ée, but you have to wait until Ch 10 to sleep with Maxwell. The narrative mentions him taking up "responsibilities" for House Beaumont in lieu of Bertrand, but without any real scenes that show us what he is doing, nor any tangible results (we will not talk about Maxwell's book here!).

He doesn't have any alternative romances. In fact even his romantic playthrough is kinda bare - his only individual scene is the Armoury scene which isn't even about him, and there were glitches that were very noticable particularly in his and Hana's playthroughs. There are no references at all to the alternative romance Maxwell was given in TRR2; it's almost as if that option had never existed.

Penelope being a romantic option for Maxwell doesn't stop the two from having friendly exchanges in TRR3 though. Maxwell was not only allowed - but expected - to treat Penelope with sympathy and respect.

(First set of screenshots is mine, the second is from Skylia's YouTube Channel)

Not only Maxwell, even Drake - who hates most nobles - is shown being extremely protective of Penelope in both TRR3 (promising Penelope to protect her against Madeleine) and TRH3 (showing anger at Guy's blackmail of Penelope and her family). The narrative is very clear that we are expected to make Penelope feel safe, even if she has never made us feel anything but unsafe.

This relationship - and the level of coddling that Penelope has always received from TRR2 onwards - continues into TRH, where she and her beau Ezekiel are shown together, there are occasional updates on their relationship when either one appears in a chapter, and where they eventually marry and start a family. An interesting pattern begins to emerge once we get into TRH.

(Screenshots from Skylia and HIMEME's YouTube Channel)

As the only courtly lady in a relationship in TRH, Penelope gets a nicer, cleaner, more luxurious and more drama-free parallel to the MC's romantic journey. Like the MC, she finds a suitor who falls for her and wants to be with her. Like the LI, he eventually stages a grand proposal for her (TRH2 Ch 18), after they have spent a significant amount of time together. Like the MC, she has a widely publicized wedding (though tbh Penelope's was better customised to her tastes, and as the MC we put even more work into her wedding than we ever did our own!! (we were both her bridesmaid and her officiant, our daughter is the flower girl, we give her the perfect bachelorette, we rescue her from her asshole ex-husband, we help her select lingerie!!!)). And when the MC announces her second pregnancy, Penelope announces to us her first. Penelope's storyline has all the romantic trappings that the MC had with her LI, but without the tension, the conspiracies, the attacks and kidnappings, or the constant fear that someone is out to get her and her family.

Penelope is basically treated like MC-lite. Quite the upgrade for a mere side character who actually did us dirty at one point.

Does Maxwell - her potential LI for all of one chapter - suffer as a result of this upgrade? Apart from the Flanderization, I would say no, he actually didn't.

He doesn't get the lavish Drake treatment, true, but he is centered in the issues that bother him. The MC, by default, has always been expected to defend him to Bertrand from TRR1 onwards, and often argues that Maxwell tried as hard as he could to help her, even when he didn't. Her sympathy towards him whenever Bertrand justifiably berates him for his negligence is by default too. And while he improves in TRR2 and (somewhat) 3, in TRH3 the entire group is thrown into this position again. Even though Maxwell exaggerates events in his friends' lives to an insulting degree in his book and the subsequent movie adaptation, the group often brushes their discomfort aside and supports him instead. And even though his lies in said book about Bertrand (TRH2 Ch 11) indirectly cause the latter to give up his lands to their father (resulting in Bartie Sr's attempt to usurp the throne), the MC spends all of the next book comforting him, involving him in her investigations, and patting his hand sympathetically while he moans about the father who killed the former queen of the country, all while ignoring the son of the woman Bartie Sr. killed, and raging against the elder brother who is secretly supporting them (even after the reveal, the group judges Bertrand heavily and even suspects him of being part of Via Imperii in TRF). Very little is said - either by Maxwell himself or by anyone else - about his role in facilitating this awful takeover.

All in all, Maxwell may have not gotten an alternative LI at the end of the day, and his overall LI path was pretty messy - but there was some thought and consideration put into his writing. The focus on Penelope and her new romance never actually harmed Maxwell.

Fandom

As I've mentioned before, Maxwell wasn't an LI in the beginning, but rose to LI status in Book 2. While the writers did make claims once in their TRF finale livestream that they had planned to make him an LI all along, I find that a bit hard to believe. From the way the hints were dropped it's way more possible that this was a development that came up once enough people in the fandom found him attractive enough to be LI material.

As the Make Maxwell an LI campaign grew in popularity, the fandom often held a rosy view of him, calling him "the only valid white guy", celebrating his queerness (as they should! It was hinted that he was pansexual in TRR2 Ch 18), showered him with sympathy and called Bertrand names for berating him. None of the nitpicking that certain other LIs would get for not supporting her properly, ever touched Maxwell. Nor did the fandom - who did criticize him quite a bit for his trashy book, and protested his Flanderization - ever view him with anything besides sympathy when he struggled to believe his father was evil, after he'd encouraged his brother to make said father the head of Beaumont House. This was the same fandom that didn't hesitate to find the most nonsensical excuses to trash Liam.

The Maxwell-Penelope scene was a fun way for some Maxwell stans to allow their MCs to act a bit possessive of him, and they were very critical of Penelope's betrayal later. But the overall response to Penelope's storyline was overwhelmingly positive. Many related to what she said about suffering from social anxiety, and especially to the lines about her emotional support poodles (ironically in another book, Sloane Washington got scant sympathy or respect despite clear indicators that she suffered from social anxiety too), and were quick to forgive.

(I must confess I was among this portion of the fandom too, but with the belief that she would address it more strongly herself in TRR3)

Fandom didn't mind buying into the canon myths that Penelope was a "sweet, naive" girl, and part of this is understandable because not many got to see what she was like in the failplay. So it was easier to presume that she would still take a little responsibility and wholeheartedly regret her actions, without seeing the failplay scenes where she is shown expecting to be treated like royalty by the woman she screwed over. Penelope and Ezekiel were viewed by most as a cute pair, with some (justifiably) liking this interracial match initially. Many readers who were fond of Penelope even criticized Kiara for being "mean" to her or "joining in Madeleine's bullying of her", when Kiara's behaviour was clearly more protective than harmful.

There was a slight rise in a general negative attitude towards Penelope in TRH3, when she could prioritise her wedding over the looming terror of the MC's child being taken away from her, and only speak up when the MC encouraged her at the altar. But very often people who made these criticisms clubbed her and Kiara together, as if they were a single unit...as if their actions and choices throughout the series were the same. As if Kiara got the same concessions and pampering that Penelope did. In reality, the choices the two women made - and the narrative treatment the two women got - couldn't be any more different.

Individually, Maxwell's and Penelope's stories show us what happens when the writers of a story lean too much towards fandom adulation, and allow it to dictate the way their stories will go. In both cases PB found a beat that the readers liked and stuck with it, never expanding beyond that one trait and causing the two to be caricatures of themselves. In Penelope's case especially, once her anxiety story resonated, the narrative used that to encourage readers to pamper her ad nauseum, and justified her lack of genuine care for anyone but herself through constant reminders of her mental health condition.

I will repeat the question I'd asked at the beginning of this essay - What did TRR3 give her in lieu of this alternative romance, and why, and what does it tell us about the narrative that she alone got that? That's a question I hope you'll keep asking in the next two essays.

Next: Hana and Madeleine

#this makes my decision to never finish TRH feel a lot more justified #if I had to bend over backwards for Penelope's wedding I'd kms #trr #trh #penelope ebrim #also I genuinely did like Maxwell in books 1 and 2 #by Book 3 it was clear the writers were much more amused with him than the rest of us were #I was tired of his antics

[zoey-wades]

Finally! A book where I’m encouraged to be a slut 🤭🤪

#romance club #Soulless RC

[zoey-wades]

#top two Choices LIs and he’s not no. 2 #griffin langley #it’s missing griffin hours

[zoey-wades]

Get You (Fluff-ish)

Pairing: Bryce Lahela x Aurora Emery

Rating: General Audiences

Warnings: A little flirting and swearing, dassit.

Summary: Bryce and Aurora get to know one another, which pushes our boy into unknown, cavity-inducing territory.

A/N: My number one rarepair that no one else ships. I wrote this because I was bullied by @thecapturedafrique into writing something. I haven't written anything for choices in quite some time, so this is... that something.

_____________________________________________________________

To Be Alone (Part One)

Bryce always believed that fawning--real, genuine, starry-eyed awe--was goofy. He could count on one hand the number of times a partner left him speechless, which was quite a feat. It wasn’t that he believed he was above it; he could never quite understand the position someone would have to be in to feel that way about someone else. But that damn Aurora Emery and her silent but deadly studious stare could bring any man to his knees. He told her as much. Multiple times, in fact. She’d laugh it off as just a huge joke, but Bryce needed her to know that he was being legit. It was important to him that she knew that about herself. Maybe she could reel it in and let him have control over himself for once.

There wasn’t a name for what they were--a fact that Bryce was okay with. At least he thought. Right now they were just comfortable in one another’s company. It’s not that he didn’t want more...the question crossed his mind more than once. But Aurora never once hinted at the fact that she was looking for anything more than companionship. She was blunt. If she wanted something serious, she definitely would’ve said so. Unfortunately, Edenbrook was filled to the brim with nosy fucks. And though he wasn’t necessarily one for hiding his attraction, he knew for a fact that the attention made Aurora uncomfortable. On more than one occasion, he had to tell people to back off when they made comments about “thawing the ice princess.” He would do anything in his power to protect her, if he could. He spent two months of Fridays with her, a ritual that just kind of happened without much planning. They’d talk for hours, and more than once he’d woken up in her bed, with his arms wrapped around her and her head on his chest.

So when Aurora texted him that Friday afternoon about a change of plans, curiosity plagued him.

Bryce: Change of plans, huh? What’s up?

Three bubbles popped up. And then:

Aurora: I wanted to do something different. Same meeting place?

Bryce: Always.

Bryce: Am I allowed to know what that something different is? Or is it a surprise?

Aurora: It wasn’t a surprise.

Aurora: But now I think it is.

Bryce: You’re killin me. Do you know what you do to me, Rory?

There was a long pause as she typed. And then stopped. And then typed again.

Aurora: Where have I heard that before? ;)

And there it was. That boldness that seemed to show up at the most inopportune times and sent a rushing wave of warmth through him. It climbed up the back of his neck and made him huff out a sigh in the middle of the cafeteria.

Bryce: Careful, I might have to take you for a ride in the parking lot. Again.

Aurora: Don’t make threats you can’t follow through with, daddy.

Despite the bravado, Bryce was clearly flustered. He didn’t know it was possible for someone to out-Bryce him. But here he was: red faced and shifty-eyed in the middle of a crowded room. He placed his phone face-down and took a long sip from his water bottle, willing his blood to return to his brain and away from his head. When he was sure that he could resume the conversation without hunting Aurora down for sport, he picked the phone back up.

Bryce: Alright, Miss Emery. I’ll play your games. See you later?

Aurora: xxoo

It was all so corny, he thought to himself. Reading and re-reading her texts, or scrolling through her Instagram to see her even when she wasn’t around...these were actions that he had NEVER considered remotely Bryce-like. Yet there he was, spending his free time thinking about what he’d say to her when he saw her at the end of the day. Thoughts of her were interrupted only when he needed all of his attention to keep people’s organs in place. Or when he needed to write a report. But when all was said and done, his thoughts drifted right back to her. He blinked, and it was the end of the day. He felt his hands shake, and wondered what the fuck he had to be nervous about.

They’d spent so much time together. They were practically together. Weren’t they?

“God damn it,” he muttered to himself, as he ran his fingers through his hair and stared at himself in the bathroom mirror. It always looked good, but for some reason--today of all days--it wouldn’t cooperate, “You are Bryce Fucking Lahela. You don’t get flustered. Jesus.”

He shook his arms out, rolled his shoulders, and took a deep breath.

“Alright,” he sighed, “Let’s go see our woman.”

Aurora looked amazing leaning against the hood of his car. She was dressed in black jeans and a simple tee shirt, with her hair in a bun. But he wanted to kiss her right there in front of everyone, PDA be damned. Her face lit up when she noticed him, and he nearly tripped over his feet as he walked across the parking lot, causing him to pause his steps. Her brows furrowed in concern.

God she was so cute.

He shoved his hands in his pockets and kept walking in an attempt to save face. Because of course he did.

“Are you alright, Lahela?” She asked, raising a hand to his forehead, “You’re clammy.” Bryce gently grabbed her hand and kissed the back of it absentmindedly, resulting in a slow grin gracing her pretty features.

“I’m good. I just showered, so my hair is a little wet,” her fingers intertwined with his, and his voice caught in his chest. He cleared his throat, “I-uh...I didn’t want to smell like...well you know.”

“Yeah, I know.”

She bit her lower lip and glanced over his shoulder before leaning up to place a small peck on his lips. It’d been something she’d done numerous times before. But today it felt different. He couldn’t place what the difference was, but as she pulled back from him, he leaned forward to kiss her again. She smiled against his lips, and placed a hand on his chest.

“Down boy,” she laughed, “save some of that energy for later on.”

His first thought was to say “fuck later on” and take her on the hood of his car. The louder second thought reminded him that she wasn’t going anywhere. That this was different. And he nodded, taking a mental step back.

“So what’s the surprise?”

“If I told you, it wouldn’t be a surprise.”

His hands snaked around her and he rested his forehead on her shoulder. The action was surprisingly intimate, all things considered, “I hate when people say that.”

“You’d think it’d make you ask the question less, then.”

“Hardy-har, smartass.” When she reached up to scratch the back of his head with her nails, he groaned involuntarily and squeezed her, lifting his head to look up at her, “We need to get out of here, and fast.”

Something flashed across her features, and she raised a brow.

“Alright.”

The drive to this supposed secret was a long one. Using Aurora’s GPS directions, the trip led them down numerous winding roads, across a bridge, and through some trees. If he didn’t know any better, he’d guess she was leading him to his own demise. Maybe she was softening up by holding his hand while he steered. And badly singing along to some 90s pop song was just a plot to let his guard down. It was working. She could brandish a knife, and he wouldn’t even notice.

The final destination was a large clearing filled with parked cars, and a large screen projecting some early 00s movie trailers. People milled around, drinking and eating large buckets of popcorn.

“Well shit,” Bryce grinned as he pulled up to an empty spot between two standing speakers, “You brought me to a drive-in?”

Aurora was already unbuckling her seatbelt, “You said you never got to have a normal high school experience. So, I figured we’d make up for lost time. Only if you want to. If you think this is corny, we can do something else.” She paused and turned to him with wide eyes, “You don’t think this is lame, do you?”

Bryce cupped her face in his hands and pressed a loud smack of a kiss on her lips, “Rory, this is perfect.”

As they stood in line waiting to order movie snacks, he looked over at Aurora to find her deep in thought. Her brows were furrowed as she read the menu, and her lips were slightly pursed just begging to be kissed. She muttered something about the prices staying the same for 10 years, completely unaware of the effect she had on him just by existing. Knowing he had a preference for slashers, Aurora brought him to see a double-feature of Scream and I Know What You Did Last Summer which were both favorites of his. He was surprisingly touched that she remembered. He assumed that she may have forgotten those throwaway comments he made. After all, he wasn’t used to people remembering the small details of his life, and he didn’t mention them often. He’d been working so hard for her trust that he didn’t even realize she’d been working to earn his as well, in her own Emery kind of way.

“Caramel corn?” She suddenly said, and he blinked at her in confusion.

“What?”

“Do you want caramel corn? Or kettle corn? I know you like mixing the salty and the sweet. So I’ll get cheddar,” she pointed at the menu, “And you can get the caramel. And we’ll just…” She made a weird gesture, insinuating mixing the two in a bucket. He randomly felt a pang in his stomach and he had to stop himself from doubling over.

Oh.

“Caramel is perfect,” Bryce said, throwing an arm around her shoulder and pulling her closer, “We can do whatever you want.”

Oh no.

She threw him a funny look, but shook her head and chuckled softly, “Okay then.”

Bryce followed her back to the car like a lost puppy, carrying the popcorn while she carried the slurpees, and he felt the pang in his stomach turn into a dull flutter. Seeing Aurora out of her element was something he had to learn to get used to. Within the walls of Edenbrook, she was perpetually serious. You’d be hard pressed to find her laughing or shaking from nerves. She remained calm and level-headed, always logical, and rarely sentimental unless she was with a patient. The first time he saw Aurora lighten up was when she was among their friend group. Though she seemed partially guarded, in hindsight, it was the first time Bryce saw her fully smile. He recognized that she was beautiful, even then. But there was something about the way that she had a smile reserved especially for him that made that smile pale in comparison. There, in the car, she shook the popcorn in a bag vigorously with the dorkiest grin on her face. He wondered if anyone else ever had the chance to see her like this, and he hoped to God they hadn’t.

“You’re gonna tear the bag, Rory,” he said, laughing along with her, “I’ve never seen someone so violent with popcorn. You should’ve just let me do it. With these arms,” he flexed and she rolled her eyes, “It would’ve taken a lot less time.”

“There’s a method to this,” she shook it one last time for good measure, “You don’t want a pile of one flavor at the bottom. It has to be evenly distributed, come on. You should know this.”

She unrolled the bag opening and tilted it in his direction, “See. I know what I’m doing.”

“Yeah, yeah. You’re the genius here.”

“Thank you.” She popped a piece of caramel corn in her mouth.

One thing Aurora failed to share with him was that she was afraid of slashers. She clung to his arm during the tense scenes, hiding her face in his shoulder and jumping when people were killed. During the low moments, Bryce would pull her close and whisper film facts to her, hoping that the realism would make the movies a little more palatable. As the time passed, she relaxed, leaning back into the seat and only slightly jumping when someone died. Her hand slipped into his, and he could feel her pulse race. By the time I Know What You Did Last Summer was over, and Scream was about to begin, half of the popcorn was on the floor from Aurora constantly jumping.

“Why didn’t you tell me you didn’t like these? We could’ve seen something else, Aurora,” Bryce asked.

She shrugged, scooping small handfuls of popcorn and throwing them out of the open window, “I work in a hospital. I thought I could handle it. Plus, I know you like them...I just wanted to do something fun.”

“I don’t think watching you freak out over a killer in a fishing village is fun,” Bryce half-joked, “Even though I did like having you curled up under me. That was a plus.”

She playfully hit him on his arm.

“I’m serious though,” Bryce said, turning to her, “next time, we can do something we both like.”

“I promise, it’s not that serious,” she shrugged, “I did this all the time in high school. It’s par for the course.”

He felt the uncharacteristic sting of minor jealousy, but quickly pushed the feeling away.

“So you just brought cute guys to the drive-in all the time? I didn’t know teen Aurora was such a player.”

She snorted and shook her head, taking a large sip from her slurpee, “Never that. I was in the science club and boys scared me. I came here with my friends. Maybe my parents.” There was a moment of pause and she swirled the straw around in her cup, “You’re the first guy I’ve ever been here with. So I guess this is like a high school redo for me, too. So...thanks for coming here with me.”

Her voice sounded so soft, and he realized she was sharing more about herself without him having to reassure her that it was safe to do it. Without thinking, Bryce leaned across the passenger seat and kissed her, pulling a soft gasp from her lips. His large hand cupped her chin, and she walked her fingers around the back of his neck. She tasted like Blue Raspberry syrup and smelled like sweet coconut and vanilla shampoo. When she pulled away and rested her forehead against his, she smiled at him and pushed some loose hair away from his face.

“What was that for?”

“I just felt like it. I don’t know. I…” he swallowed hard and shut his eyes, “I think…”

Fuck.

He opened his eyes to see her watching him with a concerned expression on her face, “You think…? Did I do something--”

“I think I love you, Aurora.”

#i'm reminded of the crackship we didn't get #but the crackship we deserved

[zoey-wades]

I used that hairstyle cus MALE HAIRSTYLES IN THIS STORY SUCK. NO NEW HAIRSTYLE UGH.

Male MC of VoS: Tea Time? Again🙄?

Collar can mix with others outfit.

#I love that they make the male!MC’s outfits so slutty #they deserve that #we deserve that

[zoey-wades]

WHOAAAA look who remembered their password after a year and a half :D

And to promote 🌟Storyloom✨ too? Amazing!

Have you ever wondered whatever came of Most Wanted 2? Are you a fan of Queen B or Blades of Light and Shadow? Been wanting to ask our writers any lingering, burning Choices questions? You’re in luck! Chelsa and Andrew, the writers of Queen B and Blades of Light and Shadow (and more!), will be taking YOUR questions and answering as many as they can on StoryLoom! If you’ve got lore questions, this is your moment to shine.

To participate, go to Choices Secrets Revealed (link below) > Create an account > Click Ch. 1 > Post your questions in the comment section for Chelsa and Andrew to respond! More details to come 👀

Choices Secrets Revealed: https://storyloom.com/stories/1b1a7ec0-9341-45b4-9c51-716894c3ba03

[zoey-wades]

Honeymoon (King Liam x MC)

Rating: M (Drug Use, Substance Abuse, Violence, Self-Inflicted Violence)

Characters: Dark!Liam Rys x Dark!Lyra Frasier (MC) x Dark!Drake Walker

Summary: Fresh out of school and trying to figure things out, Lyra Frasier spends her weekdays going to a job she hates and her weekends in a drug fueled haze. And then she meets golden boy Liam. Lyra soon realizes that the violent underbelly of New York City’s elite may be more than she can handle.

Author’s Note: I haven’t updated this thing since uh……last year? I’m bad at making a writing schedule for myself. I think, the way TRR has been going as a series, I just haven’t had the motivation. But when I separate this world from that one, it helps a bit more. 

Honeymoon Series

ooo. Prologue.

oo1. Honeymoon.

oo2. Midnight City.

–x– 

oo3. C.R.E.A.M. 

It was bad enough that Liam’s father was ill; he also had to be stubborn as fuck.

Liam winced as his ailing father lifted the shaking glass of whiskey to his lips, determined to keep drinking despite what the doctor and his wife told him about the effects on his body. Liam cleared his throat, earning a single passive glance from his father across the desk. 

“Oh come on,” Constantine groaned, licking the droplets of liquor from his chin, “Not you, too. I don’t need anymore shit about what I do in my free time.” 

Unwilling to take advice from those he deemed inexperienced, Constantine was an unwavering force in a world of deeply complicated decisions. Liam patiently rested his folded hands in his lap, training his expression to convey as much stoicism as he could in the given circumstance.

“You don’t seem to understand that this,” he motioned towards the glass, “is the reason why Sebastian Clark was able to fly under your radar for so long? What would’ve happened if Walker and I hadn’t figured him out? Who knows what he could’ve gotten away with–” 

“That rotten, coked out fucker,” Constantine spat with a wave of the hand, “Good riddance. I didn’t need him poisoning my ranks with his bullshit.” 

“That’s what I’m trying to explain,” Liam leaned forward in his seat, speaking slowly to emphasize his next point, “We don’t know that he hasn’t. And the fact that he was in your ranks for as long as he had should be worrisome. Who knows what else is going on that we don’t know about.”

“My men are loyal to me,” Constantine stated plainly, “One bad apple doesn’t always spoil the lot.”

Keep reading

#I need to find a reason to use this #I forgot how much I liked it

[zoey-wades]

TBT to when someone asked me if they could write this idea and then they made all of the characters white. And it made me so annoyed that I just wrote a part of the shit myself just on the sheer power of scorn.

TRR AU Where Liam is the son of a CEO/crime lord, forced to take the reins after his father’s assassination.

-Leo, the original heir, flees the country after developing a terrible gambling habit that leaves him in debt.

-Before his death, Constantine tried to set Liam up with Madeleine, the daughter of a crooked politician.

-Madeleine has no interest in being with the son of a crime lord. She dates him in public, but keeps her distance in private. Constantine and her father have plans for them to marry the following year.

-While pursuing his Master’s in Business in New York, Liam meets MC (Lyra in my case) during a night out with his friends.

-Sparks fly and he starts to fall HARD for her. Madeleine doesn’t give two shits, as long as he keeps his feelings for MC private. Liam and Madeleine’s relationship is pretty high profile in the NY social circle. But he keeps his love for MC under wraps to protect her from public scrutiny and Maddie’s father’s scorn.

-Constantine tries to pay MC off to disappear from Liam’s life, and when she refuses, he leaks to the press a false story that MC is Liam’s stalker.

-In retaliation, Liam breaks it off with Madeleine, causing a rift between Constantine and Madeleine’s father.

-Constantine’s assassinated, and Liam becomes the new CEO/head of the crime family. He chooses to publicly have MC by his side, much to Madeleine’s father’s chagrin.

-Hijinks and fuckery ensue, because this lowly waitress/bartender from some hole in the wall on the Upper West Side is climbing the ranks and becoming a widely respected socialite, and the queen of a decades old crime family.

-I totally wrote this while drunk, so some of this might make no sense 🤷🏾‍♀️

[zoey-wades]

They wanted to make him a cowboy SO BAD. Like “Oooh he’s from Texas and he likes WHISKEY and BBQ” okay?!???? Good for him.

And Drake’s existence is undoubtedly why we got so many cowboy books after TRR ended. It’s like halfway through TRR they remembered they couldn’t make it a book all about a commoner marrying another commoner, so they made Drake clones in other books lol

[zoey-wades]

And Drake’s existence is undoubtedly why we got so many cowboy books after TRR ended. It’s like halfway through TRR they remembered they couldn’t make it a book all about a commoner marrying another commoner, so they made Drake clones in other books lol

[zoey-wades]

TRR3 made me hate the TRR MC a lot. It was actually insane to watch the writers jump the shark with her fighting off terrorists on her own, right before her wedding, because her security team was nerfed into oblivion.

The secret Drake Wedding made me want to fight, because if anyone deserved that it was Liam and MC, and Hana and MC after all the shit they had to deal with.

Drake TAKING HIS BEST FRIEND’S GIRL and then marrying her on that same best friend’s dime (while not even inviting him to the secret wedding) is how I knew the writers didn’t give a shit about anyone but that man.

#TRR was when I knew I couldn’t trust the writers with shit #I think TRH was the only time post-engagement that they may have considered that readers might confidently choose Liam over others #and only barely because having to spend 8 weeks on that god forsaken ranch when you’re not even married to Drake felt like a nightmare

[zoey-wades]

Power Dynamics Pt 1 - The MC

(Read the entire "Hana Lee: A Study in Erasure" series here!)

Previous: LI!Hana and Friend!Hana

Among the many excellent works of Hana art that I've seen here, there is one that I think about from time to time. A drawing of Hana and the MC, inspired by the "aren't you tired of being nice" copypasta.

In this drawing, the MC is visibly angry, grabbing a puzzled Hana by the shoulders and shaking her.

"Aren't you tired of being nice?" she yells, "don't you just want to go ape shit???" (I'm paraphrasing).

I remember that artwork often. It's a fantastic piece, and it makes me think. And everytime I've seen it, I've found myself giving the same response.

"She should," I find myself telling the MC in that picture, "and I think one of the people she should go ape shit at, is you."

In the previous essay, I mentioned that characters come in "tiers", with the MC holding the topmost spot. In a number of cases, the LIs are the most important beside them/after them - either because it's their domain or because they establish a closeness to the MC. Other major and minor side characters follow. The latter may get their own storylines from time to time, but more often than not LIs are supposed to dominate the narrative.

Unlike the MC, whose background is often left purposely vague, a lot of the flavour and personality of this environment comes primarily from the LIs. We are familiar with the world of the Attuned through people like Griffin and Aster. We navigate Hollywood through superstars like Matt and Victoria, as well as aspirants like Teja. Chris, Kaitlyn and James are an integral part of the TF MC's first year at Hartfeld. And they come in all forms: the friendly insider who guides you, the skeptic who eventually warms up to you, the goof who uses their humour to lighten tense situations. They make the MC comfortable, they alert them to potential dangers, they add romance and joy to the MC's life, they help them if the MC is in a fix. In a badly written Choices book, it can look like the LI has no life of their own.

However, most Choices books have the LIs' storylines run parallel to the MC's own, allowing for the world itself to have a richer background and history. There are times when the MC can choose to help in this journey, but it is generally accepted that the MC's needs and story should come first. And this is alright - as long as the narrative is consistent.

With that said, let's delve into what the Hana-MC journey looks like.

The Underdog MC

Hana is an interesting case in a story that is set in a fictional country, where at least two characters are meant to be a throwback to a previous series (TCaTF). Hana is familiar with the social season, familiar with the culture, like her peers. But unlike all of them (besides the MC)... she is a foreigner. Her sponsors are in a whole other continent, she has no real childhood experience in Cordonia like her rivals and peers do, and certain elements of this journey (like the sourness of the Cordonian Ruby) can still take her by surprise. The writers truly set her up to be a perfect bridge to the MC's experience - she is aware enough to help the MC integrate, but foreign enough to relate to her. Which means Hana can understand the nuances of the MC's struggle, in a way that born-and-bred Cordonians like Liam and Drake might not.

The MC enters the story as a newcomer to Cordonia - ignorant of its culture, unaware of its norms. As an outsider she is in a vulnerable position - she has to work harder to please the several people evaluating her (the press, the Queen, the King, the courtiers). She begins the social season sponsored by the Beaumonts. And while it's true that Maxwell takes the initiative to bring her to this country…it is also true that most of the work of helping her succeed is done by the LIs - Drake (often on Liam's instructions), Liam (either through Drake, or when he needs to pass important information), and Hana. 

Hana in fact is integral to this MC's success. As you can see above, she not only helps her learn the skills but also usually takes the initiative to ask. The LIs stand in to help whenever the Beaumonts fail to teach her, and Hana helps most in the technical aspects of the events (one may claim that you can do the tasks even without Hana's scenes, but you cannot ignore the fact that canonically the MC is unaware and therefore vulnerable, and she was the Beaumonts' - primarily Maxwell's - responsibility). 

The MC, too, can easily  gain Hana's trust over the course of the series. Hana is after all a foreign woman in Cordonia, alone and friendless, just as vulnerable (if not more - given the scandal of her broken engagement) to bad treatment from the courtiers. She would have to work just as hard to get noticed. It is default to the text that she witnesses the MC stand up to Olivia when Olivia humiliates her. It is also by default that 11 chapters later, the MC helps her stand up to her mother over the phone at Applewood, and is the first person Hana tells the news of her departure to. Hana is written as grateful to the MC for her friendship, trusting her enough to share personal aspects of her life with this newcomer. Between those two default scenes, we have a number of paywalled opportunities not only to gain knowledge from her, but even to just keep her company and listen to her (the Piano scene, the Yacht scene). Unfortunately, as I said, around the Apple Blossom Festival, such opportunities dwindle.

We experience this dwindling further in the next book, but before I talk about that, let's examine the MC's position in TRR2. She is disgraced at this point - the focus of a plot  to eliminate her by dragging her reputation through the mud, in a way that endangered her safety on multiple levels in the previous book. She is even more of an outsider here, because she now has a (manufactured) reputation that precedes her, and is part of a court where the Queen-to-be can issue threats to both her and the woman who publicly supports her. The engagement tour is less about court skills, and more focused on unravelling this plot and investigating the many culprits involved - a servant, a courtier, the King Guard, and finally all the way to the top - the King himself. 

At the beginning of the investigation, Maxwell and Drake (later, Olivia) are at the forefront of the investigation. Hana occasionally helps out in distracting the court so the rest of the group can slip through without being caught (Applewood)...but the heaviest parts of the investigation - and perhaps the most obvious indications of Hana's stealth - happen once they reach Paris.

She stays in the shadows and observes people, often picking up on details the MC may have missed (see above). What is even more notable is that she manages to do this even in highly-tense situations, such as the Shanghai tea party with her father. She manages to overhear and file away the information about Adeleide's favourite champagne, and even in an emotionally distressed state, she still uses that opportunity to pass on information. If the MC fails to gain trust during the Penelope confrontation, it is Hana that Penelope tells the truth to, since she  made efforts in the same scenes to make her feel comfortable. 

At this point in the story, most readers I know didn't mind the Hana x MC dynamics. That included me.

Hana is clearly invested in helping the MC fit in, then in helping her regain her good name. The MC has the opportunity to accept or reject this help, but it's clear that Hana is an important part of her growth of stature in Cordonia. She continues in such a role in future books. So why does this feel so much less disturbing in Book 1, and at least a portion of Book 2?

The main difference here is the MC's acquisition of power. Cordonia operates on hierarchies - the royal family, the Great Houses/Duchies, the minor houses and the commoner populace. This determines not just the lands they acquire but also the level of clout they have in court. People who don't have as much clout don't always get the support they need, and those who do may get the pampering they do not always deserve. Foreigners tend to have it a lot harder, not only because they have to fit in to win approval, but also because - at least in the first book - people either mistrust or underestimate them.

Though the MC enters the social season with the title of 'lady' thanks to Beaumont sponsorship, she is still a commoner and a foreigner, which places her at a double disadvantage. Perhaps this is why Hana was also written as a foreigner, and later as someone whose mother is from a minor noble house - so that the MC wouldn't feel too alone in her alienation. Hana straddles a thin line here: she is relatable, as a fellow outsider, but there is the slightest element of power in the knowledge she possesses and the skills she has acquired. The problem begins when, from the Regatta onwards, the narrative starts considering Hana as more of an asset than a person, and seems reluctant to give her either power or agency. This is what leads to some of the narrative heartlessness we see, starting from Book 2. 

In this book, the MC's disgrace puts her at even more of a disadvantage. So the general expectation in fandom and for most of the narrative, is that her needs and goals - as the victim of a huge plot to discredit her as a possible consort to Liam - will undoubtedly come first. She was a victim, subject to multiple violations of her privacy and attacks on her as a person. She couldn't contact people except in person, for fear of being tracked, and had to regain her good name while still impressing dignitaries and proving her mettle as a courtier. This also means that in certain cases, while the MC could engage in aspects of the LIs' stories,  she would naturally focus on what was most important to her at the time. It was ok for her to be a little self-centered.

Even keeping that in mind, I found her lack of concern re: Hana in at least two areas in this book, rather chilling.

One is the confrontation with Madeleine in Paris, post the latter's bullying of Hana in Italy. I speak about it in more detail here, so right now I'll just stick to why I was disturbed by it.

Madeleine's drunken admission of wanting to "break Hana" collides, very conveniently, with the revelation that Penelope had a hand in the plot against the MC. So in the minds of most readers, well, of course more narrative weight would be given to the MC's interactions with her. Of course this meant that what Hana went through would take a backseat, since according to the narrative the group (optionally) "did their job" by distracting her and making her feel better. 

But this doesn't erase the fact that the MC heard what Madeleine said, including the part where she said she'd continue doing it. It doesn't explain why, when Madeleine lies through her teeth about "hazing", the MC doesn't even react - forget about saying anything. Or why she was so out-of-sight-out-of-mind about it all the way to the epilogue of the series.

I've mentioned before that the TRR2 MC doesn't start out with a lot of power. In fact, the press either ignores her or bombards her with accusations, which is why she needs the skills of a press secretary to win back public favour. But by the time we reach Paris, she has more public approval backing her, and is on speaking terms with the other courtiers. Her word was weighty enough that Madeleine had to hurriedly pivot to "hazing" to save face, so...why couldn't the writers slip in an extra scene? At least have her warn Hana (who was going out of her way to help the MC), that the Queen-to-be wanted to harm her? Why was this such a non-issue?

Another equally disturbing occurrence emerges in TRR2 Chapter 14, a chapter that elevated Maxwell to an LI but had zero trace of Hana (the only "mention" you'd find of Hana in this chapter is on Liam's new T-shirt). As I mentioned in the TRR Breakdowns, this chapter follows an intense confrontation between Hana and her father in Shanghai, that leaves her in such a bad state that she isn't even sure she has a home anymore. Yet it is Hana who approaches the MC to help her, in Shanghai - not the MC worried enough to look for her. 

On the first day in NY, the MC doesn't seek her out, mention her or even spare a thought as to where she's gone. This was the woman who, until the day before, was running around collecting information that would help the MC. Who reached out to Olivia because the MC was friends with her. Who literally gifted her a handmade dress while at her home. The narrative slapped Hana's face over a patch up scene between Maxwell and Drake that the MC could happily agree to...and now the same MC couldn't be bothered to even ask where Hana was??

Even though I was pissed off by this treatment in the second book, it still didn't change the way I thought of the MC. To me she was the same woman trying to prove her worth, among people who originally thought she wouldn't last a week. She was still the underdog.

All this changes when Liam makes her a Duchess.

MC the Duchess

The narrative foreshadows this change in NY, through Madeleine's mother, Adeleide. As the collage clearly shows us, her title makes her more powerful than her daughter. In doing this, the narrative highlights two things:

1. Foreshadowing the MC's own rise to power - even if she is made a Duchess rather than a Queen, she will still be more powerful than Madeleine. I would argue that this is in fact the only reason Krona exists (Notice how, once the MC herself becomes a Duchess, the narrative erases "Krona" altogether and refers to it as Fydelia henceforth)

2. Justifying even a failplay MC's elevation: if a woman like Adeleide, who has neither skill nor interest in running her duchy, can wield power through this role, then anyone can.

At the UN Party, Adeleide is touted as an influential ally, and the MC has to change her entire strategy to win her favour. This is a party with all sorts of dignitaries the world over, so the lazer-focus on Adeleide and the power she holds despite being useless at her job really gives you an impression of the advantages, clout and power you could gain from just having a title.

And you do notice a rather subtle change in the way other characters treat the MC once Liam gifts her a duchy. Even as she is being judged for any mistakes she makes, the narrative slowly begins to give her more power. Her word slowly begins to carry more weight, and more than once the things she says guide public morale (as can be seen at the Five Kingdoms Festival and the Applewood orchard destruction). In the later series when she becomes Mother of the Heir, the narrative essentially nerfs Liam's role as a king so that the MC makes all the major decisions. This is why Kiara's doubts about "reactionary rule" in TRH3 are addressed to the MC, or why in a recent TRF chapter, Eirik claims that the King of Cordonia follows where the Queen/Champion of the Realm goes. Nowhere do we see her seriously engaged in the policy or politics of ruling, but she definitely has all the power.

But one thing is for certain from the beginning of her life as a noble. Even at her most successful, the MC is a person who gets by mostly on the good-faith efforts of her friends and lovers. Whether she has the skills or not doesn't seem to really count much by this point. In contrast, Hana is not just a basket of skills but a good diplomat, an empathetic and observant courtier, and a powerful ally. Even though canon at this point only stereotyped her as "Perfect Hana", it's clear that she has all it takes to succeed as much as the MC has, perhaps even more. It would not have looked too out of place for Liam to give her a duchy too, yet by the end of TRR2, Hana is largely living on the MC's charity, and even this doesn't seem to translate into a permanent home for her later on in the series.

Why wasn't Hana given a duchy? I think that's a question for later. For now…I want to focus on what it means for the MC to be a Duchess, and Hana to be just a Lady.

(Tap the picture to see it more clearly)

I'm sure I don't need to elaborate how involved Hana is in TRR3, either as a friend or a spouse. She is focused on making the Unity Tour a success in a number of ways: from polo moves (like the "windmill" that everyone celebrates the MC for at the Portavira charity match), to diplomacy (for instance, Hana panders a lot to Madeleine in the drinking game scene, and is the only person - by default - who doesn't suspect Kiara. Instead, she speaks of reaching out to her at Lythikos).

But who gets the credit for all this? Who is the one praised for "bringing people together"? Even when she does absolutely nothing of the sort??

In fact, even if her contribution to the Boutique Fight is nothing more than throwing a clothes-hanger at an assassin from behind a chair, the MC walks victoriously into the cathedral, in front of the press and public. Even her choice to goof around in public is viewed as part of her unique charm (eg. The public response to the MC before her wedding, if she says " 'sup"). At the end, no matter how badly she's done or how poorly-attended her wedding, she is still made "Champion of the Realm". Hana, like the other four, is a mere "Guardian". 

The only real difference between the two is that the MC is a Duchess, and the center of attention...and Hana, is neither. Hana doesn't have that kind of power - not even in playthroughs where she is marrying the MC (the narrative remembers only once that she will become a Duchess, and Olivia still refers to her as a failure in Chapter 14). She is expected to do as the Duchess of Valtoria tells her, without the latter needing to think about the implications - for instance, Hana is expected to sweet-talk her former bully without anyone remembering what happened in Italy. She is expected - even as the bride - to wear all-black to her own bachelorette. She is expected to act like a bridesmaid at her own wedding. She is expected to take it in her stride when Olivia mocks her. In fact, the more a person like Olivia or Madeleine gets into the MC's good graces, the less the MC  seems to care about their treatment of Hana. And while one of these instances may be due to a glitch and another only happens in a diamond scene - it just goes to show the utter lack of thought put into this character and her concerns.

This treatment continues right into the TRH series. In her single playthrough, the MC continues to benefit from Hana's hard work and research, with very little indication that she does the same (she is a titled woman with the time and resources to learn about Cordonia's neighbouring countries, for example). As soon as the story establishes Olivia as the "spy" figure, the narrative erases Hana's own history involving stealthy investigations. Hana is relegated either to smaller tasks (eg. the mission to catch Godfrey in TRH2 - she recieves the press but is given little to do in the course of the mission) or is made to look scared/silly in comparison to Olivia. Either way - the MC's "bestieeeeee" is allowed to overshadow Hana, look down on her, and the MC herself pays scant attention to her. The narrative attempts to show us the MC "cares" in a scene or two, esp in TRH1 (eg. standing up to Isabella when she mocks Hana), but this stops after the first book. 

In her married playthrough, the narrative hits Hana with the revelation that her oestradiol levels are so low that even with IUI it would be difficult for her to conceive (it also treats Hana's condition as total infertility, when research shows that conception is still possible). But this is not written in a way that centers Hana at all. It's written more like a quick-fix solution for making the MC alone pregnant, rather than the painful, life-changing moment that it would be, for a woman who wanted children as much as Hana did. It's referenced only one more time, when they're on their way to Texas (possibly out of fandom demand, and even then it is only optional in the second scene). Both times, the narrative has Hana shift focus back to the MC and her happiness. In the chapters following it the same MC can whine about not getting pregnant fast enough in Hana's presence, not once but multiple times. Never once does Hana's own situation come up, and it is virtually invisible after this point.

We find more of the same "scraps of kindness" in the married Hana playthrough of Book 1 - the MC can stand up to Isabella for her, assure Hana that she can never be "secondary" to her during the pregnancy photoshoot and insist she relax during the MC's baby shower. But in the next two books, their dynamic goes back to the usual - Hana continues to serve and pamper the MC, the MC continues to bask in this attention without ever having to return the favour.

But What About The Other LIs?

"But Lizzy," some of you may say, "since TRH all the LIs have similar treatment!"

After a point, yes. For instance, the LI giving the MC a gift for their anniversary while she doesn't even bother to make a card or write a letter? That happens across the board. But let us see if - in the case of a Drake, Maxwell or Liam - this forms a pattern.

Before we go into this, I must go into what it means to "center" a character in their issues. This means that during the time the issue is being explored - whether in the buildup or in arc-culmination - the MC gives most or all of their focus to that character, putting aside their own issues for the moment. It is about what that character needs, how they feel, and even whether they are comfortable with the MC's attempts to help. The narrative doesn't force the character to deflect, or push aside how they feel, but instead allows them to process their feelings in an organic way - no matter how messy that process may be. Unfortunately, this level of "centering" often goes only to the Creator's Pets (Ethan of OH being a very strong example of this). 

Drake is undoubtedly one of those. He is a commoner. Theoretically, that means he should act as a counterpoint to the nobility-filled court, but we are never shown any prominent commoners besides him and all his storylines seem pretty self-contained rather than actively benefiting any community. A lot of the plot points for him are quite self-contained - that is, they exist to serve his personal story and not the plot. As a character...his subplots start out looking like they add a lot of value to the story but in fact contribute very little. Characters with similar "outsider" arcs in other PB stories have often been pushed to the side, their issues deemed unimportant (eg. Shane from Platinum. We must note, though, that this treatment is given the most to "outsiders" who are POC, especially black).

The process of centering Drake in his scenes started as early as TRR1, where the MC could, in her diamond scenes, give him comfort and solace. In fact, TRR1 shifts the focus to him just minutes after Tariq almost-kisses the MC, and continues to do so at Ramsford, where the MC's "important conversation" is not about the incident or the lock, but Drake's feelings. TRR2 doubled down on this with the Savannah and Bastien subplots. The MC, in her diamond scenes with Drake, is often made to chase after him and comfort/distract him (eg. Never-Have-I-Ever drinking game, Hana and MC patching him and Maxwell's relationship at the Night Market, helping him get Liam a wedding gift). This continues into TRR3, where she can teach him to dance, and in TRH, where we spend a whopping 8-9 chapters in his mother's home in Texas, and help his sister in her wedding preparations. In his TRR3 playthrough the narrative takes great pains to remind us that he will be soon be the Duke of Valtoria (Hana only gets this once, towards the end of the book), and even writes him a whole extra "country" wedding to accommodate his discomfort with big fancy events! His arc involves not just a gradual process of becoming popular in court, but also ensures his sister is given the wedding of her dreams. Even now, the reveal that Bastien was part of the Via Imperii centers Drake and his feelings of betrayal heavily.

We also have Maxwell, who started out a prominent side character, but was made an LI by demand. The narrative would often forget he was an LI, and in fact in TRR3 and TRH1 he was given no character arcs, but we can say that in his interactions with the MC, he was centered. In the few times he apologizes for his lackluster guidance in Book 1, the MC is meant to comfort and reassure him. She also often stands up to Bertrand for him, and in their private conversations she attempts to convince Bertrand of Maxwell's capabilities. And while I'm not the biggest fan of how the Beaumont story was usurped by Savannah in TRR3, the MC still gets to work on fixing the Bertrand and Maxwell relationship in a diamond scene (in Chapter 10, she feeds Bertrand lines through an earpiece - words of pride and encouragement for Maxwell, and an honest confession of his feelings and financial state for Savannah).

Pandering to Maxwell truly comes out in full force around TRH2 and 3. In Book 2, he misrepresents Bertrand's involvement in the social season in the film based on his memoir, to convince him to let go of his role, give it to their father and focus on the family. Elevating Bartie Sr to Duke led to his attempt to usurp the throne, yet in Book 3 the narrative completely ignores this. Instead, it has the MC and the group comfort him, listen to him, involve him in investigations and validate his hurt feelings multiple times. He is allowed to go through at least half of TRH3 trying to rationalize his father's behaviour, still trying to view Barthelemy as a good man...even though the latter had already attempted a coup, blackmailed people, and was robbing the Heir's parents of their rightful role as her guardians. Maxwell is allowed to have outbursts at his father on his failure to be a good parent. Even when Maxwell finally understands how evil his father is, there is no self-reflection on the monster that he allowed into his home, to overpower not only his House but his country too. He also never includes his older brother Bertrand in those feelings of hurt and betrayal (this makes sense during the time Bertrand is viewed as supporting their father, but the suspicion and scorn still remains even after it's proven that Bertrand was on their side the entire time).

So while Maxwell may not be given all the benefits of an LI straightaway, he is still largely centered in his own story especially from TRH onwards, and in small ways in the initial books.

There is plenty I could say about Liam...but how the narrative in general views him and treats his issues, would merit its own essay. Suffice to say that while the cruelty and lack of care can't be truly compared to Hana's, there are still parallels. The narrative expects both characters to set aside their own conflicts and struggles, often for the MC's benefit. Hana is never actually given power, and has a status lower than her peers, and Liam is still king but is forced to operate like a Duke, ceding more and more political authority to the MC as time passes.

On the level of validation, the MC is made to find other things "more important" whenever they're in a state of emotional  crisis (eg. Constantine's death, Hana's diagnosis, the reveal about Eleanor's pregnancy, every reveal thus far about Eleanor's death) and never get back to exploring the impact of those things on that LI. The narrative uses Liam's stoicism, and Hana's selfless dedication, to render their own issues inconsequential - thus leaving behind a pattern of unresolved stress and pain that is essentially erased. Otherwise how is it that most of this fandom finds discovering your mother's murderer, or witnessing your father's death, as normal? How is it that the same fandom thinks of a person who leaves her entire home behind after defending her friend/lover, as "weak"?

This doesn't happen often to Maxwell, and it never happens to Drake.

The one main difference between Liam and Hana, is that the TRR1 MC seems at least a little more invested in how Liam feels than she does for Hana, and Hana is made to operate like a "basket of skills" from Applewood onwards. And while in TRR2 it makes sense that the MC would focus more on what she went through...the fact that she can show disproportionate amounts of care to a Hana vs a Drake or Maxwell tells us that giving comfort was a matter of who the writers liked more, not really what worked more for their story. Because if it were really about the story, then both Hana and Liam, who benefited the story more, would be getting as much - or more - attention.

What does this have to do with power dynamics? Quite a lot. I brought up the examples of Drake and Maxwell to make it clear that even though the MC is powerful, the narrative still intends for her to be the proactive partner in certain relationships, and merely bask in the partner's attention in others. Notably, the partners who fit the first description are white and male by default.

I mentioned at the beginning of this essay that attention and focus is distributed hierarchically, from MC to LIs to the prominent side characters. But that isn't always the case in this series.

The next essay also focuses on power dynamics, but in the context of the court and the ladies of the Great Houses. I will be exploring this in three ways:

1. How does the narrative view these women in general?

2. How do their stories relate to Hana's own?

3. How does the MC's evolving relationships with these women impact her relationship with Hana?

We've looked at how Hana has fared among other co-protagonists. It is time now to see how she fares among the side characters.

Next: Power Dynamics, Part 2 - Ladies of the Court

#I have this theory that they started changing the writing for Liam when they saw that Asian!Liam was the most popular choice #I feel like they assumed most of us would choose Whiam over the others bc white and blond #because it GENUINELY surprised me to see how much they were willing to throw their own lead LI under the bus in favor of a side LI #even now we RARELY see that happen in Choices #Liam is LITERALLY the titular ‘Royal’ in TRR and his character became a shell of his former self #I think this is why I like TRR2 the most because everyone plays their role the way it’s meant to be played #minus Hana sadly but we still get to see/learn a lot about her which was wonderful #it was all downhill after the engagement

[zoey-wades]

LI!Hana and Friend!Hana

In choice-driven stories like PB's, characters tend to come in tiers. At the top, is usually the MC - it is, after all, their story and is told from their point of view. It's about their growth, it's about them finding their place in whichever environment the story throws them into.

The LIs come next, especially in romantic stories. Very often, the stories are as much about them as about the MC, and in many cases the main LI is why we even have the story in the first place. Often, they are regarded as co-protagonists. Following them are the various side characters who are an integral part of the environment but not romancing the MC, and then the recurring characters. While they may get their own arcs, the priority is usually meant to be given to the LIs and MC first.

Since LIs are subject to the MC's choice, it makes sense that the narrative makes space for their dialogue and actions to be determined by the MC's. It also makes sense that their stories would be written in a way that fits for two diverging situations - one where they are the MC's endgame, and one where they're not. PB's earliest books didn't always have the coding to support these divergences, but as the fandom and the company grew, they were able to accommodate them…at least for the LIs they really liked.

However, one thing that has sadly remained a constant, is how female LIs (specifically - darker skinned WOC and black women) and often male COCs tend to get the short end of the stick in every possible way. Some have been introduced late/given attention late into the story (Leah/LH, Sloane/PM, Ava/MFTL), not properly integrated into the story or written out (Jackie/OH, Shane/Platinum), or just written to be the best friend character with very little thought to their romantic one. Sometimes such characters even have more focus on alterative romances than their own romances with the MC (Luke/D&D gets an elaborate story with Annabelle's sister in the final book, but you don't even get to see his mother if you're going to be his wife). Very often, it is painfully obvious which playthrough of theirs the teams are writing for.

In TRR, you can tell by now that this character is Hana. We have now known her, and the rest of the gang, for seven books. Some of us have known her as a lover, then as a spouse and co-parent...some of us have known her as the friend that the MC could always count on. And very few, like me, have actually spent these seven books following the trajectory of both. 

Hana starts out the series as a nervous, foreign "rival" for the Prince's hand. We meet her in the changing room, half-naked and apologetic about using it in the middle of someone else's dress appointment. You have the option of either being rude to her, being generous, or being besotted. Even if you choose the first, she's written as being warm and accommodating, giving you advice and helping you pick outfits. She isn't allowed to tailor her reaction to what the MC says, the way Drake - in a scene just before hers - can. You may not get the relationship points if you boss around with her, but there is no actual change in her demeanor towards you. 

This goes even for her first diamond scene. It is true that the MC, by default, stands up to Olivia for humiliating her. It is true that this scene shows a level of concern and caring from the MC's end. And it is also true that Hana realizes by the end of the night that the MC is different from a woman like Olivia, and her decision to do her utmost to help this woman hinges on either the free or the diamond scene. But the MC is also allowed to say certain things which could be out of pocket, such as insinuating that Olivia sensed Hana's "weakness". And this is something that wouldn't niggle me so much if the narrative didn't continue to imply that Hana was somehow "weaker" or lesser than Olivia.

The point of exploring these first few scenes, essentially, was to point out the narrative's eagerness to make us Hana's friend. And it makes sense - unlike us she is well versed in the ways of court, but because she is also a foreigner, there is an element of relatability. The MC can feel, early on, like she has a readymade ally in her corner.

The rest of the first book is about the MC's blossoming romances with the LIs (except for Maxwell, though you could hint at an interest), but what's especially interesting to note is whether the romance is developed around the MC's comfort level or not. This is especially noticeable after the Applewood segment, when the LIs start to vocalise their interest in the MC. There are a couple things that help us gauge this:

1. When and how often is the LI allowed to make a final confession?

2. What options does the MC have?

3. Is the confession or final romantic gestures  by default, or do they not come up with the MC isn't interested?

If we, for instance, take Drake and Liam as examples, you can tell the narrative is inclined to view them as romantic interests just by the way the MC is allowed to react to their confessions. 

Liam's proposal, for instance, is a foregone conclusion. He gets to hint at his growing affection for the MC in several scenes, and his confidence that she will make a great queen. His confession scene does have one option to express doubt (the MC says she's not sure) but it has no real effect on Liam's eventual decision to choose her as his bride. 

In fact, if you don't pick that scene, she never gets to tell him anything at all! He goes through almost all of Book 2 under this misconception as well. The concept of romancing Liam is so comfortable to the writers that they base their entire story premise over it - that the girl starts by falling for and wanting to win the Prince, and either gets him or falls for someone else. 

Drake gets to make a confession thrice (if you spend the diamonds, and once if you don't). First at Applewood, after Tariq leaves the MC's room, and then in Ramsford if you choose the Beaumont Office scene. In his finale scene, he indicates to the MC that he wants to kiss her before she gets engaged. Within this scene, that dialogue is by default, and he asks this even if you have told him you're only interested in Liam in the first two scenes.

Two interesting patterns emerge when you look at the MC's reactions to his confessions side by side:

1. While in the first scene the MC can clearly choose just Liam, in the subsequent scenes even the least romantic options imply an interest in Drake. 

2. Most notable is the way she refers to both of them as a unit ("we") in the options where she says no. As much as the narrative assumes her romantic interest in Liam, it also assumes the same for Drake. Book 2 would only serve to be more and more obvious in their attempts to make Drake a default romancer as well.

3. In the options where you can either reject him or confess that you're conflicted between your romantic interests...the narrative leaves out Hana completely. Nowhere are we even allowed to reference her - and she's got an entire romantic arc with the MC by then!

Clearly, the narrative shows a high level of comfort for romancing Drake as well, in fact so much so that he is allowed to ask for a kiss by default in his diamond scene in this book, can strip off his shirt to "distract" the MC in Book 2 diamond scene, and (by default) can make a comment about "spending the whole night alone" with the MC after she is either engaged or in a serious relationship with another person.

Having established how comfortable the narrative is in viewing Liam and Drake as LIs, let's see how they fare with Hana.

Hana gets one sureshot chance to do her confession in, in Book 1 - and that is just before the Coronation Ball begins (she gets another scene that allows for a kiss at the end, but that's extremely easy to avoid). Depending on whether you choice the diamond scene or not, her confession happens either in her bedroom where the girls have ordered room service, or on the stairs. The good news about this is, if you don't buy, Hana gets to tell you her feelings by default.

The bad news is...if you buy, there is a chance Hana will NEVER open up about her feelings to you! For instance, look at the ending of the room service scene if the MC doesn't indicate any feelings:

The scene ends with Hana never telling the MC how she feels (and indeed if you don't choose any of the opportunities in Book 2, she has to work out that tangle on her own, with little emotional support). Moreover, if the MC returns those feelings the scene extends to a possible kiss, but not before this set of options that the MC can choose from:

The second option is something even Drake doesn't get - though it would have suited his "forbidden romance"-like arc in Book 2, and is extremely disrespectful of Hana as an LI. Even in a scenario where the MC can confess she has feelings for Hana, she can still reject her, or tell her to expect nothing from the MC's end. It's almost like the writers showed more concern for the people who wanted to reject Hana while writing this scene, than the people who truly loved her and wanted to romance her. This is their idea of "romantic" when it comes to the lone female LI.

This also extends to how Hana's final scene is written. It shows her with her friends, having one last fun moment with them before she leaves for her home. She drinks whiskey with Drake, has a dance-off with Maxwell, and basically does the verbal equivalent of ripping out and rearranging Olivia's spine. The final moment of that scene, is reserved for the MC:

Hana's scene also includes a "one last kiss" moment during the Coronation Ball, but the contrast to Drake's just minutes later, couldn't be any more stark. Here it is Hana who offers the tentative opening, and it is the MC who can suggest a kiss if that's what she wants. The other two options make it so that Hana, who is in love for the first time, to a woman...has to encourage her like everything between them is normal. If you took the previous diamond scene, chose friendship, then chose one of the other two options here...you'd be none the wiser about Hana's feelings. And that would be normal. The only silver lining here is that at least in the free scene Hana can confess her feelings by default, even if it's a hurried, rushed scene which culminates in Hana slipping back just as easily into best friend mode.

It's amazing to me how uncomfortable the narrative and the writers seemed in writing these two women as lovers - these two scenes are crafted to revolve around the MC's comfort level, not Hana's, something that you won't at all see for the men here. So a person who wasn't comfortable with a woman expressing her feelings could be kept "safe" by scenes like Hana's, but a wlw who didn't want any attention at all from Liam or Drake, would have to put up with their obvious romantic overtures. In the process of doing that, the narrative implies that her feelings, her love, her comfort, is of far less importance.

The second book follows a similar trajectory - except this time the MC becomes an even worse friend to Hana - but the third book (where the divergences begin) takes this a step further...in that even in her goddamn romantic playthrough the MC seems to forget this woman may soon become her wife! As a bride Hana doesn't get to wear anything gold for the only bachelorette she will ever get, and the MC treats her like a bridesmaid on their wedding day. Sample, for instance, how in BertVannah's proposal scene Hana is still meant to run errands and stand in line with the other bridesmaids for the bouquet toss:

She's standing with the bridesmaids...in her wedding gown. This is in the chapter after the wedding, where if you had a Hana playthrough there were glitches galore, such as the officiant referring to the couple as "husband and wife" even though those players already chose what they wanted to be referred to as.

One really amazing Hana scene from the beginning of Book 3 shows her worrying about her becoming like her parents, only because of her enthusiasm for her wedding. Yet by the time we see the actual wedding...nothing about this wedding seems to have her in mind. It is more the MC's show, and Hana is often just a side character, not her full, equal partner.

This situation improves slightly in TRH, in the sense that the narrative tosses a few scenes where the MC can show she "cares", and Hana's LI scenes give us a few more details about her (such as her love for science fiction, more about her complicated thoughts on her mother, and on motherhood, etc). They add most of the subsequent "growth" and "backstory" in her married!playthrough. In her single!playthrough, you see none of this (except for maybe one moment in the TRH2 library scene), and you also don't get to know what she's doing, where she lives, whether she has been able to explore her sexuality outside of the MC/group. She is in a strange sort of limbo, where nothing seems all that different since she's starting living in Cordonia, yet the narrative wants her to behave as if she's truly satisfied with her life. When honestly everything about her in the original series points to her wanting way, way more than this. And while I wouldn't like Hana not gaining character development in any context, it would have been bearable at least, if they'd tried harder to gain closure for her TRR story overall.

One theory that could explain this somewhat is that with certain LIs (who, the team will claim, don't have the level of popularity than the fan fave) they will work a lot harder on the single playthrough than the LI one (for instance in PM2, the only story Sloane is allowed to have is the alternative with Khaan - to the point where even in her reunion with her mother Hayden was pushed into the forefront...this was esp egregious considering that PM1!Sloane mentioned having such a close connection with Kim). Similarly, James and Kaitlyn from TF had elaborate arcs and diamond scenes to bring them together with other partners - Reyna and Anissa respectively (though I must say that the entire group of LIs got great development and rich storylines, so it didn't sting nearly as much). Luke Harper from D&D, possibly got the worst of it - the romance with Annabelle's sister was written more extensively than his marriage! playthrough ever was...considering the lack of focus on his own family, esp his mother.

So...how does friend!Hana measure up? Her sexuality was hardly mentioned, she spends most of her days in Cordonia doing the MC's homework for her, and the narrative never gave her even a home of her own to go back to when her backbreaking work is done. But I'll probably elaborate on this more in the next section - the MC (and the group).

#poor Hana #Another thing that made me sad was her treatment in TRH for sure #The choice to make Hana infertile was so unnecessary #they could’ve easily just had MC and Hana make a choice to have MC carry the first bb and Hana to carry the 2nd #Hana seemed so excited to be a mom and they did that to her and didn’t even follow up on it as a serious storyline from what I saw #that’s so traumatic for women to deal with

[zoey-wades]

While I’m thinking about it, this cutscene doesn’t even make sense.

Drake, Maxwell, and Tariq were the ones who entered the bar together. Liam was late and showed up a couple minutes later, yet here he is, front and center. He shouldn’t even be in this cutscene.

#that literally doesn’t even make sense for Liam’s character #he was the only one in that scene that was being perfectly normal #sigh

[zoey-wades]

I never realized how many people used Whiam until KLAW. Because, in this circle, everyone uses Bliam and Asian!Liam