User blog:General Khor/Let's talk about: Default and Forced Love Interests

Hello and welcome to another discussion blog by General Khor. Ok, I know it's been over a week since my last blog, and I promised to release this one last Friday, but in all the excitement because of the latest chapters, especially due to the release of Queen B Book 2, I forgot about it. I know, it's a really stupid reason, and I apologise for that. So today, we're going to talk about forced love interests, as the title says.

Overview
Everyone hates forced LIs, right? After all, when LIs are shoved into our faces when we don't want them, the main point of Choices will be missed, after all LI choice is the one most important choice every Choices player cares about, so it's no surprise that the introduction of single LI books has drawn much flak from the fandom. After all, giving us only one LI is akin to forcing us into an arranged marriage. And come to think of it, with only one LI, marriage is all but certain and inevitable (that is if the LI doesn't die). So there you have it, what every straight girl romance fan wants: "girl meets boy, girl pursues boy, girl marries boy" stories. But as we've all seen, even with multi-LI books, the devs keep pushing one towards fans, no matter how hard said fans try to run away.

So what makes an LI forced? He (yes, it's more often than not a he) must fulfill these criteria:


 * 1) The devs love him,
 * 2) the fans hate him,
 * 3) yet the story keeps focusing on him,
 * 4) and the creators and other characters keep singing praises of him, or otherwise telling fans how great he is (this is known as character shilling)

In TV Tropes, these characters are known as "creator's pets".

But then there are some stories, where none of the LIs are actually forced, but one of them seems to be the "default" LI. There are several reasons for this: maybe he's the MC's boss, or maybe he saves the MC from the Big Bad. Whatever the reason, as Nectaris7 put it, these LIs are pretty much the deuteragonists of their stories (some of them, at least), so of course the devs want fans to choose them. These characters are otherwise known as "developer's desired dates". Now, without further ado, let's get into the list.

List of Default/Forced LIs

 * The Freshman: Chris, at least in the first book. This problem seems to go away in subsequent books.
 * The Royal Franchise: Liam, of course! After all, the story starts off with us competing for his hand, and even if we don't choose him, our child still becomes his heir.
 * Endless Summer: Jake. Apparently, it's much easier to earn points and build up a relationship with him compared to the others.
 * #LoveHacks: Mark, after all he's a playable character on top of being the MC's longtime friend, while the other two only join the gang in the last third of Book 1.
 * Hero: Kenji, with Grayson being kept in the dark and Eva only being properly introduced in the last third.
 * HSS: Class Act: Gary Stu/Mary Sue Silva, who else? After all, s/he is our next door neighbour and childhood friend. The reason I refuse to call him/her by his/her real name is because s/he is one of those LIs who is qualified for the title of creator's pet. Worse, the story seems to be written for female MC and Gary Stu. I mean, we're supposed to be Miranda and he's supposed to be Ferdinand in Book 3, and this is the most glaring piece of evidence.
 * Perfect Match: Hayden, sort of. S/he is undoubtedly the deuteragonist of the series, having the most free romantic scenes and all, even though the plot relevance only comes after the reveal that s/he's a robot.
 * Bloodbound: Adrian, of course! And it's not just because he's our boss. Apparently, it's also because he plays a role in Jax and Lily's storylines, while Kamilah is a supporting character in his storyline.
 * Veil of Secrets: Flynn the badass sidekick. After all, as the brother of the damsel in distress, he has a personal stake in the story.
 * Home for the Holidays: Nick the Grinch, our cold-hearted boss, who we accompany throughout his stay in Winter Haven.
 * America's Most Eligible: Adam, and it's not just because he's the easiest to earn points and build up a relationship with out of the contestants. Apparently, if you read his diary, you'll discover that he's already in love with you. Book 2 places a lot of focus on Jen though.
 * The Heist: Monaco: Sonia, sort of. Despite being on the enemy's side, her LI route is the only one integrated into the plot.
 * Desire & Decorum: Sinclaire, who else? And it's not just because he saves and protects us from Richards. Apparently, he's also the kind of suitor Regency society would approve for us: a white British high society guy.
 * A Courtesan of Rome: Syphax, and it's not only because he's our bodyguard who supports our quest for vengeance. Apparently, the dialogue implies he and the MC have been intimate even if we don't choose him. Later chapters shift the focus to Cassius and Antony though.
 * Big Sky Country: Romeo Oakley, of course! After all, we're staying on his ranch, we get the most free options with him (the other LIs' routes are heavily paywalled) and his dad entrusted the ranch to us. The reason I prefer calling him Romeo is that I wish we can ship him with Juliet so that we can run off with Dallas or Asha. Besides, he's yet another creator's pet.
 * The Elementalists: Buckett, who else? Yet another creator's pet who has so much screen time that the other LIs are deprived of it. Come to think of it, this is one of the factors that led to the series' cancellation.
 * Ride or Die: Logan, the Bad Boy who introduces us to the criminal underworld, so he's no doubt the deuteragonist of the story. Later chapters shift some of the focus to Colt though.
 * Open Heart: Ethan Freaking Ramsey, who else? And it's not just because he's our boss, not to mention the fact he deprived the other LIs of screen time in subsequent books. Apparently, the narrative focuses on him opening his heart to us. Yeah, I know your middle name doc, but I'm still calling you Ethan Freaking Ramsey, simply because apparently, fans view you as PB's most beloved pet.
 * Passport to Romance: Elliot, who is the only LI to have a subplot. Ok, actually Marisa also has one, it's just that it's resolved before the end.
 * Nightbound: Nik, of course, simply because he's our bodyguard who introduces us to the supernatural world. In fact, he's undoubtedly the story's deuteragonist, so that's understandable.
 * Wishful Thinking: Aubrey, simply because he's our colleague.
 * Platinum: Avery does get a lot of focus as our mentor, but the narrative ultimately favours Raleigh, apparently because of the fake date and all, which gives his route the most opportunities to earn fans, and we can earn more fans in his route than even Avery's.
 * Sunkissed: Nate, who else? Apparently, being a lifeguard gives him more opportunities to hang out with us.
 * Bachelorette Party: Aisha, whose case is similar to Mark's. You know, longtime friend, one of the gang and all that. Not to mention the fact that the plot revolves around a briefcase which she has to deliver to the Norwegian mob. A rare case of a female default LI.
 * Mother of the Year: Thomas, of course! And it's not just because he's our hero who saves us and especially our daughter from Guy and Vanessa. Apparently, he's also the only LI who confesses his feelings for us even if we don't choose him.
 * Baby Bump: Clint, of course, simply because he's the father of our children. To be honest, the devs should have allowed us to choose who the father is.
 * Distant Shores: Edward, who else? And it's not just because he's the captain. Apparently, his relationship with us is integral to the plot even if we don't choose him, not to mention the plot revolves around his fight with Admiral Cochrane, so he's no doubt the deuteragonist in this story.
 * Queen B: Kingsley, of course! If you're wondering why I'm calling you just that, professor, it's because you're yet another creator's pet.
 * Foreign Affairs: Blaine, who else? You know this story, political Romeo and Juliet and all. Worse, the story seems to be written for Blaine Montague and Kennedy Capulet.
 * The Unexpected Heiress: John, of course, after all we're supposed to marry his brother.
 * Wolf Bride: Bastien, who else? Not only because he's the alpha, but also because of that stupid bond.
 * Slow Burn: Flynt, of course, after all s/he's the chef and we're his/her assistant.
 * Laws of Attraction: Gaze Ricci, at least in Book 1. The problem seems to go away in Book 2.

Conclusion
In a nutshell, now I know why most players, including most of you on the wiki, choose those LIs on the list, and it's not just because he's the first LI we meet or featured on the covers. You don't just learn things in school, you learn more about the game the more you play it, and something more in case of Choices. But then again, I still stand by my word that shoving LIs we don't want into our faces is just not right.

So, do you agree with my discussion? What are your opinions on this? Let me know in the comments. That's all for today, until then, this is General Khor. The end, and thank you for reading.