Your Character (Foreign Affairs)

Your Character in Foreign Affairs is the main protagonist of the Foreign Affairs book.

Although his/her/their default name is "Kennedy Monroe", the player can choose to name him/her/them as they wish.

Appearance
The appearance of your character is up to the player.

Personality
Although most personality traits are determined by the player, you start off as unsure of what to do in your future. You generally respect your elders or those in higher positions than you, and have spent years in the spotlight playing the part of the 'perfect child'. Although you would have been happy with a low-level position on your mother's reelection campaign, she persuaded you to attend Vancross Institute in hopes you would become more involved in politics and follow in her footsteps.

Background
You continued to live at State Manor when you attended university for your undergraduate years. Your mother had encouraged you to attend Vancross to complete a master's degree program. In a premium scene in Chapter 1, it is revealed that your mom believes the program will lead to some big epiphany for you (again, perhaps one that will convince you to follow in her footsteps). She hopes that you will be able to help her gain support at the Peace Summit that is scheduled to be a few months into the semester. The fact that you enrolled and began to attend Vancross helps your mom's approval rating for her reelection campaign.

Foreign Affairs

 * Chapter 1: First Term Jitters
 * Chapter 2: Political Partying
 * Chapter 3: Revisionist History
 * Chapter 4: Champagne Socialites
 * Chapter 5: Horse Race
 * Chapter 6: Gesture Politics
 * Chapter 7: Bipartisan Showdown
 * Chapter 8: Smoke-Filled Rooms
 * Chapter 9: Fallout
 * Chapter 10: Spin Doctoring
 * Chapter 11: Fishing Expedition
 * Chapter 12: Bully Pulpit
 * Chapter 13: Mending Fences
 * Chapter 14: Whistle Stop
 * Chapter 15: Witch Hunt
 * Chapter 16: Swing Vote

Blaine Hayes
You are caught off-guard upon the revelation that Ardona, your country's biggest rival, was sending a politician's child to Vancross this school year. Since you haven't seen a recent picture of Blaine Hayes since he/she was a child with a dorky haircut and braces, his/her appearance takes you by surprise on the day you arrive at Vancross Institute. He/She doesn't recognize you either, initially under the impression that you were a part of Dionne's "fanclub". Dionne notices the sparks flying between you two, but it's your choice whether or not to pursue Blaine romantically. If you choose to romance him/her, you have the chance to kiss him/her in a premium scene of Chapter 1. After finding out that Blaine is the First Son/Daughter of Ardona, you're angered by how easy it was for him/her to lie to you. Rutherland and Ardona's feud dates back to the 18th century, but Blaine tells you he/she doesn't buy into the rivalry and is surprised that you do.

At the end of Chapter 2, Professor Masako assigns Blaine as your partner for your World History group project. You fear your working together could spark a war between your countries, something Ayna believes is an exaggeration. Upon finding out that she's your new advisor, you unsuccessfully try to ask Ayna to swap partners. Regardless of your choice to take Ayna up on her offer to share some advice with you over coffee, you and Blaine are unable to stop bickering. To amend this, Blaine proposes that the two of you take a walk in each other's shoes by swapping phones. If you agree, you find out he/she was forced to volunteer at an animal shelter due to punching a photographer, but eventually grew to like it and kept going back. When you scroll through his/her photos, you find a picture of his/her ex. You also read through the texts from Blaine's mother and find out she is like your mother.

During the charity polo match, you run into Blaine in the stables before the game. Upon him/her telling you that your horse is on the slower side, you can decide to enlist his/her help in selecting a different horse. Blaine finally opens up to you about the expulsion scare after the hospital trip, revealing that he/she disabled some alarms in the faculty dorm to access the balconies. After the debate project is concluded, you and your friends sneak out to go clubbing. You have the option to dance with Blaine and share a romantic moment afterward.

If you have at least 3 diplomacy points with Blaine, he/she will defend you at school in the midst of your scandal. You will have the opportunity to sneak out with him/her in Chapter 9 and 10 if he/she is your mystery lover. At Camp Eirene, you can go skiing with Blaine and steal a moment together if you manage to evade the paparazzi.

For a while, having had been too busy dealing with the percussions of the attack, you aren't able to find time to talk to Blaine. He/She sneaks through the window during dinner one night to surprise you with some Ardonian cuisine. You have the opportunity to have dinner with Blaine and learn more about his/her family.

Tatum Mendoza
You and Tatum were best friends since childhood, although you lost contact when he left for the army five years ago. You tried to keep in touch through letters, but eventually life caught up and the letters stopped. You two are reunited when Tatum is assigned to be your bodyguard, but he is very different than what you remember. You're unable to read him and you try your best to get him to talk to you like normal friends, but your attempts mostly fail. If you decide to get a breath of fresh air with him at the Soiree of Nations party, he tells you that he never wanted to come back, that the post of guarding you isn't what he would have chosen for himself. However, being a Presidential Guardsman is a "cushy" job compared to some of his other options so he makes the best of it.

You try to remind him about how he liked to joke around, and you even get him to smile when you bring up when McDermonts got rid of their rib sandwich. He is aware of your strenuous relationship with your mother and comforts you when you confide in him.

In Chapter 4, he invites you to play poker with him and the other bodyguards, which you can choose to accept. After the game, he tells you how he and you used to be on the same page and used to be equals, despite his dad being a driver for your mom. However, when he came back from the army, he realized what you've been surrounded by and how the army is nothing like it. In Chapter 6, you stumble upon an ice cream shop that reminds the two of you of the shop you loved as children. You can choose to get ice cream with him. He opens up about how difficult it is to be your new head of security. At Camp Eirene, you can choose to go skiing with Tatum and steal a moment together if you manage to evade the paparazzi.

When you are attacked by masked assailants at the ski resort, Tatum is shaken up as well. He partially blames himself. saying Camp Eirene security had made your security detail sloppy. Paranoid, he offers to drive you back to Vancross a day early. Upon the conclusion of your class ski trip, the dean and your professor visit your dorm. The interaction is awkward and unsettling, leading you to wonder if the two are untrustworthy and may also be working with Ayna's contact. Tatum voices similar concerns. Exasperated, you wonder if you can trust anyone at this point. To this, Tatum responds that you can trust him. He mentions how he still feels responsible he hadn't taught you how to defend yourself before the trip. He offers to teach you some basic self-defense if you choose to learn.

Ayna Seth
Ayna is one of your love interests as well as a teacher's assistant at Vancross. You first meet her in Professor Masako's class, where she gives your first World History class lecture and you apologize to her for talking during class. Later, you run into each other at the Soiree of Nations, where she is sent by campus security to investigate the disruption. You convince her to cut you and your fellow partygoers some slack, and she even joins the festivities. In Chapter 3, she becomes your advisor and you talk to her after you find out you're partnered with Blaine. Although she appears to be receptive, she says her hands are tied. She offers to take you out for coffee and give you advice on how to deal with Blaine. Should you accept, she encourages you to look at these 'opportunities for diplomacy' with more empathy. You're able to use this advice later on.

After you finish up at the hospital in Chapter 6, you find Ayna talking to one of the older patients. You eavesdrop and wonder how Ayna knows so much about colon cancer and its treatment. You have to the option to go skiing with Ayna at the resort. Along the way, you're ambushed by a paparazzo. If you successfully escape the paparazzi with Ayna's help, the two of you share a moment.

Following a heated argument with your mother over the phone, you head out for some fresh air when you run into Ayna. She immediately shows concern over your clear affliction. She suggests for you to take a walk to the lake as it would be an excellent remedy to your troubles. After you are attacked there, you remember that only one person knew your whereabouts before the attack: Ayna. You confront her. She expresses remorse and admits that she's been feeding her contact information about you since the beginning of the year.

Later, she shows up at your dorm looking to make amends. You ask her what information she's leaked to her contact, to which she admits she was encouraged to cause a scandal. You piece together that that was the reason she partnered you up with Blaine for the project. She had also given the press blueprints of the campus which contained details of secret tunnels. The night of the scandal, she tipped off her contact that you had left the dinner early and assumed the tunnels were how the paparazzo got away from the scene so fast. Desperate to get back in your good graces, she begs you for the chance to explain her side of the story. You can choose whether or not to listen to her explanation. If you do, she takes you to the hospital on 28th Street. There you meet her dad, who was diagnosed with stage three colon cancer the year before. She explains that her contact offered to pay for her dad's treatment. After a short conversation with her dad, you have the opportunity to forgive her.

Mom
Although you love your mother, you feel pressured to live up to the high expectations she has of you. All it takes is one phone call from her to make you feel like a little kid again despite the fact that you're an adult who is capable of your own decisions. She has a tendency to prioritize her work over you, which is made clear when she is unable to drop you off at Vancross due to a meeting. You also reveal to Dionne that your mom has used more than a few personal moments for political capital as well. From the get go, it is clear that your actions can make or break her reelection campaign. While you do cut your mother some slack for her general disinterest in you whenever politics isn't involved, you'd be lying if you said that you didn't feel like a political tool sometimes. You wish you could tell her to be your mom first and the president second, but that's easier said than done.

When she discovers that you've been talking to Blaine, she immediately voices her disapproval. When you're seen with Blaine at Dionne's birthday dinner, she calls to reprimand you for spending time with him/her. Knowing how easily the voters in Rutherland react to the sheer mention of Adrona, you can either reassure your mom you won't spend time with Blaine in public or that you won't let her down.

On Parents' Weekend, you are forced to come clean about going out to party after the debate. You're surprised when she doesn't scold you, to which she responds that you're an adult now and therefore don't need to make up excuses to have fun. If anything, she explains that she's more grateful than upset considering you're spending time with her when you probably can barely keep your eyes open. Your reunion is short-lived when she leaves during dinner to respond to one of Lewis Wright's campaign moves. Frustrated, you storm off. When she receives word from Agent Demarco that you had gone missing, she immediately returns to campus. You pull her aside to tell her about the impending scandal that threatens to break loose. You do not disclose the identity of the other party involved, causing her to lash out and threaten to invade your privacy by looking through your phone.

To make matters worse, she calls you in the middle of your ski trip, notifying you of her worsening approval numbers. Your futile attempt to alleviate her worries fall short. You explain that Rutherland and its voters will come to their senses before the election, but your mom shuts that theory down immediately. Although she admits to have underestimated Wright and his appeal, she blames you for her generally unsuccessful campaign. She complains that your scandal has given him leverage over the election. She lashes out at you and, no matter what, you aren't able to contain your anger. You berate her over the attention from the press, the constant pressures of her career on you, and her unwillingness to support your newfound "relationship." Furious, you tell her you hope Lewis Wright wins and hang up the call before she has the chance to defend herself. This sets off a chain of events that leads to you being ambushed at a lake near the resort.

Back at Vancross after the attack, your mom has flown in. Distressed by the possibility that your argument could have been the last conversation the two of you had, she promises to be a better parent. Despite the apology you choose not to tell her or Winston about Ayna's betrayal, worried you'll just give your mother more ammunition to use against you. In an effort to mend your broken relationship, your mother relocates her next fundraiser so that the location is closer to campus. She offers an olive branch, inviting both you and your friends to the event.

Dionne Serrano
Dionne is your suitemate. After introductions, she goes on to tell you that she has taken the bigger bedroom. No matter how you respond, she is delighted to find that you don't bend over backwards for her because she's royalty and decides to give you a campus tour. Before you find out that Tatum is your new head of security, you think about how grateful you are to have met Dionne since you don't have close friends.

Dionne lives vicariously through you, with a particular interest in your love life. She invites you to a State Dinner (which turns out to be her birthday party) in Pavadena in Chapter 3. You can choose to bake her a traditional birthday cake. You, Dionne, Evelyn, and Henri are assigned to the same team in the charity polo match. Due to Evelyn and Henri arguing over tactics during the match, you and Dionne are forced to take charge.

When news of your scandal breaks out, Dionne offers to throw an impromptu sleepover. If you accept, she eagerly presses you on the subject of your mystery lover, which you hesitate to reveal any information about until she correctly assumes their identity. Whether or not you take the premium option with her, she already has her suspicions. Additionally, she defends you when the other Vancross students are stirring up drama. Dionne also goes through the trouble to set up a surprise date for you during your fake date with Evelyn or Alexei.

During the aftermath of the ambush, you avoid your classmates for the remainder of the trip. Back at your dorm, Dionne demands an explanation. You try to avoid the topic, but she is relentless. She brings up your doubled security detail as a point of concern. Although you hesitate initially, you realize that if you can't even trust Dionne, then there's nobody else left to trust. With this in mind, you tell her the whole story.

Winston Torres
Winston is your mother's political advisor and chief of staff. You appear to be close, even cracking jokes with each other regardless of the typical employer-employee relationship. He regularly checks in with you at Vancross. Once news of your escapade makes it to the front page of Voyeur, your mom demands you reveal who the other person was. Winston steps in and deescalates the situation, offering to help spin the story. Mom reluctantly agrees, but orders Winston to stay at Vancross with you. When the first attempt to salvage your image goes awry, he comforts you.

After the ski trip, your mom and Winston have flown in to discuss further action. He catches you up to speed on the interrogations at hand. He tries to connect Ardona to the attack but is careful as to not reveal his hand so early. Winston suggests postponing or canceling the Peace Summit.

Lewis Wright
Lewis Wright is your mom's opponent in her reelection campaign. You first see him at Pavadena's State Dinner trying to make political connections with the Serranos. From what your friends tell you, you deduce that he's been talking to the royals in the region for political leverage. After seeing that you're unable to sit through the dinner without worrying about Wright, Dionne pulls you over to her parents' table to intervene. You are formally introduced to him. He comments on your budding friendship with Blaine. How you respond to this accusation determines how Dionne's parents and their guests react. If they are pleased with your answer, Wright is angry.

Body Type 1

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Body Type 2

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Miscellaneous

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Trivia

 * A version of MC is shown on the cover of Foreign Affairs.
 * If the default surname is kept, his/her/their mother and he/she/they will share the same surname as Bishop Monroe from the Desire & Decorum series and the default surname of Rival Matchmaker from Ms. Match.
 * Given the political setting and "scandal" alluded in the first chapter, the default name of Kennedy Monroe is likely referencing the thirty-fifth president of the United States, John F. Kennedy, and the actress Marilyn Monroe.
 * The books reuses three of the female faces from Veil of Secrets and three of the male faces from The Elementalists series.
 * This is the first MC in the Choices franchise who can be non-binary. They are also the first MC who can be transgender.
 * In Chapter 1, it is mentioned that Rutherland is one of the most powerful nations in Western Europe.
 * He/she/they are shown to be a fan of Emerald Phan in a premium scene in Chapter 3.
 * In Chapter 8, Mom reveals that your father is deceased.
 * You are trained in many aspects of political life, such as dancing.
 * You and Tatum would go to Ice Cream King as children. You would always order the Brownie Sandwich. You also used to sneak into the State Manor kitchens for ice cream.
 * If you choose to sneak out on your fake date, you mention that you used to love going to drive-in theaters back home.
 * If you choose to sneak out on your fake date, you mention that you used to love going to drive-in theaters back home.