it makes me feel a kind of way when i see SSO complaints that are just players not understanding very basic game and business logic.

"why don't they add XYZ?" SSO's framework is over a decade old, it has limitations as to what they can do.

"why are there always bugs when an update is released?" because not all bugs can be found in testing. this happens with every single game out there; there are singleplayer games from 15 years ago still getting bug fixes to this day.

"why does Star Rider cost $80?" you are getting over a DECADE of content, in the form of areas, quests, and star rider exclusives, as well as a weekly allowance of paid currency, for LIFE! A MAJORITY of MMOs charge annually ONLY, and a lot of those also charge you for new areas in the form of expansions on top of being billed monthly, half-yearly, or yearly.

"why don't they just remake SSO?" That's like deciding to tear down a mansion because you want to add a room onto it. Building games is HARD. And it costs a LOT of money.

"why does everything cost star coins, or a ridiculous amount of shillings?" because most of the playerbase bought lifetime membership YEARS ago; those funds have LONG since been used. SSE's revenue is mostly likely coasting on star coin sales.

"why isn't SSE more transparent about things?" Probably because of how consistently there's backlash to the smallest things. It doesn't look good for interested new players when your playerbase is actively hostile about the game, especially on official posts. The best damage control is to not cause damage in the first place.

SSE aren't saints or without fault, but I will say. I've been playing consistently for almost a year now, and they have fulfilled every promise they've made so far. And it's A LOT considering what was the starting product. Enjoy what we have! Celebrate the progress! And continue to anticipate and encourage what's to come!

Random Wilderness Encounters (1d100)

Here’s a complete list of my Wilderness Encounters (#1-5)! After this I’ll be posting Random Town Encounters. If you guys want other environments let me know! (Ocean, Island, Mountain, Underworld, ???)

[1] A friendly stray dog appears, when asked to speak the dog has a lot to share [2] Materializing out of thin air, a magician appears claiming one of the party members is their long lost cousin. Surely this must be a mistake? [3] The sky above turns into a strange hue, birds begin flying in strange patterns in response [4] Copper sign on a large oak tree warns of a dangerous beast that hunts in the area [5] Strange traveling merchant appears selling exotic fish and unique magical spices. They’re desperate for loyal customers, surely this won’t be the last the party sees of them [6] There is a shift in the aura, the party have crossed into a large-scale summoning circle [7] A faint tune is heard, a pleasant and somewhat familiar whistling. But only half of the party can hear it [8] The trees appear to be sickly, covered in an acidic substance. The source of the infection lies deeper within the woods. It is hungry [9] Ruins of an abandoned town lie before you, only a few decades old. What awaits within the shadows? [10] A strange marketplace is stationed near a spring, all the merchants seem to be friendly but you can’t help but feel like something suspicious is going down… [11] The temperature drops to an insanely low degree almost immediately. Destroyed trees and earth lie ahead covered in ice crystals and blood [12] A carriage rides toward you in the distance, the driver smiles and waves. As they pass by, a tied up body wriggles and falls out of the carriage [13] Pointed plant spurs shower the party attaching to their clothes, they are difficult to remove and grow in size very rapidly [14] The aroma of baked goods floods your nose, it’s rich and enticing. A colossal sized monster is baking goods in a makeshift oven near a river [15] Goblins camping on a hill loudly argue about a dishonest game of cards. Looks like their betting pool is full of interesting treasure [16] Forest spirits glow and awaken as the party enters their domain. The spirits offer a safe way through the forest as long as they promise not to steal any of the enchanted flowers within [17] A wounded Minotaur rests against a tree slipping in and out of consciousness [18] Blessed by a beautiful night, the party gaze upon a shooting star. It glows brightly, increasing with size as it makes contact with the earth itself not too far away [19] Travel is pleasant until the party notices their packs seem to be lessening in weight [20] Twin travelers, no more than 6 years of age, approach the party lost and scared. They refuse to let anyone open up their knapsacks [21] A band of muggers attack the party, they are completely drunk and can barely hold a dagger [22] It seems you’ve stumbled onto the hidden base of an Alchemist, strange abominations infused with Chromatic Orbs guard the premise [23] “Huh. That’s weird, did that plant just move or was it just me?” [24] While scavenging for food, you stumble upon an adorable but frightened rabbit. Every time it sneezes it changes forms, starting with Owlbear [25] An abandoned grain mill provides some convenient shelter for the night. Inside the mill the party discover a complex mechanical endoskeleton, the rusted metal gears creak uneasily [26] Nearby, a crowd has gathered around a clay golem without a master. The crowd watches, enchanted as the golem paints masterpieces. The paint has a strange property… [27] Two Monsters are locked in combat, bloodied and breathing heavily. It seems their glorious duel is one of honor, maybe bet on a winner? [28] A Dragon flies overhead holding onto a hoard of gold and treasures. A sudden change in direction causes a piece of their treasure to fall [29] Dozens of fish with human legs crawl out of a lake. This school of peculiar fish seem to be on a mission [30] Rock music is heard in the distance followed by bouts of cheering, strange aromas fill the air. It seems you are approaching a Music Festival [31] You’ve wandered onto the premises of a camp for young Wizards. A Wizarding tournament is taking place and things get very dangerous, very fast [32] A cobblestone bridge stretches across a deep ravine. An Orc guarding the bridge demands you pay the toll, fortunately it is very small. After crossing the bridge you simply cannot remember where you are or where you’re going- Oh, a hey! A bridge! (And repeat) [33] A Mage stands in front of an unfinished tower. Upon seeing the party, they ask for assistance [34] A few hundred feet ahead, a strange house on wheels attached to two horses is parked on the side of the road. The house is somewhat destroyed but a sign on the roof is visible, “The Legendary Vagabond’s Sensational Creature Exhibit” [35] The ground below rumbles as a Monster emerges catching one of the party members in their teeth [36] In the center of the forest clearing, an abandoned field of flowers sway. These strange flowers are growing out the decayed body of a Dryad [37] A wild chicken jumps out of the bushes, it’s beak covered in blood. Surely this chicken is no threat, right? [38] Seated beside the river shore, an ethereal creature weeps. They reveal themselves as a Demigod with daddy issues [39] Hungrily, a non-traditional Chimera stalks the party. The beast is stitched together poorly [40] Inside the log of a fallen tree lies a poorly concealed treasure chest full of stolen loot. I’m sure nobody will mind if we take it? [41] Mysterious beasts occupy a dark hollow inside a hill, they want to play a bizarre game with promise of a grand reward [42] A sleeping Cyclops presents an awkward obstacle for the party, sleeping on the path. Nothing seems to be waking them and going around them is dangerous due to the environment [43] A nearby earthquake collapses the ground, revealing some glowing ore [44] Rotted flora is everywhere, upon further inspection this rot spreads out for miles [45] Wonderful! A village! Oh and everyone here is so nice… New mayors? Oh no, you must be mistaken! Oh, you’re certain? Well then [46] Lightning strikes the ground creating a dimensional rift. Certain conditions must have been met for this to have happened. Why not investigate? [47] Faint, indescribable sounds are heard from every direction. As you leave the dense foliage you discover beasts and Monsters of all types in cages. Welcome to the zoo [48] Little miss spider sips on some cider, eating her curds and whey. Along came the party, all powerful and hearty who scared miss spider away… You guys should probably apologize [49] A few tattered shacks sit beside the open road, nothing of interest is found within. The only thing to note is that they seem to be breathing… [50] Something straight out of Monster Factory is now stalking the party. Are they friend or foe? [51] A poet down on their luck bumps into the party. Did I mention they’re a Beholder? Let’s hope somebody can inspire this beast, or else [52] Just outside the village a group of angsty Bards are practicing their instruments. Their music is loud and dangerous, they don’t seem to understand a thing about Bardic magic [53] The coolest wizard you’ve ever seen dogsleds past your crew, spraying them with glittering ice. Did I mention it’s summer? [54] Just ahead, you see a ruined castle covered in moss and vines overlooking a quiet lake [55] Looks like a small creature has found its way into someone’s pack. This menace has eaten all of your rations and drank all of their booze! [56] YUCK! A swarm of bugs have gotten the best of your party. Fortunately, only one of you was bitten. Unfortunately, it looks like now they’ve developed a new, very unfortunate allergy [57] Blistering heat has rendered your whole party sweaty and exhausted, movement is quite difficult. I sure hope some baddies don’t show up right now [58] The unluckiest member of your party has their luck turned around, they found a precious jewel lodged in the dirt. They feel inspired [59] The unluckiest member of your party continues their trend of haplessness, they find a precious jewel lodged in the dirt. It whispers to them at night, haunting their dreams [60] After a hearty sleep the party awaken to find that they’ve been sleeping on top of a buried tomb [61] A large scale battle is taking place, bodies everywhere. Wait, this doesn’t seem to be a battlefield but a serious LARP session [62] Rusted weapons have been lazily discarded into a sunken pit. As the party approaches they discover this heap of weapons is actually somebody, or something’s collection [63] A drunken Necromancer attempts to impress the party by casting hazardous spells [64] Arrows fire at the party from behind. Someone’s been hired to take them out [65] For the past few hours you’ve felt as if someone has been watching you from afar. A Druid has been tracking your party. Outsiders are rare in this forest [66] A group Merchants are completely lost. Neither of them can remember anything from their past [67] Religious statues are placed haphazardly around the area, nothing is out of the ordinary until the sun goes down [68] Dozens of animated skeletons are exercising and doing some really intense yoga [69] Beside a babbling brook, a young cow drinks alone. They’re irresistibly adorable [70] An uneventful day of travel, the weather is calm the trees are- THUD! WHAT THE- The party leader has bumped into something invisible [71] All metal objects are intensely pulled toward an unknown source. Steel weapons and armor don’t stand a chance [72] It appears resting on that rock was quite the mistake. The stone rumbles and animates, grumpy and combative [73] Meditating on floating chunks of earth is a powerful looking Monk. They claim to have been awaiting the party’s arrival. The Monk issues a challenge, a test of strength [74] You’ve somehow stumbled onto a delightful Toad farm. Do you think a Witch lives around here or is there just a Toad enthusiast in these parts? [75] The morning sun stirs you awake to an unexpected scene. You and your friends have been tied up and kidnapped, seated in the back of a caravan. It smells oddly of pickled vegetables [76] A fishing contest is being held at the lake. The grand prize is a shockingly large sum of currency [77] It is a moonless night, travel is nearly impossible. As the party decide to sleep for the night, glowing is seen in the distance. When investigated the glowing creature is seemingly friendly and it attempts to guide the party through the night [78] Forest fairies are holding a festival for their gods, they invite the party to join [79] ACHOO! The pollen in the air is really strong… Wait… Are those trees growing or are we shrinking? Of course we’re shrinking! Why wouldn’t we be shrinking!? [80] In order to pass through this forest unharmed you must answer the goddess’s riddle. Unfortunately for the party she speaks a dead language, they hear only strange whispers [81] A group of Goblins attack! After giving them a good licking you run into them again. And again… And again. Maybe we should just make peace with these dorks [82] Introduce the most ridiculous NPC and have them stuck in some quicksand. Really let their character shine through, whether they are stupidly entertaining or horribly unbearable [83] A strange light glows in the distance on top of a mountain. Is this a sign of good fortune or something much more sinister? [84] A lone child plays the flute in the forest, they appear almost ethereal. It is a haunting melody [85] Shattered Gargoyles sit in an overgrown garden, a treasure chest lies among the rubble [86] Pick your favorite Cryptid and make them canonical to your world. Have the beast stalk the party for mysterious cryptic reasons. And yes, the Loch Ness Monster is an excellent choice [87] The forest clearing leads to a crystal clear freshwater lake. In the depths of the water something terrifying is waiting to be discovered [88] Two hyper intelligent, talking rabbits stop the party in their tracks. All they request are some books to read [89] A tree, twice as tall as the others appears to be growing… Weapons? (All of those are cursed, of course) [90] Next to the road, a group of Archaeologists are taking dirt samples. They’re convinced they will find some buried artifacts in the area. They are willing to pay a ridiculous sum of money if you give them some assistance, just as long as you keep this whole thing to yourselves [91] Resting through the night was very pleasant for the party leader. When they attempt to greet their comrades, they have found themselves in a bed a long ways away from their resting point [92] Dried up lake beds and decaying trees among a field of animal bones. You have reached the outside of a Necromancer’s circle [93] Orcs with a sense of humor attempt to prank the party. Their prank is perfectly harmless, it involves just a little bit of bottled unicorn piss [94] Travel is impossible on this moonless night. Unfortunately, sleeping until morning does not solve the situation, nighttime persists indefinitely [95] A colorful formation on the side of the mountain piques your interest. Inside lies the abandoned home of a giant and it is full of unique treasure. Let’s just hope something else hasn’t taken residence within the forgotten halls [96] Tons of bubblegum covers the roads, it is awful to travel through. The source of this mishap is a young Wizard with a sweet tooth [97] Crashed into the side of a plateau, a metallic construct with strange markings and glowing lights. Surely this isn’t an actual extraterrestrial? [98] While foraging for food, the party find a path of mushrooms leading into a dense Fungal Forest. Rare and undiscovered fungi grow within [99] The most obnoxious bard in the world joins the party at their campfire. They claim to be weak and in need of good company, offering booze to win them over. Did I mention this bard is an infamous necromancer on the run? Yeah, that might be important to know [100] Have you ever heard of the Adventure Zone? Well, Taako, Magnus and Merle have suddenly found themselves into your campaign. They are completely lost

"In sandy soil, when deep you delve, you reach the springs below; The more you learn, the freer streams of wisdom flow." - Kural 396, Thirukkural, Thiruvalluvar.

Hana's first truly individual scene in Book 3 follows the pattern that a number of her diamond scenes have followed: learn from Hana, use her skills, get her insight to gain an advantage. These scenes are usually my favourite, because often Hana gets to give us an insight both into courtly life and into her inner mindscape.

The Cordonian Waltz scene gives us an insight into her broken engagement, the Moonflower Scene into her dilemma between staying true to herself and not being able to let go of her parents yet, and the Patisserie and Champagne scenes allow us to view her at different phases of her journey towards self actualization.

The Polo scene is, likewise, meant to improve the MC's skillset and provide her with an added edge in the next day's fundraising match. As is the case with dancing, baking, modelling, ice-skating and dressage, polo was one among the many skills Hana learned in order to bag a noble suitor. Skills whose uses she is beginning to question now.

Polo Moves

Playing polo for Portavira is not entirely about winning a match - it's about putting up a show worth watching for the crowd. This is a benefit match, meant to raise funds for the disaster-struck area, and it doesn't matter so much who wins or loses as it matters that people get their money's worth watching it.

Hana's gift does not lie simply in knowing how to impart skills, but in knowing which skills to impart. She understands the context of this match and what is truly important - she anticipates the needs of their audience and helps the MC deliver accordingly. Her polo lesson is as much about artistry and performance as it is about winning this match.

Hana imparts three important pieces of advice that will help us gain an advantage during the match: one focussed on the game aspect, and the other two on entertaining the crowd.

"Watch the line of the ball" helps the MC figure out how to ensure that she strikes a goal and wins. Her advice that "you can only cross [the ball's] path if there's no chance of someone running into you, or if no other players have the right of way" becomes effective in the match when the MC races Maxwell to the ball, understanding that if she distracts him adequately (either by mentioning a corgi or a dance party) she can earn sole right of way and score for her team. This allows the former Queen Regina, who is mostly silent the rest of the match, to compliment the MC on her skills ("what a play!").

The half-pass is primarily a well-known and often-judged dressage move, and a very challenging one. Unlike the easier leg yield - where the horse is bent only slightly away from the direction of travel - the half-pass is seen as more advanced, requiring greater balance, engagement, and collection from the horse. Denise Cummins, in her website The Thinking Equestrian, describes the half-pass thus: "The half-pass is not a trick. It is a skilled movement that requires the horse to have the proper muscle development and agility".

Essentially, Hana has managed to teach the MC an immensely difficult - and risky, were it a different horse (the MC's personal steed, if she has bought it, is a Derby champion and has proven to be skilled enough for dressage routines) - skill in the course of a single night.

Teaching this dressage move benefits the MC and her horse into two ways: it allows her horse to wow the crowd, and the "diagonal motion" ensures she reaches the ball before Neville does. The half-pass is more about the agility of the horse than it is about the grace or skills of the rider, so teaching her this move allows the crowd to "applaud [the horse's] elegant gait".

The other secret move that Hana passes on is one of her own invention: the windmill. She exhibits this skill when the MC asks her if there are moves she - and not just her horse - can exhibit to win over the crowd. Hana acknowledges that "riders don't usually do anything showy" but nevertheless has the perfect trick up her sleeve:

I think this tells us a lot more about Hana's intuition and perceptiveness than it does about her polo-playing skills. While yes, this move is largely a mark of her creativity and initiative, it also shows us her ability to go above and beyond the game itself to think of what could entertain the audience. For the windmill is a move that was clearly invented to be a crowd-pleaser, to draw attention to the player. This is a move that relies as much on dramatics and showmanship as on timing, allows the MC to look good, and is easy for the crowd to do as well.

If one opts for this diamond scene and gets the additional option of exhibiting this move, it results not only in the crowd enjoying it but also emulating it. Dozens of people are described "mimicking the 'windmill' with handheld flags and anything they can find at hand". Hana definitely knows what the people on the stands are looking for in a match, and is able to mould her skills to deliver just that - and in this lies her biggest gift. I will elaborate on this in a later section.

Skills and Passions

Before I go into the crux of this section - which is what Hana knows vs what interests her, I'd like to look back at a very interesting point Liam made about Hana in his Diplomacy diamond scene:

Hana's a tough one. She's clearly had the kind of lessons I'm giving you now, and then some. Her posture's almost always polite and attentive...but when she feels strongly about something, you can sense her real feelings even before she speaks up. Her eyes grow darker and more serious.

While the book does not explicitly mention her eyes, there is a clear change of tone when Hana is talking about skills she has picked up, versus things she is passionate about. Compare, for instance, the way she speaks about ice skating to piano:

(Screenshots from the Abhirio YouTube channel)

Throughout the books, we see Hana adopt a largely neutral stance about things she has learned but isn't entirely interested in (ice-skating, traditional dancing, baking, dressage, modelling, polo). In these scenes, the moments where she does show joy in the activity include her friends. Dancing becomes more appealing to her when she's competing with Maxwell, cooking and baking when she has someone to pamper with her food. She confesses to enjoying polo more after teaching the MC.

With the activities she loves doing, however, Hana is more involved, more expressive. She shows a range of emotions and is a lot more talkative on the subject of playing piano, or books, or flowers, or tasting good food.

None of these sequences mention her eyes much, but you can differentiate by her reactions what she loves and what she does not. She becomes emotional while talking about her connection to music (specifically piano), gazes in wonder with the MC as the moonflower unfurls, whispers excitedly and conspirationally about reading Wuthering Heights in secret, and does a 'happy dance' in her seat at the simple joy of tasting a french fry dipped in her milkshake. When Hana is excited about the things she is doing, she seems to be a different person altogether.

Where Do I Go From Here?

Prior to her journey in Cordonia, Hana had always assumed that the skills she was pushed into learning were all she would need. She had expectations to fulfill, she had a future mapped out for her, and her aim in life amounted to that future becoming a reality and her life as the wife of a nobleman being set. Because she grew up with the notion that her needs were deterrents to her aim, rather than an aim in and of itself, it never really occured to her to think any differently.

Which was why she was unable to properly answer Peter when he asked her if she loved him. Which was why she constantly assumed that no matter how many Pinstop boards she made, her wedding plans would happen the way her parents wanted it to happen. Because she spent long enough believing what she wanted didn't matter, it took her a while to even be able to discover what she wanted, much less articulate it.

Hana's background made her acquisition of skills that would appeal particularly to aristocrats essential. As a woman who has some Cordonian noble blood in her (through her mother) but may be at a disadvantage because she may not have a title of her own, her parents' expectations had always been focused on ensuring a marriage to a titled, reputed noble who could not just look after Hana but provide her the kind of status and stature in society that (I'm guessing here) her mother may have lost in marrying a foreign businessman. They were clear about the direction they wanted Hana's future to go in, and prepared her only for that kind of future.

In the old, hierarchical Cordonia, perhaps Hana would have been well prepared enough. A Cordonia where she was expected to be the perfect hostess and giving wife all rolled in one, where her skills would equip her for the occasional court activity and increased possibilities for hosting. But post the Homecoming Ball, there has been a phenomenal shift: she is in a position of power at court (even more so if she is marrying the MC), in a country torn apart by civil strife and filled with citizens who do not feel safe and are therefore wary of the monarchy's ability to protect them. The skills she learned were meant for activities suited to court and an aristocratic home, but what matters now is what she has to offer outside of court.

For the first time Hana has to now think of what she can give to the country that has given her refuge and a sense of freedom, and she is now confronted with how little her upbringing has actually prepared her for this. Cordonia's well-being is incredibly important to her, and now more than ever she needs to prove to herself - as much to everyone else - that she can be an asset.

Some of her skills do come into use: particularly her penchant for negotiation and now her proficiency with polo, but how long are her particular talents going to prove useful and at what point will Cordonia see how ill-equipped she feels, with regards to handling this situation?

I would argue that even within this, it's possible to see that she has gifts beyond just the things she has learned. As I have specified earlier, this scene not only highlights how talented a polo player she is, but also that she has an eye for what will appeal to people and encourage them to get involved. She has oftentimes managed to help the MC secure allies by paying attention to the other person's needs and passing that information on to the MC (funnily enough, in all of these instances it is Hana who does the research and coaches the MC, and it is largely the MC who reaps the benefits and gets the credit). While this may not seem like a skill in and of itself, it is a pretty strong foundation for other, newer skills that she can use to help Cordonia.

Hana is often seen measuring her usefulness, and her skills, by whatever goal she has set herself out to achieve. She considers herself a failure when - despite her talents - she is unable to get/sustain a match. Right now her goal is to be a useful citizen, to help Cordonia out of its crisis, and this doubt manifests itself in this question: "Are the skills I have enough to save Cordonia? Am I enough?"

Romance

(The first two screenshots are from @kennaxval s playthrough, and the third is from the Abhirio YouTube channel)

As with Liam's Diplomacy scene, most of the romance emerges from the MC's choices rather than as a part of the default narrative.

The romance options are interesting, particularly in terms of timing and placement. All three of them revolve around the MC's desire to be a little playful, to distract Hana and get her to relax when she overthinks. The MC balances her out: she is playful to Hana's serious, gut-instinct to Hana's strategy. She gets Hana to think beyond the logistics of the activity and to enjoy what she's doing.

However, there is one problem.

The above options present themselves at a crucial point in the conversation between Hana and the MC, where Hana is unsure about what she'd like to try out if she could choose to do something she loves. In both the LI and non-LI scenarios, the "full-time best friend" is given as a choice. This makes plenty sense in the non-LI playthrough, and very little in the LI one because "best friend" doesn't even begin to cover what Hana represents to her fiancèe now.

The major problem here lies more in what has been left out in this scene. So far, Hana's future in both playthroughs have remained largely the same. Like Drake, she may acquire a title when she marries the MC. Unlike Drake, she doesn't get the opportunity in the narrative to ask questions about her future position as duchess, which is strange considering that it is so extensively analyzed in the Drake LI playthrough.

In Drake's playthrough, they discuss his upcoming new position as a Duke, his discomfort in being part of the nobility that had shunned him for so long, his need to be taken seriously in court as the MC's future husband, what he wants to do with his title, his need to provide for and protect his future wife and children. There are a number of stumbling blocks in his way, the biggest being the class barrier and how the court sees him.

Hana's marriage to the MC has, in contrast, only been discussed in the first two chapters, where she worries that she is imposing her desires and dreams on the MC and not adequately listening to her partner. This would have been perfect, had the MC not become a duchess and was not such a prominent political figure in Cordonia.

Ideally, Hana's playthrough should involve discussions on what her marriage to the MC should entail. This would include the following:

1. In what ways has her training prepared - and not prepared - Hana for this role?

2. In their first conversation with Neville and Rashad, the MC has the option of promoting Hana's advantage as a suitor primarily by extolling her skills as a hostess and housewife. Very little mention at this point is made of Hana actually running an estate. This is an arrangement that I'm sure Hana and the MC will never adopt in their marriage, considering Hana wants to be more involved, and the MC sees her as an equal in their relationship. It is not entirely clear whether there is a distinction, given that the only aristocratic women we have seen are largely heirs to their estates - Adeleide, Madeleine (to her county Fydelia), Emmeline, Olivia.

3. Shouldn't we have a discussion, then, on how her skills will translate into running their estate? What can she do to make Valtoria better than what it was earlier? How will they manage to run things and revive this duchy? What are their plans?

4. In keeping with her potential future crisis point, why do we not see Hana giving us a clear idea of whether she can run the duchy or not? Like Drake, her future is uncertain if she does not marry the MC, so both their efforts are channeled towards helping Liam and/or Cordonia. If they are married to the MC, both Drake and Hana face differing conflicts with regards to becoming landed nobility. Both deserve to be discussed in depth.

5. With reference to the above option list given, why can there not be an option for "duchess"? Why is she still "professional best friend", when Hana's closest friend in their circle is the MC herself, and their relationship involves a bigger role once they get married?

6. What Hana can do for Cordonia as a Duchess is also a question that needs to be raised in the story. It would still fit in with her overall narrative arc, but it would also present different issues and avenues compared to what she can do as a member of the MC's court.

Overall, I feel that while Hana has an interesting character arc in this book overall, it isn't being explored as extensively as it deserves to be, and doesn't seem very different from a non-LI playthrough of her story.

Sources:

"How to Ride a Half-Pass", by Denise Cummins from The Thinking Equestrian website.

Special thanks to @kennaxval and the Abhirio YouTube channel (@abhirio) for screenshots from their Hana-centric playthroughs.

Molly Hooper Appreciation Week Summer 2017 - Day 1

On FFdotNet and Ao3

Molly Hooper Appreciation Week Summer 2017 - Day 1 - A Ros(i)e By Any Other Name (Fanworks focusing on Molly & Rosie's relationship)

Happy Birthday, Rosie

On Rosie’s first birthday, Molly wept at the unfairness of it.

She woke up in the morning and tried not to feel down.  There was a birthday party to attend, after all; and Rosie would need her Aunty Molly to be full of cheerful smiles and comforting words in a room full of less familiar faces and loud voices.

John had been a little overwhelmed with trying to plan a party for a one-year old. Sherlock had been no help at all.

(“She’s one.  She won’t remember a cake and a bunch of grown-ups standing around in stupid party hats.  Why even bother?”)

So it had fallen to Mrs Hudson and Molly to plan a small gathering, more for family and friends than for Rosie herself.

It had been fun at first, planning and giggling over pretty invitations and smash cakes.  Picking a dress for the tiny girl, and a matching shirt for her Daddy.

That’s when it stopped being fun for Molly.

John had grumbled but agreed to wear a button down in the same lavender shade as his daughter’s frilly outfit.  Molly found herself thinking “Mary should have a matching dress.  Or perhaps a ribbon in her hair.” and that was all it took.

Still, Molly pushed through and hid her sadness.  The only one who noticed kept his observations to himself, although she did feel the weight of Sherlock’s gaze following her out the door when she left that evening.

She managed to keep it all inside until the cab ride home after the party.

And then the tears came because Mary Watson should have been there to see her daughter’s first birthday.  Rosie Watson should have been able to feel her mother’s loving kisses and hugs every single day of her childhood.  And someone had taken that away from them both.

இڿڰۣ-ڰۣ—

On Rosie’s second birthday, Molly laughed and giggled as the little girl toddled across the floor straight into Uncle Sherlock’s legs.  

Rosie loved her Mowwy, but Sirlok was her favourite (second only to Daddy, of course).

Molly had read all of the child development books, and loaned most of them to Sherlock. As far as she was concerned, Rosie was far more advanced than the average two-year old.  John, Sherlock, and Mrs Hudson agreed, but Molly was willing to allow that they might all be just a tiny bit biased.  

The toddler had only been talking for a few months, but she was already identifying all sorts of things that a two-year old probably shouldn’t have been familiar with. John taught her everything a parent should teach their daughter.  Molly routinely added the anatomical names for body parts whenever they played “Where is your nose?  Where is your belly button?” types of games.  Sherlock spent hours explaining the little observational clues that held him to his deductions (but only on the tamer cases, and absolutely nothing that involved a corpse).  When would Molly wonder what Mrs Hudson was teaching the little girl, the older woman would only give her a secretive smile and say that there were certain skills that every woman should know.  Molly suspected those skills had nothing to do with the stereotypical baking or brewing a proper cup of tea and more to do with setting up an off-shore banking account and picking out prime pieces of real-estate.

Rosie’s birthday party was smaller affair; just the Godparents, John, and a cake at Baker Street.

இڿڰۣ-ڰۣ—

On Rosie’s fifth birthday, Molly gasped.

Rosie had wanted a pony, and by golly that’s what Uncle Sherlock made sure she got.

Or as close as possible when one was a five-year old living in a basement flat in London.  

Which meant Sherlock had somehow called in a favour (Via Mycroft, most likely; although it could have been Mrs Hudson.) and arranged for an entire day at a ranch owned by someone very rich and very important.  A day of pony rides for Rosie and her best friend, fairy cakes and champagne (for the adults only), and fifteen minutes Molly being led around on an old mare on a lead (After two glasses of champagne and the promise that no one would film the misadventure.  John lied, much to Molly’s annoyance.)

While John and Sherlock took out a pair of younger horses for an afternoon ride, Molly cuddled up on a blanket under a tree with the girls.  Rosie put her head in Molly’s lap and both children took a nap Molly enjoyed being outside, far away from the city.

The only thing that made the day even better was Sherlock reappearing as the sun began to set and asking if Molly would like to take a walk with him.

இڿڰۣ-ڰۣ—

On Rosie’s tenth birthday, Molly agreed to host a sleepover for Rosie and five of her closest friends.  

John had seemed rather relieved when she offered.  Apparently, the thought of chaperoning half a dozen giggling ten-year olds was more intimidating that chasing down a suspected murder through the streets of London.  

The coward.

There were experiments with make-up and hairstyles, ghost stories and a scary movie while huddled in a circle in the darkened sitting room, sleeping bags and sugary treats in the middle of the night.

The next morning, an exhausted Molly waved goodbye to the girls and their parents as each was picked up.  The last to leave was the guest of honour, who rushed back at the last moment to give Molly a heartfelt “I love you, Aunt Molly” and a crushing hug.

இڿڰۣ-ڰۣ—

On Rosie’s sixteenth birthday, Molly fidgeted and worried along with John, Sherlock, and Mrs Hudson (although none of them would admit to worrying as they hovered about Baker Street) while Rosie spent the evening ‘hanging out’ with a few of her friends.  Some of which were boys.  

“It’s not a date,” she had been quick to reassure her dad.  “Well, Michelle is dating Rashad, but the rest of us are just friends.”

Molly made a mental note to speak with John later about the fact that Rosie was sixteen and while her night out with friends might not have been a ‘date’, there was a very good chance that would change in the near future.  

She also made a mental note to speak with Rosie about the very real possibility that anyone she dated would be vetted by an overprotective father, an uncle who worked for Scotland Yard, the British Government, and an uncle who knew seventeen different ways to ruin someone’s life with just a few pointed words.  

Oddly, Sherlock had no cases to work on; almost as if he wanted to make sure he and John were available at a moment’s notice.

For her part, Molly had slipped Rosie a tenner and made her promise that if anything made her the least bit uncomfortable, she would find the nearest cab and call as soon as she had a chance.  Regardless, Molly wanted a detailed recap of the entire evening, and she especially wanted to know if Jared was really as dreamy as Rosie had hoped.

இڿڰۣ-ڰۣ—

On Rosie’s eighteenth birthday, Molly stood next to her husband and John and Teresa (John’s second wife), and waved goodbye to her Goddaughter as she climbed into her boyfriend’s car.  

The two couples regularly met for dinner and board games at least twice a month; a chance for the men to reminisce about their younger years, when leaping from rooftop to rooftop without a thought to their safety was a much more common occurrence. Sherlock still took plenty of cases, and still called on John for assistance on a regular basis, but now they occasionally brought Archie along when they thought they might need a bit of extra muscle or speed.

“She’ll be fine,” Teresa reassured her husband.  “It’s just a few days.”

“You know how much she’s been looking forward to this.  Simon’s a good boy.  And Rosie has been camping plenty of times, she’ll know what to do if anything happens,” Molly took her turn at trying to offer reassurance.  “Which it won’t, so I don’t know why I even mentioned it.”  

“Oh for God’s sake, John.  She’s eighteen.  Everyone on the trip has been screened by Mycroft’s people.  They’ll be staying at a well-known, popular camping park. There will be other people within shouting distance at all times.  She’ll be fine,” Sherlock huffed.

“You’re right.  You’re right. It’s not often we’ve got an empty house for four whole days.”  John reached for Teresa’s hand and brought it up to his lips.  “Let’s make the most of it, shall we?”

The Watsons headed into the kitchen to start dinner preparations, leaving Molly and Sherlock to look out at the empty street where Simon’s car had been.  She leaned her head against Sherlock’s arm.  “You arranged for the Park Warden to check in on them every night, right?”

“Mmmhmm. And I’ve got a pair of hikers who will set up camp next to them, equipped with a satellite phone and a first-rate med kit.”  

Molly grinned and pressed a kiss against his cheek.  “She’ll kill us if she finds out, you know.”

“We’ll blame it on Mycroft.”  

இڿڰۣ-ڰۣ—

On Rosie’s twenty-first birthday, Molly cried.  Again.

Rosie had come home from university for the weekend, Simon in tow and a diamond ring on her finger.    

“We’re planning to wait until we graduate to get married, so there’s ages before we need to start planning anything; but we wanted to tell you all as soon as possible.”

After several rounds of congratulations and a large lunch, Molly found herself in the small attic of the Watson house with Rosie and Teresa.  The three women dug through dusty boxes and cobwebs, until Teresa found the case they were looking for.  

They drug it into the circle of light from the bare overhead bulb and Rosie reverently opened the case to find the items that had been so lovingly packed away more than two decades before.

Rosie held her mother’s wedding dress to her chest, and Molly carefully arranged the veil over Rosie’s hair.  

Teresa clasped her hands together and gave Rosie a watery smile.  “It’s beautiful.  You’re beautiful.”  

“Do you think Mum would mind?” Rosie asked with a waver in her voice.

“I think she’d be delighted, my love.”  Molly sniffled and wiped her hand across her eyes.