I feel kinda silly after the fact saying Risa was the wounded bird LI. They're all wounded birds to some extent. I was thinking Risa is going to be the biggest challenge considering the past + the personality issues + the drugs all wrapped into one. Maybe she should be, but, really, if you think about it, all the LIs are probably going to have long-term challenges for MC and themselves to navigate.
Nicki - attracts the wrong men who manipulate & abuse her. has a big love-shaped hole in her heart. will take a long time to heal I think.
Ashe - has deep guilt & shame over her friend's accident. that's probably never going to go away completely. also gets underestimated a lot probably (sounds like an airhead, etc.), but I feel like that first thing takes precedent.
Carolina - typical struggles of an overworked single mom w/ a deadbeat ex. tbh, despite this, she actually seems pretty well put-together and so maybe most of the pain will come from the fact that her daughter's father isn't around for Maya. in that case, we can come close to fixing it, but Maya will probably never get over that completely.
Madison - failing business, strained relationship w/ her daughter, and another deadbeat husband that has run-ins w/ the law. also internalizes any racial tension that her daughter receives (or at least perceives). that's all i know so far, but tbh this one seems like problems that can be fixed for the most part. depending on how close the father is to gabby and where he eventually ends up, Madison will also have that pain and stress to contend with.
Gabby - wallflower w/ racial undertones. had a racist pos bf that manipulated her and brought her deepest fears & vulnerabilities bubbling to the surface. possible our MC can repair that damage, but given the age gap, I'm not sure how Neon will decide to work it out in the end.
Mason - autistic, trans, distant bigoted father, (abuse-speckled) sex work, and homeless... this one's self-evident. we can fix the homelessness, but everything else is going to be life-long struggles.
Britanni - abusive mother who uses her as an income and willing to sell her to the highest bidder. step-father is/was inappropriate w/ her. potentially went further than that.. but given the nature of these games and their audiences, even if neon wanted to explore that, he probably axed it given the expected reaction, similar to how Nicky escaped the porn shoot unmolested. will probably be long-term damage control 'cause that shit sticks with you.
Viola - a sick (and potentially dying) mother and the resultant financial dire straits. add to that immigrant fleeing from conflict (implicit) and yeah... that's going to make for some emotional scarring.
Pepper - I don't think we know for sure yet, but probably physically abusive father. difficult background & poor. lots to be angry about. same story, long-term damage control methinks.
Alex - no idea yet. my curiosity is definitely piqued!
So, yeah... I think Neon has done a good job developing these characters' backgrounds because he's basically guaranteed that they'll all be big 'investments' for any partner, and that makes for the deepest and most compelling romance stories imo. It's not just Risa.
