1. Ivy
i always wondered why she is in such good grace within this community, even moreso with ppl who try a more wholesome relationship approach. my personal view of her is that she means bad business, i have always seen her as the little devil on Lenas shoulder, opposed to the angel which would be Holly. If there would be ever a Spin-off named "The Corruption of Holly Watson" Ivy would play a major role in that.
Obviously I can't speak for everyone but I think for many it's just that, given that this is a porn game, the most sexually liberal character will find a following.
Her open sexuality is not just attractive for pornographic reasons though, there is also something adventurous about her as a character type.
Personally I'm not entirely sure I would judge her fully yet. She appears in a lot of scenes but it isn't really until ch. 7 that we really get up close with her. I feel she might be a tad too much like a huntress for my tastes, she is willing to go pretty far even when Louise as Jeremy's girlfriend is present, I don't really see it as a positive trait that you just keep escalating selfishly, even if Louise isn't exactly a diplomat herself.
You're saying many things I've posted about before. Ian's story is helped by him having a very wide cast of supporting characters. Even if you don't sleep with them, Alison, Cindy and Emma will all still appear in scenes and contribute to the idea that Ian has a very active social life.
Lena has two friends who fucking hate each other.
This makes her seem like a much more isolated character, especially if you decide to play her without being more promiscuous. If Lena doesn't entertain Robert and Ian as sex/romance options their presence in her life is practically erased, Robert totally and Ian becomes more of a side character to her.
Mike seems to be the same, but we haven't seen enough of him to judge yet.
Lena makes a new friend in Holly but anything romantic with her is very slow burn. Even so, in chapter 7 if you don't get her pole dancing she's completely removed too.
Ivy is the only character, that Lena doesn't live with, that she seems to have a stable social connection to, so Holly is sorely needed even if you have no romantic interest in her. Everything else is Ian, sex or work.
I'm hoping this trend gets turned around in ch. 8+
With Emma entering her life I'm getting the impression that Lena will be more involved with Ian's friends in the future, so hoepfully that doesn't rely entirely on her relationship status to Ian.