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YMMV / A Courtesan of Rome

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  • Base-Breaking Character:
    • Arin is subject of this. Despite having a multiple choice goal (reuniting with her family, bringing down the Romans, or avenge her people), many consider her a reckless fool who doesn't think of others before acting. Her impulsiveness to kill Tribune Gnaeus Rufus without a back up plan forces Syphax to take the blame to defend her. Players also find it hypocritical of her to slut-shame fellow courtesan Xanthe for doing the same job as her even before Xanthe had any opportunity to harm her.
    • Cingerix, despite mostly appearing in the flashbacks, is seen as a hot headed jerk even more impulsive than Arin. There's another group who find him sympathetic after he tells Arin about the death of his lover Tallius and is willing to give him a chance when he appears in present time.
    • Marc Antony. Some people like him for his complex characterization, pragmatic view on Roman politics, and cunning methods to get ahead in a cutthroat political climate. Another group considers him an enemy due to his affiliation to Julius Caesar, the series' big bad, and a hypocrite for taking offense at Arin playing mind games at him while he has played mind games with her as well.
    • Cassius. Some people like him for fully supporting Arin's plan for vengeance and being there when she needs a friend. Others dislike him and believe that he has an unhealthy obsession with Arin given that he seems to request her over other courtesans such as Xanthe. There are others who think he's too idealistic on preserving the Roman Republic, given the eventual replacement of the republic with an empire.
  • Broken Base:
    • The revelation that two of the love interests are real historical figures has sparked some debate. While some players have no problems romancing fictional versions of real people provided they’re well written, others are uncomfortable at that prospect, especially since one of the love interests is Marc Antony, who was notoriously ruthless in real life.
    • The existence of fantastical elements in a story marketed as historical fiction, a genre of fiction widely seen as firmly grounded in realism, has been divisive. Some think the elements are acceptable because historical fiction doesn't necessarily have to be completely accurate, and the story's ultimate purpose is to entertain. Others have pointed out that stories presented as grounded in realism have consistently remained so throughout the stories, while this one notably straddles the line between realism and fantastical elementsnote .
    • Word of God revealed that as a result of the lead writer Jennifer Hepler leaving, the story is a standalone, and its last four chapters are the final ones. One group believes the story should have spanned another book so that the Roman Republic's fall and the Empire's rise could be depicted. Another group doesn't mind the story being a standalone because of the Foregone Conclusion of love interests Cassius Longinus and Marc Antony's fates, as they're both real historical figures. They also think there's no story left to tell once Caesar has been dealt with and Arin's family is reunited.
  • Catharsis Factor:
    • Delphinia finally getting the upper hand against Iuna Pythia, a Macedonian priestess who bullies others and even murders a member of The Mysteries of Isis, leading to the options to banish, imprison, or kill her.
    • Sabina standing up to her abusive husband Aquila in Chapter 14, given that he nearly raped Arin after raiding her scholae. It helps that Sabina's using her connections with Marc Antony to threaten to ruin Aquila's reputation.
    • To many players, the biggest one is in Chapter 16, when they can choose to kill Legate Aquila in revenge for enslaving Arin and her family. Doubly so for players pursuing his wife Sabina, whom Aquila abused.
    • For people who despise Marc Antony, there is something rather satisfying about being able to finally turn the tables on him and humiliate him in the final chapter. And by humiliate we mean manipulate him into letting himself be tied securely to an altar, stripped almost entirely naked in anticipation of having sex with Arin... at which point she puts her clothes back on, laughs in his face and leaves (to take part in Caesar's assassination, no less) while he shouts and struggles to free himself. People who haven't romanced him at all get to beat him unconscious.
  • Designated Villain: Xanthe. She was merely doing her job as a courtesan, yet Arin could slut-shame her from the get-go. And that was before she acted genuinely prickly towards Arin.
  • Ensemble Dark Horse: Arin's parents Victus and Delphinia are widely liked by players due to the former's acceptance of who Arin pursues and the latter's resilience towards Iuna Pythia as a priestess rallying her flock to Isis's worship.
  • Fan-Preferred Couple: Many players want Lena to be a love interest for Arin because of the older woman's wisdom and physical appearance.
  • Memetic Mutation: Due to Arin unsuccessfully covering up the murder of Tribune Rufus, several jokes have erupted on how she will fail to get away with killing Legate Aquila. The joke died down when she successfully kills Aquila.
  • They Wasted a Perfectly Good Character:
    • Players have noted that Sabina's storyline is highly paywalled even though she should've helped Arin unconditionally by serving as her eyes in Aquila's household for free, which would've given her more relevance to the story.
    • According to this post, Xanthe could've been a memorable, fleshed out character in her own right as a "regular citizen" who goes on about her work in the midst of a turbulent political climate and refuses to accept change because of the harsh challenges ahead. In doing so, she would scoff at Arin's fears and Lena seemingly falling prey to conspiracy theories, which would've provided the perspective of someone trying to go on in their daily life. Players are angry that she was shipped away to Sicily as a means to write her out without exploring her character.
  • Unintentionally Unsympathetic: Xanthe to some players. On one hand, she's a hardworking courtesan jealous of Arin for getting all the best patrons to herself. On the other hand, she continues acting prickly towards Arin and shows no remorse for her actions, making it hard for players to stomach her actions. The breaking point was when she told Marc Antony that Arin had been conspiring with Cassius to work against Caesar just to get Antony's attention.
  • The Woobie: Sabina. Her husband Aquila was an abusive man who forbade her from venturing out of the house whenever he was in Rome. She couldn’t even visit her relatives except for a few kin.

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