>>713016169I think it's pretty clear Toby wrote Noelle as someone not seriously in love with Susie, Toby never wrote romance but Krusie feels a lot more grounded and interesting as an actual romance.
Twittertards love Suselle but they don't realize Noelle likes Susie not because of who she is but because Susie has the archetype of someone dangerous, which Noelle is obsessed with. And that's really unhealthy because Noelle WANTS Susie to be a dangerous little monster, it's that shitty trope women just LOVE: "She's dangerous... But she's a softie with me!".
I'm not saying we're gonna reform Susie to change if we do follow through with Krusie, but Kris treats her as person and not as some object of sexual gratification like Noelle does. If anything, Susie would just become a parody of herself to please Noelle, it'd be disgusting. Now look at her relationship with Kris, she grows as person, and that's much more beautiful as a plot.
If you've ever looked up what makes good romance, Krusie checks out most points of a good romance:
>ChemistryReal chemistry. Banter, tension, contrast, complement.
>Mutual GrowthThey make each other better, not just hornier. Think emotional evolution, not just eye-fucking.
>Earned IntimacyBuilt over time. You feel the connection forming, slowly but surely.
>Agency on both sidesBoth of them are still individuals, they have desires and fears, they resist, fight, give in.
So when you look at it, Krusie IS romance, it's what a beautiful love story is, they're there for each other, they don't want each other to BE something, they're not in love with THE IDEA each of represent, but rather who they are.
But if you take Suselle, it's the worst, most manipulative, superficial kind of romance.
One of the biggest issues with bad romance is having their love itself as a plot glue, and that doesn't work because their love doesn't FEEL real at all! It's like they're together because the plot said so, no logic, no emotional payoff, nothing.