What's your opinion on Xanthe from A Courtesan of Rome? Tbh, I find her to be really annoying.
I really wish she could’ve been a LI because holy FUCK is Xanthe gorgeous.
But like... she’s just shoehorned in as a petty catfight rival for the MC. I don’t feel very strongly about her one way or another bc it’s just so glaring to me that that’s all she’s there for. She really doesn’t serve a function in the plot or in MC’s life except to be catty about all the “attention” MC is getting. Which, given both of their situations, is really kind of unbelievable. Like I’m pretty sure girls trapped as courtesans to Senators and soldiers in ancient Rome weren’t complaining about how xyz courtesan had suck Cassius’ dick after entertaining his friends at a party. They were probably the only support they had.
So yeah I mean I would’ve liked Xanthe to either be a LI or to be a close friend to MC. We could’ve had some big time girl friendships in the face of a traumatic enslaved lifestyle going on but nah PB decided to prioritize catfighting instead
