Characters and couples research

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2. McCullough — not an "ex" in the clean romantic sense but a season 7 relationship born from coercion, loneliness, and sharp power inequality, important to write not as a shiny alternative romance but as something diseased. [V16]

What this does to Vauseman: Their relationship is never in an empty room. Larry asks who Piper was before Alex. Stella asks what Piper does with power when she's hurt. Zelda asks if she can live a saner life. McCullough asks what happens to Alex when love becomes a tool of extortion and loneliness. All these shadows make Vauseman less "who chooses whom" and more "which version of herself each is capable of bearing."

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Revision 1 · 2026-09-06T18:47:12.694Z