A powerful fan interpretation and a compelling “what if” storyline positions Leah’s ultimate romantic arc not with a boy, but with the realization that her intense, chosen devotion to Elle was, in fact, a closeted first love. In this reading, Leah’s discomfort with Elle’s relationships isn’t just about being left out—it’s the agony of watching the girl you love fall for someone else, again and again.
Leah Hayes has built a career on making "hard" topics accessible through her light, nuanced illustrations. In works like Not Funny Ha-Ha transexpov leah hayes the chosen one trans top
Hayes frequently uses close-ups to isolate characters during moments of emotional disconnect, contrasting them with wide, shared panels when alignment and understanding are achieved. A powerful fan interpretation and a compelling “what
is a highly celebrated, Emmy Award-winning animator, New York Times bestselling graphic novelist, and illustrator. Her work is widely recognized for its deep exploration of chosen relationships and romantic storylines through an empathetic, non-judgmental lens. From her early dark-fable comics like Funeral of the Heart to her critically acclaimed graphic novel Not Funny Ha-Ha and her 2025 Emmy-winning animated docu-series My Body To Love , Hayes subverts classic romance tropes. She shifts the focus from idealized fairy tales to the messy, beautiful reality of human connection, platonic partnerships, and chosen families. Redefining the "Romantic Storyline" In works like Not Funny Ha-Ha Hayes frequently
: The characters are often described as obsessive or forlorn, caught in relationships that feel both eerie and deeply human.