#Javi of Zaledo

[bumblingbabooshka]

Combining Childhood Friends with Enemies-To-Lovers with Arranged Marriage...tropes on tropes on tropes (delicious)

[kudakii]

looks like they could kill you, is a cinnamon roll vs looks like a cinnamon roll, would kill you (please don’t mess with the second children of westerlin and zaledo, they could tag team and bulldoze you to another continent) 

(i love javi so dearly. they’re so cute truly my everything. mwah mwah @ javi. somehow my mc ended up getting super close to javi... they’re besties now <3)

[hpowellsmith]

Honestly, I'm shocked you haven't done a Zaledo game already. Seems like a natural next step, given the importance of Zaledo so far. What with Gonzalez, Rosario, Javi and their families' importance in the story of Royal Affairs. Heck, you could use a Zaledo game to shed some more representation light on Ace an Aro identities, given Gonzalez and Javi, a bit like how HB + Teran has put more spotlight on trans and NO + Jezhan showed legal poly marriage.

Yeah, I've come up with ideas for Zaledo games before but they've never quite come together. The one I'm most keen on at the moment is based on a concept I came up with alongside Honor Bound (CoG picked Honor Bound to move forward with), and although it had elements I still think would work, other aspects of the plot didn't - it was a bit over-complicated with too many factions involved, and the PC needed more motivation/momentum/pizzazz.

Right now I'm most excited about the dark fantasy idea I've mentioned a bit on here, but I'll see how things go over the next few months! Some of my decisions will be based on how Honor Bound does, plus what ideas stand out most to me once it's out.

[thornfield13713]

Okay, I definitely have a better idea now of Fabien’s motives - he’s a nationalist. The sort who doesn’t like anything outside his own nation and dislikes any hint of ‘foreign influence’ at home. Bit of a failing, in a diplomat, but the evidence is stacking up - disapproval of a Zaledo-Westerlin royal match, trying to poison the well with Javi, disapproval of Teran in general and hiring a Teranese artist here...all of this is coming together to form A Picture, and it’s not at all a flattering one.

[hpowellsmith]

Royal Affairs Friends and Romances:

Full name: Prince/Princess/Royal Javi del Quiros of Zaledo

Background: The younger child of King Mateo and King Alejandro of Zaledo, and younger sibling to Rosario. You had a bad first impression at Rosario's wedding. Now Javi's attending Archambault and is your housemate, to their chagrin.

Appearance: Tall and glamorous, with brown skin, golden eyes, and dark curls.

Pet: Silver, an island pony (aka Shetland pony), a butterfly dog (aka papillon), or a kestrel. Silver is lazy, affectionate, deeply adorable and deeply incompetent. Javi adores him.

You'll like Javi if you like... someone who's mean to you, who's a flamboyant theatre kid, who's glamorous, who understands what it's like being royal, who's contrary, who may or may not warm up to you in the end.

Wishlist Royal Affairs on Steam - out March 30!

[hpowellsmith]

You know, if we're voicing an opinion on it, I would also absolutely love to visit Zaledo in a future game.

Give me an excuse to court a *third* Zaledoan Royal, I can be trusted with The Throne I prommy. 💜💜

Also, not sure if this has been posited before, but is there any possibility for more unnatural hair colors(pink, green, etc?) in future games of yours? Or, at the very least, a 'something else' option?

Hahaha! Well, Rosario and Javi do have some cousins...

I don't know what I'll want to do with royalty yet; at the moment, I feel most into writing about royals if it's some kind of much weirder and more extreme situation (such as the royalty being a living god, heh) but that very much may change over time...

Dyed or other hair colours are potentially something I might put in later games, though it's not something I've done before!

[hpowellsmith]

I second the ask for a Zaledo set game. I wanna experience dear Javi's home! ☺

Thank you! Yeah, I would definitely enjoy exploring the place and people in more detail (and from their own perspective).

[hpowellsmith]

Somewhat spoilery ask about Royal Affairs mid-late game, related to Javi and Fabien, from @leahazel below:

I don't totally remember if I specify in the game, because I'm not sure if there was quite the right moment for it and I went back and forth a bit with the conversations around it - but yes, it was deliberate on some level. He maintains that it was a misunderstanding, and sure, there may have been a bit of that there. But he was seeing what he wanted to see because he didn't want the MC entwining themselves more closely with the Zaledoan royals and therefore (as he sees it) being more likely to swing towards the progressive politics that have become more popular in Zaledo.

If Estell found out about it, she would tell him off because she was genuinely interested in making more of an alliance (at least at the Rosario's wedding point in time; she may get more frustrated with Mateo and Alejandro later on depending on what's happened). Many of Fabien's actions in Royal Affairs (good or bad from the MC's perspective) are due to him thinking he knows best for the people he cares about better than they do.

[hpowellsmith]

Here's an interesting mix of Qs from that OC ask you reblogged! 🥞🍁👑 for the ROs from Royal Affairs?

🥞 - what is their comfort breakfast?

this is where I get to partially self-insert shamelessly haha

Asher: sausage, eggs, beans and toast. Basic, delicious.

Beaumont: They're not super interested in lingering at breakfast though because they have things to do. Maybe something totally savory like a Cornish pasty that they can take on the go and still enjoy

Dominique: chilaquiles. They're not all that common in Westerlin but they had them on holiday in Teran and fell in love. Still chasing the high trying to get perfect ones from Teranese restaurants

Hyacinthe: fluffy pancakes with a bit of sharp fruit compote. They make the pancakes into sandwiches with the compote between like jam

Javi: eggs with peppers on flatbread

Trevelyan: crepes with a lot of lemon and sugar. Is a purist about not adding other fillings

🍁 - what is their favourite season? why?

Asher: winter, specifically in northern Westerlin or Jezhan where there are dramatic evergreen forests and the lakes freeze over. They love seeing the sparkle of frost on the ground

Beaumont: they would like to say autumn because they like autumn leaves and the chill coming in, but in reality they don't like Westerlind grey lengths of time. Really they like the early summer before it gets too hot

Dominique: summer, they associate it with going on holiday and chilling out, and they find their mood is a ton better in the sunshine

Hyacinthe: late summer, just as the blackberries start coming out and the major heat of the summer has eased off, but there's still the possibility of thunderstorms

Javi: although they enjoy the snow in Westerlin, they like winter in Zaledo best - it's mostly warm enough not to need many layers and they really love Hearthlight in the desert

Trevelyan: spring, as the flowers start coming up and it starts getting warm again

👑 - what does your oc want to be remembered as? why?

Asher: as someone who was sensible and responsible, and did their duty

Beaumont: as someone who kept their parents' legacy going strong

Dominique: as someone who was a nice person to spend time with and a good friend

Hyacinthe: as someone kind (I think part of them would like to be remembered as a dancer, but they're less about fame and more about doing something they love)

Javi: isn't really sure, which bothers them even if they wouldn't like to admit it

Trevelyan: as someone who helped change the world for the better

[thornfield13713]

...okay. That’s...shady.

Extremely shady, in fact. Leandre hadn’t even met Javi yet when that happened, and Fabien of all people would know that. In fact, this looks like a deliberate attempt to sabotage relations between Westerlin and Zaledo, and one that Leandre...can’t really mistake for anything else. The only question remaining is why?

[violet-stormbringer]

I actually just got done with a playthrough of Royal Affairs, so this is fresh in my mind!

There wasn't any mention about it specifically in Zaledo, from the snippets of text talking about it.

Now, I wasn't doing a Javi route for this run, so maybe they bring it up during the Epilogue, but I'd have to play through on a Javi run just to check. Unfortunately, it is 3 am and I am not doing that.

If there ever is a story set in Zaledo I'd really love for the MC to have three parents since from what I remember, that's legal and accepted in Zaledo

I'd consider it for sure!

(right now I can't actually remember whether marriage for more than two people has been specified to be legal in Zaledo - it is in Teran and Jezhan - but that is what "me going through and checking all my throwaway comments in each game before starting a new one" is for)

[hpowellsmith]

hi ! I truly love your work : - ) I am curious to know more about Javi and Trevelyan since they are both my favourites ! like their hobbies , likes , dislikes , etc . ( hope this is not too spoilery or something LOL )

They actually have a few things in common. As well as both being loud and ready with an opinion - and agreeing on some things, though Trevelyan is still pretty anti-monarchy whereas Javi's in the "monarchy is good if the royals are good" camp - they're both keen theatre enthusiasts. For various reasons they don't get a lot of scenes where they hang out, but they would totally go to a play together and spend ages discussing the staging, acting, and direction choices. Trevelyan hasn't been to Zaledo and doesn't talk much of the language except greetings and pleasantries, but they'd get a lot out of visiting. Maybe one day (depending on the events of the game...) Javi would show them round Merenil (their home city, the capital of Zaledo) and they'd chill out in a street cafe shooting the breeze.

Javi's close to both their parents and their elder sibling Rosario. They've been a little spoiled and indulged since they were younger, which has maybe led to them being rather entitled now that they're older.

Trevelyan's close with their dad, but doesn't get on with their mother (their parents are separated) or their elder brother George. (Both they and their brother were named after the queen and then-king Georges, which was their mother's choice. George isn't fussed, Trevelyan doesn't approve at all.)

[hpowellsmith]

How many countries are there in the universe and what are they like?

Like there's Westerlin, Zaledo, Jezhan, the one where Alejandro Is there more countries to be mentioned soon too?

Thank you

Just a refresher - Prince Alejandro (one of Rosario and Javi's dads; their other dad is King Mateo) is from Zaledo. He was a lawyer before he married Mateo.

There's also Teran, which is a country that hasn't been mentioned a lot onscreen - just in passing. It's very corrupt but unlike Westerlin there's a veneer of meritocracy - you can get influence/power if you do something really amazing like design or invent something great. There's a lot of auteur culture. It's also got mandatory military service and is very militarised.

As for other countries... I don't have others pinned down yet. I'll probably invent more as and when I need them!

[hpowellsmith]

I just have to ask because I'm an idiot but what are sheens?Are they like glittery powder or something?

Also do Royals have no last name but "of (place)"? Just curious and thank you

Looking forward to Royal Affairs as well

In makeup context - I think I say Rosario and Javi have golden/coppery sheen on their skin sometimes - it's a shimmer. Upon consideration I might change it to shimmer to be clearer!

In other contexts like "sheen of sweat" it's just where someone's face is a bit shiny from exertion.

The royals probably have a surname (like how the a British royal family are Windsor) but I haven't settled on it yet. In formal situations they're known as "Javi of Zaledo" or "Josiane of Westerlin".

Thank you for the ask!

[hpowellsmith]

How would the CDLC and RA lead characters respond to a person whose status outranks theirs becoming enamored with them? The only way I can think that this question can qualify Rosario and Javi is if the emperor/empress of a nearby empire were to fall for them ���, so how would all the characters react to that?

Hartmann, Freddie: surprised and deeply flattered (happens if either of them ends up with Auguste)

Karson, Delacroix: unsure, conflicted, needs to take some time to acclimatise to the situation (happens if you end up with Karson)

Blaise: smug on the outside, shocked on the inside

Max: fairly uncomplicated; pleased more than anything else

Auguste and Florin: happy and a bit smug

Rosario: pleased, and happy to help their family as marrying royalty that was more powerful than Zaledo's would be a big deal

I'll leave the Royal Affairs characters for players to find out, as apart from Javi all the characters are in that position if they're romancing the MC!