#failplay

[lizzybeth1986]

The Therons and the Ebrims in TRR3

I won't include the Amaranths in this because theirs is clearly an embarrassingly personal family squabble. But Portavira and Castelserraillan show two types of political views - one that focuses on the local province, and another that aims at creating a legacy for the country through art and diplomacy.

Both have their merits, but in a story that is supposed to highlight national pride and spirit, you would expect there to either be equal respect for both, or a bit more for the second.

Portavira

Landon's focus is his daughter, and if Penelope doesn't feel comforted by you he has real doubts about supporting you. But he can be swayed if you win the match.

Emmeline's focus is definitely on the match. If you don't win it, she says this:

Later:

Two things of note in the failplay of this scene:

1. The narrative views the failure of the match as a failure on the MC's part. Emmeline can openly state that she thinks the MC isn't taking Portavira seriously on the basis of one match, and the MC is more pleading and contrite in this context.

2. Take note of the dialogue choices after Landon and Emmeline decline. The MC is still respectful, not criticizing their choices. Similarly for Penelope. The MC has the same two options, and both of them have the baseline of respecting where she comes from.

The narrative also specifically wants us to like Landon and Emmeline, as is obvious from the way Drake and the MC speak of them:

In reality there's not a lot that gives this impression except for this one match to raise funds. Tbh the same could have been said of Liam's government's move to raise funding for Portavira through the fashion show...but this fandom isn't exactly going to be convinced by that when it's from Liam, lmao.

Castelserraillan

Kiara and Hakim agree to join the tour by default. Kiara, because you spend exactly one minute either insulting her or manipulating her, and Hakim because he appreciates that you wanted to save his exhibition, regardless of whether you did a good job or not.

Drake, when he enters, makes fun of the Theron house right away, making a quip about how he "expected more flags".

Still, Hakim not only shows him massive respect, it's also clear that he remembers Drake's father:

In comparison, Landon and Emmeline hardly engage with Drake except to express bewilderment when he stumbles. I hardly see Drake making any fulsome compliments about Hakim, and it's clear he is neither classist nor his aims superficial.

Hakim is written as more grateful to the MC than he needs to be once the festival is over, just for his inclusion into the tour to be default. It doesn't even matter whether or not Cordonia will enter the International Art Association. In fact he and Kiara are the only nobility that feature in the wedding by default without extra conditions.

Ezekiel can decline, but I'm not surprised considering he was written more for Penelope than for his family. Joelle's case...is interesting.

Joelle firmly believes that art and culture are important to building the morale of a country, and are markers of a country's prosperity and progress:

Now, this is a pretty valid point. It speaks to wanting the country not only to be safe and protected, but also thriving culturally and creatively. There really isn't much to mock in this viewpoint (well, unless you're Olivia Nevrakis:

Tbh it feels like there is more respect for this mindset than Joelle's, Liam's, Hana's or Kiara's).

Joelle can, of course, reject the offer, just like Emmeline and Landon did:

Unlike Landon and Emmeline, the MC's choices to respond to this are very different:

You do not see any equivalent to that final option for Landon and Emmeline, if they decline. The MC doesn't get to criticize their laser-focus on their duchy alone, nor is she allowed to badmouth any one spouse to the other, as she can here (she is allowed to call Joelle a "handful" to her loving husband's face). The narrative also doesn't mind making her sound slightly ridiculous, with her "there's nothing more important than art".

The narrative will employ the same tactics in TRH3 - writing Joelle so badly in her appearance during the Flower Festival that the depiction borders on caricature, and having the Ebrims call the Therons "traditionalists" even though there is very little indication of that in the books.

Even Kiara, when she hears of Joelle's choice to leave for Switzerland, is made to sound like she'd made a bad choice:

I only expand on this because I don't exactly want to crowd the essay more than I already have 😅

[lizzybeth1986]

This moodboard is fantastic and Aja Naomi King is a great choice for Kiara!

I'm so glad to see this moodboard paired up with some wonderful character appreciation. It's true - though fandom often judges her if she isn't on the MC's side and calls her fake, the truth is that she is perhaps the most honest courtier among all the ladies. Even in TRR, she was honest that she would ally with us and put in a good word but not that she would become instant friends with the MC. She also was upfront (even though she felt it was dangerous to approach the MC with Madeleine in plain sight) about the ending of that alliance. When she had to give a negative vote at the Coventus Nobilis, she took the initiative to try warning the MC first - again, even though the potential Regent was tracking her movements.

According to me the social season was meant in some ways to also be a foothold to get more connections. It was implied that she did a lot of networking there. She's also got one of the most balanced families in the series. In a mass of messy, selfish, dramatic parents, the Therons are a refreshing change because they actually are open to their children about how much they care for them and do not mentally burden their children the way most parents in the series have.

Canonically Kiara has some of the funniest lines too! One of the MC's failplay options in Book 1 has Kiara respond: “Nice? Nothing about being here is nice. If I wanted nice I’d buy a teacup pig." Or this line she says to Hana in TRH where they both speculate whether the MC was brought up in a haberdasher's guild, given her obsession with hats. I also see her as someone who values rationality and employs a bit of tough love, and therefore is hard on herself if she gets emotionally wrecked by something.

I also view her as someone who will be passionate in love but still give the other person their space because that's exactly how she interacts with Drake. While Olivia forces a kiss on Liam, and Madeleine bullies Hana, Kiara actually is relaxed and tentative in her pursuit of Drake, and is in fact the most chilled out of the alternative LIs.

Would definitely love to see those Gordon Price x Kiara Theron fics and hcs!! The more people who love Kiara write or create content about her, the merrier! I'd definitely love to be tagged in something like that.

Mood Board and Appreciation: Kiara Theron

Face Claim: Aja Naomi King

More character collages

The first time I saw Kiara's sprite, I thought she looked familiar and I'm convinced that the artist based her on Aja!

I've been collecting photos of her and @kiaratheronappreciationweek propelled me to finally put some of them together. Here are a few of my favorite pics of her!

I thought I'd combine it with some Kiara appreciation.

Kiara is sophisticated, poised, intelligent, and beautiful! She was never actively shitty to MC like other ladies at court and when the Barthelemy thing happens, she is the only one who makes a decision by actually thinking things through with logic. She's the only one that tries to warn MC and, as things unfold, changes her vote based on the evidence. Everyone else has knee-jerk reactions or knuckles under to outside pressure.

Unlike all the other ladies at court, she has professional and career aspirations. She also has the drive, ambition, and intelligence to accomplish them. I am not convinced she ever actually wanted to marry Liam but rather joined the social season because it was expected of her. She's devoted to her family and her country and would fulfill those social obligations as a matter of course. It would also provide her an opportunity to network and forge political connections.

I also HC she has a good sense of humor, a sharp wit and that she doesn't take crap from anybody.

Twice I have married her to Gordon Price, the prime minister of Terrana. I have yet to write how that comes about, but one of these days maybe lol. I just HC that she would need someone with similar diplomatic goals and aspirations, someone that can match her intellectually and professionally.

[griffinsabina]

[cassiopeiacorvus]

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[yourqueenb]

Not Milkbone 😂

Since I'm not actually enjoying Wolf Bride, I liked getting a chance to deliberately do badly in one of these and not feel bad about it. A little bummed that I didn't make much of a difference, though. It's kind of cool to be able to get sort of behind the scenes when I feel no need to play "well" or "correctly" or whatever.

[ratanslily]

why does this sprite exist in game files, like is it from a failplay?? cause i didn't get this??? my Murphy was fit and fine

[numberonephantompizza1]

iJustine & Portal 2

hey i wanna say something about iJustine’s Portal 2 playthrough just because I don’t think anyone else has

for anyone out of the loop, around 2011-2012, iJustine made a Portal 2 playthrough that seriously sucked, not even joking. the people who call it painful to watch are not exaggerating in the slightest, it really is that bad. one of the popular videos of it that still remains shows an actual child’s playthrough of a certain level compared to hers, and as someone who’s managed to watch more than half of this let’s play, i do not think it was any sort of fabrication.

iJustine is obviously not proud of this playthrough. After it ended, she would go on to delete every video from the playlist off her channel. even while it was active, some of her later videos were titled “failplays” or “failthroughs” by her herself. simply put: she did not know how to think with portals.

however, in a weird way, ijustine has earned my respect for sucking so much at this game.

because, after 57 videos (averaging 10 minutes in length each, which was pretty standard for youtube at the time), she actually DID beat the game? you can look it up on internet archive yourself, but to save some time, here’s a screenshot of the end of her playlist

don’t know why she added the video twice but that’s not important

but realizing this kind of shook me to my core, because imagine this from her perspective:

iJustine is playing a game she’s clearly very bad at, and she knows she’s awful at as well. she’s being laughed at and mocked by the internet at large, which is definitely hurting her image, if not her self-esteem as well. and yet, somehow, she finds it in her to actually finish what she started?

i think most people in her position would have probably dropped it long before the 57th video. but, i dunno, overcoming something that really challenges you, you want to stop but you force yourself to keep going... isn’t that what gaming is really about? to me, anyways, it is...

so yeah, i know that none of this really matters anymore, but it’s something that probably needed to be said. ijustine, at the end of the day, pulled through. i respect her for that. and i think you all should too.

[thefirstcourtesan]

You kind of can. Book two lifts from the most recent completed file. So you can replay and if you don’t hit end book, it will life from the previous play. I have done this numerous times.

So for Blades, you could play as an elf, finish the book, play as a human and then decide to hit end book or not.

I wish we could save different playthroughs of Choices books and choose which one to use on a book's sequel

[thefirstcourtesan]

A Quick History of Embrimel

I know I said Abanthus was next, but I realized I need to finish my TC&TF replay first, same with Bellemere as I want to finish my failplay, so I will start with the kingdom we know the least about: Embrimel

Embrimel has two named locations, the coastal ship-building city of Alarial and the capital of Panrion. Yet, while they are ship builders and sea faring people, there doesn’t seem to be a major port, as in Book 3 it is mentioned that that is why Azura evades Fydoria. Though it could also be as simple as the fact that Embrimel is also further East than Abanthus and Fydoria and landing there would be back tracking.

Still, we know that Embrimel does provide ships for the rest of the Five Kingdoms and that during Luther’s rule, he increased production (and reduced living conditions) under the iron fist of Florian Tartassis and post Luther, we know Embrimel is looking forward to profiting on the opened trade to Ducitora and the increased need for boats.

Embrimel is the kingdom without a defined ruling family, presumably the entire family was wiped out during the invasion of Stormholt and Luther was able to secure the kingdom quicker than he was the other kingdoms with less opposition. Probably helped by the fact that he had previous had troops in Panrion before the proposed alliance.

The previous royal family of Embrimel is never named in the series, even in Book 2 in Dom’s spirit world scene, when Adriana mentions that Bellemere and Fydoria were invested in the potential marriage arrangement, Embrimel is left out, so whatever motivated the royal family to agree to the alliance it wasn’t the potential lucrative marriage alliance, though again, given the previous invasion from Abanthus, they have may have just been interested in the idea of peace. 

Unlike the other kingdoms, there was no rightful heir to lead and no organized armies, instead resistance comes from the common people, lead by the Keawe siblings, who are named regents after Florian is deposed, an arrangement that continues through Kenna’s reign. The term regency implies that Embrimel has fallen back under the general rule of the crown and Kenna.

In TRH, young Maxwell Beaumont makes reference to the “pirates of Panrion”, so it is likely their reputation as seafaring people continues into the future, perhaps something we will see explored in The Royal Masquerade. Of all the kingdoms, Embrimel is the one with the least defined history, which leaves a lot of potential to explore.

[jinchiriku]

(vía https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t9XvGagNFBM)

Me decidí a probar este EZIO COLLECTION (protegido del frío con mi PIJAMA SEXY) para rememorar lo mejor de la saga Assassin's Creed, al acabar de grabar me di cuenta de lo que me había reído mientras jugaba y decidí darle un toque personal a la edición, preparaos para echaros unas risas a mi salud!

[griffinsabina]

[lizzybeth1986]

@noesapphic Thank you so much!! I remember I thought pretty much the same about Penelope when I got into TRR3, and it was the failplay that gave me a fuller picture. The overall narrative definitely tried to drill in the view that she was sweet, naive and harmless even until TRF where the MC could argue that Landon and Emmeline brought up a "wonderful daughter", and I think it's hard not to buy into that until you see the full picture. Absolutely looking forward to your TRH/F related thoughts!!

Maxwell and Penelope: When You Like Your Side Character So Much, You Gift Her a Shiny New LI

Series - TRR's Alternative LIs: The Romances that Didn't Happen

Previous - Liam and Olivia: When You Prefer the Side Character to the Main

A/N: There won't be a lot of exploration on Maxwell x Penelope, as there is very little the pair gets in canon. I will be largely looking at their individual characterizations and the changes and retcons made there. There will be a lot of exploration on Penelope x Ezekiel.

CW: Mentions of Penelope's actions as part of Constantine's nefarious plot against the MC in TRR1 & 2, mentions of Penelope's social anxiety.

(Screenshots from the Skylia YouTube Channel, Drake playthrough)

Compared to the other three alternative romances, Maxwell x Penelope turned out to be a bit of a one-chapter wonder. It was extremely short-lived, and the only indication that it had ever happened was one conversation between Penelope and the MC in TRR2 Ch 6, after which there is no reference to it, ever again.

In my mind there are two major factors behind this pairing being left behind, which I will get into later in this essay. However, what I find even more interesting is what the narrative and the writing team did with Penelope after they set aside that subplot. What did TRR3 give her in lieu of this alternative romance, and why, and what does it tell us about the narrative that she alone got that?

But before we can get into that, we need to look (separately) at how Maxwell and Penelope were written in TRR1, and how it culminated in the characterizations they got by TRR2.

The Evolution of (White) Side Characters

One thing that fascinates me about TRR1 is the trajectory of some of the characters, when you observe them on rereads. We often go into those rereads with a strong impression of their character type (or stereotype), before we learn to our surprise that the initial writing doesn't always match the image we carried in our heads.

In the case of some side characters, we may find traces and hints of a totally different characterization, before the team zeroed in on a trope or characteristic that may have hit the right chord with the audience. When done right, this could result in a more rounded character. But in the wrong hands, the writer may keep falling back to that one trope that made the character click, and turn them into caricatures instead.

Maxwell and Penelope are representative of different tiers of side characters, at least in TRR1 - which means that what we may expect in terms of treatment will vary as well. Even before TRR2, Maxwell was more LI-tier adjacent; until he got his LI-upgrade in TRR2, he was a frequent presence in the story and the MC's life, enough that his fans started a "Make Maxwell an LI" campaign. Penelope (along with Kiara) was a far less important character with infrequent appearances.

So of course their trajectories wouldn't be the same. It's interesting, nonetheless, to see how the writing changed over the course of the series, what parallels or complementary traits made the team consider Penelope as an alternative for Maxwell by TRR2, and why they ultimately let go of the pair after one chapter.

As we go through these stories, I think I'd like my readers to keep one thing in mind throughout - Penelope is an anomaly as a character. There are very specific things she is given that at least one other character in the same position doesn't get. Why?

I might not be able to give the answer in this specific essay, but I do think it's a question we need to keep asking ourselves as we go through her story.

Maxwell and Penelope - TRR1

A truly interesting thing about Maxwell was that he was initially not even conceptualized as a prominent character in the books! In their promotional interview for TRR2, Kara mentioned this about the creation of his character:

Excerpt from The Royal Romance: Book 2 interview.

Maxwell was initially conceptualized as a fun foil for Bertrand, the MC's tentative guide for the social season - who the writers considered too stiff and boring to stand alone as a character. Owing to his proximity to both Liam (close friend) and the MC (sponsor), it made sense that Maxwell was a part of the group scenes from the jump.

Going by the interviews, clearly Maxwell's 'fun nature' was his main USP for the writers. TRR1 does try to balance this aspect of his personality with scenes where he shows perceptiveness (such as pointing out opportunities to ally with Kiara or Penelope), but as time goes on he is viewed more and more as the 'funny guy' of the group. He also has a side-story connected with his older brother, who isn't very impressed with his work during the social season (tbh, for good reason!). This side story allows us to view him with sympathy and perhaps overlook all his failures as a sponsor (and there are many examples of this throughout TRR1. Most of the opportunities to connect with the main LIs emerge from all the times Maxwell failed to adequately guide her - teaching her the Cordonian Waltz, explaining the significance of the Regatta Race, finding the right tents, telling the MC to get swimwear for a beach party!).

Of course, because TRR2 (where the Beaumonts are her staunch allies from the jump, even before the LIs return and pledge their support shortly after) and the "Make Maxwell an LI" campaign created such a strong impression on the fandom, people remember him most as the "person who was always there for the MC".

Though he doesn't become an LI in TRR1, we do get our first ever hint of the possibility midway through the book:

(Screenshots from the HIMEME YouTube Channel)

Most of the people I know joined the TRR fandom either in the middle of Book 1, or after Books 2 or 3 - therefore, much of what I'm about to say next is down to conjecture. It is possible that either some stans did pop up in the initial chapters, resulting in the hint in Ch 8, OR that the writers tentatively teased this pairing with the dialogue at the Lythikos Ball, and were gratified enough by the response to continue teasing it. By TRR1 Chs 10 and 11, there was already plenty fanfic on Maxwell x MC. The writers were clearly encouraged enough by the response to toss a few more hints (the MC asking Maxwell about taking his shirt off at the beach, the implications of the MC telling Maxwell she is falling for someone else). Before the fandom knew it, Maxwell had already become the beneficiary of two diamond scenes focused on him in TRR1 (a flashback scene that introduced Savannah, and having fun sliding down banisters in the finale).

Penelope's trajectory in Book 1 didn't experience as meteoric a rise in popularity, but there were changes made throughout the series until she did become somewhat popular. Her trajectory could be categorised in three parts:

1. A minor noble who was very poised and proper (snobbish, if you weren't fitting in well enough)

2. Adorable ditz

3. The lady with social anxiety (TRR2)

From their entrance in TRR1 Ch 3, both Penelope and Kiara were written as extremely minor characters compared to the three frontrunners (and one female LI) of the social season. They accept early on that they don't have much of a chance in the competition, and are the first contenders (barring Hana) that the MC can get on her side. They represent the opinions and mindsets of the royal court.

Because of this, Penelope and Kiara initially appeared almost indistinguishable from each other. The only thing that seems to set them apart is perhaps the introduction Olivia gives at the Masquerade, pointing to Penelope's lineage and Kiara's linguistic skills and diplomatic pedigree. She was the titled one, Kiara was the "smart" one.

(Penelope's scenes from my failplay, in order:

1 & 2: Ch 3, while speaking about Olivia's connection to the Prince, and if you ask her and Kiara why they allow Olivia to call them 'harpies'

3 & 4: Ch 4, Penelope's response to the MC saying, "Penelope, hands off my man"

5 & 6: Ch 6, if you don't fall in line behind the Queen and bump against her instead

7: Ch 6, when Olivia is shocked that Liam chose the MC

8: Ch 8, reaction to Olivia kissing Liam)

Penelope's early scenes in TRR1 didn't showcase the traits she is now so well-known for. She wasn't the "adorable ditz" until the Applewood chapters; in fact her scenes in the first half often showed her as poised and very proper. At the Masquerade she calmly points out to the MC that there is no reason to be offended, when Olivia bluntly declares that no one else has a chance with Liam. She expects decorum from the MC when she cuts in during her dance with Liam, and even comments on the inappropriateness of some of Olivia's behaviours and cautions her when she gets a chance. If your MC makes mistakes in public in certain scenes, Penelope doesn't hesitate to laugh at her.

Her allyship scene in Ch 10 hinges on the MC's ability to convince Penelope of the advantages of supporting her, and rescuing the lady from a crab bite. She is extremely rude in certain options, and ends their conversation with the sentence "I'm not nice" if she isn't convinced the MC is worth supporting. In fact, she is allowed to call the MC a commoner wench in a certain dialogue option!

(Screenshots from my failplay. The top half shows a response to one of the MC's dialogues (she is merely sad if you choose the second one). The second is the end of the conversation when the MC asks for her support)

In a failplay especially, she can be very, very mean-spirited, which is truly ironic given her later characterization as someone who is herself uncomfortable in court and makes more than her fair share of silly mistakes. Fortunately for most of the players, the more "positive" version of the scene sounds a bit more like she's scared and uncomfortable and not equipped to handle the rigors of court. Which makes the "adorable ditz" direction that PB takes, post Regatta, a bit more believable.

Once Penelope is no longer a contender, both she and Kiara recede to the background. You don't see much of her in Applewood and Ramsford, but the little you do see primes us to view her as "sweet and silly" with a bit of a poodle obsession. Two very good examples of this is the "cheating scene" at the pie competition (TRR1 Ch12) and the aftermath of the Beaumont Bash (Ch 16). At the pie competition, Olivia and the MC can team up to distract Penelope so they trick the rival team into adding salt in their pie instead of sugar, by getting her to talk more about her poodle obsession. At the end of the Beaumont Bash, she is shown exchanging drunken chatter with a horse. The book also makes her preoccupation with poodles way more obvious, where before it was brought up only once at the Masquerade Ball.

Discrepancies between portrayals in the first book vs the latter ones is par the course for TRR. Every character has those in some way or form. Maxwell's story in TRR1 and 2 at least could make sense with enough headcanons to fill in the gaps (for why he was inefficient in his support of the MC, for why his relationship with Drake was so fraught) and his characterization is a little bit more consistent. But Penelope's, on closer observation, is a complete mess and her story doesn't make any sense when put together.

Maxwell and Penelope - TRR2

Compared to the other three pairings, Maxwell x Penelope doesn't go beyond a single chapter.

(Screenshots from Skylia's YouTube channel)

This solitary hint pops up in TRR2 Ch 6, right after the Big Clue about Penelope's social anxiety. We're given the usual options one gets for alternative LIs - a "matchmaking" one, a gently discouraging one and an insulting one, the last two of which could be read as jealousy from the MC's end. In fact, the MC's third dialogue option in this scene is so mean spirited that Hana is required to soften the blow!

There's something interesting about the matchmaking response for this scene, and I think it says plenty about the writers and the lasting impression of these characters they wanted us to have.

"You're both a bit silly...but in a way that works." It's a reading of Maxwell and Penelope that leans very strongly into their potential as comic relief, that views the two characters as alike. Both "cute", both "silly", both there to give the characters (and readers) the occasional laugh.

Is this completely accurate to their characterizations in TRR1? Probably not. But it's clearly what the writers imagined would work well for those characters.

Interestingly, TRR2 is also where the team seems to experiment more with these two characters, and finds the characterizations they think would land with the audience. Maxwell's changes are related more to the belated buildup the narrative was giving him to be an LI, and most of Penelope's was related to her role in the plot against the MC. Maxwell is given more heroic traits (eg. the Savannah storyline and his involvement in the investigation) to beef up his story a bit, and plenty of hints are scattered specifically to tease a romantic route with the MC for more than half the book. The narrative also leans far more into his position as comic relief than TRR1 does, making it his most identifiable trait.

There are tiny nods to his "perceptiveness" (Liam mentions it twice in TRR2), but he does a lot of things that you wouldn't see a TRR1 Maxwell do, like tossing a bruschetta at a foreign dignitary or playing with food to get the forgiveness of his friend (btw the Drake Maxwell friendship reads very differently from the first book; they're remarkably chilly in their vibes towards each other initially. Of course, one could headcanon what caused a rift, but that's still us doing the work instead of the writers!!).

Because so much time has to be spent bringing Maxwell's romantic route up to speed with the rest, the progress of the relationship is different from the other three and his romantic scenes cost less (until TRR3 Ch 10, his first 30 diamond scene). Much of this is par for the course for an LI who has entered the game late. In addition, the narrative also tries in TRR2 and 3 to balance his role as the MC's sponsor with his new role as LI, and it doesn't always land (eg. his excitement for Liam's proposal to the MC two chapters after becoming an LI, or his weirdly impersonal reaction in the TRR3 Ch 11 Armory diamond scene in his playthrough, in response to Madeleine mocking Liam for the MC favouring Maxwell). In part this is a result of laziness from PB's end, and in part it's because navigating Maxwell's new role itself may have been a tricky business.

Penelope's TRR2 trajectory, in contrast, is the textbook definition for "throw spaghetti against the wall and see what sticks". Hints of her involvement in the plot don't even show up until Ch 6, just one chapter prior to the reveal. The reasoning given for Penelope's actions in TRR1 - social anxiety - also directly contradicts what is shown of her during the timeline when she was supposed to have been involved in the plot. TRR1 Ch 14 and the Coronation at the finale shows her acting calm, collected and enjoying herself. A lot of Penelope's actions in TRR1 and 2 - esp at the Coronation and in Fydelia - cast an extremely poor light on her when you take into account that she knew the MC was innocent, and that she'd played a part in framing her. From the way the reveal of her condition was done, and the way we're expected to brush her wrongdoing aside immediately, it's clear that Penelope's "social anxiety" was more about tossing in a last-minute Hail Mary to excuse her actions, rather than any real interest in exploring the subject.

Given the sloppy execution of this reveal, it is entirely possible that Madeleine could have been the "lady" in initial drafts (the strongest evidence of this is TRR2 Ch 1's "constitutional clause", which is never referenced again once Madeleine is no longer a suspect), and they made a switch in the nth hour.

It is also possible that writers in the team liked Penelope enough that they wanted readers to still like her after she'd betrayed their MCs. She hasn't been referenced or mentioned in any team interviews, but the writing speaks for itself. No matter what she's done, the narrative insists the MC center her, sympathize with her, and coddle her. I will speak more at length on how in the TRR3 section.

Why did Maxwell x Penelope Not Take Off?

(The first three screenshots are from the Abhirio YouTube Channel, and the rest are from the Radiance Guardians YouTube Channel)

Unlike in the case of the other pairings, not a lot was said in the fandom about this pair either way, even among Maxwell stans. You did have the occasional "hands off my man!" post from a Maxwell shipper, but not to a great extent. At this point many of them were still unsure whether a Maxwell route would be finalized, and even kept Liam as a standby in case all that teasing from the team came to nothing.

Again, most of the theories for why this pairing had just one scene are mere conjecture, since there isn't much evidence overall. But looking at the placement of this scene and what happens before and after it, I can think of two possible reasons why it was nipped in the bud:

1. Maxwell being a late-in-the-game LI could have made balancing an actual romance route and interactions with an alternative love interest tricky in the long run. As it is, his writing was subject to gaffes and mistakes in TRR3 even without this added storyline. It's possible they decided to just ensure that they got Maxwell to the point where he could have his own 30-diamond love scene (which happened in TRR3 Ch 9 btw (half a book after Drake and Hana got their first 30-diamond scenes), and not focus on anything else.

2. This teaser scene came up in Ch 6. Ch 7 is when Penelope is revealed to have tricked Tariq into coming to the MC's room, and paid the photographer to take intimate photos of her. Now to be fair, the narrative does insist she be sympathized with rather than judged. But I do think a subplot like that would automatically make her an unpopular candidate for any LI, much less one who hasn't even been clearly established as an LI yet! Having Maxwell fall for a woman who did the MC dirty wouldn't reflect very well on him, social anxiety or no. In fact, in Ch 8, Maxwell's reaction to the news is the strongest - he calls Penelope "a few dogs short of a pack", "downright diabolical" and even suspects she was lying about having poodles.

3. It is just as likely that Maxwell x Penelope was never a serious consideration for the writers in the first place. Possibly, Penelope's scene here was simply another hint in a rising pile that teased a Maxwell romance route. Players often do get an added pleasure from watching their MCs mouth a catty dialogue or two to a romantic rival, so this scene may have been more for the benefit of a Maxwell stan who wanted to "fight for her man" rather than an actual possibility if he wasn't getting picked.

Whatever their reasons, Maxwell and Penelope's chances as a couple ended pretty much in the same chapter that it began. It didn't create much of an impact, and no one really seemed to notice this pairing, or the lack of it. It basically started and finished with a whimper.

TRR3 and Beyond - Penelope and Ezekiel (ft. A Flanderized Maxwell)

Penelope is an anomaly among the side characters (and even among certain mains!) in both series'. She is the only person seriously involved in the plot against the MC, who needs massive coddling to even answer our questions about her betrayal (if not, Hana has to take over for you). She is the only lady-of-the-court who can refuse to attend your wedding. She is the only lady-of-the-court who can choose to travel with the entourage to another duchy, despite not being part of the Unity Tour. She is the only one among the three former ladies-in-waiting who can openly complain about Madeleine's bullying, and expect protection against her from the group. Until TRH2, Penelope was the only side character for whom massive divergences in the narrative would be made as well, to accommodate her comfort and mental health (More on that in this essay).

She is also the only alternative LI to be "rewarded" with a brand new character, crafted specially for her.

Until TRR3 Ch 7, the fandom didn't even know Kiara had an older brother. Even though the person we know best in Castelserraillan is Kiara, we actually spend less than a minute with her, and far more time with Ezekiel Theron. There is an entire diamond scene that's about pampering and complimenting him, making him comfortable around us, getting him to open to us - even though his sister was the one injured at Homecoming Ball. And of course, the entire reason for Penelope to even be present at Kiara's estate is so that she and Zeke can be paired up by default! Even at the Food and Art Festival, Kiara's only real default dialogue apart from winning over her mother (or not), is about moving Penelope and Ezekiel's romance along.

Both Penelope and Ezekiel join the Unity Tour only by option, so the narrative puts in a great deal of effort to get the romance going (by having Penelope only stop at Kiara's estate by default) and allowing the two to still have a fledgling courtship going on if they weren't together at the Unity Tour (Penelope still gets to meet people who inspire her into dog fashion and she and Zeke still show their interest in each other, propelling the parents to discuss their match).

The only thing we know about Ezekiel, and pretty much the only thing that really matters, is that he loves animals. In a court that views Penelope's love for dogs as an oddity, Ezekiel is a character tailormade to romance her. He rarely features in scenes that don't show her (the only exception is the menagerie scene in Ch 14), he rarely has dialogue outside of his scenes with her, he doesn't even have a personality beyond what would best suit Penelope. This character exists only to romance Penelope, which is depressing esp when you consider that she is a white woman, and he is a black man - and she is clearly the only one who even matters in this relationship!

There wasn't any real reason to give Penelope a partner. "Penzekiel" doesn't really do much for the story in general, and not a lot would change if you dropped them. But the narrative deems it essential to give her a "reward", which is ironic considering what she put the MC through and how much we had to coddle her for her to even consider cooperating, either in the investigation or during the Unity Tour. Presumably this "reward" is for her "niceness" and "sweetness", which only works because the narrative completely erases her misdeeds in the social season after TRR2. She never has to remember what she did, nor does anyone in the core group remind her.

With regards to Maxwell, by TRR3 he is a full-fledged LI who gets a wedding with his MC, in certain playthroughs. Much of his playthrough focuses on trying to catch up with the other 3 LIs - you can sleep with them if they're your fiancé/ée, but you have to wait until Ch 10 to sleep with Maxwell. The narrative mentions him taking up "responsibilities" for House Beaumont in lieu of Bertrand, but without any real scenes that show us what he is doing, nor any tangible results (we will not talk about Maxwell's book here!).

He doesn't have any alternative romances. In fact even his romantic playthrough is kinda bare - his only individual scene is the Armoury scene which isn't even about him, and there were glitches that were very noticable particularly in his and Hana's playthroughs. There are no references at all to the alternative romance Maxwell was given in TRR2; it's almost as if that option had never existed.

Penelope being a romantic option for Maxwell doesn't stop the two from having friendly exchanges in TRR3 though. Maxwell was not only allowed - but expected - to treat Penelope with sympathy and respect.

(First set of screenshots is mine, the second is from Skylia's YouTube Channel)

Not only Maxwell, even Drake - who hates most nobles - is shown being extremely protective of Penelope in both TRR3 (promising Penelope to protect her against Madeleine) and TRH3 (showing anger at Guy's blackmail of Penelope and her family). The narrative is very clear that we are expected to make Penelope feel safe, even if she has never made us feel anything but unsafe.

This relationship - and the level of coddling that Penelope has always received from TRR2 onwards - continues into TRH, where she and her beau Ezekiel are shown together, there are occasional updates on their relationship when either one appears in a chapter, and where they eventually marry and start a family. An interesting pattern begins to emerge once we get into TRH.

(Screenshots from Skylia and HIMEME's YouTube Channel)

As the only courtly lady in a relationship in TRH, Penelope gets a nicer, cleaner, more luxurious and more drama-free parallel to the MC's romantic journey. Like the MC, she finds a suitor who falls for her and wants to be with her. Like the LI, he eventually stages a grand proposal for her (TRH2 Ch 18), after they have spent a significant amount of time together. Like the MC, she has a widely publicized wedding (though tbh Penelope's was better customised to her tastes, and as the MC we put even more work into her wedding than we ever did our own!! (we were both her bridesmaid and her officiant, our daughter is the flower girl, we give her the perfect bachelorette, we rescue her from her asshole ex-husband, we help her select lingerie!!!)). And when the MC announces her second pregnancy, Penelope announces to us her first. Penelope's storyline has all the romantic trappings that the MC had with her LI, but without the tension, the conspiracies, the attacks and kidnappings, or the constant fear that someone is out to get her and her family.

Penelope is basically treated like MC-lite. Quite the upgrade for a mere side character who actually did us dirty at one point.

Does Maxwell - her potential LI for all of one chapter - suffer as a result of this upgrade? Apart from the Flanderization, I would say no, he actually didn't.

He doesn't get the lavish Drake treatment, true, but he is centered in the issues that bother him. The MC, by default, has always been expected to defend him to Bertrand from TRR1 onwards, and often argues that Maxwell tried as hard as he could to help her, even when he didn't. Her sympathy towards him whenever Bertrand justifiably berates him for his negligence is by default too. And while he improves in TRR2 and (somewhat) 3, in TRH3 the entire group is thrown into this position again. Even though Maxwell exaggerates events in his friends' lives to an insulting degree in his book and the subsequent movie adaptation, the group often brushes their discomfort aside and supports him instead. And even though his lies in said book about Bertrand (TRH2 Ch 11) indirectly cause the latter to give up his lands to their father (resulting in Bartie Sr's attempt to usurp the throne), the MC spends all of the next book comforting him, involving him in her investigations, and patting his hand sympathetically while he moans about the father who killed the former queen of the country, all while ignoring the son of the woman Bartie Sr. killed, and raging against the elder brother who is secretly supporting them (even after the reveal, the group judges Bertrand heavily and even suspects him of being part of Via Imperii in TRF). Very little is said - either by Maxwell himself or by anyone else - about his role in facilitating this awful takeover.

All in all, Maxwell may have not gotten an alternative LI at the end of the day, and his overall LI path was pretty messy - but there was some thought and consideration put into his writing. The focus on Penelope and her new romance never actually harmed Maxwell.

Fandom

As I've mentioned before, Maxwell wasn't an LI in the beginning, but rose to LI status in Book 2. While the writers did make claims once in their TRF finale livestream that they had planned to make him an LI all along, I find that a bit hard to believe. From the way the hints were dropped it's way more possible that this was a development that came up once enough people in the fandom found him attractive enough to be LI material.

As the Make Maxwell an LI campaign grew in popularity, the fandom often held a rosy view of him, calling him "the only valid white guy", celebrating his queerness (as they should! It was hinted that he was pansexual in TRR2 Ch 18), showered him with sympathy and called Bertrand names for berating him. None of the nitpicking that certain other LIs would get for not supporting her properly, ever touched Maxwell. Nor did the fandom - who did criticize him quite a bit for his trashy book, and protested his Flanderization - ever view him with anything besides sympathy when he struggled to believe his father was evil, after he'd encouraged his brother to make said father the head of Beaumont House. This was the same fandom that didn't hesitate to find the most nonsensical excuses to trash Liam.

The Maxwell-Penelope scene was a fun way for some Maxwell stans to allow their MCs to act a bit possessive of him, and they were very critical of Penelope's betrayal later. But the overall response to Penelope's storyline was overwhelmingly positive. Many related to what she said about suffering from social anxiety, and especially to the lines about her emotional support poodles (ironically in another book, Sloane Washington got scant sympathy or respect despite clear indicators that she suffered from social anxiety too), and were quick to forgive.

(I must confess I was among this portion of the fandom too, but with the belief that she would address it more strongly herself in TRR3)

Fandom didn't mind buying into the canon myths that Penelope was a "sweet, naive" girl, and part of this is understandable because not many got to see what she was like in the failplay. So it was easier to presume that she would still take a little responsibility and wholeheartedly regret her actions, without seeing the failplay scenes where she is shown expecting to be treated like royalty by the woman she screwed over. Penelope and Ezekiel were viewed by most as a cute pair, with some (justifiably) liking this interracial match initially. Many readers who were fond of Penelope even criticized Kiara for being "mean" to her or "joining in Madeleine's bullying of her", when Kiara's behaviour was clearly more protective than harmful.

There was a slight rise in a general negative attitude towards Penelope in TRH3, when she could prioritise her wedding over the looming terror of the MC's child being taken away from her, and only speak up when the MC encouraged her at the altar. But very often people who made these criticisms clubbed her and Kiara together, as if they were a single unit...as if their actions and choices throughout the series were the same. As if Kiara got the same concessions and pampering that Penelope did. In reality, the choices the two women made - and the narrative treatment the two women got - couldn't be any more different.

Individually, Maxwell's and Penelope's stories show us what happens when the writers of a story lean too much towards fandom adulation, and allow it to dictate the way their stories will go. In both cases PB found a beat that the readers liked and stuck with it, never expanding beyond that one trait and causing the two to be caricatures of themselves. In Penelope's case especially, once her anxiety story resonated, the narrative used that to encourage readers to pamper her ad nauseum, and justified her lack of genuine care for anyone but herself through constant reminders of her mental health condition.

I will repeat the question I'd asked at the beginning of this essay - What did TRR3 give her in lieu of this alternative romance, and why, and what does it tell us about the narrative that she alone got that? That's a question I hope you'll keep asking in the next two essays.

Next: Hana and Madeleine

[beyonceswigs]

Would you ever romance Drake or is it just Team liam all the way, sis

I have romanced Drake in a failplay and thought about Liam the whole time, so.....????? lol. 

[cassiopeiacorvus]

Choices Failplays

I've decided to start posting failplays of various Choices books on YouTube to share my secondhand embarrassment.

Most Wanted | COMPLETE

The Crown & The Flame | BOOK 1 | BOOK 2 | BOOK3

[fudgermucker]

We play Brawlhalla for the first time and I try not to fail as much [x]

[lizzybeth1986]

@sfb123 Truly an apple-tastic review! Lol this portion of the book brought so many laughs with the apple obsession. A friend of mine once told me that extremely tart fruits like the Cordonian Ruby would be a good option to bake with, as you can always balance out the tartness with your other ingredients.

Plus later on in the series, Liam speaks about portions of Cordonia that have a fondness for bitter and sour foods, so I've always assumed that the love among Cordonians for that fruit is down to both their tastes and to how it goes well in baking.

When I was growing up, my Mum found an Australian-grown variety of apples called Pink Lady which were very crisp and sweet. I think it's also called Cripps Pink. Absolutely loved those.

I would definitely go for the fruity drink! I too would like for my alcohol to not remind me that it's alcohol.

I agree...too many apples on her breakfast spread, but I do laud the MC for commitment to the cause! For the pie baking contest I feel we must commend Hana on her pie-decoration skills - making a Royal Seal for a pie-decoration is super complicated! (If she's on Madeleine's team, the design is that of a rose).

You know, there is the option to make BOTH teams fail! In a failplay of TRR1, you can make your MC get every step to making the pie wrong, let it fall leaving grass stains on the side, and distract Penelope so Olivia can add salt to Madeleine's pie. Which means that during presentation time, the Queen of Cordonia gets one overly-salted pie, and one pie that has grass marks and dirt on it. The salty pie wins. I do not envy poor Regina her position. Someone give that woman a million religeuses 😣

A Taste of Cordonia: Part 5

The Royal Romance Book 1, Chapters 11 & 12

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(Let me know if you’d like to be added or removed)

I took some time away from A Taste of Cordonia to focus on my fics, and my real life, but I’m back baby! And now, we’re headed to Applewood Manor for apples, apples, and more apples. It’s the Apple Blossom Festival! 🍎🍎🍎🍎

Apple-mania starts with a taste of the first apples from the seasons Cordonian Ruby crop.

I mean, they really make these apples sound appealing. I love bitter, I love sour, and I love being nauseated! FYI - that was sarcasm, I don’t love any of those things. Here’s the deal with me and apples, i have a solid month in the fall where I’m all in with apples. I throw on a flannel and some leggings like a real basic bitch, I go to an orchard, pick some apples, and have a hell of a time. 30 days later, I’m sick of them and don’t want anything to do with them. I don’t know if I actually like them, so much as I get caught up in the seasonal hype. I guess if I were to be the Queen of Cordonia, I’d probably have to eat a couple more apples a year. Apparently, also significantly more horrible apples than I am used to. Maybe, once I become Queen, I can pay someone to swap my Cordonian Rubies out with Red Delicious or something. Oh what a scandal that would be! 2/10

During MC’s secret rendezvous, she learns that it’s Drake’s birthday, so the gang goes out to an American Western themed bar to celebrate! MC chooses from 3 options for Drake: whiskey, a fruity drink, or something on fire.

I’m sure you’re sick of me talking about whiskey, so I’m not even going to bother. If you want to know how I feel about it, shame on you, you clearly haven’t read my previous reviews. Stop here, go to my masterlist, and catch up! It’s ok, I’ll wait.

(#FreeBritney)

Let’s get to the fruity drink, aka my drink. I’m not a big drinker, but when I do drink, I like my alcohol to not taste like alcohol. My first choice is sweet, chocolaty drinks, but I won’t turn down something fruity, especially if it’s frozen. I swear, I belong on a tropical island somewhere. 8/10

So, we’re lighting drinks on fire now? That’s a thing?

So, I’ve never actually seen a flaming drink in person. It doesn’t seem particularly safe or enticing. Also, I looked it up, and the thing that makes it catch fire is the high-proof alcohol. I feel like that means the drink tastes very much like alcohol, so I’d probably hate it, but it looks cool as fuck. 3/10

The next day, before heading out to the festival, MC tells Bertrand and Maxwell about her apple-tastic breakfast.

That’s...a lot of apples. Individuality, sure, not too bad, but all at once. Wow. And what did she put the butter on? The tart? Did she mix it into the cider? Maybe she just ate it straight up with a spoon? On, let’s break this down:

I’ve never had an apple tart, but I looked it up, and the ingredients seem like something I’d be down with. It seems kind of like an open face apple pie. Or like a more chic apple pie for fancy people. 6/10

As with the whiskey, I won’t bore you with another apple cider review. I will say, it strikes me as a weird breakfast choice. Apple juice seems like it’s more appropriate. Then again, I’m not 4, so maybe not. 10/10

Apple butter, this is an interesting one. The only time I’ve ever had flavored butter was at Texas Road House (that butter...those rolls...*chef’s kiss*). I’d be willing to give it a shot, I don’t hold high hopes for enjoying it though. 5/10

Finally, the suitors split off into two teams and compete in an apple pie baking contest.

Another repeat review. You’ve heard my schpiel about apple pie, and my dad baking the best ones ever and so on and so on, so this is another positive review...unless you let Olivia sabotage the other team, then that shit is nasty, and you’re a dirty rotten cheater. 9/10