They do appear onscreen under some circumstances - if they’re with Rosario or if they’re teaching at either school. Otherwise they don’t appear or are mentioned very indirectly.
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If they aren’t a teacher but they’re married to someone who is, it would be kind of cool if they made an appearance at a school event, maybe the ball in Chapter 3. Can’t you just see Hartmann and their spouse being proper mature chaperones while also exchanging nostalgic little smiles across the room as they remember their own courtship days?
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I always tend to go after the mean ones first, so the answer is a loud and clear “yes”.
Depends entirely on the MC I’m playing. I probably wouldn’t pursue Javi with a sensitive, soft-hearted, and insecure MC because their early behavior could be easily read as that of an immature bully.
One thing that I definitely liked was that Javi and my Javimancer could connect over their shared views on politics.
Didn’t think so. For example, I was pleasantly surprised about not losing points with them for winning the sparring match. If we’d had to let them win, that would have made them unappealing in my eyes.
One thing I’d be interested in: Whether Javi’s asexuality is a factor that further influences their feelings about an arranged marriage. In their romance, they state their boundaries quite clearly but would it have been the same with a partner they know and trust significantly less? Were they in any way concerned about compatibility and mutual satisfaction considering the fact that the world seems to have a very clear picture of what a romantic relationship entails (e.g. a wedding kiss)?
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I’m not sure if I’m remembering correctly but is Javi Aromantic or Asexual? My apologies if I used the incorrect terms. I’m asking cause I’m beta’ing and about to start another game play focusing on Javi, so I want to make sure I’m providing the right kind of feedback on their romance play through.
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They are asexual and alloromantic! In their case they don’t do anything more physically intense than hugging, and they are interested in romance.
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Thanks so much for the clarification
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I like that idea as I did want to slip in some more references to non major teacher characters… I’ll see what I can fit in!
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Hey Hannah!
You said you might be interested in talking about Javi’s characterization over here?
Also, do you think I should submit to beta test? I didn’t since I already asked about Tea Gods, and I knew this one would be heavily sought after, but I would love to help and see the changes!
Furthermore, making it so that Javi is not basically completely unjustified in their feelings would help a lot with making them seem more sympathetic. What if the MC didn’t notice that they really were taking the spotlight? Maybe the MC made a mistake, instead of them just having Javi get mad at them while they were 100% in the right. If the MC actually did something wrong, and they talked about how the MC didn’t mean to, then that would make Javi a lot more reasonable to me. Alternatively, I mentioned earlier the option to have them genuinely mean to make Javi mad / mess up at the wedding in order to try to drive a wedge and avoid having to potentially marry them.
Anyway, I will copy quote what I wrote before for clarity (Spoilers?):
The thing that confused me about the enemy to lovers trope for Royal Affairs was how Blaine did it so much better in the book before. Mind you, I found Blaine insufferable, but at the very least they had an actual reason to be spiteful toward the MC considering how the MC’s family more or less ruined their life leading up to the start of the game.
Like, Blaine is freshly an adult, the idea that they would still feel raw about it makes sense.
I feel Javi’s characterization is something that can be hard to empathize with. I do wish there was the option to be genuinely mean at the wedding to slight them out of spite, in order to give Javi an actual reason to be pissed. Maybe the MC was feeling pressured regarding the proposed marriage between them and Javi? They act out intentionally to gain Javi’s ire while they are really indifferent about Javi other than not wanting to marry them. Acting out in order to try to draw distance between them before they could eventually figure out that maybe the reason they were against it was not because it was Javi but rather due to the external pressures.
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Thanks so much, this is really helpful! I’m adding it to my List Of Things To Consider About Javi and will have a good think about it.
I would say yes please do email about beta testing if you would like to and are available to do it! It’s always helpful to have a variety of feedback and it’s only just begun so there’s a lot of branches and characters for players to explore and comment on (and find bugs in!).
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I’m glad! I know it would be a decent chunk of work, if you did add it, but I guess I just thought it would be more compelling since it can paint the MC as more fallible too. Maybe the MC doesn’t even see the mistake, until Javi points it out to them more clearly, and maybe depending on that would decide if the wedding couple actually was bothered like Javi thought they were. Up until then, the MC just assumes Javi is being petty, and Javi assumes the MC is being obstinate + incorrect.
Oh, also, the only reason I romanced Javi was because 1. We need more ace kings and 2. I couldn’t help the wish for prince find prince, enemy to lover. If they weren’t the royal romance I never would have romanced them, like Blaine, lol.
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Javi doesn’t work for me at all, really. They’re just sort of consistently horrible to you in a bunch of abrasive and irritating ways. They go at you so hard in the early part of the story with no real provocation on your part that making nice with them feels kind of like being a doormat or a punching bag. The only real reason you get for it is basically “Mommy wants us to get along” and doing it for that reason just feels like being a doormat twice over.
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I’ll have to replay the demo since it’s been a hot minute but from what I remember:
After playing CDC, I do agree with the comments that mentioned Javi feeling very juvenile vs Blaise. I can’t help but feel like the reasons for why Javi ‘hates’ you (in my case at least was doing a speech for the Rosario wedding that they felt was stealing their thunder despite my MC being cordial and polite to them mostly) comes across as childish, petty, and shallow. It doesn’t bother me per se that they are like that but it does make me less likely to want to get to know them better — or even romance them — when it feels like a fair chunk of the interactions feels slanted that way. Like it does feel like they don’t do much other than being a rich brat, and if that’s point, there’s not a lot to recommend them as a love interest other than for completionist runs 
I’d like to see another side to them that brings out other facets to their character — especially admirable characteristics — that aren’t reliant on picking them to see it. As it is imo, I don’t think I can call them ‘mean’ per se as much immature and self centered, and therefore when they lash out it has that flavour vs being meanspirited because they’re just cruel.
In summary: yes.
I feel like compared to Blaise who had a better reason for being antagonistic, Javi gets off a little too easily at times. Granted they’re of a higher status than Blaise but I feel some things deserve stronger responses from people around them. Like the challenge to the duel — especially if Ash is involved — I think should have had more repercussions for Javi since picking fights is never a good look (especially considering that Javi is royal). And if Ash is your RO, I feel the choices should be more scathing (even if privately) because Javi has placed them in a terrible position: either protect the MC (as is their duty) and hurt a junior member of a royal family that your country wants a marriage alliance with, or back down and then let it be known that you refused to protect the MC (and then let their honor potentially be dragged)
The aftermath for that scenario as far as I can remember didn’t do much for me. It just reinforces that Javi is a brat but MC is still pressured to maintain (bare minimum) some semblance of cordiality. There’s no real consequence to Javi (except maybe sulking off ashamed if the check succeeds) for instigating it.
Also, Javi doesn’t hide the fact they actively dislike MC unless their parents are present. If anything, I would imagine people would be talking how a potential marriage is doomed to fail when at least 1/2 of the party is visibly hostile. And considering how quickly gossip can travel, and how many eyes are potentially on these two royals, why shouldn’t the parents be more aware that their kids actually do not get along?
If it’s true that the MC’s parent will defer to MC’s judgement when it comes to their marriage, I don’t see why MC can’t bring it up earlier to say something like: hey, I know you want me to marry Javi for political reasons but Javi has been hostile since day 1. And this isn’t kindergarten where you might still be able to say that they have a crush if they’re mean to you. If we want this to work something has got to give otherwise this really won’t last
(Conversely: Javi is a petulant child at times. Marrying them might make it worse for us)
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I must say I feel entirely opposite about Javi’s childish behavior. I agree they come across as somewhat ridiculous and petty. But as a fan of the tsundere type, I find that endearing, especially because it’s quite easy to fluster them. It seems clear to me from the start they are covering for something, and latching on to MC as a way to deal with some deeper issue. Personally, I think that’s intriguing and I don’t mind MC being the patient one coaxing the RO out of their spiky shell.
Now, this is admittedly not a rivals to lovers situation as much as it is tsun/kuudere situation. For rivals romance there does need to be some equality: If it’s a petty, shallow rivalry then both sides need to act that way! MC doesn’t get the chance to complain about Javi taking the bread roll they were going for, or how they obviously are wearing red today to mock the MC’s sunburn.
I think the somewhat inconsistent tone is the issue here. Like, the sparring incident is more of a rivalry where both sides are competitive and can be quite vicious to each other. But most of the time it’s more like Javi is desperate for attention while MC rolls their eyes, and if MC blows them off they just huff and walk away - so it’s fairly mild and more comedic.
Either kind is enjoyable dynamic to me, but I rather it be one of the other, especially as authoritative or forceful MCs can end up almost bullying Javi themselves, which is less suited for a the lighter school rivalry dynamic.
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My take on the whole tsundere trope is that they have to actually like you — since a big part of being a tsun imo is the conflicting feelings of liking a person vs whatever hangup they have to make them more volatiley in denial — especially they’re a Type A sort.
As is Javi doesn’t seem to have much dere, much more they don’t seem to hold/want any affection (even the friendship variety) from the MC. If anything, they seem very active in wanting to push them away because they don’t want to marry them.
[Which I feel is more understandable as a motivation — like to sabotage any relationship because they’re not ready to wed/flat out do not want marriage — vs the petty grudge they seem to be carrying]
Though having said that, RA isn’t a very anime-esque book. So having that kind of trope would feel a little more out of place to me, or at least the knee jerk interpretation would not be to think of them in that kind of light
If anything Javi feels like they’re lacking in awareness at best — like if memory serves right, they were the one who brought up Beau’s family without realizing how Beau might feel about it — and at worst, wilfully combative.
Again, this is to the best of my recollection since I haven’t touched the title in so long 
My suggestion would be though to have Javi and MC collude to make the marriage not happen — and if you’re on the romance path, they ironically fall for each other while promising not to. On the otherhand, if the author wants to preserve the antagonistic bit — which I feel Trevelyan fits in more all things considered — then maybe have MC (accidentally or not) bungle something in the Rosario wedding, and Javi was the one that had to clean things up or somehow ended up as the one being blamed.
I think if Javi in particular was more of the family let down or otherwise more visibly the unfavourite — hence why they’re so attention hungry and probably approval hungry as well — it would also help cement why they wanted one thing theirs to go right. Whether that’s a speech, a play, or something.
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I just finished my second playthrough and I’m struggling to get my grades up.
Both times I’ve studied and have a B average in my stats however at graduation I keep getting a C
This is a known issue - I will be fixing in the next update 
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Ah ok thanks, I had mentioned that issue in one of my feedback emails but I wanted to see if it was due to not selecting certain options or focusing on the wrong things during playthroughs
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“If this is where the monarchy is headed, count me out. Out of service! Out of Westerlind! I wouldn’t hang about!”
– Trevelyan, probably
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Sincerity alert:
Happy new year!
Thank you so so much to everyone for your support for me and my writing this year. Amidst health things (good and bad), big family things (good), money things (bad; economy sucks), doing more with friends again, and shifts in my work during the year, it has been a big time of change. I’ve been trying to be kind fo myself, learn healthier working practices, unlearn bad ones, and take rest when needed. All of those things are challenging and it’s not always a linear process, but I’ll carry on trying next year.
I’m so pleased that I released Noblesse Oblige this year, and that King of the Castle (which was my day job for most of the year) was written up in Edge Magazine (my 18 year old self is boggling and frankly so am I), that I’m working on other things I’m excited for but can’t talk about, and that progress on Royal Affairs continues apace. I hope the full game of Royal Affairs will launch in February and that you enjoy it - I’m so proud of how it’s going (and it’s looking like it’ll end up longer than Creme de la Creme; it’s certainly a longer playthrough)! And beyond then, I’m looking forward to doing more creative work through the year, experimenting, and being in touch with what I love about writing and making games.
I hope 2023 treats you well and brings you joy.
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