The Simon/Penelope fanfics set in Season 1 make a huge narrative mistake with Daphne, and I need to talk about it.

I’ve been reading fanfics for a while that reimagine the first season with Simon courting Penelope instead of Daphne, and there’s something that pulls me out of every single one of them without exception: they automatically assume that Daphne simply ends up with Prince Friedrich as if it were her natural destiny. As if Friedrich would show up anyway and fall in love with her no matter what. And the more I think about it, the more I realize this is a massive narrative mistake that breaks the internal coherence of the entire story. I’m going to explain why, and at the end I want to know whether anyone else has noticed this or if there’s a weak point in my argument.

First, we need to understand how Friedrich’s interest in Daphne is constructed, because it isn’t magic — it’s a very specific chain of causes. The scene where they meet works because Daphne is already with Simon; they share an inside joke, and when the prince arrives she lets out a spontaneous, unconventional laugh, nothing like what is expected from a society lady. That’s the spark. Friedrich notices Daphne precisely because, in that moment, she isn’t behaving like all the other debutantes. Without Simon, without that prior complicity, Daphne maintains the social composure she was taught, and Friedrich sees absolutely nothing different from the other girls. There’s no spark. No interest. No story.

But the problem actually starts even before Friedrich appears. At the beginning of the season, Anthony is actively driving away all of Daphne’s suitors — that is made very clear. Without the plan where Daphne and Simon fake a relationship to attract attention, Daphne never gains popularity, she never attracts notable suitors, and the Queen has no reason whatsoever to take an interest in having her nephew court a girl who isn’t socially standing out.

Then there’s the issue that, in these parallel versions, Penelope is the one who starts receiving attention thanks to Simon. It’s important to keep in mind that her appearance and her family are ultimately not the same as Daphne’s or the Bridgertons’. And then there’s the question of whether, without Simon’s help, Daphne would end up being forced into a match with Nigel.

I don’t know what you all think would logically happen in a world where Simon and Penelope get together in Season 1.