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Jennifer
Jennifer
The Poor Unlucky Girl
Aliases The Precious Little Girl
The Timid Girl
Princess Jennifer
The Little Princess
Joshua (by Wendy/Gregory)
Prince Joshua (by Wendy)
Filthy rat (by Hoffman)
Dirty wretch (by Martha)
The Scapegoat Princess
Social Rank Beggar (initially)
Irritating (later)
Princess of the Red Rose
Gender Female
Age 19
Status Alive
Hair color Dirty blonde
Eye color Hazel
Occupation Unknown
Voice actor Jo Wyatt
My dear friend... I never want to lose you again. I'll protect you... forever and ever until I die...
—Jennifer, trying to cope with Brown's death

Jennifer is the main protagonist of Rule of Rose.

Very little is initially known about her in the beginning of the game, other than that she is a nineteen year old woman who is described by the unseen narrator as a "poor unlucky girl".

Jennifer is abducted while exploring the seemingly abandoned Rose Garden Orphanage, and subsequently trapped on a surreal airship by a ragtag mob of disobedient orphaned children known as the Red Crayon Aristocrat Club who force her to do their commands under the threat of death.

It is slowly revealed that Jennifer is actually lost inside her amnesiac childhood memories in a psychologically-damaged version of them full of monsters and bullying. Rule of Rose is focused on Jennifer's stay at Rose Garden Orphanage and her post-traumatic stress disorder as she is remembering, processing, and accepting the suffering she experienced as a child.

Her Social Rank in the Red Crayon Aristocrat Club is the lowest in the aristocracy: Beggar, and later, Irritating.

Appearance[]

Jennifer is a pale nineteen year old of average height. She wears her dark blonde hair in a bun and has hazel eyes. Her normal outfit consists of a pale grey dress with a white collared undershirt, a red rose brooch, black socks reaching the knees, and brown formal shoes. Later on, her clothes are drawn over with red crayon.

For her child form, young Jennifer instead has a pixie cut. She wears a blue long sleeve dress with white segments. Atop it is a long white apron with lace. At her neck is the same red rose brooch. Young Jennifer also wears brown formal shoes and white socks.

Personality[]

A silent scarecrow... It stands there quietly, not meddling in the affairs of others. It sways in the breeze, like me... a cowardly girl who was unable to assert her true feelings.

Jennifer is a demure, passive, gloomy and scared soft-spoken young woman who believes herself to be a coward. Jennifer speaks very little and distances herself from her own emotions in an attempt to distance herself from others in turn. She is the type who is not very talkative and tends to only speak when necessary, making her thoughts to the player often a mystery similar to Eleanor.

After discovering the truth about her backstory, it is revealed that Jennifer's behavior during the game is the result of a teenager processing her traumatic and painful memories. As such, Jennifer is emotionally-stunted. If Jennifer disobeys and misbehaves, she will be killed, as mentioned by the prince; as a result, she is submissive and lets herself be bullied and tortured by the other ten members of the Red Crayon Aristocrat Club.

Despite Jennifer's quiet, stoic demeanor, she is also exceptionally kind, loyal, good natured, and caring. She never bears any ill will towards her tormentors - she instead puts on an adult, mature, emotionally repressed front in order to cope with her fears and trauma instead of stooping to the level of her fellow orphans.

In addition, the game is set in Jennifer's mind. She was a child during the events of the game. It is unreasonable to expect a little girl to be able to stand up to a mob of other children, especially since some of them, like Diana, were older than her and Jennifer was the "new girl" at the orphanage. By the end of the game, Jennifer eventually finds the courage to stand up for herself.

Rule_of_Rose_-_water_humiliation_scene

Rule of Rose - water humiliation scene

Jennifer not standing up to herself when children pour water on her.

When Jennifer was a child, she was the orphan who was most aware of her surroundings. She seemed caring and thoughtful of the others. Even when the other orphans bullied her, she wouldn't retaliate. She is loyal to her friends, including Wendy and Brown, and even to those who do not like her, such as the Aristocracy and the adults in the orphanage, fulfilling their orders and demands. Jennifer states that she thought of herself as a grown-up compared to the other orphans.

All of the children, except for Wendy, portrayed her as "filth" and called her "Filthy Jennifer." Ironically, Jennifer did the orphan's laundry. Hoffman didn't stop their bullying, even calling Jennifer a "filthy wretch" when he scolded her in his office. Hoffman's dislike of Jennifer was likely because she was often late and didn't care about being scolded for not doing her own assigned chores. Additionally, Hoffman notes in his diary that it was after Jennifer's arrival that the other orphans began to act up uncontrollably. The maid Martha Carol was not fond of Jennifer either, but helped teach Jennifer how to clean.

Biography[]

R101 wreckage

The ruins of flight R101, which served as inspiration for Jennifer's backstory.

Jennifer was born in England around the year 1921. In June 1929, she and her parents were traveling on an luxury airship heading towards India from Cardington. However, the airship crashed and everyone on the airship, except Jennifer, died. She claims she lost her memories, but it is unknown which memories she lost.

The media presumed that everyone on the airship was dead. However, Jennifer miraculously survived and, before the ruins of the airship were found by the police, a lonely pea farmer named Gregory M. Wilson found and kidnapped her.

JoshuaRoom

The room where Jennifer stayed after the airship accident.

For about half a year, Gregory held her captive in the basement of his rural house located on the outskirts of Cardington, believing she was his son Joshua, even calling her as such. It is implied he made her dress in Joshua's clothing and cut her hair. He would also read her plenty of storybooks he wrote himself, and they would usually contain dark and sadistic plots. Gregory and Jennifer lived in poverty. Gregory was depressed, suicidal, and alcoholic, and seems to have become delusional after the death of his son. Jennifer, who had lost her memory, pitied and empathized with him, though he wouldn't allow her to leave.

Wenjen

Wendy and Jennifer embracing.

In November 1929, a young girl named Wendy, a resident of the nearby Rose Garden Orphanage, saw Jennifer through the window of Gregory's basement. The two began exchanging letters and soon became friends and then lovers. Eventually, in the spring of 1930, Jennifer fled Gregory's house with Wendy's help and they went to the orphanage. Just before they did, Wendy gave Jennifer her rose brooch in exchange for a stuffed bear.

The orphanage accepted Jennifer, and she was put under the care of Hoffman, Martha Carol, and Clara. Jennifer also became involved with the Red Crayon Aristocrat Club, and became acquainted with the orphans. Jennifer states that she "couldn't bear" playing airship with the other children as an airship's fatal crash caused the ill fate of her parents. Although Jennifer got along with Wendy the most, she also got along with Amanda. The rest of the children were either neutral or disliked her.

JenniferWithBrown

Jennifer hugging Brown as a puppy.

In July 1930, Jennifer found a puppy and named him Brown, and decided to take care of him. Jennifer kept Brown in a shed located close to the orphanage. When Wendy found out about Jennifer's love for Brown, she became jealous, angry and hateful, especially when Jennifer spent more time with Brown instead of her. Jennifer had broken the promise she had made with Wendy known as the Rule of Rose; a pledge of everlasting true love. Even though Wendy felt betrayed, she still believed that Jennifer would come back to her.

Unfortunately for Wendy, Jennifer never did stop caring for Brown. The Aristocrats began to bully Jennifer in several ways, such as:

  • Making a life-sized doll of her and using it as a punching bag
  • Name-calling, such as filthy, disgrace, irritating, beggar, etc
  • Giving her the silent treatment
  • Blaming her for things she didn't do (stealing Hoffman's koi, tearing Meg's love letter, killing Eleanor's bird)
  • Pouring cold water on her
  • Locking her in a coffin, pretending she is dead and giving her a funeral
  • Tying her up
  • Stepping on her face
  • Shoving her down a flight of stairs
  • Stuffing her into a bag with insects called the "Onion Bag"
  • Rubbing a rat on her face
  • Stuffing her mouth with crayons
  • Throwing paper balls at her with messages such as "APOLOGIZE BY DYING"
  • Locked in the orphanage's basement in a "cell"
  • Stealing her shoes and socks
  • Drawing on her clothing with crayon
  • Killing her dog, Brown
Brown's_Death

Brown's Death

Jennifer confronting Wendy and the aristocrats.

Finally, in November 1930, Wendy ordered that Jennifer either let the Aristocrats kill Brown or die in his stead, hoping to force Jennifer to come back. Brown was killed by the Aristocracy who invited Jennifer to see her dog's body. This backfired when Jennifer, enraged, slapped Wendy to the floor in front of the other girls and shouted how much she hated Wendy and the club, claiming that they are the opposite of aristocrats and that she despises them all. Wendy, humiliated and devastated, fled the room in tears. Later, Wendy was demoted where Jennifer was then invited to become the new Princess of the Red Rose.

Distraught, Wendy manipulated Gregory as Stray Dog to come to the orphanage in December of 1930, in order to prove to them that Stray Dog was real, and to scare them for demoting her. However, Gregory ultimately killed everyone but Jennifer and Wendy. After realizing the consequences of her actions, Wendy apologized to Jennifer before she was pulled into the orphanage by Stray Dog and killed too. Gregory stopped himself from killing Jennifer during his rampage on the orphanage. When he came to his senses, he apologized and killed himself with his own pistol.

It was initially reported by the media that there were no survivors, however, an officer named Anthony Dolittle found Jennifer at the crime scene. It was then discovered that Jennifer was also the sole survivor of the airship accident that occurred a year and a half ago, and the media went into a frenzy and focused less on the orphanage murders until they were forgotten.

SleepingJennifer

Older Jennifer sleeping on a bench.

What happened in Jennifer's life afterwards remains a mystery. At 19 years old, Jennifer still carries Wendy's rose brooch with her. Jennifer became so traumatized that she repressed the memories of her childhood. Sometime later, it is presumed that Jennifer either fell asleep on a park bench or while taking a bus trip and the memories of her childhood slowly began coming back. This is when Rule of Rose begins, and Jennifer relives her childhood in the form of her older self, with Wendy disguised as Joshua acting as her guide.

Rule of Rose[]

For the full plot of the game, see Rule of Rose (plot).
BusScene

Jennifer and Joshua Wilson in the bus.

In the introduction cutscene, Jennifer and Brown are seen at a local park together at a bench. As the teenager reaches towards him, their attention turns towards two little girls playing. He then disappears as a silhouette appears in the sky. Inside the airship, Brown wakes up an unconscious Jennifer. The duo then begin to explore. The teen then tasks Brown with finding the orphanage key. Once they obtain it, the duo head inside the girl's bathroom. Brown suddenly begins to growl. The both of them distracted, Gregory grabs Jennifer and drags her inside a nearby stall as the labrador can only watch. As the cutscene ends, Jennifer is briefly shown holding Brown in the rain as it transitions to her younger self asking Wendy for a kiss.

At the start in the dead of night, Jennifer sleeps at the back of a bus traveling along a rural country road. At the front of the bus, a young boy sits, reading a handmade storybook. He awakens her and begs her to read the rest of story to him. Jennifer takes the book, but to her surprise, most of the pages are blank. The bus comes to a stop and the boy suddenly runs out of the bus and down the road. Jennifer yells for him to wait, and follows the boy off the bus which, immediately after, speeds away, leaving Jennifer all by herself.

JenImps

Jennifer dragged into her nightmarish hell by Imps.

The events of Rule of Rose begin and Jennifer explores her fragmented childhood memories. She is constantly attacked by monstrous Imps. The Imps attempt to stop Jennifer from recalling her lost memories. They are a hallucinations of Jennifer's; they represent her trauma and fear of discovering the truth.

At the end of the game, Jennifer finally remembers that Gregory was responsible for the orphanage massacre. If Jennifer kills Gregory through fighting, then the game ends on an ominous note. However, if the player gives Gregory his gun, he kills himself with it. Jennifer and Brown are then seen running into a bright portal, returning to an earlier time in Jennifer's memory.

JenniferDoor

Jennifer takes one last look at Brown before locking him away in her memories,

The player can explore the "Once Upon a Time" chapter as child Jennifer, which is set in her memories, and a happier time before the massacre. Jennifer fully remembers her past, including her interactions with Hoffman, Martha, Clara, and the rest of the orphans. Jennifer decides to lock away her memories, including Wendy and Brown, deep within her mind so that she will never forget them until her death. In the shed, Jennifer creates a Bucket Knight which symbolizes that she is creating a save point so that she will never forget Brown and can return to her memory of him in her mind.

Etymology[]

The name Jennifer is a Cornish form of the Welsh name Gwenhwyfar which is composed of the elements gwen meaning "fair, white" and hwyfar meaning "smooth." These characteristics can refer to Jennifer's physical looks and her gentle personality. The "white" meaning also appears in Wendy's name.

Another form of Gwenhwyfar is the French name Guinevere. In Arthurian legend, Guinevere was the wife of King Arthur. She engaged in an adulterous affair with Sir Lancelot and her betrayal of her husband with Mordred prompted the Battle of Camlann, which led to the deaths of both Mordred and Arthur. This legend reflects Jennifer's "cheating" on her friendship with Wendy when she starts to turn her attention to Brown, which later brings the death of Brown, Wendy, and the other children.

Quotes[]

W & J Letters

  • "Dear Wendy, my visitor in the window, thank you so much for writing to me. The man calls me Joshua, but my name is Jennifer. I've been in this room ever since he saved me. He's a nice person… but he won't let me leave."
  • "Thank you Wendy. I want to fly away from this room and run with you in the fields... But the man is so lonely, so sad. I can’t just leave him alone."
  • "I, Jennifer, pledge to the fair Princess Wendy: Everlasting True love I am yours"
  • "How are you, Wendy? You haven't said anything to me since I showed you the surprise… Do you like my cute little puppy Brown? Let's take care of him together."
  • "My dear Wendy, this little guy is just so adorable. When I call his name, he comes bounding to me. I know you'll like him too."
  • "How are you doing, Wendy? Are you alright? We'll always be friends, and Brown can be our friend too. I know you don't understand, but I can't just abandon him."
  • "You've got it all wrong, Wendy. This isn't how it's supposed to be. I never expected you to react this way. All I wanted is for us to live happily ever after together."

Rule of Rose

  • "My name is Joshua. I will serve you, Princess. Just... kiss me, please." (to Wendy in the intro)
  • "Wait! Please! ...Where are you going?!" (to the mysterious "boy")
  • "It wasn't me, honest!" (discovered by Eleanor with Eleanor's dead bird)
  • "No! No, please!" (surrounded by Imps)
  • "My friend... GIVE ME BACK MY FRIEND!" (slapping Wendy)
  • "LIAR! GO AWAY! Just GO AWAY! I'll NEVER forgive you! Not EVER!" (to Wendy about Brown)
  • "And as for the rest of you... how could you believe all those lies?! ARISTOCRATS?! You're just the opposite! I HATE YOU! And I HATE YOU! AND YOU! And I hate myself the very most! For playing YOUR stupid games, and not having the strength to stand up to you! It's all just hideous!"

Once Upon A Time

  • "Tied to this pillar, unable to move, I was all alone. It took a while, but I finally freed myself. I was always the slow poke... But, that won't happen again. I'll never let myself be tied up again."
  • "When I came here, this suitcase was the only luggage I had. I lost everything in the accident. My mother, my father, all my possessions, and even my memories."
  • "The nights were lonely and cold, but you'd always greet me in the morning... Only you greeted me warmly. Thank you so."
  • "A brat, a know-it-all, an introvert, a crybaby, and an elitist... I know misfortune, because I tolerated them all. I thought I was the only grown up, but we were all just kids, myself included. But what does it really mean to be a grown-up? Will I ever become one?"
  • "I learned many things at this orphanage... The alphabet... words... how to clean and do laundry... But the most important thing I learned... was the lesson I received in exchange for my dear friend's life... I finally came to understand myself. My beliefs and the will to stand up for them... I don't want to lose those ever again."
  • "Jennifer, are you happy now, considering how bad it was for you, back then? ...That tragedy you wanted to forget. Now that you remember everything, how do you feel? Is the answer inside you? Think carefully, Jennifer."
  • "A silent scarecrow... It stands there quietly, not meddling in the affairs of others. It sways in the breeze, like me... a cowardly girl who was unable to assert her true feelings."
  • "It all started here, when I dug up the mound... I sensed that something precious to me was buried here... and I couldn't stop myself... The old me... the one who didn't understand herself... I lost my friend because of her. If... If I could go back... I'd try to save him... but what has happened can never be undone. I'll never break a promise again."
  • "All of us loved red roses. Even the name of the orphanage was befitting of an Aristocrat... It wasn't until I swore the oath of the rose that I learned roses have thorns."
  • "A red crayon and... a red broach... A red rose and... red blood... Red is the most beautiful color, yet it comes at a price. It is my most favorite color and my most hated color."
  • "Adults are so selfish..."
  • "I'm sorry everyone. You don't deserve to be forgotten... But I'll remember you. Thank you all for the precious memories."
  • "Wait for me, Brown..."

Trivia[]

  • Throughout the game, the narrator constantly refers to Jennifer as a "girl", rather then a woman. This subtle choice of wording can be seen as foreshadowing to the player that Jennifer was a child when the events of the game occurred.
JenniferKissingWendy

Jennifer kissing Wendy.

  • Jennifer would be considered sapphic as Wendy was her childhood girlfriend. The game includes scenes of her and Wendy declaring they love each other and kissing. Her specific orientation is never clarified, but is presumed to be a lesbian.
  • Jennifer has five unlockable costumes.
    • Gothic lolita: Obtained by getting the Good Ending
    • Nurse: Obtained by getting the Good Ending.
    • Tennis instructor: Obtained by getting the Good Ending.
      • Jennifer owns a tennis racket, but admits to never having used it.
    • Octopus: Obtained by observing the October Ticket in the "Once Upon a Time" chapter.
    • Rag doll: Obtained by finding four Broken Robots in the "Rag Princess Sews" chapter.
WendyJoshua

Wendy's drawing.

  • Wendy drew a picture of herself with Jennifer dressed as Joshua, found in her airship room.
  • Jennifer's main render and the intro cutscene are misleading as it features her with a gun. However, she only obtains it at the very ending or when doing sidequests.
  • Jennifer is most likely intentionally designed to seem weak and awkward in combat as possible, in order to fit the story and tone of the game. Her body language in the game often evokes fear and exhaustion. She often covers her eyes in panic when fighting with knives.
BrownHugGameplay

Jennifer hugging Brown.

  • The player can have Jennifer hug and pet Brown using the O button. Jennifer and Brown must be aligned, with Jennifer standing directly in front of Brown. A light tap on the button will result in a pet, while pressing the button down longer and harder will result in a hug.

Story Concepts[]

  • In the game's original prototype, Shoro Kimura wanted Jennifer to be a boy and the plot to moreso revolve around him and Gregory, but the producer rejected it. This is because they wanted to discuss conflict between children instead.[1][citation needed]
  • An unused storybook shows a different version of Jennifer's story in which she finds herself in hospital after the airship crash and is next sent to the orphanage.[2]
  • An unused model has Jennifer without her brooch. However, images of it only appear in pre-release images for the early chapters.[3]
  • Jennifer may be inspired by the story/character of Peter Pan.
    • Both Jennifer and Peter have two "e"s in their name and end in "er".
    • Both Jennifer and Peter have friends named Wendy. The name "Wendy" was coined for Peter Pan. To Wendy, Jennifer/Peter acts as a sense of escapism.
    • Jennifer/Peter and Wendy communicate by a window, and the existence of this window is how they meet.
    • Both are depicted wearing green.
    • They both have psychological issues with "growing up" and have poor views of adults.
    • The Aristocrat Club can be compared to the Lost Boys. Jennifer eventually becomes the leader of the Aristocracy, much like how Peter becomes the leader of the Lost Boys. There is also the matter of Jennifer pretending she was a boy for Gregory.
    • Peter can fly, and Jennifer once rode on an airship as a child, and during the game, Jennifer finds herself flying on an airship.

Miscellaneous[]

  • Coincidentally, Jennifer is similar to Fiona Belli from Haunting Ground. They both are protagonists of PlayStation 2 survival horror games, teenagers, become orphans due to an accident, have demure personalities and English accents, have dogs used for gameplay (Brown and Hewie), and were abducted to be transported somewhere else. Staff claims this was not intentional and both dogs function differently.[4]

Gallery[]

Jennifer grab JenniferFace Characters
to see the gallery of Jennifer click on Jennifer/Gallery.

Reference[]

Navigation[]

Social Rank
Red Crayon Aristocrat Club "Sovereign" Princess of the Red Rose (Wendy/Jennifer) • Bear Prince of the Red Rose (Joshua Wilson/Wendy)
"State" Duchess (Diana) • Countess (Eleanor) • Baroness (Meg)
"Bourgeoisie" Poor/Miserable (Amanda) • Beggar/Irritable (Jennifer) • SusanOlivia
Non-Members "Proletariat" ClaraMartha Carol Headmaster HoffmanNicholasThomasXaviar
"Stray Dog" Gregory M. WilsonBrown
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