Don the letter on the right would not be considered a "p" in medieval script (they used capitals less commonly than us and, as far as I have seen, they never raised a lowercase "p" above the baseline).
It would be considered an "l" (ell) with a loop. So, it conforms very closely to the "cl" ligature that was common in medieval writings.
In some instances, it can also be the "is/es" abbreviation (a loop with a descender) if it is at the end of a word.
I agree with you that some of these shapes with straight backs instead of the full figure-8 loop do look deliberate.
It would be considered an "l" (ell) with a loop. So, it conforms very closely to the "cl" ligature that was common in medieval writings.
In some instances, it can also be the "is/es" abbreviation (a loop with a descender) if it is at the end of a word.
I agree with you that some of these shapes with straight backs instead of the full figure-8 loop do look deliberate.
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