#They paid me for next time too

[amerasdreams]

cute store downtown-- got some things

Some really good chocolate oreo marshmallow ice cream

[daily-sifloop]

Stargazing? ✨

Day 10: looking for your star

[dollypopup]

"all the negativity is killing the vibe"

"just be grateful for what you got!" "was it perfect? no! but we got some good stuff!" "people are just being so down about season 3"

There is a reason people are displeased.

We are consumers of this media. We PAID for this media. With time, with money, with subscriptions. We bought the merch, we watched the promos, we paid in attention, we paid financially, we paid literally and metaphorically.

And they did not deliver.

So, yes, we have a right to complain because objectively speaking, it was a bad ending. It just was! It was poorly written and poorly edited, it did not leave viewers happy, and there is a REASON the engagement of part 2 is much lower than part 1. Polin is not the problem, sidelining Polin is the problem. Writing Polin poorly is the problem. Shoving Colin to the side (half of the pairing) is the problem. Inconsistent characterization is the problem.

the fact that we came in with high expectations and they were let down for us? makes it a bad ending. makes it bad writing. the fact that we waited 2 years for it and then another month in between and did not walk away feeling as though that time was worthwhile? makes it a bad ending.

the writing was disjointed, characters were underutilized, Colin was pushed aside in his OWN SEASON, they tried to do a #girlbossfeminism narrative and then threw Cressida to the wolves because she did a few things that hurt the main heroine's feelings, even after showing us as viewers we should (and do) empathize with her. I mean, for fuck's sake, there was literally a big speech and everyone clapped moment. stakes were defanged, there were threesome scenes that cut any and all tension building between Polin, Eloise's character was written inconsistently for the sake of swift forgiveness, they threw Babies ever After at us, momifying the one character who was said to be plus size representation at NINETEEN, there were more sex scenes for Benedict than there were for the main couple Polin. Lady Whistledown was a black hole for good quality because instead of writing a narrative that suited the couple's ending, they wrote a narrative to keep her as a plot device by any means possible. This season was a roller coaster that went up up up and then stagnated.

there are legitimate criticisms to be had about this season. as if we don't have a right to demand good quality from something we paid for.

and the worst part of it is that they set it up SO. WELL.

I ended Part 1 pacing my apartment, giddy and kicking my feet and rewatching the ending over and over. Part 2? None of that. And the reason people have been so negative about it is that IT SHOWS.

Yes, in part, some negativity is homophobia for Michaela, who I honest to god adore and am so happy to see on screen. Yes, in part, some negativity is for Polin from haters, a couple I love with all my heart.

But most of the negativity comes down to poor writing. Inconsistency. A lack of bravery for dropping a plot device (Lady Whistledown) that the show has held onto not for Penelope or for Polin, but for Bridgerton's story moving forward that writers do not feel confident portraying without a narrator so it might crutch them.

Stop licking a plate of crumbs and claiming it a meal. They had 2 years to deliver a fantastic season. They didn't do so. That is not at all on the actors, because they are FANTASTIC, it is on the writers, and on the production. Was it beautiful? Sure. Was it well acted? Absolutely. Was it good? Well edited? Well written? Meaningful? Fun?

No.

There are parts of it that are, but when you fumble an ending, it sours the entire experience. The reason people loved Part 1 so much was because of the ending of Episode 4, which was done beautifully. It felt satisfying. And then Part 2 felt like an entirely different beast. If you settle for mediocrity, that is all you will get. So yes, I demand better of this season. I demand that we get more than just one thirty second scene of Pen and Colin being intimate after their marriage. I demand more characterization and time devoted to the main couple instead of useless side plots. I demand better writing. I demand better EDITING. Cressida was done dirty, Colin was done dirty, Eloise was done dirty, Penelope was done dirty. And at the end of it, VIEWERS were done dirty.

There's a reason Part 1 had such glowing positivity and then Part 2 is garnering horribly mixed reactions. It's because one is better than the other. And if this show is CAPABLE of delivering content like Part 1, then yes, I will absolutely demand it of part 2. One day, Bridgerton will learn how to write a proper final episode, a proper closing to an arc.

That day was not in Season 3.

[cerise-on-top]

Whether you'll be sticking with CoD or not, thank you for all the beautiful writing you've done in the fandom! I love going back and rereading your fics and HCs 😭 In the spirit of your post, how about Alerudy and reader watching fireworks to celebrate new years and new beginnings together? 😃

Thank you, that made me really happy to hear :> I had a great time here! I met some amazing people too! I think I'll remember my time in this fandom fondly, for as messed up as it could be at times! This is one of the greates compliments you could give a writer :-)

AleRudy and Reader Watching the Fireworks

I feel as though the both of them would be ecstatic to watch the fireworks with you. Sure, you weren’t dating the two of them, but that didn’t mean they didn’t enjoy your company as much as they did each other’s. So I think it likely would have been their idea to invite you over. You’d all be nestled on a picnic blanket on a nice hill together, cracking jokes, maybe even flirting with each other for the hell of it. You were close, weren’t you? Besides, Rodolfo knew that you weren’t going to steal Alejandro from him. It was all friendly, it was all peaceful, but the anticipation for a good show was still very much there. Although it may have been a bit more chilly than usual, most places would have still thought of it as rather warm, so it’s not like any of you were going to freeze to death either. Though, you had to admit, the mental image of Rodolfo wearing earmuffs was too cute to pass up. But that wasn’t important, you were sitting between the both of them, despite having insisted that you didn’t want to get in between them. And yet, those goobers wanted nothing more than to be close to you, both of them.

And then the show began: Beautiful lights that lasted mere seconds, but left an impression for a lifetime. Colorful flowers, weeping willows. Red, green, blue. Cyan, magenta, yellow. You were surrounded by the booming fireworks, no particle of the sky left untouched by their beauty. It was a spectacle far more exciting than what you were used to as you could spend this usually lonesome evening with the two people you loved the most. The new year had begun, and with it you were certain you were going to spend another lovely year with Alejandro and Rodolfo. It was more than you could have ever hoped for. All these years, you had no one. And within such a short time, you found honest, genuine people, who have done more for you than anyone else ever has. In such a short time, you had come to love these men more than anyone else. Always so witty, usually so level headed, sometimes the greatest morons you had ever met. But that didn’t matter, they were here to stay.

As you gazed upon another flower in awe, Alejandro and Rodolfo got up, each offering you a hand to take. Naturally, you took it, overcome with love for the both of them. If you could have, you would have taken them both into your arms, holding onto them for eternity. Two weary soldiers, they needed someone to show them the kindness of the world, show them the ways of a safer world. One, they strove to always fight for, noble as they were.

And yet, their gentle grasp on you never ceased, as both of them held onto your hands. They were so warm, their expressions so soft, as if to soothe someone overtaken by the terror of life.

“Y/N, we have to ask you an important question.”

With a gentle squeeze, Alejandro held your hand over his chest, pressing it more closely towards his heart.

“Do you think you’d want to be our partner? We’ve thought long and hard about this, but you’re the one. We’re sure of it.”

Rodolfo played with your fingers, squeezing them, twisting them ever so slightly.

There was not a single thought behind your eyes as you heard that question. Naturally, you had no need to think about it, the answer was obvious. And yet, in your tardiness, you worried them. Hardened soldiers, who had seen deaths more gruesome than one could imagine. At their hands, the world would burn. A dumb grin on your face, and yet their hearts almost sank as you delayed your answer.

However, as soon as you regained your composure, you took your hands away from theirs, wrapping an arm around each of them.

“Yes, I’d love nothing more than that. Thank you. Thank you for being able to love someone like me after all. I love you two, truthfully.”

A chance encounter. A chance at life. A chance at being loved. And yet, in such a short time, you came to appreciate life to its fullest. The morning was going to come soon, but those godforsaken nights weren’t as dark anymore. Where there was one star, there would be many, one just had to look for them. The booming cheers from people you had never met, the loud fireworks, your beating heart. You were there to witness it all. You would be for a long time. Loneliness was a murderer, claiming more lives than any bomb ever could. And yet, in that moment, you were in the arms of your loving boyfriends, celebrating what you never thought to be possible. A new year, and a new you.

[clowningcrows]

it’s crazy how much having a safe place to be yourself and express your identity and personality and interests, both online and irl, can change your will to live. honestly.

[guinevereslancelot]

not to be ungrateful but i don't get paid enough at my job lol

[tadpoles-and-daydreams]

break on the free readings

Hey all! If you're not an anon* and you still have a reading request sitting in my inbox, I'd like to be clear that I am currently a bit burnt out so I've taken a short break. Paid readings will still get done if I get any since those are a major privilege to do in my mind and I appreciate the support, but for the moment I'm closing reading requests and will be getting back to doing the last few non-anon readings once I can. The past few days have been this odd, noticeably liminal space for me, and I was forced to recognize that my free readings are off the table for a little bit. Asks are still open and I'm still happy to respond to those, I'm just not responding to any reading requests atm!

(*anons I'm so sorry, you don't get notifs so I'm going to assume that you won't see readings done weeks later. I'll figure out how to combat this in the future.)

[heavenknowsffs]

honestly fucking tired of my grandma's unsolicited opinions and advices on getting a job and doing a new major because mine is "useless"

[mccleans]

my ceo just sent the whole company a heads up email about upcoming redundancies

[poisonedfate]

literally in distress over my job rejecting my availability

[mishkakagehishka]

Like why do i even buy a pass anymore.

[qumiiiquinnquin]

ill never be good enough at anything

[autistic-shaiapouf]

Con is over! I feel like I've been hit by a truck

[toastsnaffler]

finished for the day 40 mins early but I can't catch an earlier bus so...... 🥱🥱

[anadorablekiwi]

Nightly existential despair has hit because i live in a broken world where the only job i can emotionally handle is part time produce clerk and my current income is so low i dont have to make student loan payments yet

[whisp3roftheheart]

I really am the most embarrassing person when I like someone lmao