#colin is supposed to be falling in love in season 3 too

[dollypopup]

listen, i'll say it

if S3 doesn't give us significantly more Colin scenes, it'll be a failure

Colin is completely underdeveloped as a character. He has gotten just about 0 POV. All we know about him is either filtered through Penelope or in an ensemble scene with everyone else. And at this point, even if S3 is half and half, it still won't be fair. To balance out the discrepency, it should at *least* be 75% Colin and maaaaaaaaybe 25% Pen because we've gotten nothing for him

I ship Polin, I like Pen, but I'm over getting Pen's POV all the time. We've had enough of it. We've certainly had an unfair amount of it in comparison to his. I'm sick of seeing all the Whistledown behind the scenes and all her quiet contemplative moments when Colin doesn't so much as get 5 minutes focused on him being on the boat, or on his travels, writing his letters or talking through a problem to himself.

I love Colin. He's my absolute favorite character. And it sucks to have a favorite character who is *supposed* to be a lead but has had a grand total of nothing. Bton stripped him of character qualities and threw them onto Benedict, gave Colin like 5 lines, and filtered near all his 'development' through Penelope. Aside from his 'everyone says that [I'm Daphne's favorite]', our literal second scene of Colin is through Penelope's eyes. Everything he says, everything he does: it's always through Penelope's eyes. And I'm over it. I wanna see the world through *Colin's* eyes. And it would only deepen the narrative if we do.

Listen, the directors and showrunners have called Colin 'stupid' or 'dim' or 'not smart enough for Penelope'. The fandom has been rather blatant with their disregard of him, calling him boring, that he's not leading man material, writing him as a cardboard cutout in fics, assuming he's an empty charmer (hmmmm, just like what he's upset about in the books), and it's all because he's been denied a narrative. Colin is a rich, nuanced character. He's funny, he's kind, he's compassionate, he rejects toxic masculinity, he's got imposter syndrome like nothing else, he has a very unique role in his family and experienced a very unique perspective after his father died, he has hobbies (writing, boxing, fencing, studying, traveling) and strong values. But we've barely gotten any of it. Sure, we're *told* some things about him, but we never *see* it.

So if S3 is going to be his time to shine, his season, his falling arse over elbow in love era, they *have* to give us his perspective, and I don't fucking want it all to be his perspective about Pen. I am *tired* of Colin as an extension of Penelope. Penelope has had so much room and time and care to be a character on her own. Colin has gotten nothing. And that kind of dynamic does not a good love story make. And if all that underdevelopment wasn't to pull an Uno Reverse on us and give us a season that focuses on him and builds him up, what was it even for?

S3 should be Colin's story

[loversatthegreatdivide]

Heavy Lies the Heart - Chapter 1

Masterlist // Continue Reading

Pairing: Benedict Bridgerton x F!OC Word Count: 2k Tropes: mutual pining, fluff, angst with a happy ending, royalty Warnings: death Summary: When two second-borns looking for direction meet by chance, can they find purpose in each other? Or will circumstance keep them apart? A/N: This starts at the beginning of season 3, but some timeline things are a bit different here than in the series. Also I'm changing history--it's fine, it's basically in an alternate universe anyway.

A new season had begun, and it was with an all too familiar sense of annoyance that Benedict Bridgerton found himself arriving once again at the Danbury ball. If not for his mother's insistence and his desire to support Francesca in her first season out, he may not have come at all.

Benedict certainly had no desire to join the mart, and he found society and it's rules disingenuous at best, insufferable at worst. It was another season. Another ball. Another night of counting down the minutes while avoiding the attentions of the more emboldened debutantes and their scheming mamas.

Then again, what else had he to do? With his exit from the academy and Anthony's return, he felt rather unmoored. Adrift with no real purpose or goal. A second son with no role to fill or any steadfast ambitions. Even his younger brother Colin seemed to have truly found himself in his time abroad.

What would it take for Benedict to feel so secure?

The ball had barely begun, yet already Benedict found himself hounded by the attentions of the young ladies of the marriage mart. He suspected this was due, in no small part, to the transformation of his younger brother. Colin seemed to rather enjoy the attention, but Benedict found he did not feel the same. At the first opportunity, he made a quick exit, escaping to the safety of the garden. He stood alone, close enough to hear the music inside but far enough to feel the weight of expectation lift. He took in a deep breath of the crisp night air, and sighed in relief.

As he enjoyed his moment of peace, he heard a commotion from inside. Given the excitement, he could only imagine that the queen was finally in attendance. Always the most anticipated guest, yet always the last to arrive. He thought to avoid the fanfare, sipping the lemonade in his hand as he enjoyed the night's sky.

Benedict spend some time just appreciating the silence, but knew he would have to return soon. With things inside having quieted somewhat, he supposed it was a good of a time as any. He was also aware that certain members of his family would likely be cross with him if he disappeared for too long. He sighed, downing the last of his drink before turning to enter the fray once more.

He set his empty glass on a nearby table as he ventured through the crowd. He looked across the room, making eye contact with both Anthony and his mother. At the very least they would know he hadn't fled the grounds altogether.

He scanned the crowd, thinking he ought to at least check in on his three remaining siblings. Instead, his eyes landed on a young woman.

She was lovely.

Her golden hair was tied up simply, with a few stray curls falling to frame a heart shaped face. Brown eyes sat below worried, upturned brows as her full, rosy lips held a nervous smile.

She stood in a crowd of young men, the lot gathering around her like circling wolves as they vied for the attentions of their pray. The young woman looked anxious as she attempted to hold fast to decorum, her smile wavered but never completely disappeared. Benedict thought perhaps he should rescue the poor girl, but as more stragglers joined the crowd, he wondered if he even could.

Before making up his mind, he saw her address the crowd with a quick word, before turning and, as swiftly as was proper, escaping into a group of debutantes. The men seem to argue with each other as they each tried to follow. But by the time they turned to do so, they had already lost sight of her.

But Benedict hadn't, his gaze following her as she weaved her way through the crowds.

She smoothly slipped between different clusters of people, clearly trying to avoid anyone's notice. Many did catch sight of her, but she quickly moved on before they could entrap her in a conversation. Soon she made it to the wall, which she followed until she had disappeared into the same door Benedict had only just entered from. It seemed he wasn't the only one who desired the calm of the garden.

He debated for a moment if he should follow. She was clearly overwhelmed, and likely didn't want another man pestering her--not to mention unchaperoned. He came up with a few shaky reasons that were in favor of it, but he knew they weren't honest ones. In truth, it was simply that his curiosity had been peaked, and he was attempting to rationalize why it was that he should follow.

Curiosity won out in the end, and Benedict once again made his way back out into the night.

He saw her sitting on a stone bench near the door, her lilac dress flowing out around her. It wasn't one that ladies would consider currently in fashion; having an hourglass shape and a full skirt rather than the more simple, straight shape of the dresses most of the ladies inside were wearing. Still, he thought it quite suited her.

She looked as if she had lept from the frame of a painting. Her face draped in moonlight as she stared up at the sky. A tear slid down her cheek, sparkling in the pale light, and Benedict suddenly felt quite ashamed of himself. He realized he had been selfish, planning to disturb the time she clearly needed to herself. He turned, intent to leave her to her thoughts. However, the scuff of his shoes was enough to get her attention and she turned suddenly. Her eyes caught his, and for a moment he stood frozen in her gaze.

Finally, he came to his senses and addressed her, his tone apologetic.

"Forgive me, miss. I did not mean to disturb you," he said quickly. She looked confused, but soon composed herself as she turned to wipe the tears from her face.

"No need to apologize sir," she began, turning to face him with a small, reassuring smile, "I was just getting some air."

Benedict took a few, small steps forward. He waited for her to object, but when she said nothing he took a few steps more. They were shoulder to shoulder, though he left a healthy amount of space between them.

"It's all rather stifling, isn't it?" he asked. He returned her smile, and she quickly turned her gaze down, running a gloved finger over the embroidered vines that decorated the bottom of her dress.

"Certainly more so than I had expected."

"Am I correct in thinking this is your first year? I don’t recall seeing you at one of these," he gestured vaguely at the manor, "before."

She looked back up at him, searching his face for a moment. Whatever she was looking for, she apparently found it. She smiled with a degree more enthusiasm.

"That's quite a skill, recalling the face of every young lady to grace such a grand event," she joked.

"I could say it was well practiced, but the truth is I would simply be unable to forget a face as lovely as yours," he replied. He could see her cheeks flush through the cool moonlight illuminating her face.

"You give compliments with such ease. Is that skill also well practiced?" she asked as she began to regain her composure.

"I may be prone to the occasionally bit of flattery, but in this case I am quite sincere." She looked away in clear embarrassment, and Benedict had to look down briefly to hide the grin forming on his face. "But I have made you uncomfortable, forgive me; I shall say no more about it." Her eyes moved back to him, "I certainly wouldn't blame you for being apprehensive under such circumstances--given what I saw in the ballroom, I imagine you've had quite enough of men and their compliments."

She looked back up at him, "You mean those gentlemen who were speaking to me earlier?"

"The same. They all seemed rather...frenzied to gain your favor."

"Yes, I suppose," she agreed, looking forlorn, "though I believe their intentions were quite different than yours."

Benedict raised an eyebrow, "Oh?" He thought a moment, "If it was not your looks that drew them, was it perhaps the allure of a large dowry? Or possibly some grand title to be inherited?" She actually laughed at that, albeit more to herself than as a sign of amusement.

"Yes, I suppose you could say that," she agreed, "though they may be disappointed; they would certainly be settling for second best. It is my elder sister's family who will inevitably inherit my father's title, and sadly for those gentlemen she has already married."

Benedict was quiet for a moment, looking over her self-effacing expression with understanding and, in spite of himself, a measured degree of affection.

He smirked, "I thought there must be some reason we get on so well; I myself happen to be a second son. Maddening, isn't it? Always feeling like the spare?"

She looked at him in surprise, before relaxing into a grateful smile.

"It certainly can be," she agreed. She hesitated a moment, before deciding to continue, "I often feel as if I don't know what to do with myself. I have always existed to be my sister's replacement, should the worst happen. Now that she is married and with child, a replacement is no longer needed. So what am I, now that I'm no longer what I was born to be?"

Benedict had to think on that for a moment. He was hardly one to advise someone in the exact predicament he found himself in. Still, he hoped he could give her some degree of comfort.

"You're free," he finally answered. She looked up at him, her eyes locking with his. They stared at each other for a long, quiet moment until at last she looked away.

"If only that were true," she said softly to herself.

At that moment, the sounds from inside grew louder. The young woman looked back into the light of the ballroom. She sighed, then looked at him with a soft smile.

"I suppose I should return; I'm sure at this point I'm quite missed," she stood, smoothing out the silken fabric of her dress. "It was a pleasure to meet you, mister…?"

"Benedict. Benedict Bridgerton," he said, bowing gracefully.

"Mister Bridgerton," she repeated, "Well Mister Bridgerton, I do look forward to speaking with you again sometime."

With that she made her way towards the door. Just as she reached the threshold, she stopped. She quickly turned back to him, "Oh, and perhaps you should wait before returning indoors--it would be unfortunate if anyone came to the wrong conclusion."

She was certainly right about that. As she turned back, a sudden thought occurred to him.

"Wait a moment--" Benedict called out suddenly, his hand raised to stop her. But it was too late, she had already disappeared into the warm light of the ballroom. "--what's your name?" He asked to no one, sighing as he turned.

He wandered over and sat on the bench she had been on only moments before. Resting his palms on the cool stone and leaning back on his arms, he couldn't help but grin. He turned his face up to the moon, hoping to meet the curious young woman again soon.

---

Benedict eventually made his way inside, thinking more than enough time had past. As he walk through the ballroom, he searched the crowd. With her nowhere in sight, he accepted that she had already gone. With nothing else to keep his interest, he eventually wandered over to where his mother, Anthony, and Kate stood.

"And just where were you?" Violet asked, annoyance clear in her voice.

"We were quite sure you had run off," Anthony added, smirking. Benedict smiled, turning his face out to the dance floor.

"Not at all brother--I was simply enjoying the ball," he replied. Anthony and his mother shared a perplexed look, but Benedict didn't notice. His thoughts were otherwise occupied.

---

The young woman took the gloved hand that was offered as she carefully stepped into the opulent, golden carriage. She delicately adjusted her skirts as the queen looked her over.

"So Beatrice, tell me--did you enjoy the ball? Was it everything you had imagined?" The queen asked, amused.

"It was certainly different than what I had expected--but I did enjoy it very much," the young woman smiled, looking back at the queen, "Thank you for agreeing to bring me along, grandmama."

[sea-owl]

Ok but I wanna talk about Portia in that trailer and the absolute pride in her voice when she's taking to Penelope.

I personally love Portia's character and how she's been a foil to Violet in that she's a loving mother, but she's also a realist about the society they live in. She's a tough love, no nonsense type of mother. She's making sure everyone survives as a top priority, if she has to be mean to get them there than so be it.

She's been at odds with Penelope the last two seasons mainly because of their different views. Portia is a realist, while Penelope still has dreams like most 17-18 year olds. Portia, in her own way, has been trying to bring Penelope back to reality.

An example of this to me is the scene where Portia finds out Penelope has been writing to Colin. The first thing she says "I declare Penelope," in a softer tone and when Penelope declares Colin her friend that tone becomes more strict. She tells Penelope, "Colin Bridgerton is no more your friend than I am the next Catherine the Great." Is it mean? Yup. But looking at it through Portia's eyes there's some truth to it. Their society doesn't allow friendships between single men and women. Colin and Penelope writing to one another without being engaged or even a proper courtship was actually very inappropriate. Portia probably does understand that there really isn't anything inappropriate in those letters and they are actually friends but she also knows no one else would see it that way. If she wanted she would have been well within her rights to go to Anthony about it and raise a fuss. She needs Penelope to see this too.

Now come season 3 in Portia's pov Penelope is finally taking the marriage mart seriously. She's got herself a suitor who is a titled lord, and Portia is proud of her. No more silly little fantasies of love. Meanwhile Penelope is probably weirded out with some other mixed feelings by this because this isn't what she is used to from her mother.

Makes me excited to see where their relationship goes. Because honestly, Penelope probably inherited the most from her mother, but she's in denial about it. It mostly comes out in Lady Whistledown, but that sharp wit and scheming mind is Portia. Penelope will actually fall into Portia's line of thinking when she's backed into a corner. When she saved both Colin and Eloise, she knew they would be hurt, and she's sorry about that, but she also knows they'll be safe. That is Portia's school of thought 101.

I've also been wanting to see how they approach the big heart to heart between the two of them. I want them to get into a screaming match that breaks down into them sincerely talking to one another. Penelope's confidence is supposed to get a boost this season, and we know she's not afraid to subtley barb at her mother. I hope they have Penelope confront Portia at some point, forcing everything out in the open.

[callingbridgerton]

Is it any surprise that Colin "all or nothing" Bridgerton takes his time trying and failing to understand his feelings after the kiss?

I wrote a little bit about this in a comment on Reddit, but I think some of the frustration that we are hearing from people stems from Colin's lack of vocal processing throughout the first half of the season.

I'll admit that his development is subtle, and happens quietly, but I believe that was done on purpose. It needed to be quiet. For a couple reasons. Hear me out.

For the sake of the carriage scene, Pen needed to not know that Colin was falling for her. People are saying that they felt Colin's declaration felt rushed and sudden, but it was supposed to! His reveal needed to feel completely unexpected!

Penelope is supposed to be shocked by it. In order to believe her shock, we too needed to be a bit shocked. It helped so much with the intensity of the carriage scene. I believe Penelope saw Colin looking at her over the last few weeks, but he's kinda always done that? Only we are supposed to know that Colin feels any differently than normal. If we all had known solidly how Colin felt the whole time then we wouldn't have related to Pen's shock in the carrriage at all. She's shut off any hope of Colin feeling the same way. I think the brevity of the scenes where Colin is looking at her during balls and whatnot are done on purpose (through Pen's eyes). Not to beat a dead horse but the carriage scene really really (to me) wouldn't have felt the same if Colin had given Pen more signs. (And throughout all the criticisms, people seem to all agree that that scene was outstanding. But it doesn't exist in a vacuum!)

So much of what we see of Colin processing his feelings for Penelope is done through looks, facial expressions, body language, etc.

This is a bit unique from the other two seasons, in which Daphne and Anthony were both a bit more aware of what they were feeling (even if they were fighting it) and more obvious about it outwardly to others. Perhaps this is what people feel was missing in the build-up?

We do get some hints of Colin thinking about it and struggling with it as he talks to other people such as the Mondriches, Eloise when he thinks that they've spoken about the kiss, Benedict and Hyacinth after his dream, and later, Violet. But primarily, I think that Colin was simply still figuring it out.

And can we blame him? If I were as all-or-nothing as him, a feeling like I was falling in love with my best friend would scare me half to death. Beyond the initial confusion, he needs to be sure how he feels because once Colin knows what he wants he can't hold himself back from getting it.

I know a lot of people think Colin realizes how he feels immediately after the kiss. I could see that, for sure (and I know it's that way in the books and that Nicola said she thinks it's all in one moment), but ultimately I disagree. It of course jump starts everything (and I don't think anything would have happened without it) but I think that it really does happen more slowly, both before and after that. In the first 2 episodes, Colin is repeatedly affected by Penelope during their scenes. He doesn't overthink it, but it's there. Over episodes 3 and 4 Colin consistently tries and fails to understand what is happening to him, even going as far as to go back to the brothel to try to make it stop, but after kissing them both realizes it's just not the same. (One of my favorite moments was when he goes to kiss one of the ladies, pulls away, and looks dumbfounded after feeling nothing.)

In the last episode, when he's in his study thinking back on the hand-cut scene with Pen, he finally realizes he can't make this stop. In fact, he doesn't even want to. That is the moment everyone was waiting for. And no, it is not shoved in your face, nor in his. It's fast, like "Got it, okay, gotta go." All. Or. Nothing.

Hence Colin making his appearance at the ball, his utter lack of care for society rules in breaking up Pen and Lord Debling's dance. His tunnel vision (and speed, ha!) trying to get to Penelope in the carriage. When Colin knows what he wants he just goes for it. He always does this, as others have said, with Marina, with his investment and then takedown of Jack, with Pen.

If people are left frustrated by the lack of obviousness in Colin's realization, I think that's a little silly. If Colin had fully realized any earlier he would've been breaking things up much faster and it would've been a very different story. The pacing to me was perfect. And it made the pay-off so much more rewarding.

[be-curious-and-not-judgemental]

Lots of commentary on Penelope and Colin lately. I thought I'd throw my two cents in (I'm old and have lived the Fandom life before Tumblr existed).

My thoughts? Book wasn't great, but out of the ones I read, their book was the best for me (don't get me started on Benedict's book, oof). I like how the show has made Colin and Penelope true friends, definitely more than what happened in the book.

In the book, I think the world of Penelope. And the fun-loving Colin too, although I was a bit... disturbed at jealous, angry Colin. In the show, I think they gave much of Colin's charms to Benedict but I still like Colin's kind of moral compass. He's young and impulsive and generally a good person. He's a great son to Violet, a great brother and a good friend to Pen. He is also a little clueless about his true emotions. He says things without meaning offense, not necessarily thoughtless or unkind, just lacking insight. So what we interpret is this great guy who unknowingly leads Pen on. I don't think he means to, she's his very close friend. But unfortunately, he does sort of push the boundaries of propriety with her. Holds her hand, takes her into private rooms and closes the door, tells her how special she is. I can only imagine how confused Penelope would be. Everything points to his growing affection. Until she hears him state otherwise. And regardless if he didn't mean for her to hear, it was kind of a cruel, especially the laughter. Ouch!

Now onto Penelope. She's allowed to be upset. She read the signals and unfortunately, she read them wrong. Everything she's ever known about courtship is from her perception of society. She watched Marina take Colin into a private room with the intent to seduce (and to this day, she would be clueless as to what happened in that room). So when Colin grabs her hand and takes her into a private room, well, she's thinking that Colin is into her! Then he dances with her, tells her she's special and he'll always look after her. I mean, she was riding Cloud Nine. So for her to hear him laugh about courting her, well, that's gotta be a tough pill to swallow. So let her have some anger and be upset. She's allowed emotions. Honestly, I'm sure even if she's angry at Colin (and Eloise), she's having just as hard time looking internally and discovering that part of her problems stem from her own issues and fallacy of reading too much into things. I mean, she's done some very questionable things. Things that were not pretty. She has hurt people with her lies. But she also isn't the villain that some people make her out to be. The show clearly shows her expressing remorse for doing awful things. She sobs after delivering the LW about Marina and is seen crying as she writes about Eloise. I'm not sure the show will have her apologize but I don't think they'll show as this selfish manipulator that a lot of people tend to see her as. She's supposed to make errors. She's young and for the first time in her short life has got people talking about something that she created. So she's probably making questionable choices with her skewed sense of importance.

All I want for season 3 is to see them fall in love. Not with an idealized sense of love (Penelope) but truly accepting each other's everything. I love a good Friends to Lovers trope, and I think Luke and Nicola are gonna be incredible. I'm excited (and I'd be more excited if they released a date, a picture, a hint, anything about season 3).

[mandaplease10]

Season 3 Part 2 Predictions

After the drop of those new stills from Part 2, I have thoughts on what I think will happen/want to happen and a timeline of events! I am not going to say which happens in what episode just the order of what I think makes sense.

Potential Spoilers ahead

Pen & Colin arrive at the Bridgerton house and announce their engagement.

Eloise confronts Penelope over the LW secret and telling her she can't marry Colin until she tells her. Penelope agrees and tells her to give her time and she will tell him soon.

Pen & Colin telling the Featheringtons of their engagement the following day. Portia is upset with Pen because she threw away marrying a Lord that provided security over love with a man with no title.

Colin & Mama Featherington Bitch Off.

Colin takes Penelope to their new house and on the carriage ride over they read the Queen's announcement about unmasking LW.

Penelope asks Colin if he will try and find out. He might make a comment about he doesn't have time because he is focused on getting married to Pen. Pen tries to muster up the courage to reveal herself, but then they arrive at the house and they both look out.

Colin and Pen head inside and Colin gives her a tour (similar to the drawing room scene in Part 1).

Colin & Pen's First Time. - Many people believe this will be the Mirror scene. I don't. In the book, Colin mentions the mirror before her first time, but says he wants to do it later. I think they will keep this timeline of events.

Family Game Night/Engagment Party - Now, I know there is supposed to be a family game night happening, but I'm not sure if that will also be the engagement ball. So, we shall see.

Eloise's Ultimatum - Tell Colin about LW or she will.

Cressida's LW Announcement & Pen Fainting.

Various Wedding Plans & Cute Polin Moments like the dancing in the church. We might get Penelope's love declaration here.

Eloise telling Pen to let Cressida take the LW fall.

Engagement Ball/Another Ball where Polin are dancing and the LW Cressida delivery we saw in the trailer.

Pen gets upset and heads out to deliver her LW calling Cressida a fraud. Colin follows her finds out she is in fact LW.

Colin is angry and they have their argument in the carriage similar to the book. I do think Colin will be upset/angry over the lying and what Pen as written about his family as LW, but I don't think it will last very long. Especially, when he realizes the danger Pen will be in if it's found out she's LW. This could also be wishful thinking. Ha!

If we don't get Pen's love confession prior, this would be a good alternative.

I do think Eloise and Colin will have a moment after the reveal that will help mend Eloise's and Pen's friendship along with Polin's relationship.

I'm still debating if they will include the scene from the book where Pen's announcement is delivered and she didn't tell Colin. I could see after the reveal Colin saying, just no more secrets, and she agrees.

I think the Mirror scene will come either after they are married or just before.

I don't think Pen will be revealed as LW to the Ton because in the show LW's secrecy is an important part.

I think we will get a season 4 lead reveal at the end of season 3.

Honestly, I could keep going down this rabbit hole, but I've already gone too far. Ha!

[brynnsasha191]

Why I don't like Cressida and Eloise's friendship, and why I still don't like either character: A freaking novel.

For some context: I don't like Eloise. Ever since S1, I found her to be incredibly annoying and invasive, constantly shoving her own opinions down people's throats (Daphne, Pen, Violet). And of course, I never liked Cressida for obvious reasons. But disliking Eloise felt like the greatest crime a Bridgerton fan could commit so I kept my mouth shut about it, when the trailer came out I felt like I finally had a valid reason to dislike Eloise because of her friendship with Cressida. But then they hit us with Creloise being actually...cute. (okay, back to getting to the point)

Cressida

I think we were supposed to end up drawing parallels between Pen and Cressida, and feel like they're both girls who have families that are mean to them...yeah I'm not buying that, because the difference is Cressida is mean and cruel, whereas Pen is kind and compassionate (yes, even with/as LW). S1-S2 Cressida is a miserable human being who makes a game out of hurting people, seeing such a strong 180° change gave me severe whiplash. She didn't even change between the seasons, she changed between episodes 1-2. One minute she's destroying Pen's dress and the next she's keeping Pen's secret for Eloise?? But regardless, she changed for the better, logically I should be happy about it. So why am I not?

Because I truly don't understand why every single generic mean girl needs a redemption and sad backstory. Some people are just miserable people to be around, some people are just narcissistic without a sad backstory and no hope of a "redemption". And to most TV shows there's one character that everyone is supposed to hate, I love hating that character lol.

Eloise

Despite my dislike of Eloise, I tried to put it aside and be completely fair to her on the falling out. I completely acknowledge that Pen deeply hurt her and I completely understand why she would need distance, but Pen was trying to protect her. But here's something I noticed, Eloise completely sold out on all her values this season. Eloise has never taken cues from anyone, and here she is almost entirely at Cressida's beck and call. Pen really notices this, El does too *insert the moment they look at each other in EP 3*

"I lost the battle and I have no appetite for war, so I simply joined the winning side" is regency speak for "I sold out". And let me make something clear, Eloise is not a victim in S3. She's so, incredibly fine. She's clearly struggling with her falling out with Pen and she doesn't want to revisit the past. Respectable. But she is not nearly the victim that Pen and Cressida are. As Cressida said, not everyone is lucky enough to have a supportive family.

"I simply cannot understand why people don't see things the way I do" I physically recoiled at that line. Harsh eye roll as well. If that line isn't the mark of a selfish character I don't know what is.

That being said, I truly can't wait for Eloise's season. Her and Phillip will GAG us, I know it. They're my favorite book couple.

Creloise claiming to be nice to Pen while simultaneously being horrible to her

I can't count how many times Creloise is rude to Pen this season. Tearing her dress, faking an injury to take her only suitor away (Eloise was complicit in these things), saying Pen isn't worthy of their attention, pretending she's dead/a ghost. I don't blame Eloise for Pen and Colin's secret because everyone is entitled to support and she apologized for it, I don't blame Cressida because she didn't tell anyone but she seems weirdly amused by it, she comments on them almost mockingly. They both have a right to not like her, they however don't have a right to destroy her dresses. Eloise saying that LW might just make something up for her colum irks me because Pen has never once made something up for LW. She nevers trades lies or misinformation. Eloise should know this.

Peneloise was one of my favorite parts of this show and I have no doubt they'll be friends again by the last episode's end, but part of me can't help but wonder if they're better as just sisters in law and not best friends.

Part two Cressida

I know that in part two Cressida pretends to be LW and seems to cause Peneloise a lot of headaches. I'm wondering if Cressida will revert back to her old, mean self for the LW prize and it will lead to the end of Creloise. I'm really scared for El's ultimatum in EP 5 (she's right for it though) and since Cressida seems to be the one who makes Pen faint, I'm anticipating making a part two to this post.

I hope this was all coherent. And if you're still here then you are an incredible human being, I've tuned myself out. If you have opinions I'd love to hear them, please share them kindly and with respect. ❤️

[thepictureofjune]

Colin Thewes and the Issue of not Being Able to Kiss his Best Friend.

— how Colin doesn’t know the difference between love and friendship until he does and how that could also mean something entirely different in terms of how he is attracted to people

This is basically just me getting proof for that one headcanon I have. Feel very free to disagree but this is just the way I personally view it because of my own personal feelings about this topic. Thank you very much and let’s unpack it from the start: 

1. The Issue of the Kiss 

So we are introduced to Colin as Julias counterpart, as her best friend and we get to know how deep their friendship runs, how they are able to play parts with each other, be silly with each other, etc. At the heart of their friendship in Season 25 is also them playing roles in the Theater Modul and playing lovers who eventually have to kiss. Julia seems fine with that, she is a born actress but suddenly Colins acting seems to lack, at the prospect of having to kiss his best friend. What’s up with that? The thing is, Colin himself doesn’t seem to know why he has such problems with kissing Julia. Why is kissing such a big deal to him if everyone around him manages to be fine with it? 

Some might now argue that the kissing issue stems from the fact that they actually have some unresolved feelings for each other but! This theory is entirely brought up through Reena who basically tells Colin that the only reason he is afraid of the kiss is because he is in love with his best friend. And he actually denies that.

“Weils ja so unvorstellbar ist, dass man sich in mich verlieben könnte.” Is that some issue with love I hear Colin having? This is probably one of our only signs that even if Colin seems very passionate about love, he is still insecure about it. Perhaps because he has this underlying fear of being unlovable, he ends up constantly falling for people who already love him in a certain way. I mean, Julia is his best friend, so surely she loves him and Noah trusts him and that’s a form of love too, no? Perhaps Colin needs this layer of trust first, the security that someone already knows parts of him before romantic love sets in. 

“Willst du nicht lieber bei deinem 1.Kuss jemanden küssen, in den du wirklich verliebt bist?” Here we get proof that a kiss isn’t just a kiss to Colin. He actually seems to not understand kissing someone just for the sake of kissing and not for the sake of actually loving them. Because to him, it seems like kissing isn’t just something friends do or people at Flaschendrehen have no problem brushing over. To Colin, a kiss seems to mean a million more things and he actually has to be in love first in order to be able to kiss someone. 

2. The Line between Love and Friendship and Colins Unawareness of it

“Keine Schmetterlinge im Bauch. Ich hatte mir den ersten Kuss anders vorgestellt, aber naja.” So Colin actually does have expectations when it comes to love and very stereotypical ones at that. When he thinks of romantic actions, he thinks you’re supposed to have this warm fluttery feeling inside your chest, the butterflies, the heart beats, etc. 

“Was ist, wenn wir uns nicht nur mögen, sondern auch lieben?” - “Bei Freundschaft liebt man sich doch auch.” Colin seems to have a few little issues when it comes to differentiating love and friendship or better, the love he has for his friends versus the love he could possibly have for a romantic partner. How will he know if he actually loves Julia or if that’s just friendship? 

And he doesn’t know until they literally get into a relationship and the issue of acting as a couple arises. 

3. And when romance comes, love ends. 

Their cinema date doesn’t go as planned but it’s kinda destined to fail from the start as Colin watches another couple kiss and be all cuddly and when he looks back at his best friend, or better girlfriend, he can’t picture them like that. And even when he tries to be romantic, it ends up failing because it doesn’t feel right. This is him slowly realizing that perhaps he mixed up romantic love and platonic love because it all felt kinda the same to him in the beginning and surely if Julia loves him like that, he must like her like that too, right?

“Deine Freundin sitzt direkt neben dir. Fällt dir da nichts Romantisches ein?” No. Colin knows plenty about romance, he knows about the butterflies in your stomach and that you should cuddle and kiss on your first date. He knows the starry sky is romantic. Colin doesn’t have an issue with defining what romance is. He has an issue finding something romantic about Julia. 

And it sounds harsh but he has all these expectations about how romance should be and how love should evolve and he feels none of it when he looks at his best friend. Because that’s all she is to him; his best friend. Even when at the start, it seemed so easy to blur the lines between love and friendship, Colin slowly started to realize that what he thought was love, was nothing more than friendship and perhaps the appreciation of being loved. 

4. Enter Noah 

And then Noah comes in Season 26 and everything is different except nothing really is. Colin makes a friend, warms up to a dog and without realizing, ends up falling in love. Because this time we don’t get any second guesses, we don’t get the fear of separation, we don’t get the talking about feelings. No, we get Colin kissing Noah because he feels like it. We get Colin asking Noah to go to the cinema with him and the very next day, he is already asking to go again because this time, the cinema felt right. (Perhaps because he went there with different expectations than when he did with Julia but guys, the underlying message please!)

“Der Kuss hat mir echt was bedeutet” because Colin doesn’t kiss people unless it means something, because he said he would much prefer to kiss someone he actually likes in a romantic way than simply kiss for the fun or the experience of it. 

And Noah makes him see that he does know the difference between romantic love and platonic love, the difference between romance and friendship. 

It’s just a bit hard to tell for him but he got there in the end eventually, with the right person. 

To sum up the points of this piece: 

A kiss is more than just a kiss to Colin

He has a hard time figuring out if he is in love or if it’s just friendship

Because his friendships mean more to him than any romantic relationship ever could 

He has high stereotypical expectations for love

This is all a bit messily written and explained, I apologize for that but all we know about love in relation to Colin is that the two times he could see himself in love was with the people he was closest to at that moment. Even when he goes on that date with the guy from the Challenge thingy it doesn’t end up feeling right because he doesn’t know him yet, because there isn’t the same layer of trust that Colin and Julia have or Colin and Noah. And he gets really hung up on love and how once he is able to tell the difference between romance and friendship, he is actually very unable to go back to just being friends because love does mean this much to him and he brings it up plenty of times because it has this very deep meaning for him. Because Colin doesn’t just fall in love with anyone, he couldn’t even properly fall in love with his best friend even if she was the person he trusted most because that was what love was supposed to be all about, no? About trust and knowing each other and still it doesn’t work out. 

In Conclusion: 

[ughmyreality]

I just have to complain. Penelope Featherington and Colin Bridgerton get on my last nerves and I'm tired of acting like they don't.

At this point, Penelope is the center stage of everything. Not just season 3 but the others as well. Not only is she (supposably) friends with Eloise, and she's Lady Whistledown but also a love interest. When does it end? Please don't say it's because they wanted to "flesh out her character" or make her "dimensional" because it wouldn't be an issue if she was in fact meant to be the main focal point. She's not, however, and despite what it sometimes appears, the show is "Bridgerton."

She reminds me of Ani from 13 reasons why. Mostly due to the fact that despite all these relevant main characters, all the time is being focused on her. Well, that and the victim card.

But even if I were to give her some grace, we're supposed to ignore the fact the "man of her dreams" nearly married her cousin?!?! That's bizarre to me. Throughout this whole time, Colin has never shown any interest in her besides platonic dancing. He rarely interacts with her and, in fact, is known to travel all the time. Sure, he writes her letters, but that's all they are, simple letters. Ones of which she later acts like she doesn't even appreciate.

(Also, that clip of season 3 of Colin telling her he missed her... ok, and? How do we go from "and the object of all my desires" to this? Ugh, then Penelope saying his eyes are a remarkable shade of blue but shine even brighter when he's kind. Girl! Clearly, he isn't kind enough because all she ever does is complain about the fact that he doesn't like her! Besides, what sort of a line is that. She's an author. An AUTHOR, and she's going to show it by saying a basic line.)

When exactly are these feelings manifesting? Yet again, I'd like to reiterate that this isn't necessarily a problem because people can just meet and quickly fall in love. My problem with Colin and Penelope lies in the fact that

A. Penelope likes Colin a little too much, more than he has ever reciprocated.

B. Colin seems like an opportunist. He doesn't particularly like her he just rather have her for himself, but the moment he finds someone else, he's off to the next. He bounces from seeing her as his sisters friend to love interest consistently.

C. Penelope is so quick to abandon anything that doesn't suit her narrative: Marina and Eloise. She can run a whole gossip column trash talking Colin and his family, but somehow, she expects to be miraculously forgiven and exempt from any backlash. The only reason she was ever able to get into such close proximity to Colin is because of Eloise, but she has no problem acting like Eloise is the one in the wrong.

D. Most importantly, there is nothing wrong with platonic relationships. The two of them still get on my nerves, but I can admit, it is much less so when they don't interact or talk about each other. They work better as distant friends. If anything, I think Penelope has a better chance with someone like Benedict.

E. Personal Ick (I realize this might be very irrational) I don't like major height difference relationships. It gives me bad vibe because I feel like one party in the relationship is always going to be somewhat infantilized.

It's one thing to say she has a physical attraction to him and another to say she has a full-out crush. Even if she does truly like him, does she "truly" like him? She's had this crush for so long that I don't think she likes the real Colin but the idealized version she's created.

Subtle Eloise Appreciation: And to top it off, why are people acting as though Eloise is the ONLY one looking for Lady Whistledown. Out of all the people, there is such a great likelihood that others are investigating as well. Even the queen wants to know who she is, but people fail to mention that!

On a side note, I'm over the narrative that I should feel sorry for Penelope because of her family's financial hardships. Is that unfortunate? Yes, most definitely, but what does that have to do with the way she treats people?

But, I suppose at the end of the day, it's not that deep. I just wanted to express myself with, hopefully, like-minded individuals. If you love Penelope and Colin, great. I, on the other hand, do not.

[iliveiloveiwrite]

Colin Bridgerton and Christmas (headcanons)

A/N: Colin and Carolling! I shall be posting Anthony’s after this too so expect two posts tonight! As always, I hope you all like! <3

warnings: carolling, singing, very light religious tones, christmas, holiday season, fluff, happiness.

It was a well known secret that Colin Bridgerton could sing, and could sing well.

The eldest three brothers could all sing, but it was Colin who nurtured his voice and could be found humming a tune when lost deep in thought or writing in his extensive journals.

As the year hurtles towards December and advent falls upon them, Colin often catches himself singing the very same carols he has known for most of his life. The very carols he loves.

Colin supposes his love of carols stems from the time spent in church over the festive period when he was younger.

Though that time has lessened as he’s grown older, Colin sings the familiar hymns and carols with fondness.

————————

Colin had never fully immersed himself in charitable pursuits. That wasn’t to say he didn’t give to those in need, but there was never something that he devoted his spare time to.

That is until you came home, close to bursting at the seams with excitement over your new charitable adventure.

Organising luncheons, galas and lectures for charities was nothing new for you. From the moment you took Colin’s name as your own, you dedicated plenty of your time to numerous charities and this latest one had you all flustered - skin flushed from the thrill and from the cold wind.

As you burst into his office, eyes bright, hands fluttering around with elation, Colin fell for you even more.

Explaining your venture to your beloved husband, you could see the excitement come to light in his eyes. Pacing back and forth across his office floor, you explain how you want to raise money to rent rooms in a schoolhouse to improve education for young girls who would not typically have access to maths and English.

Colin loves the idea as much as he loves you.

But he had one question: “How are we going to raise the money?”

You smile. “This is the part you’re going to love… By carolling.”

————————

Colin had never his love of such songs from you. This would be your third Christmas as a married couple - he could hide nothing from you at this point, you knew him just as well as he knew you.

On the morning of the small carol concert, there’s a light dusting of snow on the ground. The air is cold; biting at your cheeks, reddening your nose and turning your breath to white puffs with ever exhale. Colin remains a warm presence by your side; keeping you close as he gathers your hands in his and rubbing them together, doing his best to rub some warmth into them.

Only a few had chosen to sing with you; a small group of ten gather together, drawing enough attention from passers-by to gather a crowd.

Song sheets are handed out and Colin takes a steadying breath before the group begins.

Colin’s voice is rich; he only holds back slightly but feels himself relax when you look up at him with such warmth and adoration in your gaze that his voice becomes louder and his smile becomes brighter.

It isn’t a long concert; five carols where three are Colin’s particular favourites. Applause greets the carollers as their final notes are stolen by the wind. The crowd disperses but not before dropping coins into their charity bucket and wishing them all an enjoyable Christmas period.

Colin remains where he is, watching you as you smile and thank patrons for their donation. Your smile lights up your face; your bonnet dusted with fresh snowflakes as the skies have opened once more. He feels his heart close to bursting in his chest from the pride he feels for you, from the love he harbours for you, and from the sheer enjoyment he experienced when singing.

As the last of crowd disappears, you wander back to man you love with your whole being. A smile is fixed on his face; his blue eyes bright with love as he grabs your hand, pressing a kiss to the back of it before stealing a kiss from your lips.

“Shall we head home?” Colin murmurs, feeling how cold your skin has become.

“I think it was a success,” You comment to Colin as you wander the short distance home.

“I have to agree,” Colin states, “It was a wonderful way to spend a winter’s morning.”

“Did you enjoy yourself?”

“I love carols, I love singing,” Colin begins, pausing the walk home to hold you in his arms. “But there is something I love far greater.”

“Oh? What is that?”

“You, my darling. You.”

[abigail-pent]

so I'm doing a Ted Lasso rewatch now that the finale is out, and there is just so much that I don't understand about these writers' choices.

major issue #1: why in the fuck did they break Roy and Keeley up in the first place? it makes no sense! none! they were going so strong through the end of season 2 and they had barely hit a roadblock of any kind. their biggest relationship problem in season 2 was that they spent too much time together, and then Roy breaks up with Keeley because they don't spend enough time together?? make it make sense!! I don't even think it's one of those things where writers don't know how to write a happy couple, because they just absolutely were writing them as a happy couple through all of season 2. and both characters were growing as people and everything; I don't think their breakup helped either of them like self-actualize or anything. did they really just want to have a subplot where Keeley has a fling with her boss? who then turns out to be a bit of an asshole? like... what even was the point of that. why did this happen. there is no good in-universe answer and I demand a decent out-of-universe explanation.

major issue #2: the whole resolution of Nate. the season 2 rewatch just really hammered home to me that this guy became the worst kind of toxic dude. like. he feels insufficiently masculine and he makes it everyone else's problem. the team jokes with him about the wonder kid thing, which is the kind of roasting they would do to show someone they belong, and Nate can't even see that they're giving him the attention and belonging he so craves. instead he verbally abuses Colin. in his journey to become noticed and taken seriously, he learns all the wrong lessons -- the guy who couldn't get a table at Taste of Athens ends up surprise kissing Keeley and generally acting entitled as fuck. even at the end of season 2, he's telling Ted that he didn't get where he was by chance, but rather because he earned it. my dude you were the kit man. you experienced both luck and skill to become a coach. you didn't build all of that; Ted gave you a chance, and you weren't entitled to that chance. so then in season 3 they let him asshole around for awhile (fair) before... putting him together with Jade? Jade, the hostess from Taste of Athens? Jade, who had no time for you when you were a short brown guy with no class status? Jade, whose insistence on denying you and your family the completely empty window table felt definitely either racist or classist or both? that Jade?? and we're supposed to like her now and think she's "literally perfect"? someone completely replaced this character and like forced her to fall in love with Nate, who has essentially nothing to offer but spanakopita from the restaurant where SHE ALREADY WORKS and the cache of saying she's dating the coach of a premier league football team. but we, the audience, who have not had lobotomies, are expected to believe that Jade is just a lovely non-racist girl who actually does like Nate for Nate, and not because of his sudden and dramatic change in status, and as such we're also supposed to believe she'll stay with him once he quits? SURE JAN. this is preposterous. we have seen Nate slide into deep toxicity, reminiscent of incels tbh, and we're all supposed to believe he's just magically going to de-radicalize himself?? or worse, are we supposed to believe that his incredibly forced relationship made him come back from the dark side? are we seriously arguing that sex with "picky women" can solve toxic masculinity?? get it the fuck together!!!!!

[antipolin]

I really don't like Penelope, but it isn't an opinion that anyone is allowed in the fandom without being called fat phobic, it is like the fact Penelope is meant to be fat gives her a pass on being a shitty person.

However, noting that season 3 is her season, (let's not kid ourselves it won't be Colin's season, he will be along for the ride), she should get her HEA then f*ck off.

It is an unpopular opinion with Pen fans, but in order to have her HEA Penelope NEEDS to give up LW for good, and I am not talking about the BS giving up she did in S2 when she went right back to it when things didn't go her way, that just came off as Penelope throwing a huge ass toddler tantrum. Anyway there are a lot of reasons why she should give it up, but the most important is that she needs to be able to be trusted by the Bridgertons if she is going to be part of the family, and in order to be trusted it isn't good enough for her to say she won't write about them. She will hear all their secrets, see all their scandals at first hand, and the thought that when something doesn't go her way, or she is annoyed at one of them, she could spill all the secrets just leaves a bad taste in my opinion.

The writers did her dirty when they had her be such an untrustworthy mean girl, because they didn't think that every nasty thing LW says is attributed to Penelope, and if they expect us to root for Penelope in season 3 after what she has done, and they expect us to be happy to see her as a Bridgerton after the way she has written about them, without some huge redemption and her giving up LW for good, is just very arrogant.

However, noting that season 3 is her season, (let's not kid ourselves it won't be Colin's season, he will be along for the ride), she should get her HEA then f*ck off.

Sadly, I don't see the 'fuck off' part happening unless her & Colin are banished somewhere else where we don't have to see them. But she's Shonda's favorite so she's not going anywhere unfortunately.

It is an unpopular opinion with Pen fans, but in order to have her HEA Penelope NEEDS to give up LW for good

Another thing that sadly, won't happen. Pen will likely hide her LW identity from Colin or it'll all just get brushed aside and she'll still keep writing her shitty gossip for the rest of the series. Shonda likes her drama too much.

In my personal opinion, the majority of the audience (no, I'm not talking fandom, but general audience who watches it) will also have a hard time with S3 as well for the same reason. They made a huge mistake skipping to Polin early b/c Pen is still portrayed as a villain and Colin has had absolutely ZERO time to get a personality or anything.

How the hell is anyone supposed to buy this couple falling in love with Pen doesn't deserve anything other than prison or banishment and Colin isn't even memorable?

They should have just stuck to the book order and let Benophie have their season and in the B plot of that they could have worked more on Polin.

They need to be serious with this bullshit of Polin's season being next b/c I don't think the majority of the general audience will buy or enjoy it at this point in the narration of the story.

[damelucyjo]

I’m thoroughly miserable from a trip to the dentist so let’s make it worse! 😂

Episode 9 - La Locker Room Aux Folles

Well this is a delightful opening!

Spot on with the music choice, as always

Ted & Beard at Roy: one of us! One of us! 😂

I need to know absolutely everything about Beard’s life. It’s not a want. It’s a need.

Oh no, why did they change the angle of Beard ‘fainting’? Was funnier head on, I think

Poor Colin 🥺 (why did I really want to call him Greg? Who the fuck is Greg?? 🫤)

Sniffing clothes must be such a man thing 😂

Come on Issac, I know you’re angry but he’s trying!!

How fucking dirty are your socks, Dani, if Colin can smell them as soon as you’re near?! 😂

Oops 😂😂

YYEEEAAAHHHH!!!

🚨GIRLIE LUNCH! I REPEAT GIRLIE LUNCH!!🚨 I’ve missed them

You’re not supposed to… yet we all do it 🫣 I’m looking at you, Ted

*dramatic gasp* ‘So much blue’ 😂

Their relationship is so gorgeous. They’re fully cheerleaders for one another, and Rebecca is so lovingly maternal towards Keeley in just the right way 🥰

And here comes dadTed 😂

Yes, babe, sniff those biscuits. It’s not like you get them every day or anything

I love how everyone not at all secretly love Ted’s stories as absolutely nobody ever stops him from telling them 👍🏼

And of course Rebecca would flip her lid at the idea of him giving biscuits to anyone else (like Sharon) but Keeley is 100% fine 🥰

We all know money makes everything better. Great job, Ted 🫡 😂

‘Of course, Ted. Family first’ 🥹 beautiful

(There’s 3 people in this scene, but why does it feel like Rebecca & Ted barely take their eyes off one another…🫠)

These fucking lyrics 😂😂😂 and the girls just bobbing along to it

And Miss Rebecca, you’re face is being very wife-life right now. Just saying

‘Fuck no’ Roy, that is your boss! 😂

‘I mean, why can’t Ted do it. 😳 I mean, I’d love to’ 😂 he’s scared of Rebecca 😂 and she didn’t even have to speak!

‘I heard that’ SHES SUCH A MUM!! 😂😂

Mr Shelby. The more I see Jade the more I love her

THEY’RE SO BLOODY CUTE!! 😍🥰😍🥰

What does it say about me that the creepier and more of an arsehole Rupert is, the more I fall in love with Tony?? 🤔 Hmm

‘It’s worthwhile to meet you’ gagged! Oh she clocked him right away. Good for you Jade!!

He’s spouting his usual shit and she’s not falling for any of it. That is the face of an incredibly uninterested woman. FUCK HIM UP, JADE!! 😂

I fully expected that shot it reveal him watching them from that window 🤦🏻‍♀️😂

Oh what beautiful chaos! You just know this scene was a delight to film. Of course they’re having a passionate debate about guitarists, not football! 😂

Also you’re not fooling anyone by saying Joe is better purely because he’s from Kansas. Come on now, Coach.

It also perfectly highlights why we need more Beard 🫣

Hey now! Leave Stairway to Heaven out of this, man! I love that song!!

Beard at the door 😂😂

So true that the press care more about who is the best guitarist rather than football 🫡 journalism we actually care about! 😂

‘The guy from Cream’ 😂😂 they did that for Hannah! I have to agree with her though, Eric is a great guitarist!

Not gonna lie, I am surprised she even knew a rock band to name 😂

I, too, am sick of Roy being Roy. Brett has been wasted on the grump this season.

That’s what we want!! Give me all the Rebecca being Rebecca!!

So real of Leslie to cheer her walking down a hallway. He gets it

‘Get your hair arse into my office. Now!’ God, she’s got when she’s angry 🥵🥵🥵

‘Ooooo’ they’re all just a bunch of kids on a playground. I love it! 😂

Is his arse the only part of him that’s not hairy?? 🤔 That is a furry man 😂

Must be the pick on Richard episode 😂

‘That Ted’s son is failing science. Scandal’ Trent, you’re delightful and I’m sorry you’ve not been here the whole time! 😂

Going to Fairy Gay Godmother for advice. We love to see it 🥹

Henry’s poor teacher 😂

‘What the fuck is your problem’ ‘Wait, I know this one. You are!’ Rebecca, you sarcastic bitch. I love you! 🥰

This dynamic is absolutely gorgeous, too. I feel like Rebecca & Roy are maybe the only two who are fully real with one another without fear that they’re going to upset the other one. With Roy telling her she shouldn’t settle, and now Rebecca telling him he needs to figure out what it is he wants. I wish we had more of these two this season.

Hasn’t Nate got a team, too? Why does he always seem to be doing game play stuff alone?? 🤔 Or does he prefer it that way??

Rupert is disgusting. *insert clip of Hannah saying ‘I fucking love it’*

A guy’s night?? Don’t trust him, Nate! 🫤

Classic Chris & Arlo banter. I’m gonna miss it! 😂

Okay, so a spin off of Mae and the bar is actually what I want. Apple, you listening

Leslie, my boy, what is going on? Why you texting her when she’s right there? What did that text say?? I’m confused.

He was quick to jump in with that handshake stuff 😂 it’s been playing on his mind since they met, I’ll bet 😂

Issac, I know you’re angry, but you’re just being a dick now.

And moving your hand was such an arsehole move. Uncalled for, dude.

Uh oh, the girls are fighting 😳

Some more award winning ‘pretending to care about football’ acting from Hannah there. Nicely done 😂

This guy hand it coming though. Absolutely disgusting behaviour which, unfortunately, is very close to real life.

Okay, Leslie that really was the worst time for a joke, but I will say it did make me laugh 😂

I know it’s all for storytelling purposes, but the boys are right. It’s nothing new to them, So why have such a huge reaction now? These boys have such varied responses and reactions on things sometimes depending on plot point that it’s a little icky 🫣

Sam & Jamie have such a brotherly relationship now. I’m loving it!

Another callback to when Keeley entered the locker room and Roy didn’t want her there. Nice.

Them assuming Issac is gay because of his outburst is totally logical too. But it does kinda force Colin to say something, even if he feels he can’t yet, if he’s to step up for his friend 🫤

Them all looking at Jamie and him telling them he’s flatter is what? 📢GROWTH📢 Can you imagine season 1 Jamie in that situation?! 😳

Roy taking what Rebecca’s just told him and paying it forward to Issac 🥹 the boys are learning!

Fucking Will! 😂 you must just always assume he’s there someone because chances are he is 😂

I kind of love that they didn’t show Colin saying the actual words. It wasn’t needed.

‘You’re gay, big whoop’ exactly Dani. Big whoop indeed!

It wouldn’t be Ted Lasso without a folksy story that may not have anything to do with what they’re talking about 😂 Ted, all you had to say was ‘we do care. What we mean is it doesn’t change anything. You’re not alone’

Look at proud uncle Trent watching them all be amazing 🥹

HOW DO I FALL IN LOVE WITH THESE BOYS MORE AND MORE EVERY EPISODE?! HOW IS THAT POSSIBLE??

Okay Trent, he’s getting ideas for his book 👀 I’m excited! I’m loving your Dolly t-shirt too, btw 😍

He doesn’t have to hide anymore 🥹

Shut the fuck up, George. No one cares what you have to say

Go off, Mae! 😂 that is a woman you do not want to cross!! 😂

‘Not Claire’ these boys 🥰

Come on, Nate. You know exactly what Rupert is like. You’ve seen him with his assistant with your own eyes, for goodness sake. Like he was ever going to have a drink with you one on one. Be real, man.

Is this the end of his time at West Ham though? I hope so.

A ‘that’s what she said’ joke I’m not so many words? Okay then 🤷🏻‍♀️

Why would she give Ted talking points, Rebecca? You trust him now, remember

A Roy press conference is what’s I’ve always wanted 😍

And he’s using his time to tell a story, just like Ted. Brings a tear to my eye 🥹 GROWTH, PEOPLE!!

This episode really is just a PSA to football fans to keep their fucking mouths shut, and I love that.

‘Five o’clock shadow head’ ‘New Trent’ & ‘Goblin King’ are all why he needed to do more press 😂

He just wanted a hug 🥺

I knew this is what it all came down to, the fact that he was hurt his best friend didn’t feel like he could tell him. But he needed to hear Colin say that 1% chance scared the shit out of him. He’s rather they stay friends than live as his true self freely 🥺

‘The team knows. That’s enough for me’ ‘No one’s gonna say shit. I promise’ OMG I’m on my period and incredibly emotional right now. This scene made me cry just as much as it did the first time 😢

Him asking these question is so real 😂 I’m glad their friendship hasn’t been affected in the slightest.

And I agree, 1967’s Raquel Welch is *chefs kiss*

‘No. But you know I do, yeah?’ I MEANN!!!!🥹🥹

Another great song choice to end on, too!

Well that was another amazing episode!! We even got a little bit more Rebecca than we have since Amsterdam!! And angry Rebecca at that. What a win! 😂

Some absolutely great moments from everyone in this one, but I’m hoping Roy is going to start sorting himself out now and stop being such a grump. We’ve still got that scene of Roy, Keeley & Jamie from the promo to look forward to 🤞🏼

We’ve got Edwin Akufo back next episode which sounds like a delight, even with how he departed last time. My naive Tedbecca loving heart’ and knowing how much this show loves a callback, hopes that his visit involves inviting Ted to coach for his team. I’d love another scene of her telling someone, Ted in this instance, ‘I can’t make you stay, but I don’t want you to go’

[deadmunds-ghostbee]

What would you want for Kate and Anthony in S3?

While I’m obviously happy Simone and JB will be back, unpopular opinion, I hope they’re not in it that much. They’re too talented to get tied down by the six/seven months shoot the show requires, and I think Bridgerton will probably have peaked with S1/S2 tbh. None of the other siblings have what JB has, so unless they cast *great* love interests…

I think Daphne’s role was well designed this season and her 5 episodes was still a good amount - something akin to that for Kate and Anthony would be ideal imo. I think they could do Kate adjusting to and learning to be Viscountess and them ahead of the birth of their first child. Anthony as a dad to be would be comedic relief. I won’t get my hopes up, but perhaps they also bring up Kate’s own grief over her mother as she anticipates being one herself.

Yes exactly the need for them to get everything they want from their careers but also wanting to see Kate and Anthony be happy 😭 a line that I hope gets balanced!

Well even tho there’s been some confusion with which couple is season 3 I think I agree with everyone else on this matter.

If it’s Ben, a Kate pregnancy with the arc confirming he won’t ever inherit the title would of course be on theme. But I’d like to see her do more than have a baby bc the trope that women don’t do more than that after marriage is obviously awful. I also see Benedict wanting the sort of relationship and fulfillment Anthony has, but where Kate falls into line there I’m not sure. Id love to see her clashing leadership styles with violet over guiding Eloise and Francesca in the season. Or just learning to take her role. I suppose there could be something about interclass relationships going beyond just mistress with the whole Anthony Siena thing too but that seems super unlikely even tho I think they both deserve closure. I don’t trust the writers with it tho.

If it’s a polin season there could easily be the same as far as Kate stepping up as Lady Bridgerton and learning the ropes, but I really fail to see how that connects to the main plot? Anthony i suppose can be another guide, but I don’t see Colin turning to him for anything the way Ben would. If that season 3 comes to fruition I’m honestly just kinda baffled by it I have no idea.

Regardless, maybe they’ll have an even smaller role bc of scheduling. Maybe shondaland is actually trying to make this an ensemble show and will lean into Kathony bc they make them money? The future of the show is so…precarious with the shift in leadership I honestly don’t know what to think.

Daphne was in it a good amount and played a good part. Let’s hope for that for Kathony. I struggle to think of what they’d even do with Daph tho after this point. This third season will set the standard for a lot going into the future! Let’s hope all the actors are successful regardless and take out the popcorn for whatever good mess or bad mess lies ahead.

[ilalos]

Lavender dreams (Anthony Bridgerton x OC)-Part 2/3

Word count: 1.8k

Dances came and went and Grace had saved a dance for Anthony in each and every one of them, but he had yet to ask her for an outing. Gigi supposed he was busy enough trying to get Eloise to go on at least one outing with one of the few men that passed his rigorous check but was it so hard to take her out for a walk in the park or perhaps to have some tea? It didn’t help that she had heard rumors of him meeting actresses every night with unholy purposes, but she held hope for the eldest Bridgerton because every time they danced she felt as if there was no one else on the dance floor with them, and every time they talked he pulled a smile from her even if seconds before she had been upset.

She had had some outings with a couple of gentlemen who were approved by Simon and Daphne, and even if they were fine, educated young men she felt nothing for them. She knew her time was cutting short as it was already the middle of the season and her father didn’t have much time left, but she hadn’t felt anything resembling love for any of her callers. She had, however, started a friendship with non-other than Colin Bridgerton, and this lead Lady Whistledown to speculate about a possible engagement between the pair. The truth was, Colin saw Gigi as a sister at most and she saw him as the brother she never had.

The possibility of Colin proposing was truly daunting to Lady Bridgerton as she knew this union would break Anthony’s heart and could potentially cause a rift between the brothers. She had taken notice of the way her eldest tensed whenever one of the girls read the latest Lady Whistledown and the young couple was mentioned, Colin would always scoff and remind everyone he had no intentions of getting engaged anytime soon but that did nothing to lessen the deep frown in Anthony’s face or his mother’s worry.

Anthony had been visiting the brothel more often in a poor attempt to forget about Gigi and also convincing himself that he would never be deserving of the girl’s love. He knew he needed a wife and he intended on marrying that very season, but the thought of Gigi suffering half as much with his death as his mother did when his father passed, refrained him from accepting his feelings and proposing. Despite his resolve to forget his feelings for her, he continued to dance with her at every ball and party. When they danced he felt as if he could stay there forever, twirling her in his arms and holding her as close as possible; they talked sometimes at these events and felt as if they had known each other their whole lives.

It was the day of the picnic and the Bridgerton family was excited after hearing from the eldest daughter that Lord Watts had informed her and her husband of his intentions to propose to Grace. He was an earl and he and Grace had had some successful outings.

Grace had no objections toward the young man apart from the fact that she bore no feelings for him whatsoever, but given her lack of time to worry on such silly matters, she chose to ignore that in favor of having the wedding her father wished for, and who knows? Maybe their love would sprout once they were married.

When Anthony heard the news he could almost hear his heartbreaking in half, a pain ten times bigger than the one he felt when Siena rejected him. He almost wanted to beg Colin to propose before Lord Watts had the chance, at least that way he would be able to still see her when the couple visited. He decided to skip the picnic and instead stayed at home reviewing the business to avoid having to watch the happy couple celebrating their future union.

The proposal didn’t occur at the event, Lord Watts was there and he did take Grace on a walk but he had made the decision to make a formal proposal at his family’s home the following day so he limited himself to invite Grace, the duke, the duchess, and Lady Bridgerton to his house for tea. The invitation was accepted and the picnic continued without much excitement. The Duke's family left first because baby A was behaving quite fussy and her mother suspected it was due to the unforgiving sun beaming down on them; soon after the Bridgertons left due to a menacing black cloud that darkened the festivities.

Night and storm had fallen upon Lady Danbury’s home when a nervous messenger knocked urgently on the state’s door. Mr. Lock, the butler, had opened the door.

“How can I help-”

“Lord Bridgerton’s carriage was robbed and he is terribly hurt!” The young man had yelled the message hoping the duchess would hear him “Lady Bridgerton urges the presence of her eldest daughter in this uncertain times”

Grace had been the one to hear the messenger’s words and she felt panic take hold of her body. She ran to the door and demanded a horse be readied for her, the butler refused to let her go alone into the rain and advised her to wait until the carriage was ready. At his refusal, she chose to forget decorum and took the messenger's horse and rode it into the storm. The duke and duchess had heard the commotion and ordered the footman to ready the carriage at once.

Grace rode to the Bridgerton household in record time and when she got there she rode straight into the nearby stables, dropped the horse, and ran to the home’s door. Lady Bridgerton opened with teary eyes expecting to see Daphne and let a gasp when instead of her eldest daughter she saw the soaked figure of Grace Gillingham standing at her doorstep.

“Where is he?” That was all the girl said.

“Upstairs, the doctor is seeing him in his bedroom”

The woman barely finished her sentence before the younger girl pushed past her and ran up the stairs, politeness be dammed. She found Benedict passing by Anthony’s door and before she could ask about the man’s condition a pained scream tore through the wood. She gasped as if she felt his pain and fresh tears ran down her cheeks.

“The doctor said his injuries are extensive but not life-threatening” Benedict said it trying to calm the poor girl down but her sobs remained the same, “he said it would take a while, maybe you should go get changed into some dry clothes, surely Eloise can lend you some”

“I’m not leaving this door until I see with my own eyes that he is well”

Benedict only nodded and watched her seat on the floor with her back against the wall, right across the door. Daphne arrived not long after and she too tried to convince Grace to change out of her soaked clothing or to at least drink some hot tea while they waited but the girl refused

“I will be fine” was all she had said through gritted teeth and blue lips.

Hours passed and every once in a while a pained clamor would leave the room, Benedict watched how each sound made a fresh wave of tears fall from Gigi’s eyes. The wait was long and soon Benedict found himself nodding off against the wall, only to be suddenly awakened by the door opening, Grace barely waited for the doctor to exit the room before running inside and kneeling at Anthony’s bedside, taking his hand between hers and looking at his face with relief when hearing taking notice of his breathing and the pulsing of his heart.

“He’ll need lots of rest to properly heal his wounds but he will make a full recovery” the doctor took one look at Grace and shook his head with a smile “Give this to her as soon as you can” he said as he handed Benedict a vial with a yellowish liquid.

“What is this concoction?”

“It will help her fever and lessen her cold symptoms” he explained “If she looks abnormally flushed or agitated, call me immediately”

Anthony thought he had never felt pain as bad as when the doctor had healed his wounds but seeing Grace’s feverish form sleeping uncomfortably in a chair at his bedside hurt more than whatever he felt the night prior. He saw her pale skin and red cheeks that hinted towards a fever, and her labored breathing pointed to a terrible cold, his hand was resting between hers and he marveled at how small they looked around his. He saw Benedict enter the room and questioned him about her presence.

“She rode on a stolen horse in the middle of a storm to be by your side, brother” Benedict chuckled at his brother’s astonished expression, knowing his surprise would only grow “She pushed past mother, entered the house uninvited, sat on the floor in the hallway and refused to move until she knew you were alright” he pointed to her reddened cheeks and continued “She didn’t even change out of her soaked dress until she saw you with her own eyes, the poor thing caught a terrible cold and only accepted to take the medicine and the change of clothes if we allowed her to stay here by your side”

Anthony felt his heart explode with love for the girl, the feelings so strong his eyes glossed with unshed tears. He couldn’t believe how lucky he was to have such an angel loving him so much, and he only hoped he could make her feel half as loved as he felt at that very moment. He had to admit he was angered by her reckless behavior but the love overshadowed his protective feelings...until he saw her being woken up by a sudden fit of horribly sounding cough. He watched as she fought to regain her breath and was ready to chastise her until he noticed the way she looked at him, with so much love and so much relief he forgot what he was going to say.

“You’re awake,” she said simply, processing “You are awake!” Once processed the information had caused her tremendous joy and she jumped to embrace him, only to jump back when she heard his quiet complaint from the pressure put on his recent wounds “I apologize Lord Bridgerton, in my excitement, I seem to have forgotten about your injuries”

“No need to apologize, love” the pet name just flew past his lips, catching them both by surprise “You must go to get some proper rest now, you are sick and tired, we’ll talk later about the poor decisions you took yesterday”

Grace only nodded and without thinking took his hand and kissed his palm before leaving to finally get some rest on an actual bed.

“Fetch the Duke of Hastings for me, Benedict, I have a proposal to make”

PART 3

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Hi! If you’re still following along this story know that I appreciate it :))))) Thank you so so much for reading! I hope you enjoy it

[sillylittlestoryteller]

Fic Writer Questions!

Tagged by @posingasme - seeing as my last fic was posted in 2016, thank you for still thinking of me!

1) How many works do you have on AO3? 5 little fics, and a sixth one I sadly never finished

2) What's your total AO3 word count? a humble 5758 words

3) How many fandoms have you written for and what are they? I started with Spernatural, then stumbled my way into the phandom, and I did one little Merlin crossover. (If I ever start writing again, it will probably be for audio drama's/fiction podcasts tho...)

4) What are your top 5 fics by kudos?

1) Of Hidden Memories and Kitchen Adventures - Phandom/Merlin Crossover. I just thought that Phil Lester and Colin Morgan looked similar enough to warrant a reincarnation fic.

2) Made by Gabriel - Supernatural. A fluffy little fic where the young archangels all get to create an animal. So of course they all try to outdo each other.

3) Couples Yoga Challenge - Phandom. Sweet, short and fluffy. The title says it all, really.

4)Temporary Bliss - Supernatural. Angsty and raw. Basically, I wrote a fic about Dean's internalized homophobia before I even knew what those words mean. (Started as a songfic with lyrics from temporary bliss by The Cab, but later I deleted the song quotes)

5) Tale of a Vessel - Supernatural. After the Jimmy Novak episode, all I could think about was how it must feel to be one. So this one is Jimmy getting a bit of a break from Cas and taking some time to reflect.

5) Do you respond to comments, why or why not? I always try, but sometimes I got a little overwhelmed with attention and didn't know what to say. But all comments are super appreciated and sometimes I'm just staring happily at the screen. Every notification brings a smile on my face!

6) What's the fic you've written with the angstiest ending? Oof, definitely Temporary Bliss, that fic is just a heap of emotional turmoil wrapped in a little bow. Fun fact, Elysian would have the most angsty ending, but that's the one I never finished...

7) What's the fic you've written with the happiest ending? Either Couples Yoga challenge or Made by Gabriel. The first one is just happy people in a happy relationship living their own happy life. Made by Gabriel is definitely very fluffy and adorable.

8) Do you write crossovers? If so what is the craziest one you've written? Just the Phandom/Merlin one! But I think that's a pretty rare combination ;)

9) Have you ever received hate on a fic? No, I've been very fortunate in that way. Only on ff.net, a little warning against copywrite that made me delete some of the song-quotes in Temporary Bliss and one little harsh but well-meaning comment on Elysian that if I didn't update, people would stop reading. But nothing that I would call "hate".

10) Do you write smut? If so what kind? Oh no, I don't trust my writing abilities enough for that. I think there's an art to writing a good smut-scene and it's one I haven't mastered

11) Have you ever had a fic stolen? Not that I know of.

12) Have you ever had a fic translated? Yes! Someone translated Made by Gabriel into Russian! Sometimes I google-translate the comments there and it's so lovely to read. (I'm very okay with translating, as long as you ask first and properly credit and stuff)

13) Have you ever co-written a fic before? No, I haven't.

14) What's your all time favorite ship? That's the hardest question of the list! I don't think I have an all-time favorite, it changes too much! Whenever I stop watching a show I also tend to stop reading fic for it. sastiel and sabriel were definitely long-time faves, so were Dan&Phil. Right now I'm very into non-romantic queerplatonic Sammy and Ben from the podcast King Falls AM.

15) What's a WIP that you want to finish but don't think you ever will? Elysium, definitely Elysium. I had so much of that story planned out, and then I lost all my notes for it. Accidentally deleted and never found again. It completely crushed my enthusiasm and I never finished it. It was supposed to be a five-chaptered story. A prologue, and then the four episodes that featured Gabriel (Tall Tales, Mystery Spot, Changing Channels and Hammer of the Gods) from his point of view, interspersed with flashbacks of his time in heaven, with his brothers, and his time under the apprenticeship of actual norse-god Loki before Gabriel became a trickster himself. It was supposed to end with his death at the hands of Lucifer in season 5.

16) What are your writing strengths? Short fluffy stuff and I also like a bit of introspection, mostly with Temporary Bliss and Tale of a Vessel. Just kinda crawl in a characters head for a little bit. Also, not necessarily a writing strength, but I'm very proud that I write them in English even tho it's not my first language.

17) What are your writing weaknesses? Planning/writing long fics. And dialogue. I find it so hard to get the voice right.

18) What are your thoughts on writing dialogue in other languages in a fic? I haven't tried, but I always like it when I read it. Especially when the character isn't American/English. Makes it feel more real :)

19) What was the first fandom you wrote for? Supernatural! It's the fandom that made me start a tumblr.

20) What's your favorite fic you've written? Made by Gabriel. It's cute, it's fun, it's the first one I've ever written and I'm still very proud of it.

I'm throwing this challenge to the podcast writers!: @kurofae @houseofbeesart @lucifer-kane and anybody that wants to do the tag!