#happy polin week/month to all!

[lillywhitefield]

Chapters: 1/1 Fandom: Bridgerton (TV), Bridgerton Series - Julia Quinn Rating: Mature Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply Relationships: Colin Bridgerton/Penelope Featherington Characters: Colin Bridgerton, Penelope Featherington Additional Tags: Hurt/Comfort, Love Confessions, Rated for boobs and erections, smut free, polin week 2023, Day 1: Hurt/Comfort Series: Part 1 of Lilly Whitefield's Polin Week 2023 Summary:

Colin goes over to Pen's flat after her latest breakup. Her ex's words stir up some big feelings for him.

[agir1ukn0w]

so it looks like I've been getting one of two types of asks lately:

I obviously won't be addressing type #2, but as for type #1, I've already said what I needed to say many times over. It was one fucking post and I wasn't aiming to call out the entire kanthony fandom, only the actions of a few obnoxious bigots (which NONE OF YOU, polins or kanthonies, should be denying that you have at this point). If I had known the details about what the kanthony fandom was also facing I probably would have addressed that as well. All y'all needed to do was let me know what I needed to know in an even-tempered way and I would have been like "yeah, no, you're absolutely right and I am supporting you all the way." which I do, btw, and you are. but because you decided you knew everything about me after one fucking post and projected all your issues onto me, I'm not going to engage with this anymore. "good riddance," you're probably saying. yeah. good fucking riddance. I gave an opinion that was not as well informed as it should have been and I should have known more.

but I also wasn't wrong.

[herejusttosufferalong]

Note taking anon here, back from Tif's latest live. I have to start off by just saying holy fuck I have never been so deep in my delulu as I am now. Holy shit. This changed my perspective on a few things and DAMN.

Ok, onto the live...my note taking is not as thorough this time because Tif being the angel she is has created a link to share both the outline as well as all the pictures, videos and links to different media. Queen. Very importantly, she has asked everyone not to make posts of the document. Please share the link in chats, but away from the timeline and DO NOT tag any party involved (it's depressing that this has to be reiterated, but we all know someone will go rogue). Also, go say thank you to Tif...she spent over 20 hours this week working on this to share with us. Again, queen shit.

Tif brought up L's yellow phone case and compared it to the polaroid in N's phone...said keep an eye out for it to reappear. Said they also communicate in stories and songs 👀

Big piece of delulu feeding are songs L liked from a small Irish musician beginning of 2023. Holy shit guys. I'm currently listening and freaking out. Sampling of lyircs:

"Lovely to just lay here with you. You're kinda cute and I would say all of this. But I don't wanna ruin the moment. Lovely to sit between comfort and chaos" -- L both liked this song on the musician's page and then shared a Polin edit set to the song...

"Just because it won't come easily doesn't mean we shouldn't try"

"Where you go, I'll follow, no matter how far. If life is a movie, then you're the best part"

Around the time L was liking those songs, L and N went to a few of the same events as each other but were never photographed together. Seems like they may have been trying to be private/not be seen together on purpose

L posted a pic from one of those events that N may have taken...she used it months later to congratulate L on his TSOT press day

There was SO much more!!! I am happy to share more notes I took, but I think everything should be covered in the outline. What I've shared above are things that seemed to be more discussion around the things rather than straight timeline. If you want more, let me know.

Also, I have been a hard believer in nothing ever happened between them and now I am about 90% convinced it did. I have lots of thoughts and am currently processing. Will probably share later.

💜🥃

[darcytaylor]

Part of me finds ironic that LN asked the last two leads of Bridgerton for advice and the one he decided to follow was of the one who has not book anything in three years. L followed Rege's advice of having a hot/fuck boy summer insted of doing as JB and working in himself and surrounding with contacts and friends, as also Nicola did.

I understand that not all actors saw Hollywood as a stample of success and I really respect that, but I think L kind of thought that after the season came out, he will be so sought that he would not need to make an effort for having more roles. N knew that this was her time and worked hard to make her presence noticed without compromising her image.

Lots of people here pointed out that L didn't began to promote and interact with Bridgerton content until like two weeks before the first part was release (Polin week was disregarded) and now that the secord part is out, his SM is interacting non stop with Bridgerton's content, Nic understood that fan interactions were esential in this case and use that to her favor, she is so SM savy.

Now all this tirade was because yesterday I hear Nic's song and I noticed that they took away Luke's laugh, his laugh was one of the things that made that interview more hilarious and they took it away!!! That had to be a blow cos he is the one with a musical career to begin with.

To end this: You don't have to like all your favorite actor/singer/celebrity does, and is not bad or shameful to point out what you think of that as long as you don't participate in bullying, also let's remember that is not an obligation to stan someone.

"I reread my ask and I was not dissing Regé, only pointing out that he demostrate (at least with his actions) that the show was a bit below from him at that point and he wouldn't want to be associated with it any longer; at that moment he was hoping to launch a big career and he unfortunately lost that momentum for, among other things, lack of fan interaction and lost his media visibilty because he was not associated with the project in S2.

And perhaps at that moment, 3 years ago, following the advice of the "bigger star" made sense for L instead of JB's advice of work in a hard and steady way and enjoy the moment.

Also, thinking that in the BTS, he look so happy and pround of what he was doing and at the beginig of promo tour he looked a bit ashamed of the project, it was not after the big numbers come out that he look more at ease on SM and interviews, Nic helped him a lot in that regard. Just that."

When Luke was doing interviews he did mention that Rege told him to take a vacation before going into the press tour. While I believe that most people deserve a vacation, Luke may have gone a bit too hard on that.

I mean I work 40+ hours in a week and I get at maximum 3 weeks vacation in a year. I couldn't even image having months off at a time. I also work in a very stressful environment and could probably use more than my allotted time. If I was allowed, I would happily take more time off!

I do know that celebrities have a different lifestyle and they are also auditioning and you actually have to book something in order to work. It's a very hard industry (I can sympathize), and most actors are very grateful to be working.

I think/hope that Luke understands that he may have dropped the ball on his career. That he is hopefully looking at his options and knows where his downfall/s have brought him. But only time will tell if he actually sees some of the mishaps of his actions.

I do think that Luke hasn't been working his social media in a profitable way. Or in a way that could help boost his career. He really should take advice from Nicola or Johnny on this because they know what they are doing. It does seem to shock me that Luke can't seem to understand how his social media presence is bringing him down. It could be an easy fix to appease the fans, but he just doesn't seem like he wants to do that.

[lovelyo]

You Can’t Spell Polin Without Colin

Let me be clear. This ain’t a Colin appreciation post. Colin is an entitled, selfish dweeb but even I can see from his POV.

And somehow the Polin fans who swear up and down they love him can’t.

“Colin is a bitch boy”

“Colin stayed mad at Penelope for too long”

“Where’s supportive husband Colin? Where’s Colin ‘My Wife’ Bridgerton?”

“He just needs to forgive her already, get over it!”

This is gonna be a long one.

“Colin is a bitch boy”

That’s a perfect way to invalidate a man’s feelings. Let’s rage about misogyny but talk shit about guys who has feelings 😒. How is he a bitch boy for being upset at someone he loves for lying to him for years, even before they came intimate and when they were just friends.

He was open and transparent with Penelope every step of the way, bared his heart to her, was vulnerable with her and was happy to see that what he wanted was right there in front of him… only for him to find out she’s LW, the person who has been dunking on him and his family, LW whom he loathed. He cried ffs when he found out. The reason that hurt the most wasn’t that she was LW, it’s that she lied to him. She didn't spare a thought that he needed to know about such secrecy i.e, not giving a shit about his feelings. It mirrored exactly what Marina did. (On top of that, he realized that it was her that sent Marina to her doom) She didn’t reciprocate that same vulnerability he did for her and by the end of the season, still chose LW over him and he just had to sit there and take it.

You wanna talk about men not giving a shit about women’s feelings but it’s alright for women to do the same for men in the name of “girlbossing” 🤢

Colin in 2 weeks simmered down about the hurt Penelope has caused him while it took Penelope several months to get over one comment he said about her, which isn’t even detrimental because COLIN DOESN’T OWE PENELOPE A GODDAMN THING! You can’t get mad at someone who doesn’t want to date you. Who do you think you are to even believe you have a claim to someone like they’re a possession. She ghosted him for months over this while he had and did get over lies, shame, and betrayal in, again, a small amount of time. Who’s the bigger whiny bitch?

“Colin stayed mad at Penelope for too long”

Staying mad for too long? He didn’t stay mad long enough! Please contextualize. This man has been in scheming scandals with the Featherington family since season 1 lol. People are forgetting the trauma that he got from the pregnancy scandal, mainly the embarrassment from it being exposed by LW and having the whole ton know his business, which is humiliating as fuck and made him look like a fool(this is why I keep telling you ding dongs to stop saying LW saved the Bridgertons, she did not!) He had to null the engagement with the diamond of the season.

The start of his hatred for LW started from season 1. Colin told Penelope that she should’ve told him to his face about the pregnancy.

“Aschually 🤓☝️, she did try.”

Actually, she did not.

She tried to hint that Marina was still in love with a soldier, not “hey, the misses you trying to spit game at is preggo.” So his friend, knowing this info, instead of telling him the proper information privately to his face as a fricking friend should, printed out his business.

And let’s play devil’s advocate. Ok, Pen told Colin about the pregnancy and Colin didn’t listen. In the same season, we saw Violet do damage control and spinning the rumor windmill to help her daughter get the fuck away from Berbrooke. Penelope knows how supportive and protective the Bridgertons are with each other and also knows how much they like her since she’s friends with Eloise and Colin. Violet would’ve definitely listened, told Colin, and stirred something up to aid the situation.

But nah.

So that happened plus before that scandal came out, LW mocked Daphne for her lack of suitors and said Marina was incomparable, not Daphne. And then the Eloise scandal, all because of LW. Three Bridgertons struck. Even Season 3, LW talked shit about Colin being fake, so Penelope embarrassed him in front of the ton twice. And of course, she had an excuse, “I just wanted the old Colin back!” So you embarrassing him in front of the ton was gonna make him sweet and kind again? 😬

The woman he loves belittled him twice and clearly stands by it 'cause she’s not giving up LW, just not writing it under anonymity. 'So imma acknowledge that I hurt you, the person I love, but I’m not gonna do anything to fix it, but I want you to still support and love me, regardless of what I do,' is essentially what she's saying.

What utter shit, and then we got Pen stans/Polin fans: “Stfu Colin, your angst is ruining my fantasy ship, go kiss, finger, and fuck Penelope already.”

Oh Christ. It’s like whoever doesn’t cater to Penelope deserves the noose.

“Where’s supportive husband Colin? Where’s Colin ‘My Wife’ Bridgerton?”

Where’s supportive wife Penelope? Where’s Penelope ‘I Love You’ Bridgerton? She has declared her love but hasn't really shown it throughout season 3. Show > Tell. Action > Words. With the lies told to him from past to current, this guy undoubtedly has trust issues. How can he believe her? We the viewers saw Pen Hilton pining after Colin through season 1 & 2, but Colin himself doesn't know that she liked him before then. He even said that he thought she wouldn't feel the same about him as he did about her. So when the feeling is finally mutual, Penelope just doesn't do much. It's like she tells him, "I love you" just so he can shut his fucking piehole.

We've seen, despite Colin being upset, him still loving her, wanting her and working through the pain so he can look at Penelope and not immediately think of LW.

"B-B-But, uh, the entrapment comment was too harsh!"

First off, you people act like you have never said mean things to someone out of anger during a fight.

Second, like how you guys say LW is harsh but tells the truth(which is a complete lie, but nothing surprises me anymore with this fandom) that comment was harsh, but he told the truth. She did trap him. While he did ruin her previous proposal, he did chase down her carriage, but right after he proposed, she blabbed to the whole ton the next morning about the engagement(this showed how much the Bridgertons are morons, but I digress). If anything happened, it’d be hard for him to back out without everyone knowing and questioning his honor. It’d be his second time cutting off an engagement and it’d be his 3rd time being humiliated.

He asked if she wanted to be intimate, she immediately said yes. Eloise told her to tell him even before they had sex, but she didn't. Penelope knew Colin hated LW but still agreed to sex before she told him. She didn't even tell him, he had to found out tailing her carriage! So screw you freaks, that comment was well needed for her ass. As said before, Colin has been duped by the Featherington family so him lashing out and saying that is him telling her, 'Prove to me you're not like Marina." (She isn't. She's worse).

"Book!Colin was more supportive!"

Of course he was; LW didn't hurt him, his family, or anyone else. LW wasn't vicious like she is in the show. When Book!Colin found out about LW, him and Penelope were still friends, they weren't engaged, they didn't have sex; Book!Colin didn't hate LW. He was just jelly that Penelope made a legacy own her and he was there still purposeless at age 33(something the show tried to emulate but fell flat in a pile of horse shit). The situation in the show is way worse than what it was in the book. Book!Colin would hate Show!Penelope.

Where was Penelope's support when she saw that he was emotionally damaged by the LW reveal? Where were her attempts to mend the drift when she saw that he wouldn't sleep with her in their marital bed? Where was the comfort when she saw him lying on the couch, mentally worn out? She just passed by him and even suggested leaving in separate carriages. She did not support him when he was at his lowest, his own wife. Now if the show showed Penelope trying to talk to Colin and comfort him and he responded, "Give me more time.”, then fine.

But that didn't happen. He had to be the one to fix the relationship when she was the reason he was depressed. He never considered giving up on her, clearly with him still marrying her and sleeping on the couch they screwed on right outside their room door where he could’ve slept in another room in that huge ass house. He wanted her to try and reconcile but Penelope gave him nothing.

But he’s being too sulky and not supportive enough though Penelope ain’t returning the favor.

We get drowned with LW drama with the Polin fans admonishing Colin for not being a proper pet to Penelope.

Isn't this show named Bridgerton? What in the fresh hell?

He chose her over his own pride, pain and emotions. Penelope didn't do the same but people want to act like Colin isn't supportive or barely supported her, when in a relationship, it goes both ways. His purpose shouldn't be to prop up Penelope but that's what the show limits him to, F his feelings, f his mental health, girlboss Penelope deserves her man and her HEA as if he's a reward or a consolation prize, not a person deeply hurt by someone he thought he knew.

“He just needs to forgive her already, get over it!”

Y'all are trash for this. After all what Penelope has done to him, you want him to get over it so quick so you can have more cringe romantic scenes and soulless sex scenes. It took Eloise a year to forgive Penelope(and it happened in the dumbest fashion, but that's another can of worms). Just because they're together doesn't mean a speedy recovery. Actually it's worse 'cause they are together. He even told Eloise that she’s lucky she’s never been in love; it hurt that much.

The fact he chose to stay is already a big step of him getting over it, but that’s not enough it seems. You want him to get over the hurt she did to him, the lies, the loss of his own agency ‘cause like it or not, Colin still wanted to marry Marina even after knowing the truth but Penelope took away his decision to ensure his availability for her. She embarrassed his family a good number of times. But hey, get over it Colin.

He’s second when it comes to Penelope. He asked this beotch to give up the gossip column, a thing that caused him and others pain throughout the years, to be with him, forget the past and start their new life together. Nope, she chose her career. LW is power and she still wants that manipulative power so take the L from your wife Colin. Her ego won the day, not their love; Penelope is Colin’s first. LW is Penelope’s first, get over it Colin. It’s harsh af knowing you’ll never be first in the heart of the woman that you love.

If anyone needs to get over anything, it’s Penelope. She should’ve been got over Colin’s comment, now stew in her own shit for months; she’s not entitled to his feelings. She should’ve gotten over the damn gossip column that does more harm than good ‘cause if she’s such a great writer, then explore other avenues of writing. You’re already established, it’ll be nothing of you for your works to become popular since the ton already knows you’re a great writer.

The damage for Colin is deep but he must get over it to be the cushion for Penelope, for him to be in the shadows so Penelope can take all the shine ‘cause “feminism woo hoo!” She’s a career woman and Colin’s purpose is just to love Penelope and nothing more.

Penelope, Penelope, Penelope, it’s all about Penelope.

Their relationship shouldn't be imbalanced like it is. The ship is called POLIN. Colin is just as important as Penelope, but the show and even the fans don’t treat it as such. He’s turned to some irrelevant sidekick who’s an accessory for Penelope and his purpose: well of course it is Penelope.

The show made him publish his journals at the end to be like “see look, he does have a purpose of his own!”, though we rarely saw a lead up to that. It’s addressed once, the LW drama comes in, that part of him is buried until the final episode where it’s framed that his anger was jealousy all along, not him having a vendetta against LW for harming him and his loved ones.

Bullshit on top of bullshit.

Yeah, maybe he should’ve went up there and stood with her when she was giving her god awful speech, but his ‘If my only purpose in life is to love a woman as great as you’ toxic feminism speech would’ve just dulled it. Plus, I don’t think people know how abusive that speech is.

They should’ve stood together, Queen deus ex machina gives her pardon, and then he gives her a speech about how the wound is still there but he knows it’ll heal, to be honest with each other going forward, to put the past to rest and continue on into the future, hand in hand as Mr and Mrs. Bridgerton. Cringe, but at least love is the focus. Him being the man behind the woman instead of the man beside the woman undermined their love story and undermined the ridiculous feminism narrative too, sacrificing the equality aspect of both of it.

I’m just ranting at this point but anyway, this ain’t the Penelope show. Give Colin some fucking grace like you do your Mary Sue.

[penelopecolinb]

Hi, nat! I became a big fan of POLIN after watching season 3 of BRIDGERTON, and for the past two months, I've been obsessed with everything about Polin and even reading your fanfiction! I don't read English very well, but with the help of a translator, I've been devouring all of your fics these past few weeks! The way you describe Polin’s relationship, Colin's character, and their intimacy is so sexy and mesmerizing, and I feel like this could only be done by you. I especially love the way you describe Colin's possessiveness and obsession, which is never unpleasant, but rather charming, because it shows his purity towards Penelope...

I have so many questions for you since you write such amazing fiction... I don't want to bother you, but if you have time, I'd love for you to answer them!

1. you wrote a fanfiction of Polin before season 3 was released, and I'm curious what it is about this couple that fascinated you! Are you a fan of the original show?

2. i was wondering how you viewed season 3, because despite the fact that your fic was written before season 3 was released, i felt that the Colin from the show and the Colin from your novel were very similar, especially in terms of Colin being insecure about Pen's love and being afraid that he wouldn't be a better man for her, and trying to hold on to her, even having sex with her right after they got engaged! I know that part 2 left fans disappointed in terms of length and other aspects, but do you think the show satisfied you?

3. last but not least...I was actually going to ask you if you'd be willing to release a new ONE SHOT fic during this Bonus Polin Week! Then I read your most recent one, SPARE HEART, and I found out that you're in a difficult situation to write fics. I'm so sad for you, but I hope your situation will turn out the way you want it to be soon. It's a great pain for me to know that my favorite fanfiction author is in a bad situation!

Your fics have given me so much comfort and strength!!! 🥺 I can't wait until you start posting fanfiction again! And I'm Korean, and I just wanted to let you know that in the Korean online community I'm in, there are a lot of compliments and mentions of your fics!! I love you!!! If I'm approved to join Ao3, I promise to leave comments and kudos on your fics in the future 😘😘

oh god my darling, thank you so so so much for this lovely message, my heart is so full 💖💖

i'll be happy to answer any questions you (or anyone else) might have!

yes, i was a casual viewer of the original series. i got into it even more when queen charlotte came out, and then i just started loving the angst of pen overhearing colin say that shit about never courting her. i went into a deep dive on polin ao3 and never came back!

im hesitant to answer any questions about the show because i dont want to be a hater. i didnt like a lot of the decisions the writers made - not just in part 2, but part 1 too. i think i'll leave it at that. i feel that thinking of the many many things that i wasn't satisfied by really overshadowed the few parts of the series i genuinely liked.

oh, bless your heart. thank you so much for your kind words. i'm trying to finish spare heart at the moment, and then i have a oneshot coming up (but not in polin week) for the polin x care for gaza raffle winner. and after that, i do have a few ideas i wanna start on! so hopefully i will be able to write, but probably not as frequently as i do now.

that is so insane to me, that the polin community in korea have an awareness of my fic and talk about it and really like it 😭😭😭😭😭 thank you for sharing that with me! im so so so glad that my fics have such a broad reach. please pass on my thanks to the lovely korean online community you're in!

i hope you, my lovely friend, have a wonderful, wonderful day!

[khaleesiofalicante]

I’m so sad that the promo for Bridgerton season 3 is coming to an end (they’ve got the part 2 premiere in London next week, and then it’s done). I’ve loved seeing Luke, and Nic travelling the world together. But it means that they are no longer on the show as much, and that they will be off doing their own thing. I’m so excited to see where they are going next, but will miss my Polin and seeing their friendship. I hope they get a break though, because 6 months travelling the show is no joke.

I've been seeing all the cute moments from tiktok and while I'll miss it, I'm so happy for them and they truly deserved their moment in the spotlight! Nicola has already has some amazing projects lined up and I'm super excited for them all!!!

[gleefullypolin]

I will be right there with you, loving and hating the month long break even though all logic points to me knowing it's a better idea for the numbers overall. The best would be weekly of course but the selfish side me of would probably scream, ha.

I don't watch enough of anything to lost track of it but I can't imagine how my brain would try to keep up with it all. Kudos to you for figuring out a system that works for you.

Oh to lose a story with a cliffhanger, I've been burned a few times on that one. There's a show I used to watch that actually made an alternative ending with a conclusion on the off chance it got canceled before the next season. This being handled all in one season then anything after that will just be happy extras is more than good enough for me.

Yeah, I've seen a lot of theories for the carriage/LW thing and I think a lot of people have forgotten that some of this stuff is speculation and not spoilers. I do not know what could make him run after her (and I am eagerly waiting to find out!) but knowing the carriage scene both happens at the end of 4 and seemingly has a confession (according to LN) I am all eyes and ears, ha. I'm not invested in any one theory myself though I know there's a lot of people who have decided how that scene is going to go and I hope it hasn't become so fanon that it's canon to them and anything less will disappoint them at this point.

Which was a long way to agree with you, ha, but I agree, he's too smart and he really listens to her when she speaks. If he's actively reading LW now there's a very good chance he could put it together. Maybe he sees her somewhere doing LW stuff, we just don't know and honestly it's going to be a ride finding out I think. I don't know what Lord Kenebling says to her that makes her make that face but if he's watching her in that moment, he's bound to see it and react to it quickly.

The heir plot! It's both a convenient way, if they wanted, to keep the Polin importance to the Featherington plot going forward or a good way for Polin to nope out and run off after they get married and deal with the LW stuff, ha. I don't know if she will say yes or no after the carriage scene tbh but I can see it either way. With them having an entirely different plot they deal with after being married/engaged in the book I can see them building up the LW for Colin in the first half then focusing on that with them together in the second since they would have so much plot left after the engagement (the engagement ball/aftermath of that, the blackmail from the book possibly? the wedding, the queen, etc) and those plots were very important in their story.

I still have no idea but the rabbit holes can be fun! I'm much more of an Occam's Razor sort of theorizer I'll admit so if LN says Colin will be the worst reaction I don't think he will do these horrible things to Pen that I've seen tossed around, I just go to he'll be the angriest and most worried for her. If that's true, I have no idea, but with the way show Pen is so impulsive and book Pen is so stubborn, that man is bound to lose his mind in the second half, haha.

I honestly am starting to prefer going back to the weekly format because it’s more enjoyable to me getting a weekly rush of enjoyment and then a week of anticipation of what to look forward to. And then I have a good 8 to 10 weeks of enjoyment waiting for things to happen rather than months of anticipation and then a day of everything hitting me all at once and then its just all over and I’m overwhelmed with emotion.

Ok so I followed the same breadcrumbs as you did. I got the LN comment too in his one-word comment to Carriage being confession and I was like oooh LW. And then I saw the interview about episode 5 having a huge family gathering scene with the entire cast. And I was like…oooh hmmmmmm engagement …. announcement…omg what is this????

Back to speculation…In those bread crumb trails NC’s one word comment for Carriage was Rocking. So confession and then rocking….so I’m still on the notion myself that he finds out about LW and then they get to knocking. That’s my own spec and definitely not based in anything in fact other than a game the actors played lol. And then my brain just sort of followed down that rabbit hole. I am not married to anything at this point but just following my own brain from the comments made in interviews.

My personal hope is that Lord Obi Wan telling her she looks beautiful while feels good to her, is also off to her compared to perhaps another person having told her his feelings possibly earlier in an episode or perchance during a kiss or some other moment between them earlier in the episode that now has both of them reeling. Though I have a feeling honestly that this being the Queens ball, and the offer for LW’s identity coming up, that suddenly love might not be on her mind, it may be more around protecting her identity is actually more important to her at this moment.

Pen may be running off when he finds her to escape the Queen and the ever-tightening noose of being caught. The confession may be two-fold, his at finding out she is LW and hers at finding out that he has feelings for her. Oh, the swoon factor at these possibilities. I love speculating and thinking of what could get my mind going because I just love how many ways they could take this carriage ride. Anger, shock, passion!

Yeah, I don’t know how much I want this heir plot. LOL I mean it is a way to keep them relevant but I don’t know where they are going with it. I was more like huh, when I read it. I have to admit that I will be sad to lose LW after this season as I love hearing Julie Andrews open the show. It’s so Gossip Girl and it ties the whole show together. So, I selfishly want them to keep it going some way, whether someone else takes up the mantel or she keeps it going somehow or whatever, but I hate to see it gone.

LN and NC seem so pleased with how the show is and the ramp up of the romance this season and I think they know the best so I’m going to trust them and not myself who knows absolutely nothing except what my brain has read and speculated on lol. I may not love everything but once the whole show has aired, I will sit back and breathe and take it all in again as a whole and reflect. I’m sure I will love it for the story they give us.

[thekatebridgerton]

Okay but imagine how scared Eloise will secretly be when Penelope’s pregnant. She was worried for her sister and Kate of course but Penelope is her platonic soulmate. She can’t deal with loosing her and is over at their house constantly, so much so that she’s there when Penelope goes into labor. Of course this is day Colin had to run an errand and be delayed by weather so of course Eloise is the one by Penelope’s side as she brings her child into the world. But when a tired but happy Penelope asks if Eloise wants to hold her goddaughter, she privately thinks that perhaps babies aren’t so bad. She doesn’t want to have them but they’d make fantastic minions. And no one said that Colin’s children had take after HIS Bridgerton side. They could very well take after their Aunt Eloise. Plus it will drive Colin nuts if his children adore her and encourage their Aunt Eloise to visit.

All this will be very valid considering that S3 is going to be Polin and not Benophies. And since Penelope is Eloise soul sister, she'd be twice as overprotective than Colin with her best friend first pregnancy.

This didn't happen in the books because Penelope and Eloise got married within less than a month of each other.

As in, Eloise ran away during the same ball where Polin revealed Penelope was lady Whistledown. And got married two weeks later (gosh the Bridgerton timeline of events is crazy) So technically Agatha and little Penelope Crane were born with barely some months of difference too.

In the show this is all going to be different because Eloise will be right there in Polins face insisting on being the spinster aunt to their children and not missing a moment of Penelope's life. Also because she and Penelope probably have a deal that if Colin doesn't treat Penelope right, then Eloise can kick his butt and move in.

I'd love to see Penelope (and later Sophie) help Eloise get over her fear of childbirth while at the same time increasing all her fears tenfold. Because while she did confide about her fears to Daphne, I think that coming from Penelope, Eloise would actually begin to understand that with a good partner marriage and babies are not the prison she seems to think it is.

Also since we have the whole Agatha vs Auggie naming clash. So Penelope's firstborn could be a Elise or a Louise, or a Callie Eloise.

I think that Colin missing out on the begining of Penelope's labor and Eloise being there to help her would be 100% more dramatic if it catches them somewhere in town. Like, they're doing some light shopping for the baby and Penelope's water breaks leaving Eloise to panic and have to take Penelope to the nearest inn while their servants try to find Colin and a doctor.

I also think that if Eloise is there to panic trough her best friend's first pregnancy it would lend credit to why she later finds Phillip's medicinal plants knowledge so attractive.

And besides we all know that Eloise will attempt to move in with Penelope and Colin using any excuse she can manage. The polin kids will be her ticket to getting a permanent room in their house.

Colin will know no peace. That's why he's going to be eager to see her walk down the aisle with whoever manages to catch her interest

And that's the tea

[starhallows]

THANK YOU for saying what you said on twitter! I was seriously disappointed by this season and I’m tired of walking on eggshells around it. The heart of the Kathony story is their shared love for their families. And their families treated them terribly. Especially the Sharmas. I cannot forgive how Mary and Edwina treated Kate. And there was no resolution to that at all. The whole triangle storyline was yucky. Edwina was not “fleshed out” she was a plot device. I only rewatch Kathony scenes.

For context, this was my tweet:

Prompted by, but not limited to, CVDs and Shonda's comments yesterday.

Am I about to get in trouble? I think I'm about to get in trouble.

I have seen the tweets and the reaction some people have to any kind of criticism regarding season 2, and that's just not for me. It seems to be contained to Twitter, so I've been curating my timeline for the past month. I said it yesterday, and I'll repeat it: no one should be attacking anyone as long as you are respectfully stating your opinion. The fact that some people are doing it says more about them than I think they realise. Be respectful but call shit out; there are at least 2 other seasons left, we need to try and get heard.

I've been pretty much silent about the season so far because I didn't know what to say when I finished it the first (and only) time. It was pretty late when we finished binge-watching, and I'd had a long week, so I blamed the hype and my high expectations for the way I felt.

Instead, I created this happy bubble, reblogged gifs, read fic, gushed over edits and fanart... and I've been reluctant to burst that bubble. I did read the deep dives and the reviews that fans were writing, but there are aspects I can't comment on (because I'm white as snow).

Having said that: the season has issues.

It has issues with characterisation (hello, Edwina, my love, how's the whiplash?), plot, character motivations, pacing... I could make a 2000 word essay about it - I sent a 15-minute voice note to a friend of mine the other day ranting about the show, and I hadn't even moved past Kate and Anthony - so I'll try to summarise some "hot takes" (that aren't hot because everyone has already talked about it). Don't get me started with the Featheringtons, Benedict, Polin and Philloise... OR FRANCESCA (honestly, Frannie, babes. Just run away to Bath with Aunty Winnie, and we'll write you fic, we promise. We'll make Franchael Week a thing if we have to)

Edwina:

Let's start with the elephant in the room. The only "nice" way I can describe my feelings about the Edwina arc is: I see what you were trying to do, but you didn't do it.

What we know about Edwina from the books is that, yes, she is innocent, but she is also intelligent. Edwina knows that her family is not doing great financially, no matter how much Kate and Mary try to hide it from her, and that's why she pushes for Anthony - she knows that Anthony will give her the security she and her family need.

What we see from Edwina in the show is that she is young and naive, and incredibly sweet. You understand why Kate wants to protect her, it makes the audience want to protect her, I was in love with her from the beginning. When we meet Edwina at the beginning, we very quickly see a side of her that is unsure, almost as if she knows this is their big chance, and she feels all the pressure she is hiding. "I hope they like me," she says, and you feel for her. Then, she tells Kate she wants Anthony because he is honest in episode 2, and there was this moment in episode 3 when I had hope for her character development and depth. When Edwina doesn't get proposed to at dinner, and she cries when Kate is doing her hair, she chastises herself, "I should have been better, I should've known better..." and I thought we were going to see what was under the surface of this perfect diamond. And then, we just didn't.

They made Edwina fall in love with this perfect persona Anthony kept presenting, and she wouldn't listen to anyone: not her sister, not Daphne, not all the noise Anthony's eyes must've made while he looked at Kate like I look at chocolate cake.

And still, even after the proposal, there would have been hope for something more. They could have fixed it, which brings me to...

Mary:

*long and deep sigh* I will never forgive them for turning Mary into a doormat. You can take Mary out of the entire season, plop her in for episodes 7 and 8 and nothing changes, and it breaks my heart because I LOVE Mary. She could've just tried to find Kate in ep 6, and she would've won so many browny points in my book.

Kate is completely alone until she falls off that horse (aka Mufasa the horse pulls a Scar):

I don't have words to explain how much this hurts. Kate, who sacrifices her future and happiness for her sister; who is ready to let the man she loves go so Edwina can marry and love him instead; Kate, who has no prospects and is going to leave once the season is over to go back home and will be forced to live through others. Kate is isolated from everyone the entire season, and all everyone can do is be angry at her for things.

Anthony is angry because he can't feel feelings, and now he has them for her, and it's all her fault.

Lady Danbury gets angry because she knows that there's something between K&A while Anthony is pursuing Edwina. You know, the match that Kate has been against since the very beginning? The one LD pushed for? The same LD that will talk to Kate about her part in the emotional affair but never calls Anthony out?

Edwina is angry, and she's not even angry with Kate for the right reasons! Be angry because your sister pushed you until you met all these standards, and she was projecting her idea of perfection onto you, not because she is willing to sacrifice everything for you even if it destroys her! What? Episode 6 is a shitshow, and it shouldn't exist.

I could go on, but I think I've ranted enough. My asks are always open if anyone wants to talk about the season and its characters.

[lous-beelief]

Domestic Bliss

A small drabble for Polin Week

Day 4 - Prompt: Domestic Bliss

Penelope sat at their breakfast table, a cuppa tea in her hands, as she watched her husband rush erratically around the kitchen. A smirk played on her lips as she was the essence of calm whilst he was the polar opposite in that moment.

She admired Colin’s form as he was practically in his own world, his suit jacket stretching around his biceps mouth wateringly as he bent forward to tie up his shoes.

Colin was running late - as per usual.

He had a meeting with his publisher in just half an hour; though that hadn’t stopped him from laying in bed with her, wrapping his arms around her and burying his head in her neck, for “Just five more minutes,” every single time his alarm went off. In the end Penelope knew that she would have to get up just so he would.

Which was why she was now sitting there, enjoying the morning entertainment of Colin as he faffed around and grabbed an apple for his journey, chucking it into the air and bouncing it off his arm like he was still a child.

“Right, I love you, I’ll see you later,” he grabbed his bag and went to dash out of the door.

She scanned the table and rolled her eyes.

“Aren’t you forgetting something?” She called after him, making him stop in the doorway.

He turned around and grinned wolfishly at her, instantly prancing over and scooping her up into his arms. He squeezed the flesh of her hips, his thumbs grazing the bare skin that peeped from underneath her pyjama top that had been raised with his onslaught, and soundly planted his lips on hers.

The kiss began soft, taking her by surprise, before she returned his caress - making him groan as the kiss became hungry with adoration.

Her body went slack in his arms as a tingling sensation sparked at her heart, spreading out across her body, deepening in her stomach, until it reached the very end of her toes.

After twelve years of friendship, two years of dating, six months of engagement and one year of marriage she knew she would never ever tire of this feeling and, more specifically, this ridiculous man.

They broke away from each other to catch their breath and Colin’s green eyes shone down on her with complete happiness, making her blush crimson like it was their first kiss all over again.

“I meant this,” she let out a sheepish cough, picking up his wallet that he had left on the table, “But thank you.”

He barked out a laugh at his mistake, a mistake that neither of them would ever regret, before placing the wallet into his pocket.

“Thank you,” he kissed her forehead in a final goodbye, “I love you.”

“I love you too.” She playfully pushed him away from her, “Now go!”

And Colin finally left for his meeting, leaving Penelope to bask in the afterglow of his presence - contemplating how wonderful life truly was.

(Inspired by a prompt from this generator: https://atsuzaki-playground.neocities.org/)

[newtonsheffield]

I love how B&S has created a little community for all of us fans to celebrate, and thank you for keeping it alive! Since today is Polin day being today I started thinking, how do Anthony and Kate celebrate their anniversaries? Which dates do they celebrate? The big ILY moment at Daphne’s? The monthversary? The proposal? The wedding? Everything? I just want them to see them blissfully in love (with a healthy dose of angst of course 😈)

This has turned into a little bit of a community at this point hasn’t it? And I genuinely couldn’t be prouder of this crappy little underdog of a universe that I keep crowbarring into this world with reckless abandon. TBH I had no idea that it was Polin day today until someone commented on it under my last post 😂 sorry about me.

But I love this little idea so here we go, Coming to you live from my upturned Mop Bucket, Kate + Anthony + Anniversaries

Kate hated to admit, and maybe it made her a bad girlfriend but she certainly hadn’t noticed the date this morning when she’d wriggled out of Anthony’s embrace as he slept to get ready for her early meeting. And even when she greeted him with a kiss on the cheek in the office corridor she still didn’t notice the way he whispered in her ear And a Very good morning to you Miss Sheffield in a tone that brought a little blush to her cheeks. It truly wasn’t until she came back from a meeting after lunch and found a staggeringly large bouquet of tulips on her desk, a little dedication card that said To the best month of my life and a million more just like it -A that she realised. And dread filled her. God, he was so sweet and kind and she hadn’t even realised. Hadn’t noticed as she’d gone through this month in a happy little haze. She quickly stood from her desk and said Lucy I’ll be back in a bit before she rushed from the building. When she stood in his office doorway at the end of the day a smirk on her face and said I had an odd little delivery today, apparently I’ve been in a relationship for a month, and Anthony had spun around, his eyes shining with delight, the crooked smirk on his face that always made her heart beat faster as he said Mmmm I couldn’t help but notice nothing has crossed my desk yet. Kate laughed brightly undoing the top button button of her blouse, his eyes following the movement darkly as she Said I thought you might like to unwrap your gift in private. Anthony stood stunned for a moment before rushing forward throwing her over his shoulder and marching her from the building, past a rather startled Hermione still tidying the reception desk.

By their first wedding Anniversary, Edmund was just a month old. Edwina had offered to babysit so they could go out to dinner, or do anything really, and Kate had wanted to refuse, she really had but Anthony had smiled so brightly and said Let me take you out, Katie that same crooked smile on his face, that she’d hesitantly thanked her sister and prepared to leave her six week old for the first time. The entire dinner she was distracted, and she hated it, Anthony was trying he really was, and she felt absolutely terrible, but she couldn’t stop thinking about Tiny Edmund at home, and yes she trusted Edwina, knew that her sister loved Edmund almost as much as Kate did herself, but she just couldn’t stop. Before the main course had even been delivered Anthony stood abruptly from the table with a muttered This is stupid gesturing to the waiter, confusion and something awfully like Kate welling up in her chest as she prepared to apologise. My Wife and I will take the rest of this to go, Thank you so much Anthony said abruptly returning to his seat Kate felt her eyebrows raise in surprise as Anthony sighed and said I just want to be at home with you and our family.

Every year Kate still gets a little surprised when Anthony kisses her on the cheek and brandishes a ridiculously Extravagant bouquet on the day they first went out with a whispered I’d still take a million more and Kate’s heart nearly bursts when she wonders what she ever did to make her lucky enough to have this man fall in love with her.

[herejusttosufferalong]

The Ireland stops of the tour left me feeling, L N had gone forward with being a couple, like they finally talked the real talk, decided to be with each other and maybe an agreement was made, that L will phase out A quietly and swiftly. Maybe they decided to date privately first with a plan to go subtly public after a few months. They just had that happy, happy, happy, confident, content, coming-into-their-truth energy. And the meet-the-family in Galway, that was quite the trust-fall for N and quite the "I am in this for the long run" for L.

Then London happened and I can't help but think, what if N was totally blindsided by that? Maybe L himself has not orchestrated the pap walk, but at the end of the day he allowed someone to be in his circle, who was shady enough to do that.

It would be such a blow for N on a professional level alone, it impacted how S3 part 2 was received and the timing of pap  walk was a f u to all her hard work on Polin. But imagine they really came to an understanding in Ireland to be together. That would so hurt on a personal level as well. And N seems to sort of have drawn back since then. Online N has not been the same and the pure joy that she oozes usually, seems to have been dimmed a bit.

The tt, her forced L support, NY, him appearing down the last weeks and msny more little pieces- it all adds to the puzzle. I truly wonder, if they are even talking rn.

I think what little glimpses we will see, when season 4 filming starts, will give us an idea if L N things are truly broken beyond repair. They will work together well, both are too professional to not do that.

But if there is no "Polin 2024" pic this year and if they have separate make-up trailers I will cry myself to sleep till Christmas.

did everyone wake up today and take a shot of depresso???

[sofwrites]

He laughed, she shrieked; She yearned, he loved

Polin Week Day 2: Polin Songs

Type: Songfic that goes through Colin and Penelope's POVs from their first meeting to the end of RMB

Length: 4.7k

Read on ao3 or continue under the cut

“But something happened, I heard him laughing

I saw the dimples first and then I heard the accent” - London Boy, Taylor Swift

Penelope Featherington’s life split into a new half on the sixth day of the fourth month of the year 1812.

It began like any other day when rare sunshine followed a week of springtime rain- the Featherington had been enjoying a walk in the park, and the matriarch had become too preoccupied to notice the exact whereabouts of her third daughter.

Which was why when Penelope felt the rumbling underneath her feet and heard the nearby stampeding, she had no trouble walking off to inspect for its source.

Was it possible that there were bandits in Hyde Park, she wondered. That scouring marauders had come to their little corner of the world?

Though equally horrifying, the idea filled young Penelope with giddy excitement as she ducked behind a large tree.

But when she peeked around the trunk, there were no bandits, no marauders, no ravagers, scoundrels, or miscreants.

No, there was none of that. Instead, there were two young men galloping on horses.

Until there was only one.

It seemed that the breeze had picked up and along with it, the girl’s bonnet (she’d secretly unsecured it while her mother wasn’t watching- a habit she would very soon retire). And before she realized what had happened, one of the gentlemen had fallen directly into a patch of mud.

And as Penelope watched, her heart leaped, then dropped, and then froze in her chest- because it was her fault that he had fallen in. And with wide, terrified eyes, she rushed forward to help.

“OhmyHeavens! Are you alright? Do you need me to get someone for you?” She was speaking far too quickly, she was sure of that, and her voice was definitely quite a few octaves too high for ordinary human communication. But she didn’t care about any of it in the current moment.

Though he was certainly awake, the man didn’t reply immediately, and Penelope felt her panic grow as her hands began to shake. There was no doubt that this stranger would grant her with anything less than contempt. And as he rose, she prepared herself, promising that she would not cry even if he roared the greatest criticism.

But she need not have worried herself - for Penelope had met a man who was exceptional to all the rest. One who would make sure that no other man could ever compare.

All her perfect gentleman did was laugh, and it was the loveliest sound that she had ever heard. And then he looked at her, and his eyes, the most vivid shade of green she had ever bore witness to, were filled with nothing but good humor.

And then he smiled at her. And nothing would ever be the same for Penelope Featherington, for she had fallen in love.

“Be young, be foolish, but be happy

Don’t let the rain get you down, it’s a waste of time” - Be Young, Be Foolish, Be Happy, The Tams

It all happened in a blur really. One minute, Colin was riding horseback alongside a friend, enjoying a cheerful sunny afternoon.

And the next, some flying object attacked him and caused him to tumble over and land squarely into a puddle of mud.

Then there was shrieking. Some high-pitched, panicky shrieking that quickly became more painful than the tender spot on his bum.

Pulling away his assailant (which appeared to be a bonnet), Colin was met with a girl whose expression matched the hysteria of her voice. She looked young- a bit less than him- likely around Eloise or Francesca’s age. And she looked…

Well, frankly, she looked bloody terrified.

Terrified. Terrified that he was going to scream or curse or do something even more unpleasant to her.

But even if it was her bonnet that was to blame, it hardly mattered. She couldn’t have possibly planned for her headwear to get whisked off of her head and directly onto his face. And judging by the giant brown eyes and quivering lip turned towards him, she surely felt guilty about it now.

And besides that, the whole situation was rather funny. Even if he was covered in mud, Colin Bridgerton always appreciated an amusing turn of events. There was no use fretting over such little things, not when one could find the humor in it.

So, he did the one thing he knew how to do: he laughed, just in the way his father used to do. His father, who told him that laughter could solve most anything. Colin had found that although it might not have solved everything, it was quite a useful little trick.

But he was proven correct that day when the girl’s horrified expression melted into one of pure relief.

Until she began hurriedly apologizing to him, and her widened eyes went from concerning to amusing. So amusing, in fact, that he smiled at her.

And Colin Bridgerton had no idea what he’d just done.

“I wonder if he knows he’s all I think about at night

He’s the reason for the teardrops on my guitar” - Teardrops On My Guitar, Taylor Swift

If what Penelope felt when she first met Colin was love, then the year following had to embody some form of deep, deep admiration. He was more than just a fine sport and a good first impression- he was simply the nicest man she had ever met. And he grew lovelier with each passing meeting.

He looked at her and smiled, he spoke to her and listened - he was simply kind to her in a way that few people ever were. And her heart fluttered every time she gazed into those dazzling green eyes.

It made her first season, just a little over a year after their ill-fated meeting, rather unbearable. Not only had Penelope’s mother pushed her into coming out in society earlier than she would have liked, but everything seemed to be wrong. In an unfortunate circumstance, she hadn’t yet entered the realm of womanhood, and the reaction of the ton directly reflected such.

But although no bachelors had eyes for Penelope (not to her great surprise), she only truly cared about one.

And that was the reason that over the course of the season, Penelope’s heart broke more times than she would have ever cared to admit.

She knew whenever he was in the room, could feel his presence in the air. She could hear his voice even when it didn’t carry, simply because she had spent so much time engraining it into her memory.

And she often watched him as he accompanied other, more eligible ladies to the dance floor- watched how he laughed and smiled at them just as he did to her. The same way he did to her.

And even though he usually made sure to save her a dance as well, and they were often the greatest highlight of the evening for Penelope, the sting lasted well into the night. She pictured him with the other girls, the ones who were prettier and more popular and less shy than she was. Than she ever could be.

And sometimes, when she was alone and the day had been more difficult than usual, Penelope cried more tears than she could have ever counted.

“I just want to live while I’m alive

(It’s my life)

My heart is like an open highway” - It’s My Life, Bon Jovi

Colin didn’t enjoy balls.

The conversations were dull, the entertainment was lacking, and every dance he offered was met with some maddening assumption that he had plans to marry.

He was still so young for God’s sake, still had so much life to live before surrendering to the shackles of the marriage mart. He knew that it was just a matter of time before he was the oldest unattached Bridgerton, but he had no plans of hurrying. He simply wasn’t ready yet, and he didn’t see any problem with that.

His family, however, certainly did.

“Please, do remember to dance with Miss Merriweather.”

“Yes, mother.”

“And Miss Kensington.”

“Of course.”

“And Miss Jones.”

“ Right .”

“And best not to forget Miss Featherington as well.”

He looked at his mother, his signature half-smile plastered to his face. “Would that even be possible? I’m quite sure that you’ve stuffed the list into my pocket.”

Violet gave him an indulgent look, one that was more familiar than he would have liked. “It’s possible that I left it in your morning coat.” She smiled before her face grew a bit more serious and her voice softened. “Please, Colin, don’t forget. Especially not Miss Featherington.”

And Colin nodded, immediately making his way to the girl standing by the refreshments table because that was what he did.

He appeased his mother, wore a happy face, and left as soon as he was able.

“Mr. Never had to see me cry

Mr. Insincere apology so he doesn’t look like the bad guy” - Mr. Perfectly Fine, Taylor Swift

The worst moment of Penelope’s life happened in the middle of the sixth month of the year 1817.

He hadn’t meant to her to hear him, she knew that. And she knew that she didn’t deserve to feel angry with him, didn’t deserve to feel like he had purposefully trampled over her heart with no regard for her or her feelings.

But Penelope was just a human, and humans didn’t always react to situations with rationality.

So when Colin apologized for the second time (since the first was really more for shock than regret), Penelope wasn’t quite as forgiving inside as she was on the surface.

She didn’t blame him, per se, but the cut was just still too fresh to let go of the hurt. And when Colin approached her at the next ball, she wasn’t quite as... friendly as usual.

It was when she was staring at his hand, outstretched and waiting like everything was absolutely normal. Like there was nothing, simply nothing wrong between them. And then he gave her that same smile he always did, the one that she normally loved, but felt much more smug than charming that evening.

“Of course, Mr. Bridgerton ,” she answered, making a failed attempt to sound pleasant.

He was doing it to appease his mother, she was more than aware of the fact. Or just to absolve himself of his guilt. Perhaps that was why it hurt so much.

Or perhaps it was the simple fact that she’d loved and dreamed about him for years, meanwhile, he’d been announcing to the world that he was certainly not going to marry her.

And though it might not have been fair, Penelope’s heart wouldn’t allow herself to move forward quite yet.

“And I don't even need your love

But you treat me like a stranger and that feels so rough.” - Somebody that I used to know, Gotye

It had been a mistake. A stupid mistake that Colin hadn’t even known he was making until it had already been too late.

His brothers had been at him, knowing exactly what to say to push him to the edge. He didn’t want to discuss marriage or settling down, he just wanted to go away. Find something that was his and only his.

How could he have known that she’d been standing right there? How could he have known that the cruelest thing he’d ever said would blow up so magnificently in his face?

It wasn’t fair, not to him and certainly- definitely not to her.

Colin wasn’t in the business of hurting other people, especially not ones who were as kind and decent as Penelope Featherington.

He knew that laughter wouldn’t work this time. So, instead, he apologized. A true, sincere apology that Penelope accepted.

Or so she pretended to accept. Because although she claimed that she was fine and that there was nothing wrong, there was definitely something off. And it was bloody irritating.

Colin didn’t need Penelope’s friendship, if that’s what one would call their dynamic, but he didn’t want the girl to hate him or possibly worse- like a stranger.

He was Colin, and he just wanted to be as well-liked as he usually was. So, he did what he could to force pleasantries, to make sure that they got back to where they’d always been.

Until it ended up working a bit too well.

“You’re so gorgeous,

I can’t say anything to your face

‘Cause look at your face” - Gorgeous, Taylor Swift

It had taken Penelope Featherington just about a year to fully forgive Colin Bridgerton. He was the same Colin he always was- funny and charismatic, easily the kindest man she had ever known. And it was easy to fall back into old habits- easy to fall back under his spell.

How could she not? When he smiled at her with that same smile, when he looked at her with those same hypnotic eyes and gorgeous face? Her heart had no chance against him.

Falling in love with Colin was easy- too easy- almost like breathing.

It was the being in love with Colin that tore her apart.

“Ooh, and I wished that you would hurt me harder than I hurt you

Ooh, and I wish you wouldn't wait for me, but you always do” - Let Me Go, Alesso & Hailee Steinfield

It had taken Colin Bridgerton years to admit that Penelope Featherington viewed him as more than just a friendly acquaintance. As more than a friend. As more than anything he felt comfortable with.

And then he thought that it would go away. That it was a young girl’s infatuation that would dissolve with time. He especially never saw it coming after how much he’d hurt her.

But after he’d noticed, he’d really noticed.

Penelope’s eyes had hearts in them. Huge hearts that lit up her entire face and made him feel like the biggest ass on the planet.

He kept leaving, sometimes for entire years. And every time he returned and saw her, he thought that it might be over. That she might have found someone new to set her sights on. That a different man would swoop in and take her affections.

No one ever did, however. And Colin began to worry that he was at fault for it. That Penelope had spent so long waiting for him that she simply refused to allow herself to be carried away by anyone else.

But he pushed that worry away.

Perhaps he’d imagined it- the way she looked at him. He’d known her since before she was even of age and he’d never seen anything different in her. Perhaps that was just how Penelope was to everyone.

(It wasn’t, and deep inside he knew that.)

“I’ve got some tricks up my sleeve

Takes one to know one

You’re a cowboy like me” - Cowboy Like Me, Taylor Swift

She had no idea. Penelope had no idea that she could have possibly ever had something in common with Colin.

Colin. Colin. The one who was popular, and gorgeous, and had a way of easing everyone around him. The one who was very much the complete opposite of her.

Except that he wasn’t. Because he was a writer, just like she was. And he had his secrets, and his insecurities, just like she did.

She almost told him. Truly and really considered it as she sat across him in the drawing room of Number Five. She saw how his eyes lit up when she spoke of his writing- saw the secret passion in his work that he tried to hide. It was the same passion she felt, something of herself that she recognized in Colin of all people. It was absurd to see someone else understand what she felt. Absurd and shocking and thrilling.

So, she almost told him, almost let herself join them together in their secrets.

Almost.

Something stopped her. Whether it was the decade-long practice of hiding or a fear of rejection, she didn’t know. All she knew was that she and Colin were more in the same than she could have ever realized, and he had no idea.

“I might get to too much talking

I might have to tell you something

Damn, I like me better when I'm with you” - I Like Me Better, Lauv

He didn’t know when it had happened. Exactly what change in him (or her) had led to it. But there just came a point when Colin realized that Penelope was the one who he wanted in life- the one who he wanted by his side.

Maybe it was that very first night at his mother’s party- right when half of her pastry cream splattered onto the floor. Maybe it was when he caught her reading his journals and then she lectured him on the privilege in his life. Maybe it was when she had asked him to kiss her- and he realized that he never wanted to taste anyone else’s lips ever again.

Colin didn’t know when, or what, or how. But he knew that he never wanted to stop talking to her. That he never felt more like himself than when he was with Penelope. That he had never felt the need to mask himself from her, and that she accepted him as he was each time.

He liked Penelope. Cared for her in a way he’d never cared for anyone before. And he liked himself when he was with her, even the parts that were whinging and temperamental and insecure.

And he finally knew what he needed in his life. Who he needed.

He needed Penelope.

“My reputation’s never been worse, so

You must like me for me” - Delicate, Taylor Swift

Are you going to marry me or not?

The words were still running in her mind well into the night. The same question, over and over and over again.

The morning had been ludicrous.

Colin had followed her into the church.

Colin had found out that she was Lady Whistledown.

Colin had been furious with her.

Colin had kissed her in the carriage.

Penelope had kissed him back.

Colin had asked her to marry him (in a matter of words).

Penelope had said yes (in a matter of words).

Colin and Penelope had gotten engaged to be married.

And to be quite honest, she didn’t know what exactly had changed. She had no idea why or when he had become so adamant about being with her. He had followed her, and in that had found out her great big secret- the one that was both the very best and the very worst of her.

He hadn’t been happy about it, she knew that, but something had switched in him.

And even though he didn’t like her secret, he still liked her, still cherished her in the way that she’d always yearned for.

So, she said yes.

“Please, don't look at me with those eyes

Please, don't hint that you’re capable of lies” - First Date, Blink-182

It hurt. It hurt Colin so very much.

At some point, Penelope had become Colin’s world. And at the same time, she’d been given the power to break him in a way that no one else could.

If finding out that Penelope held secrets the first time was a betrayal, then finding out that she held secrets from him after they’d become betrothed was like a stab to the heart.

She hadn’t meant for it to happen at their engagement ball, of course not. But it still had. And she hadn’t warned him, hadn’t discussed it with him.

He wasn’t sure what he was the angriest about- her hidden truths, her carelessness, her stubbornness to be right, damn it all.

The way she didn’t trust him as much as he seemed to trust her.

He was furious. And hurt. And deceived.

And yet-

“I, I loved you in spite of

Deep fears that the world would divide us” - Dancing with Our Hands Tied, Taylor Swift

He loved her. He loved her for all of her faults and all of her virtues. He loved her even despite how much he couldn’t stand her at that present moment.

He was scared to death for what could happen to her- what would happen to her. He realized that Penelope- that love was more important than the rest of it all. Than the rest of the world.

And he didn’t hesitate to tell her- not even for a moment.

Penelope loved him in return. She’d loved him for years- or so she thought. She didn’t know what had truly been love and what had been infatuation- a dream about the man she’d built up in her head. But it was certainly real love now.

The man in front of her was not perfect, was not without his gripes and flaws. And that was somehow better than perfect.

Because he was real. Because he loved her just as much as she loved him.

Because it was them. Together. Standing side-by-side against the world.

“When I was down

I was your clown

“Right from the start

I gave you my heart” - Don’t Go Breaking My Heart, Elton John & Kiki Dee

Thirty seconds it had taken for Colin Bridgerton to take Penelope Featherington’s heart.

Five years it had taken for Colin Bridgerton to break Penelope Featherington’s heart.

A handful of days it had taken for Colin Bridgerton to give Penelope Featherington his heart.

And twelve years it had taken for Colin Bridgerton and Penelope Featherington to truly see the other for who they were.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Bonus rap song section!! (Explicit)

“Go, go, go, go, go, go

Go Shorty, it’s your birthday” - In da Club , 50 Cent

Colin paced across the length of his drawing room, absentmindedly flicking his fingers as he did so.

She was meant to be down here.

He needed her down here.

Right at that very instant.

He simply couldn’t wait any longer.

Penelope needed to sweep down those steps wearing some gorgeous little number, race into the room, and-

“Colin, stop doing that. It’s incredibly irritating.”

He didn’t stop, but he did turn his head to send a scowl to his sister. “Pardon me, but I’m quite sure that you were meant to get her out of the house by four o’clock.” And with a pointed look to the clock, he added, “And it’s already a quarter past.”

Eloise crossed her arms as her eyes narrowed. “I’m sorry, but I can’t fathom how it has somehow become my fault that she’s late. Weren’t you meant to make sure that she’d be ready by now?”

At this, Colin didn’t meet her eye, instead sending a quick not-so-guilty glance to the sofa. He certainly had meant to make sure that she was dressed and proper in time for Eloise’s arrival, but he’d gotten… Side-tracked.

It wasn’t his fault that she’d decided to wear his favorite shade of pink that afternoon. He was just a man, and how could any man not charge her, grab her by the shoulders, and-

“Oh, ew!” Eloise exclaimed, jumping from her seat on the sofa. It seemed that she hadn’t missed Colin’s glance. “Honestly, one would think that you’re still newlyweds.”

Colin finally did stop his pacing to send his sister a half-smile that was far more cheeky and apologetic. With a small shrug, he leaned against the wall.

“Well, you know, sister, we-”

“We what?” Penelope interrupted as she strode into the room, sending him a teasingly accusing face. But before he could even consider answering, she went straight to Eloise and gave her a hug. “I’m so sorry I’m late, Maria insisted on this intricate hairstyle.” She motioned to the chignon sitting atop her head, which Colin thought was rather lovely on her.

“And you were tied up before then?” Eloise asked innocently, barely batting an eye when Penelope suddenly flushed.

There was a pause of silence, but Colin (who had been appreciating the sight of his wife from across the room), rushed towards them. “Alright, I think you’re late enough as is. Don’t want to make the Modiste angry, do we?”

Penelope frowned as she turned to him, her eyebrows furrowing in that magnificent way they always did. “I really think it will be-”

But he had already taken her by the arm and begun dragging her into the hallway, Eloise following closely in tow. “Darling, go, go, go, go, go, go. You mustn't be late.”

Her mouth hung open as he strode her towards the front door, helping her with the coat Dunwoody had handed him.

“Colin, what are you-”

“Go, Darling. It’s your birthday. Go have fun.”

And as if by magic, Penelope and Eloise were standing outside on the steps and Colin was shutting the door.

Penelope blinked several times, staring at the knocker on the door before she turned to her best friend. “What in the world was that about?”

Eloise snorted, tucking an arm through hers. “I do believe that when we get back later today, we might party like it’s your birthday.”

“I’m hooked and I can’t stop staring

Oh baby, I wanna get wit’cha” - Baby’s Got Back , Sir Mix-a-Lot

Penelope let out a sigh as her eyes trailed the ballroom of Bridgerton House, resting upon the back of her husband. And then her eyes trailed downwards, and she let out another sigh as her eyes traveled downwards, downwards, downwards…

“Penelope?”

He looked good.

Too good.

“Penelope? ”

So very, very goo-

A pair of fingers snapped a few inches from her face. “Penelope!”

She blinked, her head jerking to face Kate. “Oh, I’m sorry. What were we talking about?”

Kate and Sophie shared a glance before turning back to her, both looking equally suspicious. “We were discussing whether or not Lucy’s pregnant again,” Sophie answered after a moment, peeking at Penelope as she took a slow sip of champagne.

“Oh,” Penelope said, her eyes somehow again landing on her husband. “She is.”

“And what makes you so sure?” Kate asked. Or perhaps it was Sophie. Er- quite honestly, Penelope’s focus was far too drawn away to discern the difference.

“Oh, I just…” She swallowed, not taking any notice of the fact that her voice had trailed off.

One of her sisters-in-law giggled. “She can’t stop staring.”

“Hmm?” Penelope finally tore her gaze away to look at them, eyes widened in absolute innocence.

Kate bit back a smirk as she lifted her glass. “I do believe Colin’s old bedroom has been kept.”

Penelope didn’t even have the decency to blush as she nodded, sparing just a rather feeble wave as she navigated through the room, eyes glued to Colin’s form.

Although he was mid-way through a conversion with his brother-in-law, Geoffrey, Colin’s arm slithered around his wife’s waist the very moment her fingertips reached him. And when he glanced down, he recognized a very… Strange look in her eyes.

It seemed Geoffrey too had noticed, for he mumbled, “I think Felicity’s looking for me…” before disappearing into the crowd.

Colin grinned as he leaned down to give Penelope’s lips better access to his ear.

“I want to be with you,” she whispered, her hot breath leaving shivers down his back.

His eyebrow quirked upwards as he looked down at her. “Now?”

She grinned and nodded. “Now.”

“Wet-ass pussy

Make that pull-out game weak, woo (ah)” - WAP, Cardi B & Megan Thee Stallion

There was screaming.

And growling.

And purring.

And scratching.

“Oh, my God!”

“Colin!”

“Penelope!”

She looked down at him, eyes wide and almost… frightened. “What happened?” There was water all over the floor, buckets knocked down, drops of blood…

And one very wet pussy cat hissing in her husband’s direction.

“Our dear ass-” ("Colin!” ) “Benjamin got it into his head to jump into my bath,” he muttered, grabbing a nearby robe. “And I think you can conclude how that ended.”

Penelope cringed, gingerly stepping over a puddle to soothe the cat. “And your valet?”

Colin glared at her as he tugged at the belt of his robe. “Had some difficulty pulling the cat out and had to go get some bandages.”

Benjamin purred as Penelope scratched behind his ear, doing her best not to laugh. “I hope you at least got to finish your washing.”

She could feel Colin’s glower in the quiet, the only sounds coming from their reasonably calmed (but still rather wet) pussy cat.

“Next time, I want a dog instead.”

[ariandrine]

Prompts taken from this list with a random number generator.

56 “I don’t want to be alone.”

41 “You’re really special to me.”

59 “You’re so drunk.”

Title: Who is counting?

Fandom: Bridgerton (TV and book)

Pairing: Polin

Rating: Explicit

Word count: 7483

7 months, 3 days and... 4 hours. That’s how long Colin Bridgerton had been in love with Penelope Featherington. But that wasn’t right, was it? If he allowed himself to really think about it, he had been in love with her for much longer. Certainly not on first sight - she had been 14 after all and him 19, busy enjoying the newly found freedom moving out of his mother’s town house to attend university had suddenly afforded him. No, it must have been somewhere between dangerously sweet cocktails at her 23rd birthday party, the one where she had worn that divine pink dress and gold heels, and the day he had seen her cry for Eloise at their aunt’s funeral. Next to their mother, Aunt Billie had been Eloise’s favourite person growing up, so when their father’s older sister died quite suddenly after a short period of illness, everyone had expected Eloise to take it the hardest. But his younger sister seemed to go into shock and just... didn’t react at all. It had been disconcerting, to say the least. Eloise was usually the one Bridgerton you could count on to always have something to say and be open about her emotions and to see her shut down like that had frankly scared him. Penelope had just returned from a work assignment in Ireland that morning and it wasn’t until after the service, when the redhead had walked up to her best friend with tears running down her face, that something in Eloise finally seemed to break. The two friends had hugged and cried together in front of the small parish church. Despite his own grief for his aunt, Colin had been struck by how much his heart ached for the two younger women. Had he not been so busy worrying about how everyone in his family was holding up after losing the last tangible connection to their late father, he might have realised then and there that the feelings Pen stirred in him were entirely different from the ones he had towards his little sister. But he had been worried, his head in too many places at once and so it took him 2 more years after that to see what had been building for a long, long time. He had known her for nearly 14 years at that point and he was ashamed to say that seeing her idly swipe on Tinder was what finally did it. He had been back home for a few weeks between trips. His family fortune had made it possible for him to start travelling the world straight out of uni. At 33, the eternal bachelor son – much to Violet’s dismay – ran a successful travel blog and YouTube channel, the latter causing his siblings to teasingly call him an influencer and ask him when his skin care routine was dropping. One of these days he was actually going to accept the Function of Beauty sponsorship he kept getting offered just to see their stupid faces. Anyway. He had been staying at Anthony and Kate’s, preparing for a trip to Vietnam, and it had been the eldest Bridgerton’s turn to host the monthly Bridgerton Blood Bath ™ attended by Violet, her children and various significant others. Game night. He had missed many of them over the years and as overwhelming as his family could be, he was just as competitive as the rest of them and enjoyed these gatherings immensely. A round of Betrayal at House on the Hill had devolved into Kate, née Sharma, accusing her husband of cheating, and Colin had thought it wise to get out of the way for the moment before he got clobbered with the game board. So, he had done what he always subconsciously did - gravitated towards Penelope, a long-time attendee of all family affairs despite not being related to any of them by blood or marriage. He plonked down on the sofa next to her. “Research for the show?” He asked with a happy smile on his face that only faltered a bit when it took his friend a few moments to look up from her phone, biting her bottom lip nervously and quickly turning the screen away so he could not see what she was doing. This was new. Whenever he saw her this engrossed in her phone, it was usually about her job as a television writer and nothing to hide.

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[invisibleinorange]

Bridgerton’s Adrift  | 20/?

Chapters: 20/? Fandom: Bridgerton Rating: M Warnings: Presumed Character Death Relationships: Colin Bridgerton/Penelope Featherington,  Eloise Bridgerton/Penelope Featherington(besties),  Bridgerton Family Dynamics, Simon Hastings/Daphne Bridgerton Characters: Colin Bridgerton,  Penelope Featherington, Eloise Bridgerton, Anthony Featherington,  Benedict Bridgerton,  Portia Featherington, Violet Bridgerton,  Pretty Much Everyone (at points) Additional Tags:  Bridgerton, Polin Summary:  Unexpected bad news arrives for the Bridgerton Family (and friends) regarding Colin's travels. This will be a series that is set after "The Duke and I" or season one of the show. It is a companion piece to "Goodbyes".

Eloise didn’t know what it was like to fall in love.

Everything that she knew about the concept came from books or the relationships of people around her.  She only had a vague recollection of her parents prior to her father’s death. Half the time, it felt more like other people’s memories than her own.  She hated the fact that with every passing day she remembered her own father less and less.  Aubrey Hall had been her first home and yet it always felt strange to be there. London always felt more like home but that was where she’d spent the majority of her formative years.  She’d returned there out of love for her brother though.

Benedict hadn’t been himself since Colin returned.  She dared not speculate his feelings at first but she had known he was running away from something. She’d always been particularly close to him. Even though he didn’t tend to have many secrets, she usually was the family member to figure them out.  Just like he’d treated her cuts and bruises as a child, she wanted to fix whatever ailed him. That was why she followed him to Aubrey Hall.

She assumed that like all the past moments where they’d experienced an upset or difficulty they’d be able to fix it.  It was a bit of an egotistical notion to think that she could be the one to help him find his way back to the family but it was truly what she’d thought.

She had assumed it would be easy.  It wasn’t.

The brother that she found at Aubrey Hall looked like Benedict but there was something very hollow, sad about his presence. He was there but he might as well have not been. It had been weeks and despite having plenty of opportunity, he kept every conversation succinct and impersonal. He hadn’t once confided in her how he was feeling when she’d ask how he was. A simple ‘fine’ was his go-to reply and she knew he was far from it.

She had thought that if she brought up home, that might encourage him to speak about it.  Every time she received a letter from Penelope or an entry from Whistledown, he’d read it aloud.  He looked uncomfortable at the latest mentions of Colin and Penelope but the way he looked when she’d get a new article from Whistledown was much worst.  Even on a good day, those things would cause him to make an excuse and lock himself away. She usually wouldn’t see him until days later.

The first time he’d skipped a meal, she’d thought he might be ill and she’d even gone as far as to take it to his room for him.  The door was locked though and when she knocked he didn’t let her in to deliver it.   When he finally did emerge the next day, he looked tired and older but he acted as if he hadn’t been a ghost.

She’d had never seen him like this and she was beginning to worry.  It did cross her mind that Benedict might never return to the family. She didn’t want to meddle and make things worse but she didn’t like the state of things. She didn’t want to see her favorite brother unhappy but she also didn’t quite know what the solution was.

She had thought a solution could be found in non-familial companionship. He also didn’t seem to want to discuss that either. She’d casually suggested he reconnect with the Modiste or literally find anyone to be less gloomy. She’d mentally prepared herself for him to say no but she hadn’t been prepared for an absolute meltdown.

Benedict was always the quietest and the gentlest of her brothers. The bottled up emotions exploded at that suggestion though. He destroyed one of their mother’s favorite vases with fist. When he realized what he’d done, he cried and Eloise couldn’t remember ever seeing him cry. She knew it wasn’t about the vase or the fact he’d managed to hurt his hand. He didn’t say it but somehow she knew: his heart was broken.

If this was what love was like, Eloise was more certain than ever that she wanted nothing to do with it.

--

Even though Eloise didn’t tell him that she pitied him. Benedict knew it. He hadn’t asked her to come. He hadn’t wanted anyone to be there with him. He needed time to mourn in peace without anyone in the Ton judging him.  Penelope Featherington might not have been dead but she might as well have been.  She was going to marry Colin.

A few months ago, it wouldn’t have been a problem. He would have been thrilled at the choice and welcomed her into the family.  He didn’t think he could stomach it now. He couldn’t bear to put on a smile and watch her marry Colin. He couldn’t handle seeing them at family dinners and seeing her smile or laugh at the things Colin could say. He couldn’t handle thinking of them sharing a marital bed or her stomach swelling with his nieces and nephews.

He wasn’t foolish enough to try and stop it nor did he want to. He wanted nothing more than for her to be happy and he knew that she would be. He knew Colin would actually treat her well.

It was selfish but he intended to never return to London. If he’d been less of a coward he would have bought a ticket to America or France and slipped beyond his mother’s grasp. Aubrey Hall was his stepping stone.  He needed to go so far away that no one in the family could question why he didn’t return home for holidays or weddings.    

Eloise wasn’t letting him.

The morning after he’d cried in front of her, he debated leaving at first dawn.  She wasn’t a morning person so she wouldn’t hear him slip out and by the time she saw his letter informing her of his plans he’d be too far gone.

When he started to write the letter, he couldn’t bring himself to compose it so things continued on as they had been.

--

Mothers rarely interrupted the solitude of bachelor quarters but most men didn’t have Violet Bridgerton as their mother.  Anthony had been sleeping off a hangover when he heard his mother’s huff as she pushed back the curtains to the room.  The sunlight was appalling and he attempted to pull his pillow over his head.

“Where is your brother?” she demanded of him.

He grumbled in his sleep.

“At his place or… wherever Penelope is,” he said.

“That’s to be assumed. She told me she was visiting her family but Portia Featherington says she hasn’t seen her in weeks,” Violet said.

He lifted the pillow away, dark hair shaggy from bed head. His gaze moved to his mother and he realized she was worried and not actually mad. His brain caught up to the moment.

“I’m sure they’re fine,” he said after a moment.

“Colin was supposed to be with you at a match,” she said after a moment. “I can only imagine that there wasn’t one.”

Anthony debated covering for his little brother there but he knew better than to do that in this moment. Violet was a force and even if they were okay, he was going to have to go and find them.

“I was at the club until hours ago,” he confessed.  “If you’ll be so kind to give me some privacy I’ll get dressed and go find them.”

Violet crossed her arms, narrowing her eyes.

“I gave birth to you. There’s nothing I haven’t seen,” she uttered before complying and headed toward the door.  “You better find them before I do.”

--

Anthony checked every place he knew to search and came up empty handed as far as the city went.  He’d thought he would find them easily but there was no sign of them anywhere.  He begrudgingly called upon the Duke of Hastings for assistance.

Simon had far more resources in the city to operate from.

It was dusk before they learned from a servant who had heard from a footman that Colin had taken to sneaking away with Penelope for romantic time.  They’d apparently last been seen leaving the city in a carriage.

His theories went salacious but it was Daphne who suggested that perhaps there was nothing salacious happening at all.  It was possible that they were headed to Scotland to wed.

Anthony did the math in his head.  It would take 4-5 days if they traveled 12 hours at a time.  They had a good lead on him but if he traveled on horse instead of carriage, he might be able to catch up.  He didn’t necessary intend to stop them.  Perhaps if they wed, the family could finally have a little peace.

He took off immediately only stopping to rest the first time when he reached Aubrey Hall because he was famished and exhausted.  He knew he could find Eloise and Benedict there and if there was anyone who’d know how to find them it would be that pair.

He found them in the drawing room.

Eloise was face first in a book and Benedict was drawing.  He briefly caught sight of it and found it a bit… somber but now wasn’t the time to focus on that.

“What are you doing here?”  Eloise asked.

“I own this home,” Anthony said after a moment. “Besides, I needed rest and reinforcements.  Colin and Penelope have gone missing and my top suspicion is that they’re headed to Scotland.”

Benedict stiffened, struggling to keep his face impassable while Eloise looked alarmed at the news from London.

“You should just let them go,” Benedict said after a moment.

“I’m not planning to stop them,” he said with a sigh. “I’m mostly planning to drag them back home so our mother can murder them for not having the decency to inform someone of their intent as my wedding gift.”

“Coldstream Bridge,” Eloise said after a long moment. “Lady Whistledown mentioned it recently.  She was talking about – well, it was an elopement for a young Earl who fell in love with someone and couldn’t bear to await a special dispensation.”

Benedict was on his feet, grabbing his coast before there could additional discussion of it.  Anthony exchanged a glance with Eloise before shrugging.

“So much for rest,”  he grumbled before following him.

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