#penelope and anthony friendship fan

[thewordsleep]

I had a dream about Anthony walking Penelope down the aisle and presenting her to Colin 🥺❤️

"Lord Bridgerton, I would like to ask you something... As you know, my father is gone. I have no male relatives beside my brothers-by-law - and you can refuse, of course! But... I would be very honoured if you would walk me down the aisle..."

cue Anthony internally crying

[rose-edith]

Being a plus size Bridgerton sister would include:

•All your life you’d felt like an imposter, bigger than your sisters- sturdier- curvier. You felt less than, despite being physically more than. And you felt that no one ever really understood that.

•Your mother and Lady Danbury saw no flaws in you, thought you were absolutely beautiful, and kind and clever- but they believed you were simply crippling shy. So naturally, they went out of their way to help ‘bring you out of your shell’. Which yes, was as utterly hellish as it sounds! It meant rounds of introductions to eligible men, being pushed to the centre stage at all family functions, dressed in more jewels than anyone else. They really wanted to make you sparkle, because to them, you were already a diamond. You had been the apple of your Father’s eye before his death, and everytime Violet looked at you, it was Edmund she could see.

•as for the Queen? You may well not exist. She wasn’t even the slightest bit perplexed or excited by you. Which suited you fine!

•Anthony is SO protective of you, and following his marriage to Kate, she becomes protective of you too. Kate and Anthony stare at any members of the ton who even dream of thinking anything unkind.

•On his travels, Colin makes sure to collect for you the most beautiful jewellery or paintings or fabrics. Colin is tender with all his siblings, but he’s the one who listens to you most when you’re upset- he’s the one who sees it, and does his best to support you and build your confidence. Whether it’s fashionable or not to dance with your own sister, Colin will always take you for at least one turn about the floor; he can’t bare for you to be overlooked or be left ‘on the shelf’.

•Benedict is also your number one fan, at balls and social events he’ll often help you to escape- whether he takes you for a turn about the room, to get a drink, or to help you leave early if you’re just not feeling it.

•Growing up, you couldn’t help but be envious of Daphne, of her looks, her success on the marriage mart, her beautiful life with Simon. But as you grew, she showed you that real beauty comes from within anyway. Simon loves you too, finding you to be amusing, clever and witty. As for their children- well, you’re their favourite Aunt!

•Eloise was aloof as ever, she understood rationally and practically why you were somewhat on the outskirts of society. But she enjoyed not being the only one on the outside looking in; and sometimes when she needed an out you would cause a diversion, and vice versa; Eloise was an ally!

•and hand in hand with Eloise came a friendship with Penelope. You realised almost immediately that Pen was Lady Whistledown, but you never told a soul. Not Pen, not Eloise, not anyone. You were proud of Pen for using the harsh reality of a lonely life to create something meaningful; to carve her own career. Penelope was your friend, though she was Eloise’s best friend. She was at your side when Cressida cut across your heart with her barbs and remarks, and when Cressida “accidentally” cut Penelope up, spilt her drink or split her dress, you would retaliate in kind- most notably resulting in her perfectly smoothed down hair getting dislodged when she “tripped” over your out-stretched foot at the drinks table. ‘Poor Cressida!’ You had cried with devilish delight. ‘What an awful spectacle to befall you!’ The music stopped and everyone turned to look as the mighty Cressida crumbled. What an elated victory indeed.

•Francesca was in and out of your lives, going to Bath and escaping the misery of a lonely life in London. But she would send you music; and suddenly the world wasn’t so blue.

•Your favourite people of all to be around though? Hyacinth and Gregory. They were young, brains like sponges ready to learn and laugh and they love you without reservation. You spend afternoons drilling them with dances, playing archery, games, stealing cakes from the kitchens.

•but like all your family, there’s only one thing you ever wanted really: to find love. You just weren’t foolish enough to believe you’d find it yet, but maybe, just maybe, you’d be surprised when love fell directly into your lap.

[angrydemonfawnbaby]

maybe one day i will be over bridgerton season three and my hatred for penelope but that day is not today

i understand that the books are different and that book polin and penelope are not what their show counterparts are but i need book polin and penelope fans to take a step back and examine the absolute psychological horror of what show polin is.

genuinely there is something so insidious about a girl who meets a guy, believes it's love at first sight, and then befriends his sister. in fact, her ONLY friend is his sister. she spends years pining, sitting and staring out of her window so often that everyone in her life knows this is a common occurrence for her. a habit. she loves him, she wants to be with him, she wants to be a part of his family, and that family treats her well, they treat her with kindness.

and she tears them down. secretly. she uses her friendship with the daughter, her closeness to them, to prop herself up. to write vitriolic things about them, to cast shame on them, to bring their reputation into question time and time again. there is something so irredeemably manipulative about a girl who takes the secrets of those who trusts her and reveals them publicly when it best suits her--when she does not want the boy she loves to marry a girl who has been kind to her, a girl who considers her a friend, who has shared her anxieties and heartbreak. it does not matter that this girl would be a good wife, or that the boy truly cares for her, because this girl is not her. and she could've told the boy herself, but that boy is kindhearted and sensitive and good and he might still marry this other girl. and that is what is truly unacceptable, that is what can't be allowed to happen. so she destroys it, thoroughly. it does not matter who is caught in the blast.

it did not matter how this embarrassment would effect the family she claimed to love as her own, the family she wanted to be a part of. it did not matter that it would ruin marina, the only other person to consider penelope a friend. it led to marina nearly dying, it led penelope's own family being shamed and shunned. it did not matter, because to penelope, the only thing that mattered was that colin remained unmarried so that he may one day love her the way she loves him.

it did not ever matter that colin already loved her as a friend, because to penelope that was not a love worth having. not from colin, or marina, or eloise.

she does not care who she hurts. again and again. with daphne, with anthony and the sharma sisters, with her own best friend. eloise confides in penelope things that not only could destroy her reputation and that of her family, but things that could get her in trouble with the queen--views that are dangerous. and despite what she says, she does it to save herself first and foremost, to keep eloise from discovering her secret.

and when she thinks that the boy she loves will never return her interest, when he returns from his time away different from the boy she has spent years obsessing over from afar, she writes about it once more. to make herself feel better, to make him feel bad. for not loving her, for daring to try and change, for daring to be something he is not--something different from the boy she supposedly loves.

penelope actions as whistledown have shown her to be a callous, selfish, manipulative person. she understands that being whistledown means having power, admits it, and she has constantly used that power to destroy other women--regardless of how kind they were to her (marina), how much they trusted her (eloise), or if she even knew them at all (kate and edwina, the queen and her infant grandchild). she is a vicious and mean person on paper, with no loyalties to anyone but herself. her actions as whistledown are undefendable and cruel. and she is whistledown, they are one and the same.

i cannot see how anyone can look at the two and see anything to romanticize. she knows eloise would not want her in bridgerton house, rightfully so, but she goes to be close to colin, and then she invades his privacy by reading his journals. she continuously lies and crosses boundaries, but her eyes well with tears immediately after and so all is miraculously forgiven--nevermind that she will go home to write something cruel by candlelight later.

even their first kiss feels like a manipulation. a coersion. she begs, cries, pleads, claims she could die never having been kissed and she knows colin is a soft, sensitive boy. he was going to marry marina after a short courtship, convinced of love, he might've went ahead married her if he'd found out about the pregnancy privately because he is a good and kind man. so of course he will kiss her.

and then he proposes, and before they can go about it properly, before he can rethink it or back out--she publishes it in whistledown. so that the whole ton knows that she has finally won. she has succeeded in becoming a bridgerton. and she continues to lie to them all. she continues to lie to colin. she smiles and plays the role of the innocent girl next door, when she has been their primary antagonist force behind the curtains for years now.

even her declaration of love is said to distract, to protect herself, when he has discovered her secret, her true identity, and she can no longer hide. she shouts it at him, like it is meant to make everything okay, to make all of the bad things she's done go away.

and in a well written story, with well written characters, it would not. it would be seen for what it is. desperate. manipulative. but this season of bridgerton is a let down in many ways, and all of them are rooted in how the narrative has catered to washing away how horrible of a person penelope has been, instead of acknowledging it and moving forward with a true redemption arc.

so instead, we get to watch a gossiping mean girl who has spent years stalking and preying on one family in particular, manipulating her way into her happy ending with said family. and everyone just has to be gaslit into believing this is okay when it's not.

[newtonsheffield]

I know you're super knowledgable about Bridgerton so I wanted to get your thoughts and opinions on this. As someone who hasn't read the books (but Idc about spoilers), I wonder how the show is gonna have Eloise end up with Mr. Crane. From what I know of the books from the wiki fan page and Tumblr the books really seem like a suggestion at this point lol and I just cant conceptualize her ending up with him but I'd love your input or theories.

I hope Eloise is one of the very last seasons. I hate so many of her decisions but I empathize w her and I'm so fucking invested in her growthI and thats gonna take time and I dont want them to rush that for the sake of order

I Don’t know about super knowledgeable 😂

I think… they’re going to have to pull some pretty major changes to that story to get it to work within the context of the show at this point. That’s why for a split second I thought Eloise and Michaela Stirling were getting paired up. And truthfully I think one of the major problems the show has to face is the Marina of it all.

I have said many times and I will stand by it still that Julia Quinn is not the world’s greatest author. But something she is good at is giving you only the information you need to invest in the relationship that she wants you to invest in. In the books we have no idea who Marina is (A distant Bridgerton cousin in the books) until Phillip starts talking about her at the beginning of the book. That means, we find it a little tragic that she suffered from these mental health issues but were distanced from it. That’s very different from the darkness of a character that we know suffering the same fate. It also I feel… won’t really play that well given she was the one who gave Colin a speech about the fact that she was content enough with her life and didn’t need saving. That’s a switch up.

I think… there’s a lot of work to do to get Eloise and Phillip to a place where they’re right for each other.

I have been critical of the line they’ve taken with Eloise because I feel like she fails to recognize the privilege she has that she doesn’t need to marry. Violet might nudge her a bit over enthusiastically in that direction but she really seems to have given up on that after last season. And Anthony, after the disaster of making a match for Daphne and after finding that his life is SO much improved being married to Kate ho he loves very much is NOT going to arrange her a match and force her to go through with it. Few women were afforded this. And Eloise does not recognise that at all. They got SO FUCKING CLOSE to her acknowledging this through her friendship with Cressida this season. And then they threw it back in my fucking face! True feminism is about having the CHOICE.

I feel like Tyra Banks.

Eloise has a lot to learn and one of my criticisms of season three is that I felt Penelope and Colin weren’t ready for each other and needed to grow more so I hope they take their time with Eloise.

This is just one person’s opinion of course. Has no bearing on anything.

[romancemedia]

Bridgerton Season 3 Part 2 SPOILERS!!!

Today is the day that every fan has waited and boy did it deliver. The season ended on a happy, but also shocking note, leaving fans excited for what the future has is store for Bridgerton now that EVERYTHING HAS CHANGED!!!!

Colin and Penelope get married and have a baby son. Colin finds out Penelope's secret before the wedding, but they still proceed. Colin is conflicted after learning the truth, but they eventually reconcile.

Eloise and Penelope finally reconcile their friendship at long last.

The Queen is on the hunt to finally learn who Lady Whistledown is once and for all. Cressida takes this chance to claim she is Lady Whistledown in order to escape an arranged marriage and attempts to ruin the Bridgerton family. She is exposed as a liar and fraud, destroying her image, reputation and whatever redeeming qualities she presented in the first half of the season. (Not to mention the end for her short-lived friendship with Eloise) The result of her actions leads her parents to send her away to live in the countryside with her aunt for reduction.

Francesca marries John Stirling despite her mother's uncertainty in their match. Francesca seems to realize this when she and John lack spark when they share their wedding kiss.

In the last episode, Cressida finds out Penelope is Lady Whistledown and tries to blackmail her, otherwise she threatens to expose her to everyone. She reveals Penelope's secret to her mother at the start of the episode.

Penelope comes forward and reveals herself as Lady Whistledown to everyone at the ball in the final episode, but with the support of her loved ones and the Queen's blessings, officially retires her persona and can now write under her true name, "Penelope Bridgerton".

Kate is now pregnant with her and Anthony's first child.

Eloise decides to leave for Scotland with Francesca and John to explore more and see the world, finally returning the Eloise I love and have missed.

John Stirling's cousin, Michaela is introduced and seems to have caught Francesca's eye!!!

Penelope finally and genuinely reconciles with her mother, who apologizes for neglecting and overlooking her. She also promises to do better.

Penelope's sisters become mothers to baby girls.

Benedict is beginning to realize he is bisexual.

Lady Danbury knew Penelope was Lady Whistledown all along since Whistledown was fond and always protected the Bridgerton family.

[dollypopup]

come over here and profound for me

-is officially completed!

Did you wish the show explored Pen and Colin's emotions in more depth? That Penelope and Eloise's friendship fallout was more tense- and the reconciliation more meaningful? That Polin's romance was a focal point that burned slowly as they fell deeper and deeper for each other? That Lady Whistledown had the narrative weight it was building toward? Were you, too, displeased with 'and then everybody clapped' endings and wanted a Polin honeymoon? Are you a fan of character growth? Accountability? Tender smut? Dorks in love? Reconciliation? Colin backstory and POV? Poetry? Love and Romance? Women treated as full people? Family feels? Angst? Polin as a team? Pen and Colin and Eloise and Marina all winning?

Come Over Here and Profound for Me! The fic one person left 75 anonymous hate comments on, and another said "I feel like I understand them in a new way, and I really wish your insight into the soul of each of them was reflected in the show. It made the reconciliations that much sweeter and the love deeper."

Snippet:

“Penelope! Pen! ” he called out, running and running, and just as she turned, he threw his arms about her. There, in full view of the ton, in bleary sunshine and in the eyes of those who were still mulling about, Lady Whistledown articles in their hands, he curled into her, breathed once more for the first time in what felt ages. “Pen.”

It took her a moment, but then she fully leaned upon him, exhaling as though she had not had the opportunity even a moment in their separation, and she melted into him. Slowly, as though to assure he was real, her hands came up to his back, gently grasping hold of him, disheveled as he was. “Colin,” she whispered, and he nuzzled his nose against her temple. “Oh, Co-”

“-lin Christopher Bridgerton!”

He nearly hissed when he felt Anthony grasping him by the collar with a yelp, scruffing him as though a stray cat and pulled him away. “In the middle of the street!? Miss Featherington, I apologize for my brother’s behavior.”

“Hey!” he protested, twisting about to see that familiar vein throbbing in his brother’s forehead.

“You’ve lost your wits! In broad daylight! Have you gone mad!?”

“Of course I have!” he yelled, just as Penelope herself proclaimed “Do not speak to him that way!” and the surprise of it left Anthony speechless. Colin’s entire body felt to bursting, all the relief, all the ache he had for her, all the tenderness intensified. “Did I not just tell you I love her? And here she is! For an entire day, I thought there was no future and now my future is before me- and you question if I have gone mad? After I watched the woman I adore be dragged off to a place I could never hope to reach her and now she has returned?”

Through the pulse pounding through his ears, drumming his body, he felt another hand upon him, a voice most dulcet sharpened. “I demand you release my intended this moment, Lord Bridgerton, or you shall see what true madness is from a woman displeased,” Penelope insisted, protective and deadly as she pulling him toward her, Anthony’s grip fully slackened, and the two of them leaning upon one another once more. 

read me

[girllookingoutwindow]

Before part 2 came out lots of fans wanted Anthony to walk Penelope down the aisle. But I don't think that would have made sense at all. Penelope and Anthony never interacted at all in the show for her to ask him or for him to volunteer to walk her down. And Anthony had a part in Colin's insecurities so I don't think Colin would have liked that. It made sense that Portia did it. She's Pen's mom and the two had mended their strained relationship.

It would have made sense for book Anthony to walk Pen down the aisle because the two did have a brother/sister relationship in the books. If only the showrunners had included Pen's bond with the Bridgertons. She seemed more like their neighbor who was friends with Eloise and would come over once a week than an actual family friend. The Bridgertons didn't even seem at all concerned for Pen during early season 3 when she and Eloise were not talking.

Hi, anon. It looks like they didn't now how to approach the relationship between Pen and Anthony in the show. But in the show you can see that he appreciates her. He's happy about the marriage, and very worried that Colin did something stupid in 3x07 before the wedding. Benedict talking about a duel, it shows that overprotective nature of Anthony for Pen. I was thinking of doing a set of gifs about him. He looks so proud of Pen in the weeding when she's walking the aisle.

Maybe the problem is the show had many characters, and many storylines, so it's difficult to do everything. Personally I missed more the friendship with Lady Danbury, and even I wanted more with Genevieve.

I think they were trying to respect Eloise decision to not be close to Pen. But Violet doesn't look happy about it in 3x01 or in all the show

She doesn't say anything, but the energy is there.

I think they were missing her, but it's very possible that Eloise reaction was very bad in the summer so they let her go. Because they were very happy about she marrying Colin, and it has sense. After everything that happened to that boy, Pen was a lottery for the family.

Personaly, I love Portia in the show. So, to me it has sense she was the person who walk her down the aisle. And her relationship with her brother's in law is better in the show than in the book, so that could be an option too. Portia was the best

Thanks for writing

[spaceorphanssecondbreakfastclub]

SO's Bookclub : The Viscount Who Loved Me

Title: The Viscount Who Loved Me Author: Julia Quinn Genre: Romance

Goodreads Summary :

Anthony Bridgerton hasn't just decided to marry—he's even chosen a wife! The only obstacle is his intended's older sister, Kate Sheffield—the most meddlesome woman ever to grace a London ballroom. The spirited schemer is driving Anthony mad with her determination to stop the betrothal, but when he closes his eyes at night, Kate is the woman haunting his increasingly erotic dreams...

Review:

It should not have taken me a month to read this, I've just been super distracted...

The second book of the Bridgerton series focuses on Anthony and Kate's romance, and I found it to be a lot of fun, actually. While this is only the second book I've read because I am reading them in order, I can already see why this ends up at or near the top of the lists.

If you've seen the show -- there's a lot that the show pulled from the book, more so than I had expected. It definitely hinges on that enemies to lovers-ish trope. (And while not a favorite of mine, personally, I think it's handled relatively well here.) Kate is a great protagonist -- she's smart and clever and holds her ground really well, which makes her someone to root for. Anthony is... fine. Look, I probably will never like these male heroes because they usually descend too far into anger and bad boy with a heart of gold figures out love when a level headed woman straightens him out gets a little old after a while. Plus, I do appreciate Jonathan Bailey bringing some great charm to the show that book Anthony lacks a bit.

But I think there's a lot of fun to this book, too. There's a real competitive spirit that's enjoyable to read. The pall mall, family stuff is great and a clear stand out in the book, which I can see why they adapted it. I also think the book does tension relatively well, and the push and pull between Kate and Anthony works!

I do still think there are times the book drags (I felt this in the previous book as well) where Quinn sometimes lets scenes go on for a little too long, or she gets repetitive within a scene. But as someone who isn't an outright fan of romance novels, and has read quite a few bad ones, Quinn is at least a solidly good writer, and it's a fairly quick and easy read.

The only plot thing that I took any issue with is the fact that two thirds of the way through, Anthony and Kate are forced to marry due to circumstances of the time, and I wish they could have not been forced into it? Part of it is the schtick of Anthony having to really fall in love with his wife, and I get that. But that kind of thing just isn't my cup of tea. All things considering, I really don't have a whole lot to complain about with this one.

One drawback coming from someone who's watched the show first, is the fact that these books are so focused on the couple, we don't get as much of a sense of the greater world. All the rest of the Bridgertons play a relatively small role (though it's nice to see Daphne and Simon back). Eloise shows up at the end for the first time as a little spy, which is cute. Colin continues to be a delight, though he's less in this one. I'm surprised Benedict was hardly here, and there's really no mention of the younger ones or even Violet. I will say, one of my favorite things, though, is that Kate and Penelope got to have an entire sequence where they strike up a friendship, and I did love that!

I was also kind of surprised that, while they were featured a lot in the first half of the book, Edwina and Mary don't play as big of roles in this book as I thought they would. They're still very important to Kate and her character, though, and their family unit is really nicely on display throughout.

Also, we end on another tease of Lady Whistledown, and I am so ready for it. But, alas, we have to get through Benedict's book first. So, let's do it!

Overall, I think if you liked the show, you probably would like this as well. It's fun and uses the tropes it sets up relatively well. It's still a regency based romance novel written in the early 2000s, but I think it is better than a lot of the same kinds of stuff written around and at the same time.

Rating : 4 stars

[lissa-edem]

I know, a lot of fans will hate me. But I'm done.

People, who love Pen, hate El after season 2. On the contrary, those, who love El, hate Pen after season 2. People make Violet or Anthony (or both sometimes) villains in their fanfics: it's so fucking unfair.

I'm bad at English, but let's go.

1. Violet isn't a perfect mother, let's be honest, but she's not a monster. She had a really hard depression after her husband's death. Don't forget, that Violet was pregnant, when Edmund died. Nevertheless. Violet. Loves. Her. Children. Even with the fact, that she shifted all responsibility onto Anthony.

2. Anthony is such a traumatized man, he wishes only the best things for his mother and siblings. Anthony's problem is in this: he thinks, that he knows, what is 100 percent good for his family, but it isn't always true, actually. I love Anthony, sue me.

I'll be franky:

3. I admire Penelope, but I don't like Lady W, because: firstly, from time to time Pen reminds me of malicious haters from social media, who won't tell you any of his/her/their bad words in real life, face to face; secondly, Pen in her Lady W's brochures ruins other people's privacy and doesn't respect their right to have that privacy.

4. I think, both Pen and El said some true facts, when they were having a big fight at the end of season 2. But also they both weren't good friends, whom you can really trust, who knows your pain, problems and fears indeed. Pen and El aren't friends at all. Besties? Sorry, I'll laugh at "Peneloise forever". There are no "best friends" in "Peneloise". They couldn't open their hearts to each other. Peneloise is about a habit and kids' friendship. And despite all those things, neither El, nor Pen deserve hate.

5. El should do something, if she wants to live with her own rules. But still she's my most favourite woman of the Bridgerton family, except for Kate.

Please, write your comments like "You talk shit" somewhere else. Sorry for my English.

[remus-in-docs]

It is an ensemble show. But Polin are unique in the fact that we've known them for two seasons, and they've been those wallflowered side characters. So to 'lead', and still be pushed to the back for meaningless Mondrich and Benedict scenes doesn't quite cut it.

personally, i don't really see it this way for two reasons:

1. i feel like colin and penelope both had pretty prominent plotlines in seasons 1&2 compared to anthony in season 1. in season 1 colin's relationship with marina was an important plotline that took up quite a bit of time and had significant impacts on other plotlines that were occuring. penelope was of course also very involved in the marina situation, with a lot of time spent establishing their friendship and how that led her to feel conflicted about the whole baby trapping thing. in season 2 penelope and colin were a little less plot heavy, with penelope mostly pining after him and trying to dissuade eloise from pursuing whistledown. i would argue that the impact of penelope exposing eloise in whistledown and their subsequent fight does not reflect a character that has been sidelined. i will agree that from my memory colin wasn't doing much except setting up his desire for purpose and his insecurities and being apart of that awful lord featherington plotline. meanwhile anthony from season 1 was really important in the first 2-3 episodes in ruining daphne's prospects. after that he was not really doing much other than having his relationship with that opera singer whose name i can't even remember after watching the show several times. his friendship with simon creates some contention but is ultimately not the main issue in their relationship. so all that to say: i think they have all been treated pretty equally as side characters until their leading seasons.

2. assuming you're talking about benedict's threesome scenes, i personally did not find them to be meaningless. do i think they could have been cut together better? sure. but i also am a huge fan of pan benedict and think he needed a little time to explore this new aspect of his identity especially if his season is next. even removing the fact that it's important queer rep, i don't see how it's any different than anthony and that opera singer in season 1? bridgerton loves to give their leads a low stakes relationship so that we can experience the character's "aha" moment when they realize that their connection with the other lead is true love.

i honestly didn't love what they did with the mondriches. i feel like they could have made a really interesting parallel between will and penelope's perception of their work and how it affects their relationships but they didn't commit to it. so i did feel like that was kind of a waste even though i love them

[sweetbuckybarnes]

The Era Tour: 04. Act II: Fearless

Pairings: Colin Bridgerton + Penelope Featherington, Anthony + Kate Bridgerton

Polin Masterlist | Series Masterlist

When she disappeared into the stage, Penelope took a second to look around at the stadium and all the fans standing around with phones, digital cameras, even Polaroids!

There was a little girl in the seat in front, standing on her chair so she could see over the person in front of her. Penelope could see she had a few friendship bracelets tied on her wrist. This is when she remembered that she has a ribbon bracelet in her bag. And started to dig it out.

Once she found it, she slowly and steadily hung the bracelet in front of her face.

The little girl let out a gasp of delight, turning around in her spot to look up at Penelope. "Are you giving it to me?" Her sweet little voice and huge smile reminded Penelope of her first concert with Eloise and Violet in her early teens when they saw Take That on their Progress Tour.

"Yeah, I'll tie it on for you, if you want?"

She nodded, holding out her arm which was decently covered with friendship bracelets and glitter. Tying it on, she gave it an experimental tug. "Does that feel ok? It's not loose? I don't want it to fall off."

The little girl proceeded to shake her arm with all her might. Yet, the bracelet didn't move.

"What do you say, Penelope?" The little girl (now identified as Penelope)'s mother asked.

Little Penelope looked up at her with big eyes. "Thank you!" As she reached over for her mother's bag, where a plastic bag of bracelets could be seen.

"You're a Penelope?" Big Penelope asked, to which the little girl nodded. "So am I."

Little Penelope gasped again, reached up and wrapped her arms around big Penelope's neck. "Hi, Penelope!"

"Hi, Penelope," Pen replied, gently setting her back down on her seat, as the little girl opened up the plastic bag - offering one to Pen. Pen reached her fingers into the plastic bag and pulled out a yellow bracelet with 'Love Story' on it. "Look, I got a Fearless one!"

As soon as Pen said 'Fearless', that's when they realised that the set had hanged and yellow-gold sparkles were flying down the screen. The next set was Fearless.

There's somethin' bout the way, the street looks when it's just rained, there's a glow off the pavement. You walk me to the car, and you know I wanna ask you to dance right there, in the middle of the parking lot. Yeah!

Pen stood back up as little Penelope admired her new 1989 friendship bracelet, showing it up to her mother.

Penelope looked over and shared a look with a fellow Swiftie on the other side of Gregory.

She had been so delicate with the little girl, Colin had barely been able to take his eyes off the conversation - especially his Pen.

Colin could very easily imagine little redheaded children who would call Pen their mother and him their... father...

Where did that come from?

Eloise looked over at her best friend, who was having the time of her life - and then up at her brothers and sister-in-law, and Colin had a peculiar look on his face of shock and awe, as he looked down at Penelope.

'Cause I don't know how it gets better than this, you take my hand and drag me head first, fearless. And I don't know why. But with you, I'd dance in a storm, in my best dress. Fearless!

You're on the phone with your girlfriend, she's upset. She's going off about something that you said. 'Cause she doesn't get your humour like I do.

The second song of the Fearless set, was You Belong With Me. One that Gregory knew as he started singing it under his breath.

"I can hear you, Gregory," Penelope says in a sing-song voice. "You have to sing it louder."

And with that, there was no stopping the youngest Bridgerton son.

"But she wears short skirts, I wear T-shirts! She's Cheer Captain, and I'm on the bleachers! Dreaming about the day when you wake up and find, that what you're looking for has been here the whole time!" The pair sang.

Colin looked down at Penelope as she and his brother sang the chorus. "If you could see that I'm the one who understands you. Been here all along. So, why can't you see? You belong with me! You belong with me!"

You belong with me! Have you ever thought just maybe, you belong with me? You belong with me

We were both young when I first saw you, I close my eyes and the flashback starts. I'm standin' there, on a balcony in summer air. See the lights, see the party, the ball gowns! See you make your way through the crowd, and say, "Hello". Little did I know...

The third song was Love Story. The most popular and recognisable of hers.

Everyone knew it (Swiftie or not), the lyrics had been ingrained into their brains since 2009!

"Romeo, take me somewhere we can be alone! I'll be waiting, all there's left to do is run. You'll be the prince and I'll be the princess. It's a love story, baby, just say, "Yes"," the crowd shouted, jumping in the stands - almost making the arena shake.

A few rows down, when it got to the bridge, a young man (most likely in his mid-twenties) got down on one knee and proposed to his girlfriend.

"Oh, my God!" Penelope exclaimed when she took her eyes away from the stage for a second.

Their little section erupted into applause as the woman said yes, and a ring was slipped onto her finger.

Colin looked between the newly engaged couple and then down at Penelope. That's what he wanted.

He wanted to spend the rest of his life with Penelope Featherington.

Romeo, save me, I've been feeling so alone. I keep waiting for you, but you never come. Is this in my head? I don't know what to think. He knelt to the ground and pulled out a ring! And said, "Marry me, Juliet, you'll never have to be alone. I love you and that's all I really know! I talked to your dad, go pick out a white dress, It's a love story, baby, just say, "Yes". Oh, oh, oh. Oh, oh, oh, oh. 'Cause we were both young when I first saw you

[nic-coughlan]

One misconception in the fandom is that Anthony didn't care about Penelope until she married Colin, but that isn't true. Penelope is Colin and Eloise's best friend and had known the Bridgertons for years. Anthony considers Penelope a little sister and is very protective of her in the books. There's also a scene in s3 where Benedict asked Anthony if he's going to duel Colin when Colin implied that something sexual had happened between him and Penelope sometime before their proposal. Benedict would not have asked Anthony that if Anthony didn't care about Penelope like a sister. But I can't really blame those fans who think that way because the writers ruined Penelope's relationship with the Bridgertons and made her seem like their friendly neighbor who visits their house once a week instead of an honorary member of their family. What do you think?

so. so in terms of the duel, i don't think it was to do fully with penelope at all unfortunately. it was mainly due to the fact that kissing, let alone hand-holding is massively frowned upon in that day and age without being married, engaged, it would have been more for honours sake and for defence of penelope's family but what benedict said was obviously a joke at his expense because of what happened with daphne and the duke.

their relationship/friendship is very, very dulled down and completely different from the book. i dont even think anthony and penelope have ever had a conversation within the three seasons. because it's piss poor writing.

[lemonhemlock]

(same anon from the last Bridgerton ask)

I've read all the Bridgerton books and I don't see how ppl think they're more problematic than the show. There is however discourse between show! watchers and book! readers a bit like hotd but not that level of toxic? At least I haven't seen it be as bad.

The books make more sense and explores topics like marriage to save reputation (Anthony/Kate) or second chance love and fertility issues (Francesca/Michael) and Cinderella story (Benedict/Sophie)

Definitely recommend reading books to anyone who hasn't because again they actually make a lot more sense. Like S2 Bridgerton is so different from books it's insane (Kate never stole Edwina or whatever it is the show makes it look like she did, her and Anthony actually married because they're caught is a weird position lol). S1 is somewhat more in line with things but overall in books they don't bring the Queen up 24/7 or have mean girl Penelope. To me book Penelope is a much much better person! She's not a mean girl lol she's actually the one on the receiving end of the bullying most times, her and Eloise's friendship never goes down either plus in books Colin is the first person to find out about her being lady W!

Not sure if you know but Francesca's second love interest in the book was called Michael Stirling but the show gender swaped him and made him Michaela a lot of book! fans were mad at this lol personally I just ignored it. At that point too much has already been changed about the stories so I really wasn't even invested in the series as a whole to care about it.

Bridgerton unfortunately has gone done the same path as a lot of other newer series like hotd and it's completely disregarding book! canon and making the shows into fanfic versions of what the writer's think is cool or serves as shock factor for general audience.

i have to say, anon, you are in the minority in preferring the books to the show! i sometimes would put videos in the background discussing the differences and, not to say i paid super close attention, but they seemed almost universally of the opinion that the show is superior

of course, that was before season 3 aired. and not to say the series didn't have its flaws back then, too. i do remember thinking that the plotline with anthony getting and staying betrothed to edwina was pretty contrived and not a true obstacle, for example.

overall i thought seasons 1 and 2 were a silly goofy time and decent viewing for having a little fun, but season 3 was a massive letdown in quality. i don't have high benchmarks for quirky TV but i do want it to make a minimum of sense when it comes to conflict-construction, characterisation and the flow of the plot, which is becoming a rarity these days

as far as fluff tv goes i guess i'm left with only The Gilded Age to look forward to now

[mamaladeskies]

I'm in EP 4 and I'm so bored. I'm just not feeling it and I can say it's partly my fault, this first half didn't mesh with my tastes and preferences.

Here's why...

1. I don't like Colin or Penelope.

a) Colin was boring in previous seasons.

I don't recall anything outstanding about him except falling for Marina and... You see, now I'm blank. Oh okay, he prevented the ton from being scammed.

His personality didn't set him apart the same as Benedict and Eloise who are memorable and shine in each episode they're in. It was never a chore to watch them.

In season 3 he's a rake who does 3somes and I get he's playing the role society expects from him, but I don't see the struggle to try and fit in properly portrayed. Where are the doubts? Where is the discomfort from the get go? Where's the exhaustion from trying to fit in.

b) Also Colin is... Not a 10 in season 3

Look I'm embarrassed to say it out loud, but I'm a shallow viewer. Colin Bridgerton in season 3 is not attractive.

He looked cute in season 1 and 2 but when I see him in season 3 he makes me think of that buccal fat removal surgery.

Or maybe it was how the sideburns were longer. But I wasn't impressed.

c) The wallflower personality is getting old for me.

At this point in time I am over the wallflower trope. I grew up reading YA books with wallflowers - Perks of a Wallflower cured my depression - and I watched and obsessed over shows like Awkward.

I can safely say there's nothing new here except that Penelope is plus size and the historical background, the rest; her being a bookworm and socially awkward, done before. But the real issue is that Bridgerton didn't do anything special with her character or the trope. I didn't get the depth I had hoped for Penelope, she is Lady Whistledown after all.

Anyway the beautiful Penelope Featherington

As for why I don't like Penelope, it's hard for me to overlook what she did to Marina. What she did was to protect Colin, I get that, but she could have gone about it another way.

I also can't overlook what she did to Eloise, again she could have gone about it a different route. Look, I was onboard Eloise having an affair with the printing press guy but Lady Whistledown ruined it.

So I got into this show curious how they'd hold Penelope accountable and the first half doesn't. In fact, they have Eloise apologising to Penelope, painting her as the victim at some point.

2. I am not a fan of unrequited love. I just don't like it, it doesn't even have to be deep I guess. It's cringe, like girl "stand up", he's just not into you.

Furthermore, the show doesn't let us know why Penelope is in love with Colin Bridgerton and I don't have time to rewatch previous seasons to figure it out.

3. The chemistry was underwhelming. I have praised Bridgerton before for chemistry because I always had to cross my legs while watching the show. Cue:

> Season 1:

- when the Duke and Daphne met

- when the Duke's fingers brushed Daphne's bare skin

- when they stood in front of the painting and held hands

- when they danced and were looking into each other's eyes

> Season 2:

Basically from the moment Anthony sees Kate... The way he smelled her... THE WAY HE SMELLED HER

Just the two of them in a room together and it's flames eveywhere

> Season 3:

The only thing I found flaming was Colin gazing at Penelope from across the room in jealousy and the way he was thrown by her eating cake. But their scenes together didn't find me holding my breath.

4. There were too many subplots.

- Francesca and her callers

- The Modrich family

- The Cowper daughter Cressida

- Eloise and Penelope's friendship

- Violet and Lady Danbury's brother

- Penelope's other sisters trying to get pregnant

All that in just 4 episodes. Damn.

Just so you know the featherington subplot has always been my favourite because; WHAT do you mean the father is a gambler who unalives himself, leaves the family in debt, then a distant cousin inherits them, mind you this guy is a fraud who tries to con the ton and also tries to sleep with Lady Featherington while she is trying to marry off her daughter to him? It's the type of exaggerated drama that fits such a corny romance show. I was always laughing at their antiques. 10/10

It felt like the show runners didn't trust Polin to carry the show or they were laying groundwork for future shows.

5. The romance was underdeveloped

At the end of the 4 episodes I still don't get why she chose Colin, why she fell in love with him, or why Colin chose Penelope.

I didn't feel their friendship, not the way I felt Daphne's and Simon's -- their inside jokes were cute and they spent a lot of time together before they had sex. Their fall in love was justifiable.

This sex scene came too soon. I'd have preferred it in episode 6 or something. AFTER A WELL DEVELOPED LOVE STORY.

[writingwhilecaffeinated]

hello! I'll start by saying that because of you I became a Benelope fan (sorry Colin). I'm sure I read all your fics from this ship. Now I have a question, which has happened to me with most of the Bridgerton fics, how do you think your fics would have gone with Edmund alive? I seriously think the biggest problem with the Bridgerton kids is that they don't have supervision :D I'd like to know how a Benelope with Edmund on the side could have turned out, just curious. I will be attentive to your next update.

xoxo

Hello anon!!!

Ohhhhhhhhhhh my goodness, that’s a great question. Cause not only supervision, but I do feel like there are some core parts of their personalities that could change if Edmund was still alive.

In the case of Benelope, I don’t think Edmund would be as Eagle eyed in Benedict’s actions as he would on Anthony’s. However, I do think he would be just as encouraging as Violet to look for love, though maybe more subtle. In terms of Benelope, I like to think Benedict would still seek out art, etc. I also like to think Edmund would approve of Eloise’s friendship with Penelope. I’m the books, specifically Benedict’s book An Offer from a Gentleman, Ben has the big realization that his mom identifies with girls who are wallflowers or try to hide so much (Penelope, Sophie, Posy) because Violet herself was once a wallflower and grew into herself.

Most of my gif ideas for Benelope are based around Penelope deciding to finally break a mold for herself, or making a small mistake, that gets her noticed by Benedict. She grows into herself.

I think in a Benelope fic where Edmund is alive, he’s see this, recognize it, and encourage it. He fell in love with a wallflower so he sees the inherent beauty and value in such a romance.

Now I do think he’d try and herd Benedict not to sneak around and court Penelope right off the bat. While Violet admits her and Edmund got rather amorous before they married, parents usually want kids to do as they say and not as they do. Haha.

But, here’s the thing. I think Benedict is sneaky enough to distract his father or bribe one of his siblings to do it for him. So he’s still be sneaking around.

Sorry if that was a very roundabout way to answer. I’ll have to think on it more!!

Thank you for reading!! ♥️♥️♥️

[apinchofm]

just something random I'd like to share because I'm writing for Sharma week: I really dislike or am baffled at how some fans really think Edwina has nothing in common with Bridgertons and would have never got along with them. Like first of all it was proven in the show that Edwina can get along with literally anyone: Penelope, the king and queen, Lady Danbury, Daphne, even Anthony is impressed by her...she finds something in an individual that they need, whether it is comfort or validation or an expectation, and meets that requirement if she can. She is good at comforting others and assuring that they need not feel embarrassed or ashamed of who they are, and she likes telling stories. Second of all, what exactly are they basing this opinion on other than the pall-mall game? So she doesn't like pall-mall, so that's it then? Daphne and Edwina share so much in common by being diamonds who were required to be the perfect wife, thrust into something they were not as prepared as they thought they were, that it is a shame they did not interact more. Eloise loves talking to anyone who is willing to listen, which Edwina is, so they could easily chat about their love of books all day, and Edwina could give her some pointers on things she hadn't considered. Fran and her could play the pianoforte and be perfectly happy just sitting quietly together, Colin the gentleman who loves playing the saviour I could see would be very protective of her, considering his concern for Edwina's "delicate constitution" at the wedding. And seeing as Edwina canonically adores children, why would she not get along with Greg and Hyacinth? I just think people who say that are just kind of projecting certain other opinions :/ Just because Edwina wasn't suited as Anthony's wife that doesn't mean she isn't capable of being friends with the Bridgertons lol

Edwina getting along with her in-laws is my favourite thing because she is shown to be someone who just wishes to know people and get along with them. Even with Anthony, she tried her best. The lack of chemistry was more on his part, given he was more into Kate who was more like him.

I think a lot of people don't understand how interest and friendships work - you don't have to be exactly like people you get on with.