The Dreamer

Once Upon a Time there was a girl, that dreamed of dreams. That's the place to try and find that girl again.

[yellowdressesandyearning]

Is carriage 2.0 ep 1 or 2?

[dreamerjuls]

I’m reading the fabulous and heart-wrenching “The Caller” by StillPink and I was wondering If there are other fics based on the infamous “entrapment” comment. Any suggestion is welcome!

[dreamerjuls]

Since I’m on holiday (finally!) I’m rewatching season 3 and I’ve a question for all my fellow Polinators!

During Lady Danbury’s ball, the Queen sees Penelope in her pretty Parisian new dress and asks Danbury who she is. Our lady D answers but quickly distracts Charlotte with new debutantes - do you think it’s because she already knew about Pen being LW?

Also: how sweet was the Pen-Fran convo? Why didn’t we have more during the season????

[pennybridgertons]

There was something so glorious to me (a plus size person) watching Penelope (a plus size person) being physically sought after and desired on screen. It was super validating and we need more of it! Plus size people of worthy of being desired and hungered for!

[anxious-bisexual-0]

SAY IT LOUDER FOR THE PEOPLE IN THE BACK

[dreamlandfairycat]

But like... can we mobilise? Do something? Get a petition going? Because that book cover is the absolute weirdest, ugliest sh¡t I have ever seen! Like what in the photoshop gone wrong is that?!?! How did anyone let that get to print?!?!?!

reposting for a friend.

[ilovepolin]

“Lady Tilley Arnold becomes a potencial distraction to Colin”

EXCUSE ME WHAT!?!?!? I DIDN'T SEE THIS COMING.

[dreamerjuls]

I come back after the bad batch of covid I had in January for... This shit????

I’m so sad right now, and not just because for Pen or because it’s so cliché or because this give the fatphobics more materials (I can already see them commenting scene vs scene), but for COLIN, damnit! This takes time away from his story, from his writing, from his love for food and his matchmaking habits and him being a great older brother and a mama’s boy. Why, just why?

[your3fundamentaltruths]

"Penelope Isn't Owed Colin's Feelings"

Some parts of this fandom have a tendency to elide and otherwise get twisted the following regarding 2x08: (1) why many of those who are unhappy with Colin are unhappy with Colin and (2) why many of those who sympathize with Penelope sympathize with Penelope. And that's only more apparent in the reactions to the season 3 scene released on Valentine's Day.

It's not about thinking Penelope is owed Colin's feelings.

People are unhappy with Colin because of how he expressed that he wasn’t interested in Penelope – both because friends shouldn’t talk about their friends that way in general and because she’s in a more socially precarious position than he is and his seeming to think her less-than only makes her prospects worse. Even if Penelope didn't have feelings for him, it still would have been viewed unfavorably.

Some like to say the latter point about damaging Penelope's prospects isn’t a big deal because Penelope didn’t have prospects before 2x08 so she’s not losing anything when it’s actually a bigger deal for that very reason. Speaking like that about a Daphne/an Edwina/another popular, sought-after girl would be seen as sour grapes or otherwise not reflect badly on the girl, but saying something like that about a wallflower who has no dowry is just pushing her further down and increasing the likelihood that she’ll never have any prospects, particularly when Colin’s just been seen leading her out of a ballroom after being regularly spotted in her company. What’s wrong with her that, despite all that, the notion of courting her is not just unappealing but laughable? the rest of the ton will wonder. And Colin will recognize why this wasn’t great because he’s a fundamentally decent and sensitive person and will likely also recognize that Pen’s confidence is ground to dust at the beginning of the season. Neither of these things will sit right with him. Hence, the “confidence lessons.”  

Yes, Colin’s not perfect and he's allowed to make mistakes. He's only human. But this mistake hits Pen (and the audience) harder because he's otherwise been good and kind. And because we know, even if she doesn't in that moment, that he will feel very badly about it because he's a good guy and will hate to have hurt her.

Penelope falls in love with Colin (even if not in the fully-fledged, "see all of you" way that they both will this season) because of the kind of friend he is to her, i.e., his kindness. The fact that she develops these feelings in the course of their friendship and that these feelings sometimes influence the ways she acts doesn't make her some kind of awful predator lying in wait who feels entitled to having her feelings returned as I've seen implied by some. This makes her someone in love with her friend, which is a necessary part of a friends-to-lovers story. Hope ≠ entitlement.

And people sympathize with Pen not because they think she can do no wrong or because they believe she is owed Colin’s feelings but because, even knowing that no one is owed anyone else’s feelings, they see her grappling with unrequited feelings in particularly painful ways. In season 1, they watched her have a front-row seat to the person she loves romancing someone else, mostly in her own home, up to an engagement and near-elopement. At the beginning of season 2, they watched her and Colin talk past each other in the "you do not count" scene in a way that hurt her, even if they know that was not Colin's intent, after the pair of them spent the off-season writing heartfelt letters. They watched her hopes build up all throughout the rest of season 2 until the very moment she overheard him (more on that shortly), even if, again, it would never have been Colin's intent to confuse her or lead her on. Colin and Pen are simply not on the same page.

So people have all this context coming into 2x08. But most of all, they understand how badly it would hurt to hear anyone you care about, let alone someone for whom you have feelings (and doubly so a dear friend for whom you have feelings) say something like that in that tone and laugh, let alone in your own home on the same night you've just lost your best friend. 

Relatedly, let’s talk more about why the Featherington ball was a night of such high highs and low lows for Penelope. Up until that point in the season, Colin had shown her such care, including just a little while before and, while for him it is exclusively in the spirt of friendship, it's very much unintended mixed signals, i.e., more talking past one another. The ways Colin expresses his friendly affection for Pen are at odds with what was widely considered appropriate behavior in their time between a man and a woman who are neither related nor romantically involved. In fact, by the standards of Regency England, Colin is taking very significant liberties that are inappropriate between opposite-sex friends of marriageable age who have no intention of becoming more than friends (and even between those who are romantically interested in one another but still unmarried). For example, Portia would have been considered justified in demanding that they marry just after finding them alone together behind a closed door in 2x08 doing nothing else otherwise untoward – and likely would have, had she not been so shaken up by Colin figuring out the gemstone scheme. And, yes, Pen is not pushing back, is meeting him where he is, because she likes it and because she also values their friendship and wants it to mean more – but, in the context of their time, it’s even more understandable that she’d read more into it than someone now. And even someone now might read into some of the things Colin says and does and get confused and then hurt upon learning they're wrong and that their friend only has friendly feelings toward them, particularly in the way Penelope is forced to learn that she's wrong. 

Does that mean Penelope's reaction in the new clip is the kindest or fairest? No. But she’s human and she’s hurting. She's a lonely nineteen-year-old girl really struggling to find her place in the world who heard her dear friend express his lack of interest in her in a really disdainful-sounding way inconsistent with both his immediate and long-term private treatment of her. That’s really jarring and she not unreasonably concluded that this happened because he finds her embarrassing. If you were her, might there not be a little voice in the back of your mind wondering whether this is even the first time he’s spoken about her that way when he thought she couldn’t hear him? Still, I expect she’ll also feel badly that she spoke to him the way she did, especially in the face of an earnest apology from Colin about what he said, or she wouldn’t accept the offer of the confidence lessons and it would take longer for them to get to where they are in the “remarkable shade of blue” scene in the second episode. Let's give her space to come to that place. Let's show her a smidge of grace instead of assuming the worst of her and anyone who sympathizes with her.

Lastly, some of the same people who are mad about what Pen said and how she said it in the Valentine's Day clip (1) complain about the way the fandom is too hard on Colin for not saying things exactly right and (2) spent months preemptively raking Pen over the coals for "ghosting" Colin, for holding "never dream of courting Penelope Featherington" over his head for ages, for publishing it in Whistledown to punish him rather than talk to him directly, etc. So let’s give her a little credit for ultimately saying it outright to him, even though it must have been mortifying to do so when she believes she embarrasses him. Did it feel nice to Colin not to receive any replies to his letters? Of course not. It wouldn't feel good for any of us. (Side note: I hate that his family seems to have mostly left him on read, too! Don't get me started on that.) But would you want to reply to someone whom you believe you embarrass and who you believe has been two-faced toward you (i.e., being kind and friendly in private and laughing at you in public)? But to her credit, when confronted, Penelope does say why she's upset.

And no, Penelope does not owe it to Colin to further mortify herself by explaining that her feelings for him made his words last season that much more hurtful. (I’ve seen people criticize her for that, too.) Not sharing every single thought and feeling that crosses her mind does not make her Bad – neither a bad friend nor a bad person. Again, have some empathy and be honest: is there any scenario in which you would you be eager to tell someone you had feelings for them after hearing them laugh at the thought of you being a serious prospect for them? If Penelope does at some point admit her own feelings (and the longevity of said feelings) before she hears a declaration of love from Colin as she does in the books, then she is brave as hell and hats off to her, but not doing so at this stage would not be some dereliction of any friendly duty to Colin, especially not if she forgives him for his words as we know she does.

Actually lastly: not forgetting something entirely doesn’t mean you haven’t forgiven someone for it or are trying to punish them for it. It would not only not be Bad but also entirely understandable if Penelope had doubts when first confronted with a proposal from Colin later in the season, especially if it immediately follows the carriage scene. It would not be unreasonable for her to think this arises from a sense of gentlemanly obligation or lust or both, especially when she's familiar with his tendency to want to play the hero and when she has every reason to believe that his engagement to Marina came on the heels of a seduction. Grappling with understandable insecurities, including a fear that she might be inadvertently entrapping him, too, would ≠ Penelope trying to punish Colin for 2x08 or for not having feelings for her from the start if the show goes down that route.

[dreamerjuls]

Hi guys, is there someone else having trouble with the RSVP email? I can’t load it 😭

[dreamerjuls]

For everyone having problems: write to [email protected] they’re amazing!

[dreamerjuls]

Hi guys, is there someone else having trouble with the RSVP email? I can’t load it 😭

[flamedork]

love does shine devastatingly bright, even the stars and moon cannot compare

[dreamerjuls]

🤩

[dreamerjuls]

Hey fellow Polinators! Any suggestions for some fluffy Christmas fics to read? Better if they’re one shots, max 2-chapters long. Thanks 💛💚🩵

[dreamerjuls]

The amazing, formidable & talented @flamedork now has a Red Bubble shop!

Polin fans, let’s rejoice!

flame-dork Shop | Redbubble

flame-dork is an independent artist creating amazing designs for great products such as t-shirts, stickers, posters, and phone cases.

(yes, my fridge will soon have new magnets!)

[mr-i-miss-my-wife]

Adorable overload 🥰🥰🥰

by

[fandomoniums]

SEARCHING FOR A POLIN FIC

Can anyone help me find a polin fanfic?? there’s a scene where Penelope and Colin sneak out of a ball to attend another party that Genevieve told Penelope about? Like a party where many servants and the non-Ton are having? I remember they were singing a song that Colin had heard from his travels and Penelope wouldn’t stop singing and dancing to it! Also, in this specific scene they were pretending to be married.

Thank you!!

[dreamerjuls]

I had it in my bookmarks, it was a part of a series called Lessons - I’m afraid the author deleted her account. Can somebody confirm this?

[flamedork]

burning brighter than the sun

[dreamerjuls]

Would you be interested in a Polin Fic Recommendations Fest?

Absolutely

No thanks

Voting ended onSep 4, 2023

If, by the first week of September, we have no season 3 news, I thought we could enjoy a few days of reading suggestions, let’s say 8-11 of September?

Not just some “I love these fanfics” posts, but themed recommendations / requests. Like this post of the fabulous @flamedork (it’s where Igot the idea 😃).

What do you think, my fellow Polin lovers?

[thekatebridgerton]

thekatebridgerton 2022 Masterlist of aus

this post is going to be long, to be fair, I think I wrote out my favorite aus in 2022. it was a great year creativity wise. So lets take a look:

If Eloise had been closer to Marina her book probably would have been more like a genderbent WHWW pt 1

au If Eloise had met Phillip while he was Married to Marina pt2

Forced Marriage au Bridgerton men edition

Bridgerton couples There was only one bed trope

List of The Bridgerton as mental illnesses darker timeline au

The hoe and the monogamist trope (saint and sinner)

Crack Encanto au post pt1

Crack Encanto au post pt2

Crack Encanto au post pt3

Which Bridgerton is the most insomniac

The Bridgertons on a scale of 1 to 8 Royalty au edition

The Bridgertons as Star wars Characters pt1

Philoise almost meeting aus

Gregnelope crackship au idea

Kanthony first words soulmate au aesthetic

Bridgerton couples mafia au p1

Kate interviewing for the wife Position au

Wallflower Penelope has no suitors because…au

Violet Bridgerton time travel fix it, multicouple oneshot

Reverse TVWL What if Kate tried to go after Benedict au

Mafia au pt 2, the Kanthony drabble

Mafia au pt3 Polin edition

Bridgerton couples Star wars au pt2 the story

Philoise College professor x student au

She’s all that polin au

Colin vs the angry wallflower and the bored modiste oneshot

Masterlist of Birdgerton rom com ideas

Polin Made of Honor au (ft bluerosejuliet)

Bridgeton couples Criminal minds au

Polin Aesthetic prompt: Abduction to love

Polin Aesthetic prompt: Best friend brother + brother’s best friend

Polin Aesthetic prompt: Two person Love Triangle

Polin Aesthetic prompt: The one that got away

Polin Aesthetic prompt: Childhood marriage promise

Polin Aesthetic prompt: friends with benefits

Polin Aesthetic prompt: Fish out of water

Addams family au vignete

Polin Aesthetic prompt: Secret baby au

Polin Aesthetic prompts: Polin in Law enforcement

Sophie as Benedict’s mistress, comedy au

Polin Aesthetic prompts: Neighbours to lovers au

Bridgerton mafia au post #4

Bridgerton couples Yandere au part 1: the plot

Bridgerton reincarnated au pt1

Bridgerton Yandere au pt 2, how it may end eventually

Bridgerton yandere au pt3

Bridgerton yandere au post #3

Bridgerton Yandere au post #4, Gregory’s take

Philoise meet cute S2 au

Reincarnated au pt2 Franchesca version

Genderbent Felicity: Felix Featherington verse pt1

Ghost x Reincarnation au pt1

Kanthony as rival fashion designers au

Kanthony Medieval warlord au

Gaslight gatekeep girlboss OG post

Kanthony twisted Cinderella au

Bridgerton Couples, write on your skin soulmate au

Bridgerton couples professional Athletes au

Reincarnation au part 2

Reincarnation au pt3: the climax of the story

Bridgerton Reincarnation au pt4: the plot thickens

Ghost x Reincarnation au pt2

Genderbent Felicity: Felix Featherington verse pt2

Reincarnation au p4

Twisted Fairytale Full au pt2

Kanthony pirate-ish au

Penelope fake Dates Phillip, Polin au

Polin meet the Robinsons idea

Gaslight Gatekeep Girlboss inspiration idea pt2

Bridgerton Ghost Whisper au pt1

Felix Featherington verse pt 3

Bridgerton couples Sherlock Holmes au

Reincarnation au pt5, Saphne edition

to the anon who asked which were my favorites, for the 2022 aus, its really hard to pick, I absolutely adored writing my Twisted Fairytales Bridgerton au and one of these days a will totally write a full fic about it, but also the Star Wars au and the Mafia au were so much fun!! I loved writing those. The reincarnation verse was also so good, and arghh I should have expanded on the Criminal minds au.

Long Story short, it's really hard to pick which was my favorite au to write in 2022, but the ones I listed above always make me grin like a maniac, even when I'm busy and sleep deprived.