°multifandom fangirl°

... Just your local, millennial, friends to lovers enthusiast... Find my fanfics on Ao3... https://archiveofourown.org/users/ShirlyGallagher

[shirly-gallagher]

No one can convince me that this wasn't Colin's heart breaking just a bit when Penelope said their kiss "would not have to mean anything,"

Look at his little face!? I mean, in my mind (and many others, I'm sure) our boy was already smitten, head over heels, down bad as the kids say, but not quite ready to admit it. The kiss solidifies these percolating feelings, it makes everything real, and it brings it all to the forefront. In the books the only issue Colin had with kissing Penelope when she asked was that he wanted to so badly, and I'd like to think the same applies in the show, leaving Colin with this "wtf do you mean it wouldn't have to mean anything? It would mean everything! Right? RIGHT?!" look on his face...

Colin had Penelope on his mind well before her glow up, well before their agreement in her garden, well before her showing up in "such a charming dress" and calling him by his formal name. His comment on her not returning his letters was too locked and loaded and right on the tip of his tongue for it not to be something he was ruminating on...

*cue nervous drinking*

Each stage of Colin realizing his feelings for Penelope was writen plainly on his face. How no one else in the ton (aside from Violet and Debling) clocked it is beyond me...

[shirly-gallagher]

No one can convince me that this wasn't Colin's heart breaking just a bit when Penelope said their kiss "would not have to mean anything,"

Look at his little face!? I mean, in my mind (and many others, I'm sure) our boy was already smitten, head over heels, down bad as the kids say, but not quite ready to admit it. The kiss solidifies these percolating feelings, it makes everything real, and it brings it all to the forefront. In the books the only issue Colin had with kissing Penelope when she asked was that he wanted to so badly, and I'd like to think the same applies in the show, leaving Colin with this "wtf do you mean it wouldn't have to mean anything? It would mean everything! Right? RIGHT?!" look on his face...

Colin had Penelope on his mind well before her glow up, well before their agreement in her garden, well before her showing up in "such a charming dress" and calling him by his formal name. His comment on her not returning his letters was too locked and loaded and right on the tip of his tongue for it not to be something he was ruminating on...

*cue nervous drinking*

Each stage of Colin realizing his feelings for Penelope was writen plainly on his face. How no one else in the ton (aside from Violet and Debling) clocked it is beyond me...

[shirly-gallagher]

Colin drempt of Penelope in nothing but her nightwear. No jewels. No fancy hair. No adornments of any kind. Just her. He drempt of her in her comfy clothes and that's just so lover boy of him...

This is the most stripped down he's ever "seen" her. Comparable (at this point) only to their first kiss, and even then, she's dolled up, though that may have been the first time he's seen her hair all down and loose...

His subconscious could have conjured up an exact replica image from their kiss the night before for this dream, but instead he pictured her in a much more romanticized way, and I love that for us...

This boy is so soft and gone for his bestie. I mean, the main narrative of his wet dream was them confessing their feelings for each other and then making out?! Like!?

[shirly-gallagher]

I love that though it took nearly 3+ years for Colin to realize he loved Penelope, the moment he sees her slipping away, he acts. Sure, he gets a couple pep talks from mother dearest, but he acts, none the less. No fucking around, just unhinged action, in the most chaotic lover boy way possible.

Colin is so unhinged and we are all so totally here for it.

Decorum be damned... Debling be damned... The ton be damned...

Interrupting a dance like this is highly irregular, and you can see this on the faces of the other dancing couples. But Polin have never really adhered to the rules of propriety, so why would Colin start now? When he is so close to losing his best friend the love of his life?

The way Colin doesn't even look at Debling has me kicking my feets in delight...

He is of a singular mind right here and he wasn't going to lose his nerve again. Penelope is clearly pissed, but he soldiers on, and even when Debling storms off, Colin's glance toward the man is very "yea, that's right, walk away, this is my girl" and I live for it.

[shirly-gallagher]

In my horny humble opinion...

This is the best Colin Bridgerton has looked (fully clothed) in the whole series...

a close second, but only when he's not in that terribly fake looking wig...

That's it... that's the whole post.

[shirly-gallagher]

Another horny humble opinion...

This is peak Penelope Featherington...

But also, so is this...

This too, also, as well..

Not to mention this... she is so beautiful in this scene I can hardly stand it...

Shout out to @whistledownbad for this gif

And an honourable mention from seasons past...

Anyway. That's it. That's the whole post.

[shirly-gallagher]

Colin: I seek you out at every social assembly because I know you will lift my spirits, and make me see the world in ways I could not have imagined... you are clever and warm and I'm proud to call you my very dear friend... also I love you.

[shirly-gallagher]

Looking for a little sweet treat?

Something that curbs your Polin brain rot for a hot minute?

Something lighthearted? Something smutty in all the right places?

I got you...

Your Secret Is Safe With Me

~a series on AO3~

Words: 30,448

Works: 3

Rating: Explicit

My Heart Is Thrilled By The Still Of Your Hand

Words: 6,722

Status: Complete

Rating: Explicit

In the weeks leading up to their wedding Colin scales a tree in the middle of the night to sneak into Penelope's bedroom...

I Shouldn't Hope To Know, But Here I Stand

Words: 13,410

Status: Complete

Rating: Explicit

This was not some girlhood dream or fantasy, this was true. This was not some fable or some wish, it was fact. Colin was her husband, and Penelope was a Bridgerton...

And after all the longing and waiting, after all the tears and uncertainty, he loved her, and she belonged to him...

OR

Colin and Penelope's wedding night...

Honey, Enjoy, It's Getting Late

Words: 10,316

Status: Complete

Rating: Explicit

Colin toils with the fact that his wife is a successful writer, renowned across Mayfair...

Late one night he gathers the courage to show her his travel journals, to confess his woes to her, and Penelope rewards his honesty handsomely...

I didn't write these for Polin Kinktober, but, they are kinda kinky and well, it's October... so...

[shirly-gallagher]

You guys, I tried to get off the ship, I really did. I started a new (very popular) book series, I worked on my wips, I did some art, I cooked, I crafted, I touched grass, and yet, I'm still here...

[vocallywritten]

Hot Take of the Day:

People who are mad at Colin for "taking too long" or think the only reason he realized his feelings is because he was jealous of Debling probably don't like Friends to Lovers as a trope. Because those are two staples of the mini-genre idk what to tell you.

Friends to Lovers is often a slow burn set up by necessity, and it requires one or both people to overcome the hurdle of reconciling their long held platonic affections with their romantic/sexual feelings. A lot of times that requires a catalyst. Because often times, with Friends to Lovers, there is a status quo the characters are comfortable in. They're friends. Sometimes a little jealousy, or a moment where they feel like they're losing their friend is what it takes for them to finally take a closer look at their own feelings and realize some things.

But these are also not the moments that made Colin re-evaluate his feelings. It was the kiss. I maintain that he was slowly getting there, and even without the kiss, I think if Debling had proposed, he probably would have spiralled regardless. But the kiss, explicitly in the text, is what completely upends his life lol

Which is also a pretty common tactic in the Friends to Lovers handbook for Realizing You Have Feelings For Your Friend.

You don't have to like Friends to Lovers, or Polin. You don't even have to like how they made them go from friends to lovers. But it annoys me when people act like it wasn't written in a believable way. They had a classic Friends to Lovers story, it went the same way lots of other Friends to Lovers stories do, and people find them to be perfectly believable. It wasn't rushed. They had two seasons of build up for these characters as friends, season 3 was the "to Lovers" part.

[shirly-gallagher]

[whimsicalfrankenstein]

Gwyn: The Tiny Spark Who Makes the Whole ACOTAR Universe Stop and Smile

In the crowded constellation of ACOTAR characters, Gwyn’s story might seem, at first glance, like the side quest nobody asked for, but look closer, and it’s the narrative equivalent of finding a secret pastry shop in the middle of Manhattan: utterly delightful, surprisingly essential, and life-altering if ignored. Her arc reminds us that heroism doesn’t always arrive with a sword or a brooding love interest; sometimes it comes with laughter, curiosity, and the subtle art of quietly upending expectations. Gwyn teaches us that magic isn’t just about power, it’s about wonder, resilience, and the stubborn insistence on being fully, unapologetically yourself in a world that keeps trying to box you in. In short, while others fight wars, Gwyn reminds us that the smallest sparks often light the most important fires.

[typhlonectes]

[starglowy]

[pxrallax]

stars_and_beyond_

[freyjas-musings-deactivated2025]

For May I have this gorgeous artwork I commissioned inspired by the classical painting by Frank Bernard .

Artist Zolyna has the most unique artstyle and I absolutely love this artwork she made for me.

Repost Not Allowed.

[ferncloud]

even if it kills me

[works-of-heart]

I am way too eager to share this with all of you! My @elucienweekofficial submission for Day 3- Exploration!

I just imagine Lucien and Elain, exploring the different courts together, while also exploring each other's bodies~ You can't tell me that their sex magic won't heal spring!

[shirly-gallagher]

They aren't even my ship and I'm drooling...