it's so well written and profoundly uncomfortable the extent to which baru cormorant is constantly using her phrenology vision to every person she meets. scanning the skin colour and brow ridge to put them into categories of usefulness. eugenics and race science is so ingrained in the masquerade and everything they do that even though baru knows they are evil, knows that she hates them, knows she wants to destroy them, she has been within the system all her life that it's completely overtaken her way of thinking. it's like that theory about the language you grow up speaking altering the way you think and problem solve. the master's tools cannot tear down the master's house and baru is so deep within the master's house that she can't conceive of a way out, at best a slight rearrangement of furniture. and this is entirely by design on the part of empire, why they take children as early as they do
A/N: Here are some headcanons about the five eldest Bridgerton siblings: Anthony, Benedict, Colin, Daphne, and Eloise. Obviously, the show is not caught up to when Gregory and Hyacinth are of age and I have not read the books, so I'm not comfortable writing headcanons for them. I've also only just met Francesca in the new season, so I'll see if I feel drawn to her at a later date! If you have any other requests, Bridgerton-related or otherwise, please refer to the fandoms listed in my pinned post, and send me an ask!
Anthony:
Anthony is the eldest boy, and therefore often ruled any roughhousing with his younger siblings. He was the biggest and strongest, giving him quite the advantage.
However, once his siblings were old enough to gang up on him, he started to get a taste of his own medicine.
Tickling his siblings was a great way to entertain himself, and he took great joy in it. Whenever his younger siblings act up, he's still known to give occasional pokes and pinches to keep them in line.
He is, of course, ticklish himself. He pretends that he isn't though, because he finds it unbecoming for a man of his age and status to be dissolved to giggles by gentle fingers. His ribs and hips are his most sensitive spots. He's not particularly sensitive on his neck or below the knee.
Kate relishes in his sensitivity and exploits it often. She loves tickling him whenever the opportunity arises, taking him down a peg and making him blush. He pretends to hate it, but the act does remind him of comfort and family, plus he just enjoys Kate's touch and seeing her smile.
Benedict:
Is the most familiar with Anthony's shenanigans and the most used to his torment - so, when Colin came around, Benedict was excited to have someone to mess with!
Benedict is probably the least ticklish of the three eldest, but that doesn't mean he isn't sensitive, because he certainly is.
His stomach and sides are his worst spots, and he's been known to snort if he laughs too hard (In fact, most of the siblings do snort! Daphne's is canon, LOL).
He particularly likes to pick on Colin and Eloise, but attempting to tickle Eloise has left him injured on multiple occasions.
Of all the siblings, though, his against-the-grain attitude does give me a kinky vibe, NGL. At all those raunchy parties he attended in the first season, I don't doubt he's seen paintbrushes used in an interesting manner and considered the concept.
Colin:
Experienced a lot of tickling from his two older brothers, and never stopped being exceptionally ticklish despite it.
However, he and Benedict did often team up on Anthony, Colin was usually the one being teamed up on.
Colin is ticklish just about everywhere, but his stomach and neck are both very sensitive.
Would be incredibly embarrassed when Penelope inevitably discovers he's ticklish. Unlike Anthony, he doesn't find it something to be ashamed about, but it does bruise his ego just a little.
He would love to tickle his siblings, especially the younger ones. However, tickling Penelope fills him with such joy!
Daphne:
The first girl to join the family, and therefore quite picked on. She was both spoiled and protected, as well as teased and tormented by her brothers.
Canonically snorts when she laughs, and she is definitely quite shy about it and tries to hide it. Don't worry, her family as well as Simon tickle it out of her often.
She's ticklish in most places, but her legs and feet are very sensitive. Careful, she kicks.
She grew up experiencing rough tickling - pokes, squeezes, scratching. She knows how to grit her teeth and throw elbows to avoid such a thing, but gentle touches ruin her.
She rarely starts the tickling amongst her siblings, unless it's a quick and playful moment to the younger ones. With Simon, however, she will often attack him unprovoked, just to hear him laugh.
Eloise:
Will actively and purposefully injure anyone who tries to tickle her.
She will desperately try to avoid being tickled, and insists that she had grown out of being ticklish.
The thing is, she doesn't hate it quite as much as she lets on - she doesn't enjoy the receiving side very much, but she knows it is simply a show of familial affection and tolerates it for that reason.
Is mostly tickled by Benedict, and will really only tickle other people in revenge, because she never starts a fight unless she knows she can finish it.
Her sides and knees are her most ticklish spots, and she usually shrieks and yells rather than laughing.
Kicking off my first Swiftmas List with some gorgeous Lover-inspired gifts from Redbubble! These are available as everything from stickers to pillows to journals to coffee mugs. Click here to see not only these Lover designs, but tons of others too!
(The links in this post are affiliate links. This means if you buy an item in the list, I may receive a small commission from Redbubble. This commission is not taken from the artist’s profits!)
Summary: During their honeymoon, Daphne snort-laughs in front of her new husband. She remembers him describing her laugh in a rather unflattering way and becomes embarrassed, so Simon has to reassure her that he finds the sound adorable.
A/N: Hello, here's my first fic! I'm so excited to share it. I am currently addicted to Bridgerton and re-watching it in anticipation for the latest season. I know Daphne and Simon are a bit of a controversial pair, but Daphne's canon snort-laughing inspired me to write this, and I hope you enjoy it!
Warnings: Spicy/sexy themes.
It had been a joyous honeymoon so far, and Duchess Daphne Basset of Hastings was lying naked in her bed, wrapped in fine sheets and sharing stories with her new husband.
Simon recounted endless tales of his university days, of her brother Anthony’s wild shenanigans, as well as speaking of his studies. She told him of her childhood, her siblings, her wishes for their future, her future as the duchess.
Simon made a quip so charming and witty, before she could stop it, a snort had escaped Daphne, making her flush and cover her mouth.
“Do not hide your smile from me,” Simon told her, and a gentle hand reached for her wrist. “I wish to see it, to hear your joyous laughter.”
“It is a laugh that you once called ‘terribly unbecoming’, as I recall,” she replied, embarrassment evident in her tone. “I assumed you did not like it.”
“I said such a thing?” he replied, looking shocked. “When?”
“When I met the Prince of Prussia, and laughed in his face when he complimented my gown.”
She watched as the realization came over her husband’s face. “Oh, Daphne, I did not mean it,” he said. “Your laughter is a beautiful sound, even if it is…unconventional.”
Daphne covered her blushing face with a groan. “I knew it. You find it unattractive.”
Simon was smiling, the sort of grin that looked as though it ached his cheeks. “That is not true. Don’t go putting words into my mouth, Your Grace. I just have never heard such a sound come from the lips of a lady, but I do enjoy it very much.”
“It is a sound more reminiscent of a pig,” Daphne replied, still hiding.
“How dare you compare my wife to a farm animal. I’m sure it is a crime of some sort, to insult a duchess in such a way.”
Before Daphne could reply, Simon’s strong hands found her sides, fingers dancing over her skin, still bare from an evening of love-making. She squealed, yet another sound she assumed would be considered unbecoming, but she could not help it.
Ever since she was a child, her household had been full of playful siblings who prodded at her and teased her, and such hysterical sounds often filled the rooms of Aubrey Hall. However, such tussling between siblings was often rough, the tickling intermixed with hair-pulling, smacking, and in Eloise’s case, even biting. Of course, that was until they were scolded for improper behavior and forced to break apart, but now, she is a woman, and there was no staff around to tell Daphne to act more ladylike, to act like a Bridgerton should.
She was a Basset now, and she was allowed to do whatever she pleased in her own marriage bed. And while a tickle fight had not been at the forefront of her fantasies, she figures it would be impractical to think they could do nothing but have sex and sleep.
“Simon!” she gasped.
His fingers were gentle as they played her sides like a pianoforte, his touch featherlight and almost sensual. With Simon, everything felt sensual. He had awoken a spark in her when he taught her of touching oneself, a spark that had yet to be dampened. Each touch felt like champagne bubbles beneath her skin, butterflies in her belly, fireworks in her head.
Simon was grinning as he tickled her, eyes lit up like a man inspired, a man determined. “Yes, my love?”
Words of protest sat heavy on her tongue but would not leave her lips, as she did not mean them. She was rather enjoying herself, and to pretend she wanted him to stop would be a lie, a lie that she did not intend to tell her husband. Instead, she said, “It tickles!”
Simon chuckled. “I know, my love. That’s the point. And I intend to continue until you make that adorable sound once again.”
Daphne gave a whine as he pressed his lips to her neck, kissing softly as stroked her stomach. She shivered, goosebumps spreading over her pale skin. He was teasing her, and she was falling for it. His hands traveled lower, and she thought he may stray between her legs and put all the silliness to an end, and the thought made her ache with wanting.
He grabbed at her thighs and spread them, making her gasp again. However, he did not touch her where she desired. Instead, he spidered his fingers from the inside of her knee to the crevice of his thighs, then back down again.
Daphne, the usually put-together and perfect girl, howled with laughter.
“I’ve always noticed you were sensitive here,” he practically growled. “Whenever my skin brushed it, you would always shiver. Your breath would catch. I always found it sweet, enticing. And while your sighs of pleasure are music to my ears, your laughter is as well.”
Daphne could not answer, for she was giggling too hard. As she began to feel breathless, she knew that hideous sound was close. Although she tried to hold it in, it was no use. As he hit a particularly ticklish spot, she snorted, just like she had at that ball.
Simon laughed, but he was not laughing at her, as she had worried. He laughed with her, and the look on his face was one of fondness, of affection.
She turned to bury her red face in the sheets, but Simon easily manhandled her onto her back so he could look at her, her bare and pliant body, splayed out and flushed and sensitive, all for him. His bride, his wife.
“There is not a thing about you that is unbecoming,” he said, his fingers still. “I apologize if I ever said differently. I was still in denial about my feelings for you, then. I may have spoken rudely in an attempt to conceal my affections.”
“I understand,” she replied, voice soft and airy, her chest still heaving. “Thank you.”
In response, Simon brought his face between her legs, eager to hear what other unbecoming sounds she was capable of making.
You know that one friend who’s super obsessed with all things Christmas? (If you don’t think you have one, it’s probably you.) Well tell your obnoxious friend that because Swifties are extra, there is ALREADY Christmas Tree Farm merch on Redbubble! Shop now & support your fellow Swiffers and the “national anthem of the yummy gummy gumdrop forest” at the same dang time.
(This post uses affiliate links. This means if you buy an item in the list, I may receive a small commission from Redbubble. This commission is not taken from the artist’s profits!)
Introducing...the Swiftmas List! For the rest of the holiday season, starting tonight I’ll be posting some of my favorite Taylor-related gifts out there, from fan-made designs related to her music and lyrics to gifts that fit the overall vibe/aesthetic of an era but are a little more subtle.
Shopping these lists will be a great way to support artists making incredible Taylor-inspired designs. You’ll also be supporting the time and energy it takes for me to run @tswiftartcollective and curate fan art from all over the internet - most of my links to merch will be affiliate links, which means if you buy something, I may receive a (very very) small commission on the sale. This commission will not come from the artist’s profits!
If you have any questions or if there’s any gifts you’d like to recommend, send me an ask. All the posts will be found under the tag “swiftmas list.”
