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ofstarsandvibranium · 2 years ago

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Walls Are Crumbling: Part 2

Fandom: Bridgerton

Pairing: Benedict Bridgerton x F!Reader

Summary: You and Benedict announce your engagement to the rest of the Bridgerton family. They're ecstatic for you, as Benedict told you they'd be. But you still can't help but feel guilty for bringing Benedict into your mess.

A/N: oh no. i guess im gonna turn this into a mini series...

Part 1

Everyone in the sitting room cheers after you and Benedict announce your engagement. Anthony and Kate give the pair of you soft smiles and knowing looks. Of course Anthony told his wife. He could never hide anything from her.

"Well, I must say this isn't too much of a surprise," Violet Bridgerton stands from her spot and walks towards you, "We all had a feeling this was going to happen eventually."

You smile at the woman you saw as another mother, "Trust me, Violet, I'm just as surprised as you are."

Benedict gives you a nudge, silently telling you to shush. He then speaks up, "Yes, it seemed that both of us had been harboring feelings for each other for a long time. Didn't see a reason as to why we needed to prolong marriage. Therefore, in month's time, we seek to marry."

Eloise grimaces, "But that's so soon."

Benedict's hand intertwines in yours, "Well, Eloise, I've waited too long to have Y/N as mine, so the sooner we wed, the better."

"But not too soon," you pointedly say, "which is why we decided in month's time," you add, just in case someone else suggests you two marry today, like Anthony did last night.

"Did you tell your mother already, Y/N, dear?" Violet asks curiously.

You nod, "Yes, and it went as you'd expect it to."

The dowager viscountess gives you a tight lip look. She wasn't fond of your mother and how she treats you. She especially doesn't like how she viewed your friendship with Benedict as a waste.

"Second sons have nothing to offer," she's said often.

Kate approaches you, arm looping through yours, "Sorry, brother-in-law, may I steal her for a moment?"

Benedict cocks a brow at you, silently asking if you'll be okay. You nod, "I'll be back," you let go of his hand and follow Kate, whom is guiding you outside of the sitting room and into the hall. There, she asks you to tell her everything, since Anthony only gave her bits and pieces.

While you and the Viscountess talk, Anthony joins his younger brother, "Do you really think you should do this?"

Benedict looks at his brother with annoyance on his face, "If I don't, she'd be left off to her own. I can't let that happen, especially with a child on the way."

"A child that isn't even yours, brother."

He shakes his head and shrugs, "I don't care. I will love them as my own. They are part Y/N, so surely, I'd love them." He then scowls, "Lord Mattias is a coward for this."

"I'd argue that you're just as cowardly," Anthony murmurs, a hint of a smirk on his lips, "Marrying the woman you love and yet not even telling her how you feel."

Benedict scoffs, "As if I should be taking advice from you on how to handle love," he cocks a brow at his older brother, knowing the debacle between him, Kate, and Edwina.

Anthony's jaw clenches and he doesn't say another word, which leaves Benedict to chuckle. He pats his brother on the shoulder, "I'll tell her...eventually. Things are going to be chaotic for her already. I don't want to cause her any more stress. It'll be bad for her and the baby."

Anthony hums and walks away from Benedict, deciding to stand beside Colin, whom is sitting on chaise lounge chair.

__________________________

1 Month Later

You managed to have wedding dress made fairly quickly. Well, Lady Danbury definitely put in a good word for you that helped speed up the process. Your wedding, albeit not ideal, was still perfect. Although your words of love to Benedict during the ceremony were....not completely true, you still found yourself tearing up when Benedict repeated his vows to you. You thought marrying your closest friend would be weird, but throughout the duration of the month leading up to the wedding, it became less of that and more comforting.

Time and time again did Benedict reassure he wasn't going to leave you behind for the wolves, that he'd be there for you and for the baby. That you'd be well taken care of.

Post-wedding, the dinner was a bit overwhelming. So many people were congratulating you, echoing the same words everyone else had "We all knew this would happen eventually". But what exactly did that mean? Sure, a few years ago, you harbored feelings for Benedict, but did everyone see it? Benedict couldn't have seen it too, right?

"Y/N?" he squeezes your hand and you didn't even realize he was holding it.

You look up from your plate, "Hm? Sorry."

"Are you alright?"

"I-I think I'd like some air," you whisper back to him.

"Would you like me to come with you?"

You're hesitant to say yes, but your head moves before your mouth does. You're nodding and Benedict is immediately on his feet and excuses the both of you. Everyone watches the two of you exit the dining room, the chatter continues as you leave.

Benedict silently follows you to the tree that has the swings you two used to play on when you were young. once sat on one of the swings, your hand immediately going to your belly. You've been doing that a lot in these past weeks, just not in front of others beside Anthony and Benedict.

"Is something wrong?" he nods to your hand on your belly.

You shake your head, "Not with the baby, no. But I just-" you let out another deep breath, "This is all so much. I-I-" your eyes are tearing up, "I don't like that I've brought you into my mess."

Benedict kneels before you and grabs your hands into his, "Y/N, listen to me, you did not force me to do this. I offered to marry you because I care about you and I'd hate for anything bad to happen to you. You are my dearest friend. I won't let anything bad happen to you. Ever. Do you understand me?" thumbs away your tears as you nod, "Good." He stands up and kisses your head, "Do you want to go back?"

"Can we stay here for a little longer?"

"Whatever my wife wants."

"I have to get used to hearing that," you mumble as you start to slowly move yourself back and forth on the swing.

Benedict watches you with soft eyes, eventually moving himself on the swing.

#benedict bridgerton x reader #benedict bridgerton fic #benedict bridgerton imagine #fem!reader #f!reader #female reader

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sea-owl · 9 months ago

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Oh no sorry not the isekai AU. The AU where due to circumstances each of the Bridgerton’s lost their loves. An example I think Daphne lost Simon because she was too late to the dual and Anthony shot him in the shoulder. Simon left the country after that. All the Bridgerton’s lost their partners in similar ways (Anthony married Edwina and Kate left to go back to India, Penelope vanished after Colin found out she was Lady Whistledown etc.). Then somehow the siblings traveled back in time to Daphne’s entrance to society. I was thinking what if instead of keeping a cool head about everything and thinking about how they are going to approach their true loves slowly instead the siblings just snap.

I'm so sorry anon but I really don't know which au this is. It sounds like a good au, but if I wrote it out I can't find it. I have the vaguest guess but im unsure if it was one of mine or someone else's, but I have the vaguest memory of an ask that included a part that said Simon gifting Daphne a piece of jewelry that was actually an heirloom passed down to all Duchesses of Hastings before he left England but she was getting married to the prince instead. Again I don't know if that one was mine or someone else's, I feel like it might be @thekatebridgerton but I'm not 100% sure.

But we can start a new one!

So let's start with the bad endings.

Saphne: For this one I'm thinking the duel happened just a bit earlier. Anthony and Benedict knew that Daphne would go to Colin to get any information so they purposely gave him the wrong time for the duel. This led to Daphne arriving after Simon losing the duel and getting shot in the shoulder. Daphne tried to chase after him but her brothers dragged her home instead. Per their agreement Simon left the country after that. Daphne did end up getting married to the prince but she was never truly happy in that marriage, she was content at best with a few moment of happiness with her children here and there. She never did fall in love with the prince, and moving so far from her family did make things harder at times but like most things in her life Daphne learned to adapt to the cards that were handed to her.

Kathony: Anthony and Kate could never let themselves stop putting duty first. Anthony could also never get over his fear of dying young. In the end Anthony had married Edwina and Kate had left back to India. During their marriage Edwina and Anthony were cordial at best but when Edwina heard of her sister leaving a part of her blamed herself and another part blamed Anthony. They both did their duty and had one son, but after that they both came to an agreement where they would find pleasure and possibly happiness outside the marriage. So long as they were discreet. Edwina had met her true love in one scholarly Mr. Bagwell who she would later remarry once she was widowed. Anthony threw himself even further into the role as the viscount, though there were times he would look while ridding to see if a familiar rider would appear out of the mist just like she did all those years ago. Kate on her side did return to India and cut contact from her family. She bounced around from governess job to governess job, keeping herself busy so she does not dwell on thoughts of the past, and people she loves but would prefer not to remember for her own emotional sake.

Benophie: The news of Sophie's arrest had been brought to Benedict's attention later that day. Had he been a little bit faster, or had the news got to him just a little bit sooner, he would have been there when Posy took the blame for the item Sophie was said to have stolen. Araminta, who was losing control over both Sophie and Posy did not like that and both ended up getting sent to Australia where they stayed after their sentence was done. While they could have gone back to England if they raised the money for it neither wanted to risk facing Araminta again. They ended up changing their names when starting over. Benedict always kept a close eye on any news of former convicts returning to England. Praying any of them will lead him back to Sophie.

Polin: Things were getting heated on both sides of Penelope's life. The hunt for Lady Whistledown continued, becoming even more intense. More guards were haunting the print shop where she used to go, and she has heard more than one whisper of spies keeping eyes out in ballrooms. Meanwhile as Penelope someone had found out about her Irish Catholic heritage from Portia's side. Prudence and Philippa were spared due to them being married already and Felicity was still young enough they could hide her away until it blew over but Penelope and Portia took the hardest blow. Despite the fact that Portia converted years ago for her survival and Penelope was never raised catholic. To be honest she should not have been that surprised when Colin finally caught her in that church, dressed as a maid. They argued, screamed at one another, which turned into a very intense kiss. After Colin said he needed to think. Penelope had thought he hated her now and surely he would turn her in? Colin legit just needed a moment to think, he was given a lot of information in one day, and he was already protective over Penelope when news other family broke out, now it was just intensified. He was going to propose marriage the next day. What Colin did not know that the column Penelope was going to send out would be her last one. She later disappeared into the night, and he spent years looking all over the world for her, chasing down any lead, not knowing that she had hidden herself away in America.

Philoise: After her conversation with Anthony, Eloise lets her fear of commitment win and decides to return to London without marrying. Phillip takes the rejection gracefully, quoting that he did invite her to see if they suit. They did not, and he was not going to push her. Eloise's heart broke, though, when the twins asked why she was leaving tears in their eyes. In London, life continued on, Eloise found things to occupy her time, movements that she wanted to help move forward, and while she enjoyed pushing for change, she still felt her life was rafher lonely. She was never truly happy in London, never was, and often found herself itching to run just like when she was younger. Then, one day, many years later, during a society event, she would rather not be at a Sir Crane was announced. Eloise was taken aback because her Sir Crane wouldn't be caught dead in London. And it wasn't her Sir Crane, rather it the son of her Sir Crane. Oliver didn't say much to Eloise but did stop by to call on her the next day. He gave her a bouquet of medow cranesbill. "A final gift from my father," Oliver told her.

Franchael: After the death of John, both Francesca and Michael had mental breakdowns. All Michael could think to do was run while Francesca dug her heels in at Kilmartin estate and kept it running. When they reunited years later, both refused to talk about John and what happened to their friendship, despite the fact that's what they needed to do. Being reunited, Francesca became aware of this sexual tension that has been simmering between her and Michael. Still upset that her husband and unborn child were taken from her, she found herself wanting to walk down a wicked path. Well widows are more ignored by society so why doesn't she have some fun? She falls into bed with Michael. They still don't talk. Not only is Francesca discovering her physical intrest in Michael but some feelings she rather ignore are emerging too. They still don't talk. Francesca discovers that Michael has malaria and has attacks from it every so often. They still won't talk. One of these attacks ends up taking Michael's life and Francesca ends up right back where she was all those years ago. The man she loves is dead and she's pregnant. Only this time Francesca has to hide away, but her baby makes it. Thanks to Janet and Helen they organize papers so the boy is considered legitimate and the new earl of Kilmartin. Francesca loves her son sometimes she wishes his father were there so she could tell him she loved him too.

All the siblings have regrets in their lives by the time they pass on. None of them ever really found that love match Violet used to describe what she had with Edmund. Oh, they had their great loves, despite how fleeting they were. Some did marry, some chose to remain unwed. But none of them expected to wake up on their past selves bodies. After poking around they discovered the year is 1813, Daphne is in her on third year in the marriage mart and the Duke of Hastings has just passed, leaving his title to his only son.

Several thoughts hit at once.

Simon was due to return to England soon. Kate would follow a year later. Sophie was currently trapped with Araminta. Penelope was debuting this year. Phillip was currently at Cambridge. Michael was in the army.

Their loves were so close. They lost them once but never again.

#look if i'm coming up with bad endings i'm gonna go with the worst case scenario my mind can think of that don't fall into certain areas #gotta give a reason for them to snap #I'm unsure for the others if someone wants to do their bad endings be my guest #bad endings au #second change au #bridgerton #polin #kathony #benophie #philoise #franchel #saphne

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veninorchid · 8 months ago

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Bridgerton S3 Review

Dearest gentle reader, I am disappointed, sadly.

And as I respect your opinion, so too, shall you respect mine. I'm not here to bash on #Polin fans and the fact that they enjoyed it, but what -was- season 3 of Bridgerton truly?

I love the Mondriches, but do they really need so much screen-time? What did their own ball add to the story exactly? Had the same feeling about the Dankworth-Finch ball at the end, but at least that one proved its necessity as -the reveal all- ball. Because there was of course no Duke of Hastings (Simon) to host it, so they improvised.

This season had too many stories going on at the same time which were all fighting for the spotlight when it should've focused on #Polin, cause that is what was advertised/hyped. It did not deliver…

Season 1 - Daphne and Simon They had the most screen-time and all other stories got a little bit of shine. But even then some of those had either Daphne or Simon in the picture/background. (Marina-Colin, with Daphne as chaperone is one of the examples) None of the other stories distracted from the main focus.

Season 2 - Kanthony Same here. While there was a lot going on in this season with Anthony courting Edwina and going all the way to the alter with her (creative license, since it didn't happen in the book) and then on the other hand we were seeing the other side with his having the thickest desire and longing for Kate. You could cut that shit with a knife, I tell you. But no side stories were overpowering. It was 90% lead character -stuff. Season 3 - Benedict---, I mean #Polin -minus the actual #Polin Were their (the directors/screenwriters) initial thoughts that we've been seeing them for 2 seasons, so we don't have to pay that much attention to the leads? Wrong! That was friendship, this is love, longing and passion. So much new ground to explore for these two. Little scenes like dancing in the church, stealing loving glances is cute and all, but we got nothing more than that. Nothing memorable.

No wait, we got carriage frolicking in part 1 and a mirror first time in part 2. You're right, I apologize. Anything else? Name any other thing you remember from this whole season. I'll wait, seriously.

Did maybe the night scene come up in your memories? Where they had an angry make out and he once again let his hand venture below? I felt the anger/passion in the coming together and pushing her against the shop, sure. The quick flash of him reaching between her thighs was more of a recycled scene from episode 4 or even from S03 Kanthony. I mean honestly. Was there really even a chance he'd take her in the streets? It felt unnecessary and forced. The dialogue was good and would've been better at their home where it's believable they could enter an intimate scene that -could- be finished if they so wanted it. Or not if his anger won over his desire. Did I mention they were both drinking before they met? I didn't say drunk, I said drinking.

I guess they improvised the whole Mme Delacroix scene (before the angry make out) with her offering advice and booze just to give Pen a reason to drink and coincidentally be in Colin's path for the scene? Wasted screen-time. Do I also need a drink to feel the -love- this season?

First part, Colin helping and chasing Pen. Second part, let's ignore and distance myself from her. They really stretched out Colin's pulling back from her because of the whole Whistledown thing, when they could've done fast forwards, saying things like 'Colin, it's been weeks. Or it's been so long, can we get passed this' just to show the time frame. But instead we get long minutes of silence and ignoring each other. Filming Colin from the back, zooming in. Then from the front zooming in. Then him watching her leave the house, slowly getting up from sleeping on the sofa, walking towards his desk. Lifting and opening and reading her old letters. Do you have any idea how long that feels? When she exited the bedroom and delivered her dialogue he could've already been behind his desk. Did we see Simon (S01E02) walk into the room, open his father's desk, take out the unopened letters etc.? No, the flashback ends with him already seated and holding the letters. Same thing could've been done here.

Oh, let's not forget side character-stuff. Let's talk more about that.

Again, I cannot stress it enough. Mondriches. Duke of Kent stuff and moving up, is fine. Seeing them struggle constantly onscreen is not. Wasted screen-time. You can easily have us hear about that in conversation. How miserable and sad he is because he had to close the bar when he became part of the ton. So many ways to handle that. Moving to part 2. Why did we have to get the whole preparation for their ball? What did it add to the story exactly? Just let everyone arrive at the ball and let that be the first we all see of the decorations. Did we see Lady Danbury prepare for the huge conservatory ball in S2? Lady Trowbridge's ball in S1? All of Her Majesty's balls? No, so it was wasted screen-time.

Francesca's story was sweet, bless her, but also unnecessary detailed. Was it the autism angle they were trying to push forward? I'm all for it, but only when you have a series with more than 8 episodes. (God, I miss 22 episode series) Because she is still a side character in #Polin's book, no matter which way you turn it. At Francesca's wedding we had the whole vows scene and everything and the two LEADS!!!! were stealing glances at each other while standing behind the whole ass family. You're the leads, act like it! It felt like S1 and S2 with them being in the background.

We all know Bridgerton's known for taking liberties with the wardrobe. The tailored waists for Pen enhance her body beautifully, but Cressida's wardrobe is bordering… scratch that! has taken a 250 MPH free-fall, into ridiculousness. I also absolutely did not care for -seeing- the reasons behind Cressida claiming to be Whistledown. Should've just kept her as a bitch. That's what we enjoyed about her. Fine, you decided on that development for her character, so here's an idea. She was so chummy with Eloise. Could've just had her tell Eloise that she was being pressured by her parents to marry and then being send to the country to live with a horrid aunt. Wasted screen-time. You only have 8 episodes to work with for crying out loud.

And then there's the side character of all side-characters. Benedict. Didn't they make the very -deliberate- decision to push back Benedict and Sophie's story in favor of #Polin as S3? To then give me so much useless Bentilly sexy time; Time that could've easily been given to #Polin things. If you can make up stories about him being confused as to his sexuality, you can just as easily come up with new, none book, stories for the actual leads. Could've left everything they forced on us about Benedict for his actual season. What's gonna be left for his own season? Wasted screen-time. Should've made him absent, continue the art-school in the background, anything. I mean, an extended honeymoon for Kanthony instead of a forced story to have them onscreen. Do the bloody same for Benedict and focus on #Polin. Every time we saw Benedict, he was playing twister with Tilly and later with what's his name (don't even care) It's not relevant, it's wasted screen-time.

I'm gonna end my review (rant!) with one last thing.

Shallow kisses. Heck it's acting, so you don't have to shove your tongue down your co-actor's throat, but keep your lips open and hollow out your mouth to at least make us think you're playing tongue-twister. As soon as their lips touched, they closed their mouths and it became a fervent peck-fest. Like kissing air and practicing in front of a mirror. Yes, they look good kissing each other, but the kissing itself was bleh.

First kiss in part 1 was going the right direction and was pretty believable, but after that… shallow as f*ck. And to think they were supposed to be increasing in passion after that first kiss. All of them were closed-mouth pecks, I'm sorry. Was it the height-difference that didn't allow them to actually suck each other's face off? ---------------

I will not do a TL;DR, because if you skip this review/rant, you will not have missed anything. Have a great day people.

Yours truly, Venin Orchid (aka Lady Regency-nerd) PS: did anyone notice the nice touch at the end? The Whistledown Silhouetted lady on the top of the page had been changed to look more like Penelope. You're welcome <3

#polin #bridgerton #bridgerton s3 #kanthony #regency #bridgerton season 3 #bridgerton netflix #bridgerton season 3 spoilers

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lookingfts · 3 months ago

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Friday Fic Rec 10/25

Thanks as always for your submissions! Titles are links to each fic.

operation: barista (snitches get stitches) by starkswinterfelling

“It’s a dynamite text fic series, truly the OG text fic, and it honestly is the characterization and personalities I see in a lot of modern day AUs. It’s so funny!”

Description: All of the many combinations of the Bridgerton group chats, as they're all back together in their home town for a week and (attempt to) stir up a plot to get Anthony and the barista together.

Complete - T - 14k words

I Wouldn't Know What to Do by trash4ficsaboutlurv

“This author has only written two Bridgerton fics (both Kanthony) and while the other one is great too, 'I wouldn't know what to do' is a true killer. And it's one of those rare stories where Kate is the much bigger clown, which is always refreshing.”

Description: Kate and Anthony have known each other for more than a decade. Anthony dated Kate's best friend Siena in college and even though that relationship ended a long time ago, it means he's 100% off-limits. Kate has a code. Anthony just thinks she's the most confusing person he's ever met. And also, though he shouldn't say, the prettiest.

Complete - M - 81k words

there's many different ways that you can kill the one you love by folklauerate

“Kate cheats on Tom (her absent fiance and eventual husband) with Anthony. It's passionate and messy and I reread it all the time.”

Description: The Kate POV to "the other man"/Tom and Kate and Anthony cheating oneshot.

Complete - E - 18k words

The Anticipation Of Relief + A Pocketful Of Secrets by PenguinofProse

“I think this author has such a clear understanding of both Kate and Anthony to their bones and does an amazing job representing how they would navigate their lives in an arranged marriage if Violet died right after Edmund.”

Description: In which Anthony loses both his parents young and seeks a marriage of convenience. 155K words of Anthony Bridgerton slowly learning how to love again.

Complete - E - 156k words

i don’t like a gold rush by alljustrunaways

Description: Kate Sharma expected certain challenges when she accepted her offer at Oxford University with a tennis scholarship. She did not expect Anthony Bridgerton.

Complete - E - 30k words

Summer’s a Knife by @deadmunds-ghostbee

Description: Kate is thrilled to visit Edwina for the summer as she begins her new job as a local politician. Anthony has only two weeks of vacation and a hasty plan involving a certain city councilwoman. Insults and maybe sparks fly when they cross paths along the way—that is, until they get far too close for comfort.

Complete - M - 106k words

Simmering by @newtonsheffield

Description: Anthony knew this restaurant was his father's dream, and he was watching it slip through his fingers more and more every day. And whatever she's doing, Kate Sharma is not helping with that.

Complete - M - 36k words

i can’t find the words, so i guess it’s time by pentaghastly

Description: They make it to the wine cellar. It’s a long, long while before they make it out.

Complete - T - 7k words

Thanks to those who submitted! This is a (mostly) weekly thing, so keep your recs coming! You can find previous weeks under the "lfts fic recs" tag.

#lfts fic recs #bridgerton #kanthony #kate x anthony #anthony x kate #bridgerton fic

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lizzibennet · 1 year ago

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do you have any modern!Kathony fic recs for someone who usually has a hard time getting into modern aus for ships from period dramas/stories that take place during historical periods? :)

god anon i hope you have a lot of free time

sidelines by ramarro - “Kate sees Anthony's bumble profile and finds it very pretentious. It does not stop her from obsessively drawing his arms though. Until he starts dating her sister.” SIDELINES MY BELOVED!!!!!!! probably my favorite modern au (which is why i’m recommending it first). it’s just delightful. i don’t wanna give too much away just read it!!! i promise you will not be disappointed

most eligible by amalin (firstglances) - a ‘the bachelor’ au. if that means nothing to you don’t worry, it meant nothing to me too. you can get by with very little knowledge of the show besides the basic premise. i love this one

a supercut of us by joekavaliers - basically a buzzfeed unsolved au where kate is ryan and anthony is shane. probably more enjoyable if you already like bfu but it’s really funny

prima facie by katelai - kate, anthony and tom dorset are all famous actors starring in a new film. drama and speculation follow them because while kate and anthony are married and happy, anthony and tom are exes. this is really really good, super interesting, anddddd hot. this author has a bunch of really intriguing fics - i haven’t read all of them, but i really liked the ones i have! mind the tags though

just go with it by suitsusboth - kate jokingly selects the title of viscountess as she is booking a flight. much to her surprise, there is an actual viscount on board, so she’s moved to sit by her husband, because that’s obviously what they are. right?

operation: barista series by starkswinterfelling - OMG OPERATION BARISTA HIIIII. i love a good text fic tbh and this one is about all the sibs trying to get anthony and that cute barista from that coffee shop in their town, kate, together. so cute <33333

the little things you do by zegabz - flower shop au. kate finds a floral arrangement she made just as she is heading to a bar to meet up with friends. incidentally, the man who so rudely discarded the bouquet she made is there too. screams

it had to be you by zegabz - when harry met sally au. need i say more

june, after dark by stutteringpeach - edwina is friends with daphne whose wedding celebration is taking place in her grand fancy estate in the country, so obviously she drags kate along. daphne’s brother is very annoying, but also familiar to kate… hmmmmmm

soulmates au by teabrigadier - soulmate au in which the first words your soulmate will ever say to you show up on your wrist on your 18th birthday, and both kate and anthony have very decided opinions on their soulmates, since both of them have very asshole-y soulmate marks. there is an anthony pov and a kate pov!!

a place to rest by lookingforthestars - kate runs a little bed & breakfast. anthony shows up suddenly one late night. they go from there

you are the light that is blinding me by lookingforthestars - anthony is just one of kate’s vaguely dickish, annoying coworkers - until she starts eavesdropping on conversations between him and a mystery woman, and a side of him she was not aware of is revealed. peak idiots being idiots love them

i can’t find the words, so i guess it’s time by pentaghastly - k&a have a one night stand after much unresolved sexual tension. to kate’s surprise, he starts being a regular at her tea shop.

I could go on but lol

#anonymous #what is my ask tag again

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darsynia · 2 years ago

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The Lily Shall in Love Delight | Oneshot

Anthony Bridgerton/Kate Sharma Bridgerton (post-series)

Summary: Anthony finds his attention scattered by the elusive scent of lilies as he works on estate business, only to discover that Kate had planned it that way all along. Length/Warnings: 1,997 / tw: pregnancy | fingering, PiV sex MINORS DNI

The Lily Shall in Love Delight

Ever since Kate had told him of her pregnancy, Anthony’s mood had swung wildly between concern for her welfare and elation at the coming addition to the family. It had been two days, and already the two of them had fought over whether to cut down on their attendance at society events. Kate had argued that it was early on, and this would be her last season without children. Anthony had pointed out that--

He scratched his head. The reasons which had been so important to him at breakfast had fled his mind after a morning meeting with the estate manager from Aubrey Hall and luncheon with friends at the club. Now he was seated at his desk, ready to put those early morning decisions into practice, and his mind was suddenly scrambled with thoughts of his wife.

Anthony leaned back in his chair and rested a hand at his chin. He was still adjusting to such things, eight months into his marriage. Kate’s influence in his life was as the woman herself: wonderful and vexing, comforting and infuriating, and every moment fascinating. Letting out a sigh, he scooted forward in his seat and picked up one of the ledgers.

Not five minutes later, his mind was drifting again, this time wondering what changes he had to look forward to with the pregnancy. Last year, Simon had mentioned something about Daphne’s eating habits before Anthony had protested that he had no interest in such knowledge. Now though, he wondered if desiring delicacies during pregnancy was specific to all pregnant women.

It would be delightful to see Kate’s face after a disagreement if he silenced her with one of the things she’d been craving.

Frowning at his tendency toward distraction today, Anthony refocused his efforts on his work. It was nearly an hour later when he gathered up his papers and caught a whiff of something that immediately sent his mind spinning again. He looked around for the source of the scent, such as a vase of flowers, but saw nothing. Anthony even got up to see if Kate had been lurking at the doorway to watch him, but there was no one there.

He stood in the middle of the room with his hands on his hips for a while, contemplating the mystery, until Kate swept into the room looking beautiful as ever. She handed over a letter that must have just arrived. Naturally, he leaned over for a kiss, but she pulled away far too soon.

“Are you feeling unwell?” he asked. That earned him a look.

It probably wasn’t healthy, the way those looks of hers made him want to retire immediately to the bedroom with her.

“Read your letter, or I shall be forced to admit to Edwina that I should have waited to tell you about the baby,” Kate told him.

“Nonsense,” Anthony scoffed, opening the page. It was a missive confirming the viability of one of the things he’d suggested at the meeting that morning. He made his way to his desk and moved some things so he could place it with the packet of papers related to the estate. As he did so, he caught the smell of lilies again, pausing to take a long sniff of enjoyment.

When he opened his eyes, Kate looked decidedly guilty.

“I am off to prepare for tonight, then,” she said quickly, turning to walk toward the doorway. On a whim, Anthony dashed after her, catching her by the waist and turning her in his arms so he could crowd her up against the wall beside the door. In the back of his mind, he congratulated himself for having moved the small table which had stopped him from doing the same a month ago.

“What did you do?” he asked her, testing his guess that she had something to do with the smell he kept detecting.

“Let us see. Today, I woke early to eat breakfast with my husband, and then spent two hours arranging the event planned at Bridgerton House with your mother. Then, I called on my sister and her husband ahead of his trip to Oxford, and had lunch there. After that, I--”

Anthony had run his fingers up her arm when she’d started her impudent answer, but she had been undaunted. Kate only stopped speaking when he interrupted her with a kiss; she tipped her head sideways and slid her hand up into his hair the way he loved. When he gentled the kiss and brushed his nose against hers affectionately, she met his eyes with her beautiful dark ones.

“I tried something,” she admitted.

“Did you hide dried flowers in my desk somewhere?”

“After a fashion,” she said, gently pushing him back so she could show him. Anthony watched as she moved his papers carefully, preserving the piles he’d made, until she let out a little noise of satisfaction and picked up a page he didn’t recognize, handing it over.

“What--” he started, but then he smelled them. Lilies. Lifting it to his nose, he recognized the scent of her soap immediately, but there was no indication of how she’d achieved such a thing.

She could see his confusion, and for a split second, Anthony thought she might keep the knowledge to herself, but then she reached out her hand for the paper. Turning it over, she laid it on the desk and took his hand in hers, running his fingers lightly across it. He could feel barely perceptible lines.

“I rubbed my soap onto the page. I thought it might calm your mind.”

“Since when were thoughts of you ever calming?” Anthony teased, shifting to arc an arm around his wife and nuzzle his nose into her hair. Her thoughtfulness and ingenuity never ceased to amaze him, and true to form, this action of hers also included a dose of exasperation. “I spent a third of my time ruminating on our life together instead of being productive, wife! I expect compensation,” he murmured into her ear, tugging her arm so that it was draped over his shoulder.

“Does it dampen your enthusiasm to find out I hoped for such a result?” she whispered into his ear as Anthony reached down to pick her up.

He looked at her skeptically as he started for the stairs. Lady Kate Bridgerton was masterful when she employed her look of innocence, however. It stood up to his sternest expression.

“Look at the time, my lord, if you do not believe me,” she told him after a long pause, settling her lips on his neck.

“Both of my hands are occupied, and we are on the stairs!” he protested.

“So I should not do this?” Kate asked, nibbling on his ear.

He stopped, three steps from the hallway. “Kate, you are with child. We will do this on the bed or not at all,” he groaned, awash with vexation and desire. Anthony had never confessed to her how much he wanted to see her angled above him as he touched her intimately on the staircase.

“Tell me how your mother managed to have eight children if your father kept her confined to barely any activity each time!” she fumed, turning her head away from him. It was likely meant as a punishment, but it gave him a faceful of her black curls.

Her words at least halted the way lust had clouded his judgment. Reminding a man of his parents would do that. Anthony resumed his climb, striding swiftly into their bedroom and depositing Kate on the bed. As he suspected she would, she immediately got up, but started to undress herself rather than dressing him down for what she had termed his ‘overprotective nonsense about the baby’ the day before.

He started on his own clothing, stripping down to just his trousers before lounging on the bed to watch Kate finish with hers. She moved slowly and deliberately, ramping up his need for her, all without saying a word. He couldn’t see her expression, as she’d unpinned her glorious black hair. Finally, she was down to one or two underthings-- but to Anthony’s dismay, Kate moved to don the first layer of the gown she was to wear that evening!

“What are you doing?” he asked, confused. Was there a chance she wanted to wear part of the evening’s outfit during the coming encounter in order to titillate him throughout the ball? He was intrigued.

“Oh, so the viscount is less interested in the process of putting on a woman’s clothing than he is in taking it off?” Kate said archly.

Anthony marched over and set his hands on hers where she was tying her ribbons. “How far will you take this recalcitrance of yours?”

“That was far enough,” she said, melting into his arms.

He decided not to remove the few pieces of clothing she had left. Kate was wearing underthings with a wide opening between her legs, no doubt to ease difficulty when relieving herself-- but he liked them for a completely different reason. As he kissed her, Anthony found the gap, delving his fingers into her confidently as he angled their bodies backwards toward the bed. Kate gasped as his thumb brushed that place above her opening that sent her wild, her own hands scrambling at the ties for his trousers.

Soon, they were collapsing in a heap onto the bed, the angle causing Kate to make that hitching groan-gasp he loved so much. Anthony stopped long enough to shove off the rest of his clothing, letting out an agonized noise of his own when Kate shifted to make space, dragging her leg along his thigh in the process.

He sought to kiss her again and saw that she had gathered up her hair all on one side, smiling up at him in encouragement. Sinking into her while burying his face into the sweet-smelling mass of her hair was one of his favorite intimate activities.

“You will ruin me forever for rational thought in any and all gardens!” Anthony protested half-heartedly, but she shook her head and arched her back, using her legs to pull him closer to where she wanted him.

“Take your pleasure now, my lord, or I shall persuade the queen to theme her next gala on lilies and spend the evening watching you struggle to keep your composure,” Kate told him, grinning.

“You’d do it, too,” Anthony said, sliding home with an affectionate glare at her. He kissed her fiercely, their bodies moving together in such perfect time that he lost all capacity to speak. As he knew would happen, he couldn’t resist turning his head and breathing in the heady smell of lilies in his wife’s hair, accelerating his peak just by emotional association.

Not wanting to leave her behind, Anthony slipped his hand between them and circled his finger just above where they were joined, feeling her body clench around him. Kate’s caresses of his arms and chest grew more erratic, and finally she reached for him, kissing him with sweet abandon as she arched her hips with his every thrust.

Her plateau came first, allowing Anthony to watch as she was transfixed by pleasure, her lovely body shaking in his arms before he joined her. The scent of lilies surrounded him as he threw his head back, caught up in the need to thrust desperately until he was spent.

As always, Kate’s firm, reassuring touch brought Anthony back to himself, and he fell sideways beside her on the bed, tangling his hand in her hair.

“I had meant to calm you by association, Anthony, but I see now that I miscalculated,” Kate said, smiling ruefully as she rolled over to face him.

“I think I can spare the time and energy,” he allowed.

“I’ve proved another point, too, I think.” At his eyebrow lift, Kate said, “That was far more strenuous than dancing, don’t you think?”

The minx had outwitted him yet again.

#anthony x kate smut #bridgerton smut #anthony bridgerton smut #anthony x kate #kate x anthony #kate sharma smut #kate sharma #anthony bridgerton #kate sharma bridgerton #established relationship #pregnancy #stupidly excited that i created that graphic out of a complete blank canvas--not a template!!

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silverhallow · 8 months ago

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Strangers All Over Again

Prologue: is now on AO3

“Kate… don’t… don’t say it please” Sophie begged her best friend

“Sorry soph…” Kate said looking back with sad eyes, she’d never really understood what happened and knew the moment she asked Sophie to be her maid of honour that the subject of best man was going to come up.

“Why can’t it be Simon?!” Sophie said almost wailed

“Because as much as Daphne and Simon are engaged and have a baby… Anthony still hasn’t forgiven him for sleeping with his sister… and Ben is closest to him out of all his siblings”

“Then ask Edwina… or someone else… why me?!” Sophie said looking for a way out

“Because you're my best friend. You were my friend first. You and Ben are the reason this wedding is happening. You introduced us and there is no one else I want as my maid of honour. Look I have no idea what the hell happened between you and Ben and caused you to break up but he’s prepared to put whatever happened aside and work together for the wedding and given you are the most pragmatic person I’ve met and I know you can compartmentalise like no one else… I figured you’d be able to put it aside unless you want to tell me what happened…” Kate said a little shortly. She hated that Sophie hadn’t told her why she and Benedict split.

She’d been so sure they were on the verge of getting engaged when Benedict turned up on Saturday morning saying Sophie had left.

He’d never gone into details but Kate was sure even he didn’t know what had caused Sophie to up and leave.

Sophie had walked out and spent most of the last two years working in France and avoiding all social events, social gatherings and even missed Amelia’s christening.

Kate believed that Sophie was still hung up on Benedict and though she never outwardly asked about him by name, and the few times she had seen her best friend she’d seen her reaction when she casually mentioned Benedict had been on a date…

And she knew Benedict was still hung up on Sophie, she saw it in his art, in the music he wrote in his spare time and the fact he’d never managed more than one date with anyone since.

She knew they were perfect for one another and she just hoped that forcing them back together like this… could make them confront their past and make amends…

Sophie sighed, Kate would never understand why she did what she did. Why she’d left. Hell half the time she wasn’t even sure why she left but everytime she heard Kate talk about the Bridgerton’s it reminded her that they were a close knit family, they had only ever known love and devotion, she’d known what it was to be wanted…

“Kate it’s in the past, if… if he’s prepared to put the past behind him then I guess I can too.” Sophie finally said. She had years of practice putting on a happy face. She knew how to pretend,

She’d spent 20 years pretending before she met Benedict, and the two years after him, she pretended to be happy, to be content… but she knew the heartache.

She wished she’d never left, how she wished she’d been more courageous, wished she could have banished the Demons, wished she could have been stronger and fought but she supposed it had been for the best… after all she’d left before he could leave her…

So, if he could move on, if he could put it behind them, she was damn sure she could.

#bridgerton #strangers all at once #benedict bridgerton #sophie beckett #benophie #benedict x sophie #another benophie au

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dreamyfanfix · 7 months ago

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Season 2 Episode 5

Its the episode after the proposal...

Kate really was craving alone time. Ever since the Viscount had proposed to her sister Edwina, she had felt stuck. She wanted her sister to be happy but she also knew the Viscount was not in love with her sister and Edwina deserved love.

Despite her uninterest in the upcoming nuptials, Lady Danbury seemed incredibly vigilant when it came to her so that is how she found herself out promenading with the betrothed couple ahead, the Dowager Viscountess slightly behind and Kate and Lady Danbury behind them.

Kate was going to sigh again when out of the corner of her eye she saw someone. She thought she recognised the gentleman but maybe she was hallucinating. I mean what were the odds that he would be in Mayfair of all places?

Flashback: "Maajid, stop behaving like it is the end of the world," Mary had said, putting her hand on his shoulder.

Kate had been watching her parents go back and forth for a while. She had been trying to hear what they were talking about since Edwina was loudly playing with her dolls Kate could barely hear anything. But Kate had an idea about what it was about. Tahir had just celebrated his 18th birthday, to which Kate was invited. It was not unusual for Kate to be invited to birthday parties especially Tahir but even Kate knew that this time was different. All the mild pecking here and then meant more now that Kate was of marriageable age and Tahir was old enough to have his household and wife.

Kate's abba did not know about the pecking but everyone in the village knew that she and Tahir were close and that they were probably going to end up together. Tahir had recently asked her how she felt about being his wife and that they could continue their pecking and do even more without the fear of their parents. Kate wasn't sure what he meant so she asked Mary. Kate should have expected her mother to talk about it with her husband.

"She is too young Mary," her abba said. "She is only three years younger than I debuted. You remember that?" Mary asked in what Kate thought was her soothing voice. "Yes, and I just don't think she is ready for that commitment," "Commitment? Tahir is a second son. Yes, she will be a wife and out of the house but it's not like she is taking on being the Baroness. She will still be our little girl," "Except she won't be. She hasn't been for a while. I have been trying to ignore the looks she and Tahir have given each other but I guess I cannot anymore," her abba sighed and sat down for the first time in the last hour. Mary held his hand but said nothing. "Just yesterday she was our little witness at our wedding and now she is going to be someone else's wife. Where does the time go?" Mary sighed "If you feel like we need more time with her we can wait until her 18th birthday. Then she is free to do what she wants," "What are the odds both of their feelings would have changed by then?" Kate's abba asked gruffly. Mary giggled and said "If she is anything like her father, she won't but it will be a good test for Tahir,"

Kate remembered running from her home to meet Tahir. He was waiting for her and she ran into his arms. Kate told him what her parents discussed and he promised he would wait for her forever.

"Despite the tension. I am quite glad you joined us on this excursion today, Miss Sharma," Lady Danbury said as she and Kate walked side by side. "Excursion? This is merely a promenade to show off the newly engaged couple. I do not know why I am here," "You are here to show your support of the nuptials," "He is the Viscount and she is the diamond. Their nuptials are already supported by the Queen. Why do you need me as extra support?" Lady Danbury stopped walking and faced Kate "Or maybe it is so I can remind you about how important it is for this betrothal to see its end. You forget the Sheffields will be joining us for dinner tonight?" Kate knew when she was beaten and honestly, she had been fighting off the overwhelming feeling of defeat from the moment the Viscount had gotten down on one knee in front of her sister. So instead Kate did what she always did, she swallowed 'what could have been' and held her head up high. "I am well aware Lady Danbury. Contrary to everyone's thoughts I do know when I am to behave," Lady Danbury looked as if she was to say something but then she turned and they started walking again. "Well that is good but that is not the only reason I brought you out here. There is someone who asked me for an introduction," Kate looked out behind Lady Danbury and saw Mr Dorset from the races and Kate sighed. It was not bad enough that she had to watch her sister with the Viscount, she was now being forced to entertain such a dull trickster of a man. But then Kate remembered she had promised Lady Danbury she would be on her best behaviour so she merely sighed. "Now now Miss Sharma. You act like attracting the attention of a Baron is such laborious work," "Baron?" Mister Dorset was not a Baron but then Kate saw Lady Danbury had pointed her cane and looked ahead of them. "Yes, the Baron Shani. If I am correct Shani is the name of the village you are from?" "Yes," Kate answered absent-mindedly as she stared at where Lady Danbury's cane was pointed. At first, she only caught the eyes of the Viscount but then she looked past him.

There he was.

A bit older, with longer hair but the same brown kind eyes that drove her younger self mad.

Tahir stood at the end of the dock with eyes on her.

Kate was stuck between wanting to run to him. Feel his arms around her and experience his comfort but she was confused. So she slowly walked with Lady Danbury to the edge of the dock. Passed her sister, The Viscount and the Dowager Viscountess.

Edwina gasped.

"What is it dear?" Lady Bridgerton asked her. "I know that man," Edwina pointed at the man now walking alone with her sister as they awaited a boat to dock. "Ah yes, the Baron. Your sister says that your family used to be friends," Lady Danbury said as she made her way to the group. "Oh. He could not possibly be a Baron," Edwina said. "Why is that?" Lord Bridgerton asked. He was a bit stilted today but Edwina figured it was that he was overwhelmed and did not think too much about it. "He is the second son of Baron Shani. Shani is the village we grew up in in India," "Yes well, the Baron and his first son are unfortunately dead. They had picked up some disease on a ship travel. It had killed most of the ship travellers and the crew," "Oh my goodness," Edwina said. "That poor family," Violet said. Just then her mother Mary joined them and Edwina said "Look mama, Tahir is here. Apparently, he is the Baron now," "Ahh that is unfortunate but he always had a strong mind. I am sure he will be adequate in the position," Mary said, Edwina noted she said a bit more coldly but Edwina thought her agitation was normal at this point in their arrival in England. "Maybe he and Kate can finally have their happily ever after," Edwina said. She felt the Viscount tense next to her but continued "It would have been nice if she met an Englishmen and settled down then she would not be so far away but I would be happy as long as she was happy as she was back then," "That's very sweet. I always thought it is important to marry someone who felt like your very best friend," Violet said wistfully. Edwina noted she was looking at her son the Viscount with a bit of a frown but the Viscount was not even paying her any mind. The Viscount was focused on the river and boats. Edwina wondered if he wanted to go out on one with her and get some alone time but Edwina was never good on small boats and she feared getting even a bit wet so she pretended like she didn't notice the Viscount's distractions.

After Anthony and Tahir fall into the Serpentine...

Mary was nervous. She hadn't seen her parents in close 20 years and she wondered what they would think of her life now. Her grief had swallowed her whole for so long after the death of Maajid but she refused to let it consume her any longer.

Mary noticed she wasn't the only one on edge for the dinner, Kate had gone outside to excuse herself and she had not been back inside since. Mary was worried.

Mary checked everywhere in the house until it became clear that Kate would probably be in the stables with the horses to calm her down.

Mary made her way through the patio to the garden, there were some hedges and she could some movement of the servants but not Kate. Not until she heard Kate's voice hushing someone

"Quite Tahir, someone will hear," Kate had said. Tahir stepped into the little frame Mary was spying through and got closer to Kate. Mary wanted to intervene before Tahir spoke "Why does it matter now? Your sister is engaged. I am the Baron now, I can take care of us, of her of your family," Tahir brought his hand up to cup Kate's chin. "It's not that simple T," Kate said with a sigh. "Of course it is. This is not like all the time ago. You don't have to take care of a failing family estate, a too-young sister and a catatonic mother. Even if the wedding with the Viscount does not go through, I am in a better position now than I was back then. That is why you denied me last time, right?" Tahir asked. "My family was in ruins and I couldn't leave them to be someone's wife and not have concern for how they would live without me," Kate said. Mary covered her mouth so her gasp would not be heard. "Your father did that. Not you. You are not Edwina's mother Mary is. She needed to be the one to step up back then. You were grieving your father," Kate removed Tahir's hand from her face "This is why I couldn't have you around the family anymore, you despised them," "I loathe laziness. Entitledness," Tahir said. "Edwina was a child," Kate said and Mary had to swallow her sadness at there not being a defence for herself. "And has she grown out of that entitledness? Or am I mistaken that she is marrying the Viscount against your concerns? It's all over Whistledown. How the Viscount has slain the beast at the diamond's door" Tahir asked. Mary and Kate winced at the bard. Mary knew Kate had issues with the Viscount but she thought they had sorted it all out before they left Aubrey Hall otherwise why would he propose? Then again it's not like the Viscount needed Kate's permission to propose. "I'm different now. I do not think you will like the person I am now," Kate said. "Grief changes people. I know that better than anyone now. You know they wouldn't even let me in the palace to say goodbye to my brother and father? I was to be the Baron and they feared for my health," Kate grabbed his hand while he continued speaking "Two little nieces and two little sisters and I finally understood why you denied me all those years ago. Something changes in you through grief and newfound responsibility. I should have given you time. I should have asked my family to help but I was too hurt and young. I didn't understand then but I understand now," Kate went in to hug Tahir "It is not something I would wish on anyone, T," Tahir kissed the top of Kate's hair and then said "I think we can make it work now Kathani," Kate visibly gasped at her name being said and Mary wondered if anyone but Tahir, her and Edwina knew Kate's full name in England "I am not in a rush this time. Think about it. Maybe after Edwina is married you come back to India and we can have that wedding the whole of Shani has been looking forward to for the last ten years," Kate giggled with tears in her eyes, Tahir went in for a kiss but Kate at the last moment turned her head "I don't know,"

Mary left after that. Reeling with new information, Mary watched Kate's movements the rest of the night.

After the dreadful dinner and Edwina's plea with Kate...

"I wish I could say it is a coincidence finding you out here at this time of the morning," Mary said as Kate approached the stables. "Mama," Kate said startled "I was just going for a quick ride. I swear no one was going to see me," "Be that as it may I think you and I need to talk," "If this is about the Viscount and the proposal, I promise I will make it right," Kate said. Mary sighed "No. That is not your concern. If the Viscount really cared for Edwina nothing, not you nor the Sheffields could change his mind," "That's not true. He was determined to see it through," Kate said. "Well, I guess you and the Viscount have a knack for being headstrong. I do not have control over him but I am still your mother," "Mary I swear-" Mary held her hand up to silence Kate "I know why you did it, my dear Kathani. I just wish you did not have to. I wish that you had gone off and married Tahir when you had the chance," "Tahir? What does he have to do with this?" Kate asked. "Everything. Nothing. Look Edwina will get over this. Rather the proposal ends now than a mishap during a marriage. Instead, let us focus on you going forward," "On me?" Kate asked. "Yes. Edwina can be handled by Lady Danbury, I fear she can be a lot more ruthless than I in these endeavours and I will be focused on you and your courtship with Tahir or the Baron I should say," "Tahir and I are not courting," Kate said with wide eyes. "Well when he calls on you today, you will be," Mary then shooed Kate out of the stables and back into the estate to get dressed and ready for the day ahead as both Sharma sisters were now in the marriage mart officially.

#something a little different #kathony fanfic

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bohemian-nights · 1 year ago

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I read your “Lady Danbury” fanfic (which I loved) so I figured that means you’ve watched Bridgerton, so I’ve got to ask what are your opinions on Edwina?

Glad you like it(I'm going to try updating soon). Yes, I've watched Bridgerton and despite how much I talk about HOTD, it's my absolute favorite show on air right now 😊

As far as Edwina Sharma goes, bless her. I know she gets hate from a lot of the fandom(which I try to stay away from because I don’t need to be in two crazy fandoms 🤣 ) including from some Kate stans because of how she “acted” upon finding out Anthony and Kate had feelings for each other, but I genuinely don’t understand why.

Edwina reacts how any sane person would react and it’s not like she doesn’t forgive Kate, but that’s her sister (and Kate’s the older sister who speaking as an older sister 🫠). To have your sister fall in love with your fiancé/the man who is courting you is a truly mortifying experience.

Now I’m not going to blame Kate too much because again they are sisters, Kate isn’t a bad sister, and as much as I love Anthony Bridgerton he’s the one that puts them in an awkward situation.

Kate never really egged him on in that way, but as embarrassing as it would be, she should’ve told Edwina what was going on. Even if Edwina chose not to believe her at least she warned her about the situation 🤷🏽‍♀️

Of course, you have people who say that Edwina herself should’ve known what was happening, but she’s only 18, and who in their right mind is going to guess that their sister and their fiancé have feelings for each other 🤷🏽‍♀️

Before I go ranting on endlessly, season 2 was very messy. They did spend too much time dragging out the Edwina doesn't know drama, which is resolved pretty quickly in the book from what I've heard.

I can kinda understand why Kathony fans would be upset with everything being dragged out since it seemingly limited the spicy time(which is another reason why Queen Charlotte was so spicy), but Edwina herself is a sweet character who deserves nothing but the best.

If she popped up married to the prince or if they ever had Bridgerton The Movie and gave her a little romance arc, that would be perfect👍🏽

#bridgerton #edwina sharma #bridgertonasks #bnasks #bnask

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newtonsheffield · 9 months ago

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No but I need to see Anthony getting his brothers to help him carry the sofa into their house and them eventually finding out what they helped carry

Oh my god. Imagine, Anthony was too embarrassed to have it delivered so he hired a van and let the workers load it in for him. He kept it wrapped in the cardboard and plastic and asked Ben to carry it upstairs with him.

“Aha.” Benedict laughed when Anthony asked him, “I am not the manual labor brother. You would be better off asking… Kate honestly, than me.”

Anthony rolled his eyes, “This is a surprise for Kate. It was her idea, and I laughed it off so I could surprise her with one.”

Ben raised his eyebrows, “One what?”

Anthony flushed, “It’s just… an armchair for the bedroom. She ah… likes to read in the sun.”

“You… laughed at your girlfriend wanting an armchair to read in the bedroom?”

“I’m not explaining my relationship to you.” Anthony said quickly, “I’ll buy you dinner, Benny. As many spring rolls and dumplings as you can eat.”

Ben narrowed his eyes, “It better not be heavy.”

Ben grunted under the weight of the chair, fumbling on the steps, “Jesus Anthony! What the fuck is this made of?!”

“It needs to be heavy so it doesn’t move around I assume.”

“Is Kate a particularly vigorous reader?!” Ben snapped as he set it down, “Christ I’ve got sweat in my eyes!”

Anthony rolled his eyes, slapping his brother on the shoulder. “Right, thanks mate. Let’s get dinner and we’ll drop off the van.”

Ben frowned, “Aren’t you going to unwrap it? We can get rid of all the rubbish so you don’t have to put it in the bins.”

Anthony froze, “Ah, no. I’ll do it later. You’ve sweated enough. Can’t ruin that handsome face, right?!”

Ben thought it was odd but he let it go, until months later when Edwina nudged him at the pub. Kate and Anthony sat across from them whispering in each other’s ears.

“Guess what I found out this week.”

“Edwina.” Kate warned, shaking her head as she took a drink, “Don’t be a twat.”

“If I have to know this so does Ben.” She jerked her thumb at Kate and Anthony, “These two have a sex sofa.”

Ben’s mouth dropped open as the pieces fell in to place. “Anthony! I carried your sex sofa?!”

“In my defense,” Anthony said a little unembarrassed, “It was unused then. And they’re very easy to clean.”

“I am-! I want another free dinner!”

“A small price to pay actually.”

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lemonhemlock · 6 months ago

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(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

#ask #anon #anti bridgerton #i don't really have a dog in this fight as i'm not that absorbed by the bridgerton fictional universe to invest in reading 8 whole books #but i do enjoy similar-ish types of comedy romances #for instance i'm into nancy mitford's novels atm

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sea-owl · 1 year ago

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Part two to the Iris Council. Find the original part one here, and the edited one here.

AO3: Link

Just as Penelope and Sophie said King Anthony had not gone to Kate's room that first night, or any night after since she's came to the Garden Palace. He actually left right after their dinner with Penelope and Sophie that first night to go back to Aubrey Hall. There was a kiss though.

As the king was leaving Kate was shown one of her duties that others will expect of her as part of the high-ranking concubines. It was simple, seeing the king off, and of course mid and lower ranked concubines could also join them, but of course the high ranked ones were the ones expected to actually see him off.

"It's technically practice since we have the highest chances of becoming queen," Penelope explained. "Gotta make sure we're prepared if we send him off to war!"

"And he dies under mysterious circumstances," Sophie joined in. "Leaving us all alone!"

Anthony rolled his eyes at their dramatics. Kate joined in on their laughter.

Finally, they reach the steps that lead towards the entrance where the concubines were not allowed to travel beyond without special permission. One by one the king kissed his concubines as was expected. They were quick kisses, nothing more than a peck of the lips really. Penelope and Sophie were quick to hide the lower half of their faces with their fans after. Kate could see both of them either pursing their lips or holding back a shiver.

Then it was Kate's turn. Just like with the other two, it was nothing more than a quick peck. Kate wasn't sure the shiver that went up her back wasn't for the same reason the other two had though. Kate wasn't sure she was having that same weird feeling the other two had as well. Why were her lips tingling? Is her face heating up? Kate quickly, and a little clumsily, hid her face just as the other two did.

After that it was down to business. Under Penelope and Sophie's advice Kate began to set up her new home in the Lily Pavilion. Currently the three of them were in the Snapdragon Pavilion where Penelope made her home.

Kate was finding out there was a lot of secret compartments in the Snapdragon Pavilion, some she thinks she will never remember how Penelope opened them. Upon Kate's request Penelope was gathering documents that contained information about the staff, guards, and most importantly the concubines of the Garden Palace.

"First things first we'll need to find you a head lady in waiting," Sophie said. "Someone you can trust to keep your secrets."

Kate's mind flashed to Felicity and Posy, the head ladies in waiting to Penelope and Sophie. The head ladies in waiting who were a little too young in Kate's mind to be in such a position.

Penelope plopped down a bunch of documents in her hands. "Your sister might be an option," Penelope suggested. "It's what Sophie and I did."

Kate snapped her head up. Now that she thought about it she could see a resemblance between the two red heads, not so much between the two blondes though.

Sophie glanced up at Kate from one of her financial reports. An understanding was on her face. "Posy and I are stepsisters."

"Oh." Kate nodded. "But I could hire Edwina?"

"If you trust her enough," Sophie replied. "While our head ladies in waiting don't know everything, they do know enough to know there is something else going on, but they also trust us enough that we can continue the ruse."

"So it's best if I pick wisely," Kate said as she skimmed over some of the documents on the other concubines. They must've been Penelope's personal notes, each one was written in her hand.

There were several different flower markings on the documents. A common one she noticed, especially among the lower ranked concubines was a rose. But there was a mixture of roses, hyacinths, daffodils, and poppies. The least common ones were an iris, and a lily. Kate could guess what the iris flower was supposed to represent, but the lily was an interesting one. She could only find it on two other concubines' information besides her own.

"What do these represent?" Kate asked as she pointed at the flowers.

Penelope looked at the documents. "Oh that's how I keep each girl organized. As you know not all of us are here as concubines, but we can't let other know that. Roses are for the actual concubines like those two." Penelope pointed out the window where two brunettes sat.

Kate dug through the papers to find their information. Sienna and Maria Rosso, cousins who came here at around the same time. According to their paperwork they both are singers. Kate noticed that Maria had a daffodil next to her rose, while Sienna had a poppy.

"Daffodils are to mark girls who have expressed desire to leave when the time comes, while those marked with a poppy have no such desire or they haven't expressed it," Penelope explained. "Hyacinths are for girls who are here out of protection more than anything else, they're the ones Anthony wouldn't touch. The iris marked girls are a little more obvious."

It was simple but effective, and should anyone accidentally come across these it would give nothing away.

"Huh, this is all so elaborate, " Kate said as she looked back at the documents. "How did this even start?"

Penelope sat down. "Well, at the time I was about two months away from turning fifteen."

"No Eloise."

"But Anthony Lady Hazelwood has brilliant ideas that could-"

"Eloise, I said no."

Penelope stayed silent as she watched the two siblings argue. She really wished Eloise would stop dragging her to these impromptu meetings with the king. This is the third time Eloise has tried to convince him to have a private meeting with Lady Hazelwood and much like the other two times it was not successful.

The open-door policy the king has for his siblings may not be lasting that much longer Penelope thought to herself.

Eloise huffed. "Why won't you even consider it?"

The king sat down his pen. "Eloise may I remind you that Lady Hazelwood is married to Lord Hazelwood? The same lord who is infamous among the court for his schemes of influence?"

"That is her husband," Eloise argued.

"Who she would have loyalty to." There was a finality to the king's voice. "My answer remains the same."

Eloise let out another huff and stormed out of the room. Penelope felt herself slightly pout. She cannot come and go as freely as Eloise does with her position as princess. Penelope was only a baron's daughter, proper etiquette demanded she stay put until she was excused by one of the royals. She picked at her skirt.

"Um, your majesty?"

The king looked back over to the seated area where Penelope still found herself. He looked tired. Penelope has known Anthony since he was prince and she was in leading strings due to their mothers' friendship. She remembers when the messengers informing every lord that they were required to travel to the ancestral home of the royal family, Aubrey Hall, for the coronation of the new king. She remembers thinking it was a mad house as each lord fought to be the leading influence over the new king who had yet to go to university and looked too young to be wearing the crown on his head.

Penelope could see Anthony about to wave her off, but he paused. "Penelope be honest with me, as a family friend, do you think this Lady Hazelwood to be genuine? Or is she like the others and trying to use one of my siblings?"

Penelope bit her lip, her brown eyes drifting towards her lap. Thinking back, if she was to be honest, Penelope shook her head. "In court Lady Hazelwood is always by her husband's side, or she is close enough to have him in her eyesight while he mouths the words she says."

Anthony nodded. "Thank you, Penelope, you may go."

Penelope bowed and took her leave.

Over the next few days, Penelope found herself following her mother around the court as usual, but something had shifted.

She couldn't quite pin point what it was. The rumors were the same as usual. No new schemes among the lords, no newcomers, and no one has announced an engagement recently either. Maybe something happened at one of the parties? While Penelope was old enough to start attending the day court, and technically she was old enough to marry with her mother's permission as soon as she was fifteen, she was still too young to attend the night parties. That had to be it honestly.

Satisfied with the thought Penelope settled herself in a corner as she watched yet another lord try to butter up their king. Marquess Stratton, according to the rumors he's been trying to weasel his way into the royal family's inner court even back with King Edmund had been alive. Unfortunately for him King Edmund held strong in his belief of those he was raised with were the only ones allowed into his inner court. This limited it to his siblings and the Rokesby family who has been close with the royal family for at least four generations now. King Anthony has refused to build an inner court at all, which was quite odd. Most believed he would follow in his father's footsteps and have an inner court made up of his siblings.

"Marquess Stratton is making a fool of himself," Portia, Penelope's mother, said with a shake of her head.

Other lords and ladies murmured in agreement.

"The king is just like his father. Just you wait his inner court will be nothing but his siblings."

"The Duke of Hastings might also be a member, they are best friends after all."

"He's just waiting for more of them to debut. Watch as soon as Princess Eloise is old enough to attend the night parties the inner court will be formed."

Penelope tuned out the whispers, it is nothing that has not been said before. Instead she refocused on the marquess. His back stood straight, but his arms were overly animated as he spoke. There was a shine on his palms like they were wet. Penelope could also see a slight limp in his walk despite how hard he tries to stay in one place. How odd, according to all the reports the battles at the border have all been successful, and there have been no rumors about injuries to the officers.

Penelope glanced up at the king, and flinched when she met his eyes. She was not expecting that, nor was she expecting for the king to have her stay back while the rest of the court dispersed. Not that her mother noticed she wasn't following.

Penelope bowed to the king who still sat on his throne. "Your majesty."

"Penelope be honest with me, as a family friend, what do you think of Marquess Stratton?" Anthony asked.

Penelope hummed as she thought back on the older gentleman. He certainly wasn't as calm as he pretended to be. Which was odd, Marquess Stratton should be ridding the highs of won battles right now. But instead he's hiding a limp.

"I think his reports of the battles are not as truthful as they should be," Penelope said.

Anthony raised an eyebrow. "Really? What makes you think that?"

"According to the rumors he's been successful in battle, but he walk with a limp he did not have before this current battle. Oh! He is also skittish when talking to anyone too!"

Anthony nodded. "Thank you Penelope. You may go."

Penelope bowed and made her leave. That was strange.

Two weeks later Penelope receives an invitation to tea in the royal family wing. It wasn't unusual for her to receive such an invitation. After all Eloise was her best friend, and hopefully Penelope can be her lady in waiting when they are older. What was unsual though was that only the king was waiting for her in the tea room. She didn't see her friends, the princess Eloise and Francesca, nor the prince Colin, none of the royal siblings are here. Not even their mother the Dowager Queen was present, who would never miss a tea time.

Penelope started to shrink in on herself. She was alone with the king. "Your majesty." She bowed, stiff.

"Penelope, I invited you here as a family friend, no need to be so formal," Anthony reassured her.

Penelope's shoulder loosened. She took her seat, busying her hands by making a cup of tea. "Pardon me Anthony, but where is the rest of your family?"

"I have sent them and my extended family on a trip for a few months this morning. I didn't want to risk them interrupting."

Penelope paused in her tea prepping. Interrupting?

Anthony sat down a folder. It was full of reports that have been edited, some even completely different.

"You were right, Marquess Stratton hasn't been truthful in his reports, as had other lords." Anthony scowled at the folder. Turning his eyes back on her they softened in a way she has seen when he looks at his younger siblings. "I can not trust them with the responsibilities I need to entrust to others."

Penelope furrowed her brow. "If you can not trust the lords Anthony, then why not air your concerns with your family?"

"They are too easily reached. Benedict, Colin, and Daphne are all attending the balls now. Eloise will soon start attending the day court, with Francesca following next year. You've seen it Penelope, some of these lords are like snakes who will say or do anything to get in their good graces."

Penelope sighed. She knew that was true. All too often she will see a lord or lady try to flatter Eloise to either gain her favor or find a way to get to Anthony through her. And with Eloise so vocal about her passions how often did she give others the exact words they needed to stroke her ego?

Anthony continued, "You observational skills have proven to be good use Penelope. You have not lied to me, and you genuinely love my family as if they were your own. I want to see you flourish those skills, starting at the balls."

"But your majesty-" She was cut off with a look.

"Anthony Penelope. We are speaking as family friends, not king and subject," Anthony reminded her.

Penelope took a breath. "But Anthony I am not yet of age to go. The only way for me to attend if I was married."

"Or a concubine."

Penelope whipped her head around towards Anthony. "A concubine? Me?" Penelope felt her face flushed. There were so many reasons she couldn't be a concubine, one that she'll never say aloud was her love for the third prince.

"That would be your public title, and how you would be perceived in the kingdom" Anthony said. "What I really want from you though is to be part of my inner court, my spy mistress."

Penelope's mind clicked. "Being a concubine would also keep untrustworthy lords away as well since I would be living at the Garden Palace when I wasn't with you. But um . . ." Penelope felt her face flush again. There was one major aspect that comes with the whole concubine territory that would be hard to ignore.

Anthony chuckled. "Penelope I swear on my father's grave that I will never force you or anyone."

Oh he was serious about this. Swearing on the previous king's grave was the strongest oath any member of the royal family would ever make. They would rather die than go back on their word sworn on the late king.

Penelope found herself nodding, ideas flying through her head. "We'll have to find a way to cover my face. If they can't confirm my identity they'll never know 100% if they are truly talking to the concubine. Also if we bring back the royal harem then we can bring others into the inner court, though perhaps we should call it something else?"

"Any suggestions?" Antony asked.

Penelope looked around the room until her eyes landed on a painting of an Iris flower. Benedict must have been working on it. Penelope turned back to Anthony. "The Iris Council?"

"It has a nice ring to it," Anthony said. "Alright Penelope first things first, we need to learn who we can truly trust to bring in. Learn the lords secrets and see if we can potentially bring anyone else in."

After that Penelope kept meeting Anthony for tea until two days after her fifteen birthday Penelope put on her mask for the first time and was presented to the kingdom as King Anthony's first concubine.

"It didn't take too long after that for word to spread through to the kingdom and eventually reach the ears of the Dowager Queen," Penelope said. "She stormed home with the rest of the royal family, demanding an explanation from Anthony. None of them would even look at me and I was standing next to him."

Kate's eyes widened. "Truly? None of them?"

Penelope shook her head. "Not a single one. It hurt at the time, but honestly it made things easier in the long run. I got to focus on building my life's work."

"Them refusing to learn our names or even hearing them also helps," Sophie added. "Confuses the lords in our favor."

"Their parent's love story was sacred to them," Penelope said. "Anthony taking a concubine and restarting the harem probably felt like one of the biggest betrayals to them."

Kate could see it. Mary was always talking about how precious love was, and lucky she was to experince it with her husband. The harem is just to extend the bloodline, it must feel so cold and impersonal in their eyes, even if no children have been born from it yet. But still that treatment isn't fair to the concubines. "Do you think that will ever change?"

Penelope picks up one of the files. "Maybe if Anthony takes a queen. But we're not quite there yet."

The light reflected through the paper, Kate could see the outline of a lily.

#bridgerton #the iris council #concubine au #kate sharma #kate sheffield #penelope featherington #slight kathony #platonic relationships #platonic anthony and penelope

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alrightsnaps · 2 years ago

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The beef you have with Anthony on twitter is very pathetic and also the fact that you PRETEND Violet has haters when all that happened is that maybe a couple of kanthony shippers have said she was a bit too harsh with him cause god forbids audience members feel more connected with the protagonist and not his mom. Also the fact you want Kate to share screentime with Mary and Edwina again when she was treated like crap by them is not it for someone who claims to love Kate. But I guess it's not surprising when you're buddy buddy with that selcouth account who not so secretly hates Kanthony and Kate and has polite convo with the bloggers who call Kate a homewrecking whore. You know your friend writes fic in which Anthony is beaten up and Kate continues to be miserable post wedding for the sake of poor innocent Edwina?And thinks Anthony should give a fuck about Edwina doesn't let him call her by her first name? Tell your friend he eyefucked Kate at the altar in front of her, let me assure you edwina lovers he doesn't give a fuck about her brattiness the majesty. Leave Kate and Kanthony out of your mouth.

aww how sweet of you that you think y'all are the first people to dickride for anthony at the expense of female characters! i can assure you that i've been beefing with his stans since before kate's casting announcement. kathonies are not the first to drag violet to defend him, or even the first stans to demonise their male fave's mother while excusing his own behaviour. sienna/anthony shippers did the exact same thing long ago painting violet as the evil hag who wouldn't let poor little anthony run off into the sunset with sienna in s1.

also why the fuck wouldn't i want kate to fix her relationships with edwina and mary? i've criticised edwina repeatedly for never apologising to kate since day 1. that's something we never saw in s2 so yeah, i definitely want to see that and i consider necessary for them to rebuild their relationship on better terms after the wedding fiasco.

what i consider hypocritical as fuck is being totally ok with kate forgiving anthony when he hardly did enough to deserve her forgiveness after all the pain he put her through, but drawing the line at her stepmother and sister.

anthony literally ruined kate in 2x04 and not only didn't assume his responsibilities as he forced simon to do with daphne in s1, but had the nerve to propose to her sister the very next morning. so yeah, if i can support kate being with anthony in the s2 finale when he was calling her "the thorn easily removed" from his and edwina's lives just two episodes back, because that makes her happy, i can sure as hell root for her making up with the women that have been her entire world for the past 26 years as well.

as far as i'm concerned neither anthony nor edwina did right by kate in s2. edwina because she blamed her for anthony's actions and was ungrateful, when all kate had done was sacrifice after sacrifice for her to be happy. and anthony because he never showed kate the respect he demanded men to show to his sisters and chose to go after her baby sister only to publicly humiliate both sharma girls in front of anyone when they were at the altar.

i'm old enought to be able to form my own opinion about characters instead of joining fandom groupthink or liking/disliking them based on how their fanbase behaves. if that was my criterion i don't think there's a single ship i'd support in the bridgerton fandom, considering that i disagree with most kathony and benophie stans on twitter for always coddling anthony and benedict and excusing their misogyny.

and frankly, i'm extremely uncomfortable with the way you and many kathony stans talk about edwina. y'all are literally victim blaming an 18yo child for falling for a grownass man who went after her and ruined her in the eyes of society. you constanly infantilise anthony when he has more privilege than 99% of men in england, while spending your time talking shit about a teenage girl.

that's not holding edwina responsible for her behaviour towards kate, it's misogyny, plain and simple. she has every right to treat anthony like filth for the rest of her life after what he did to her and be protective of kate, like kate was of edwina when anthony was courting her, after his abhorrent treatment of both sisters.

a 30yo man not giving a fuck about a teenager he strung along and ruined isn't the gotcha that you think it is. except you clearly have such a sexist worldview that you consider him to be the "prize" edwina lost and kate won, rather than a man who hurt them both deeply and took advantage of his privilege over them.

if i should keep kate out of my mouth for wanting to see her have a healthy and wholesome relationship with her family, so should you people for being ok with anthony doing the bare minimum to win her after the hell he put her through.

#my asks #bridgerton

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lookingfts · 9 months ago

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Hi! I hope you won't mind my question. What is the appeal of Kate and Ben? I love your writing but I just can't bring myself to read Sharp Edges. If Anthony is with Edwina for a while he is being the bad guy but Kate with Ben just don't bring negative reaction with people. What's different with Anthony/Kate being in a relationship with her sister/his brother? I remember in your other fic Say my name that Anthony had one sexual encounter with Edwina and Kate reacted badly knowing that. And they never even slept together. And I just can imagine how awful it felt to Anthony knowing that Kate had regular sex with his brother. How could he ever get that image out of his mind? He never loved Edwina but Kate must have loved Ben if she was with him for so long. How Anthony got over That fact? I guess I just don't understand how people are ok with that...

Hm, an interesting question. I will say, firstly, that I wrote Sharp Edges knowing that some people would not be interested in reading it. A lot of readers don't care to read Kate or Anthony dating/sleeping with anyone else, and that's fine! Sometimes I write fics that have challenging dynamics, and if people aren't comfortable or interested, I fully understand skipping them. There are plenty of fics that simply don't interest me for one reason or another. And I'm personally fine with fics where Kate and Anthony sleep with other people, as long as it's not an issue of them cheating on each other (which I have yet to see in a fic).

Sharp Edges was always meant to be a flip of canon. I personally don't think Anthony is a villain for being with Edwina - for example, in Say My Name. They are all just people making bad decisions in a hard situation. The difference, I suppose, is that SMN Anthony never falls in love with Edwina and realizes quickly that it won't work out, while SE Kate DOES fall in love with Ben and tries to make their relationship work until he cheats.

I can't speak to why people get more upset about Anthony and Edwina than Kate and Ben - I think there are too many factors at play, and obviously every story has different variations of those characters. SMN Kanthony and SE Kanthony are not the same people - they are different people with different experiences.

How does Anthony get over it? He does it because he wants Kate badly enough to put the rest aside. He was massively unhappy without her, and he doesn't waste his second chance. Is he always going to struggle with her and Ben? Yes - that does come up toward the end of the story. There are always going to be lingering effects of that, and it's never going to be as easy as it would have been if Anthony had not rejected her two years earlier. But Kate and Anthony love each other, and Ben also moves on with Sophie. So they live with the memories and the awkwardness to be happy.

My goal in writing this story was to make Kate, Anthony, and Ben three sympathetic characters who have all made mistakes and who all care about each other. None of them are villains and none of them are entirely innocent. After most fics where the characters make mistakes, there will be some people who wonder how their mistakes can be forgiven. It happened in canon as well. But I believe that if you love someone, trust them, and trust that whatever was an issue in the past IS in the past, then you can forgive them.

Or you don't, and you move on. Kate didn't forgive Ben for cheating because she didn't want to be with him enough to continue trying to make it work. Anthony and Kate were simply different.

#sharp edges #asks and answers

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