#basically I'm saying Pen and Colin are perfect for each other

[vocallywritten]

Don't mind me, just thinking about Colin's hero complex and how Marina WANTED a hero, but when he couldn't fulfill that role for her, she moves on, and the next time he sees her, she tells him she no longer needs saving, no longer needs him. Compared to Penelope telling Colin she doesn't need him to save her, and that all she wants is his love because she loves him exactly as he is.

Like the parallel of the two women he's pursued romantically telling him they don't need saving is so good and also very telling of how they view him. Pen has always seen Colin, and understood him better than anyone, so unlike Marina who seems to view Colin's hero complex as immaturity or naivety, Pen is able to see it for what it is. She was able to know exactly what to say to him to help him understand and to reassure him of the genuineness of her feelings.

[nostalgicmiscellaneous]

I'm quite honest when i say this: No, Season 3 didn't have much angst. In fact, Polin fans were lucky because even their angst had moments of the characters clearly showing love. Their main issues start at the end of Ep6, so it only truly reflected starting on Ep7. They have the fight, some hurtful words, but then they meet on the streets and have a great conversation, they have a moment evidently showing their love for each other. Later that night, Colin basically confirms that all the issues he has with trust because of LW, when he talks to Kate, are not enough to truly taint his love for her. We get to the wedding, and it's full of love, tenderness and Colin unable to hide the depth of his feelings. The Queen barging in and his concern, his worry for her safety and his family as well is triggered again. He can't yet truly grasp that LW is a fundamental part of her and he reacts as something that is above her love and care for him and his family + his insecurities. As we all know, he feels useless, unloved, unworthy, ''less than". We get Colin sleeping right outside their bedroom. Again, his feelings are eating him up. He also feels guilty that his family might be at risk because he chose Pen and yet he knows he would do it again and again. He doesn't feel too little, he feels too much and that's his problem. He doesn't know what to do and how to do things. Over and over again he tries to protect her and show her his love. Oh, but he didn't sleep with her that night? GOOD! Yes, you heard it. Good, he shouldn't have. In fact, i'd feel bad if he had. I'd feel like at that moment he just used her to placate his desires. As long as he was still struggling - and he had the right and it make perfect sense for him to be -, with his feelings about the situation, his concerns, i'm glad that he wasn't just, 'hey, i'm feeling horny, you're gorgeous and i love you and ofc seeing you in your sexy nightgown turns me on so i'm going to fuck you, even if i'm still struggling because i'm a man and men can't be sensitive and need time, complete connection and trust to make love to someone they value and love, they gotta fuck". For real, people? For real? It's a drama, a romantic drama. They make everything right in the same episode, they confess and declare their regrets and love, their hopes and their trust, they make love - and no, it's not porn, we don't need to be shown more than we were in Eps4 and 5 -, they have a beautiful baby, they are are working on their their dreams ( writing) and taking care of their families, they are happy and in love with complete trust and admiration. There was little angst. Now, if you wanted one more conversation between them, another one where they could share their feelings and have intimacy ( not even talking about sex), sure, i would've loved too. But it is not enough for the over the top dramatics some of you make it out to be, the exaggerated complaints. I wont change my mind over the mind and feelings of someone else, i feel this season is very good, a solid one with good chemistry romance between the leads. I enjoyed and like more everytime i watch. I always think about what i wanted more and what i wanted differently when i watch shows/movies, but i also never allow it to cloud the things i did get and that i love it, because when i weight it all, i love more things in it than otherwise, in this case. Wanting more is good, means Nicola and Luke did a good job making you want to see them, and you'll in S4.

[habibialkaysani]

okay. more thoughts now I have somewhat collected myself - tho that has not stopped me grinning like an idiot to myself in public and attracting stares from my fellow grumpy brits.

kathony is first ofc. God. THESE TWO. they legit can't get their hands off each other and I love that for them so much!!!! like my boy anthony can't bear even a moment when he is not holding his wife's hand and honestly same dude, I would be the exact same. I looooved their energy in their bed scene tho ofc they would feel cockblocked when hearing their family - tho anthony saying that even him going down on her would help make an heir made me snort with laughter my god. I love them so much. and look. I would have ideally loved for them to grace my screen more, but at least they fed me well in that first episode. ultimately I reckon they would have upstaged the couple of the season and I personally don't have any major objections to that, but ofc in terms of pacing and storytelling they were going to have a polin focus and that's fine with me. plus the idea that they are literally just that horny for each other brings me joy (no I'm not projecting what are you talking about)

I knew the second honeymoon thing going in, so at least I wasn't really surprised by it. and also like. the scenes we did get were sweet. did I feel robbed that they basically weren't mentioned at all in the rest of the episodes, not even a throwaway line from any of the Bridgertons who could have acknowledged their absence? sure but that is what fanfic is for and I have a bunch of ideas in that respect. so am looking forward to writing that bc canon fixits are my thing. also I love that it is fully canon that they fuck on the desk. love that for them.

and then there's polin. look I'm not gonna lie, seeing colin in the first ep supposedly being charming with the ladies - maybe this is because I don't swing his way but I saw absolutely nothing charming or appealing by his words/demeanour. ofc maybe part of it was meant to be for him to be fake and putting on an act, but it felt too fake. I don't think it's the actors fault but the lines he was given were terrible. I don't remember the specifics but it all felt so fake and plastic.

that being said, the mvp of the show was deffo penelope, god I love her a lot this season. I liked her previously but this was her time to shine and also she looked drop dead gorgeous. love all her looks. the featherington sisters did make me laugh a bit, idk what it is this season but the whole thing of them not actually knowing how they will come to be with child was just fucking hilarious. I wish madame delacroix was in it more. always loved their convos.

I had read the book this time so I acc really liked the polin scenes from the book - her reading his journal, the two of them talking about how they met, and the fucking carriage scene. JESUS. I mean. I was fanning myself. phew. and the soundtrack - look I admit I don't think anything will top s2's soundtrack (unless in the second half they have another Bollywood cover which I doubt) and I wasn't the hugest fan of the songs this season, but the one playing during the carriage scene. SO GOOD.

I also really liked lord debling and I was surprised about that because he looked like just some old guy, but he seemed decent, genuinely so, and I did feel like pen had some chemistry with him but ofc not as a long term prospect.

other things that I noted. I loooove alice and will and I feel like they got something a bit meatier in terms of storyline compared to previous seasons. eloise and cressida was not a pairing I expected to ever ship but I fucking do. I mean. they get along but also aren't afraid of challenging each other and every single time they were on screen together all I could think of was that they would be perfect as a couple. I v much doubt they're ever headed in that direction but I did remember the actress playing cressida saying she has a proper arc this season. I wonder what that will be if it's not a romantic arc. but also every single time eloise and pen were in the same space together, I felt like eloise was looking at her crush or her ex gf or something. the yearning the angst the broken hearts!! it's right there!!!

and francesca, oh baby girl. I love her. she was cast so well. well, recast, I should say, but hey. she's also gorgeous. no surprises there. and john stirling is such a sweet boy, my god. that lord samadani dude made me uncomfortable with the whole eight children thing lmao. and benedict, I loved that we saw him dancing this season. ofc he's gone for the gorgeous widow. good for him. I do hope they delve into his artistic endeavours tho. I feel like that was one of the plot threads from last season that basically hasn't been touched upon at all.

I also just fucking love the hands all around. so good. tho the whole dropping a glove thing is great and all, and I'm 100% down for it as a meet cute for violet (she deserves to have her blooming garden tended to okay), I just wish that the other gloves of the season didn't look like fucking latex gloves that you'd use for food prep or whatever. like when colin picks up the glove of that girl and then kisses her hand... I feel like the moment was cheapened because of the cheap glove he was holding. I would not be surprised if it's acc really expensive material but it looks ghastly. I didn't mind the sheer ones pen wears when she arrives at the ball with the iconic green dress, but the white ones? hell to the fucking no.

all in all, I can safely say I enjoyed the season overall. I am gonna have so much fun writing fic to keep me occupied until june.

welp. I watched the first 4 eps of bridgerton S3 after work. I have so many thoughts but mostly I've still not recovered from three specific scenes: one in bed, one on a desk, and one in a carriage.

[kathonydaily]

Look 90 is perfection from start to finish. As someone else pointed out, he turns his entire body towards her. He just cannot stop looking at her.

Kate's face and small gesture of NO is heartbreaking.

Benedict, once again, noticing things, is my observant king, and Violet is just trying to salvage a situation that already a mess. I LOVE the last gif when you can see Violet actually pulling Anthony like "Stop it!". That was *chef's kiss*

Also I might be reading too much into this but I like it the part where they see each other but their visions are obstructed by other people, like the TON is an obstacle (I'm at the stage where I manage to look at the background and pay attention to details)

Finally (even when it's not in the gifs) Pen... I adore how she's the one who stays behind to say she's sorry and you know she actually means it. I would love for the show to give us scenes with Anthony and Pen. In the books he's the one who rescues Pen from Cressida and that's the moment Kate falls for him, and then after Pen hears Colin saying he would never court her, Anthony is the one who walked her to her house. I would love scenes with those two. I hope Anthony and Kate are Polin supporters

Nica catch about the ton! Yes at that point the ton and what they considered a scandal, was an obstacle for them to be together. Even if the greatest obstacle was still internal for both of them: Kate had her guilt to overcome while Anthony had still his fear of love/trauma to get over. In fact, once they both did, the ton wasn't truly an obstacle anymore. Who cares about them, right?

About Polin and Kathony's support: the problem here is that I feel Pen and Lady W's importance is one of those things they changed the most from the books. I mean in the books she mostly wrote about dresses and unimportant things, in the show, however, she revealed scandals, and basically had an impact in other people's lives and not always for the best. She did make some very questionable choices at times. I'm not sure even Colin will take well her being Lady W. in the show (because of the Marina's debacle), so I don't expect Anthony to either at first, since she did impact the Bridgerton's family with the Eloise's scandal. Not to mention that since she has a personal beef with the Bridgertons now, I'm truly scared of what she may write about the new Viscountess or Francesca's debut. So, yeah. I would LOVE to see those Anthony/Pen's scenes too from the book, but it will all depend on how they are going to constructe the season, what damage a dark!Pen could inflict to the Bridgertons now, and so on. However I do believe that after the initial's shock and anger, Anthony and Kate will understand why Pen did what she did, and they will be supportive of Polin. I also don't think the entire ton will know about Pen like it happened in the book, because I can't genuinely see them taking the news well, frankly. I think the drama in s3 will focus on Colin's finding out, then the Bridgerton's clan finding out, and then finding ways to protect her secret from the ton, but expecially the Queen.

[sofwrites]

Hey there, swifitie anon over here. Lets go over some things, shall we?

The last season of The Bold Type could have been better, it felt so rushed and a couple of the plot lines came out of nowhere and didn't make sense. At all.

I saw your post giving us a sneak peak for welcome to the digital age, babe and swooned when I saw you put a Taylor reference for me. I didn't read it though, because I prefer to experience the whole thing in one go.

Like I did last night, when you posted the whole chapter. Funnily enough, I was rereading another one of your fics: he laughed, she shrieked; she yearned, he loved. The references to Taylor's songs are not only greatly appreciated by me, but they also fit the story arc to a t. Weird how I hadn't brought that one up.

Now, the chapter. I'd firstly would like to thank every person who voted for angst on the twitter poll. I hope all of them are having a great day. I loved it. I loved the humour, their panic, their failed attempts at communicating how they're feeling, the fact that looking back from this chapter to the first or even second one, you can really see the progress their relationship has had, that we're officially in the mutual pining territory. THE MENTION OF BENJI. All of it.

I also would like to say that you do such an amazing job at conveying their emotions through text messages that it baffles me a bit. I think is a testament to how talented you are with words, that you can find the perfect way to arrange them so we can understand what they're feeling and thinking, without having access to their inner dialogues, descriptions of their facial expressions and basically only getting a summary of what happened based on what they text to each other and rest of the characters. I'm blown away by you every time I read a new chapter and can't wait for the next one. Meanwhile, you can find me in the pubwe rereading WCBCR again.

We got Wildest Dreams TV!!!

wekjnrafkdjnsaefkjnweajkr you are honestly my favorite person ever. this message really made my day and I literally wasn't expecting it at all (even despite the fact that I left you a s/o in the chapter note lmao)

- completely agree about The Bold Type and it's super unfortunate that they ruined a great show with a poor final season. My favorite character was Sutton and they... made choices with her.

- lwekmfwklasdmf okay so I just realized that the TS reference I kept hyping up is in fact in the part of the chapter I cut off for the next one... Benjamin is, of course, a Tay reference but there's a better one in the next chapter that I think you'll appreciate

- !!!! you re-reading the song fic 🥺Penelope is just so Taylor and her entire experience with Colin works so well with TS's discography. That whole fic was truly inspired by "Mr. Perfectly Fine" (my obsession with that song re-ignites like once a month) and it's so much how I imagine Pen feeling after the incident

- Ahhh I had so much fun with the mutual pining and I love angst sm that I was all too happy to provide. Fluffy endings are just so much more satisfying with the struggle build-up and I'm so glad you enjoyed it!

- I say this every time but you're so so SO sweet oh my god. I think about every single word/phrase/message I write and the meaning behind them and it's so overwhelmingly amazing that people pick up on that and appreciate it. Also, the way you just casually throw in "I'm re-reading so and so" FLABERGASTS me. I know that people generally enjoy my writing and that's amazing but the idea of someone liking it so much that they re-read the same story I wrote is just so incredible and unbelievable that I don't even know how to put it into words. Thank you so so so much not only for reading but also for just letting me know. It's so thoughtful and wonderful and I just wish you all the happiness and good energy back. (also I jammed to the LB reference)

- and finally NKJWESAFDJKASDFNJKESFNSED WILD THINGS (TAYLOR'S VERSION) !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! WHAT IS SHE PLANNING

[circular-time]

Hi! I'm trying to go through Classic Who and was wondering what some good serials to start off with would be, in your opinion? From a variety of Doctors, if that's okay.

Great question. It’s hard for me to boil 27 years into a quick watchlist, but I’ll do my best to give you a good sampler with good stories, watershed events, and most classic companions. I’ll boldface my top rec for each Doctor.

My suggestion is to try 2 top-recommended stories for each of the classic Doctors, and then watch more of whichever Doctor/companions catch your fancy.

Rec list below the cut: 

First Doctor

I always wrestle with where to start newbies.

Unearthly Child is such a good launch, especially the first half hour. It establishes that the Doctor has a lot to learn from humans! But if you find the later episodes of that story a bit draggy, it's okay to skip ahead to when the show hits its stride.Here:

The Aztecs (Barbara, Ian, Susan): First TARDIS team, classic historical, first to grapple with ethics of altering history. Excellent story.

The Romans (Barbara, Ian, Vicki): Lighthearted historical with a lot of moments to make you grin.

The Time Meddler (Steven, Vicki): Another fun one, first to introduce another Time Lord (although at the time, the showrunners hadn’t decided that the Doctor wasn’t human; the “Time Lord” concept was introduced in the second Doctor’s final episode.).

Second Doctor

I know this era the least, because almost all its episodes were lost when I was a kid, and I still need to catch up on recons and recovered stories. A pity, because Peter Davison, Colin Baker, and Peter Capaldi all look back to Patrick Troughton as their Doctor.

I’m still playing catch-up, but I warmly suggest:

Power of the Daleks (Ben, Polly) I’m not quite sure about this rec. It’s the first regeneration story ever, totally lost apart from the soundtrack, recently reconstructed using 1960s-comics-style animation. The visuals may not be your cup of tea, but it’s a good story. I guess this is another, “Try it, see if it works for you, and if not, move on.”

Enemy of the World (Jamie, Victoria) WATCH THIS. NO SERIOUSLY. It’s alarmingly topical, and Pat Troughton is amazeballs. Remember it’s 50 years old now.

The Mind Robber (Jamie, Zoe) a goofier, more lighthearted entry than most of my suggestions, but if you have a sense of humour, it’s a lot of fun. It reminds me that (a) Who was primarily a kids’s show smart enough for the whole family to enjoy and (b) early television was like watching a stage play;  you had to suspend disbelief, tolerate flat sets and basic props, and fill in the rest with your imagination. Our minds were the CGI of early TV.

Third Doctor

Three was my first Doctor, so from here on it gets difficult for me to be choosy.

Spearhead from Space (Liz, Brig) for sure; it’s the intro of the UNIT era and a good regeneration story. Keep in mind what a radical departure this was; not only was it in colour, but it was the first time the Doctor and companions had left at the end of one season and been replaced with an entirely new cast in the next. The Doctor was now Earthbound, working with UNIT. The Time Lords had just been established in the previous (10 episode long!) serial.

Inferno (Liz, Brig) is widely regarded and a heck of a story, with some unforgettable moments, but it’s another that’s about one episode longer than it needs to be according to modern tastes.

Terror of the Autons (Jo, Brig, Benton) introduces Jo AND the Master. Good story. Watch it. :)

The Three Doctors was the tenth anniversary special, and I love it, goofy monsters, ham acting, campy villain and all. William Hartnell passed away not long after.

Fourth Doctor

This is especially hard to pick and choose because Tom’s era spanned seven years, and he had so many good companions and watershed stories. You don’t have to hit all of these; I just have trouble choosing.

Genesis of the Daleks (Harry, Sarah Jane) for sure, introduction of Davros. Unusually dark but important story, a real watershed.

The Brain of Morbius (Sarah Jane) is a solid Four-era adventure introducing the Sisterhood of Karn and another problematic Time Lord. It’s not a pivotal story so much as “this is absolutely classic classic Who, and good entertainment.” 

Hand of Fear is Sarah Jane’s final story. It’s a good sendoff, even if the writers had forgotten she was a tough bird; she shrieks more than I’d like. The final scene is embedded in the hearts of all Whovians of my generation. Our Sarah Jane.

The Deadly Assassin (just about the only solo Doctor serial): I waffle on whether to recommend this because it’s slow in spots, but it probably did the most to establish Gallifrey canon of any story, since it’s the first story that takes place on Gallifrey. 

The Face of Evil introduces Leela. And you can skip it. No really, it’s simply a good adventure, and I hate for you to miss Leela altogether.

The Pirate Planet (Romana I, K9) is hilariously over the top, a farce penned by the inimitable Douglas Adams, author of Hitchhiker’s Guide. Bonus: drinking game with the phrase “MIISTER FIBULIIIII!” Except that might land you in a hospital, so never mind.

The City of Death (Romana II) contains a lot of running through the streets of Paris and Tom Baker and Lalla Ward flirting shamelessly. Nevertheless, it’s a good story with an unusually good secondary cast. A fan favorite. Watch for the John Cleese cameo!

Drat, that’s too many Tom Bakers already, so I guess I shouldn’t say Keeper of Traken. But I’m gonna, because I’m biased. (It’s Nyssa’s intro, a Shakespearean tragedy with an interesting villain. More importantly, Anthony Ainley, the next Master, plays her father.)

Fifth Doctor

Castrovalva is the best regeneration story. Yes, I’m biased, but that sequence with Peter Davison wandering around the TARDIS imitating the Doctors he grew up watching is a great intro.

Earthshock (Adric, Tegan, Nyssa) I haven’t given you any Cybermen stories yet, have I? Watch this one. I refuse to spoil why; I’ve already spoiled the first cliffhanger (it had been seven years since the previous Cybermen story, and nobody was expecting them).

The Five Doctors (Tegan, Turlough, and everybody else) is the 20th anniversary special that brought back as many Doctors, companions and monsters as it possibly could. Pure fanservice, but fun for all that. Plus more Gallifrey worldbuilding.

Caves of Androzani (Peri) is often voted the best classic Who story ever. Not sure about that, but the directing in this one is so much better than most of the era it hurts. Even if modern audiences are no longer used to characters addressing the camera; it was a convention back then.

Sixth Doctor

Poor Colin; I love his audios but I haven’t gone back and watched his TV serials since the 80s. The two I remember as especially good are:

The Two Doctors (Jamie, Peri) - Colin Baker collides with Patrick Troughton. Not to mention Jackie Pearce, who played the arch-villain of Blake’s 7.

Vengeance on Varos (Peri) - keep in mind that so-called Reality TV was almost two decades away

Seventh Doctor

I loved the quirky first season of the Seventh Doctor era, but most people don’t. Delta and the Bannermen (Mel) was apparently penned under the influence of recreational substances, and I love it, but again, most people don’t. Happiness Patrol is another “I love it, but most people don’t” story.

These are safer, quality bets:

Battlefield. (Ace) WATCH IT. NO SERIOUSLY. Last Brig appearance on classic Who. A+ would recommend, if nothing else for the fact that Who clued in to having a diverse (and good) cast. Watch for Ace’s gal pal of the week. ;) 

Remembrance of the Daleks (Ace) was originally meant as the 25th anniversary special. The Doctor returns to Coal Hill School for the first time since Unearthly Child. There’s Daleks and the famous Unlimited Rice Pudding speech. Ace kicks Dalek ass.

Survival. Last classic Who ever. A Master story. Ace’s gal of the week is none other than Lisa Bowerman (Big Finish director, also plays Bernice Summerfield) disguised as a furry. Despite the naff costuming, it’s a good story, and the scriptwriter was slipping in as much lesbian subtext as she could get away with in the 80s (according to an interview).

Eighth Doctor

By all means, watch the TV movie, despite its flaws. When it came out, my friends compained, “Stop trying to appeal to Americans by making Doctor Who more American! We’re Anglophiles!” And I lamented, “This is the opposite of Doctor Who: The FX are superb [well, they were then] but the dialogue is mediocre!”  Nevertheless, we all loved Paul McGann as the Doctor and were angry on his behalf that he hadn’t been given a better script to reboot the franchise.

My opinion of the 1997 movie has risen considerably over the years, but it’s still a bit rocky.

And of course you have to see Night of the Doctor, but it’s only seven minutes. Perfect Paul.

Edited to add: Nobody is grading you on your hobby. Or if they are, F ’em. You are allowed to pick and choose! There is so much Who now that it’s pretty much impossible to see, read and listen to all of it. Different eras of the show have different styles and appeal to different tastes. So watch what gives you joy. Just remember there are overlooked gems in every period.