#the marriage market

[darkangel1791]

I have been upset in previous years with posts that complained about "rainbow capitalism". I understand that people felt used by companies that had homophobic policies and/or donated to anti-gay organizations, but still had a marketing campaign in June designed to celebrate Pride.

But as I say on my tumblr homepage, I am old. I remember when a corporation would never commit financial suicide by putting a rainbow on their product. Gay people were not mainstream. They were hated, feared, and objects of disgust.

Corporations are always going to screw people over. That is what they do. "Rainbow capitalism" at least showed that the LGBTQIA community was accepted enough that corporations knew that they were unlikely to lose more customers than they won by participating. It was worth the risk, because the risk was small.

This year, there is a significant drop in "rainbow capitalism". I guess that will make some people very happy. But it is not good. It is a very bad sign.

It means that now corporations are more worried about who might boycott them, than who they can sell to with that marketing strategy. We are falling out of the mainstream. We are losing acceptance. I think we all know why.

Try to be louder, show yourselves, attend Pride, fly your flags, buy any "rainbow capitalism" products that are still available if you financially can. But do keep yourself safe.

And most of all, vote as if your life depends upon it.

If we ever get our acceptance and buying power back again, please understand the importance of "rainbow capitalism", and what it really means.

❤️🧡💛💚🩵���💜🤎🖤

[sukibenders]

Bridgerton states from season one, through Simon and Lady Danbury, to season two, with the Sharmas, to Queen Charlotte, from the beginning episode to the end spelled out clear as day, that racism exists in this world and many of the characters of colors have been impacted by it in some way. And, supposedly, I'm supposed to believe that Marina, that Kate and Edwina, that they all had more privilege and power than Penelope? No, I don't think so, a lot of things aren't right with that statement.

[elaho]

Paisley's Bridal Boutique is now compatible with Stardew 1.6!!

**Please scroll to the bottom of the page for an important announcement**

Paisley's Bridal Boutique has been given a major revamp for Stardew 1.6! Over 10 new hats, 5 new shirts, and 4 new pants have been added, along with vanilla wedding hats, shirts, and pants are available, including Mermaids Pendant and Bouquet.

All pants, skirts, and dresses now have full animation compatibility. You can now wear your favourite outfits wherever you'd like - farming, mining, fishing, dancing, getting married, and more!

Four official Flower Dance outfits have been included, so you can wear a fancy dress or suit to match your mate at the festival.

Much more content has been added to the Boutique! Check out the Changelogs on Nexus Mods for a complete list of changes and additions for version 1.3.0.

Paisley's Bridal Boutique is available to play for free on Nexus, CurseForge, and ModDrop.

**Important Announcement**

I've been thinking about the future of the Maker's Market for a long time and needed to decide whether continuing to make mods is something I can continue affording financially and with my spare time. But the thought of quitting made me really sad.

Making mods is something I enjoy doing and being able to share them with the community makes me really happy. I know many people would also be sad if things ended here.

Because of things, I've launched a Patreon page for the Grampleton Maker's Market [and other Stardew mods]. This way, I can continue to work on creating the mods and content I'm passionate about while also being able to give players the immersive and well-rounded content they deserve.

My mods will always be free to play, so my Patreon will be focused on relieving a bit of my financial stress while also sharing exclusive behind-the-scenes content, character developments, updates, sneak-peaks, Q+A's, and voting polls regarding the Market and other Stardew mods with my patrons.

I will add more Patreon tiers in the future, but I've decided to keep things simple by starting with two tiers so I don't end up overworking or pressuring myself to pump out content. Thank you all for your generous support and encouragement over the years. I truly appreciate each and every one of you <3

Much love, -Elaho

[dollypopup]

sorry, still on this soapbox but

we have really, REALLY done Colin a disservice in this fandom. we spent so long viewing him primarily as a Love Interest and not as a Character. But when we see and analyze him as a character, so many of his actions make sense, and it becomes almost ridiculous, the dynamics we've imposed on this couple (yes, I'm talking about the 'Colin fucked up and needs to prove himself to Penelope' narrative) when there's so much more nuance and beauty to their pairing than we give them credit for

we as the audience focus so much on Penelope's perspective in their relationship, of course, because we have so much of her perspective in the show, and so our frustrations with Colin stem from that, but we get more insight into him than Penelope does. The 'I would never court her' scene that we've been livid over for years is considerably softened when we actually look at Colin as a character, and the circumstances around his actions.

Colin spends season 2 SAD. He is straight up not okay. We leave Colin in Season 1 freshly heartbroken and running away to Greece to heal. In Season 2, we meet him again, considerably more somber. Colin doesn't participate in the dances. He even says 'I'm just a spectator'. Colin talks about how he started a conversation with himself, tried to understand what he wants and how he feels. Colin offers Benedict shroom tea, and for a moment, JUST A MOMENT, we see the facade slip. His mask cracks. 'Are you quite alright, brother?' and then it's gone. Then he's cheerful again. Calm Colin. Nice Colin.

Colin who is okay.

But Colin is *not* okay. Colin completely isolates himself from women. Colin doesn't flirt, doesn't entertain female attention. Colin is heartbroken, trying to be better. But he views Penelope as a friend, a sacred relationship, a worthwhile relationship, and he can't bear to lose her. To him, Penelope is arguably his closest friendship. His best friend. And in an entire town full of people who don't listen to him, he thinks Penelope does. Unlike the typical dynamic of the ton, in which men are ONLY speaking to women by viewing them as potential sexual partners, Colin views Penelope as a whole person. She doesn't just exist as a romantic option to him, but as a vital connection in his life. That's why the 'I am a woman' 'You are. . .Pen' is so important to view as an act of love- Penelope is NOT just a woman as the ton sees her, good for marriage prospects and little else, Penelope is a complete person. Yes, she's a woman, but more importantly, she's PEN. She's a full human being. And he values her as such. We cannot say the same for the grand majority of men in his society. Tell me any other male-female friendships like that in the ton where that level of respect is given?

But for Penelope, it's hurtful, because she WANTS to be seen as a romantic option in his eyes. That's a fair feeling, though we as an audience should recognize that it can be both upsetting to Pen, and also deeply beautiful as a sentiment. Because of Penelope's hopes of Colin as a romantic prospect, she does not see that he is hurting. Because of our connection as a fandom to Penelope, we do not see it, either. But he *is* hurting. In all of Season 2 he's hurting. That's why he throws himself into the Jack mess. He wants, NEEDS a distraction. He wants to find a place in his world, his society. Honestly? He needs a win. He has spent the last year losing and losing and losing. Who can blame him for being sick of it? His engagement blows up, he finds out his family pays no attention to him, that no one cares about his agency, and he's publicly humiliated. If he invests, if he makes money, he might make more male connections. Might run in more important circles. Like his brothers do. Might prove himself. But Colin isn't friends with the men of the ton. We don't see ANY evidence that he has strong friendships with any of them. Because he isn't like them.

He is 22 years old. Treated like a child in his own family. When he talks about his travels, no one listens. Everyone dismisses him. 'Remarkable, yes, in the sense that I have many remarks about it'. Colin is invisible. He is trying to slot himself in his community, but he does not fit neatly into it. He connects with Will, a man outside his community, and Penelope, a woman also outside his community, because *Colin* exists outside his community. He's the foolish boy who fell headfirst for a woman who lied to him. He's the 'green' baby walking in his older brother's footsteps and unable to fill them. He doesn't behave the way other men of the ton do. He doesn't talk like other men of the ton do. Hell, he *apologizes* to women. We have men NOW in the MODERN ERA who don't even apologize to women.

His own *mother* doesn't even notice he was dating someone for several months in season 1. Colin is a pretty, empty ghost wandering around Mayfair, and so of course he's thrown into a locker room conversation with a bunch of guys who have never once seen a woman as a person, and doesn't relate to them. Colin's not joking and having fun with these men. We very purposefully do not see his reaction after he delivers the 'I would never court her' line.

Colin is uncomfortable around them, but he needs their help to make it up to Will, someone who was kind to him and who he looks up to. He has the mask on so firmly in that scene, it's physically obvious to see. If you compare his reactions around Penelope to his reactions around Fife, it's stark. With Penelope he's open, his eyes are soft, his expression is curious and kind, his shoulders are relaxed. Around Fife he's closed off, eyes hard, muscles tense. Who can blame him? He's acting. He's acting just like he's acting around Jack.

When we look at Colin as a whole character, we get insight into his actions and they make SENSE. The things he say that hurt Penelope are things that are actually defending her- Colin saying he wouldn't court her to those men in particular, is an act of caring. He is defending her in that scene. When a debutante is only good for being 'wed, bed, and bred' in their eyes, Colin saying no, that Penelope is worth more than that, that his connection to her isn't forged on wanting to fuck her, or exploit her, or treat her as a sexual object, is radical. Because anything else, ANYTHING else that he says that isn't an outright denial, puts Penelope in danger. He can't let them believe that the woman he cherishes so deeply he cannot even ENTERTAIN the idea of not talking to her is out here being ruined by his hands.

And when we see it that way, we see that, in reality, of all the men in the series, Colin is the one who has been kindest to his love interest. Colin is the one who has defended her, the one who has stuck his neck out for her, the one who has cared for her with absolutely no expectations of sex or romance in return.

Colin's relationship to Penelope is beautiful, and sure, she can be upset that it isn't in the exact shape she wants it to be, but I think if she takes a step back and looks at it more objectively, if WE take a step back and look at it more objectively, Colin has only ever gone into it with a big, earnest heart. Not PERFECTLY, of course, he isn't perfect, but with the best intentions, and with as much honesty as he can.

And I don't know why we don't celebrate him more for it

[triptychofvoids]

I keep getting anti-divorce ads when im on scrolling through your blog

I dont see them anywhere else otherwise

love wins....?

[admiralexclipse]

[valley girl voice] uhm ... like ... peace and love on planet earth

[deus-ex-mona]

lxl more like loverxlover amirite—

[softodettes]

the dedication in a book i finished the other day was “is there knotting in this? why yes, honey, do you want some?” and that was only part of the reason why i picked it up, but maybe don’t make that such a selling point when there’s only two scenes with it??? 😭

[funeralcity]

all my tumblr ads lately have been for some dating app thats like were not like other dating apps you wont get judged for your looks or betrayed here thats right ugly bitches welcome <3

[lifewithaview]

Ruth Gemmell and Phoebe Dynevor in Bridgerton (2020) Diamond of the First Water

S1E1

Daphne Bridgerton debuts on London's marriage market as a new gossip sheet sets high society atwitter and Simon, the eligible Duke of Hastings, returns to town.

*Portia Featherington: And, Penelope, put down that book at once. You will confuse your thoughts.

[ree-duh]

I am… going to kms

[elaho]

Paisley's Bridal Boutique Mod is getting a major revamp for Stardew 1.6!

More hats, shirts, and pants for weddings and festivals will be added, full animation for all pants and dresses will be possible, and an updated look for Paisley's boutique tent will be included in version 1.3.0

The transition to 1.6 and de-bugging are almost complete, so expect the official re-launch to happen around the start of May. More exciting news will also be included in the official 1.3.0 launch post [coming soon!], so follow my Tumblr to keep up-to-date with the latest developments :)

For a complete list of all current changes for 1.3.0 [spoilers!], check out the Changelogs for Paisley's Bridal Boutique on Nexus Mods.

[bisexualbellamys]

I totally get Cressida for laughing at Colin for asking her not to expose Penelope because who the fuck are you to come spouting to me about love and doing the right thing. Like bro not everyone can be as happy and in love as you. You're not in danger of getting married off to a creepy old man. You have a family that will support you and back you no matter what. She does not. Is she right for blackmailing Penelope no, but honestly what choice did she have? She literally waltzed herself into a corner inescapable by claiming to be Lady Whistle down.

[dollypopup]

y'all can all cancel me (again) for this, but if there's even a SHRED of 'who should I pick?' from Penelope in season 3, I am tuning out SO fast because like. . .sorry not sorry, there IS no choice. Debling is some crusty OC suitor she barely even knows and Colin is a man who she has been so supposedly in love with to the point where she'd ruin her entire family's reputation to have a potential love story with him. Penelope and Colin have background, years of knowing each other, intimacy that few people in the Ton can boast of having (letters, conversations about purpose, fights and arguments and makeups) and her and Debling have. . .a dance or two at a ball because he's a rebound for Penelope's broken heart. he means nothing. he has no nuance, he has no weight to the story, he is such an afterthought to me. either I wanna see Penelope going 'you know what? I don't even LIKE this dude. he's. . .fine, but I don't care about him even a shred as much as I care about Colin' or the INSTANT Colin's like 'you know what? we should get married' if it's not an immediate 'say less, you're already my husband, try returning me without the receipt, Debling whomst?' then I don't want it!

like. . .it's just so frustrating to see all the 'I hope Debling sweeps her off her feet and she rejects Colin's proposal and she makes him work for it and and and-' nonsense from the fandom and it's always tagged and no matter how many times I block it, it just keeps popping up. I go into the Polin tag for POLIN. I don't give a SHIT about a male love interest other than Colin. Not one. Not a shred. Not an iota.

and also. . .Debling has the 'benefit' of not having depth, or character traits, or HISTORY, so peeps can project onto him however they want, but I'm calling it now, there is NOTHING he could do or be that would make me like him more than Colin. Colin will always hit different, and I will always love him more. and if Pen's not on that same page? lol bye

you want me to believe Penelope and Colin are soulmates and it's romance for her to hem and haw about how difficult a decision it is for her to marry a stranger who knows barely anything about her. . .

when Marina was out here dropping banger lines like 'You were the only man with which I could see myself being happy' and 'I do not care about any of these men, where is Colin?'? like hello??? and she wasn't even fully in love with him!!!! but we'll demonize her until the cows come home in our fandom and make her the villain in Polin's love story for DARING to get in between Polin, yet Debling, a white man, is a darling dear perfect prince for getting in between Polin? existing in our fandom solely so Penelope can be like 'lol, Colin ain't shit, let me entertain any and everyone else'?

if that's the direction it goes then, ten toes down and on my mama, she doesn't deserve Colin and she can move because I'm on my way to court him my damn self

and that's that on that

[eskildit]

ive long believed that matchmaking could make a major resurgence if companies started marketing to gen z. Honestly I think it’s already starting

[sabh0]

Inquiry concerning the wedding preparations. How many people are you marrying how big should the reserved area be? And where do you want the wedding? Should I take care of the outfits or you all choose? That's a lot of questions but take your time ♡

Hey guys how many ppl am i marrying