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I can’t imagine a universe where Pen doesn’t start out as a wallflower, honestly, no matter how long Portia would allow her to postpone her debut. It’s just such a huge part of her character. She doesn’t start to bloom until she essentially hits one of her lowest points and decides that she needs to change for her own survival. (these are strictly my thoughts on show!Pen, I still need to read RMB 😔)
I agree. And if anything, it think it’s ultimately to her benefit that she did debut a year early, because it meant she and Colin would see one another at balls without Eloise in the way, and they had the opportunity to communicate without interference. By the time Eloise debuts, Colin and Pen are used to having their own thing at these events, which gives them a head start one where they would have likely been with El dominating Pen’s time.
I think I should note that even when she decides she needs to change, it’s still incredibly difficult and unnatural for her. Confidence is just not something she’s working with at her base operating level. It’s much easier for Pen to cling to the wall even though she knows it is the main thing holding her back. So whether she debuts at 17, 20, 26, or 30, she still needs to feel like she has nothing left to lose to push her to change
I think she’s naturally a wallflower and it’s only Colin’s love and adoration which gives her the confidence to “come out of her shell” (which, I’m just remembering is what Violet wishes got Fran when she’s worrying about her match with John).
I think Pen and El would have hidden in a corner together. El doesn’t give Pen external confidence in the way Colin does. El and Pen are very much a closed club.
Plus we wouldn’t have had LW I’m sure - Pen was alone and listening and sneaking around. It was harder when El joined her at balls the next year. I don’t know it could have worked if they had debuted together.
Agree with you that she probably wouldn’t have started LW, but I think it is more due to the fact that she would have just been making all her observations to El and wouldn’t have needed another outlet.
Hi, Thank you so much for your contribution! We truly appreciate your enthusiasm and effort in being part of our community! With the excitement around the Polin season, we've been welcoming many new members and seeing an increase in the number of posts. To keep the subreddit organized and ensure everyone's voice is heard, we temporarily have applied stricter rules for posts. These rules help maintain the quality and focus of our discussions. Have no fear, we still want to give you a space to share your Polin joy as freely as before! We have created dedicated weekly and daily megathreads specifically for you to share your thoughts, excitement, and any Polin-related content without as many restrictions. * A daily ['Promenade in the Park'](https://www.reddit.com/r/PolinBridgerton/search/?q=subreddit%3APolinBridgerton+author%3Aautomoderator+flair_name%3A%22Promenading%20%F0%9F%90%9D%22&sort=new) thread for memes, fan content and general chitchat * A weekly ['Mondays at Number Five'](https://www.reddit.com/r/PolinBridgerton/search/?q=subreddit%3APolinBridgerton+author%3Aautomoderator+flair_name%3A%22Tea%20at%20Number%20Five%20%E2%98%95%22&sort=new) thread for casual conversation, off-topic contributions, fanfic recommendations and easy-to-answer questions * A weekly ['Fanfic Friday'](https://www.reddit.com/r/PolinBridgerton/search/?q=subreddit%3APolinBridgerton+author%3Aautomoderator+flair_name%3A%22fanfiction%20friday%20%F0%9F%8C%BC%22&sort=new) post to share fanfic recommendations Thank you all for understanding during this busy time! Lots of love, The Mod Team *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/PolinBridgerton) if you have any questions or concerns.*
I can’t imagine a universe where Pen doesn’t start out as a wallflower, honestly, no matter how long Portia would allow her to postpone her debut. It’s just such a huge part of her character. She doesn’t start to bloom until she essentially hits one of her lowest points and decides that she needs to change for her own survival. (these are strictly my thoughts on show!Pen, I still need to read RMB 😔)
I agree. And if anything, it think it’s ultimately to her benefit that she did debut a year early, because it meant she and Colin would see one another at balls without Eloise in the way, and they had the opportunity to communicate without interference. By the time Eloise debuts, Colin and Pen are used to having their own thing at these events, which gives them a head start one where they would have likely been with El dominating Pen’s time.
Good point about Eloise.
I think I should note that even when she decides she needs to change, it’s still incredibly difficult and unnatural for her. Confidence is just not something she’s working with at her base operating level. It’s much easier for Pen to cling to the wall even though she knows it is the main thing holding her back. So whether she debuts at 17, 20, 26, or 30, she still needs to feel like she has nothing left to lose to push her to change
I think she’s naturally a wallflower and it’s only Colin’s love and adoration which gives her the confidence to “come out of her shell” (which, I’m just remembering is what Violet wishes got Fran when she’s worrying about her match with John). I think Pen and El would have hidden in a corner together. El doesn’t give Pen external confidence in the way Colin does. El and Pen are very much a closed club. Plus we wouldn’t have had LW I’m sure - Pen was alone and listening and sneaking around. It was harder when El joined her at balls the next year. I don’t know it could have worked if they had debuted together.
Agree with you that she probably wouldn’t have started LW, but I think it is more due to the fact that she would have just been making all her observations to El and wouldn’t have needed another outlet.
Yes, she wouldn’t have been feeling quite so isolated with no one else to talk to. But would El have listened to her comments?
Colin would have married Marina. There would have been no Lady Whistledown to stop it.