dead poet’s honour

the girls

sophie baek is a maid. that distinction is not cosmetic, it is the foundation of her entire story. comparing her to penelope ignores the central class divide that defines benedict and sophie’s relationship. penelope is from a reputable family. she is a known, present member of the ton. she is a debutante. because of that, colin can bring her through the front door of bridgerton house without hesitation. he can present her directly to his mother. and violet, the family, and society can accept that union with joy and pride. their love fits within the rules of the world they live in.

benedict and sophie do not get that luxury. benedict cannot bring sophie through the front door. that is not a minor obstacle, it is the entire point of their story. sophie’s class is mountains lower than the bridgertons’, and the ton will never accept her as his equal. their union will be whispered about, shamed, and resisted at every turn. loving sophie is not socially safe for benedict; it is a risk, a defiance, and a dream he is not supposed to be allowed. where colin’s love is sanctioned by society, benedict’s is fundamentally transgressive. penelope’s story is about being seen within the system. sophie’s is about surviving outside of it. collapsing those two dynamics flattens the stakes and erases what makes benedict and sophie tragic, radical, and powerful.

their love is not meant to be easy, public, or instantly accepted. it is meant to be impossible.

This was my favourite part to make for the WIWHW bind I made with Laura. The dust jacket!

I had a blast working on this. It was the perfect excuse to create a rom-com inspired book cover, like those contemporary romance novels we've all seen on the shelves, with the cartoony characters (and the absolute filth between the covers, which is ironic, and slightly problematic, but that's a whole other topic.)

I really love the back of the dust jacket. It's got that cosy baking feel, and I thought the little hearts drawn into the flour dust was a fun little indulgence :)

love forever,

your moon.