#but little does op know what d does Not want any of this

[the-mang0tree]

we will lead you All into the future !!

[m4rs-ex3]

ALLLL RIGHTY YALL

if u haven't already seen.............. guys i was late i was fucking late for the panel give me a break

BUT here is a play by play of everything from the second i got in

[A GOOD CHUNK OF THE SECRET SCENE] if you saw this post within the first few *hours you got to see but you know what? they got to me i don't wanna be the snitch (i did on accident but its the though that counts)

opeli is being led blindfolded (which we see from opeli's pov. riveting visuals i tell you) by soren to the ✨secret meeting location✨

when she comments on the fact that it is literally just callum's office soren shuts her up bless him

opeli's like "DID BAIT GIVE BIRTH??!?!?" and soren's like no these are "rescue baits" and opeli gives them the greatest fucking look i can't even describe it to you

you've seen that leak "look it's the pearl :D""WHA""yep he's in there :)))))"

rayla says it like "per-al." just thought you should know

soren suggests forming a Fellowship of the Pearl and going to throw it into a volcano i fucking hate this show

they're all debating what to do with it meanwhile the most cryptic-ass shots of callum with the pearl like we get it he's fucked (i take it back i want more)

they finally get to him and he's like "uh????? destroy it obviously?????"

he suggests--and these are 100% his words (not actually cuz u know but its the general idea)--"smash it? throw it off a cliff? take a big ol axe and just--KA CHOP." i love him so much

rayla asks how they know it won't just release him

the way callum is so confused and conflicted and he just says "i... i don't know" oh my god by precious baby

cool ass top-down to the pearl whirlpool esq transtion into the next scene hello??

zym is being emo at a painting of his mother (the one from 4x03 yeah they just stitched that shit up it's all good)

ezran's like. huh. we oughtta do smth abt this

callum is Thinking Thoughts on the turrets(?? yk where soren does his lunges) and tossin the rune cube when he sees the star rune light up......................................

it's stella stella's there and the way he reacts to her is so precious 😭 he's not the step dad he's the dad who stepped up type shit

enter rayla "they told me u would be up here brooding"

(in a tragic turn of events the rayllum of this scene had my brain fuzzy so i can't remember a few chunks here and there have pity my brain has rotten)

callum's like "we have to do something i'm scared he's gonna use me. i know what we need to do ok we need to go to the starscraper"

it's honestly hilarious the way he says "and *WE.* should go" he's like "don't be gettin any ideas now this is an us thing"

and then ohoho "they have something there for you, too" (THAT was an exact quote)

he's like "PLSPLSPLS i've studied star magic i know the spells i know the runes i just need the quasar diamonds!! LET ME FREE UR PARENTS AND RUNAAN PLEAAAASSSSEEEE"

rayla is veryyyyyy opposed she's like "NO i want to help my parents as much as you"--honestly i don't think ANYONE wants to as much as him--"but i don't want my biases to affect that" BIASES?!??!! like that was the word she used i can't stop thinking about it

zym has entered his wolf child era his ass is HOWLING at the moon

soren hears him and goes "aww little guy misses his mom :((( sometimes i wonder where my mom is...." WHAT AWHAT WHAT AWHAT PJARDON SAY IT AGIAN YOU WAHGTS SAY IT AGIAND HUAH HUWH A

ok. yeah callum does not have pajamas BUT I THINK WE HAVE BIGGER ISSUES HERE????????????? HE WAS SLEEPING IN HIS OFFICE

THAT COUCH THING THAT THEY WERE ON WHEN RAYLA CAME BACK IN 4x03???? HES JUST SLEEPING ON IT I CANT MY GUY WHAT R U DOINGGG

in other news

bruv is tossing and turning and then just. ~stops.~ this can only mean good things (i think you know where i'm going with this)

he sits up. hobbles over to the door. there was a really cool transition (can u tell i respect the cinematography) and he's in the cellar holding the pearl.

he wakes up in aaravos' prison and is like "well this looks neat!" until he sees the mirror and screams and wakes up. when he realizes where he is he goes "what have i done" dude you fell asleep?? god he's never sleeping again (<- me when i lie 😈)

the description we got of this next scene did NOT do it justice it was fucking incredible

callum kicks down the fucking door (not actually) screaming for rayla

rayla TUMBLES OUT OF BED ON TO THE FLOOR, pillows in hands and unafraid to use them

"WHOA. HEY HEY ITS OKAY ITS ME! it's just me rayla. it's me. callum" i feel like he was saying the same 5 words for 7 hours it was beautiful

rayla: "callum?? jeez i could have-" *looks at pillows*

callum giggles the cutest fucking giggle and says something along the lines of "yeah, it would've hurt real bad :)"

oh yeah DE-LAYERED PONYTAIL RAYLA CONFIRMEDED??!?!?!?!?!

she sits back on the bed and my guy KNEELS DOWN AT THE CORNER OF THE BED TO PICK UP HER STUFF BEFORE HE SITS DOWN NEXT TO HER and they say chivalry is dead romance was birthed and ended with this scene

he tells her about it and she goes "callum, you're exhausted. you had a nightmare. if i thought you were in any real danger you know i would-" and then ironically i forget the same line that the person from nycc did wouldja look at that

can i just mention how close they were sitting in this scene i mean i jsut thikn i should mention hwo clo

yada yada he has a lightbulb and runs off with her blanket

the iconic "i know stella.. he took our blankie :("

god knows why barius is up in the middle of the night whispering sweet nothings to his jelly tarts

callum comes in with a certain proposition mwuhahaha

rayla comes into his office and sees his aesthetic ass sewing by fireside and graciously says "ah i get it! you're taking your mind off things by peacefully knitting" so iconic for both of them

callum explains that he's stitching runes to create a protection spell when barius comes in with the """"""""pearl""""""""""

rayla DIVES in front of callum and says "what r you doing get that thing AWAY from him!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!" she got SO protective SO fast it was blessed

callum's like au contraire 😈

ok so obviously we had all heard about the fake pearl but. you know that one guy who makes insane sculptures out of nothing but chocolate? that's what they did the pearl is brown sludge with a candy coating 💀 i'm losing my mind that is so funny to me

so yeah with the decoy out the real pearl is protected by--and callum literally said this--"a magic blankie >:)"

he also pops in to tell ez and omg GUYS BAIT HAS HIS OWN LITTLE ROYAL CANOPY BED ITS SO FUCKING CUTE

dawn in the courtyard--ez is saying goodbye to soren, zym, and pyrrah who are going to look for zubeia (i almost just typed zendaya i need sleep) and callum and rayla who r going to the starscraper

my roman empire is this: callum was acting all eepy and then when they get going hE RESTS HIS HEAD ON RAYLA'S BACK AND FALLS ASLEEP. I CANNOT FUCKING MAKE THIS UP IT WAS PHENOMENAL SHE LOOKED SO FUCKING HAPPY I I I I I I HAKJSDHFKJASHFDKJHSADKFHKJASHFIHASEKFH

on a slightly lower note

scene from teaser except they did cut a couple lines in the teaser. mainly just terry going "didn't see you there,, cuz i was asleep. with my eyes closed"

he does not in fact get impaled but claudia tells him she's gonna leave him first and does just that

as she's going omfg terry's cries and pleas and "I LOVE YOU"s and "I WILL WAIT. I WILL WAIT HERE FOR YOU" was absolutely insane idk what was in the air in that recording studio but shout out to ben

i am so tired goodbye!

[valentin1k]

꒰ 10 ꒱ a too-strong vanilla candle, ꒰ D ꒱ a hotel bathroom (I assume the op ment bathrobe, but go with whichever u prefer!), ꒰ 𓃔 ꒱ road-closing landslides with caseyvale?

hiii <3 i did go with hotel bathroom because it came to me in a vision. i feel like this is rambly & unfoused but oh well...

landslide / 1k / ao3

Casey checks his phone once, twice, disbelieving. He closes the text thread with his PA to check the news to be absolutely sure, then checks that there are multiple reports— reality does not, in fact, change when he refreshes the page.

“What the fuck,” he says, a little too loud. Valentino jerks awake next to him; Casey winces.

Valentino mumbles something in Italian that Casey can’t catch. He squints up at Casey, entire face folding into it, and then visibly searches for his English.

“Are you okay?” he says finally.

“Yeah, sorry,” Casey says, “Just— well, look.” 

Valentino blinks at the phone screen blearily. Belatedly, Casey realises he should have maybe turned the brightness down.

“Allora, the roads are closed?” Valentino says, and then hisses through his teeth, “Do they say how long?”

“At least till tomorrow morning, apparently,” says Casey, feeling it churn in his stomach.

Valentino sighs and rolls out of bed. “I will call reception,” he says, “Keep the room for one more night. Or maybe they will do it for free— everyone is trapped here, ha.”

Casey doesn’t like the idea of it, keeping the room with Valentino for more than a night, the chances of being spotted increasing exponentially the longer they stay. He’s aware they don’t really have any other choice, unless Casey wants to get his own room in the hotel, even more suspicious, his name on the official record and having to show his face to the front desk. Worse, he can feel a headache building behind his eyes, something that had started maybe two hours ago, that he’d ignored because he was supposed to have left by now. His phone lights up with another text from his PA, helpfully informing him that she’s moved his plane tickets to tomorrow. Casey swallows down his frustration.

Valentino, absurdly relaxed, is meandering around the room with his phone, muttering under his breath. Letting his people, presumably, know the situation. He probably has places to be— sponsorship duties, interviews, racing things. Nominally, both Casey and Valentino are retired. Right now, Casey feels starkly how different their lives actually are; Casey has no one to text, no plans to reschedule. His calendar is, in fact, clear for the next whole week, time set aside to recover from the trip to Spain.

Casey remembers actually feeling younger than Valentino. Unable, suddenly, to stand the sight of Valentino at all, he escapes to the bathroom. Avoiding eye contact with the mirror, he splashes cold water on his face, hoping it will help with the headache. Conversely, it only grows worse, pressure building. He frowns— Valentino knocks at the door.

Casey sighs. “Yeah?”

“What do you want for breakfast?”

“How are you thinking about breakfast right now?”

Valentino opens the door unceremoniously, leans against the doorframe. “We are awake now,” he says, shrugging, “We can eat.”

Casey stares at him, incredulous. Valentino frowns. “Allora, I was just asking.”

Casey’s stomach swoops strangely. “No, sorry, I’m just—” 

His headache spikes then. He hisses, screwing his eyes shut against the wave of pain.

“Casey?” Valentino says, hovering suddenly at his shoulder, “Are you okay?”

“Yes,” Casey says, gritting his teeth, “Just. A headache.”

Valentino hums, and then, out of nowhere, “Is it the candle?”

“What?”

“The candle,” Valentino says again, tipping his head towards the sink.

Casey twists; the candle, as soon as he sees it, makes complete sense. Now that he knows it’s there, the smell is obvious, heavy in the air. It isn’t even lit. Casey’s pretty sure it’s supposed to be decorative. 

“How did you know?” he mutters.

Valentino picks it up casually. “I think you do not like strong smells, yes? You did not like my old cologne.”

Casey pauses, thinking. Valentino’s cologne has changed in the last few months. Casey had noticed it but not thought much of it. He can’t have changed it for Casey. By the time he opens his mouth to say that, Valentino is already gone. Casey stumbles out of the bathroom to see him setting the candle outside of the hotel room door.

“Valentino,” he says, unsteady, “That’s— you didn’t have to do that.”

Valentino laughs. “Sometimes you are very funny, Casey,” he says, “We have to be here at least until tomorrow. You want a headache the whole time?”

Casey can feel himself flush at that. There is nothing, apparently, that he can do right this morning. He turns around and marches back to the bed; maybe he can just sleep half the day away. 

“Casey,” Valentino says, following, “You are angry?”

“No,” Casey says, trying to smother himself with his pillow. 

He is aware that he is acting ridiculous, throwing a temper tantrum. He feels the bed dip beside him with Valentino’s weight, and a second later Valentino’s hand on the small of his back. Valentino has always been tactile; something that used to alarm and delight Casey in equal measure when he was younger, something he thought about too much and tried to forget. Casey hadn’t expected Valentino to be even more touchy when they started doing this a handful of months ago. Frankly, he hadn’t thought it possible. But touch is second nature to Valentino, handed out easily, instinctively. Even now, Casey bristles at the first touch, like static shock. He’s getting better, though, at relaxing into it. 

“I’m sorry,” Casey says tightly, “This is just— unexpected.”

“Yes,” Valentino says, and then, “But we will have fun, no? We can go out for lunch.”

Casey rolls over to look at him, Valentino’s hand sliding off his back. “Seriously?” 

Valentino, propped up on one elbow, shrugs. “Allora, what else are we supposed to do? I know a good place, very quiet.”

Casey can’t tell, with Valentino, when he’s being made fun of. In this, though, Valentino seems serious, only a little bit of a smile in his eyes, nothing teasing. 

Casey swallows. “Sure,” he says, “We’ll do lunch.”

Valentino brightens instantly, and then, bafflingly, before Casey can blink, leans in and smacks a kiss against Casey’s cheek. 

“Perfect!” he says, already reaching for his phone again, “I will make the reservation.”Casey lets his hand drift to his cheek, warm, as Valentino’s rapid fire Italian fills the room. What the hell, he thinks, How bad could lunch be?

[soulanine]

Hello!!

I wanted to ask if you had any asl brother fanfictions??

I'm literally not even close to those episodes but I've seen so many spoilers and art about them that I'm already obsessed lmao

It's totally cool if you don't have any or just don't want to share, it just seems like you would know some good one lol

Hope you have a good day! 😁

SO SORRY FOR THE LATE RESPONSE tumblr hasnt been notifying me lately

there’s so many fics i’ve gone insane over i’d be overjoyed to share !!!!!

i don’t know if u or anyone else want to avoid major spoilers, but just in case, i put a red star (*) next to those that have them 😗

light up, light up - taizi

aaah taizi has so many great fics but this is one of my favorites; u can go thru all their op works to find more i didn’t list. it’s focused around sabo and is like a role reversal. definitely teared up

a little murder never killed anybody - loserlife592

family reunion !! asl expresses their ways of affection and boggles some minds. so cute……..

a song to bring you home - taizi

canon divergence—not sure how much u’ve seen, but it’s definitely still worth the read. it’s wonderful and cute and makes me ILL

without you by my side - capisback

ace and luffy get into a small scuffle; ace figures things out eventually. brotherly love….. oh im dead on the floor it’s wonderful

fish day (it takes a village) - hyperbolicreverie

luffy drags ace and sabo to a festival. they have fun, there’s cool villager dialogue that never fails to satisfy me, and cuteness

*all for one - missmungoe

okay i have a fair amount of alternate marineford fics but damn it i am nothing if not a sucker for good endings. read if ur fine with slight spoilers lol !! good bonding moments

soft and quiet and peaceful - whirlybird70

snow day….. just some nice fluff. can never go wrong with that

where the wild things are - space_ghost_with_the_most

FRIEND GHOST HAS LOVELY FICS !! u should check them out !!! 23k words of feral jungle children asl and it’s WONDERFUL

light up the sky (with you) - whirlybird70

luffy once again drags ace and sabo to have an adventure, this time with fireworks !! + makino cameo. it’s so cute the way they’re written…. !!

bedtime rituals - poisonstain

sweet n soft sickfic…… the series is about something different, this is a flashback, so u can check out the other fics in it if u’d like !

signal lamps - cowboy_emoji

ace and luffy catch fireflies, dadan and luffy talk a bit about ace. luffys his weirdly perceptive self; dadan continues to deal with them. love <3

*take a step in mine - soccersarah01

another alternate marineford—if ur fine with spoilers, it’s good ! it takes a sec, but sweet asl reunion <3

*time moves through you - lampalot7

technically only ace and luffy but i’ve reread this one so many times. it does have both marineford and gear 5 spoilers tho, so keep that in mind if u want to avoid them. time travel, little luffy cameo, AUGH it’s all so cute

*there is thunder in our hearts / you were always gold to me - taizi

these are also both alternate marineford + the latter gear 5, sorry 🫢 i think u get the gist by now

put your faith in what you most believe in - taizi

taizi just has lovely asl fics it’s insane. sickfic, sabo worries, but they both feel better in the end <3

here in spirit - lampalot7

GHOST ASL FIC !!!!! i’ve loved it for a while, and it inspired a few aspects of my own ghost au. made me cry……. god i love ghosts

close calls (or, monkey d. dragon’s no good, very bad day) - isntitlupintic

dragon’s perspective and focuses a lot on him, but there are some sweet asl moments !!! dragon saves the day !

[callsignfern]

John Price NSFW alphabet

A = afftercare (what they’re like after sex)

John’s big on aftercare. Doesn’t matter the type of relationship either he will always check you over, clean you up, and tuck you against his chest.

B = body part (their favorite body part of theirs and also their partner’s)

Price is 100% an ass man. Hands down he loves cupping your ass out in public or spanking you in private.

C = cum (anything to do with cum, basically)

He’s older and a bit old fashioned so he firmly believes the only place to finish is inside you. God forbid he waste a precious load.

D = dirty secret (pretty self explanatory, a dirty secret of theirs)

John has absolutely fantasized about locking you up. He knows it would absolutely freak you out so he obviously hasn’t gone beyond thinking about it but he would like to keep you sequestered away from the world. His pretty bird in a cage.

E = Experience (how experienced are they? do they know what they’re doing?)

John’s been married before and he’s had his share of hookups. He knows what he’s doing but he’s definitely set in his ways which can be a bit of a set back.

F = Favorite position (this goes without saying)

Doggy. He believes it’s the best breeding position and it gives him the best view of your ass.

G = Goofy (are they more serious in the moment? are they humorous? etc.)

John’s pretty serious when it comes to intimacy. He loves you and isn’t above breaking the tension if needed but more often than not he’s dead serious when it comes to pleasing you.

H = Hair (how well groomed are they? does the carpet match the drapes? etc.)

John is past vanity at his age. He doesn’t care to excessively groom himself. If you asked of course he would but if you don’t care he doesn’t care.

I = Intimacy (how are they during the moment? the romantic aspect)

Price is big on big romantic gestures. He’s the type to lay out a trail of rose petals leading to the bedroom.

J = Jack off (masturbation headcanon)

John doesn’t care to get himself off usually. If he’s gone on an op then he’s usually too stressed to be aroused and when he’s home he has you to relieve his urges.

K = Kink (one or more of their kinks)

Aside from the glaringly obvious breeding kink he has a 1950’s housewife kink. He likes the idea of coming home to a pretty little thing who’s devoted their life to him and their family.

L = Location (favorite places to do the do)

John spent a lot of money on his bed for a reason. It’s his favorite place to have you. The mattress isn’t too firm or too soft and it’s the perfect height for bending you over.

M = Motivation (what turns them on, gets them going)

Any sort of feminine clothing. Heels/aprons/skirts do it for him. Also seeing you struggle with something and ask for him to step in. Need him to open that jar? He’s happy to help and then been you over.

N = No (something they wouldn’t do, turn offs)

Swinging/open relationship. He’s okay if his boys have a turn with you especially since he can’t always keep up but he could never imagine being with someone other than you.

O = Oral (preference in giving or receiving, skill, etc.)

He’s a verified munch and thinks the best way to wake you up is between your thighs. John isn’t shy about his own needs and if you visit him while he’s at work he might usher you under his desk.

P = Pace (are they fast and rough? slow and sensual? etc.)

John used to be rougher in his younger days but combined with injuries from work he’s become a softer, slower lover.

Q = Quickie (their opinions on quickies, how often, etc.)

Hated them. If he can’t take he doesn’t want to bother. John will make you wait til he can have you all to himself for hours.

R = Risk (are they game to experiment? do they take risks? etc.)

John knows what he likes and is pretty knowledgeable. If you wanted to do something he had never done he’d be intrigued but you’d be hard pressed to find something he hasn’t done.

S = Stamina (how many rounds can they go for? how long do they last?)

John is good for one long round at a time. He wishes he could do more so he is always down to eat you out if you want more.

T = Toys (do they own toys? do they use them? on a partner or themselves?)

John has a vibrator specifically for you. He got it after the first time you slept together.

U = Unfair (how much they like to tease)

He isn’t above name calling. Depending on the dynamic he will lean more into it the whinier you get.

V = Volume (how loud they are, what sounds they make, etc.)

John’s fairly quiet. A few grunt and quiet moans but mostly he’s a talker.

W = Wild card (a random headcanon for the character)

Price is a big fan of you taking control once in a while. He’s dominant in his everyday life so sometimes laying back and letting you take control is exactly what he needs. Pretty much every problem and bad mood can be solved if you ride him.

X = X-ray (let’s see what’s going on under those clothes)

He’s girthier than any of the others in the 141 but not as long. He’s a solid 6.5 inches hard and has breeder balls for sure.

Y = Yearning (how high is their sex drive?)

As he’s slowed down his sex drive has too. He has sex three times a week typically but that doesn’t count him going down on you.

Z = Zzz (how quickly they fall asleep afterwards)

John’s a tired man. Once the aftercare is done and he’s got you in his arms he’s fast asleep.

[myargalargan]

A Classical Polinalysis: Ep. 4

Hello friends, Polin lovers, and people who may be vaguely interested in classical music!

I have yet another installment of deeply overanalyzing the use of Classical music in Bridgerton season 3, picking up from my last post about episode 3. :D

Here is the list of pieces used in this episode, in the order they appear:

String Quartet in F Major, Op. 3, No. 5, Hob.III:17, “Serenade”: I. Presto

Haydn’s String Quartet No. 53 in D Major, Op. 64, “Tost”, No. 5, Hob.III:63, “The Lark”: III. Menuet. Allegretto

Haydn’s String Quartet No. 64 in D Major, Op. 76, “Erdödy”, No. 5, Hob.III:79, “Largo”/“Friedhofsquartett”: I. Allegretto. Allegro

Now, when I first started writing this, I jokingly thought about introducing it by saying, “Look, we know this episode is all about the Pitbull, but I wanted to try to make the Classical analysis work anyway.” But upon further reflection, I think that this might actually be my take on this episode…

See, I think this episode stands out in its relative dearth of Classical music. In fact, when I initially began noting the Classical music tracks that I thought were significant to Polin, episode 4 was the only episode of this season for which I had written none down, and it wasn’t until I discovered this list of tracks from Netflix that I realized what I’d overlooked. And that’s because it’s the only episode where not a single piece of Classical music plays in the background while either Colin or Penelope are on screen, let alone while they’re on screen together. So when I sat down to overthink the musical choices this episode, I struggled to tie the three pieces that are used in the episode to Polin’s story.

Now, I do have some thoughts on the Classical pieces themselves, which I’ll get to towards the end, but I’m gonna take a slightly different angle with this episode’s analysis, because now I’m thinking that the lack of music can actually speak volumes…

Colin and Penelope spend much of the episode apart. And not even in the way they are “apart” in episode 3, where Colin is staring longingly at Penelope from the other side of a room. No, in episode 4, they’re barely even in the same room. They only have one scene where they share the same space but do not interact—in that stuffy old guy’s library—until Colin interrupts Penelope and Debling’s dance at the Queen’s ball and the rest is history.

And I know their lack of screentime together got a lot of criticism this season, but narratively, it works—we’re supposed to feel the pain of their separateness so that we long for them to be together. And the choice of music in this episode does two things: it makes us feel Colin and Penelope’s separation viscerally, and it allows for a cathartic build towards the euphoria of them coming together. Which is where the Pitbull comes in.

I want to back up a little bit to talk about the basic elements of the Bridgerton soundtrack. There’s the original score by Kris Bowers, there's the Classical pieces that are typically used as background music at balls, and there's the string covers of pop songs. On the scale of “we used this piece of music to emphasize narrative importance,” the string covers are always at the top—they stand out in the musical texture, viewers recognize them easily, the song titles and lyrics can be pretty on-the-nose in terms of significance to the plot (hello “Jealous”)... They’re an immediate attention-getter and thus a clear signal that whatever’s happening on screen is meaningful and worth notice. The Classical tracks are way more subtle and—despite my lengthy analyses where I seem to be convincing myself otherwise—way less likely to have been chosen for narrative significance over the fact that they match whatever dancing is happening on screen (with some pretty clear exceptions for when there isn’t any dancing on screen). The original score falls somewhere in the middle, helping to shape the mood of a scene without necessarily trying to draw attention to the music.

Why do I bring this up?

Because each episode up to now (and, unless I prove myself wrong later, each episode following) has made ubiquitous use of all three of these musical elements throughout the development of Colin and Penelope’s relationship, and now, in episode 4, as we are deprived of Polin even being in the same room together, we are also being deprived of the musical components of their story.

Not only is there no Classical accompaniment to any Colin or Penelope scenes this episode, but the original score further emphasizes their separateness through its treatment of Polin's theme (for more about the musical motif used to represent Colin and Penelope this season, you can read my post here!). Up until this episode, Polin's theme has been woven throughout the soundtrack in moments where Colin and Penelope are on screen together, usually in a mood that is either soaring and romantic or jaunty and flirtatious. In episode 4, however, the two times we hear Polin's theme are Colin scenes, and they are moments when Colin is acutely aware of the lack of Penelope's presence. Not only that, but the musical mood of both occurrences is…almost foreboding.

The first time we hear the theme this episode is during Colin's attempted "revelry" at the brothel, before he realizes he can't actually go through with it. An intense variation of Polin's theme plays in the background here—the melody is heard in the minor mode, accompanied by agitated descending triplets. The next time we hear Polin's theme, it's after Violet reveals to Colin that Penelope is expecting a proposal at the Queen's ball. Violet gives Colin her pointed "I do hope you feel better," turns, leaves Colin alone on the stairs, and then Colin stands there looking distressed while the first five notes of his and Penelope's theme floats, lilting and melancholy and unsettlingly unresolved, to the forefront of the musical texture.

So, we have no Classical music accompanying Colin or Penelope this episode. And we have only dark representations of Polin's theme, underscoring moments of Colin's deep loneliness. Through the soundtrack, we are made to yearn for what we had in previous episodes. Until, at last, we have the carriage scene.

Now, this scene actually exists in turns on opposite sides of the "music used to emphasize narrative importance" spectrum. First, there is a continued use of lack of music to tell the story of Colin and Penelope's separateness. The moment Colin pulls Penelope's carriage door open and cries out her name, the soundtrack goes silent. Colin questions Penelope about Debling's proposal and insists Debling isn't right for her with only the sounds of the carriage ride in the background. And his gorgeous confession of feelings is unaccompanied by any music. This serves to highlight the dialogue, like an actor giving a soliloquy on stage lit by one stark, bright spotlight. And it drives intensity, that one stark spotlight creating deep contrast between the brightly-lit actor and the darkness of the rest of the stage.

Then Colin finishes his confession. He admits that he would rather exist in a state of torturous longing for Penelope than give up his feelings for her. As soon as he stops speaking, we get that first hit of strings from the cover of "Give Me Everything." We remain suspended for a few more moments, through Penelope's disbelief, through Colin's confused despair, through repeated staccato hits of the strings in the background music, like a beating heart or a ticking clock. And then the tension finally breaks, Colin and Penelope's separation finally resolved, when they kiss at long last, and the song takes off in earnest.

And now, musically, narratively, we are satisfied. In this moment, the Pitbull cover is like a long, refreshing drink of water after an episode-long journey through a Polin musical desert.

So, my initial point was that the lack of any Classical music accompanying any of Colin or Penelope's scenes both emphasizes their separateness in this episode and makes the use of music in the final carriage scene that much more impactful. But on top of that, I feel like the Classical music that is used in this episode even further illustrates a theme of subverting expectations (a theme which, in a circular self-referential meta sort of way, is demonstrated by the relative lack of Classical music…).

Pretty much everyone throughout this entire episode has their expectations turned upside-down at some point:

Violet expects Lord Samadani to be the first caller of the day but then Lord Kilmartin walks in

Colin expects to be able to distract himself with some "revelry" but he can't even bring himself to be a passive observer

Lord Anderson is surprised to learn that his sister is a molder of society

Francesca thinks Lord Kilmartin is being cold towards her but then he unexpectedly presents her with a courting gift

The Queen expects Francesca to go for Lord Samadani, but Francesca does not drink his lemonade

Debling expects his proposal to be a sure thing, until he realizes that Bridgerton house is directly across the street from the Featheringtons

And Penelope, of course, is completely taken by surprise at Colin's confession

And the Classical tracks used during this episode all have a bit of subversion going on themselves.

First we have movement I of the String Quartet Op. 3 No. 5, which plays during the Queen's ball while Francesca is dancing with Lord Samadani, and Lord Anderson and Violet talk about love matches. The unexpected thing about this piece is that we have another instance (as with a different piece in a previous episode) of mistaken attribution. For nearly 200 years, this string quartet was thought to be one of Haydn's, until the 1960s when a couple musicologists proposed that Haydn's name was used as a ploy to increase sales of a work that was actually written by a lesser-known composer named Roman Hoffstetter. However, in the 80s, another musicologist performed a study of the work that shed doubt on even the Hoffstetter attribution.

Something I find particularly fun about the usage of this piece is that, immediately after its conclusion in the show, we have the scene where Lady Danbury and the Queen discuss how even Lady Whistledown couldn't possibly argue with the brilliance of the Queen's match between Francesca and Lord Samadani. Lady Danbury postulates that this may have opened the door to "a friendlier alliance" between the Queen and Lady Whistledown, to which the Queen agrees. Of course, we the audience know that there is still much more conflict to be had where Lady Whistledown is concerned, so we have a bit of foreshadowing here. Just like the misattribution of the string quartet to Haydn, not all is as it seems for the Queen and the expectations she has for the remainder of the season.

Then we have the third movement of Haydn’s String Quartet No. 53 (yes, this one is actually by Haydn this time), which plays while Mrs. Mondrich and Lady Danbury talk about Will not giving up the bar, Benedict and Tilley talk to Lord and Lady Fuller about the half-naked ballet dancer, and Cressida and Eloise discuss Cressida's father being a bloody fool. This piece is what's known as a minuet and trio, a popular dance form that's basically two pieces in one—a lively minuet, a contrasting trio, and then the minuet repeated again. In and of themselves, minuet and trio movements already have a bit of the unexpected built in: the trio part in the middle is sometimes quite different from the minuet, and is usually written in a different key and sometimes even a different time signature and tempo.

The trio of this particular Haydn piece doesn't stray far from the minuet (the minuet is in the key of D Major and the trio is in D minor), but it is highly chromatic, making frequent use of notes that don't occur naturally in the key. The minuet, for its part, uses grace notes about as often as the trio uses chromaticisms, which sometimes plays with your sense of the rhythm, suddenly shifting from the typical waltz-like three count to more of a skipping, syncopated "1-2" duple feel. These elements create delightful little surprises throughout the piece, which I think makes an interesting backdrop to some of the accompanying conversations, especially Eloise and Cressida. What a delightful surprise, and how unexpected it is, to see Cressida renouncing her father ("besides, he is a fool"), declaring her agency ("no, my father will have to endure it"), and taking an interest in Eloise's alternative ideas about society ("how do you see things exactly?").

Finally, we have the first movement of Haydn’s String Quartet No. 64, which I almost hesitate to bring up because it's barely in the episode!—we only hear the last 7 seconds or so of the movement as Francesca finishes a dance with Lord Samadani, just before he goes to get her lemonade and Lord Kilmartin approaches. However, the piece does fit nicely into the theme of subverting expectations. If you listen to the full movement, not just those last few seconds, you'll notice it has a pretty moderate pace, like a leisurely stroll around a garden. This slow feel is unusual for the first movement of a string quartet, which typically will have a fast first movement and a slow second movement. The structure of the movement is unusual, as well—at the time, it was common practice for the first movement of a string quartet to be in what's called "sonata" or "sonata allegro" form. Without getting too much into what that form looks and sounds like, this movement is not that. The sonata form is made up of three main sections: an A part that introduces and then plays with a bunch of thematic material, a B part that goes on a bit of a tonal journey as it modulates through a bunch of different keys, and then a modified A part that comes back at the end. The first movement of this quartet, on the other hand, does not do any of that—it's more of a free-form theme and variations, where a motif is introduced and then repeated several times, with each repetition modifying the motif in some way.

We don't actually get to hear any of this in the show, but I still think it's a neat idea to reference this movement—which very much goes against what one would expect to hear in this sort of a piece—during a moment in the show where we the audience, along with some of the characters, are about to have some expectations turned around.

In the previous episode, we see Colin losing out on his desires because he's still letting societal expectations get the better of him. In this episode, we see him throw expectations and decorum out the window in order to follow his heart (after all, as Lady Whistledown says about the heart vs head conflict that is central to the episode, "when one chooses the heart over the head, often, all reason goes out the window"). It seems fitting for this to happen against a backdrop of a soundtrack that, in several different ways, flouts our own expectations of what the soundtrack should be.

❤️

Whoo, thanks for sticking with me! Here's some of the research I used for this post!

String Quartet Op. 3 No. 5: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/String_Quartets,Op._3(attributed_to_Haydn)

String Quartet Op. 3 No. 5: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roman_Hoffstetter

String Quartet Op. 3 No. 5: https://www.jstor.org/stable/898314?read-now=1&seq=2#page_scan_tab_contents

Haydn's String Quartet No. 53: https://www.earsense.org/chamber-music/Joseph-Haydn-String-Quartet-in-D-major-Op-64-No-5-HobIII_63-Lark/

Haydn's String Quartet No. 53: https://www.parlancechamberconcerts.org/individual-program-notes/joseph-haydn-(1732-1809)/string-quartet-in-d-major%2C-hob.-iii%2F63%2C-op.-64%2C-no.-5%2C-%E2%80%9Cthe-lark%E2%80%9D

Haydn's String Quartet No. 53: https://djbartel.com/franz-joseph-haydn-string-quartet-lark/

Haydn's String Quartet No. 64: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/String_Quartets,Op._76(Haydn)

Haydn's String Quartet No. 64: https://www.earsense.org/chamber-music/Joseph-Haydn-String-Quartet-in-D-major-Op-76-No-5-HobIII_79-Largo/

[surr3al1sm]

Got any aroace jd hcs?

DO I?! I do. Thank you so much for asking anon! This is like the best ask I’ve gotten. Allow me to yap about some of them!

Just Dance coaches I think are AroAce

First we have: The Showman/Mr Fahrenheit. I think he’s AroAce because I don’t really see him as the type to care about romance or the other part all that much.

Secondly we have: Phoenix. This is one of my favourite coaches and 100% self indulgent but also I don’t see Phoenix really being attracted to someone all that much.

Third we have: Happier Than Ever, her map is literally her destroying a house after a break up. If that isn’t AroAce frustration I don’t know what is.

Just Dance coaches I think are Asexual

First up, we have: Ari! I think Ari’s asexual because thats just how her teenage hormones treated her I guess. I do think this means she’s a better girlfriend for Grace because unlike all the nasty Teenage boys she’s dated Ari doesn’t really care for sex. She’d much rather spend quality time with her girlfriend while cuddling or something.

Second we have: Rock N Roll. Again, favourite coach and self indulgent. It’s my head canon and I do what I want :)

Third we have: Mihaly. I just don’t see Mihaly as the type op person to feel any sexual attraction to another coach. I can’t lie about that.

Last up we have: Jack Rose. Now this one, might require some long ass explanation if people don’t understand Ace terms, and I realise that he recently got confirmed as pansexual how ever. I think Jack is a pretty sex-neutral panromantic asexual. Which in short means he’s pansexual in the romantic department and asexual in the sexuality department but he’s pretty neutral on the whole sex part. Does he realise this himself? No. Will Just Dance ever make this canon? No. Is it my silly little headcanon? Yes.

Just Dance coaches I think are Aromantic

First up we have: Night Swan. Guess the AroAce umbrella runs in the family lol. I head canon Night Swan as aro because I genuinely do not see her having a bone in her body thats ever really romantically attracted to someone. Its always another type and its always for her own self gain. She’s like the “evil aromantic person” stereotype people think of when they think of people that are only aro.

Secondly we have: Judas! Again, self indulgence but also I just don’t see her having romantic attractions to someone. I don’t see her using that to her advantage or anything like Night Swan but I just don’t see her as the type.

Third we have: Agent D! “But what about the pilot?” You cry, probably. Well I have some wild news for you: Aro people can still be in relationships!! And their partners can support their identity!! And thats what I think would be going on between those two :)

Last we have, I kissed a girl on stage! I don’t even know why I have this head canon. It popped up in my head one day while playing the map like “wouldn’t it be funny if she was aromantic” and it stuck like papier-mâché to a balloon.

These are just some of my personal AroAce umbrella headcanons for Just Dance coaches. Do I have more? Probably, these are just the ones that popped up in my head. If you have any questions at all feel free to ask them! I’d be more than happy to awnser them for you. If you don’t agree with anything I said on here, feel free to share your own opinions on the matter.

[melkyt]

Fun AU vibes

Shift the white lead effect up one generation, so instead of Law dying at the age of 13, he is going to die at around 26 right, but nobody knows that yet. People fall sick when he turns around 24.

Luffy just starts his journey at the time, usual shenanigans, something leads him to Flavence, probably that its a beautiful city, and they just wanna see it.

Luffy immediately runs off, gets lost, beelines for the place with the greatest amount of suffering and injustice, he has a compass for that kind of thing, end up in Law's small clinic, where he is scrambling to find a cure, functioning on no sleep, twenty cups of coffee and the determination coming straight from his willpower as a D.

Luffy notices that there are alot of people looking extra sick on the streets as he runs past and into the clinic. Does he know why he is there? No, but it's a doctor, and Chopper is a doctor, so he is like 'give me doctor stuff so i can bring it back to Chopper'

Law explains they have nothing to spare and tries to scare Luffy by making it seem that his disease is contagious to get rid of him... and it doesn't work. Years of fighting for people to help them and make them see that they are not actually a danger, only for this kid to A: not believe his lie, and B: call Law an idiot for thinking that he gives a shit.

Fighting breaks out outside minutes later, commotion. Law getting a message that the other countries are barricading Flevance and stopping any and all aid, that the disease has gotten too far and they wont be complicit in hiding it anymore. It wont be long till war breaks out

Law tries to get Luffy to leave, this is not his bussiness.

Luffy says, "Nah" he's a pirate, and he does what he wants. So the strawhats stay and cause a bunch of chaos, fight the world government again, take Flevance under their flag for a little while the dust settles.

Law is dumbfounded, standing in the ruins of some building watching Luffy wreck shit and fuck up the lives of the nobles that may have left but left all their stuff and secrets. Robin is quick to gather it and show it up for the cameras. The truth about white lead comes out, and this saves the people. They get aid and the marines arrive to chase Luffy out as they do

And Law, deciding that the only way to help his family and his people is to join them and find a cure in the wide world.

Luffy would still crash Dressrosa to fight Doffy, thanks to Momo and Kin'emon also having business there, and they still end up on punk hazard, (Law in canon really wasnt the one guiding them there even if thats what he says xd, they would still fuck it up)

Law is getting sicker and tries to hide it, alot of angst and hurt-comfort. When they do reach Dressrosa, he has a fever and has settled that he is going to die and there is no hope.

He tries to say that to Luffy, who isnt having it and says its all gonna work itself out, they will find someone soon! He points at Ceaser that they ended up taking by accident, who will rattle anything off to save his life and mentions a devil fruit

So they reach Dressrosa, Cora is alive (and miserable) either with his brother or back with the marines. He failed to save Dressrosa with his report, or I know Doffy became a warlord, and he reported it, but nobody cared, and Sengoku was not allowed to take action by higher-ups due to what Doffy knows. So Cora stayed just in an attempt to curb his brothers actions, and maybe he didn't feel like he had any other place to go since the Marines failed him again. Whatever it is, Cora is going through it

Doffy has not let anyone eat the op-op fruit, no Law, means no kid to groom into the next him, and Cora kept any others away. Cora ends up helping the strawhats, and leaving with Sengoku at the end as the man is retired

So anyway, the fruit, its still there in Dressrosa, right, and when they beat up Doffy, Robin gives it to Luffy and says a doctor should probably eat it.

Luffy throws it at Law even after they see the price tag and that they will be wanted by the world goverment. Luffy just goes "We're pirates!"

Law eats the fruit, survives, and cures himself. Then comes the part that he was dreading having gotten close to Luffy, though it has been fleeting touches and longing gazes from Law, nothing serious, still he feels that this place is home and he doesnt want to leave Luffy and the strawhats

Luffy nods and gives Law his vivre card "Here. You better join us when ur done, Traffy! You're crew, and I like you, " He answers before Law can ask if he is sure.

Law does cure his people and leaves everything to Lami, who took over his clinic when he left the first time. While Flevance will always be home, he belongs with the strawhats, he belongs with Luffy.

[saxandviolins77]

IIRC in your review of TF One you said it was a "good movie" but a lot of what you described made it sound focus-tested into oblivion and generic? And I know I thought the movie was pretty nonsensical and hypocritical and had many issues with how it handled the characters, so I'm really curious about in more detail what led to your ultimate take? I know you described how it was very focused and stuff but like, a movie that has a focus but is focused on something that doesn't make any sense isn't necessarily good, especially if the theme has problems. I'm curious since your review you named a lot of specifics and I feel like my opinion that it was a bad kids' movie seems really rare! -arceespinkgun

Hey! Thanks for the ask! I'll try to make my stance more clear on the TF: ONE topic.

Well, focused on telling a riveting story with the characters and universe it certainly was not.

Focused on making revenue? Definitely, but every movie is like that, I'm more interested in the hows.

You see, this movie was written backward. As in, they already knew where the characters needed to be and who they needed to turn into.

Why was Orion considered worthy of the Matrix? Because he needs to be.

Why did D-16 go from a meek rule-abiding guy to a violent "kill everyone tyrant" in the span of a day? Because he needs to be.

The "high-guard" stuff? Just a very weak excuse for them to shove the already-built Decepticon army into a fight scene.

It's a good movie for two reasons and neither of them really has to do with the story or characters as they appear!

It knows its audience: as in, the general audience of TF fans, the TF fans who go into the cinema expecting the tried and true story of "cherik but robots" will have a grand time! And will go to the cinema 26 times to make sure this movie has revenue (see Twitter, it's embarrassing). AND, it's also great franchise bait! Tell me, how many people have you seen that are new to the franchise BECAUSE of ROTB? Now, TF: ONE? I assume your answer will be a little different. It's a movie that dangles a carrot for the audience, if you already like the carrot, sweet! If you never tasted the carrot, you may enjoy it without thinking.

Focus-tested: great use of the word, I'm stealing it. I would say this movie is a calculated risk, but it isn't a risk at all. I appreciate the motives behind this movie a ton! Because it wasn't just something Hasbro green-lighted to ignite the Bayverse flame back, it's calculated and the time it was left in the oven means this is pure aligned sauce, and it works. This movie sexes so much with core concepts from the Aligned continuity that it was bound to never be its own thing, and even better! All the "new" concepts this movie has to offer are either animated movie jerking off (Comedic-relief character that adds nothing, Girlboss...) or smoothing out Aligned things that would not fly in deeper examination (Op and Megs are both miners, Sentinel, no "alternative mode racism").

It's a good movie, in comparison to what came before (that I felt the need to point out in my review). It's cohesive, unlike ROTB, AND more importantly, it's approachable (not only for newcomers but also for the fandom at large). It's an above-average kids' movie (which aside from a few surprising offers, has been on the slop side of things for YEARS now, ESPECIALLY when it comes to Blockbuster schmuck).

It's a good movie because it was calculated, the only factors that may intervene are Paramount's shitty distribution AND toy sales, but that doesn't change the fact that it is critically acclaimed already.

Now you might be asking:

Do I support this?

Who am I to support anything? Just a small account on a near-dead site. However, I cannot deny I find it quite ingenious of the Hasbro team (who has been wanting to amalgamize TF for YEARS) and the fandom reaction to it has been great to watch.

Does this kill artistic integrity?

LMAO YEAH! I don't thing anyone watching a big studio movie would be really surprised by that, better luck with animated series and/or comics. Tho, I sure the people working on this movie did put their hearts into it, it just happened to be a really strategic place to put it.

Wow, I wasn't expecting this.

Yeah, it is what it is. At the end of the day TF:ONE is a very great marketing scheme, I'd be more worried about it seeping into other things (beware of what's to come after the failure of the GI:JOE/TF movie and after they finish killing off ES).

I didn't really like it, but for reasons I already don't like Aligned. The forced godhood of Orion (which makes the Autobot/Decepticon conflict into a religious war!! Why?), the fact that D-16 is the fucking anti-christ that was dictated by THE ALREADY MENTIONED NARRATIVE into villainy (even though, he was in the right! Orion's only plan towards Sentinel was... 'the people will know'... Then...?), the High-guard was completely fodder for the main four (notice how I never mentioned them in my original review), and Arachnid... LOL MOMENT FOR THAT BLUNDER AMIRITE?!

But that ⬆️ was not the point of this movie's existence.

Sorry if this reads a little too hateful or cynical, I am genuinely neutral about this movie, but I just wanted to make my stance clear. My account is not made to dwell on or endorse parts of the franchise that I do not like, I prefer talking and uplifting what I enjoy... And maybe reblogging a hateful post every once a week.

[somuchbetterthanthat]

Okay, screw it, have to ramble just for a second about my ideas for a Severance/Magnus Protocol AU because it all just fit so well it drives me a little insane.

Lena is obviously unsevered, and acts like she's incredibly loyal to the company, but it's possible that secretly she's trying to work against it in SOme capacity: or, at least, she grew genuinely attached enough to the severed employees that she wants to shield them from bigger threats. The Board does not know, right until Gwen B., who thinks Lena is doing a rather poor job, actually, finds dirt on her and the Board is Made Aware.

Gwen B., of course, has one obsession: work so well and do so well that she gets a higher position than the one she has right now; she has a very specific goal in mind, Lena's job, which leads her to discover dirt she didn't want to know. She's just CONVINCED she should do more than merely what she's doing right now. She feels weird in the Historical museum thingy. Sometimes it makes her want to cry and she Dislikes ThatTM

Now Gwendolyn Bouchard has Severed as a publicity OP for her family; she's the youngest of the family, don't look too closely at her parentage, her grandfather is not impressed by her and she wants to impress him so bad, and her father is too busy working on his Projects to really be here, so she's CRAVING any sort of recognization and yes, in fact, she does steadily grew more and more jealous of Gwen B., especially the day she catches footage of her and a Certain Alice kissing in bathrooms.

Alice D. has been on this job for years. She's fine with it. She's made it a little home. She's horribly sad when Teddy quits (/dies) cause to her her colleagues are basically family. Yes she even likes Gwen B., okay (she likes Gwen B. a lot, damn it). She's the big sister. She knows all the cool tricks of the severed floors. She does not ask questions which makes her Lena's secret favourite. Which also means she is the last to get into the ploy with Sam K. and Celia R. when those two crazy kids arrive and shake things up.

Sam K. has SOOO many questions. It's not so much that he wants to quit and more like he wants to know everything. Cause it's all kind of wild and insane, right? Like surely to do something like that they must be doing something INCREDIBLY IMPORTANT? There has to be a reason more than just stare at numbers and listen to spooky stories. Right? Right??? C'mon Alice. It's weird, isn't it?

(Outside, Samama Khalid severed out of desperation and meet back with his ex-girlfriend who did the same thing; it brings them back on the same path, they go back to drinking beers, they actually start remembering how much they loved each other - not that Alice Dyer ever truly forgot. Maybe, sitting on a couch together, they think: hey. we grew up. Maybe we could try again-- Course outside Sam is ALSO curious about Inside Sam. and Alice is like does it matter? and Sam is like, well, kinda, doesn't it? We should know more, shouldn't we, Alice? It all comes to shit when Teddy appears in their lives and tell them "you're not doing what you think you're doing down there")

Now you know who feels like she's living an extremely traumatic experience "again" and desperately wants to quit the second she's down there but is trying to be lowkey but also is full of fear??? Celia R.! Celia is like. Nope. No. No I don't like this at all, I HATE NOT REMEMBERING WHO AM I, this is wrong, this is terrifying, get me out of here (which, combined with sweet, eager, curious Sam K. means that those two build a whole plan to figure out how to get outside)

Celia Ripley, who's actual name may or may not be that, MAY OR MAY NOT be a spy who did this out of necessity. One Last Job to protect herself and her baby. So of course, when she receives the desperate plea of her innie to get her out, she feels bad, but she does tell her "suck it up. we need this."

What is Colin doing during this I don't know but he is probably running around fighting against the machines slowly taking control of the severed floors, probably. OR he's already been assimilated somewhat to the ControlsTM.

(Bonus point that is all me being a jonelias girlie, and specifically in this instance "Gwen is Jon and Elias's daughter") is: Jon had?? a mysterious?? accident?? and is now the Wellness Guy; Yes Elias pushed his own daugther to get severed and is studying how she's reacting every time his former husband and her meet up in Wellness. Gwen B. gets a hug from a father she barely remembers every Wednesday. By the way.)

[elvenbeard]

Exposing myself here a little and sharing the current rule-set for my CP2077 Discord I'm the process of setting up below the cut! Below the cut, cause this post it's a lot of text as is.

I think I got all channels set up how I want them for starters, but there will always be room for improvement :D First and foremost I want this to become a place of encouragement and sharing and fun... I really just want it to be an extension of my fandom corner on tumblr here and have a room to chat with everyone I love in one spacereally, that's the whole point XD

Still though, I think some basic rules are good, especially if I decide to open this up to more people down the line - but also, some might find a strict ruleset (or my specific ruleset) not to their taste, hence, before sending out invites, I wanted to put this here.

If we're mutuals, or if you're following me and like what I post, original content and reblogs alike, AND if you wanna be part of this server under the prerequisite of accepting the rules below the cut... Like this post or DM me or leave a reply etc. And I might send you an invite.

(I want to open this up specifically also to people I'm not mutuals with, since I don't always follow back for a variety of reasons. But I have a good memory for user-handles and will recognize you if you interact with my posts on a regular basis!) Important: If I don't send you an invite, please don't take it personally. I might not know you or your vibe well enough yet. Especially if we're new mutuals, or if I'm not following you. But I will check out everyone I don't recognize or don't follow who reacts to this post. I want to keep the server somewhat small in general and especially to begin with, but if all goes well, I might come back to this post here somewhere later down the line and send some more invites! I love you all lots, and especially with my semi-forced hiatus recently I missed interacting with everyone. Being welcomed back so warmly repeatedly by so many people in your tags and replies and all really meant so much <3

So yeah! Server-rules below, react to this post or get in touch with me if you're interested to join based on these prerequesites, invites will go out during the weekend most likely! :D

1. Don't be a dick and use common sense. Be kind to each other. Assume ignorance over ill intentions first and foremost, and when in doubt, stay civil and ask a mod or admin for help via DM.

2. Homophobia, Transphobia, Queerphobia in general, Racism and Hatespeech towards other server members will not be tolerated. Report any talk of this sort to a mod or admin asap if you notice it.

3. This is an adult/NSFW server. You need to be at least 18 years of age to participate and can expect respective content. This is not to exclude anyone younger than 18, but for legal reasons.

4. No 18+ content needs to be spoilered ||like this|| by default. If you choose to spoiler something, which you are always free to do especially in general channels, use a label/indicator describing the content you're spoilering (e.g. [explicit sexual content], [nsfw], [blood/gore], [xyz kink], [tmi]). No kinkshaming please, but also, note rule 5.

5. If someone asks you to spoiler a specific type of niche/extreme content (e.g. extreme kinks, dark and disturbing topics, (mental) health themes like self-harm or terminal illnesses, or any content that could fall under 4) please do so. Be mindful of each other's comfort levels with being exposed to certain darker topics. Being asked to spoiler content does not equal being kinkshamed.

6. Everyone's boundaries are valid and you are free to set them. Simultaneously, nobody should have to censor themselves or their creations either. Spoilering (extreme) content on someone else's request does not equal censorship but is part of being a community.

7. If someone forgets to spoiler a topic that has been previously asked to be spoilered, do not assume the worst and kindly remind the op to spoiler. If the same person keeps forgetting the same things though and you feel like it is on purpose or targeted, let a mod/admin know.

8. If a topic that makes you personally uncomfortable is being discussed in a group setting, stepping away from the conversation temporarily is an alternative to asking to spoiler something (also applies to rule 6). Simultaneously though, due to no blacklisting options on Discord, be mindful of what you post especially if others whose comfort levels you don't know are there with you.

9. Please keep discussions on the server civil. If you've messed up, apologize. If discussions get personal or touch upon server-external issues, please resort to DMs to resolve them. If you need a neutral party to listen, @elvenbeard is always happy to.

10. Do not post content that isn't yours without the explicit permission of the original creator (be it mods, VP, art, writing, etc.). This includes posting links to external works that aren't yours.

11. Start no arguments or spread negativity by discussing non-server-members and their activities.

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[z-nightshade]

One of my favorite (if not my favorite) things about the Roger!Cass AU is the fact that Robin grows up with the ASL siblings (since yk, she's adopted by Cass and Cass later on settles on Dawn to raise the kiddos)

Robin needs more people that can match her freak. Robin also being the designated bedtime story reader of the group would be so cute (because I do think after a certain point the kids wouldn't drag Cass into everything, just most things!)

And her pickpocketing the rich people in High Town and her teaching Luffy and Ace how to read along with Sabo and Cass, and her enabling Luffy's food thievery by letting him steal from her plate and she steals it back from the other two ♥️♥️

And it is also endlessly funny to me that Robin would therefore become the First Mate of the Strawhats (as well as their archeologist of course). She'd also become their spy-master and tactian ngl. She at this point would be endlessly close to Luffy and would probably have the dynamic of "I'll think for you/I'll fight for you" from the beginning. Also Robin in the East Blue would kick ass and probably cut the time spent in Arlong Park by half.

I'm also very curious about how the Water 7/Enies Lobby arc would go like, because for one, the meeting with Aokiji would go a lot more different I believe. This isn't the Robin who was Miss All Sunday and sometimes has a too-distant smile and was on the run for 20 years. This Robin the daughter of Sunny D. Cassandra, she is the big sister of Sabo, Ace and Luffy, first mate of the Strawhats. They would never be "forced to betray her" because she's literally the foundation.

In addition if she does end up going along with CP9 I'd think it'd only be because she wants to raid Enies Lobby. Steal some blueprints... Of a not so specific prison 👀👀👀

Look, all I'm saying is that Cass would tip Robin off and in this universe Robin is a big sister.

Okay! So the things is that overtime, Cass just keeps acquiring more and more kids. So not only is Robin an older sister to ASL but also Law and every other kid Cass ends up adopting

So Robin gets people who match her freak but also understand what it's like to lose your home to the WG

Robin does get to be little Luffy's biggest enabler however, as Cass is an adult and parent of many so they do have to, you know, put their foot down and parent. Plus, they can't have favorites

As for Robin in the East Blue, I think Robin wouldn't actually meet up with the crew until Alabasta anyway bc she would have been part of the "sailing when you turn 17" promise.

The way I imagine it playing out is that Robin sets sail at 17 and goes around looking for Ponoglyphs and vibing until Luffy sets sail and she can join him

I imagine that's how she gets the 'Demon Child' moniker as it slowly comes out that someone from Ohara who can read Poneglyphs survived. Which Robin gets a good laugh out of because she knows everyone survived because of her Baba

This eventually leads her to being in Baroque Works for a while as a sort of double agent. She actually had a whole conversation with Cass about it, because she wants to find the Poneglyph but also Crocodile's an ass and the people of Alabasta deserve better

She settles on working to help from the inside until Luffy shows up to kick ass like Cass assured her would happen

Besides, it's not like Luffy would need the help in the East Blue. After all, the lot of them were properly trained their whole lives rather than being thrown to figure it out in the jungle. The Dawn Kids are even more OP than they already would have been because you know Cass wasn't letting them leave without knowing Haki and how to defend themselves against any dangers they may come across

As for Water 7/Enis Lobby and Aokiji...

I think he always knew Robin existed bc of Saul (who is vibing in retirement and enjoys visiting Robin when he can) but he wasn't aware that she was raised by Sunny D Cassandra, eldest adoptive child of the motherfucking Pirate King Gol D Roger and Dark King Silvers Rayleigh (plus all the other things they are known for), until she mentions it

Which is why I imagine CP9 gets called on her

Also, she totally willingly goes with CP9 bc she knows her baby brother will come and get her and wreck the government's shit but also because she's watched her Baba plan hundreds of different ways to break into and out of Impel Down over the years and she thinks the blueprints for said prison will be a good present

[shadowscommand]

Inspired by nikto in Miami (iykyk). Give some ops their favourite fast food chain... Whoever u want it can be as few or as many ops as you wish

this is perfect bc w nikto in miami i can just say theyre all in miami fsr and not have to worry abt what restaurants are where. YAY. and also i know whats down here. so if i miss something bc its some northern shit DONT be surprised. read all my posts w a southern accent. Anyway.

rodion ofc would b the most excited hed want to eat at a million places and get a bite of everything and get himself sick. i think nikto would probably end up finishing a lot of his meals & eating the best he has since hes become nikto bc he cant let food go to waste and rodion is eating like final 2 fries after 3/4th of the biggest burger on the menu & half his chicken nuggets then going "Oh my god...... Im so full now......." and sipping on a little milkshake. he would rly like dairy queen bc they have so many little ice creams to pick from. nikto wouldnt b impressed by any particular fast food chain i think but he would probably find some local wings place he rly likes bc the food is spicy. and he enjoys a good fry. he might fuck up a captain d's tho. they got fish. yummy. or popeyes actually bc they have shrimp AND its spicy.

i dont think bale is picky abt food at all. both him and nikto you could feed them anything and theyll take it. stuff thats really greasy might bother him but he'd still fuck up a steak n shake. or a wendys baconatorr but where i really want to see bale is a waffle house. the burger w the bacon w the hashbrowns he can put cheese in. its that american cheese but its good he will like it. salty as FUCCCK. uh minotaur is having a horrible time but he will still enjoy a chicken hashbrown bowl. and a captain d's too hed like the bread roll. OHH and a taco bell rice bowl. if they still have those. hed like a chipotle more than taco bell tho.

nikolai would fuck up a five guys burger and fries but it would put him out for the rest of the day. or an ARBYS bro get him a roast beast with fries, cheese sticks, and a shake hes OUT. i think krueger would b a lil snobby tbh he would like a local burger/wings place but not fast food. except mayb a nice plain value menu chicken sandwich from wendys its not very greasy. + good fries. syd already knows fast food placess in america shed probably rly fuck w most of them she LOVES a burger and fries. shed probably rly like cookout and any place that gives a lot of variety. five guys as well for all you can put on a burger + boiled peanuts. yegor would be so haterous of fast food but he'd enjoy a walmart deli bc its a one stop shop. and some nice gas station coffee. idk if farah would come along tbh idk that she could get into America with her label... she's not underhanded like kroug and nik are she's very blunt and doesn't lie... she would like Wendy's tho. something Small bc all the grease is gonna fuck her uppp

roze also doesnt care for fast food i think shes not huge on burgers esp not eating them often. but shed like chick fil a and grilled chicken sandwiches. mayb arbys roast beef every so often. lerch does not gaf at all if someone's going to get food he'll eat whatever gets brought back for him. he just wants a large. velikan fuckin... would Tear Up five guys too put him in the pile. AND taco bell AND dairy queen w a nice big blizzard (he is always getting a brain freeze. every time.) AND any pizza place but prob mostly little caesars bc its the cheapest. goin crazy on the crazy bread.

mace like already knows fast food places so hed be able to kind of have an idea on places jackals would like. subway or jersey mike's is a safe bet any just sort of sub place bc thats just a sandwich but i think end of da day they wouldnt like any place nor the prices so theyd also just enjoy walmart deli sandwich or theyd get some use out of the hotel kitchenette. zane esp would not enjoy fast food imo. maybe a classic bit of mcdonalds by himself bc he just wants to eat and go. mace like doesnt care he enjoys a burger he likes a fry. jacks is good bc theyve got the potato and gravy thats rly yummy + you can get like an actual plate mace would like that. a country fried steak even..

uhh price Only likes the McDonalds fish filet i dont think hes fucking up any other meal or place. he would maybe snack on some chicken nuggets dry. i really just see sas going to McDonald's they know McDonald's. everybody knows McDonald's. they could end up in a steak n shake and enjoy it tho esp soap and thorne. i think otter alongside price is the hardest to please but if you give him enough hot sauce packets he can eat anything. ghost isn't going inside he wants to eat in the car but he doesn't gaf where they are. ghost and mace on an in the parking lot pizza hut date.

golem needs to try waffle house also. i think he'd probably actually be really disappointed in the lack of gyro places that's what he'd be wanting and there's like arbys and pita that's it. unless he finds a local place. wyatt would love cookout u can get a million things. AND captain ds. talon would probably also like captain ds but he does not want to go with wyatt. he will go with domino and mara who would rather be having pizza pizza little caesars. I'm taking Morte to the Olive Garden.

demon dogs would b up for anything but they would like All have to agree on one place. they probably mostly get big buckets from any of the fried chicken places OR pizza bc its easy to get a lot to feed a lot. OR a bbq place they love bbq they give u big portions they love to Eat. + just buffets bro they'd tear up a buffet.. all the ops would tbh itd be the easiest way to get everyone some food.

[felinespooky]

Yet Another Twisted Wonderland Theory

Still about Yuu

I am back on my mad ramblings regarding Twisted Wonderland. This time it’s not gonna be as far fetched as a previous post I did that proved to be nothing more than connecting dots that are never there. I feel like this one actually has some merit though as long as I don’t spiral out of control thought wise. Without further ado, let’s begin.

The theory this time around: The game Yuu is more of a conglomerate of the various manga Yuus.

“But how would that make sense?” I hear you, but before I can answer any of that, we are to hit the necessary bullet point questions:

* What connects the Yuus together?

* Who’s crazy enough to do this?

* What purpose does this serve?

Starting with “What connects the Yuus together,” I would have to say I don’t have all the answers considering that, at the time of writing, one Books 1-3 are out and available. Although, I’m only aware of Books 1 & 2 being in English; I play on EN so everything will be lagging behind all things considered. And to make it easier, I’d advise to have a separate tab that has information about what is canon to Game Yuu (@starsilluminateourgalaxy, @mee-op, and @darkscorpiox are where I find all the information regarding Game Yuu)

**A/N: Now, this is where I’d make a vinn diagram but unfortunately with the busy schedule I have going on, I haven’t been able to sit down properly and go full on MatPat or Theorizer on this section before someone or something demands my brain. I will one day make this list; just one a different post or a future edit.**

Now for “Who’s crazy enough to do this” question. The answer is simple: Crowley, our deadbeat bird dad. It’s been heavily hinted, dare I say proven, that it’s him we heard in the beginning of the game as Spooky Hand TM. Spooky Hand/Crowley does this whole speech right before waking up:

“Ah, my lovely Lord,

The noble and beautiful flower of evil,

You are the most beautiful, number one in this world.

— Mirror, Mirror on the wall, who’s the most…

— For thee, guided by the Mirror of Darkness,

Follow thy heart and take the hand of the one reflected in the mirror.

Flames that turn even stars into ashes,

Ice that imprisons time,

Great tree that swallow even the sky,

Don’t be afraid of the power of darkness,

Come now, show your power,

Mine, theirs, and yours,

There’s only little time left,

Do not let go of that hand, at all cost.”

Now, going by key lines, it seems more like an incantation of sorts. Like, asking Hades to release a soul, and the companion to a flower. As if Yuu/the player is merely a seed that’s in the process of blossoming into whoever you want. Hell the “mine, theirs, and yours” line in particular strikes me as off.

Which brings me to the “what purpose” question. The answer is to merely complete a timeline that doesn’t end in tragedy. I believe there is a “time loop theory” running around in the fandom. Though it doesn’t function like the usual trope like in that one Supernatural episode; it functions more like an Undertale loop. In this case, it’s Crowley being able to do it instead of us. Now, why would this matter? I believe it’s because Crowley feels guilty about what happened the first time, most likely a death to some unknown previous Yuu. He genuinely felt sorry for this kid and decided that until he can figure it out, he’d let them stay. Plus they’re keeping Grim under control… but then they die. Best guess is either the cave he sent us to with Ace and Deuce, though that might’ve been different than the one we know, or Riddle’s Overblot. Regardless, he probably felt guilty about it, so he decided to rewind time. Except, something happened, the kid changed. He’d be confused, but he can’t blow his cover since he’s not supposed to be messing with time. So he takes it by the chin and acts normal. And the timeline does change, this Yuu (Yuuken) survives! But only a little as eventually, this one dies to Leona’s Overblot. However, he’s not letting this piece of Yuu die, he tries again. Except, it’s a different Yuu, Yuuka. The timeline changes just a little, she survives just a bit longer than the other, but she soon succumbs to death. This pattern happens until it’s Game Yuu’s turn. This time, Crowley has decided to create this Yuu, one that’ll survive everything in Twisted Wonderland! One that’ll survive Grim’s Overblot this time around! Maybe for shits and giggles, he forms this one into the image of the very first unknown Yuu. After all, if he just so happens to have something from the previous Yuus, how hard can it be to make life? However, that’s not the only thing that’s changed, he’s changed too. He was probably an actually great dude, but getting too attached to the most unluckiest kid to ever exist has wounded him. So, he tries to keep us busy and away from him. He probably cries seeing our Yuu just living life ignorant of his goal. But sevens forbid he cry, so he acts. All the while he hints at his works, calling himself kind and generous, probably wanting us to remember if possible.

Even if this theory flops like my other hot take, this makes for some hella great Crowley angst. Let the deadbeat crow suffer.

[t4tfitpac]

I was interested in knowing what you think the preferred binding method of the two are? Or was the preferred if you think they had too surgery. As a nonbinary individual I’ve reached the point in my art where I’m experimenting with drawing characters adapting their chests so I’m curious. Hope that’s not to weird thank you!

OMG FIRST OF ALL ! I AM SO SORRY I DID NOT SEE THIS AT ALL ! wow, this was asked when the QSMP was still in business (i am so normal i prommy)

Ok so second of all thank you so much for your ask ! I have so many thoughts on this :D (so many thoughts in fact that they're below the cut now whoops)

I do like reading and writing all different kinds of trans Fit & Pac - whether they're pre-op, post-op, don't want surgery, anything goes. But I do have a special affinity for a few details.

Regarding Fit: I definitely think he did not have the ability to get anything done surgery wise in 2b2t, and his hormones were DIY at best. By using what he has available, I think layers of clothing have been key to him hiding his chest for all those years, as well as bandages when he's had access to them. His reputation would also help him along in not being outed, as people will flee from him from far away, and the ones he does see up close are either too distracted by the explosions of combat, too afraid to accuse him of anything, or people that he's close enough with to the point of them respecting the secret (because they have secrets too and it's a mutually assured destruction type thing).

When Fit first gets to Quesadilla Island, I think he sticks with his tried and true method of binding, even though it's not the healthiest, because it's what he knows. But, eventually he reveals that part of his identity to a few people. Phil definitely knows, and he would possibly sew Fit a binder, or share with him a sewing pattern for one. When Pac finds out, of course Fit gets a Tazercraft branded binder. But honestly, I think that the more comfortable Fit gets on Quesadilla Island, the less he has to compensate for his gender identity being recognized. It's just a given to everyone there that he's a guy, so he lets them hang loose, or even wears a bikini on occasion when going to the beach. I don't know if Fit would get any kind of top surgery for quite a while.

Regarding Pac: Oh he got those chopped off as early as possible. In prison (Fuga), he would be binding using bandages he sweet-talked Felps into getting for him, and he would have back issues from binding them way too tightly. I even think it would be kinda beautiful if Cell were to adjust his bandages for him at some point during the refuge because while he's a crazed maniac cannibal, he at least knows how to not crack a rib while binding !

When Pac gets to Quesadilla Island, he's either had top surgery already or is gonna be getting it soon. I think at first he wears some regular tank tops w/o sideboob, maybe some more loose fitting ones later, but Mike would help him out with surgery asap and that would be that. I could definitely see Pac keeping the compression vest post surgery though, for the grounding pressure it provides. and he'd wanna have a little fat left, I think, just enough to be kinda big pecs but not enough to be full on boobs.

Thank you so much again for your ask and I'm so so sorry it took months to respond ! I hope the many words help :D

[domoz]

Oh no, I feel like I want to ask about TOO MANY of the wips. Senju orphan Sakura! Crane summon penpals HikaTobi! Iruka picking up the slack! TenTen, my darling! My best effort to narrowing it down is asking about whichever of those four you'd like to share more on! ♡

But I want to talk about Too many of my WIPs, so actually this works out great Crane's Return of a Favor:

Typically his summons are sticklers for proper etiquette, but he must have some leeway in presenting himself, if he's being awoken so rudely. He brushes his hair out of his face and slides open the door, the early morning chill waking him up a little further. At his feet waits the source of the noise -- a tiny white-naped crane sits perched on a scroll, too small to easily open the door herself. Tobirama glares down at the offender, who shows about as much remorse as Hashirama does when he gets caught sneaking out to gamble -- that is to say, none at all.

(We are mere moments from expositing on summon worldbuidng here)

The Academy Three

"Erm -- " Sakura shifts from foot to foot, casting a glance at Sasuke before continuing, "Mission ranks are categorized by difficulty. D ranks are the easiest and they go up to S, which is super secret. Either you take one from here and get approved to do it, or it gets assigned to you if your skills line up with the misison, and then uh -- when you're done you turn in a report on how it went and get paid for it." "Very good Sakura." He praises, which she preens under, as usual. "But that's not exactly what I meant -- I mean, can any of you tell me what the point of going on missions is?" "Eh…? Isn't it to make money?" Naruto asks.

(Similarly: Moments away from a lecture) Something Sort of Like a Disciple

Her fingers brush the edge of another bundle of tags but she just can't quite manage to get a good grip on it. With a huff she bends nearly in half into the just so she can hook her fingernails under the tie holding them together -- which, just her luck, ends up unraveling the tie entirely and sending loose explosive tags scattering out of her reach as the bundle falls from her hands. She cringes, almost expecting them to explode. When they don't, she releases a long breath. Then a quiet groan as she lets her head thump against the inside of the crate.

As for the canon rewrite, i gathered up the outline for it and I thought "You know what would be fun?, what if I did illustrations for big scenes from that AU instead of writing out the entire thing" and intended to add a sketch of Sakura, only to find out that my tablet pen has finally died for real..... But I will say this much about her: Her family dies in the Kyuubi attack. She's a literal baby at this point, there aren't many resources available to identify who her family was. She grows up in an orphanage (...And has known Lee from childhood, that crush of his doesn't come from nowhere) and there's no indication she might be in any way related to the Senju until around the chunin exams, when a certain bloodline limit reveals itself. In front of Orochimaru, no less, who is intrigued and even comments that she "isn't one of his." So she gets cool OP powers around the same time that the boys do + additional Tsunade connection + her and sasuke get to be fun reflections of what happened to the founding clans no matter thier apparent loyalty/disloyalty.

Ask Meme/WIP List