#Requiem Crew

[loafaethernaut]

Recap of all the teasers (as of August 2nd, 2024) from the official Black Ops 6 zombies teaser website below!

If you wish to see them for yourself first the link to the site is the current pinned post on my blog- however I will issue a warning that the interactive site does include jump scares and flashing/flickering images so I would not recommend viewing it if you are photosensitive.

The website acts as an interactive television with six total channels. Yesterday the first two channels became active, with channel one showing a template for a scrolling TV guide that after a moment turns into a jumpscare of Mr. Peeks/the mystery box bunny from Cold War.

The screen then flashes and flickers between several images including shots of our Requiem Crew in their prison cells on Terminus Island:

My apologies for the poor image quality, this is a screenshot from my phone lol. I agree with the majority consensus I’ve seen from others in the community that the top left is Carver, top right is Weaver, bottom left is Strauss, and the bottom right is Grey.

It seems like Weaver and Strauss appear distraught, while Carver and Grey are doing pushups and getting into shape.

The second channel shows what looks like a weather radar of a hurricane or a typhoon before it forms into an image of Mr. Peeks once again (definitely a huge emphasis on Mr. Peeks in this game, more on that later).

After that the screen flashes and shows a really dark shot of what is likely Terminus Island it’s just really hard to tell so I didn’t take a screenshot. There’s a voice in the background listing off numbers but I can’t make them out either.

Channels 3 and 4 were updated today, and we finally got some new intel on our Requiem Crew.

Channel 3 starts off as a fake news report like a lot of the BO6 teasers have been however it cuts off and starts flashing a ton of fragmented images of “interrogation progress reports” for each of our members of the Requiem Crew.

I was only able to get a good screenshot of Carver’s report, so I give credit and thanks to MargwaNetwork on Twitter for the images of Grey and Weaver’s reports.

Based on Carver’s report it seems like he’s been the main source of encouragement for the team, and it’s likely he’s been helping Grey (and presumably the others) get into shape?

Weaver is presumably the one their captors have been the toughest on so far, and the Director definitely has a grudge against Weaver in particular. Seeing him described as a “broken, bitter man” is genuinely saddening.

But now comes the one that got me the most excited, Grey’s report. I’m mostly just trying to get the information out there with this post so I might gush more about this in another post but it’s clear she had some kind of hope of someone rescuing her and that hope is definitely gone now. “Acts ambivalent in regard to her own safety” Really? Now THIS is an interesting direction to take her character in. I am very excited to find out more.

As of right now there are no good images that I could find of Strauss’s progress report, but from the snippets I could make out it seems like he still cares about the others but might be losing his grip on reality?

Channel 4 gave us a fake commercial for a love song CD before flashing to a commercial for the new gobblegum machine.

It looks just like the one from BO3 except it’s clearly from Mr Peeks instead of Dr Monty. It showed images of the same gobblegums from BO3 and the machine has a little screen on it that plays a cartoon of Mr. Peeks.

So far there really hasn’t been much but finally getting an update on the Requiem Crew since the end of CW is really exciting!! As someone who cares a lot about these characters I am in anguish over their pain but also (somehow?) still hopeful that things will improve for them!!

[freakadr0id]

HEY SO ASHE JUST SHOWED US SOME MORE LMK SEASON 3 STORYBOARDS

Saw this on Twitter and look at this!!!

I WAS F***ING RIGHT!!! PIGSY IS GIVING TANG A LITTLE HEART!!! I DIDN'T MISREAD IT - IT WAS INTENTIONAL!!!

Also:

PIGSY WAS SUPPOSED TO WINK AT TANG WHEN HE CATCHES HIM?!?!?!

Come tf on just look at that! I can't with them. They're so gay in season 3 that it's amazing they were able to release it in China at all. lol

[lost-in-derry]

WIP Snippet!

Requiem of Ascension

The Minders held him down. The cold metal of the interrogation table burned his skin as the metal clamps sealed around his limbs. He’d done his best to fight them this time, when they’d come to drag him from the isolation cell. Hunger and dehydration had left him weak.

Soon the pain would start again. It wouldn’t stop until his voice gave out. Until his tears ran dry. Until he realized no amount of begging would help him. Until he remembered he was alone in the dark.

“Every person has their limit, 021. You will reach yours and you will break. You will break over and over. If you can survive this, you can survive anything.” The Director had told him. He wondered if he would die before he passed her tests. He’d pleaded for death at the end of the last session. He could swear he’d heard his mother crying as he’d done it. But she was gone. He could hardly remember her face now.

***

Kallus was on the floor. He felt many hands holding him. Awareness came back to him slowly. The Spectres were gathered around him, looking distraught. Ahsoka was holding his head in her hands. She let out an exhausted sigh of relief. Hera was crying. He got the intense feeling that that was wrong. Hera doesn’t cry. That was true, but he couldn’t say why he knew it. Memories were slipping through his fingers like water.

“What happened?” His voice came out raw and raspy. Had he been screaming?

[morguegause]

Shockwave cycle

[saitama-division]

Generations of Divisions (Redux)

Basically this is just the original post I made a year ago but updated with all the new divisions that joined this year. These are based off when the blogs are created so please forgive me if I made a mistake.

Part 2

Generation Zero (October 2017 — August 2020)

Ikebukuro Division: Buster Bros!!! (Created October 24th, 2017)

Yokohama Division: MAD TRIGGER CREW (Created November 13th, 2017)

Shinjuku Division: Matenrou (Created December 4th, 2017)

Shibuya Division: Fling Posse (Created December 25th, 2017)

Osaka Division: Dotsuitare Hompo (Created October 28th, 2019)

Nagoya Division: Bad Ass Temple (Created November 25th, 2019)

Chuohku Ward: Party of Words (Created August 15th, 2020)

1st Generation (December 2020 — April 2021)

Harajuku Division: Alley Catz (Created December 7th, 2020) @harajukudivision (INACTIVE)

Kawasaki Division (formerly Akihabara): DayBreakers (Created January 16th, 2021) @kawasaki-division (INACTIVE)

Saitama Division: Femme Fatale (Created April 1st, 2021) @saitama-division

Shinagawa Division: CodeX (Created April 1st, 2021) @shinagawa-division

Ueno Division: Sakurai Clan (Created April 30th, 2021) @uenodivision

2nd Generation (May 2021 — September 2021)

Aoyama Division: Jet Set Trio (Created May 7th, 2021) @aoyama-division

Taitō Division: Blade Maiden (Created August 31st, 2021) @taito-division

Urayasu Division: Cherry Go Round (September 1st, 2021) @urayasu-division (INACTIVE)

Naha Division: Wild Shīnu (Created September 5th, 2021) @naha-division

Sapporo Division: Polar Knights (Created September 5th, 2021) @sapporo-division

Okinawa Division: Liberty Guild (September 27th, 2021) @okinawa-division

3rd Generation (October 2021 — December 2021)

Minato Division: Oculus (Created October 26th, 2021) @minatodivision

Chiyoda Division: Crimson Glow (Created October 28th, 2021) @chiyoda-divison (INACTIVE)

Sumida Division: Gilded Revolution (Created November 24th, 2021) @sumida-division (INACTIVE)

Akihabara Division: Otaku Corps (Created December 15th, 2021) @akihabaradivision

4th Generation (January 2022 — April 2022)

Fukuoka Division: MIHANASA (Created January 18th, 2022) @fukuokadivision1

Toyama Division: ECO BooN (Created February 12th, 2022) @toyama-division

Sendai Division: Kiya Kara (Created April 9th, 2022) @sendaidivision

Nagasaki Division: Thirteen (Created April 27th, 2022) @nagasakidivision (INACTIVE)

5th Generation (May 2022 — June 2022)

Edogawa Division: Wicked Requiem (Created May 3rd, 2022) @edogawa-division

Suginami Division: Sazanka Zombeez (Created May 17th, 2022) @suginami-division

Minato Division (2nd Team): R.I.P. Märchen (Created May 22nd, 2022) @minato-division03

Akihabara Division (2nd Team): Pixel Syndicate (Created May 22nd, 2022) @akihabara-division03

Meguro Division: DOG STREET CLUB (Created June 10th, 2022) @megurodivision (INACTIVE)

Toshima Division: Inner Circle (Created June 10th, 2022) @toshima-division (INACTIVE)

Shizuoka Division: Silent Tragedy (Created June 23rd, 2022) @shizuokadivision

6th Generation (July 2022 — August 2022)

Chiba Division: MAD LYNX (Created July 26th, 2022) @chiba-division (INACTIVE)

Nerima Division: Vivid Angels (Created July 27th, 2022) @nerima-division (INACTIVE)

Koto Division: Toxic Love (Created July 27th, 2022) @koto-division (INACTIVE)

Miyazaki Division: Beautiful Nightmare (Created August 4th, 2022) @miyazaki-division

Nagano Division: Han’nya no Tsumi (Created August 6th, 2022) @nagano-division (INACTIVE)

Kobe Division: Lovesick (Created August 7th, 2022) @kobedivision

Kanazawa Division: Justice Shield (Created August 7th, 2022) @kanazawa-division

7th Generation (September 2022 — December 2022)

Gion Division: Hana No Joō (Created September 6th, 2022) @gion-division

Enoshima Division: Solar Siren (Created September 6th, 2022) @enoshima-division

Odaiba Division: Artificial Heaven (Created September 26th, 2022) @odaibadivision (INACTIVE)

Ōta Division: Birds of Prey (Created October 22nd, 2022) @ota-division

Nakano Division: BittASweetZ (Created November 3rd, 2022) @nakanodivision

Ginza Division: Last Judgment (Created December 22nd, 2022) @ginza-division

Saga Division: Bloody Divas (Created December 31st, 2022) @sagadivision

8th Generation (January 2023 — May 2023)

Nara Division: Miraitabi (Created January 19th, 2023) @naradivision

Katsushika Division: Death Row Block (Created February 1st, 2023) @katsushika-division

Hakodate Division: Kuma no ie (Created May 3rd, 2023) @hakodate-division

Setagaya Division: ENIGMA (Created May 12th, 2023) @setagaya-division

Chuohku Ward: Party of Words Tertiary Team (Created May 23rd, 2023) @nug-chuohku

Kumamoto Division: Strange Magic (Created May 28th, 2023) @kumamoto-division

9th Generation (Part 1) (June 2023 — December 2023)

Echizen Division: Clockwork Lament (Created August 25th, 2023) @echizen-division (INACTIVE)

Chiyoda Division (2nd Team): KURUNE INC. (Created August 29th, 2023) @chiyoda-division2 (INACTIVE)

[sir-klauz]

what if the ROTRK cast showed up to your party?

[toxaspot-wf]

Requiem poem 4- lich Mopuzr Raa

Netra Lohk Jahu

Decay Void Form

Carrion hordes trill their profane, From brooding gulfs are we beheld, Corporeal laws are unwit

Accord with eldritch plans, By that which bears no name, As suns and love retreat

[hauntingblue]

Idk how I feel about jotaro coming in to help for the end battle.... I like his relationship with jolyne and how she is motivated by him but coming in to save her right at the end... idk

[etherealspacejelly]

i know jack SHIT

about star trek

but what do you like about spirk and why

OH MY GOD YOU GUYS ARE GONNA MAKE ME EXPLODE /POS

oh god where to start

its the fact that they are so perfect for each other for one thing. jim says in final frontier that he "always knew he would die alone." but edith keeler said in city on the edge of forever that spock belonged "at [jim's] side, as though you've always been there and always will". and its fucking TRUE. spock is Always at jims side, and hes like a lost puppy without him. he sees his lifes purpose as serving as jims second in command. he doesnt want command of his own. he "has a responsibility to [...] that man on the bridge". he is devoted to jim. loyal to a fault.

and jim Needs that. he needs that stability. people in his life come and go. he has so much responsibility as captain, 400 lives depending on his every decision. he needs his unflappable second in command to keep him steady, keep him focused.

spock sees jim as the most important thing in the universe. he throws himself in harms way time and time again to save him. he jumps in front of the poisonous flower in the apple, he launches himself into v'ger in the motion picture, in (im pretty sure) requiem for methuselah he insists on going into a dangerous room first.

BUT jim also sees spock as the most important thing in the universe. SOURCE: THE ENTIRE MOVIE THE SEARCH FOR SPOCK. he is literally willing to sacrifice his life, his career, his crew, and his ship to save spock. "the needs of the one outweigh the needs of the many" HE NEEDED SPOCK. HE NEEDED HIM BACK SO BAD HE BLEW UP THE FUCKING ENTERPRISE TO DO IT.

but its more than that. its the casual little intimacies of their relationship. its the way they reach out to touch one another when they're scared or worried or happy. its the prolonged eyecontact, the longing stares, the lighthearted teasing. its playing chess in the rec room, and despite spock being a creature of pure logic, jim winning 50% of their games.

its all of this:

THEY MAKE ME INSANE RAAHHHHH

[basu-shokikita]

About Depths of Humanity

So, I talked about The Duel some time back and I thought, why not do the same for this song too? It's actually one of my underrated faves from Doomstar Requiem.

This more of a rant than a strict analysis though, I just really enjoy thinking about the implications of this song and what it means in regard to Skwisgaar.

Let's start with Ishnifus' warning. He claims that inside lies danger, the ghosts of their pasts and their fears. He cautions them to stay alert and Dethklok brave forward, even if scared.

Inside, they encounter their old manager, old groupies and Skwisgaar's old guitar teacher, in that order. As promised by Ishnifus', they're all people from their past, coming back to haunt them.

Immediately, these people start recriminating Dethklok for not having paid them back after how much they helped them. In short, they're jealous of Dethklok's fame and money.

The band is clearly affected by the plaints, quickly forgetting what they were here to do. Except Skwisgaar, who reminds them all they have to find clues about Toki's whereabouts. It does not seem like they're listening to him, though.

Now up to here, I want to point out 2 things:

That Nathan and Pickles seem the most upset by these confrontations.

That, while Skwisgaar is disturbed, he still has their goal in mind.

About Nathan and Pickles, I think it makes sense, they are the leaders of the band, they're most conscious of its tremendous success. They also know they're extremely talented musicians, meaning, they're aware of their value. They know they're far from being these miserable pricks demanding rewards. Nathan had a nurturing family while Pickles used to be in a huge band, previously to Dethklok. They're both people that have been inherently helped by other people, which is why being confronted is actually uncomfortable.

Skwisgaar is certainly a different case. I have to say, I was pretty surprised to find out that he had a guitar teacher. Based on the flashbacks in Fatherklok, I assumed he had been self taught. Skwisgaar himself has admitted he was pretty poor in his childhood so it's hard to believe Servetta would've invested in his music education. Plus, he can't read music which I think would be hardly the case if he had gotten classes.

But anyway, I'll play along. This teacher is speaking English and he doesn't make any mistakes so I'm guessing he's american. Meaning, Skwisgaar took classes when he went to America, which was later in his life. To strengthen his game and/or learn the technical bits he might have missed before? Maybe? And if this was the case, then Skwisgaar would've felt less obligated to indulge to other people in his life, when he learned to be independent from a really young age. He doesn't feel like he owes shit to other people, because other people didn't give him shit. Thus, the Depths of Humanity effect is not that strong in him.

You could also argue that the loss of Toki is a far more terrifying prospect than these bitter acquaintances from their past but I'll elaborate on that further in this post.

Murderface? Well, Murderface has low esteem and is the less popular member in the band, so of course he can't fall victim to guilt-tripping. Because that would mean acknowledging he feels like he's in a better place than others, it would mean that he actually believes himself superior than others. But he doesn't, Murderface is convinced he's worth nothing, so this whole charade is more grating than anything. Which brings us to the next moment.

The way Murderface is coaxed by the Depths of Humanity crew, is when a seemingly fan approaches him and starts praising him, claiming he's the best one. And then, is when Murderface is hypnotized by the attention. He's already such a negative person, of course more negativity isn't going to get to him. But positivism? That's another deal.

Skwisgaar once again insists that they have to find a clue on how to find Toki but it falls on deaf ears. Nathan is grabbing his head in despair while Pickles clutches his chest in what seems to be an impending panic attack.

Now I really like the wording 'I'll look if you do, too' from Skwisgaar. It almost feels like, even in this situation, he's trying to sound cool about it. He doesn't want to be the only one caring this much about Toki, he doesn't want to be the one leading this operation. He's not a leader, he's never been a leader, even less when it comes to emotional stuff, which is the implicit purpose of this search. They care about Toki, and that's why they're looking for him. But is Skwisgaar seems to be unconsciously rejecting this fact. This attachment.

However, his bandmates aren't listening, too self-absorbed in their anguish to do so. Skwisgaar continues the search and is quick to point out at something on the wall. It's a flyer that he grabs and, immediately, seems to connect the dots about. In an unusual display of leadership, he tells Nathan to grab Murderface so they can leave. Their purpose has been fulfilled and they can finally escape this horrid place.

Okay, so this is my favorite bit, obviously. Once they're outside, Nathan and Pickles keep complaining about what they were just subjected to, and Skwisgaar stops them to show his discovery. It's the same flyer he just grabbed, and it features the place where Toki had his audition. Also known as the place where they all met Toki for the first time and Skwisgaar and him had the legendary duel.

We don't have a precise Dethklok timeline but it's been a long time since Toki joined the band. Several years, at the very least. And this building is nothing but a far away memory, from when they were a lesser band. From when they weren't the big rockstars they are now. So, it really begs to question that not only did Skwisgaar remember the place, but he did so at once, when he hadn't seen or heard of it in years.

...Unless, he had been thinking about it recently?

We know, thanks to the beautiful central section of the movie, that Toki had been thinking of his audition, of joining Dethklok, as a means to cope with the devastating reality he was faced with. We know reminiscing of his dazzling battle with Skwisgaar and the happiness he found within the band gave Toki strength to carry on. But what about Skwisgaar?

For someone who considered himself much better than other guitarists, to the point he didn't want to play with another one, to actually find an equal, someone that challenged him, it couldn't have been anything short of extraordinary for Skwisgaar.

The summit is for the very best only, yet it's quite lonely too, and Skwisgaar had been basking in that isolation his whole life. Until he played with Toki, then the idea of sharing his field no longer felt like an insult, but potential instead. He found someone that could improve his own playing, someone that could compliment his guitar, take it to even higher heights.

And so, Skwisgaar was the one to invite Toki to the band, more specifically, to tell him he wanted him in the band. While we can't factually know how the rest of the members joined Dethklok, we know for sure that Skwisgaar was the sole responsible for making Toki join, as the rest were already bidding him farewell for failing to keep up with Skwisgaar.

So, when the one person that challenged Skwisgaar's playing was taken away, it wouldn't be a stretch for Skwisgaar to look back on how it all happened. To ponder about the circumstances that lead them to the current situation. It's clear the whole band loves Toki and, unable to deal with their own sadness, drank and fucked to oblivion. This also applies to Skwisgaar, except that with him it's especially complex, given that he's the one that brought Toki to his world to begin with. Given that Toki and Skwisgaar share the same instrument. (Fun fact: you don't actually see Skwisgaar fiddling with his guitar in Doomstar Requiem, just puttings dat out theres.)

Obviously, this is a bunch of mumbo-jumbo but as any Pepe-Silvia-scene impersonator that respects themselves, I want to point out how interesting of a coincidence it is that, less than 2 songs later, Skwisgaar is saying this:

Right before they head in to rescue Toki and Abigail, Skwisgaar imparts some reflection of his. He's been wondering if maybe it wouldn't be better to go back to being a one-guitar band. Toki has been in Dethklok for a long time now, so it's interesting Skwisgaar has been thinking about this...

...Except, that's exactly what his mentality used to be like, before meeting Toki. Right when he was trying to convince Pickles that they didn't need a rhythm guitar, he spoke these words exactly. One-guitar band.

It's almost like Skwisgaar is trying to do some self-preservation by returning to his aloof roots. He made Toki join the band, now Toki's gone and in danger, and maybe this wouldn't have happened if they had stuck with Skwisgaar's original plan. Because they attempted to replace Magnus is why this came to be. The revenge Magnus promised did arrive.

I just wanna be clear. I don't think Skwisgaar believes he's the sole to responsible for this, I'm sure he knows Magnus is the main perpetrator here. But the facts remain the facts, and had they all stayed as they were, then they wouldn't be risking their lives now to save their fifth member.

Like this, it seems entirely logical that Skwisgaar would be thinking of his former reluctance, of the Duel, of everything. It's all fresh in his mind once again, because Toki's kidnapping has forced him to realize they're not actually untouchable. Their mortality is back on the table, and so are their bonds.

In short, Skwisgaar had been repressing all his emotions about Toki's disappearance, but from the Depths of Humanity onward, he can't help but show them. He can't help but admit to himself and others, that he wants Toki back. So much, that a bunch of angry and entitled people can't affect him enough to forget it. So much that it's making him remember how distant he used to be, before Toki. So much that it's making him realize how different he is now.

[galaxywarp]

A lot of people pointed out in my first poll that some of the songs included are objectively pretty popular and I agree — we can go deeper

So here’s a second attempt:

[loafaethernaut]

I need to correct something I said in a previous post regarding my theory of a potential GreySam reunion, because now I’m starting to think that a brief GreySam reconnection in the next Black Ops Zombies game is entirely possible:

So I went back and rewatched some of the MWZ cutscenes and I was entirely wrong about Ravenov telling Ava that he last saw Maxis when they fought The Forsaken.

Ravenov doesn’t actually specify when he last saw Maxis. Just that after her sacrifice (which presumably is the events of Forsaken) Requiem tried to find a way to rescue her. And failed.

The failure implies that something happened during a rescue attempt that left them unable to ever try and bring her back again. I’m guessing that in the next Black Ops Zombies game (whether it be Gulf War or Black Ops 5-6 idek) we’ll get to find out and see what exactly happened.

Another reason why I think something specific happened to the Requiem Crew is what Grey says to Ava:

Maybe this is just me, but I find it hard to believe that the Requiem Crew are dying just from Aetherium exposure from the events of CW zombies. Especially considering that Ravenov was also exposed to quite a lot of Aetherium during CW zombies and is still alive and kicking (I know there are theories about Ravenov’s body aging slower for some reason but I don’t think it entirely refutes my point even if that is true).

I also think it’s safe to now assume that since the Requiem Crew knew ahead of time that they were dying, they went out on their own terms considering the machine they were hooked up to when they died was seen off to the side in Grey’s video.

The machine they were hooked up to also produced highly enriched “weapons grade” Aetherium from their bodies.

So while it’s a bit of a reach here’s my theory: I think that during the events of the next Black Ops Zombies story, the Requiem Crew will find a way to enter the Dark Aether themselves and attempt to bring Maxis back. I might even go so far as to say that they are successful in finding her, but they are unable to bring her back for one reason or another and in the process they are exposed to a lethal level of Aetherium, or a special type/process of Aetherium that slowly kills them overtime once they come back.

While there are a LOT of holes in this theory because there is so much we still don’t know about how the DA and Aetherium works, I am willing to bet there is at least a CHANCE that in the next game we’ll see Maxis again and maybe even see her reconnect with Grey, even if just briefly.

[errolluck]

KAON'S ASK BOX IS ON AND READY!

CLOSED!

Wanna know more about Kaon? His struggles? Hobbies? Get to know his lore a bit more? Just say hi to him?

Send an ask!

Kaon along with Steelclaw, his parents [Megatron and Soundwave] and the rest of the Nemesis crew will be answering any asks about this MegaSound fanchild and his story!

VVV Every ask answered so far! VVV

"How did Kaon and Steelclaw met?"

"Does Kaon like any video games or movies?"

"How is it to live with the most important figures of all decepticon and Cybertronian history (Megatron and Soundwave)? Who babysits Kaon?"

"What kind of issues Kaon has? Did they get better/tolerable when Kaon grew older?"

"Can Kaon play/record things like Soundwave can?"

"What do you think of Makeshift?"

"Is Kaon sick?"

"What was The Incident, that made Starscream so terrified of Kaon?"

"Would kaon have a pet? Like, any pet (human included)?"

"Kaon meets Gold Quake"

"Do you know what's My Little Pony?"

"What's your favorite pastime? What you like to do when your bored out of your processor?"

"Does Kaon know about Shockwave? If so, how?"

"How is possible Kaon has a cannon?"

"Kaon and Requiem"

"Which of your dads is scarier when angry?" (This was posted twice by mistake)

[badly-drawn-doflamingo]

???? What the fuck kind of lore drop is this

I don’t remember this in the manga, other than the off mention during his “I am Brook” speech, (joining the crew with his bounty and such)

I wonder when Oda will come back to this..

TRANSCRIPTION

Ryuma, standing before Brook: “Now tell me, what part of that retched excuse for a body would you like me to severe with my ‘Arrow Notch Slash?’

Brook, with clear anger rising: “Shut up.. you DON’T KNOW THE FIRST THING ABOUT THAT TECHNIQUE. YOU HAVE NO RIGHT TO EVEN SPEAK ITS NAME.”

Brook, now panting: “I use to serve in my kingdom’s raider squad. The quick draw attack I was most skilled was originally called ‘The Requiem la Banderole’ however my cowards in arms renamed it after my sword fighting skills.

[randomfoggytiger]

Are you a believer in the “season of secret sex?”

Absolutely!

I read somewhere-- but can't find it-- that the cast and crew knew this season was curtains, so CC let them do whatever they wanted as a last hurrah. The kiss in Millennium, WBD's road trip episode, GA's all things, DD's Hollywood A.D., etc. If I recall, DD was sick of the will-they-won't-they (and I think GA, too, to a degree) and turned up the flirt-o-meter because the characters had kissed so obviously what was the next logical conclusion? (He never said this outright; and I can't find the general anecdote proving my point. Saw it once, then never again; so, I could be wrong, don't quote me. I digress.)

CC and Spotnitz planned Scully's pregnancy from the very beginning of the season-- hence the child on the beach in the same ep. as the family planning book in Mulder's office-- hoping to hook in the ratings for another season renewal. They asked GA if they could slip a scene of Mulder in Scully's bed during all things... without telling her the ultimate "this will be when William was conceived" end goal. But were shocked, anyway, when she already "knew" the big surprise in Requiem... which leads me to believe no one was being subtle or secretive enough on-set, anymore.

Furthermore, all things makes the most sense in the context of Scully's continual struggle with self-doubt after making a decision or settling into a relationship. Made a post about it here; but suffice to say, it fits her pattern of behavior before she even joined the FBI. For Mulder, he's a man that won't progress unless he's prepared for everything to change: FTF was the cusp, but Scully's 2nd abduction pushed him back. The Unnatural helped him regain ground, but it wasn't until Amor Fati that he broke those chains psychologically. (Scully wasn't prepared, then-- Diana had JUST DIED and she had a lot of guilt-- but he advanced them forward again in Millennium; and she was ready, hence her bone-deep, contended smile.)

Her outright jealousy and his delight in her jealousy, her tie-twirling and his love-sick expressions, and their "Betty?"/"Back in the day" coupling in Rush seals the deal. (Not to mention all the inuendo and nonchalant, casual closeness they have from then on out: fulfilled rather than repressed sexual tension.)

In short, anon? Yes. :DDDD

[sepublic]

TL;DR at the bottom... Even before the decision to include the Collector, I have to wonder if the writers always intended the backstory of a great war between the Titans and a group of celestial beings that descended from above, who smote each other and left only King behind as the survivor. The Season 1 finale alludes to other Titan corpses, with the Boiling Isles being the only fully intact one discovered; So there’s already that implicit question of What killed the Titans?

Likewise, there’s the angelic imagery surrounding Belos, that we also see introduced in S1. And while this could just be a reference to actual Christianity in-universe, I do recall speculating there having been a war between the Titans and divine beings from above during that time in response to this... Not to mention!

The Elsewhere and Elsewhen storyboards have Philip seeking a Song of Stars instead of the Collector, and we know there originally would’ve been three figures that cornered the Owl Beast in Knock, Knock, Knockin’ on Hooty’s Door’s storyboards. Sounds like...

I’ve speculated on these three as a motif since S1, with their first appearance being in Young Blood, Old Souls, where we first learned of the other Titans and their butchered state. Obviously, we must keep in mind that the crew changed the story after writing Eda’s Requiem, in response to the show’s shortening (this was told to them the week after Agony of a Witch aired, production takes a while), so K3oHD and EE’s storyboards may not mean much in regards to the pre-shortening plans.

But storyboards could’ve been written concurrently; They may have always intended an Angels vs Demons war between the Titans and visitors from the stars, that resulted in a mutual extinction. And the Collector and their backstory wasn’t totally made up in response to the shortening, either; Dana said they were a character concept the writers always wanted to explore.

So it could be that the shortening convinced the writers to make the Collector the face/representative of that extinct species, rather than a more conventional Archivist. And/or the Collectors would’ve remained purely posthumous characters in the backstory, the way Caleb and Evelyn are. The Collector was suggested as a kid of this celestial species to flesh them out, only to be truncated into just the trio; But with the shortening, the crew chose to actualize them as the lens through which we learn of their people’s genocide against the Titans, since they had so much fun with their concept.

Even before the show was shortened and the story changed, the writers might’ve always intended for the Titans to have been wiped out in a war against some celestial beings from space. They entertained the idea of a kid of that species, just as King is for the Titans; And when the shortening was announced in Summer 2020, Dana went F it and decided to elevate this cosmic child from the backstory and into the main story for our protagonists to actually deal with. Instead of an adult trio being this species’ representatives, the writers settled for the Collector.

Even if we didn’t get the Collector, that trio may have taken their place anyway. The background of their species’ genocide against the Titans would’ve remained; Philip’s plan would’ve been to use a leftover spell from that war, the Song of Stars, to enact a genocide upon witches as it was used for Titans (he may have mistaken the Collectors for literal angels whose mission he was finishing; Not unlike how he gets people to project divinity onto the Titan).

And since S1, he was always intended to be aware of and inspired by these celestial beings, who may have come in the form of a trio; Hence the Petrification statue, with the Owl Beast scroll as another hint. The curse is also red magic, which I compared to Belos’, and since he learned from the Collector...!

TL;DR I don’t think the Collector’s inclusion in the story changed it that much, since they’re just an extension of lore that was always planned, possibly filling a role originally intended for others of their kind anyhow; And it sounds as if Dana always considered the Collector, and thus might’ve gone through with them even if TOH hadn’t been shortened. Not that it really matters, because I find the Collector a legitimately compelling character in their own right, who in addition to their contributions to the themes, story, and other characters’ arcs, has justified their inclusion.