#oh yeah and this is also my try at a future collector

[rainbow-sparks]

[rebelliousstories]

Sins of the Father

Relationship: Luke Alvez x Reader

Fandom: Criminal Minds

Request: No

Warnings: Angst, Violence, Fluff

Word Count: 4,992

Main Masterlist: Here

Criminal Minds Masterlist: Here

Summary: When the victim of a crime shows up to a hospital, she only has one name on her lips as she dazes in and out; Luke.

John F. Kennedy said, “Children are the world’s most valuable resource and its best hope for the future.”

Racing inside of a hospital in the blistering cold, there were medics and emergency room staff working desperately on a woman in a stretcher. A small boy who was crying out for his mom from the back of the ambulance. An oxygen mask covered her mouth but she kept trying to speak.

“Get the OR prepped now!” A nurse yelled, running alongside the gurney.

“Luke. Luke!” The woman pulled her mask off and fought with her nurse that was trying to put it back on. People moved out of their way as they ran down the hallways. As they were doing that, a small boy was being led by an EMT to the waiting area to wait with him. A woman in a suit, and a man in a polo showed up to the nurses station and showed their credentials before being pointed over at the waiting room.

“Buddy, I know that you’re scared, but I’m gonna wait right here till the police can show up and help you. Do you want a water?” The EMT tried to get the boy to open up, but he just curled in on himself.

“Excuse me,” the woman gained the attention of the older man, “we’re agents Prentiss and Alvez. May we speak with you for a moment?”

The man went to nod, but his eyes drifted back to the small child next to him. Luke stepped forward and crouched down in front of the small boy. The boy hesitantly looked towards the older man, and looked at him with recognition that the agent did not understand.

“Hey there. I’m Luke. Do you mind if I wait here with you?” He asked softly, waiting for the boy to acknowledge him. But the boy said nothing. The medic was ushered away by Emily, but Luke still sat on the floor in front of the boy to not crowd him in.

“You’re the one who treated the woman that was just admitted?” Emily asked, already going into business mode.

“Yeah. She was in rough shape when we found her and her son. I’ve seen so many things in my years, but if I never saw one of these guys victims again it would be too soon.” He shook his head as he dropped his eyes.

“Can you tell us where you found her? We know there was a 9-1-1 call that led you to an abandoned factory. Was there anything unusual about it?” She pressed. Her feyes flickered over to where her friend was still sitting near the boy.

“Um, she was bound with tape and rope. Her kid was holed up in a closet down the hall.” The man responded.

“This is very important, did you remove anything from her hands? Stamps, coins, even bugs that have been preserved?” Prentiss got her phone ready to make a call with whatever the EMT said.

“Cards. We gave the police a queen of hearts, jack of diamonds, and a uh… oh what was it,” he was thinking hard about what the other card was. “Oh, a king of clubs as well.”

“Thank you. You’ve been a big help.” She let the medic go and turned to where Luke was still trying to get through to the woman’s son.

“Ready and willing for you, my fair lady.” The cheery voice of one Miss Penelope Garcia chimed through the phone.

“Hey girl. Listen, the collector left a set of cards this time. I’m gonna have the Virginia P.D. send them over. But he only left three this time. He didn’t complete the set.” The older agent continued to stare in confusion at the duo in front of her while the clacking of keys filled the other line.

“Why wouldn’t he have completed the set? That’s like his whole thing.” Penelope was also staring confused now.

“I don’t know, but we do know that the three previous victims all had something that they hid and never claimed. Look into our Jane Doe and see if anyone matching her description has gone missing that has a child.” Emily instructed, noticing the smile passing over Luke’s face as the child looked at him again. He still had not said a word but he was responding.

“Oh she has a child? That is awful. Why do bad guys do bad things? Okay, I will see if anyone has gone missing in a tri-state region matching her description that has a child. Farewell fair g-woman!” And the line clicked off. Prentiss smiled but kept her distance from the to men in front of her and just watched them.

“Can you tell me your name bud? If I know your name, I could find out how to better help your mom.” Luke gently pried, finally moving to the chair next to the boy.

“Liam. My mom has a picture of you.” The boy admitted, turning his body fully to the man to his left.

“Okay Liam, what do you mean your mom has a picture of me? Like from the T.V. or computer?” He pried again, confusion forming deep in his face.

“No. In her necklace and in the frame in her drawer. She thinks that I don’t know, but I do.” Liam looked down at his feet as he kicked lightly.

“You’re very smart Liam. Do you know where she got those pictures?” Now, Luke was going away from the main objective.

“She’s had them forever,” he shrugged, “she doesn’t like talking about it with me. Mom just cries late at night. I think that’s why the man gave me this.”

“Gave you what, Liam?” He did not know how that little brain was able to comprehend and process everything that was happening; Luke’s brain was having a difficult time by himself.

“This.” Liam pulled down his shirt and showed something stapled to the inside. Luke helped him flip the edge over to reveal a card. Whipping a glove out of his pocket, Luke was grabbing the card, careful not to cause harm to the child. The name “Luke” stared back at him, which just added more confusion to his mind. The agent looked back to Emily who was calling to get an evidence kit to collect the card. Once the card was collected and sent off to the BAU, Luke continued to sit with Liam as he did not want to leave the boys side.

At the headquarters, Reid stared at the three cards that he currently had and thanked the agent that delivered him the fourth. There was a reason the unsub did not pair all for cards together like he should have. He was known as The Collector; he should have put them all together out of compulsion.

He placed all four cards on a board and just stared at them. This unsub paired the stamps together with years consecutively apart. Coins were in the same pattern, just with earlier years. And the bugs were the oldest but the dates on the back of the frames were earlier, but all together.

“Garcia got a name on our Jane Doe- what are you doing?” JJ asked, walking in to the round table room where Reid was staring at the pictures of items that were found at the scenes of the crime. He did not give her an answer but instead turned to his friend instead.

“I know why he’s choosing what he’s choosing to display. Who’s the latest?” Spencer jumped from thought to thought with surprising speed. Jennifer told him her name, and placed her photo where it needed to go on the board.

“Great. We need to get the team together.” He left to go track down his fellow teammates while JJ just stood there, trying to see what he saw in the pictures. In just a moment, JJ and Spencer stood with Rossi, Lewis, Simmons and Garcia while Alvez and Prentiss were on a conference call.

“I didn’t see it until the card came in, but please indulge me for a moment.” Spencer began, gaining the attention of those around him.

“So, when we’re young, what’s something that we can easily get to collect? Especially young boys?”

“Bugs.” Lewis offered.

“Exactly,” his hands were running wild as he spoke, “then when we’re old enough to make or get money, you usually collect by date. When you’re old enough to write, you might send letters and if you have the collecting tendency, you collect stamps. Finally, when you’re old enough to start playing cards, you might collect cards based off their patterns and designs.” After his explanation, Spencer was looking around and just hoping he had not lost them.

“So he’s telling the story of his life through the collectibles he leaves.” Rossi pointed out, feeling like there was more to be discovered.

“Exactly, but this is where it get’s interesting.” Reid pulled down the cards and laid them on the desk.

“On the front, all four of these cards look similar, however,” the cards were flipped, “on the back, only the two hearts match. The two kings don’t match each other or the hearts. They have completely different appearances.”

The team stood around as they thought about the explanation. It was not until a nurse came by that Luke’s attention was drawn away. He let Emily know that he was going to her, and left the team.

“She’s resting right now. There was some extensive damage but she should make a full recovery. You can go see her now.” The nurse led the way down the hall to where the woman lay in her hospital bed. Alvez thanked the nurse, and she went on her way. He looked in through the glass at the beaten woman inside and felt his throat close. Her voice still ran through his head everyday, even after all this time.

Luke walked inside the room, and let out a shaky breath at he watched her just lying there. She was staring off into nothingness and barely registered that there was another person in the room. With a clearing of his through, the agent brought her attention to him.

“Luke.” She whimpered, tears welling up at the mere sight of him.

“Hey reina.” He whispered, coming over to the side of the bed. She said nothing for a minute, before she finally burst out crying. The pain in her face flared up, yet she could not help but cry.

“I’m sorry, Luke. I’m so sorry.” Her words caused the man to hold her hand delicately as she continued to cry.

“You have nothing to be sorry about, sweetie. You did nothing to deserve this treatment.” Alvez tried to reassure her but she just kept shaking her head and crying.

“It is all my fault. I did this. This is my fault, Luke. I set him off.” Her breathing was starting to pick up and Luke knew he needed to act fast. He had enough of his friends from the army that developed panic attacks after what they saw to know when one was starting.

“You gotta calm down, reina. Breathe, you gotta breathe. Follow me. In and out. There you go. Try it again. Good job. Let’s try it again.” Luke led her through several exercises to help stave off the attack, and was glad to see her heart beat finally calming back down. Once she was able to catch her breath, the woman looked around, and was about to be sent into another tizzy.

“My son. Where’s my son? Where’s Liam?” Even though she tried to get up, the agent did not let her.

“Hey, hey, hey. It’s okay. Lay back down. Liam is with my coworker, Emily. They’re just outside in the waiting room.” He reassured her once more. She nodded as she settled back into her bed with Luke at her side.

“So, where are you working now,” came her ask. Her voice was small and weak than he had ever known.

“The Behavioral Analysis Unit at Quantico.” He answered, sitting down in the chair beside her bed.

“BAU, huh? Would have never thought you would go from the FTF to a desk job.” She teased, causing them both to chuckle.

“Hey, don’t wanna hear nothing. Little miss work from home author.” Alvez sent right back, making them chuckle again. But once they died down, the man turned solemn. “I’ve gotta ask some tough questions that I’d much rather not have Liam present for, if that’s okay?”

She nodded and let her self get comfortable in her bed first. Luke readjusted in his seat as well before he began.

“Do you know the man who did this to you?” He asked, watching the woman closely for any sign of discomfort.

“Yeah. My ex-boyfriend, Santiago.” Her eyes shifted away as she answered.

“Wait, Santi did this? I thought he was still in New York.” Luke could not catch a break on the confusion.

“He followed me here. When I broke up with you, Luke, I didn’t want to. But he said he would kill you and my parents if I didn’t. I couldn’t take that chance. He knows where all of you live.” She pleaded, looking back with tears in her eyes.

“It’s fine. You were only doing what you thought was right. Even though, I would have had someone investigate his threats for you. But sweetheart, that was five years ago. What have you been doing all this time? And why would he do this now?” Luke pressed, holding her hand in his own.

“I was taking care of my son. But I was tired of being controlled. I found out that your number hadn’t changed. I guess he found out cause one minute I’m packing Liam’s bag, and the next I’m tied down to a table in an abandoned building.” Her words tumbled out of her mouth uncontrollably.

“When we found Liam in the waiting room, he had a card stapled to his shirt. Now, that’s just his signature, right. Leaving something on his victims that is a collectible. But the cards weren’t collectible. They were all different except for the queen and jack. Two different kings that did not match. Does that have anything to do with Liam?” Luke noticed how she chewed her lip between her teeth and picked at her nails unconsciously. That was always her tell that she was hiding something. Now just what that something was the question. He called her name, and she looked him in the eyes. The woman was wishing that she had not done that.

“Who is Liam’s father?”

A knock at the window caused the pair to pull away and look to the source of the noise. Emily had arrived with Liam, who ran to his mother. Luke helped the young boy up, and followed the agent out of the room to discuss.

“This woman had the most rage shown to her, but not the son. Whoever this guy is, he is getting closer to his end game. But I can’t help feeling like we’re missing something.” Prentiss lamented, noticing how distant Luke was after her little speech.

“What is it?” She pried.

“I know who this guy is. We need protection detail stationed at her door until we catch him. He’ll come back and finish off the job.”

The two agents raced back to Quantico while on the phone with the team to fill them in. Inside the SUV, the air was so thick with tension you could cut it with a knife. Prentiss was not sure what was going on with Luke since they left the hospital, but he was silently staring out of the window. The man was lost in his thoughts as he thought about everything that had happened in the last decade.

When they made their way up the elevator to the sixth floor, Luke was silent through all of that. His next words would not come until he had barged his way into Garcia’s lair. The technical analyst let out a shriek as she was startled by the loud noise.

“Oh hello to you too. What can I do for you mister with the very scary look on his face that tells me something bad is about to happen?” Her voice trailed off as Alvez came to rest his hand on the bak of her chair and look over her shoulder to gaze at the screen.

“Garcia, pull up anything and everything you can on a Santiago Domingo from the Bronx. We went to the same high school. Send it over to the main screen.” Luke left as soon and as fast as he had entered which left the woman to scramble to get his information. Making his way into the round table room, Emily met him in there with determination.

“I got your text. What’s going on that you don’t want to fill the team in about yet? Is this about the latest victim in the hospital?” She wasted no time, and got right down to business.

“Yes,” he admitted with a deep sigh. “I wanted to tell you first before bringing the team up to speed.”

“Floor is yours.” She prompted.

Down in the bull pen, the rest of the agents watched through the blinds as the unit chief spoke with her agent. They were all trying to figure out who this guy was, but was not able to. However, no one missed the DMV photo that was pulled up on the big screen.

“What do you think they’re talking about in there?” Lewis pondered, sipping her coffee. She had lost track as to what number cup she was on for the day.

“Whatever it is, it doesn’t look good.” JJ replied, popping a chip in her mouth as she was finally able to take a break to eat. A noise prompted the rest of the team to turn their heads to the resident genius who was still focusing on the cards that were collected from the scene.

“Your IQ is whining so much I want to give it some cheese. What do you have, Reid?” Rossi teased, prompting a few chuckles.

“The cards. The other mismatched king, the king of spades, that’s the one that had Luke’s name on it but why?” Spencer held a confused look on his face as he tried to piece the puzzle together.

“Maybe the unsub knows Luke and wanted to taunt him. Wouldn’t be the first time that’s happened.” Simmons pointed out, but Reid only shook his head.

“It’s got to be more than that. The queen and jack are from the same suit, and the same deck. But only the kings are different in suit and deck, and they don’t match any other card that was recovered.” He continued his explanation.

“What’s your point?” Rossi asked.

“I’m not sure.” Reid concluded.

“Guys,” Emily stepped out and called their attention, “you’re gonna want to get in here.”

The team shuffled into the room, and all stood around the table while Luke was right in front of the screen. His face was solemn and defeated; a look that did not suit Luke Alvez very well.

“The man we’re looking for was my best friend in high school, Santiago Domingo. We called him Santi. He was a bit of an odd guy, but harmless for the most part. Came from a broken home and was a typical kleptomaniac. Anything he could get his hands on, he took.” Luke took a break and casted his eyes to the table. Having to dig up old memories was hard for him.

“Halfway through senior year there was a girl who transferred to our school. She had all the same classes as me so I got assigned one morning to help her around. I really liked this girl, I mean she was the total package. Smart, pretty, great sense of humor, wanted to help people, already had a job and another more permanent one set up after high school. Well, as time went on and she would hang around me and Santi, I ended up falling for her. I didn’t realize that Santi was in the same boat I was in.’

‘Prom came around and as much as I wanted to ask this girl out, Santi was asking me for advice on how to do it himself. So I helped him. He was the happiest I had ever seen him when she said yes. They made a really lovely couple. After high school, they stayed together. And I saw less and less of her, and anytime I did see her, she was always within arm length of Santi. Then the bruises came.”

Pictures flashed on the screen, and the whole team had to hold their breath. The woman’s face was covered with scrapes and marks. Her arms, chest, legs, hands, and feet were all in the same horrid condition. Garcia averted her eyes as they continued, but everyone else kept watching the slides.

“She reached out to me about twelve years ago, wanting to get out of the relationship but felt like she couldn’t. I got her to go to the police, testify against him in court, and got Santi put away for ten years. Two years later, we started dating once she felt like she could and we were happy. I planned on proposing to her, but before I could, she broke up with me. Left all of her stuff in our apartment, and was gone in the middle of the night. According to prison records, Santi only served four of his ten. Got out on good behavior. According to her, she had to break things off with me, otherwise he would have killed her parents, then me.” Luke concluded. The room was so silent, you could hear everyone’s breathing. No one said anything for a while. They just stood there and stayed silent.

“So how can we help find Santiago?” Emily asked, which pulled everyone else from their stupors.

“Garcia, where was he staying in town? If he’s doing all these murders, he’s got to be staying somewhere isolated that he can plan and execute everything.” Matt directed.

“Right, um. So Domingo’s last known address was…” her face dropped once the search result came back, “an apartment downtown. He’s been living on the same floor as Luke for the past six years.”

“No matter how stupid this guy may be, he’s not stupid enough to keep her, with a child on the same floor as Luke. He’s got to have another spot that he was holding them.” JJ countered, but it all slipped away for Alvez. Six years Santiago had known where he was and knew the routine.

“Look for anything registered in her name. That’s going to be where they’ve been living since leaving Luke.” As soon as Spencer said the magic words, Garcia had her fingers racing across her keys. Another ding.

“Okay so I’ve got an address, also downtown, but about five miles from the apartment. It’s a house registered in her name. They’ve been there for five years.” Penelope looked up at Luke, but he was just staring that table into the ground. If looks could kill, that table would be taking a world of abuse.

“So we go to his house. He was interrupted with her. He’ll wanna regroup before going with his next strike.” Luke made the move to leave the room to get ready but was stopped by a hand on his shoulder.

“Look, Luke. You are far too close to this case. Let us handle it. We need him alive, and with your relationship to the victim, you’ll be a liability.” Rossi gently spoke, as if hushing a cornered animal. The agent turned around and leveled his unit chief with a look. A look that said, “you signing off on this right now?”

“Go stay at the hospital with her until we catch Santiago. You’ll be better suited for that than this.” Emily did not miss the look of indignation that came across Alvez’ face. Even less so when it was paired with the stomping of boots as he stormed away.

Luke obeyed the order though. He drove silently to the hospital, wishing that he was out in the field taking down this guy. Once he was parked and the vehicle was shut off, he hit the steering wheel a couple times to let out his anger at the situation. Scrubbing his hands over his face, Alvez left the vehicle and made his way into the hospital. His team was out there taking down his childhood best friend without him. If anyone should be able to make that arrest, it should be Luke.

He kept thinking about this all the way to her room. And then his mind drifted to her son, Liam. The kid was just five years old and had almost lost his mom thanks to that man. Arriving at her room, Alvez noticed that the blinds were drawn and immediately had a bad feeling in his gut. Placing a hand on his firearm, he went into the room as quietly as possible.

“Thought I wouldn’t notice yo slipping right back into Mr. Perfect’s arms, huh?” It was Santiago. He had found her. Luke should not have been too shocked; Santiago needed to complete the collection.

“Please, don’t hurt us more than you have. Okay? Liam loves you. Don’t do this in front of him.” She was trying to shield her son, but with her condition and being in a hospital bed, that was very difficult.

“Don’t lie to me. I know he isn’t mine.” Santiago growled, waving around a knife.

“Santiago, put it down.” The man in question turned around, but his face relaxed to be almost jovial upon seeing the agent in the room.

“Well, look who we have here. Luke Alvez. Big bad FBI agent who doesn’t give a rat’s ass about where he comes from.” Domingo moved closer to the mother and son in the bed while moving his knife closer and closer. This prompted Luke to draw his gun, and kept it trained on the man in front of him.

“Santi, I don’t want to hurt you but I will. Let them go and drop the knife.” He pleaded, shifting his eyes to her in reassurance.

“Has she even told you,” came the question. When no response was given from anyone, Santiago burst out laughing in his spot. “Oh, she hasn’t. This is too perfect. You’re so clueless man.”

“Santi, please.” She begged, but cowered when the knife came closer to her and her son.

“No! Don’t you think he has the right to know? I mean, you wouldn’t be so heartless as to keep that from him would you?” He was teasing her, and still waving a knife around her son.

“Go on, tell him. You’ll feel better.” Santiago kept repeating the prompt over and over again, but she refused. Instead, she held her son close and waited for the nightmare to be over.

“Tell him!” He shouted, yanking Liam from his mom’s grasp. Both people cried out and tried to get to the other, but Santiago had other plans. With a knife held menacingly over the boys stomach, he prompted the woman again. This time much gentler. “Tell Luke.”

She looked at her son, who had tears coming down his face. He looked just as confused as the agent that she laid her eyes on next. Her vision was obscured by the tears that were pouring down her face as she tried to figure a way to get her son back.

“Luke, when I left to go to Santi, I was pregnant. I told him for years that Liam was his, but when he started growing proper hair, I couldn’t lie anymore. Liam is your son, Luke. I’m so sorry I hid that from you.” Her wails were overshadowed by Santiago’s whoops in delight.

“Doesn’t that feel so much better. How about you Luke? Feel any better knowing the truth?” Santiago teased again. The agent kept his gun and eyes hardened on the man but was quietly processing the information.

“Now where were we?” He raised his knife up as if to swing, and Luke did not think about it another second. Landing a bullet in the man’s shoulder, the agent swooped in and kicked the knife away from him as he grabbed the boy and hoisted him up. Santiago was writhing in agony on the ground, blood steadily pouring out, but Luke did not care. He set the young boy on the bed, and called it in.

In just a few minutes, his entire team was there. Luke kept himself busy for the time being with giving a statement, getting Santiago out of the room and filling his unit chief in. Thirty minutes later, he finally caught a long enough break to go back into the room where mother and son rested. Even though they were lying down, neither was too terribly tired. When she heard the door click, she waved the man over to sit on the chair beside them. Keeping a hand on the boy, she reached her other hand out to hold Luke’s.

“Was that true? What you said earlier.” He asked, begging for confirmation.

“Every word. He’s yours, Luke. I’m sorry I didn’t tell you earlier, but he wouldn’t let me reach out to you once we knew for certain.” Liam sat up and faced the adults talking.

“Hey buddy. I’m your dad.” Luke choked out as tears came to his eyes. Without another word, Liam launched himself into his awaiting arms as Alvez cried. Bringing her into the fold, they all sat there crying and finally being together as a family.

“Each day of our lives we make deposits in the memory banks of our children.” Charles R. Swindoll

[avatarmerida]

Dreaming and Watching

Corny little huntlow oneshot about what I think the finale title could mean 💚💛

—

The Collector lured them into a circle, bouncing around the room, delighted to have new play things.

“Oh boy oh boy oh boy!” The whimsical voice echoed in glee. “Just imagine the games we can play with these guys, King! We’ve never had players like this before!”

“Yeah! Games! Of course!” Luz laughed nervously. “W-we’re so excited to play games with you!”

“Yippe!” He exclaimed, twirling in the air. “What should we play first? Let’s do something new! What kind of games do you like?”

“We like all kinds of games!” Amity said, trying to steady her voice. “W-we like nice, safe games! I think those are the most fun!”

“Hmmm, no that sounds boring,” the Collector decided, not taking it into consideration very long. “I wanna play make believe! Do you guys have good imaginations?”

“I’ve been told mine is a little too good sometimes,” said Luz quietly.

“You have a human imagination!” The Collector laughed, spinning around her on a bed of stars. “Oh wow! I bet you could think of some fun things!”

“Yeah, I bet I could!” Luz said. “I bet we all could, but I think we also know how things can-.”

“Do you have an imagination?” The Collector turned to Hunter who raised his arm instinctively in front of Gus and Willow.

“Um, I guess so?” He said carefully. “It’s.. not like all this exactly, but I-.”

“Wo-hoo! A grimwalker game! I can’t believe I finally get to play with the grimwalker!” sang the godly child, happy with the answer. “Let’s learn more about you! We never got to talk!”

“Um... okay?” Hunter said cautiously, Willow reached out to hold his hand to assure him she was there as the Collector held his eye contact.

“Hmm so if you have an imagination, is it a fun imagination or a scary one like your scary uncle?” Pondered the child, wanting to make sure he approved what Hunter brought to the imaginary table. “Cause I don’t like scary. Ya know, I’ve always wondered what goes on in your mind! I never got to ask! But why ask when we can just see?”

The Collector quickly spun around Hunter, nearly knocking Willow over in the process, as she refused to let go of his hand. When the star child leapt up he held what appeared to be Golden dust in his arms. He threw it in the air like confetti and as they fell they connected to form a wall of golden glitter. The group look on in confusion as the rest of the room darkened so the focus point could be known. Suddenly, like a movie screen, an image appeared.

It was Hunter, dressed in a Hexside uniform sporting every track color happily walking down the hallway with his arms with books.

“Wait, when did this happen?” Gus asked, knowing this wasn’t the uniform he had worn as a disguise when they first met.

“Is this in the future?” Amity wondered, noting the hair Hunter had was more similar to his current look.

As the Hunter on the screen finished gathering his books, Flapjack appeared beside him and landed on his shoulder. This was clearly not a known timeline.

“That must mean...” started Luz.

“It’s my dream,” realized Hunter. “It’s the dream I always-.” He paused and looked with wide eyes to his side at Willow, still holding his hand and fixated on the screen. He gulped. “Uh-oh.”

Dream Hunter proceeded to walk down the halls of Hexside, his face wore a wide smile and he walked with an obvious confidence he hadn’t known since his Golden Guard days. Every student he passed acknowledged him, offering a wave or friendly hello, clearing showing how welcomed and known he was, how naturally he it, how obvious it was that he was meant to be there.

“Ya know, we really don’t need to see this!” Hunter called as the dream continued to play. “My imagination isn’t very impressive actually so I’m sure there’s something else you’d rather-.”

“Shhhh!” The Collector called down. “I’ve never seen this one befoooore! No spoilers!”

The group didn’t know what the Collector’s intentions were, but they couldn’t deny it was nice seeing Hunter like this, even if it was only in his dreams.

“Hey Hunter!” Gus called, turning the corner to catch up to him

“Oh look! There’s me! There’s me!” Exclaimed the real Gus with excitement, pointing to himself.

“Hey Gus!” Dream Hunter greeted his friend and they did their signature handshake. “You ready for that test next period?”

“‘Course!” Said Gus with ease. “It’s child’s play. Are you ready for Cosmic Con this weekend?”

“Always!” Hunter said, hyped. “We’re definitely gonna win best costume!”

“We always do!” Gus agreed. “I’m gonna go snag us some seats next to each other so we can do some last minute flash cards before the test, don’t be late!”

“I never am!” Hunter called as Gus disappeared into the classroom.

The real Hunter felt the real Gus nudge his ribs. Hunter looked over to him and Gus gave him a wide smile.

“I dunno what you were so nervous about, this is awesome,” whispered Gus. “And you made me taller too, thanks dude.”

“Haha yeah of course,” Hunter replied, turning his attention nervously back to the screen. “It’s not over yet.”

“Hunter! Thank you so much for letting me borrow your history notes!” Said a dream Amity, as Hunter passed her locker. “They really brought up my grade. Your footnotes were especially helpful.”

“Of course! Anytime.” Hunter said with a wide toothy grin. “And if you ever need help studying, I’d be happy to tutor you.”

“Really? That would be so great!” Amity beamed in a way that felt somewhat unnatural, mostly likely because Hunter had no real world source to base this response on. “It’s amazing how you managed to be the top student and still find time for tutoring!”

“What can I say? I’m great at making schedules,” he said with a modest shrug. “You can keep the notes, I’ve got them all memorized.”

He offered dream Amity finger guns as he continued his trek, whistling as he walked utterly content.

On the ground, the real Amity viciously glared at him, daggers in her eyes. “I’ve never gotten below an excellent grade in Isles history,” she whispered to Hunter harshly over Luz’s shoulder.

“Well yeah duh it’s a dream! It’s not real, Blight!” Hunter whispered harshly back.

“It’s your dream, it’s my nightmare.”

“Amity! That’s no way to talk to your tutor!” Willow joined in the harsh whispering. Amity gave her a sour look as the Collector shushed them again.

Hunter was starting to sweat, hoping to Titan that Willow didn’t notice. He also hoped the Collector would be unimpressed with his imagination and move on to something else before they got too far. But the dream continued playing.

“Hey, hermano!” Luz called, running to catch up with him obviously on her way to Amity’s locker. “Mama is making sancocho y tostones for dinner tonight! You’ll be there after flyer derby right?”

“Of course!” He assured with a smile. “But I might be a little late, I’ve got a date tonight.”

“Bring her!” Luz exclaimed as she reached Amity’s locker and he continued walking. “You know she’s invited too!”

“Of course!” He called back, laughing to himself as he turned the corner and finally found his destination.

“Oh! Look, there’s me!” Said Willow excitedly, not noticing the sickly, panicked look that overtook Hunter’s face.

“Heh, ya know maybe we should stop watching before we get too-.”

As Willow fully entered the dreamscape, a sort of rosey haze overtook the scene and time seemed to slow down. She leaned against a locker that was meant to be Hunter’s, clutching her books tightly to her chest. When she spotted him, a wide smile overtook her face and her braids swung to the side in slow motion.

“Hi,” she said sweetly, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear and biting her lip.

“Hi Captain,” he responded in the same sweet tone, effortlessly leaning against the locker and looking down at her with adoring eyes. “Are you waiting for someone special?”

“Oh, just my boyfriend,” she said with a dreamy sigh. “Maybe you know him?”

“Hmm, yeah I think I do.” Dream Hunter confirmed as he leaned down to press a gentle but obviously familiar kiss onto Willow’s lips. Dream Willow smiled and happily rose up onto her tip toes to kiss him back placing a hand on his cheek to imply she intended to keep him there awhile.

The real Hunter was mortified.

He dared glance to his side where the real Willow stood, saying nothing but fiddling with her braid and he couldn’t tell exactly what she was feeling. Hunter cursed himself for not insisting everyone close their eyes. The rest of the group had begun whispering among themselves, directing their eyes away from the screen as politely as they could, not knowing what else to do as the dream counterparts of their friends had been kissing for awhile now.

“Does uh, anything else happen?” Amity asked gently after a minute. “Is like Belos gonna come and ruin things or...?”

“No this is uh this is it,” said Hunter, inhaling sharply. “This is... this is the rest of the dream.”

“Ooooh.” Said three out of the four onlookers. Willow still said nothing, as a soft red overtook her face.

“And so you have this dream... a lot?” Gus asked. “Wait, is this why you kiss your pillow so-.”

“Okaaaay! I think we can move on now!” sajd Hunter shakily, his face red and sweaty. “Let’s look at someone else’s dream, Huh? Let’s uh let’s invade your privacy and see how you like it!”

“Ugh, dreams about school? And kissing?Ew!” The Collector declared, sticking out his tongue. “That’s no fun! Do you all dream about school and kissing?”

The group mumbled a serious of affirmation seeing that confirming this would save them from Hunters fate and keep their dreams private.

“Ugh, that’s so boring!” groaned the Collector dramatically. “Why would you dream about something you can do in real life? That’s like wasting a dream! We have a loootta work to do here!”

He and King vanished into a cloud of color and sparkles and the gang knew they were safe for now. They all let out a sigh of relief as Hunter offered them a burning glare. They looked at him apologetically before diverting their attention to the ground, Luz said something about making a plan for when the Collector returned and the group quickly jumped on board, happy to have something else to talk about.

“Traitors,” Hunter mumbled under his breath.

“Hey,” came a soft voice beside him, the only person not hiding in the group.

“Uh, hey,” said Hunter, clearing his throat as the realization that having his dream exposed may have also been embarrassing for Willow. Despite that possibility, she had not let go of his hand. “Listen, I’m sorry if that made you uncomfortable, I didn’t know he was gonna do that and I should’ve-.”

“Don’t listen to what the Collector said,” Willow advised with conviction, cutting him off.

“What?”

“About your dreams not being special,” she clarified. “I’ve had dreams like that, about being able to walk down the hallway not feeling scared or worried or like people were staring at me and whispering. That might not seem necessarily exciting or impossible to other people, but that doesn’t mean it is wasn’t a dream worth having. It’s okay to want things to be nice and calm, especially after everything you’ve been though. Sometimes the most simple things seem like the most impossible.”

“Oh, uh thanks,” he said, relieved. “Ya know, it was actually the first dream I’ve had in a while. Before, they were mostly nightmares and there were times when I didn’t dream at all.

“Well, I’m glad you’re having good dreams,” she smiled. “And I’m glad to be a part of one.”

“Yeah?” Hunter chuckled.

“Yeah,” said Willow brightly, giving his hand a squeeze. “I wanna help you get all the things you’ve dreamed of. All of the things.”

Hunter looked down at their linked hands before looking back up to her face as he was met with a playful wink. A familiar rosey frame surrounded Willow again. It wasn’t exclusive to his dreams, just to her. “Yeah?”

“Yeah. Like I said, I’ve had dreams very similar to yours. The only difference is that in mine you’re waiting by my locker.”

[chiskz]

▶️ [슈취타] EP.5 SUGA with CHICHI

♡ 일본의 위대한 사랑의 함정에 빠졌다! / 게으른 고양이 vs 작은 호랑이 ! ♡ caught in the trap of Japan's great love! / lazy cat vs small tiger!

-> Suchwita (슈취타) is a variety web series starring SUGA (BTS). The series features him chatting with guests while enjoying alcohol.

《♡》 Chichi's SUCHWITA Profile:

Name: CHICHI

choreographer, main dancer and oldest member of Stray Kids

"Who wouldn't take the opportunity to get drunk for free in good company?"

♡ A charming choreographer straight from Japan. ♡ Don't be fooled by her deep voice and muscles!

《♡》 [ xxxx ] - editors' note

Chichi enters the room bowing to the staff. She stops in front of Yoongi.

"Ah, should I bow? Or shall we shake hands?"

"Ah, no, no, I should... I should... should I?" They both laugh and bow their heads briefly.

"Of course, I didn't come empty-handed!" She bows with her head a second time, handing Yoongi the pink box.

"Pink, I could have expected that!" He laughs and opens it carefully to reveal the contents - a bottle of Hibiki (name is censored) Whiskey. "You really want to get drunk tonight!"

"I rarely get the chance!" She laughs loudly and they finally sit down. "And it's actually a collector's edition, you can't drink it!" [ whiskey, not for consumption! don't touch, just look! ]

"We've met before, so you seem relaxed!" [ big meeting of two introverts! ]

"Yes, that's true. But we shouldn't talk about the circumstances of our first meeting."

"That's right... we really should take this to the grave." [ great mystery shrouded in an even greater mystery??? ]

"Should we get rid of the honorifics on this occasion?"

"Did we ever use them at all?"

Yoongi looks straight at the camera as Chichi laughs in the background. [ SUGA's thoughts: she keeps exposing us ]

"This is my second tiger visitor in such a short time." [ first was HOSHI! ]

"Yeah, but Hoshi and I are different tigers. He's... a real tiger and I'm just... a big cat?"

"No, I wouldn't say that. I've watched a lot of your shows, a few before you came here. You're both wild on stage, but you seem really dangerous. You are a tiger."

Chichi covers her mouth with her hands, editors draw her blushes. [ is that the dangerous tiger??? ]

"I also listened to your solo digital album, Member Branding. Your voice is as impressive as they say."

"Aren't you praising me too much?" Chichi laughs, trying to hide her embarrassment. "But wow, you really did some research."

"Of course, who do you think I am?"

"A lazy cat?" [ CHICHI, straight to the point! ]

"So quests bring the drinks?"

Yoongi blinks in surprise.

"She really wants to drink now!"

Chichi laughs and pulls out the second bottle of whiskey today, Hibiki Whiskey - "regular" edition.

"For you, so you're not sorry you can't drink the one I bought you as a gift!"

"Wow, now I can not touch it at peace!"

"This is my favorite whiskey. I got it as a gift from a good friend in Japan once. It's a light whiskey, with mild dried fruit, a bit spicy, but everything is in balance. I brought a flavor with toffee in it. It's good when you want to relax and not necessarily get drunk, so I thought it would be a good start."

"If this was an advertisement for this product, I would definitely buy it!"

"Oh, thank you! I don't have many opportunities to drink alcohol for fun, so sometimes I just drink something light, mostly with Minho."

"With Lee Know... with Minho. Yes, we know each other!" [ Lee Know, one of BTS' past dancers! ]

"Of course you know him. He was a good dancer, wasn't he?"

"That's right, I remember that. He was really good."

Chichi leans her elbow on the back of the chair.

"So he's even better now!" [ tiger mom attacks! ]

"You're studying."

"Yeah, law. I'll probably be graduating by the time this episode airs."

"Then Chichi from the future, congratulations!" [ lawyer and choreographer! ] "What made you do this? I'm not saying it's bad or super weird, but most idols like to live in the moment. College takes a lot of time, and you didn't seem to have much time with your activities."

"I understand, I had fears too. I didn't think I could do it, but I thought to myself... The future is very fragile and uncertain. I want to be an idol as long as possible and enjoy it as much as possible, but the time will come when I will leave the stage. I want then to know that I still have something to do. It required a lot of self-denial and a lot of sacrifice from me. But I wasn't alone, I had my members."

"Yes, BTS members are also my strength. I understand that perfectly." [ two cats deeply in love with their members ]

"It's often forgotten, but you're the oldest in the group, right?"

"Yeah! I forget that a lot too. I don't feel it at all unless Seungmin painfully reminds me."

"You've lived your whole life in Japan. I also know that you're really popular there."

"Thank you! You're really praising me a lot today, I'll think you want something from me!"

"It's not like that, really! I was just wondering why you didn't decide to pursue a career there."

"Ah, a career in Japan? I don't know, now you've made me think about it... J-pop is a good genre of music, but I feel like it's still more entertainment-oriented, which of course is great! But still, I was more intrigued by the k-pop groups' system. There's a lot more place to display here, more opportunities to create something like a little spectacle every time."

"Speaking of the spectacle, you also have an acting career on your account!"

"I wouldn't call it that!" Chichi immediately waves her hands in embarrassment. "But yes, I'm also interested in acting and I managed to get a role in some interesting productions. I think that playing different roles has always interested me, mostly I showed it on stage. But I'm not thinking about switching to acting completely, it's more my hobby."

"I also looked up some articles on the internet to get a better point of view from ​​your fans. I can say for sure that you have become a great support for them. I don't know how to put it correctly, but according to many, you don't fit the idol stereotype. When people think of an idol, they don't have someone like you in mind."

"Ah yes, I've seen that opinion too. I'm not trying to stand out by force, although most people think that's what I do. Why a male group if I'm a woman? Why did I force myself to go somewhere I didn't belong in? But honestly, I don't care about such opinions. I fell in love with Stray Kids and their music, and music is universal for everyone, I wish everyone would think in those terms, in terms like Does this make me happy? Do I like it? Do I love these people? Do I feel good doing this? Instead of thinking Is this for women? Is this for men? What will other people think? Others will not live your life. They will judge you, give you an opinion and forget about you. You are the person who will be with you all your life, not them. Do everything to make you feel good."

"I know J-HOPE shares your view of the world."

"Yes, I think that's why we immediately understood each other and became friends. Please look forward to our collaboration with DIOR!"

《♡》

_______________________

♡taglist: @g4m3girl , @smh-anon

[hero2222]

Watching and Dreaming thoughts.

Well, gang... here we are, at our final episode. It's been a long adventure, but we have arrived at the end.

I love how Luz figured out it was all a dream. A singular line that Amity and her shared was so important to her that it was the immediate indicator.

After we see Eda and King's dreams, we finally see them together after so long:

And yes, I had a huge grin on my face. It was so great to see all of them interact and bond, especially considering what comes later...but before that

Eda and Raine reunion! And she gives him a ton of (well deserves) kisses. Even though we sadly don't get much more than this, I still highly appreciate it!

The collector eventually talks with the gang and I honestly really like their POV on death, and it makes a ton of sense considering he not only "broke" other people and put them back together, but they also watched Belos do the same thing to the previous Golden Guards.

This leads to them trying to explain to the collector their stories and such, eventually going into things such as Amity's redemption, which while nice...it led to this frame:

Okay, but seriously, I admire how they kinda laughed at the suddenly redeemed villain trope and not only poked fun at it but made a lesson with it that changed the plot. Luz sacrificed herself and told him he did nothing wrong.

Oh yeah...

Luz died!

Yes, it was temporary but it still gave me this line:

Which tears me up and also:

HER MOTHER KNEW! Which made the moment even worse:

But then we not only get the "best of both things" papa titan (Voice by Arin hanson!) , but:

Titan luz!

Everything from her powers to her design was incredible, including her final move, which is the best callback ever:

Now eat this, sucka!

Okay, and now for the timeskip:

For one:

Huntlow, baby!

We may not get much, but they are so adorable! Even when coming across Flapjack's grave. I was honestly a little worried they were going to revive him, but no, he lives inside Hunter now, And Waffles (the confirmed name of his new Palisman) keeps on his memory.

And now with Luz:

She not only gets to go back and forth between realms, but she also gets to study there, not only in her university but also with King's new Glyphs!

And after all the fun we have, we get to see their amazing adult designs, some hints of Alador and Darius shipping, and a huge celebration for Luz. It's honestly the perfect finale that I could only have dreamed of, I may not be mentioning a lot due to both me forgetting and Tumblr's image limit but I'll be sure to do my best to make another post later, but for now: I would love to thank the owl house and it's crew for everything they brought to this, it not only helped me grow more comfortable with who I am, but give me a ton of hope for the future.

Who knows what cartoon I'm gonna be rambling about next, but until then, I hope you guys stick around and be sure to talk with me about thoughts of your own...and finally:

BYE!!!

[mooncaps]

Watching and Crying

I don’t know how this show can top the impact of everything it’s already done and I’m sure there will be a lot more I wish they could’ve done, but let’s go!

Okay, just straight in, picking up immediately where it left off. Kind of jarring.

Okay, I guess this is the Titan from the in between.

Ooh, the heart. I was wondering if there was something more to be done with that.

Um, what? Is she the Emperor? The Golden Guard? To quote Hooty from last episode: What’s happening?!

That’s different stained glass, right? I feel like they’re trying to tell me something significant, but it’s not clicking.

Thanks, I hate it.

Ominous vibes from Amity. I don’t think I’m ready for this.

I’m definitely not ready for this!

Okay, so it’s everyone’s worst nightmare. I’m catching up.

Eyyy, callbacks. It’s like an inversion of Covention.

Okay, they keep knocking that hat off and putting it back on. I feel like they’re trying to set up something, but I’m not quite sure what.

Let’s go, Amity!

Yes! More of the certified bop that is The Collector’s Theme. ♫ ♪

Okay, more callbacks.

I can dig it.

Well, uh, mad respect for the attempt, little dude, but I will be shocked if that works.

That’s probably not good.

And there goes the hat again. Tell me your secrets, hat!

Now we’re doing callbacks to Agony of a Witch. I see you.

Okay, but like, they’re not actually killing off the main character at the end of a Disney Channel show. I’m sad for the characters presumably thinking it, but I can’t pull myself out of the meta perspective.

Oh, whoa, it’s a Hooty eye. I didn’t even spot that before.

Oh, that is a look!

Yes! This is a callback I was fully expecting and I’m thrilled to see it.

Bookends in finales are one of my favorite tropes.

Yooo! Titan Luz looks sick!

Loving the new remix of the theme. ♪ ♫

Ooh! Okay, that rings a bell.

Y’all know I’ve been thinking about the hat. Ever since Camila picked it up in 3x01 it’s been on my mind. And when I was passing the time between 3x02 and 3x03, I watched reactors do 1x01 and the thought occurred to me that if the writers wanted to do a full circle moment, then maybe they’d throw back to...

And so this isn’t exactly what I was thinking and doesn’t really involve the hat like I thought it would, but I’m noticing the visual similarity.

(Hang on, let me from the next morning grab a better screencap and...)

Bookending with Titans getting their crowns. What they deserve.

Eeeee! These baby gays always give me life.

Awww, Hooty, you’re adorable!

Her.

Oh my heart’s not ready for this.

Of course she chose all of them. Oh, and she’s wearing Amity’s necklace!

Ooh, new door. Finally accomplished what Luz wanted when she tried to find The Collector in the first place.

Ahhhh! There he is carving palismen! I’m so happy for him!

And Dell gets to teach the trade to someone new. Oh, and Hunter’s got a new palisman.

Whoa. Alright, Amity. Get it, queen.

Eyyyy, Harpy Lilith. I was wondering if we’d ever get to see this.

Rainestorm looking fabulous.

Am I sensing chemistry? (And I’m not just talking about abominations.)

This looks neat, but it’s hard to get a good screenshot with the credits going.

Eda, also looking fabulous.

That’s a good shot. Even Boscha showed up. And I’m glad to see Tiny Nose survived the thorny situation she was in when Belos was taking over.

Also...

Same energy.

Oh, I’m just noticing Bat Queen’s kids growing up. Such precious little monsters.

Ooh, a new glyph.

Woop, Youtube shrunk the final image off to the corner. Me from the next morning has to step in again with a better screencap.

And there we have it.

So, yeah, I’ve watched this twice now. Remind me not to stay up til after midnight waiting for an episode of a show in the future. The second time hit way better when I was well-rested. Er, well, rested anyway.

There were definitely some spots where it felt kind of rushed, and I understand why they had to pack as much as they could into a short space of time, but it still leaves me wishing for more. The nightmares alone could’ve been an episode or two if we’d had a full season 3. But I suppose we can’t dwell too much on what could’ve been.

They did a lot with what they had and made something very meaningful and impactful in my life and I’m sure in the lives of many others. There’s also definitely plenty of room for them to expand into comics or spinoffs, should those opportunities ever arise.

I kind of wish The Collector hadn’t left. For one thing, that last screenshot will always be lacking one character that I would want in a full group shot. And I guess it’s implied that they helped build the new portal door at some point, but I would’ve like too see more of The Collector helping out with the rebuilding efforts. And now I’m quite curious about the Archivists and whatever else is going on in the stars. More potential left open for the future, I suppose.

Gotta say I’m surprised they killed Belos. Not that I’m mourning for him, but I was thinking Luz would probably use the last of her Titan power to imprison him between the realms. I figured that would be a fitting punishment, but maybe killing him was more merciful. And dead to rights, he’d already lived way past his natural lifespan by stealing the lives of others. I’m a little bit surprised that he even could be killed, stubbornly as he clung to life. And I would’ve been afraid to touch that goop for fear of getting possessed, but I guess maybe Luz was still exuding enough Titan power to prevent him from doing that. Anyway, I’m rambling on a tangent now.

Definitely quite a ride. I’m sure I’ll always wish there could’ve been more, but I’m equally sure I’ll always love what we got. And we got so much. Even if we never get anything else, I know this show will continue to spark fond memories in me.

[killerandhealerqueen]

Okay, so. A thought came to me. And it's semi supernatural? Like cursed object? Okay, uh...wait. Oh right! So,

...

...

oh yeah! Zhan Yao finds an old artifact and he has to transport it with Bai Yutong because people that are in contact with it claims they've time traveled, or whatever, right? And in the midst of transporting it, some criminals are chasing them cuz they want to steal it from some rich ass collector for whatever reason. Zhan Yao and Bai Yutong ends up in a crash cuz assholes stepped on the gas. (Poor little white car, it will be missed and fixed, or replaced. Cuz Yutang rich) Anyways, the car jerks and flings them around. When they open their eyes again, there are guns pointing at them. And a man approaches them, tells them they are under arrest for trying to steal a priceless artifact, and are taken to the police station where they are interrogated by dun dun dun!!!! Jiang Yuelou, who is in charge of recovering the stolen artifact, which at this time it's not and its just a rich man's love token from his deceased wife and he treasures the pocket watch a lot. Things happen, people gets kidnapped, some die and others get hurt, Yuzhi gets caught in the crossfire and saved by Zhan Yao who also gets caught in the crossfire, because they attract trouble like bees to honey. (Zhan Junbai may or may not be an ancestor.) Things get weird but along the way Yuelou and Yuzhi trusts Bai Yutong and Zhan Yao. (They can't be that bad if they rescued Yuzhi.) Yutong gets jealous because Xiao Bai stole Zhan Yao from him. And they eventually go back to their time via the power of the pocket watch and realize that only minutes, hours maxed, has passed despite being in the past for months. They doubt whether or not it was real. (Maybe they end up bring back a tiny proof that they did in fact time travel.) And artifact cracked so its not like they can try again. Maybe they'll meet Yuelou and Yuzhi of the future one day. Or maybe they are the reincarnated versions. I don't know. TBH, the idea was just "Bai Yutong and Zhan Yao time travels and meets Jiang Yuelou and Chen Yuzhi."

Ohhh...I'm listening, I'm listening...so what you're telling me is that Zhan Yao and Bai Yutong basically get isekaied back to Jiang Yuelou and Chen Yuzhi's time period...that's fucking hilarious, I love it

Zhan Yao and Bai Yutong had been assigned to some weird cases before but they swore this one was the fucking weirdest

You see, they walked into the office one day, only to be greeted by Bao Sir, who held a small box in his hand

“Bao Sir”

Bao Sir smiled before he held out the box to them

“I have a special assignment for you two”

Bai Yutong and Zhan Yao frowned before Bai Yutong reached out and took the box from him, opening it before he looked at him in confusion

“A…watch?”

Bao Sir nodded as he handed them a piece of paper with an address on it

“Yes.  A local professor who is a friend of mine asked me if I would put my two best detectives on an assignment of transferring this watch to the local museum”

Bai Yutong and Zhan Yao frowned

“Why did he want us?”

Bao Sir shrugged

“I’m not entirely sure.  When I asked, he said that all of the people he had previous asked to transport said watch mysteriously…disappeared”

Bai Yutong and Zhan Yao’s eyes widened

“Disappeared?!”

Bao Sir nodded

“Apparently, according to him, they all “time traveled”.  But that, of course, is nonsense as time travel doesn’t exist.  And since you both are men of science, I doubt you’ll have any problems”

He then smiled

“Good luck”

He then walked past them, leaving Zhan Yao and Bai Yutong alone with the box, a stunned look on both of their faces

After he left, Zhan Yao and Bai Yutong looked down at the watch before Bai Yutong sighed

“Come on, let’s get this over with so we can focus on actually important cases”

He then closed the box and turned, heading out of the department, Zhan Yao on his heels

After leaving the department, Zhan Yao and Bai Yutong got into Bai Yutong’s car, Bai Yutong typing the address into his phone’s GPS before he put the car into drive and began making their way towards the museum

As they drove towards the museum, Zhan Yao looked at the box in his lap before he opened it and pulled out the watch, looking at it

Bai Yutong glanced over at him before he hummed

“Do you believe what Bao Sir said?”

Zhan Yao glanced back at him

“What, that this watch causes people to time travel?”

Bai Yutong nodded

“Yeah”

Zhan Yao shook his head

“There’s no such thing as time travel”

Bai Yutong frowned

“But how do you explain those disappearances?”

Zhan Yao hummed

“Well, maybe they got killed?  Because this watch seems pretty valuable and looks like something that would be in a collector’s collection”

Bai Yutong frowned

“Are you serious?  You think a collector actually had them killed?”

Zhan Yao chuckled softly

“You’d be amazed at collectors will do to get their grubby hands on something valuable or priceless”

Bai Yutong hummed

“I guess so”

As they continued down the road and through the intersection, they didn’t even see a large white truck coming towards them from the left until they were suddenly t-boned, causing both of them to cry out in shock as Bai Yutong’s Lamborghini flipped multiple times before it finally came to a stop

As it sat there in the middle of the road, smoking, one of the people in the white truck (who were actually hired by a collector to steal said watch that Bai Yutong and Zhan Yao were assigned to transport) got out and walked over to Bai Yutong’s Lamborghini, looking inside only to find it empty

“What the fuck?”

Meanwhile, when Bai Yutong and Zhan Yao both slowly opened their eyes, they blinked a few times in confusion, only to realize that there were guns pointed in their faces, causing their eyes to widen in shock

“What the hell?!”

Just then a tall man with light tan skin, brown eyes, and black hair styled in an undercut, his eyes hard

“You’re under arrest”

Zhan Yao and Bai Yutong looked at him in confusion

“For what?!”

The man huffed

“For theft”

“Theft?!”

The man pointed to the watch in Zhan Yao’s hand

“That’s an important artifact and you’ve stolen it”

Both Zhan Yao and Bai Yutong looked down at the watch before they both shook their heads

“No, we were just—”

Just then, two officers surged forward and grabbed them, yanking the watch out of Zhan Yao’s hand as the man waved his hand

“Take them back”

The officers nodded and began dragging Zhan Yao and Bai Yutong away, both men struggling desperately in their grasps

A little while later, both Bai Yutong and Zhan Yao sat in a cell, irritation on their faces just as a tall man with light skin, brown eyes, and short black hair walked into the cell and raised an eyebrow

“Stealing a precious artifact…that’s pretty ballsy”

Bai Yutong tsked

“Look, buddy, we didn’t still shit.  We were assigned to transport that watch to a local museum”

The man raised an eyebrow

“Oh yeah?  And who assigned you to do that?”

“Commissioner Bao Heizei of the Hong Kong Police Department”

The man frowned

“Commissioner Bao?  I’ve never heard of him”

He then looked Bai Yutong and Zhan Yao up and down and hummed

“I don’t believe I’ve ever seen you two either.  What’s your name?”

Bai Yutong and Zhan Yao glanced at each other before they looked back at him

“Sergeant Bai Yutong and Dr. Zhan Yao, SCI”

 The man frowned

“SCI?”

“Special Cases Investigation unit”

Bai Yutong then motioned to his pocket

“Check my ID if you don’t believe me”

The man hummed before he stepped forward and pulled out Bai Yutong’s ID card, looking at it

“Never heard of it.  Nor you”

He then placed his ID back in his pocket before he crossed his arms

“I don’t believe either of you”

Bai Yutong groaned as Zhan Yao looked at him

“We didn’t steal the watch, we promise.  Just let us call our Commissioner and he’ll explain it to you”

The man scoffed

“Yeah, I’m not going to do that”

Bai Yutong growled

“What do we have to do to prove to you that we didn’t fucking steal that damn watch?”

The man hummed just as Zhan Yao looked at him

“Do you even have any evidence that we stole the watch?  Other than it being in our possession?  Did anyone see us steal it?”

The man was quiet before he shook his head, a look of irritation on his face

“No”

Zhan Yao smirked

“Then you can’t hold us.  It’s just probable cause.  Until you have more evidence to link us to the theft, you have to let us go”

The man growled before he snapped his fingers, two officers soon rushing forward

“Yes Chief Jiang?”

The man, Chief Jiang Yuelou, motioned to Bai Yutong and Zhan Yao

“Release them”

The officers looked at him in shock but quickly did as they were told, as they didn’t want to get on his bad side

Once they were released, Bai Yutong and Zhan Yao looked at Jiang Yuelou as he narrowed his eyes at them

“Don’t go far…I will find a way to arrest you”

Bai Yutong huffed

“Yeah, good luck with that”

He then patted himself down before he looked at Jiang Yuelou

“Where can we get our guns back?”

Jiang Yuelou motioned with his head

“Follow me”

He then led them through the prison, both men looking around with wide eyes; it was nothing like the prisons that they were used to

Jiang Yuelou then motioned to an officer, who placed Zhan Yao and Bai Yutong’s guns before them, Bai Yutong taking his gun first before he handed Zhan Yao his

They both then looked at Jiang Yuelou

“We’ll be seeing you”

They then turned and headed out of the prison, Jiang Yuelou watching them with narrowed eyes

After leaving the prison, Bai Yutong and Zhan Yao looked around with wide eyes; they had no idea where they fuck they were…but considering the police uniforms that the officers were wearing…it definitely wasn’t their era

“Did we actually time travel?”

Bai Yutong shrugged

“Hell if I fucking know.  All I know is that we need to get back to the HKPD or Bao Sir is gonna have our asses for fucking up this assignment”

Zhan Yao nodded

“Yeah”

They then began through the city, looking around in awe

“Jesus, it really feels like we’ve jumped back in time”

Zhan Yao hummed

“Maybe we have”

Bai Yutong looked over at him incredulously

“Don’t tell me you actually believe that the watch causes people to time travel”

Zhan Yao motioned to their surroundings

“Look where we are, Yutong!  How do you explain this?”

Bai Yutong was quiet before he huffed

“I don’t know”

Zhan Yao nodded

“That’s what I thought”

Bai Yutong tsked before he reached into his pocket and pulled out his phone, only to find that he had no service

“Well fuck me, we can’t even call Commissioner Bai to let him know what happened”

Zhan Yao frowned and quickly pulled out his phone as well, only to find that he also didn’t have service

“Damn”

Bai Yutong groaned

“Well, this is just great, isn’t it?”

Zhan Yao hummed and placed his phone back in his pocket as he sighed

“So we’re somehow trapped in another time period and we can’t contact our boss…this seems like a nightmare”

Bai Yutong nodded

“Yeah, it does”

Just then, his eyes widened

“Fuck, the watch!”

Zhan Yao frowned

“What about the watch?”

Bai Yutong gave him a look

“We don’t have the watch anymore!  How are we supposed to transport it if we don’t even have it?!”

Zhan Yao paused before he hummed

“You’ve got a point…do you think that Chief Jiang would be willing to give it back?”

Bai Yutong scoffed

“Yeah, I fucking doubt it”

Zhan Yao hummed

“Well…shit”

Bai Yutong huffed

“You can say that again”

They both then sighed before they began walking, thinking about how they were going to get the watch back as well as get back to their own time when they heard shouting coming from a nearby alley, causing them to look at each other in concern before they ran towards the shouting, their eyes widening at the sight of two thugs beating up an old man

At the sight, Bai Yutong growled and quickly drew his gun

“Stop!  Police!”

At the bark, the two thugs turned to look at them before they scoffed

“You two aren’t police.  Get lost”

Bai Yutong narrowed his eyes and placed his finger on the trigger

“Step away from him or I’ll shoot”

The two men laughed

“You’ll do no such thing”

Just then, a gunshot echoed through the air before one of the men went down with a scream, clutching at their leg

They all then looked over at Zhan Yao, who was looking at them calmly, his own gun in his hand

“You never said anything about me taking a shot.  Now get lost”

The two thugs nodded and quickly rushed out of the alley, one of the thugs supporting the other as they ran

Once they were gone, both Zhan Yao and Bai Yutong putting their guns away before they rushed over to the old man and looked him over

“Sir, are you alright?”

The old man nodded

“Yes, thank you”

Zhan Yao noticed that he was bleeding from a head wound, causing him to frown

“You’re bleeding.  We should take you to the hospital”

The old man shook his head

“No need.  Just take me to Yuzhi Hall”

Bai Yutong frowned

“Yuzhi Hall?”

The old man nodded

“It’s a clinic”

Bai Yutong and Zhan Yao both nodded in understanding before they carefully helped the old man to his feet and led him through the street, allowing him to show them where Yuzhi Hall was

When they arrived and stepped inside, a young man took one look at them before his eyes widened and he quickly rushed over to them, taking the old man out of his arms before he guided him over to one of the chairs in front of his desk and sat him down

Once he was sitting, he quickly got to work on cleaning and bandaging the man’s wounds before he looked over at Zhan Yao and Bai Yutong

“What happened?”

“Uh, we saw him getting attacked in an alley not too far from here.  We fought them off and then brought him here at his request”

The young man nodded slowly

“I see”

He then turned back to the old man and smiled gently

“How are you feeling now?”

The old man nodded

“Fine, Dr. Chen”

The young man, Dr. Chen Yuzhi, smiled

“Good, that’s good.  But I think you should just rest for a little bit before you head on your way, hmm?”

The old man nodded

“Alright”

Chen Yuzhi then tilted his head at him

“Tea?”

The old man nodded

“Please”

Chen Yuzhi nodded before he looked at Zhan Yao and Bai Yutong

“And for you?”

Both Zhan Yao and Bai Yutong looked at each other before they nodded

“Please”

Chen Yuzhi smiled and nodded before he turned and headed off to make some tea as the old man looked at Bai Yutong and Zhan Yao

“Thank you for saving me back there”

He then tilted his head

“Are you two new police recruits?  I don’t believe I’ve seen you before”

Bai Yutong and Zhan Yao shook their heads

“We’re police officers, but not from here.  We’re from Hong Kong”

The old man looked at them curiously

“What brings two police officers from Hong Kong to Jing City?”

Zhan Yao frowned

“Is that where we are?”

The old man nodded

“Indeed”

Bai Yutong nodded slowly

“And…what year is it?”

“1920”

Both Zhan Yao and Bai Yutong looked at him in shock

“1920?!”

The old man laughed

“What year were you expecting?”

Zhan Yao and Bai Yutong both blinked, just as Jiang Yuelou stepped into the clinic and frowned

“The hell are you two doing here?”

Bai Yutong and Zhan Yao turned to look at him before Bai Yutong huffed

“We could say the same thing.  You don’t look sick”

Jiang Yuelou tsked

“Neither do you”

Just then, Chen Yuzhi walked back out with three tea cups full of tea and handed one to the old man before he looked at Jiang Yuelou and smiled as he handed Zhan Yao and Bai Yutong their tea

“Yuelou.  What are you doing here?”

Jiang Yuelou looked at him and smiled before he cleared his throat

“Well, I was hoping you’d maybe know who the owner of this watch was”

He then reached into his pocket and pulled out the pocket watch his men had taken from Zhan Yao earlier

Just then, the old man gasped

“My watch!”

Jiang Yuelou, Bai Yutong, and Zhan Yao looked at him with wide eyes

“This is your watch?”

The old man nodded as he pushed himself to his feet and walked over to Jiang Yuelou, taking the watch out of his hand, a fond smile on his face before he looked at Jiang Yuelou

“I was on my way to the police station to see if you had found it when I was jumped. Where did you find it?”

Jiang Yuelou glanced at Bai Yutong and Zhan Yao before he cleared his throat

“Oh, one of my men found it”

The old man nodded slowly before he looked at Bai Yutong and Zhan Yao and held out the watch

“Here.  As thanks for saving me earlier”

Bai Yutong, Zhan Yao, and Jiang Yuelou looked at him in shock before Jiang Yuelou shook his head

“But…isn’t that the watch your wife gave you?”

The old man smiled

“Yes, but I think she’d be happy to know that it went to people with good hearts like them, since she had a good heart”

Both Bai Yutong and Zhan Yao blinked in shock before they bowed, Zhan Yao carefully taking the watch from him

“Thank you.  We’ll take good care of it”

The old man smiled and nodded before he continued out of the clinic, Jiang Yuelou, Chen Yuzhi, Zhan Yao, and Bai Yutong watching him leave before Bai Yutong and Zhan Yao looked at the watch

“Now we can fucking go home”

Zhan Yao let out a sigh of relief

“Thank God”

Chen Yuzhi tilted his head curiously

“You needed the watch to go home?”

Bai Yutong and Zhan Yao looked at him then at Jiang Yuelou before they both sighed

“It’s a…bit of a weird story and I don’t think you’re going to believe us even if we told you”

Jiang Yuelou crossed his arms

“Try us”

Bai Yutong and Zhan Yao looked at each other before they sighed and explained that they were from the future, that in their “era” they had been assigned to transport the watch that the old man had given them to a museum and that before they could make it there, they were t-boned by a truck

“However, instead of…basically dying, we’re here.  In the 1920s.  And we’re pretty sure this watch brought us here, especially because the person who owned the watch said it caused people to time travel”

Both Jiang Yuelou and Chen Yuzhi stared at them in shock before Jiang Yuelou looked over at Chen Yuzhi

“You’re the doctor here, Yuzhi.  You think they have a screw loose?”

Bai Yutong tsked

“We told you wouldn’t believe us”

Chen Yuzhi hummed

“Well…I don’t know if it’s entirely possible but…I think they’re telling the truth”

Jiang Yuelou looked at him in shock

“HA?!”

Chen Yuzhi motioned to Bai Yutong and Zhan Yao

“Well, they’re clearly not dressed like us…so they kind of stick out like sore thumbs.  Does that mean that they’re from the future?  I don’t know but…maybe”

Jiang Yuelou hummed before he looked at the watch in Zhan Yao’s hand

“So how is that thing supposed to take you back to…wherever you came from?”

Zhan Yao shook his head

“We don’t know…we don’t know how it worked the first time.  I mean…we got in a car accident the first time…but I don’t know if we can replicate it”

Jiang Yuelou shrugged

“We can try”

Chen Yuzhi looked at him in shock

“Jiang Yuelou!  Absolutely not!”

Jiang Yuelou looked over at him and huffed

“I’m kidding, Yuzhi.  I wouldn’t actually do that”

Bai Yutong shot him a look

“Yeah sure”

Jiang Yuelou glanced back at him and smirked as Chen Yuzhi looked at them

“Well…since we don’t really know how to help you…you’re more than welcome to stay here.  I have beds upstairs…and while it’s not much, it’s better than nothing”

Jiang Yuelou glanced at him before he sighed

“Since you two are also police men, you can work at the department until you go back”

Bai Yutong and Zhan Yao looked at the two men in shock before they dipped their heads

“Thank you”

After the rocky start, Bai Yutong and Zhan Yao slowly began to get used to “living” in Jing City

During the day, Bai Yutong worked at the Jing City Police Department with Jiang Yuelou while Zhan Yao worked with Chen Yuzhi at his clinic

Even though Zhan Yao was police like Bai Yutong, he felt like he’d be use to Chen Yuzhi, since the young man worked by himself

Though they did come by the police department whenever Jiang Yuelou needed consultation on a case

Then during the evenings, the four of them would meet up for dinner at the wonton stand that Jiang Yuelou and Chen Yuzhi frequent before going to either Jiang Yuelou or Chen Yuzhi’s place to drink tea before going to Chen Yuzhi's clinic to sleep

And anytime they visited Jiang Yuelou’s place, Xiao Bai would absolutely clamor all over Zhan Yao, must to Bai Yutong’s jealousy because Zhan Yao was his cat

Everything was going rather well (though Bai Yutong and Zhan Yao were worried that their team was missing them) when one day Zhan Yao and Chen Yuzhi were summoned to the police department, only to find Jiang Yuelou, Bai Yutong, and a group of officers gathered in the lobby

“What’s going on?”

Jiang Yuelou looked at them

“We’re going to head out to do a raid on a known drug den.  We want you to come along as medics but stay at a distance, just in case”

Zhan Yao and Chen Yuzhi nodded

“Understood”

Jiang Yuelou nodded in reply before he headed out of the police department, Bai Yutong, the other officers, Zhan Yao, and Chen Yuzhi following after him

They then all got into the police cars before they headed to where the raid was

When they arrived, they all got out before Jiang Yuelou, Bai Yutong, and the officers made their way towards the warehouse while Zhan Yao and Chen Yuzhi stood a distance away

Inside the warehouse, all of the officers spread out while Bai Yutong followed behind Jiang Yuelou, Song Rong, and Sun Yongren, Song Rong and Sun Yongren flanking either side of Jiang Yuelou while Bai Yutong brought up the rear

As they made their way through the warehouse, everyone kept their eyes peeled when Bai Yutong noticed something out of the corner of his eye, making him turn before he fired, a cry echoing through the warehouse, making Jiang Yuelou and the others look at him in shock

“You could see that?”

Bai Yutong nodded

“Yeah.  So just keep going, don’t worry, I’ve got your back”

Jiang Yuelou, Song Rong, and Sun Yongren nodded, just as gun fire suddenly exploded boxes next to them, causing them to quickly take cover before they began firing back

Meanwhile, outside the warehouse, Zhan Yao and Chen Yuzhi watched the warehouse with nervous eyes, as they both had jumped the minute they heard gunfire

“I hope they’re okay”

Zhan Yao hummed

“Me too”

As they stood there, someone came to the window of the warehouse and pointed a gun at them, making Zhan Yao’s eyes widen before he grabbed Chen Yuzhi and tackled him to the ground, just as a bullet ricocheted off the roof of the car

“Stay down”

Zhan Yao then grabbed his gun and peered around the car, just as another bullet hit the ground beside the car, causing him to quickly duck behind the car before he peered around it once more and took aim, firing once

While he wasn’t as good as Bai Yutong, after training with him for a while, his aim improved and he was grateful for the time Bai Yutong took to train him as he watched the shooter fall forward out of the window

Once the shooter was dead, Zhan Yao lowered his gun before he looked at Chen Yuzhi

“Are you alright?”

Chen Yuzhi nodded

“I’m fine”

Zhan Yao nodded

“Good”

Meanwhile, back in the warehouse, Bai Yutong, Jiang Yuelou, Song Rong, Sun Yongren, and the other officers were taking down the dealers, doing their best not to get shot at

After they had taken out the drug dealers, Jiang Yuelou looked around

“Is everyone alright?  Any causalities?”

All of his officers, including Bai Yutong, Song Rong, and Sun Yongren, shook their heads, causing him to nod

“Good.  Seize the drugs and let’s go”

The officers nodded and quickly began to drag boxes and boxes full of drugs out of the warehouse as Jiang Yuelou, Bai Yutong, Song Rong, and Sun Yongren walked out of the warehouse and over to where Zhan Yao and Chen Yuzhi were waiting

“Everything okay out here?”

Zhan Yao huffed

“Someone took a shot at us, but other than that, we’re fine”

Jiang Yuelou’s eyes widened

“What?!”

He then looked at Chen Yuzhi in concern

“Are you hurt?”

Chen Yuzhi smiled and shook his head

“No, thanks to Zhan Yao, I’m fine”

Jiang Yuelou looked over at Zhan Yao with a raised eyebrow, just as Zhan Yao pulled out his gun

“You forget, Chief Jiang, that I’m also a police officer”

Jiang Yuelou huffed softly and nodded

“Right, forgive me”

He then turned towards the warehouse, where the rest of the officers were exiting

“Is that everything?”

The officers turned to look at him

“There’s one more box inside”

Meanwhile, unknown to the officers, the drug dealers had set up a trap of a bomb to go off the minute it reached “zero” and there was only three seconds left on the bomb

Then, all of a suddenly, the warehouse exploded, sending everyone flying in the blast, Zhan Yao and Bai Yutong clinging to each other as they hit the ground, Zhan Yao accidentally landing on the pocket watch that was in his pocket

A little while later, when Zhan Yao and Bai Yutong woke up, they found themselves in hospital beds, Bao Sir and the other S.C.I. members gathered around them

“Dr. Zhan!  You’re awake!”

Zhan Yao let out a soft groan

“What happened?  Where are we?”

Bao Sir huffed

“You’re in the hospital.  You and Bai Yutong have been unconscious for hours”

Zhan Yao frowned

‘Hours?  It’s only been hours?  But…’

His eyes then widened

“The watch!  What happened to the watch?”

Bao Sir sighed

“Unfortunately, it was broken in the crash.  But the professor understands, he knows it wasn’t your fault”

Just then, the door to the room opened and a doctor stepped inside

“Ah, you’re awake, good”

He then looked at Bao Sir and the others

“If you’ll excuse me, I need to do a quick check up on them”

Bao Sir and the others nodded before they left the room, the doctor smiling as they left before he walked over to Zhan Yao and Bai Yutong

“Hello gentlemen, I’m your doctor, Dr.—”

Both Zhan Yao and Bai Yutong looked at him in shock

“Dr. Chen”

The young doctor, Dr. Chen Yuzhi, smiled

“That’s right.  I’m quite amazed you know my name considering this is the first time we’ve spoken since you’ve woken up”

Both Zhan Yao and Bai Yutong glanced at each other before Bai Yutong looked at him

“How’s Chief Jiang?  Is he alright?”

Chen Yuzhi looked at him in shock

“You even know my husband?  Is this really the first time we’ve met?”

Zhan Yao and Bai Yutong laughed weakly

“No, it is…”

Chen Yuzhi hummed

“I see”

He then quickly checked both of them to see how they were doing, and once he deemed them fine, he looked at them and smiled

“Everything looks good.  I’ll be back to check on you in a little while”

He then turned to leave when he paused and turned back to look at them

“And about Jiang Yuelou, yes, he’s fine.  He’ll actually be coming to interview you about the crash later on when you’ve recovered a bit more”

He then continued out of the room, leaving Zhan Yao and Bai Yutong alone in silence before Bai Yutong huffed softly

“So time travel…really does exist”

Zhan Yao hummed

“I guess so”

He then looked at him

“I didn’t expect to see them here”

Bai Yutong shook his head

“Me either.  You think they followed us?”

Zhan Yao shook his head

“I don’t think so…but I don’t know…all I know is that my head hurts”

Bai Yutong huffed

“Mine too.  Let’s go back to sleep…I don’t want to think anymore”

Zhan Yao laughed

“Me too”

They both then shut their eyes and let the drugs that were still in their system pull them back under, both of them trying not to think about how time travel was real…and how it was all thanks to one simple watch

[sp-ud]

So back when "Edge of the World" aired, I made a post noting the main variations of titans we saw Here, so I thought I'd take a look at the new (likely) titan we see in "For the Future".

This guy, BTW. If you don't know what I'm talking about. From when Luz was briefly in the "In Between Realm". They were also upside down this is just a flipped screenshot. They're giving Luz a little wave.

While my 1st instinct is to go "This is the Boiling Isles Titan aka King's Dad's spirit or something!", let's see how that holds up.

So the 1st thing that instantly clocks as "off" to me is the hands. The BI titan is shown to have 5 fingers, while our new guy seems to have the same 3 that King has (and the trapper's disguises also have).

There's also the lack of obvious spikes jutting out from the shoulders or legs, but that could just be due to the low quality and odd lighting. And the lack of wings the BI has could just be due to them being in the water. Plus the obvious lack of a size difference could just be chalked up to "It's his spirit, not the actual guy."

But then, there's this.

In the halls of the Archive House, there are paintings that line the walls that seem to tell the Collectors (both our Collector and the general species) story

And while the closer one seems to be of a titan trapper wearing a skull and an adult collector with our Collector also trying on some titan skulls, I want to focus on the one further back.

Look familiar? It should.

Because it is the exact same, but now complete, mural from King's original home.

Now, at first I didn't notice this until I was literally making this post, but there's something very important in the complete one that was eroded away in the other mural. Down by what we now know to actually be a depiction of King's dad on the right's feet. (Unlike the original assumption that the titan trapper on the left was King's dad)

An egg and another, much smaller titan. Which explains why this mural of what originally appeared to likely be the moment a titan trapper struck down King's dad, appears in the place he was supposed to grow up in.

Because it's supposed to be a mural showing how much King's dad cared for him, how he died protecting his egg. That was (quite literally) the missing piece from the original mural.

But what about the other smaller titan we see here? And I'm assuming it's an actual titan due to the fact it has a drawn lower jaw, unlike the disguises the TT use which always have large scruffs to disguise the fact they're only wearing the top half of a skull.

I think this is the titan we see stuck in the Inbetween Realm, who waves to Luz. This is who might have drawn the mural after King's dad was struck down.

As for why they're in the In Between Realm? Well, what's the (literal) key component that both Luz and Belos were initially missing? Titan Blood. And I think they've been stuck there a while, which would explain why no one was seemingly ever coming for King after he hatched, despite the fact Jean Luc and the other stone guards only were there to stop intruders, not raise him.

But then I remembered that oh yeah, the Collector has a line where he says it was King's dad, aka the BI Titan, who locked him in the In Between Realm.

Unless... unless we have something else wrong, or more accurately, assumed something wrong. Now, while we do have confirmation from crew members the BI titan is King's dad...

But... who's to say the King's dad who died and became the Boiling Isles and King's dad who sealed away the Collector (and seemingly got trapped in the same realm) are the same King's dad?

Yup, I'm saying King has two dads, one who fought off the titan trappers and perished with one last cry to his unhatched son, and one who sacrificed himself to seal away the Collector to hopefully help guarantee his son would grow up safe.

But that does leave one more question. Why is this proposed 2nd dad drawn as barely taller than King's egg? Well aside from "it's an artistic recreation, so maybe they either drew themselves smaller to emphasize how BI Dad was protecting them, or King's egg bigger so it was obviously present", which I believe is partially the case, but I think there might be more explanation for this.

And for why all the drawings of conquered titans show them not wearing clothes, even though the TT wear clothes as a part of their disguises (Which are clearly implied to be believable), and this In Between Titan also seems to have at least some kind of jacket or coat on.

Along with already being noticeably even boney before death, having extra things like more fingers and well-defined claws, and the spikes some of them seem to have grown from their body.

Or how exactly King's parents expected to take care of him in that small place, as once again, the stone guardians clearly had no idea how to actually raise him. The little dude was literally eating bugs.

Getting back to my actual point, I think titans aren't naturally... well. Titan-sized. I think it's something they transform into, likely when threatened by something that they can't take on at their normal size. They grow into these larger, more monstrous forms, which obviously their clothes aren't meant to handle.

This also has the added benefit of making the TT a little less horrible. Because it means that just because the skulls are small enough for them to wear, doesn't mean they're from not fully grown titans, they could be from adult titans who just didn't transform before death.

Alright, I have no idea how to properly end this post so I'm just gonna...

TL:DR; I think the Titan seen in FtF isn't the Boiling Isles Titan (AKA King's Dad), but is the Titan who trapped the Collector (AKA, also King's Dad). Because we have crew confirmation BI is King's dad, and the Collector said King is the kid of the guy who trapped him there, but there's nothing saying these are the same King's Dad.

Oh and I theorize that maybe titans can size-shift.

[acaciapines]

If you’re still doing songs - song 69 and 138?

im always up to do em lets GO! i'll put both above the cut n then talk below :)

69. It’s Called: Freefall – Rainbow Kitten Surprise

king misses his mom. he misses his sister. he misses his aunt and his grandparents and mari trying to pin him down and luz letting him crawl under her covers and eda hugging him when he grabbed for her and firefly chirping good morning and good night and throwing out her wings to keep him safe.

“kiiiiiiiiing,” the collector whines, flipping upside-down through the air. “you’re so boring, what is your problem?”

“just tired,” king says. it’s hard to look at the collector straight-on. the thoughts that surround him are a messy array, and barely any of them are his, the way they are for anybody else: it’s a weird conglomerate of old thoughts like those that drift through the sky, but so packed together he can’t make anything out. it’s a beach of golden sand the collector runs through, leaving kicked-up grit in his awake.

“naw, c’mon,” they needle, landing right in front of him. “you’ve been tired forever. be fun!”

he misses his family so bad he’s sure it’s a wound spilling out of him. how can’t the collector see that?

“okay,” king says, “fine. let’s play.”

138. Habits – Genevieve Stokes

ask anybody: edalyn-owlbert clawthorne was never planning to have kids.

never really interested her. not the settling-down part, not the needing to keep another living creature alive part, not the having to be a good influence, gag. nah. kids were never going to be her thing, and so she never sought them out.

and then the little buggers found her.

well. she’s technically the one who stumbled across king, the owl beast’s faltering flight into that abandoned ruin he was living in, but king was the one who followed them both and refused to be left behind. plus, that stone-monster was going to kill him. eda wasn’t a fan of kids, but she didn’t want to leave them for dead, either.

looking back she’s pretty sure the owl beast was laughing at her.

laughed even harder when she took in luz. you’re an apprentice, kid, eda had told her, and the girl had squealed, and her daemon had sat there on her shoulder with her tiny chest puffed out, and something in eda knew this was going to be a permanent thing.

oh well. at least she skipped the changing diapers phase of things.

Discussion

for the first one: oh! hey! this one is relevant to for the future which im writing right NOW! ive been thinking a lot recently about how kings gonna be Doing in that entire like, 2-3 months he's basically on his own with the collector, because i'll be expanding out from what was shown in the show, and just...god. poor kid.

its terrifying! im a collector lover but even i'll admit he is Not great with king, especilly towards the start, and thats not going anywhere--king misses his family and the collector has been on his own for so LONG, and has this sense of entitlement to kings time + space. why does everyone else get a lifelong friend with them since birth? the collector wants that! and if they werent born with it they'll find a friend then! like KING!

its just a LOT. it makes for fun writing though kdnfkgdfg king doesnt hate the collector but oh boy is he not actually friends with them.

this one also makes it pretty obvious what im doing in regards to king being a titan lol but ive decided not to talk so explicitly about that unless im asked a question in which i cant speak around it. i gotta keep some of my secrets!

for the second one: MOM EDA MY BELOVED sorry i literally love that trope so much okay. its so so fun to write. eda really tripped and fell into parenthood like ah shit now ive got to be responsible for HOW MANY of these guys now? two? three? am i supposed to count mari and luz as one or two because based on the day that is a WILDLY different answer.

but yeah <3 its also made even more funny that firefly knew 100% what she was getting into. this was a massive shock to eda, but firefly's been a mom from the start!

also ooooh got that owlbert mention huh wonder what that is about...wonder what my owlbert secrets might be....if he shows up at all....hmmmm...

[lampmanliveblogs]

For the Future Liveblog

Owl House! Owl House! Owl House!

And who knows, with the return to the Demon Realm maybe we’ll actually get to see The Owl House in this episode! More likely, we’ll get to see King and The Collector’s game of Owl House, whatever that will look like.

But yes, my general predictions for this episode… the following bullet points represent the major story beats I expect to see as well as the general structure.

•I think the opening scene of this episode will act as a parallel to the opening scene of the previous episode. In that we got to see what happened right after the end of King’s Tide in the Human Realm. I think we’ll get a similar scene from the perspective of the Demon Realm. I think that will be followed either by a flash forward to the present day, showing what King and The Collector are up to, or…

•We see The Exiles (plus Camila) return to the Demon Realm and witness the state of affairs. They’ll likely try to find their families and allies and try to figure out where to go from there.

•Previously mentioned state of affairs include King & The Collector’s game of Owl House. I’m expecting King to fake it until he makes it and improvise his way through the whole thing. The thing is, he said they needed an entire island’s worth of people to play, and The Collector does seem powerful enough to make and entire island’s worth of people participate in his games, regardless of their wishes.

•To make things even more complicated, we also have to factor in Philip. What exactly he’s planning, I have no idea. If I had to guess… it probably has something to do with The Collector. If this celestial toymaker is powerful enough to deactivate the draining spell, they’re certainly powerful enough to reactivate it. Or just sink the island into the boiling sea.

•End on a cliffhanger to lead into the final episode.

Some other guesses include a bit more on the backstory of Philip, Caleb & Evelynn. Obviously, I’m expecting more character development and growth from Luz and probably also Hunter. Oh, and maybe we’ll even see Luz’ palisman hatch!

Also, Bat-Queen.

Anyways, let’s get into it!

Called it. We’re indeed starting off at the end of King’s Tide. This time, however, we got a shot of the exterior of The Head, showing how The Collector straight-up split it in half. Once this grand game of Owl House concludes, regardless of who wins and who loses, the Boiling Isles will not look the same ever again.

”It feels like the whole world is singing!”

Cut to people screaming and running for their lives as this Child of the Stars rains down fire upon the tiny mortals below.

”Yeah, I wouldn’t call that ’singing’”

You know things have seriously gone off the rails when King of all people has to be the voice of reason. 

King says that the fun game The Owl House, which he totally did not make up less than five minutes ago, is kinda like a game of pretend. Which is kinda what I suspected he’d go with. But it did make me wonder… what would a game of pretend even be like for a god?

At this point, I stood up and paced back and forth through the room, contemplating this question. It was pretty fascinating to think about,  but not something I believe most of you people are interested in hearing me ramble on about.

The important part is this; if we go along the line of thinking that The Collector is a god, then most gods are able to create things either from nothing, or by turning one thing into something else. We see The Collector reshape parts of The Head into their new Owl House. So a game of pretend for a god that is able to create things they imagine would very quickly become a game of reality.

You know how as kids we all pretended sticks we found to be swords (I definitely do not still do this) or magic wands or what have you? It would not surprise me if during their game of pretend, if The Collector were to be given a stick and told to imagine it as a sword, that stick would become a sword.

In other words…

What’s life like when you grant your own wishes? Sorbet skies full ’a honey & kisses! Baking? Self-reflection? So exhausting! Take those imperfections & coat them in frosting! Craft your life, give it all you can give it And pray for the day that you might be forgiven

It’s a fitting reference because King can’t Say ’No.’ Maybe I should add another nickname for The Collector and start calling them the Prince of Plastic.

Lilith! It’s been far too long!

And of course! If anyone can defeat the godlike Collector, it would be the great and powerful Lord Hooty! Their battle will be legendary!

[knackeredforever]

Spoilers for the watching and dreaming trailer:

Ok I already talked about luz wearing belos is outfit In the trailer once but I need to just get of my chest how insane this is for the finale. Because as a lot of people have been mentioning luz is not just copying belos’s clothes but also his mannerisms. Such as sitting in the same position on belos’s throne or looking down from a high point the same way we see belos do multiple times from the show. The shot on the throne is especially interesting to me cause if luz was just being forced to wear belos’s clothes by the collector as I’m assuming there whose causing this whole thing to happen then surely she wouldn’t casually sit on the throne she’d be terrified and try to run away. Also just remembered the shot of luz using a light glyph as if she is praying all these shots imply one thing to me that luz will (probably temporarily) have the personality of belos or be forced to act like him in some form which is terrifying luz is literally going to be forced to become the villain she has been fighting against all this time. Now let’s get onto what’s even more terrifying about this what has happened to eda and king as we see them in more monstrous forms with glowing eyes growling at something while also crying and yeah it’s probably luz. The idea that the collectors game will be luz, eda and king having to become arch enemies against their will is terrifying we don’t know if luz is also being forced to fight king and eda or she will have more control of herself. In for the future the idea of the collector playing pretend with king acting out luz’s adventures was shown in a scary light but still was relatively peaceful well for all those who aren’t puppets because that’s for the collector to have fun. But now they’re out to harm people and they’re doing it in the most sadistic way possible honestly this kid goes from being wholesome pizza bagel craving space child to I’m gonna make you live out your worst nightmare where you become the person in the world you despise the most on a dime. And although it’s not shown in the trailer imagine if we get to see luz wearing belos’s mask or (now this is definitely not happening) luz is forced to consume a palismen like belos or any number of the horrible things belos did to his own body for power. Regardless this is the most creative way to end a show I’ve ever seen with the main character forced to become the villain. But I know a lot of people are worried about the finale as due to the shortening not every plot point will get a satisfying conclusion. But one thing throughout the season 3 specials is they have been very creative and thanks to them was amazing and for the future while not as good in my opinion was still a pretty good episode. So luz becoming belos even if only for a bit is such a unique way to take the finale that regardless on whether it finishes up every “luz end” (badum tch) it will still be an incredibly memorable finale.

EDIT: I just realised in thanks to them when luz is watching the azura movie where the character Lucy who looks like luz is the main villain that was setup for Watching and dreaming OH MY GOOOOOODDDDDDDD

[via-rant]

THE OWL HOUSE RANT!! SPOILERS FOR FTF!!!

Okay so these are things I really want to happen in the last episode!! Obviously Eda and Camilla meeting!! Just imagine Camilla thanking her for taking care of her daughter!!Honestly I just want her to meet one of the other adults!! Speaking of the other adults, where's Alador?!?! Where's Gus' dad?!?! WHERE'S WILLOWS PAPA?!?! WHERE'S OWLBERT?!?!

Another thing is something we're obviously gonna get but I wanted to talk about some of my theories about that mysterious person Luz saw in The In Between (courtesy of Morgan Terry). Okay so Not So Average Fangirl said that it looked like King a little bit and maybe it's him from the future? Waving to Luz and trying to warn her about something? But the theory that I came up with is that it might be Terrok. Yes, I know "But he tried to kill King." Yeah but he was under the influence that Titans are evil. And Bill confirmed that he's been lying about that. Sort of. I mean, with what we heard in For The Future the fact that The Collectors wiped out all of the Titans besides King because Titans could use their magic to lock them up like they did this Kid Collector isn't really a lie. The only thing he lied about was them gaining great power. Also they weren't worshiping just the Kid Collector, they were worshipping literally every other Collector in the universe!! Anyway, but I was thinking maybe Terrok didn't like the fact that Bill "lied" and turned against him so he tried to find a way to comunicate with Luz and found out about The In Between and that's how he got there. Also, Titans don't have wings. Terrok does. Just saying.

Obviously more of STRINGBEAN!! EXCUSE ME WHILE I FANGIRL OVER HOW CUTE SHE IS!! AAAAAAAAAHHHH I LOVE HER SO MUCH *SOBS* *SCREAMS* *THROWS UP*

Anyway, the fact that Kid Collector (This is what I'm calling them now because he doesn't have an actual name.) and King are supposed to be mortal enemies but became friends is just... It's great. Well it was until BELOS!!! FUCKING!!! AAAAAAAAHHHHHH!!!

ALSO SOMEONE MENTIONED, I FORGET WHO, THAT RAINE MIGHT DIE?!?! BECAUSE THE ONLY REASON HUNTER SURVIVED THE POSSESSION WAS BECAUSE OF FLAPJACK?!?! SO LIKE... I'M SCARED?!?!

THE ADULTS!! BEATING!! BELOS'!! SEAWEED ASS!! PLEASE FOR GODS SAKE!!

WILLOW PUNCHING BOSCHA!! JUST ONE GOOD PUNCH IN THE FACE WOULD BE SO FUCKING SATISFYING!!

REUNIONS!!!! I LOVE REUNIONS!!! I CRIED WHEN ANNE GOT BACK HOME AND HER PARENTS HUGGED HER, I CRIED WHEN ANNE AND MARCY SAW EACH OTHER FOR THE FIRST TIME IN FOREVER IT WAS SO SWEET AND CRIED AGAIN WHEN LUZ GOT HOME TO HER MOM AND THEY HUGGED AND WHEN LILITH AND HOOTY SAW EACH OTHER AGAIN!! I LOVE REUNIONS SO MUCH!! LUZ, KING, AND EDA NEED ONE, AND WILLOW AND HER DADS NEED ONE, AND GUS AND HIS DAD, AND THE BLIGHT SIBLINGS WITH THEIR DAD!! GOD!!

I!! WANT!! KING!! TO!! CRY!! HE IS EIGHT!! AND LITERALLY HAS THE WHOLE WORLD ON HIS SHOULDERS!! LIKE WHEN EVERYTHING IS OVER I JUST WANT HIM TO BREAK DOWN AND HAVE HIS FAMILY COMFORTING HIM, OH GOD YOU POOR THING!!

We already kind of got this but Caleb and Belos!! I want Caleb to tell Belos off before he dies!! OR LIKE A CALEB AND HUNTER INTERACTION!!

[zenosanalytic]

Paintbrush, PlasGlue and Holy Clippers: Sparse Marns Part 1: The Team

Hey :> :> :>

So this is a BIT out of leftfield(my FAVORITE Kind of field >:> >:>) for this tumblr, but I’ve begun a Mini-Painting-Project and I want to document it OvO

Back in the Grim Darkness of the Far Past I was once an Avid collector and painter of minis for a tabletop wargame known as Epic 40k(also a boat-game called Man’o’War), produced by GamesWorkshop. I don’t say player because it was DAMNDABLY difficult to actl FIND anyone else who collected and played Epic, because it was OBSCURE and HIGHLY UNPOPULAR(My FAVORITE Kinds of both ob-, and popular :>). Mostly I played it alone or with my sibs.

HOWEVER! I had allot of fun constructing and painting the models for it(they were TEENY) and, while Sainted Epic has sadly met it’s Rhana Dandra, GamesWorkshop is, obvsl, still around, I have been Fondly Regarding them from afar ever since, and Recently Become Once More Intrigued By Them For Some Mysterious Reason u_u u_u SO! I am painting some Spess Marins as practice :3 :3 :3

And I WILL be getting to that in future posts BUT, First, I wish to introduce you to My Associates u_u(oh yeah: the background here is just a self-healing cutting mat. They make for a great work-surface and you can get these from any hobbystore, the ones at gameshops are usually tiny, dont bother)

This is my Hobby Knife. There are many like it in the world, but this one is mine. As you can see it’s an Xacto and I got it from a Michael’s. You can get these from any hobby store for a decent price; you dont need to pay the markups you’ll fine on the ones in gameshops. They are, essentially, Scalpels and thus EXCEEDINGLY SHARP which is why you should NEVER EVER EVER EEEEEVER get one anywhere CLOSE to your eyes. Minis are necessarily mini, and some Hobbyists like to get a bit close cuz Vision, but you should NEEEEEEVER do this. Keep it away from your face >:(

However, being an Exceedingly Sharp Knife also makes them Exceedingly Safe Knives, PROVIDED YOU ARE CAUTIOUS AND DULY CAREFUL >:( >:( (I’m SERIOUS!!!). Hobby knives are very responsive, to the work-material and to your movements, and they will communicate to you what is safe if only you will listen through your touch. ATTEND! They are KNIVES, slide and slice don’t try to push it through things; think carving and shaving. Always use the shallowest angle you can. Move it in a single direction, don’t saw and dont scratch. Be gentle with them. Give them your full attention whenever the blade is free. Sometimes, when handling small things, you will drop them and your fumble-instinct will kick in; remember to suppress this when you’re holding a knife. Stay still, put the knife down(preferably cap it too so it wont roll around) and THEN pick up The Thing, and THEN pick back up the knife(and uncap it). I’ve never hurt myself with a hobby knife and if you respect them for what they are, a shard of metal as thin and sharp as a piece of paper and 100xharder, neither will you. I Love Them uwu uwu

This is a tripleset of miniature files from Army Painter. I never used mini Files before this project cuz back when I was but a wee snek GW used different casting methods(we’ll get into this) and everything was snap-fit(obvsl youd glue once you had the pose you liked) so they weren’t really necessary, but after watching some tutorials I figured they are now and, Yeah, sorta. I only used the middle awl-tipped one in this project, which doubles at being good for marking pilot holes. Im not a HUGE fan of them? I feel like they’re a bit coarse for mini-plastic, which is fairly soft, and am considering trying out glass files(one of my sibs builds gundams and suggested this) for the next build I do.

My Hobby Drill, again from Army Painter. In mini-building the primary uses of a drill are 1)clearing obstructed peg-holes, 2)making holes to attach models to bases or painting stands via paperclips, and 3)drilling out barrel holes. In this project I’ll only use it for the third. This one, using the finest bit, worked Fine for that, it’s motion is smooth and easy to control, but I’m a BIT annoyed that only that smallest bit will fit in the darn thing. Now to be fair: this is my first time using a hobby drill and maybe this was user error, but I took the whole dang tip apart trying to get the clamps to widen(it’s fine: they’re built for that and it was easy to put it back together. Easy Maintenance! Another plus) and they never did, and that annoys me >:T Why give me three bits if I can only use one??? GRRRRRR

These are two little plastic cups -one with soapy water, one with clean water- and a paper towel. These will become Important later u_u

Oh Sprues-Clippers, my Beloved! Again these are Army Painter and THIS time they are genuinely Good. Work’s a treat; crisp, smooth action; great control. There’s allot of nuance to using these that you’ll pick up intuitively as you do, but the main thing is to try and cut with the flat side. You’ll understand when you do it cuz your brain will be like ‘Sweet! New Limb :3 :3″

This is Super-, or Plastic-, Glue, again from the Army Painter. It’s Fine, but like most superglue bottles it comes with an applicator tip that was ALREADY cemented shut when I opened it, presumably from bouncing around during shipping. I MUCH prefer superglues with brush-tip-tops rather than applicators. It’s not a big deal though because...

this Ancient Box of toothpicks. Passed down by my mother, and by HER mother before her, these tiny, perfectly weildable tree-shards make Excellent superglue appliers. My tips here: 1)wear a mask, at LEAST an N95 when using super glue, 2)KEEP IT AWAY FROM YOUR FACE!, 3)keep it in a place it wont get knocked over, by you or by wind, or by anything else, 4)don’t use too much and wipe the excess off on the INSIDE of the bottleneck; dont get ANY on the outside or your cap will cement shut when you close it, 5)you cant really FEEL when you’ve lowered it into the glue, so you’ll have to check by eye; this doesn’t mean looking down the bottle, just raise the toothpick out and you’ll see it on the pick. You WILL get superglue on your fingers inevitably(DONT try to avoid this by using gloves they’ll just make you clumsier, and plastic gloves will obvsl get glued to everything by it), It’s Fine, once you reach a good stopping point go rub some olive oil on your fingertips for a few seconds, then was them in warm water with soap for The Full 30 Seconds and the residue ought to come off; if it doesn’t, then bulldoze it off with your thumbnail, pushing out, off of your tips, in a single direction, not scratching. You don’t want superglue in your eyes, or ANY of your membranes, or your Bits(you know the ones), so be careful what you touch while it’s wet on your fingers. Use a paper towel to clean the picks of any excess glue, not microfiber towels or the like they’ll pull the fibers out, and set the pick on the towel when not in use. As its used dry glue will start to build up on the pick and lessen it’s agility; it has served its purpose and can now go to toothpick Valhol(your trashcan), to be replaced by one of its siblings

Tweezers, again from Army Painter. Not a fan; they hold fine but you can’t really put any pressure through them and the main thing you need them for is gluing Tiny Bits to the minis :T There’s a particular type you’ll see most folks making mini videos use but idk what the brand is(mostly cuz I didn’t look :p)

This is two-sided tape. I used it to tape the minis to a piece of cardboard for priming them with spraypaint. I’ll get to that later. And last but not least

This is Mr. Hobby’s Mr. Dissolved Putty and the brush I used to apply it. It’s for filling in any gaps in your minis still visible after you’ve let them dry from being glued together and it’s STUPENDOUS at that, and IT IS HIGHLY TOXIC AND HIGHLY UNSTABLE! If you are going to use this: Store it in a cool dark place it isn’t likely to get knocked over or smashed; keep it out of sunlight; Shake it THOROUGHLY but GENTLY with a FIRM GRIP beforehand(and you’d do well to not let it sit around settling for too long regardless as it deeply desires to solidify; give the bottle a shake ever week or so, at least); Wear latex or nitrile Gloves; Wear Sleeves; Wear Eye protection; Wear a Respirator A REAL-ASS HARDWARE STORE RESPIRATOR WITH THE FILTERS AND EVERYTHING NOT A PAPER MASK; use it ONLY in a well ventilated area(I dont have a vent booth but my set up was: working infront of an open window with an oscillating fan 9ish feet behind me set to max, creating a strong air-current OUT). As above apply it with a brush in thin layers, giving them a few seconds to settle to see if you need to add more, adding more until the gaps stay filled. Let it dry COMPLETELY before you paint which, depending on your weather conditions(the colder and wetter the longer), can take up to a day. With my minis, it dried in a few hours. It would PROBABLY be a good idea to vent the room you use this in for a good hour or so after you do, like: open the windows and set up a fan to blow air out of them, no matter how short your usage of it is. It will keep reacting on the models as it dries, so it will stay in the air for awhile, but once you can no longer smell it you’ll be Fine. Related: it’s probably a good idea to use this in a room you can keep ppl out of after, or outside if you have a good, shaded exterior workspace. After you’ve used it, wash your hands and gargle some water for a few minutes to clear your sinuses(dont swallow the water obvsl! Spit it out). DONT LET THIS STUFF GET INSIDE YOUR BODY!!! Mark the brush you use for this for ONLY This and dont ever put it in your mouth to “sharpen” it(in fact: Stop doing that in general >:( >:( ), and CLEAN IT in a clean water bowl(preferably not plastic or anything you’ll eat out of later) after use, pushing it dry on a paper towel once its clear of the material, then throwing that water OUTSIDE when you’re done applying. READ THE INSTRUCTIONS ON THE LID!!! Safety is never a waste of your time.

SO: that’s my team. Tomorrow: ASSEMBLY :> :> :>

[guest-1-2-3]

my discombobulated screeching about toh for the future

I just watched it and I am so overwhelmed like I always am

So HERE IS (almost) EVERYTHING I THOUGHT ABOUT IT

The Collector's changes to the Boiling Isles instantly reminded me of like what Discord did in that one mlp episode.

But like Collector's really like. A really powerful child. They're not evil, but they don't have a ton of human understanding? Or like empathy ig he just wants to have fun and have friends! Like my heart was crying out when Collector kept emphasizing how King is his best friend. Plus the fact that it's implied that this kid is like...alone? What happened to the rest of the Collectors? Obviously the stuff they're doing isn't good but I like the fact that they aren't making them EVIL HEARTLESS VILLAIN but rather a mega-powerful kid with understandably no understanding of empathy and stuff. We know the things they're doing aren't right but their actions MAKE SENSE.

"Oh come on. It's not as if a swamp ghost will inexplicably appear if you say his name." BELOS IS SECRETLY VOLDEMORT GASP

Hunter is going through it. Luz is going through it. Boscha is going through it. Gus is going through it. WILLOW IS GOING THROUGH IT. My god they're all incredibly traumatized.

Speaking of Willow OH MY GOD. They showed her own struggles so well??? She's always helping everyone else at the sacrifice of her own wellbeing and she represses her own emotions to help others SJDFJHKSK. It really ties in to her whole "Out of sight, out of mind" thing only SHES DOING IT WITH HER STRESS AND EMOTIONS

She really reminds me of Adora from spop. They sort of deal with this pressure to help everyone and save everyone in the similar way of sacrificing their own needs.

I'm really glad Willow got help from Gus and Hunter bc they're right, Willow's always been shown helping everyone out and it's really nice to see her own struggles and her own need for help. That scene with all the vines? Impeccable. She kept trying to handle it by herself and then she fell back into her "I'm just half-a-witch" thing. It's like, she bases her worth upon how she can help everyone else, and when she can't do that...

But then Hunter and Gus jump in with the IT'S OKAY TO LET IT OUT YOUVE HELPED US ALL SO MUCH and my HEART????

Btw Gus appreciation for that scene. There's a lot of focus on Hunter helping out Willow (justified, he was hugely helping I am not devaluing his help I love him so much and he popped off there) but I haven't seen nearly as much mention of Gus popping in there with his own positive affirmations. <3 They're both really great friends to Willow and I love it all so much

Also the Huntlow. Ngl, my original Huntlow opinions ranged from mild dislike to indifference but the new episode really gave me some appreciation for it. Just in general their bond has been getting stronger and things. I get the sense that it's moving a bit fast--which makes sense given all the time cut off the series--but their relationship, platonic or otherwise, is really sweet. I love them supporting each other.

CAMILA APPRECIATION. She's been handling this really well, and her communicating with and supporting Luz?? She's such a GOOD MOM. I also love how she noticed something was up with Willow and made sure to ask her about how she was feeling. Camila is best mom. And her baseball bat is beautiful.

Hunter. Beginning of episode my man is REALLY GOING THROUGH IT. Which makes sense, he's dealing with the grief from losing Flapjack, he was just possessed by Belos, he almost died, etc. I think it's really interesting to see his own stress response. He's kind of paranoid and super on alert. It makes a lot of sense for his character. I do feel like his mood shifts very abrubtly though in the middle? It was a little jarring how it just...changed immediately after the Willow situation, but I do like the fact that he's slightly happier again so yeah. Also COOL NEW TELEPORTY MAGIC. I love that.

Belos. Stinky slime man. The whole Caleb visions with the dagger floating above his head was very Hamlet-esque. Also he was just...possessing the dead bodies of his former grimwalkers? That's not terrifying at all. Istg my mood switched so fast with all of the possessions 'cause at first I was like OH HE'S GONNA POSSESS A FORMER GRIMWALKER?? IS HUNTER GOING TO HAVE TO FIGHT HIMSELF?? And then i remembered their bodies have been decomposing for years so...no. And then I was hyped for Odalia-Belos but then he just SUDDENLY POSSESSED PUPPET RAINE and my heart dropped so fast

Raine being possessed by Belos on TOP OF already being controlled by the Collector. Jesus Christ. They're really being possessed a lot aren't they.

I had many thoughts and I also have thoughts on King and New Hexside and Boscha and Matt and Luz and Amity and like yk basically everyone else but I've run out of steam so that's it for this

FOR THE FUTURE WAS SO GOOD. THAT'S MY LAST STATEMENT HERE.

[xx-psych0-rabbit-xx]

For the character list ask: Renfield, Mordred?

OHH BOTH FAVORITES AT ONCE NICE

renfield

favorite thing:hes just like me hes just like me fr

least favorite thing:dead </3

favorite line:all the times he gets to be mean to seward.sooo funny of him

brOTP:i wish he got to have like.a positive relationship i could put here.uh.i think seeing him and quincey interact would have been fun

OTP:n/a i hc him as aro lol

NOTP:renfield/seward i have it filtered out bc its literally triggering for me LMAO

random headcanon:if i give him self hitting autism will i go to jail for overdosing on self indulgence hcs

unpopular opinion:id usually have one but my minds blanking out uhh none of stokers hate crime attempts w his character worked on me baby girl i am just like that too.i am fine w his portrayal in 99% of his scenes.in fact we should let him be more violent he earned that

song i associate w them:the masters song

favorite picture of them:i dont wanna risk tumblr deleting everything ive written so ill fetch the pictures later but that scene in spanish dracula where hes sitting silly after seward pulls him up the balcony.god i love rubio renfield he gets it

mordred

favorite thing:he is also just like me+i like assholes

least favorite thing:the fcking post vulgate stories that try making him into a rapist.the entirety of the post vulgate is garbage overall but oh my god they really created "use rape as empathy shock factor" huh...i saw one person bring up the possibility of writing stuff w the rapist mordred takes and wanted to punch the wall.let that shit die permanently

favorite line:ik idylls of the queen is a modern book but i love that little exchange he was w kay where kay tells him god damned him to hell and he goes "yeah ♥️"

brOTP:i love love love his relationship w agravaine treason brothers <3 personality disorder solidarity <333

OTP:sorry for being a mordred kinnie stereotype </3 but galadred.its actually them+percival but i write galahad and mor in such a mentally ill way they hate each other for half the story in my head and its fun for me to think about

NOTP:literally anything w incest GOD why is there a published book where he falls in love w his father.

random headcanon:the way i write the patrice murder story in my head has him climbing the castle walls to overhear conversations from outside the windows for investigation.he also hid under a bed at some point for that as well.weirdo

unpopular opinion:i HATE the once and future king but th white was onto something w the take hes a hyper paranoid asshole who thinks everyones out to hurt him and cries if someones slightly mean back.he literally fits the whole ppd criteria th white wants to fuck ppl w ppd so bad (also idylls of the queen did the same take but like being normal about him so no credit to white regardless lol) i simply do not think he can work as just a sad snarky emo boy.psychotic-fy his ass!

song i associate w them:debt collector

favorite picture of them:that one where he has dragon themed armor and the dragon sword.god theres no way clarent (the sword) came w the dragon wings on it he 100% had them alter it for his dad killing outfit

[headlesscribbler]

I finished For The Future and it's good! But ALL BETS ARE OFF I'M POSTING SPOILERS AND THOUGHTS. (Also its super long like has 20 different points)

Written plotpoint wise and then in general.

-The tone at first was insanely confusing with everyone dying and then then Hooty flying and Eda almost immediately getting over her missing limb (well ig the cliffhanger made it look more dramatic). Also haha hot Harpy Eda scene, fan artists are winners.

-The curse actually wasn't explored that much (or the Owl Beast being trapped which I'm really annoyed at) but it seems to act similarly.

-Luz totally saw King's slightly grown up form with the wings.

-It's depressing seeing literally everyone screwed up but that makes sense and I do like how everyone gets a spotlight on their issues.

-Ok Belos is SUPER cool this episode. Tbh I found him more weird/slightly funny looking last episode but I like how this 350 year old man's flesh is falling off the bones. Also that's definitely dead Caleb we saw this episode and probably last (very cool but the knife looked a little funky dangling there)

-The broken playground and swing, nice Episode 10 reference. Also the graffiti is always funny.

-Lol screw you Terra you got picked to be the Owl Beast bc you're old and cranky. I can't believe her not being in the trailer was for this.

-That Draining Spell is literally only a kill everyone spell, ok? I mean it would have been interesting seeing them try to adapt without any magic but sure (also ig there wouldn't be time)

-Boscha you still suck! Also I can't believe my brother guessed the Kikimora reveal, I was like red skin, short, that's too easy. But looking back, the voice, the glasses. Ok I see it.

-Yeah no redemption all the Grimwalkers/Caleb want to kill Belos. Also lol I joked that he would say shut up to them and I guessed it right.

-Also not really surprised his Grimwalker body didn't last, like you're running out of resources. Still not sure why it still ended up looking like you. Also I was spoiled on him climbing up the skull so I was jumpscared by that scene AND it being a spoiler!

-I liked the visuals of the giant book circling around the tiny planet. Also Collector I know you can rhyme better come on.

-I have no idea what's up with the Collector portraits (hey Hollow Mind parallels). I'll let others dissect it but I found the lore kind id underwhelming like last time but I'm a terrible theorist and time crunch so eh. Also repeat images?

-Literally the entire Hooty and Eda scene was recontextualized to be weirdly more chill and cheery. Like Hooty is alive, why and also why immediately joke about it being weird?I'm not sure how their hideout works but hey there's some peace? Also you're killing me Eda please be with Raine oh my god! Also Eda saying "What's the matter?" made me want to cry, she sounded like a mom comforting her kid! And she said it so kind and softly!

-Ok I was pissed at the Hunter possession bc I thought it was fake/looked dumb. This feels random and weird. Belos possessing a puppet, really? I swear it's like "Huh screw Eda I'm gonna use Raine". But they look better off than Hunter (also why the goop on the ears, like injuiry from a piercing?) Ok but they(?) have cool expressions and their normal voice and mostly look the same and I doubt they'll die (otherwise it's that Diversity Loss meme. I'll pretend they'll die so I don't feel as bad/disappointed if it happens). I don't know why we're doing this again, pattern breaking says they must go but don't they have too much potential?

-Ok this possession concept feels kinda written badly? It's only introduced last episode and you're gonna convince me Belos can actually possess the Collector? Please! Also in general I don't like possessions as they take away the person's choice and creates limited character development for them.

-I've got beef with the Collector (who I now realize is probably different from the Owl Beast trapper but still), I don't like how it's not acknowledged that he was fine with killing everyone. King is nothing like that and I don't like how this Collector feels different from the more scary and dangerous shadow Collector we've seen the most from. It doesn't make sense they're supposed to be the same! Also they'll probably depower him simce he's too powerful (I wonder if doing this will make Collectors extinct.)

-Someone else probably articulated it better but I like the spotlight on Willow, how holding in her emotions to be strong for everyone ends up making her spiral out of control and how Gus and Hunter tell her she can let it out. It's really sad seeing her miss her dads but I'm glad it's acknowledged.

-Yay Camilla and Luz time! Yeah, it's sad how they both have regrets but I'm glad they're reconciling and Camilla is righting her wrongs. Also Luz's wish makes so much sense and I love the anime like tears. (Also yeah her saying she doesn't know what she wants definitely fits Amity given a predetermined path)

-For the teleportation powers Hunter gets, ehh but I do like the action is brings. Also YEAH new plant attacks Willow!

-Also literally calling out every single guess and putting it all in one. I like the Chinese dragon looking one. The designs all kinda look like OCs but it fits and it'll probably grow on me. Also 80% snake for the win!

Bruh the animation looks so good! Honestly mostly the effects but also the scattered fight scenes as well! I like how it goes from whimsy to body horror (would've liked more but eh Belos takes an L)

Tbh the pacing was kinda off since there was the school, King and Eda, and Raine being posessed. It felt weird because it didn't even really feel right for a cliffhanger. Hey who's fault is it (Disney)

Ok compared to Thanks to Them (which I really didn't like and don't want to rewatch due to the Belos possession) this is leagues better. No doubt because questions are answered, things are different and we get to see them again! Effects/fights/body horror/character design is good, I really like the character development and them coping with this nightmare, and others than the Raine thing/unavoidable pacing issues (this feels like similar issues to the first episode) it's super good!