#total speculations btw

[goatyuuji]

them twink legs...you can literally wrap a hand around his thighs...

[sloasis]

They filmed a scene at sun rise .. ( apparently ) for Eddie still in Texas and it could parallel the way in season 2 , he sat on the beach and cried over Shannon's passing while the sun set .. and he's been in this grief and repressed limbo state ever since . He's gonna finally find his sunshine while away in Texas .. he's gonna experience true joy and unearth the one thing that he's been hiding in the dark of the dusk and it's gonna finally shine bright and reflect off of the waters of his entire life ... Also who's our resident sunshine golden retriever boy ?

[ranbling]

What if s8 starts and we find out Buck moved in with Eddie?

[blowthemoonout]

people aren’t criticizing trent for the fun of it they’re criticizing him because he deserves it. playing like shit after not speaking on your contract and avoiding making any comments unlike salah and virgil who actually spoke and said they wanted to stay is plain weird. he played like his heads not in it and like he just wants to fuck off to madrid.

people expect their vice captain to have ambition while playing instead of jogging the entire game and playing lazily. mind you he doesn’t even bother with post match interviews he just drops a bad performance and stays quiet.

he obviously shouldn’t be abused on social media or anything but i think it gets to a point where criticism is valid especially after he dropped multiple below avg performances this season and is staying silent about his contract which warrants fans to assume he just doesn’t want to stay plus i think people are tired of some fans babying him constantly 🫤

Respectfully anon, a lot of this message is what I'm talking about.

I'm not saying that he shouldn't be criticized. He should be. He's a professional, and it was really really bad performance. But, for example, saying that he plays like he just wants to fuck off to Madrid. Does he though? Why, because he had a very bad game while his contract saga is in the news? I did not see a player who played like he didn't care or didn't have ambition to win today. What I saw was a player who played like he got deeply in his own head about not doing well and let it spiral. Why is that a less likely interpretation of what's going on?

Maybe he really doesn't give a shit about Liverpool this season, and really can't wait to get to Madrid. I don't think those things are particularly likely, but it's possible. The point is we don't know. We don't know this man or what's he's thinking. We should not create a public narrative about someone based on motivations that we've ascribed to them.

And I know that this isn't a popular take, but I don't think he's done anything wrong by not speaking about his contract. Mo and Virgil have expressed that they want to stay at Liverpool because they're (seemingly) sure that they do. I have always felt that Trent hadn't decided yet. Which may or may not be true, but what exactly is he supposed to say if it is? Either way, he said he's not going to talk about it and that's reasonable. Madrid are doing what they always do, which is trying to get a fanbase to turn on a player they're targeting. Unfortunately, it's been very successful. And I don't think it's babying him to say that. I think it's just waiting to make a judgement until we actually know what's going to happen, rather than just guessing.

Tl;dr: all I'm saying is criticize him based on his action and performance, not on what we assume is going on in his head. For example, the point about him not doing post-match interviews is a good one! And as a professional he needs to find a way to either focus better in games regardless of what's going on in his life, or not let mistakes impact him that much. All the rest of it is speculation that shouldn't be spoken about as if it's fact.

[hellomagicalsouls]

im going to be so insufferable tomorrow, I can already see it coming.

my bingo card is ready for stuff to be ticked off. god help when the actual season comes out.

i at least want to get two of my feelings right. or even one i just want to be right about something.

[science-lings]

There are a lot a problems with this theory because totk is a jumbled mess, but a think the time Zelda traveled to might be before skyward sword. A few things might point to that, first is the forgotten temple, which is definitely a reference to the temple of hylia from skyward sword. The Zonai were keeping their secret stones in it, which implies that they built it, and if that’s the case then they came before sksw. Another thing is the clothing style. The ancient people of Hyrule wear obviously old style clothing and weaponry, but by skyward sword and every other games down the line, the clothing are more covered and « modern » and the weapons more refined

That's interesting and totally valid, I mostly don't personally believe it bc of the existence of the Rito and the Zora and the Gerudo which all didn't pop up until much later. Though it would be cool if Rauru and Sonia somehow were 'Hylia's' (or sksw Zelda's) ancestors, because Hylia and her bloodline are both associated with Time and Light and the mysterious 'Sealing Power' that keeps evil away, which both Rauru and Sonia do with the light magic in the shrines and what Rauru does with Ganondorf at the end. It's an interesting theory to be sure.

Maybe there was no goddess Hylia until the Zonai and the 'Humans' united. Maybe Hyrule came before Hylia.

[aaravos-answers]

wait is human trigonometry different from Xadian trigonometry?

or does Xadia just not have any of that because magic?

Starling, math and magic are not separated. They're quite intertwined at times. But yes, Xadian mathematics does differ from human mathematics, but mostly in that we found different terms to describe the same phenomena, like different languages.

[quibbs126]

Okay, that’s definitely that Okchun Cookie NPC I remember seeing before

I did like her design, so I’m glad she’s playable now

I assume this is a sequel to the Rebel and Vagabond story, which I have not seen. So I guess I’m gonna have to do that now

Curious who the other Cookie will be, hope it’s a new one though

[theflyingfeeling]

Here’s s link but I don’t know if it works 🥺

https://streamable.com/hrj4ja

it was when someone commented that 20 in 1 shampoo is so straight men of you and Aleksi read half of it before he realized what it said and I’m not 100% how but I link this to my headcanon of Aleksi living in denial but maybe he doesn’t want to address being straight either (and I don’t mesnt to speculate this is just my headcanon)

I hope you don't mind me adding it to my answer, anon! lmao that is the face of a man who's just realised he may not be as straight as he thought he was and is now questioning everything, so ummmmm yeah shampoo is great hehe uhhhh cars??

[flange5]

The inevitable forum confusion whenever a new indictment lands over which of the pending criminal suits it is this time (is it GA? No this one is DC.)

[mademoiselle-red]

I saw someone describe the three kingdoms period as a grand and bloody funeral for the Spring-Autumn-Qin-Han culture and I think it’s such a great way of thinking about the vibes of the Three Kingdoms.

Because there does seem to be a huge cultural vibe shift between Eastern Han and Wei-Jin-Northern & Southern Dynasties driven by demographic changes and the breakdown and rejection of a lot of traditional value systems that originated in the Spring-Autumn period and became codified and entrenched during the Han Dynasty. Like the Jin Dynasty removing “loyalty 忠” (!!!) from the traditional foundation ethics of “loyalty & piety 忠孝” (likely because they can’t really claim to uphold loyalty given what they did to the Cao royal house). And the emphasis on sentimentality, individualism, opulence among the upper classes accompanied by the consolidation of power among a few ruling families.

And then another huge vibe shift once the dust of the Hu Invasions have settled by the Sui-Tang Dynasties. The assimilation of new ethnic groups and the transfer of power from the hereditary nobility to the bureaucracy who came to power via imperial exams accelerated during the Song Dynasty and would be completed by the Ming Dynasty.

[girltomboy]

MY bf apparently cannot take any paid leave yet because he's been at his workplace for less than 6 months, which means our vacation is under a big question mark this year...... well, HIS vacation, because I'm not really about to have been working a year without a vacation, sorry.......sooo sorry not sorry though 🤪 though I am afraid to vacation alone. I don't think my country is very solo-trip friendly, especially when you're a woman. But I can't afford to go elsewhere, and it would be last minute planning anyway. It drives me NUTS that this is just. Normal. Like, having to work 6+ months at a workplace before the employer decides you deserve to have some time off. He works 14 hours shifts for 2 days every 2 days too, so he doesn't even have legal holidays or weekends off AND isn't EVEN allowed to SIT DOWN!! That's just fucking insane sorry I can't fault the employees for putting up with this cause everyone's gotta eat but just the principle like just the mere simple fact that this happens and no one bats an eye. Is making me rabid. Vacation plans ruined aside. And my best friend is in the same situation of not being able to go on holiday except she's been working at her desk job for like 2 years. It's even more infuriating that her employer decided she should take all of her days off in December last year. Like imagine your employer deciding when you take your vacation?? I'd shit in my chair and leave.

Anyway topic change: lately I've been going crazy over Fia, like I can't stop thinking about her all the time, and especially wondering how she's doing, how life has been treating her. I feel it's kind of unhealthy and like borderline a creepy obsession that only I know about, but I don't want to let go of her, the memory of her is such a mental crutch to me. I realized Saturn transited her Moon maybe a couple weeks or so back, and I pulled a card for the very broad and general question "How is she?". And the card was The Tower 😭 and ik the Tower isn't always automatically bad or dangerous, but it has potential to be, and anyway it represents change and upheaval and I got a bit sad/scared for her. I just hope she has a good and full support system, regardless of whatever has been going on, good or bad. I always wonder this, trying to picture her surrounded by people who love her and care about her, trying to picture her receiving that love and care. I think it's hard to picture her giving it back because I've never seen her do that, but it's easy to picture the former because I loved her for so long. Sometimes I idealize her to such an extent that it feels surreal for such a human to exist on earth, she turns fragile and tender in my vision, like a single touch would hurt her, and the urge to protect her grows even more intense, and brings with it the frustration of being incapable of doing so. It's bizarre, this has happened with almost all of my obsessions over time. I think she's my longest lasting one. OH and I was also thinking about her like fear? Of being the subject of gossip, or being talked about in Facebook groups of students and such. I do have a memory of her asking something like that, and even though she was reassured she still seemed so anxious about it. Probably why she stays off social media. And yet it was her coworker who was overheard gossiping about her irl... by my friend, who said he called her crazy. 😑 Idk, just some thoughts that kind of add to my theory of her being a Gemini rising with Pisces moon in the 10th house. I've also been watching Breaking Bad with my bf (we finished it yesterday!! He loved it and so did I, rewatching it as an adult has been such a good decision and so wild. It really is one of the best TV shows ever made) and Bryan Cranston's mannerisms, facial expressions, gestures (ofc not limited to his Breaking Bad role, I was also noticing this in Malcolm in the Middle) are so similar to hers I almost thought my bf would recognize some of them, and his "exposure" to Fia was much shorter-lived than mine, and through a screen. And he's a Gemini rising!

[w2soneshots]

Hii! If you're up to it, could you write a ChrisMD fic x reader where they're best friends but with time they finally get togethers and everyone (fans & friends) is not suprised at all because they saw it coming?

Thank you, and I hope you have a lovely day! ♡♡

Totally okay if you don't want to write this btw x

Not so surprised -ChrisMD

warnings: none!

summary: as usual, your and Chris’ fans speculate about your relationship before you’ve even made it official, but when you do they’re the first to spot the clues.

notes: hiii! Thank you for the request lovely, I hope you enjoy💫. I’m back in the groove of attending to this account so here we are🤗. I also have a Valentine’s Day fic for Harry coming out on the 14th so look out for that!!💕🫶

Liked by chrismd10, max_balegde and 150,453 others

y/username: life📖🤍✨

Tagged: @chrismd10 @arthurtv

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user: just get together already PLEASE

y/username just posted a new story!

y/username just posted a new story!

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y/username and chrismd10

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[pnutbutter-n-j-elyy]

Hiiii! Could u maybe write for skz being in a secret relationship (like secret from the public cause reader ain’t an idol) and getting caught by paparazzi during a date? U can just make 3racha pls if u don’t feel like doing all 8 ! Feel free to refuse too ofc! I loved your Spotify wrapped hcs btw! Seungmin’s was so funny! 😆

I made them reaction bullet points! But if you guys like them then I'm totally up to making them into longer fics!!

Stray Kids | Secret Relationship → Getting Caught by Paparazzi

Bangchan

Chan is so careful usually.

Dates are always super lowkey - private cafes, quiet beaches at night, movie nights at home.

But today was your birthday, and he wanted to do something special.

He rented out a tiny rooftop restaurant just for the two of you, candles, flowers, the whole thing.

Everything was going fine...until you both laughed too hard at a joke and he leaned across the table to kiss you.

Flash.

Click click click.

Both of you froze mid-kiss like-

🧍‍♂️🧍‍♀️...

Chan immediately tensed and went into protective mode, grabbing your hand and pulling you away from the ledge.

He spends the rest of the night furious at himself, feeling like he failed to protect you.

��It’s my fault. I should’ve been more careful, baby, I’m so sorry…”

You have to literally cup his cheeks and remind him that you knew the risks from the start, and you still chose him.

Later when the photos surface, they’re actually really sweet and respectful - the caption is like: “Bang Chan spotted in sweet rooftop date - fans speculate he’s in a relationship.”

His company releases a statement saying they won’t comment on private matters, and surprisingly, most people are supportive.

In the end, the incident kinda soft-launches your relationship 💛.

Lee Know

Lee Know thinks he's a secret agent.

Always plans escape routes. Dresses down. Times everything.

“Trust no one. Speak to no one. Blend into the crowd.”

But you went out for bubble tea one afternoon, and he just couldn’t resist teasing you.

He poked your straw when you weren’t looking, got your drink all over your shirt, and then tried to "help" wipe it off.

You were laughing and swatting at him, and he kissed your forehead without thinking.

Flash.

😐😐😐

Minho freezes.

“Did you see that?”

“...Yes.”

“Abort mission. Run.”

Grabs your hand and books it through side streets like a literal action movie.

Later, when the photos go viral, they’re weirdly cute - you’re laughing, he’s looking at you with soft eyes, and fans are melting.

He doesn’t say anything publicly, but a few days later, he posts a dance video wearing a shirt that says “Not Sorry.” 😎

Changbin

Changbin is PARANOID about getting caught.

He wears hats, masks, sometimes even sunglasses at night.

He’ll make you walk separately in public and only link up when it’s super empty.

But today, he was feeling bold.

You were walking by the river, and he just couldn’t help it - he grabbed your hand.

You warned him. He didn’t listen. He was too busy smiling at you like an idiot in love.

Then:

Click click click click.

Changbin drops your hand and looks around like a scared puppy.

“Was that what I think it was-”

“Yes.”

“@$#%&.”

He immediately pulls you into a side street, calling his manager with one hand while trying to shield you with the other.

“I think we have a problem.”

Despite his panic, you kinda find it cute how protective he gets, constantly glancing over his shoulder to make sure you’re okay.

The photos blow up fast - he’s recognizable even under the hat and mask because of his build.

Surprisingly, the fans argue that he deserves to be happy and start trending “#HappyForChangbin.” 🥹

He won’t relax until you both sit down and personally go over every nasty comment and good comment together, promising to only listen to the good ones.

“They don’t know our love, jagiya. Only we know. That’s enough.” 💌

Hyunjin

You were museum-hopping for your date - very chill, very lowkey.

Hyunjin wore glasses and a mask, blending in as just another artsy boy admiring sculptures.

You thought you were in the clear.

Then you reached to point at a painting at the same time and your hands touched.

Hyunjin looked at you, smiled all dreamy, and brushed your hair behind your ear like a damn movie scene.

THAT’S when the paparazzo got you.

Flash.

Hyunjin didn’t even flinch, he just kind of...blinked and kept smiling.

“Let’s keep going. Pretend nothing happened.”

(Internally he was PANICKING.)

Later he has a minor meltdown about it, pacing and chewing on his sleeve.

“WHAT IF THEY FIND YOU? WHAT IF THEY HARASS YOU? I SHOULD’VE BEEN MORE CAREFUL!”

You calm him down with forehead kisses and pinky promises.

The photo goes viral because it’s just so beautiful - you two look like characters out of a romance drama.

Fans nicknamed you “Hyunjin’s Mona Lisa.” 🎨🖌️

Han Jisung

Jisung is...not careful. Like at all. 😭

Like, he tries - really he does - but his excitement always gives him away.

You two went on a simple late-night drive, windows down, singing along to whatever’s on the radio.

You driving of course since the chubby cheeked boy still had yet to get his license.

You pulled over to a convenience store to grab snacks,

When he came back with a pile of candy and two hot coffees, he opened the drivers door and buckled you in as if you were sitting in the passenger seat.

After making sure you were secured he shut the door, and leaned into the car window and kissed you.

Like full-on swoon-worthy type of thing.

…Right in front of a paparazzo who was tailing idols that night.

FLASH.

You both screamed. Like actually screamed.

Jisung dropped everything he was holding, candy and coffee flying into the air. ☕🍬

“RUN!” he shrieked, diving into the passenger seat as you two sped off like a maniacs while you gasped laughing in the drivers seat.

Later, he’s freaking out. But tries to cover it up with joking.

“Do you think they got my good side?” (You smack his arm.)

The photos come out with the caption "Mystery lover? Han spotted on late night date!"

The company tries to spin it as “just hanging out with a friend,” but nobody buys it because of the kiss photo LOL.

In the end, you two have to lay low for a while, but honestly, Jisung just jokes about it constantly.

“If I’m gonna get caught, at least it was a kiss that looked straight out of a K-drama, am I right?” 💋

Felix

Honestly?

Felix would straight up take you on a nature walk for your dates.

Forests, hidden parks, lakes - anywhere with sunshine and minimal people.

You were sitting by a lake one afternoon, feeding ducks, and he kissed your cheek.

A photographer hiding in the bushes (like a weirdo) got the shot.

(Felix: 🫠)

(You: 🫠)

He immediately covers your face with his hands in the CUTEST protective way.

“Stay still, baby, don’t look, it’s okay, I’ve got you.”

Back at home, he hugs you and promises it’ll be okay no matter what happens.

“If they hate me, it’s fine. If they hate you, it’s war.”

The fandom goes wild, but mostly in support because...well...it’s Felix...

Even people who don’t stan Stray Kids are like, “If Felix found love we’re all cheering for him.” 😭

Seungmin

Seungmin is sneaky with dates.

Like, coffee shop hidden inside a bookstore levels of sneaky.

But today, you convinced him to just do something normal - ice cream at a park.

You were eating together on a bench, Seungmin roasting you for dropping your scoop.

“Are you five years old?”

“You’re gonna be single if you keep talking.”

He laughed, leaned in, and kissed your sticky nose.

You heard a camera shutter.

Both of you paused.

Seungmin squinted at the photographer like 🧐.

“You dropped your scoop and got us caught. Great job, genius.”

(He’s teasing. But he’s freaking out inside.)

Later when the pictures come out, Seungmin’s fans are laughing because he looks so deadpan in every photo.

Someone even memes it:

Caption: "When you drop your ice cream... and the fact you're in a relationship, too." 🍦😅🍦😂

I.N

Jeongin is careful because he’s still the “baby” to a lot of fans.

But he really wanted to take you to the little zoo near the city.

He wore a hat so low it almost covered his eyes, mask up to his nose, hoodie two sizes too big.

Adorable.

He was so focused on making sure you were comfortable he didn’t even realize a paparazzo had been tailing you guys.

The moment that got caught?

You feeding him a french fry outside a food stall.

Jeongin holding your hand to guide the fry into his mouth.

Giggles and hearts in your eyes.

The flash that the paparrazzo had forgoten to shut off startled you two.

Jeongin dropped the fries in horror.

You were more worried about the wasting of the fries more than anything else.

Panic.exe.

Later he’s apologizing over and over, voice so soft and guilty:

“It’s okay if you wanna break up with me...I get it…” 😔

(You bonk him on the head, lovingly of course.)

Turns out the fans think it’s the cutest thing ever.

“Our maknae is growing up 😭💖.”

Jeongin turns bright pink every time someone mentions it for the next month.

You say he owes you a large fry.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

@abovenyx @wolfs-archive @oddracha @iyeeeverydee @parisanmorovati @seungmincenteric @panbish-1209 @fxiry-vtt @sseawavee @shuporanporang @amarecerasus @softkisshyunjin @whoa-jo @meanergreener @rikibun @ayyonoona @shinywombatcrusade @y4yayael @skzstan12345 @mariteez @allys-reads @jazziwritesthings @skzstannie @yongbokkiesworld @kkkeopi @neverendingstay @moony-9 @minsungsthirdwheel @everlastingspring143 @joyofbebbanburg @leezanetheofficial @tr-mha-fan @bubbly-moon @night-storm7 @missmajdastark @axel-skz @rockstarkkami @emilyywhyy

[honeypiehotchner]

The Gambit (Hotch x Fem!Reader) -- part twenty-four

Oh btw remember when I said this fic would be 30ish chapters in total? Yeah fucking ignore me it's gonna be more than that

Warnings: just the dramaaaa! not loads of reader and Hotch interaction here (sorryyy!), Reid being Reid /affectionate

Hotch kicks himself the entire way to the jet, alternating between biting his fingernails and gripping the steering wheel so hard he hopes he doesn’t bend it.

Rossi keeps glancing at him from the passenger seat, eyebrows raised behind his sunglasses. “You okay?”

“Fine,” Hotch snaps, perhaps a little too harshly. “Just thinking.”

“About?”

“We’re on the way to look at another dead body connected to this unsub, what do you think I’m thinking about?”

“Ooh,” Prentiss teases from the backseat, trying to lighten the mood.

“Mom and Dad are arguing,” Morgan jokes quietly, but not quiet enough for those in the front to not hear.

Hotch glares at them both in the rearview.

He can’t say anything with everyone in the car— He’s not even certain he would want to talk to Rossi about this right now because he knows it would only earn him yet another lecture of some sort.

And he knows you’re angry with him again, he knew it the second you caught on to the fact that he didn’t ask you to join them. But he couldn’t ask you to come, not after seeing how scared you were just at Richard Monroe breaking out of prison. That all of this is unraveling and you can’t do anything to stop it. None of you can.

Now, one of their only leads is dead, brutally, from what the officer could bear to get out over the phone to Hotch. With a note in hand that tells them it’s the unsub doing this, toying with you all, now clearly onto you and where your heads are at in this investigation. And probably going after Richard Monroe, too. 

It’s the only thing that makes sense. He’s running for his life, and Hotch doesn’t know if they will find Richard before the unsub gets to him. They’re at the greatest disadvantage. Richard knows the unsub; he’s afraid of him. The BAU still has no idea who they’re looking for. 

All he can hope is that something at this crime scene will give them a clue. That maybe the unsub will give them something for once.

The jet and pilot are ready when the BAU reach the airstrip, the team filing on so they can get in the air as soon as possible. The flight will be short, but the drive would’ve taken too long.

They crowd around the table in the jet, discussing all that they know, which is minimal from the phone call. They talk in circles, their speculations, why the unsub is doing this, if the unsub is going after Richard Monroe now.

“It’s unsettling,” Rossi says.

“He wants us unsettled,” Hotch replies. 

“He’s doing a damn good job,” Prentiss exhales.

“Yeah, it’s pissing me off,” Morgan scoffs. “How he’s always five steps ahead of us. I mean, come on, how do we not even know who this guy is?”

“I don’t know,” Hotch says, just as exasperated. “But we have to be getting close.”

“Yeah, because he’s practically circling us,” Morgan knocks his knuckles on the table. “There’s gotta be something at this crime scene.”

“Let’s hope so,” Rossi says, leaning back to look out the window. “Otherwise we’re just playing right into his hand.”

Hotch knows that. You know that. It’s what you’re most afraid of, you made that clear to Hotch earlier, and he regrets it now, trying to comfort you, trying to tell you it isn’t true. Because what if it is? What if he’s just lied to you? What if this is all one elaborate trap that you’re all walking into, and there’s nothing to stop it?

All he knows is that if this is a trap that they’re about to walk into, he couldn’t have you walk into it with them. Just in case.

+++

“I just don’t understand why he didn’t want me to go with them,” you talk out loud, well aware of how…almost childish you sound.

JJ has gone off to answer the mountain of phone calls that are, for some reason, coming into the BAU after news of Richard Monroe’s escape got out. You, Garcia, and Reid hung back in the conference room to do more sleuthing, even though there isn’t much to go off of and until someone calls with what they’re seeing at the crime scene, you won’t really know what to look into next.

“Oh,” Pen frowns, putting her hand over yours. “It’s probably just…something to do with dividing and conquering, you know? He knew you’d be better here, helping us.”

You don’t buy it. Neither does Reid, apparently, from the look he’s giving the file in front of him.

You narrow your eyes at him. “What is it?”

He looks up at you, wide eyed like he’s been caught doing something he shouldn’t. “What? Nothing.”

You stare at him. 

“It’s nothing,” he repeats. “Garcia’s right, he’s just…dividing and conquering.”

“Reid.”

“It’s because he likes you!” Spencer blurts, smacking his hand over his mouth when Pen nearly swats him over the head with a file while shushing him. “Sorry!”

“We’re not in high school, Reid, it’s fine,” you laugh. “I appreciate the input, but I doubt it’s that. Anyway, what else do we have on this guy? Any…paper trails or anything? We’re grasping at straws here.”

Reid almost says something else, but he quiets when Garcia gives him a perfect death glare. Thankfully, they move swiftly past the topic of Hotch liking you.

The idea almost makes you laugh out loud. The two of you might be getting along more now, but that has nothing to do with either of you liking the other, least of all Hotch.

+++

When the team reaches the crime scene, there are far more police cars than necessary, and a news van as well.

Hotch rolls his eyes and Rossi sees it, holding up a hand. “I’ve got it. I’ll meet you guys inside.”

“Thanks,” Hotch says, nodding to Prentiss and Morgan to follow him into the house. 

They pause just at the front door to speak to the deputy that called Hotch, introducing themselves and explaining the situation. For once, the deputy cooperates without hesitation — probably because, from what Hotch can tell on his face, this is so far from anything the deputy has ever seen. They’re out of their depth here, and they know it.

“Stay out of their way and tell them anything they want to know, got it?” he calls out to his men and women who all nod in understanding.

Morgan shares a look with Prentiss before following Hotch inside.

Nothing was taken from William’s home, but that doesn’t shock anyone. It’s clear by now that the unsub’s only desire is to kill. Robbing the home means nothing. He’s more focused on making a point by who he kills, and leaving a note so the BAU is certain that it’s him doing it.

Even though they don’t have his name, he wants them to know that it’s him. It’s important that they know it’s all him.

Something about that makes Hotch’s footsteps falter. Why is the unsub so desperate for them to know? Or is he desperate for you specifically to know that it’s him? And if that’s the case, did he once know you? Was he a family friend that you don’t remember? From before everything spiraled with your dad, so you would’ve been too young to remember him.

It happens all the time. Hotch remembers it happening when he was young, remembers seeing it happen with his brother Sean. Family members and friends of the family who didn’t come around for years, suddenly reconnecting, and always seeming shocked that the children didn’t remember them. As if the children would, as if their brains would remember someone who disappeared for a long period. 

As if it isn’t unsettling for children to have someone who, to them, is a complete stranger, reappearing in their life and behaving as if they have a close bond.

He keeps walking, keeping the sudden realization to himself because there are no facts, really, to base it off of. It’s a hunch in every form of the word, but it makes sense. It makes everything else seem implausible.

William’s body is on his bed, a gunshot wound to the head. Under different circumstances, the unsub might’ve made this look more like a suicide. Instead, there’s no mistaking that he was shot here by someone else, likely while he was napping.

The note is still in his left hand.

Hotch looks around for one of the crime scene investigators, asking if they can bag the note for him so he can look more closely at it without tampering with it. 

When they hand him the bag, he studies the notecard. The handwriting is the same, no doubt. Gambit signed in neat letters. Hotch turns it over, his suspicions all confirmed.

Getting warmer is written in the clean script, but Hotch feels how sinister it is. Mocking them. The unsub is onto them, and wants them to know it, too.

“Have this sent to Quantico, please,” Hotch says, handing it off to the same investigator. “I’ll let them know to expect it.”

Prentiss and Morgan make their way in, having paused in the living area of the house to analyze William’s life. 

“Well, he might’ve been framed for that murder all those years back, but the guy was a creep,” Morgan says.

Hotch turns around with furrowed brows.

“The team is bagging many DVDs of child porn,” Prentiss rolls her eyes. “Disgusting.”

Hotch is no longer surprised by these things, though he does feel the anger rising, mixed with twisted relief that one less man like that is in the world.

“What did the note say this time?” Morgan asks.

“Gambit, I’m assuming?” Prentiss adds.

Hotch nods. “And something else, on the back. Getting warmer.”

Prentiss scoffs, “You’re kidding.”

“No,” Hotch says, “I wish I was. We need to look at everything in this room— everything. I don’t know if he would’ve left another clue, but we need to at least look.”

“I’ll search for a laptop, get Garcia on that, maybe there’s something hiding in his emails,” Morgan says. 

“Good, look for a phone too, we’ll need to see if he made any frequent calls in the past few days,” Hotch replies. “I’ll grab Dave and we’ll do a quick sweep of the rest of the house, but something tells me he’d keep things contained. He wants us to know it’s him, I don’t think he’s going to be strategic at this point with his clues.”

“He doesn’t want there to be any chance that we might miss it,” Prentiss nods. “Think obvious. Got it.”

Hotch leaves them to sort things, calling you on the way to finding Rossi.

He doesn’t know if it will help or hinder things by telling you about his gut feeling, but he can’t afford to let that worry stop him.

+++

A few seconds after Morgan calls Garcia, your phone lights up on the table in front of you. With Hotch’s name.

Morgan is on speaker to talk with Garcia and Reid, so you grab your phone to take the call out into the bullpen.

“Hello?” you answer, noticing Hotch left his office door cracked. You don’t think twice before stepping inside, pushing the door closed behind you. “Everything okay?”

“Sort of,” Hotch replies, and you do not like that answer, but you let him continue nonetheless. “There was a note on William’s body, it is our unsub.”

“Part of his gambit,” you mutter, pacing Hotch’s office. “Did it say anything else?”

“It did.”

Your pacing pauses. “Spit it out.”

“It said: getting warmer.”

Your eyebrows furrow as you process the words. “Getting warmer? As in getting warmer or colder, like this is a fucking game—”

“It’s all a game to him,” Hotch says.

“Well I know that.”

Both of you are silent for a moment. You sigh at the same time he does, shutting your eyes to rub your forehead. 

“Sorry,” you murmur. “It’s just—”

“You don’t need to apologize,” he says, sounding sincere, like all of the other times he has said that to you. “I have a gut feeling that I need to share with you. One that I don’t know if you’re going to like.”

“Hotch, I haven’t liked anything about this since day one, so don’t worry about that.”

He lets out a laugh. It makes you do the same.

“What is it?” you prompt him again, softer this time.

He hesitates. But he says it finally. “I think the unsub is someone you know — or someone who knew you when you were young. I think it could be the same person who kidnapped you—”

“But Hotch, I don’t remember—”

“I know,” Hotch interrupts you gently. “I think that’s the whole point. We’ve known this whole time that he wanted to get our attention, to get your attention, but I didn’t realize how desperate he is for it. He wants you to know that it’s him, he wants you to remember—”

“I can’t!” you cry, starting to pace again. “It was twenty years ago!”

“I know,” Hotch says again, not mocking you. He sounds as broken up about this as you feel. “I know. There’s no way that you will remember, but he doesn’t think rationally. If anything, he’s upset that we haven’t figured it out, that you haven’t remembered, because to him, he thinks he’s memorable.”

“Great,” you mutter. “So I might have this weirdo creep of a family friend who thinks I’ll remember him after he kidnapped me twenty years ago. That’s ridiculous. Do you hear how ridiculous that sounds?” You can’t help but laugh at the absurdness of it.

“I know,” Hotch says through a similar, almost hysterical laugh. “It’s just a gut feeling.”

“Come on,” you scoff. “With us, our gut feelings are usually right.”

“Yeah. They are,” he says.

You let the goodness of the moment hang for just a while. Despite Hotch’s gut feeling. Despite it adding another layer to this whole thing to make your stomach turn.

“Morgan and Prentiss are going through his room, but Dave and I are going to look around the rest of the house, see if he left any other clues.”

“Okay,” you murmur, surprised but glad at how much he’s keeping you in the loop. “Look in the bathroom,” you blurt, “in the medicine cabinet, I think.”

“Gut feeling?”

“Yeah,” you reply. “Probably nothing, but—”

“We’ll look,” he says. “How are things on your end?”

“Fine. Wishing I was there with you— I mean, there at the crime scene,” you nearly trip over your own feet as you trip over your words. “So I could— Get a better look at things, you know.”

Hotch is quiet for a long, tortuous moment. “I understand.”

You look up at the ceiling, wanting the floor to open up and swallow you whole. “I’m gonna get back to it, keep us updated.”

“You too,” he says, and you think you hear him smiling. Damn him.

+++

“We’ve turned the room upside down, there’s nothing,” Prentiss explains in the living room of the home. “Garcia has access to his laptop now, though, so she’s combing through everything. We couldn’t find a phone anywhere.”

“The unsub might’ve taken it,” Rossi muses. “But why?”

“William knew Richard,” Hotch says. “Richard is missing.”

“You think he’s going to trap him?” Morgan asks.

“Maybe,” Hotch says. “But we can safely assume he’s going after him, and we’re either going to get to him first or…”

“Or we’ll find the unsub when we find Richard’s body,” Rossi says. “He’s reaching the end of his rope. He wants us to find him now, he wants his name to be put to all of this.”

“He wants her,” Hotch adds, not needing to say your name for everyone to know who he means. “He wants her attention. He wants her to see him.”

“Well,” Morgan sighs. “He did say we’re getting warmer.”

[loreic]

The True Face: In-depth analysis

Okay now that I had a few hours to process all... that, I think I can analyze this objectively without crashing tf out 

Heavy, heavy analysis, speculation & theories ahead 

[Spoilers for the insane new Mizi comic obviously]

So the comic opens exactly where we left off after Weige right after Round 7 (the fact that Round 7, Weige, Arise and Walk, and now this happens in like the span of a few minutes is absolutely diabolical btw). Mizi is crashing tf out and just staring at Till’s blood literally on her hands, which immediately just shouts GUILT in all caps. 

We are then immediately jump scared by this.

Which is gonna give me nightmares for a whole week (thanks for that Vivinos), and sets the tone of this whole situation, giving us a glimpse at Mizi’s incredibly fragile mental state. Keep in mind that she had just had her life completely thrown upside down, witnessed Till get shot, then Hyuna two seconds later, all while still coming to terms with the fact Sua is gone. 

Girl is literally two seconds away from cracking. 

We then cut to a flashback set during their ANAKT Garden days. Considering how old they look and Sua later mentioning that they were running out of time and will have to take the stage soon, I’m suspecting this probably happened fairly recently, possibly within the year and not long before their graduation. 

The following sequence starts off tame enough, starting with this Luka-knockoff-looking ex-classmate cornering Mizi about her relationship with Till, which Mizi mistakenly assumed that he was asking about Sua. 

We come to find out Sua hasn’t been around much (god is anyone else kinda extremely creeped out by Neigh?), and that they have apparently been fighting. Which is rather interesting to me considering that mizisua has so far been portrayed like the perfect yuri couple doomed by the narrative (or at least slightly less convoluted and toxic when compared to ivantill and hyuluka anyway, ain’t nothing healthy in alnst). I do wonder what they were fighting about.

Then we get the whole heteronormality spiel from the Luka knockoff (which damn I could totally do a whole nother post on with how much lore that gave on life in general in the ANAKT Garden). Dude tries to confess, gets cut off, and things just immediately escalate from 1 to 10000. Like fking hell just look at this image: 

Luka knockoff goes on to accuse Mizi of being willingly oblivious to how half the boys have been crushing on her (keep in mind these kids raised by aliens with zero functional social cues or an accurate concept of how relationships are supposed to work), and Mizi absolutely loses it. 

I mean look at this face. 

Girl is Hyuna-grade levels of mentally unwell (I like how this seems to be a trend with vivinos, feeding us information about a character, lulling us into a false sense of security and then doing a complete 180 in their comics and giving them twenty different dimensions we never considered). She is literally having a mental breakdown and still trying to keep the friendly, innocent mask and smiling through it all, which just ends up coming off as slightly deranged.

Mizi ends up running to Sua (cue obvious unhealthy coping mechanism and codependency), and then she makes the mistake of using the exact same words Luka knockoff did 

It must be nice. 

Nice to remain willingly oblivious to it all, nice to be pretty enough to make others love you, nice to be loved by so many. That obviously wasn’t what Sua meant in her own context (it was also interesting to learn that Sua does envy Mizi to some degree, which I I think is a nice add that just makes her more human on a whole), and Mizi just reacts.

Considering how she immediately catches herself, I genuinely don’t think she meant it, but holy shit was that fked up. 

We’ve seen IvanTill fighting as kids and the whole thing with Luka and Hyunwoo that ended in tragedy but considering this and what the Luka knockoff did earlier, I’m getting the vibe that physical violence in the ANAKT Garden may be way more common than what we initially thought (or it could be that these poor kids have just never really properly grew out of that play-fighting-as-a-child phase, and it just escalated as they grew into young adults since corporal punishment from the aliens is normal and their humanity’s all kinds of screwed up) 

We then cut back to the present where we have apparition Sua accusing Mizi of being cunning, and ditching all of them. Now this took me a hot second to understand, because as far as we are concerned Sua was the one who left. She chose to die to save Mizi (and probably so that she didn’t have to deal with the pain of being the one left behind if we’re really going for that toxic angle). But then I realized I’m an idiot and that this was being written in Mizi’s pov and this version of Sua is literally a figment of her imagination and a personification of her guilt. 

Mizi still thinks she is responsible for Sua’s death. In that sense she did discard her for her own survival (unintentional or no) and on top of that she did leave the others. She did let herself be reduced by the rebels, she left Till and Ivan, all while knowing that they would most likely die. Is it her fault for being rescued? Hell no. But she definitely still feels guilty for leaving them. You could argue that she also, quite literally, ditched Hyuna in order to rush of to rescue Till, which indirectly ended up causing her death (It was Hyuna’s choice but Mizi sure as hell didn’t know that). 

We then cut to a flashback with Till (TILL IS ALIVE TRUST) and Mizi ends up confronting him, telling him that she loves Sua and asking if it is that hard to not like her. She asks him why he like her and Till (bro why) ends up responding with 

I mean, valid, but I think this properly confirms just how shallow Till’s love for Mizi is. He likes the idea of her, and though it doesn’t mean his feelings aren’t pure or true, it’s more of a crush really. Cute but almost entirely superficial, and just look how Mizi reacts: 

Her collar is RED. She knows people care and are attracted to her on a superficial level, that the Luka knockoff was right, but seems to decide to just ultimately let it be, to remain purposely oblivious. 

We cut back to the present and there we see apparition Sua has now become Mizi, the version of her from Round 1, the version of her that ‘killed’ Sua, which really just solidifies the fact that all that blue dialog is literally just her guilt taking.

This entire comic is basically centered around Mizi battling her survivor’s guilt, but honestly, as much as I hate to admit I think the Luka knockoff/evil Mizi were also right about her being purposely oblivious (to both her classmate’s affections and their situation on a whole). All the facts point to the fact that she was much more aware about everything than we were initially led to believe. I think she did have a vague inkling of what was going to happen, but ultimately decided to look away/remain in denial (I mean in hindsight how tf does one live 15-ish years in the Garden and not eventually find out the truth even by accident?). 

Evidence 1:  

First we have this with the Luka knockoff.

What a shame.

Shame she had to kill him? (lmao no, but am really frikin hoping she didn’t Hyunwoo him with how this guy pops up again with the back of his head broken in the subsequent art lol)

Not sure if I’m interpreting this one right, but I do think what she meant by it being a shame was the fact that he had to see her broken down this way. I do think this is the first time anyone actually noticed and called her out for her habit of remaining purposefully ignorant, hence the mental breakdown (also cause she got, you know, slapped in the face while she was at it). 

Also with how her collar light was green when talking about Sua but immediately turns red when Till is mentioned... yeah she's definitely not clueless about any of it.

Evidence 2: 

And then of course we have this whole sequence with Till. Hardly any explanation needed.

Basically both flashbacks imply that she is not nearly as ignorant and naive as she lets on (and what we as the audience were led to believe), but she puts on a harmless, innocent front. 

As for why she does it is pretty debatable, but I suspect that it was simply easier to remain blissfully ignorant, and it was just her way of coping with their less than ideal reality. I highly doubt she spent all that time taking advantage of being likable and playing dumb just so she could survive (again the one praising her for it is literally her guilt personified). Maybe a tiny part of her did subconsciously want to survive and decided to roll with it, but I think it’s pretty obvious she does genuinely care about the rest of her classmates and wasn’t actively trying to get them killed (unlike say Luka). 

What happened to Sua, Ivan, Till, and Hyuna definitely wasn’t her fault, but she isn’t entirely guiltless either. 

Honestly, I’m not too sure what to make of it, considering on one hand we have been led to believe that Mizi was this sole innocent girl who knew nothing about truth behind Alien Stage until Sua literally died in front of her, but on the other hand man do I love how we are getting more of layers to her character.