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teaberrii · 10 months

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Chapter 7: The Locket

You've been Cupid for as long as you can remember. You've brought countless soulmates together, yet you've never found love.

When you're assigned to bring two childhood friends back together, it should be simple until you unexpectedly catch feelings for the mysterious and cold Ph.D. student, Dan Heng, the man with a soulmate… the man with answers to your past.

Dan Heng/You

Notes:

Cross-posted on Ao3

Female reader

Chapter index at the end of chapter one

After finishing telling Pom the nightmare you experienced, you chug the rest of your water.

“Geezus, Cupid,” Pom continues. “I…”

"Never thought a haunted medieval castle would turn out to be a haunted erotica," you mutter, half-jokingly. "I'm done playing games, Pom."

You refuse to believe that what you saw had nothing to do with you. If it didn't, why were you the only one experiencing this? But after that traumatic event, you're done being clueless. You're done being messed with.

“I'm getting pieces that make no sense to each other, It’s time to start connecting them together.”

Pom has an uncharacteristically serious look on his face. "I'm with you. But how are we going to do that?"

You wish you have an answer. There must be a way, and you'll find it no matter what it takes.

“...I think we’ll need a little help.”

"Help? From who?" When Pom sees the look in your eyes, it's as if he reads your mind. He quietly gasps. "Don't tell me you're thinking about Dan Heng."

“I saw him again,” you say quietly. “I saw Young on the train where Dan Heng was standing.”

“But, will he really be able to help?”

"I don't know," you answer honestly. "But if I tell Dan Heng who I am… maybe that will trigger something."

“...Hey.” The rest of your friends approach you, and you and Pom get up from the bench. “Are you feeling better now?” Gepard asks.

“Much better.”

“What happened in there?” Stelle asks. She glances at Dan Heng. “He said he found you in the restricted area, and you got locked in.”

“...That’s right,” you say, looking at Dan Heng, who returns your look with a subtle gaze. It doesn't seem like he said anything more. “One of the zombies just really got to me, and I panicked.”

Gepard walks up to you with an apologetic look. “I’m really sorry for leaving you like that. I… didn’t know this would happen.”

You smile at him. “It’s fine.”

March stretches and groans. "Well, before we go, should we see what the parade is all about?"

“Good idea,” Stelle says.

You and Pom look at each other as if reading each other’s minds.

“C’mon then!” Pom says happily. “We don’t want to miss it!”

Pom starts ushering everyone away, but you grab Dan Heng's arm.

"Can we talk?" you ask quietly as he turns to face you.

He lets you pull him aside. “Is something wrong?”

“...It’s about what happened earlier.”

Are you going to tell him what's going on? He hopes so. After seeing how shaken up you are, he has a million questions but isn't sure whether it's appropriate to ask.

Where should you start? With Young? With who you are? Finally, you say, "When I was alone back there, I experienced something similar to my nightmares."

“...Nightmares?”

“Before coming here, I sometimes had nightmares of a burning terrain… a castle… It was like a war field. I had a hunch why I was having them, but after experiencing what I just did… I’m pretty sure they have something to do with my past. It’s also why I’m here.”

Dan Heng cannot think of any other explanation, but his theory sounds ridiculous. He isn't living in some crazy fantasy novel where mythological beings exist… right? But it did cross his mind. With you mysteriously knowing about his research and saying you saw his desires, there's only one absurd but logical reason.

“...You aren’t human.”

A slight pause.

“...You don’t sound surprised.”

“Who are you... really."

“Pom calls me Cupid. Take a guess.”

“The God of Love?”

“I’ve been bringing couples together for as long as I can remember because I was promised that I would figure out about my past. But it's starting to look like it's the people here who have something to do with it. Including you."

“...And Young. That’s why you asked about him, right?”

“You catch on fast.”

He looks away. “I’m piecing things together as I go.”

“I knew someone named Young, and I’ve been getting dreams and visions about him when I talk to you. Maybe it's because you look exactly alike.” You sigh. “But I’ve been told he’s no longer around.”

“...What you saw back there, did it have something to do with him?” Dan Heng asks.

“No,” you say quietly. “My dreams about Young are always… pleasant. But back there, that was…” You take a small breath. "I saw something like a massacre. And… a man and a woman… being intimate.”

This takes Dan Heng off guard as he’s left speechless.

“I have no idea who they are,” you add. “But the man said I went too far and”—your voice drops—”I started a war.”

“...A war?”

You shift uncomfortably. “Well, the woman hinted that I was intimate with that man before. It sounds like a bad revenge story."

You’re expecting a grimace, a sign of disgust, or a judgemental look from Dan Heng, but that never comes. Instead, he calmly asks, “...But, can you really take their word for it? It sounds like you’re getting bits and pieces everywhere. It'd be more important to get the bigger picture.”

"That's what I was telling Pom. I need to start making links… connections… or something that I can go on. That's why I decided to tell you about who I am. If you're Young... or somehow related to him, maybe it'll jog your memories."

“You said Young and I look like each other.” Then, hesitantly, “...What about the man and the woman? Did they look familiar?”

You shake your head. “I’ve never seen them before.”

“But maybe I have.”

You're starting to see where Dan Heng is going with this. If Dan Heng is Young's doppelganger or reincarnation, then there's a strong possibility that more of them exist. But what then?

“...I never knew about Young until you told me about him,” Dan Heng continues. “Even after you told me who you are, nothing comes to mind. But there must be a reason why he looks like me and…”

Is he… blushing, or is it just too hot?

“...And?”

“...And why I like you so much.”

The loud screams from the parade drown out his words. You turn and see a large magician-themed parade floatie slowly move along the street. Then, you turn back.

“Did you say something?” you ask. “I didn’t catch that.”

Dan Heng quietly sighs and looks away. “It’s nothing.” Then, with a small, gentle smile, “...I'd like to help if I can.”

"An extra hand never hurts," you say, returning his smile.

You’re walking next to Dan Heng toward the parade when he glances at you. “...You said you bring couples together. Does this mean you make them fall in love?”

“I don’t shoot arrows with weird spells on them if that’s what you mean. It’s supposed to be a natural process. I just… give them a little push.”

“Has it ever backfired?”

“Sometimes it takes a little more effort. But, in the end, they always end up together.”

“...You said before you were here for a job that involves me. By ‘job’ is that what you meant?”

“Yeah. You have a soulmate,” you say quietly.

“But I don’t believe in that.”

“It doesn’t matter whether you believe in them. It doesn’t change the fact that you have one.”

"...You said you've been doing this for a long time, but it's only now you're finding out about your past." He suddenly steps in front of you, making you stop. "I'd like to think this soulmate nonsense also ends here."

So, is he going to stop you from doing your job? That’d be interesting.

"I guess we'll see, won't we?" you say. "But I am a little curious… you seem strongly opposed to it. But you don't know who it is. You might change your mind."

“...I carve a path for myself, including who I choose to love. I don't want anyone else deciding that for me.”

Then, you hear March call your names and Dan Heng walks off without looking back.

Despite the lively atmosphere, you can't help but occasionally glance at Dan Heng, who has his eyes on the parade almost the entire time. He would meet your eyes a couple of times, but you would look away. The distance between you two is occupied by Pom and Stelle.

“...Are you interested in Dan Heng?”

You turn to Stelle, surprised by the unexpected question. “Why do you ask?”

Stelle looks at you with a small smile. “He was really worried about you when you didn’t show up.”

You don’t look at her when you say, “...We’re friends.”

"Then… does that mean I can go for him?" You immediately look at her as the question takes you off guard. Then, she chuckles. "I'm kidding."

You remember that Dan Heng and Stelle drifted apart when she started her singing career. What brought them back together?

“I heard you were a singer before,” you say.

“Are you going to ask why I quit?" You don't say anything, so she says, "Let's just say that it takes more than just talent to 'make it' in the industry. Now that I'm an actress, there's more freedom in different aspects of my life... including whether or not I want to see somebody."

"It sounds like you have someone in mind."

She doesn't elaborate but gives you a small, ambiguous smile instead.

◆◆◆

The parade hasn't ended when you and your friends leave the bustling area. It's late afternoon, and Gepard suggests an early dinner as it'll start getting crowded.

You and Pom and walking behind everyone else when he asks, “How did things go with Dan Heng?”

“He said he’s happy to help me if I need it.”

Pom gasps and nudges you. “He’s a keeper.” You give him a deadpan look, and he quickly says, “Okay. No more jokes.”

“But he’s also curious about Young.”

“You also told him about Young? Well, it’d be strange if he wasn’t.”

“Anyway, even after I told him about Young and who I am, he doesn't remember anything. But, he brought up a good point,” you say, looking at Dan Heng, who’s talking with Gepard. “He might not be the only doppelganger here."

"He may be right. But does this mean you're going to start hunting for people who may or may not exist? What if it turns out to be pointless?"

“Yeah, I get what you mean." You sigh. "I feel like we're missing something..."

“...Whatcha talkin’ about, Cupid?”

You immediately spin around at the low, masculine voice just as Pom gasps.

“N-Nanook!”

Wearing a black tank top and pants, Nanook is clearly enjoying the attention he's getting from some of the people passing by.

“What are you doing here?” you finally ask, flabbergasted.

“Hey!” You turn around and see your friends walk over. March looks at Nanook and back to you. “Is he a friend of yours?”

Nanook puts his hands on your shoulders and smiles widely. “We go a long way back. Right, Cupid?”

You shrug off his grip and frown. “...He’s just someone I know.”

“Ouch. Not even a friend? You hit right where it hurts.”

“He’s the guy I told you about,” Pom says to Dan Heng and Gepard. “The one who won’t leave her alone.”

Nanook narrows his eyes. “...Is this who I think it is?” He walks up to Pom and looks him up and down. “Huh… never thought you’d make a decent-looking human, rabbit.”

“Hey!”

“Rabbit?” March asks.

Nanook looks at your friends and back at you. “Aren’t you supposed to be working? What are you doing hanging out with these—”

“They’re my friends,” you deadpan.

“What do you mean she’s supposed to be working?” Stelle asks.

"It's nothing," you say, turning to her, but you eventually look at Dan Heng instead.

Then, he walks up to you. “...If this person isn’t important, let’s go.”

Nanook scoffs. “Not important?” He walks up to him, but you step in front of Dan Heng. “...You think I’ll hurt him?”

“Just leave him alone.”

Nanook rolls his eyes but suddenly yells when someone pulls on his earlobe.

“We aren’t here to cause trouble, Nanook. Behave yourself.”

You look past the God to see a woman with glossy skin and long, silky black hair pulled into a high ponytail, leaving a few strands to frame her face that looks like she hasn't had a clogged pore in years. Wearing a pair of high-waisted shorts and cropped tee, her curvy figure is just as flawless as her skin. You've never seen this woman before, yet your gut tells you exactly who it is.

“Idrila!” Pom says. “You’re here, too?”

She smiles, showing her perfectly straight and white teeth. “That’s right.”

“...Who's this?” Gepard asks.

“A friend,” you say.

You're a little amused that Gepard can't seem to take his eyes off her. But that's when you remember Dan Heng. You look slightly behind you and see that his stoic expression hasn't changed.

Idrila loops her arm around you. "Do you mind if we borrow her?" She looks at Pom. "And Pom, too, of course."

“Oh, um, yeah, go ahead.”

It sounds like she even has March at a loss for words.

Idrila grabs Nanook’s arm. “C’mon, stop giving the kid the stink eye.”

“I’m not!”

Idrila pulls you and Nanook aside while Pom follows. A short distance away, she lets you go and takes out a small, round locket with a thin gold chain. A sun is in the center while being embraced by a crescent moon.

“Himeko forgot to give this to you,” Idrila says, handing you the locket. “So, she sent us.”

“She needed both of you just to give her a locket?” Pom asks, skeptical.

“Look, it was the perfect opportunity for a little vacation,” Nanook says. “Besides”—he looks around with a curious look—“it was getting boring up there. I'm always up for a daring adventure.”

“...I think I saw this locket before.”

“You did?” Pom asks you, Then, he looks at it curiously. “Where?”

“Around Young’s neck on the train." Then, you try opening it, but no matter how hard you try, it won't open.

"Good luck on getting that open," Nanook says. "We've already tried."

You frown. “Someone was a little too curious.”

“Himeko told us beforehand,” Idrila clarifies. “We thought we'd try it out.”

“By the way… who's Young?” Nanook asks. He looks over his shoulder and sees your friends chatting. “Is it that dark-haired kid? He thinks he’s being subtle, but I know he’s been looking this way. Well, let’s be more specific.” Nanook looks at you. “He’s looking at you. Don’t tell me you’re having a lil fun on the side, Cupid.”

“I wish,” you mutter.

“Oh, you haven’t seen Lan by any chance, have you?” Idrila asks. “He’s still not back.”

“I’d like to think that he’s finally letting himself loose and having some fun,” Nanook says. “This is his territory, after all.”

“...Did Lan grew up here?” you ask.

“That’s right, sweetheart.”

You almost cringe at the new nickname, but an idea suddenly hits you. Dan Heng enlightened you with the possibility that other doppelgangers or reincarnations exist. If Lan has been around Xianzhou for a while, he may know about them. Could there be some secret to doppelgangers that he knows about?

“Hey!” March calls. “Are y’all ready to go or what?”

Your friends walk over, and Stelle asks, “If you don't have any other plans, why don’t you join us for dinner?”

Nanook and Idrila glance at each other. “Us?”

“Why not?” Gepard says.

The thought of Nanook joining the group for dinner doesn't sound like a great idea, but of course, the God of Destruction thinks differently.

He smiles. “Well, I don’t see why not.” He looks at you with a playful smile. “It’d be our first dinner together.”

“And our last,” you deadpan.

“...Wait. What if Himeko finds out?” Pom asks quietly.

“What she doesn’t know won’t hurt her,” Idrila says.

"Himeko?" March asks. "Who's she?"

"Someone who likes to enforce rules on people for her entertainment," Nanook says bluntly.

"After the stunt you pulled, I think there's a reason why she enforced rules on having limited contact with humans," you mutter, thinking back to the time Nanook's desire for fun nearly ended up killing a mansion full of people.

Nanook looks at you. "What was that, sweetheart?"

"Don't call me that."

Stelle chuckles. "You two get along well."

Before you can say anything else, March says, "Less talking! More walking!"

You’re trailing a little behind your friends as you start thinking about how you can get in touch with Lan. Unlike Nanook, he isn’t someone to run his mouth about all the awesome things he’s been doing or why he’s even here. Then again… Lan doesn’t seem like the type who randomly goes for a vacation. Is there another reason why he’s here?

It takes a little while to notice that Dan Heng is walking beside you. When you look at him, he glances at you but stays silent. Perhaps he knows you're onto something.

“...Your friends,” Dan Heng says, “Are they also Gods?”

“That’s right.”

"I guess you've known them for a long time."

"Idrila has always been great. And, well, as much as I hate Nanook, he's still someone that kept me company." When Dan Heng stays quiet, you take out the golden locket from your pocket. “Have you seen this before?”

Dan Heng could’ve just looked at it from your hand, but instead, he takes it, and when his fingers touch your palm, your heart races a little.

After looking closely, he says, "I haven't."

“Could you try opening it?” He does, but when it doesn’t open, you sigh. “...Thought so.”

“You can’t open it either?”

"No… Apparently, no one can. I think this belonged to Young."

“...How do you know?”

“I saw it around his neck on the train.” You glance at Dan Heng. “...He was standing where you were supposed to be.”

"If this belonged to him, then"—Dan Heng turns to face you, and you stop with him—"maybe it holds something special inside."

He opens the necklace and looks at you as if asking permission to put it around your neck. You don't object, so he leans closer and carefully slips it around you. Once again, you smell his cologne, but your chest feels tight. Dan Heng leans upright but stops a comfortable distance from your face. Close enough that it feels intimate but far enough that he isn't invading your personal space. His blue eyes shine as he looks at you, and your heart thunders in your chest.

Suddenly, you hear a loud cough.

You and Dan Heng turn, and Nanook and Pom look at you skeptically.

“We noticed you were falling behind,” Pom says.

“Didn’t think you’d be staring into each other’s eyes like leads of a cheesy rom-com drama,” Nanook deadpans.

You awkwardly clear your throat. “Didn’t think you would know what that is.”

“I keep up with the times.”

“Riiight,” you say skeptically. “Never penned you as a rom-com kind of guy, Nanook.”

Then, you start walking away with Pom hot on your trail.

When Dan Heng is about to follow you, Nanook swings an arm around his shoulder. “...Do you like her, kid?” Dan Heng shrugs off Nanook’s arm and continues walking, but the God of Destruction won’t let it end there. “It’s cute, y’know, a human… and a God.” Dan Heng gives him a side-eye just as Nanook says, “It’s not going to work, so you might as well give up now.”

Dan Heng stops, and with a straight face, he says, “But why does it look like I'm having better luck than you had in a long time?"

Then, he walks away, but hears the God scoff and then mutter, "Cheeky little bastard."

Chapter 8

End notes: I'll be gone on vacation for a week after this update. But I'll be bringing my laptop with me, so I'll be working on the next chapter whenever I can :>

Tag list: @suoshiii @lordbugs @seirenspinel @lxry-chxn @tanspostsblog @nqctre @theprinceofkhaos @lunavixia @akwardbiscuit

#dan heng #dan heng x you #dan heng x reader #dan heng x y/n #dan heng fluff #danheng x y/n #danheng x you #danheng fluff #danheng x reader

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reignsupreme-inyourdreams · 7 months

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Is Jonathan turning into a vampire?

I saw someone say that Jonathan's reactions to Dracula in the Piccadilly confrontation make him seem less human, and that has gotten me thinking about the 'Jonathan is turning into a vampire like Mina' theory I've seen others discuss.

Now, I have to pay attention to Dracula Daily/ Re: Dracula going forward because my husband has my copy of the book so I can't dig around for evidence later in the book right now, but here is what I have noticed from entries in the timeline thus far:

Personally, even though it's not explicitly stated, I think Jonathan was bitten on Dracula's final night in the castle. It's his blood that revives Dracula's youth, and I think that is why he reacts violently to seeing the blood dripping from Dracula's mouth.

We also know from Van Helsing that anyone bitten by a vampire will become one. What complicates this is Dracula's blood exchange with Mina, if biting her is enough to turn her then why have her drink his blood? I theorize that having a victim drink his blood allows him to have a connection with or influence on them that he otherwise would not. He seems unaware that Lucy is dead when he gloats about the group's women belonging to him, and as there is no evidence that Lucy received his blood then it would make sense that he doesn't have that connection with her and thus, would be unaware of her true death. Going by this logic, If Jonathan is turning into a vampire then it seems unlikely that he received the Count's blood as he doesn't seem to have any mental link to Dracula either. I have seen the argument that Dracula did have a mental connection with Jonathan that was broken when he began to target Lucy instead, as Dracula Daily made it clear that Jonathan's 'brain fever' broke on the day that Lucy sleepwalked (slept-walked?) to Dracula.

Jonathan is likely Anglican, and says that his religion finds crucifixes and the like 'idolatrous', meaning that it's unlikely he would commonly come into contact with religious items in his day-to-day life. When he was in the convent/hospital he was delirious and in bad physical condition, it's possible that-like Mina with the wafer- he was reacting negatively due to his latent vampirism. Perhaps the early, prolonged exposure to religion suppressed his vampirism, and it fades away as he gets away from it. It could explain his slow recovery in England.

(It is also interesting to note that, while in the convent, Jonathan is being cared for by Sister Agatha. As a recovering Catholic I unfortunately retained some of my religious knowledge, and Nuns take on new names when they take their vows. Usually they take the name of a biblical figure that inspires them; in Sister Agatha's case it would be Saint Agatha who is, amongst other things, the patron saint of rape victims. Vampire bites have a loooooong history of being an allegory for sexual penetration and, with Mina's attack later in the novel being a clear reference to sexual assault, it seems likely to me that this was a subtle nod by Bram Stoker that Jonathan was bitten. Unfortunately it would likely have been censored if he had been more blatant given Victorian censorship laws.)

With this in mind, it's likely that seeing Dracula in London 'unlocked' his suppressed vampirism, and could explain him passing out. Though, admittedly, he does have a history of fainting when confronted with horrific things.

Going back to Jonathan's connection to sacred items, we never see him come into contact with any directly. When the group is entering Carfax Jonathan is handed two vampire deterrents, a wreath of garlic flowers and an envelope with a bit of communion wafer in it. Jonathan makes a point to mention that the garlic is withered however; I have to wonder why it was specifically called out as withered. Could that lower it's efficacy? As for the eucharist, well, it's in an envelope. The Count, a full vampire, reacts badly to it when the envelope is brandished at him. However, Mina, not yet fully turned into a vampire, seems to only be negatively affected when it touches her skin directly.

Another piece of evidence that I find interesting is Jonathan's hair color change. Listening to Re: Dracula made me realize that we have another character whose hair changed color; Lucy after her death. Vampire Lucy is described with dark hair, whereas in life her hair was compared to sunshine (meaning she was most likely blonde). Now we have Jonathan, whose hair was described as dark brown by Seward, turning white. The Characters write it off as shock despite the sudden change (shock/stress would have caused it to grey over time, realistically speaking), but it is interesting to note the link to vampire Lucy.

Jonathan's quick responses to Dracula's presence in the Piccadilly house are also notable. You could argue that it's the daytime so the Count is not as fast as he would be otherwise, but Seward points out that he, Arthur and Quincey are all experienced hunters and yet Jonathan, who Seward described as a 'quiet, business-like gentleman' when he met him 5 days earlier, is the first person to react. Jonathan goes so far as to climb out of the window to follow Dracula when he retreats.

It is entirely possible that Jonathan is in denial of having been bitten; he says himself while in the castle that 'I think strange things, which I dare not confess to my own soul.' He would likely have been bitten on the neck, a place he can not see without a mirror, and Dracula makes a point to destroy the only mirror Jonathan had. Jonathan specifically notes that there are no other mirrors in the castle, either. Thus, if he was bitten but reluctant to admit it, he would have had no way to see if he had a wound and it would further justify his reaction to finding Dracula bloated with blood in his tomb. Denial is a hell of a drug. If he can not confess it to himself, it seems unlikely that he would tell anyone else, especially after his illness that affected his perception of reality.

As I said, I don't currently have access to my copy of the book to check the future dates so I will look for more evidence as we get the daily releases, but I think there is pretty strong evidence that Jonathan is in the process of turning and doesn't realize it.

#jonathan harker #dracula #re: dracula #dracula daily #dracula theory

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shygirl4991 · 1 month

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TV Adware

Yeah its that time Shay talks about TV adware again lets go! TV Adware can grant wishes of high Desire/ambition The god box connection with adware

If you haven't check the links in the past i notice a pattern with the people Adware picks, they seem to have high Desire for something an example is SMG4 wanting to make the perfect video but with every wish he grants aka help the person with their Desire there is a consequence aka Four would have died if he didn't make the perfect video not to mention he would have killed everyone in the castle . He had no free will to make that video. i also notice one day playing Gmod with @alianarepasa

how the adware seems to have parts that look like the god box so it got me thinking

the box club leader may have been reborn after it looked like he died he more then likely was getting his desire fulfilled and needed a new body or hell maybe became a vessel for the god box after the explosion. The fact given we never saw his face only the smiling box i feel fits the adware character.

in the new episode if you look close you can see that he has no head meaning that the adware can remove his head at will. Maybe that's how he spy's on the crew? Not sure but it made me think about the box club leader and how its possible the god box fuse his head with the box turning it into a TV granting him that unlimited power? Its interesting that out of everyone to see him its Four makes me worry that Four could be weak to the adwares influence since he made a second deal with the adware remember?

He only manage to get the showgrounds because of the adware and so far this deal hasn't twisted YET this might be the time for the adware to claim Four again. Or worse claim the people he holds close given the cast we have at the end of the new episode. Given all the movies we have gotten has been base on a genre, it makes me wonder are we going to get a sports one or will the Adware play with the cast. Forcing them to face past trauma and break them given we are touching on self worth for Three and Tari it be super interesting.

something is coming and it might be something big maybe finally we will get hints and answers to what is going on. But i wanted to do this post to show off all my theories and talk about what im thinking might coming in the coming weeks. I dont think Four is safe but with our happy ending we got from wotfi i have hope that we will get some interesting results in the coming plot!

#smg4 #smg3 #shygirl4991 #shay theory #tv adware

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direw00f · 2 months

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My theory abour Mr L and The Hippie

So the poll has decided that I do this theory first, it is an interesting one that I do not see a lot of people have but it is the first thing I concluded when listening to all of the Ayreon albums. So what is this interesting theory? The Hippie from Into The Electric Castle is the same character as Mr L from 01011001.

Before I get into this theory of mine let's get some basic information out of the way. I know there is people that follow me with limited information about Ayreon so I want to make this theory as clear as I can for them! First up I have to explain The Forever as they play a role in my theory. I will not get into their entire story because that will take way too long and is not as important. So the Forever are an immortal race of aquatic aliens they originate from planet Alpha but when computers took over the planet they fled to Planet Y where they evolved into an aquatic race to adapt to their new planet. The same substance that allowed them to evolve gave them psychic abilities and slowly stripped them of emotions. They send a comet with their dna to follow the migrator trail to a suitable planet, earth. The Forever did this to live through the experiences of the humans and experience emotions again. Which leads me to the next important bit of information for my theory:

The setting of Into The Electric Castle and The Hippie One Forever we know as Forever of the Stars has taken 8 mortals from different periods in human history together as an experiment. They have been given one directive to get to the electric castle to get back home, there is some hurdles to overcome and not everyone survived. This album is where we meet the Hippie and get into his struggles, he is one of the survivors which is an important bit of information. While the survivors do not remember anything and think it was just a dream the Forever gave one gift to each of them, they all woke up feeling as something have changed within them. Now important to note is that The Hippie seemed more aware of what happened than the rest of the surviving cast which will tie into my theory.

Mr L and his dreams As I have briefly noted in my other analysis Mr L appears in one song The Truth Is In Here where he talks about strange dreams he had. And it talks about the futile attempts to sing about Ayreon's (the character) vissions which landed him into a mental hospital. Not only does the song reference Ayreon it also references the Hippie and the Forever, he seems to get dreams about being a Forever swimming underneath the waves of Planet Y. He also referes to the Forever always being with him and being his guide.

How does this all tie into my theory? Arjen has stated that when a character shares a voice in his story that they are linked in some way. We can see that with Hansi's characters for example on the Source the prequel album he plays an Alphan escaping to Planet Y and on 01011001 he plays one of The Forever. Ayreon (the character) is a past life of both Mr L and The Colonist (from The Universal Migrator) now this link easier despite the fact that both Ayreon and The Colonist were depicted by multiple singers. In the official comic for The Universal Migrator all three share the same face and we can see Ayreon float around Mr L as he writes the lyrics for The Final Experiment. The Hippie is being portrayed by Arjen both on the album and the live concert and so is Mr L. At the period The Hippie was alive it is reasonable to assume that he eventually developed into Mr L who is more mature and has had contact with The Forever before. It is not unreasonable to assume that the little gift of Forever of the Stars eventually leads to The Hippie seeing Ayreon's visions and dream of The Forever. It is estabelished that Ayreon recieved the visions from the time telepathy expirement because he is more connected to that. We know this trait can be shared with future incarnations, how do we know that? Merlin, he is the one to talk to us from 2084 and he saw the future. Merlin is a seer a trait he eventually passed on to his future selves. The Colonist and all of his past incarnations are all more connected to the Forever and the Universal Migrator.

This is why I think why The Hippie and Mr L are the same character just on 2 different albums and under different names. Let me know what you all think and feel free to call me stupid if you do not agree with me. Anyways my analysis on The Knight will still be done later because I have lots to say about him (I love him so much).

#ayreon #wolf speaks #into the electric castle #01011001 #arjen lucassen

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daisybell-on-a-carousel · 6 days

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Hi hi hi, I would love to hear more of your Dan thoughts! I'm intrigued!!!

>:]!!!!!!!!!! >:D!!!!!!

Ok ok so I've never really tried to put my thoughts into words before so this might be a bit of a mess usually I'm just rotating him in my mind but yes yes yes I have Dan thoughts I want to share my Dan thoughts

I only focus on agit at the end so this is pretty spoiler free for that I think maybe. Thumbs up emoji

Dan is a fun character because despite only having one episode we can still tell alot about his personality and such, as he's rather bold with it and is a fusion of two characters we do see alot, and it really shows! I flip between saying Dan or more Danny than Vlad and saying that they're basically equal in the fusion, but I think a good way to describe it is that he takes different aspects from them, for his appearance and memories he very much takes after Danny, but his personality and how he acts n talks oozes Vlad. Yknow??? If I'm saying the right words here. Dan works so well as a fusion because he also manages to feel like his own character as well

Dan is made from the two's ghost halves, so I'm a fan of the theory/thought I do believe I've seen before that he's based on the ghost halves. Like. Vlad used his ghost form and powers for scheming, attacking, gaining power, and so on, I'd easily imagine he doesn't use it nearly as much as Danny. Danny had to use his ghost form mostly for fighting other ghosts, very frequently, and also used his powers for his own benefit as well, though not nearly as extreme as Vlad. As Danny was in his ghost form more, and as it was more connected to his ghost form (phantom just being an inverted Danny VS Vlad's completely different from himself ghost form, even down to body type) it makes sense why Dan would be more Danny focused, especially in terms of his relationship with others and memories. Vlad's things don't matter to him nearly as much. I mean, he seemingly couldn't find Vlad's new hideout that was under a Welcome to Wisconsin sign, and its ghost zone entrance behind a football

"The only remaining portal, the one my idiot cheesehead archenemy has? As soon as I find it that's going too."

He doesn't respect Vlad in the slightest or seem to care about him. Danny found Vlad's portal almost immediately. So either Dan simply couldn't remember things Vlad liked well enough to guess, and/or, he truly couldn't care less and didn't bother too hard with the search. Both makes sense, and since Vlad is fully human that very likely adds to the contempt and not seeing him as threat enough to find the portal quickly.

Something interesting, is the fact Dan knows Vlad had a portal at all, Dan partially destroyed Vlad's castle after being formed and its clearly in a different location now, unless that cave Vlad is in streaches all the way to his castle's basement Dan hasn't bothered checking? Which is. Unlikely. Which means Vlad had to make a new one. And Dan knew he did. Much to think about there I believe.

I do also think Dan actually doesn't remember his past terribly well. I know I know I just said he's focused on Danny's memories and life, and he is! But also. Its a bit separated from him, the episode itself actually points out him forgetting things about his family several times, it really does feel like they're trying to stress to you, really hammer it in that he's forgotten them some way. It's mentioned offhand like 2 or 3 times.

When Jazz confronts him and admits she knew about his ghost powers he says "You knew?" So??? Softly???? Like PLEASE listen to that line especially after hearing how he usually talks oh my GOSH??!?!!?!?!?! AUGH. slamming my hands on the floor I could make a whole separate thing just thinking of that interaction alone. God. He never knew she knew, it took him by genuine surprise for a moment. And just????? Augh??!???!?!!?!?! He had one family member always in his corner and secretly looking out for him, she believed in him and knew he was trying to do good and she had been waiting for him to reveal it to her in his own time but that time never came because she'd died and haiabsjahasguaaaai u ghjjfhdhfjshauhghhhhh

When Danny enters the future Valerie immediately thinks he Dan, she doesn't question it in the slightest, or question him saying "I have really bad feeling im the one responsible". Before attacking she says "You can't fool me this time Phantom". I take this as either meaning Dan has disguised himself as a young Phantom before, or Valerie is so used to his tricks and and finding new powers that him suddenly looking younger doesn't phase her in the slightest. I do like the idea him disguising as a young Phantom before more. It seems very probable considering he can be Danny Fenton. But this interaction also makes me wonder if Valerie knows, or ever learned that Fenton is Phantom, the trick from before easily could've been Fenton. "The explosion at the Nasty Burger, you, Tucker, Danny's family- and it was all your fault!" She's points her blaster at Phantom while saying that last bit. It makes me wonder if her saying "Danny's family" is showing how she doesn't know he's Danny. There's still other options like her knowing but not admitting he's Fenton, or her knowing he was Danny once but isn't anymore, hence saying "Danny's family" instead of something like "his family". Honestly, her knowing or not are both equally likely. As I said in my tags before, Dan seems to like to get a rise out of people, to get a reaction, he very easily could've told her in an attempt to anger or devastate her, and at the same time he simply could've not bothered at all. I think I prefer the option of her not knowing personally

I don't think I could describe Dan more concisely than I did before, he likes to get a rise out of people, revel in reactions. He twists the past to credit himself for the Nasty Burger explosion after he more than likely blamed himself for it as Danny. He likes to seem in control. He's dramatic. He hates being insulted. Hates losing. He's very casual about alot of things he does.

He caused destruction in both the human and ghost world, the first thing he did upon entering Amity was completely destroy the ghost portal, with plans to destroy Vlad's. I'm not sure what his plan in the end was, but after destroying both portals, I must point out that Dan has the power to summon his own ghost portal with ease, a power I believe is quite rare, I think other than Dan only Wulf has it, though do feel free to correct me on that. So he would've been one of the only people who could go in or out

He was actively trying to/did ruin the lives of the ghosts he knew

Powers. Ohhh boy powers. When I started my DP rewatch my initial plan was to actually take note of every power Danny uses to know what he can do, and by extension Dan. I didn't. Oopsies. So most I can focus on here are what Dan shows in the episode, other than the obvious

I do like thinking on ice powers, and what that means with Dan, obviously he's never shown to know them as they're not introduced until season 3, the writers themselves didn't know it'd happen lol. But in universe, that's something to chew on, Dan never met Frostbite, so if he ever unlocked this power he would've had to figure out the problem and train it on his own, and then there's the potential that Dan never learned, and the ability for ice powers eluded him due to fusion. The ghost sense is a result of his ice powers after all, and Dan's ghost sense isn't a breath of cold blue air, so that could be a sign of this power being one he doesn't have

But moving onto more straightforward powers

Dan destroyed Amity Park in a very short amount of time, all on his own, as while the Fright Knight had been there after the shield went down, he's simply never seen again after that, makes me think Dan just ordered Fright Knight to chase Valerie to Fentonworks and leave after

Related to Amity Park, while there are other destroyed buildings around, the land surrounding the ghost portal is a completely barren wasteland, no doubt from Dan's attempts at destroying the forcefield over the years, and simply scaring residents.

One could argue Dan was the reason lighting was striking around the forcefield, weather manipulation I wouldn't doubt is in his wheelhouse, especially since he's shown to have electrocution powers, at least it looks that way to me

Dan has fire powers, at least immunity to fire. Fire rises after he enters the lab through the cracks he put in the floor, and when he's thrown into truck it bursts into flame. Both instances of the fire happening I suppose you call coincidence, but his immunity to fire at least is undeniable

Dan can force Danny to detransform, and shorted out Danny's powers while holding onto him. This is also the moment where it seems like mild electrocution

Dan can suspend people in ectoplasm, Sam and Tucker also seem frozen completely for a scene, and in a later scene move their heads n such around

He can use a time medallion to enter the exact time and place he needs/where Sam and Tucker went

He specifically used the word fused to describe putting the amulet in Danny, which I find interesting. Entering something while intangible seems to be what causes fusion. Though more to it than that since ghosts can possess other ghosts (or was that a special case since the only example I know is Poindexter possessing a still half ghost Danny🤔)

Dan can form ropes of ectoplasm that can wrap around and trap people, as well as using ecto energy to cover people's mouths to stop talking

Dan is very resilient, I mean, he literally flys through a light pole non-intagabily and doesn't even react. He, while injured from it, did pretty much tank 1 ghostly wail, and still got up after the second, but was weak enough after to be sucked into the thermos

Dan seems to have minor technology powers, nothing major, but like, he does make himself appear on Valerie's watch so he can tell her about the ghostly wail

The ghostly wail of course, which is naturally much stronger than Danny's version. Can destroy nearly all glass in future Amity Park, destroys all the ghost shield towers one by one in a line, makes the Fentonworks building fall down when directly hit. Flips tanks and makes helicopters lose control. Destroyed Ember's vocal cords somehow

He can duplicate himself very easily, and become one again with the same ease. He turns into to a gas form to dodge Valerie's grenades

---

I don't have the time to focus on his behavior in AGiT rn, but it lines up with my thoughts. I do like the confirmation that Dan wanted Danny to suffer as he had/didn't think it fair for Danny to get a second chance to save his family. And it deeply trapped by his own emotions and just unwilling to admit it. I can still skim the book to think about powers. I put AGiT powers in this own little section to be skipped if you don't want spoilers

-He 100% has fire powers no doubt about it now

-I should've described his ability to suspend people in ectoplasm as telekinesis

-Can make shields, usually briefly and by swiping his arm

-When Dan emerges from the rubble, he briefly turns it into lava, and then water, I cannot be sure if this is because of having Clockwork's powers, or just his own at work

-His powers seem to turn blue rather than green, but its hard to tell for certain. But we do know his fire is blue so it's not completely out

---

In conclusion I'm very normal about him and have watched TUE a reasonable amount of times thank you amd goodnight <3 (lying voice)

#ask #danny phantom #dan phantom #sorry this is all just nothing i love just writing what happens down

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jackalopesao3 · 7 months

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So…why is Barb so angry?

I have some thoughts. I’ll put them under the cut along with some general Nightbringer theories.

I don’t know that we will get a direct/fully truthful answer next lesson.

Barbatos uses the term, “hate”. He isn’t one to throw terms like that around lightly. There are points where he’s full on glaring at Solomon, no masking his anger smiles - no facade. Honestly, I’d be more surprised if this ended up being something less serious like Solomon blowing up the royal kitchen and letting rats in the castle.

Barbatos has also been using the term, “sham of a sorcerer”. What does sham mean? False/Fake. While this could just be an insult to Solomon, there could be a deeper meaning. Is Solomon actually powerless right now? He could be drawing power from his pact demons instead of casting any of his own spells or magic. Or is there a darker meaning to this? Is someone masquerading as Solomon? Is Barbatos trying to warn others of the fake Solomon?

Anyways…

What could Solomon have possibly done?

Well it happened shortly before MC was kidnapped and thrown back in time. It may very well be connected to that.

And/or something to do with this:

Lesson 2: Hard Mode - A grimoire is a demon’s lifeline.

Did Solomon plant that grimoire there? Is that grimoire Nightbringer’s or Barbatos’? Maybe but there are other possibilities too.

Apprentice Stars Storyline OG (Season 3)

We also have an arc in the OG that specifically discussed Barbatos’ grimoire and reiterates their hold over demons.

Barbatos stated he trusted Solomon with his grimoire. As we learn throughout that arc, Barbatos trusts Solomon completely, it is implied Solomon and Barbatos know everything there is to know about each other. I feel like for Barbatos to be this upset with Solomon it has to be something major.

Now the grimoire ended up being a fake and a test for the MC but we do find out several interesting things about Barbatos. Rereading that lesson - I am more convinced that he is Nightbringer or closely related.

It could be that Nightbringer became Barbatos when making The Fountain of Knowledge or that Barbatos split off from Nightbringer when the fountain was created.

Barbatos is referred to as, “The Demon Who Sees Both Past and Future.” Nightbringer is referred the demon who rules over time itself - past, present, and future.

With all of the above in mind regarding the grimoire: What did Solomon do?

My guess is that he either let Barb’s grimoire fall into the wrong hands, had Barb do something that he was vehemently against, or let someone assume his identity and that person ended up with Barb’s grimoire. Those events are why MC is in the past because someone used the grimoire (or Solomon used his pact) to make Barbatos send MC to the past.

Now it could have been accidental or Solomon could have been tricked too but I could see Barbatos being pissed for Solomon allowing that to happen. Solomon would literally be endangering his life.

Another possibility is that Solomon or someone posing as him released Nightbringer back into the world or forced Barbatos to resume that identity (depending on if they are the same or split off from one another at some point).

In one of his Devilgrams, Barbatos has stated that he has a past where he’s made mistakes that ended up hurting Solomon and Diavolo, specifically with his time abilities. Having to resume an identity that he no longer wishes to go by, one where he made choices he’s no longer proud of, would also leave a lot of room for resentment.

All Barbatos wants is to serve as Diavolo’s butler. It’s hinted that it’s also penance for him (Devilgram). Sure, we do get a story on how Diavolo begged and threatened to abandon his duties should Barb not serve him and how Barbatos said Dia was too cute to deny, but it makes sense that there would be something deeper to it.

The other possibility is that someone is posing as Nightbringer while making Barbatos use his powers via his grimoire.

Some questionable things:

Why didn’t main timeline Barbatos just bring MC back instead of sending Solomon to us?

How did our old DDD even work to contact Solomon?

Why doesn’t Solomon just use his pact to make past Barbatos to send us back to the present? Barb has clearly hinted that he knows what’s going on and he can’t deny an order from Sol.

I think Barb could be being used against his will in something big. Solomon and Michael are the main suspects for now. There’s also the possibility of Nightbringer being a separate entity.

I still can’t rule out that someone is assuming the identity of Nightbringer and they aren’t actually NB.

Solomon…fake Solomon? It was recently revealed that Michael can shape shift. He most definitely could take Sol’s form due to the nature of their relationship. He did give him the Ring of Wisdom.

I’m also curious about the parallels of Barbatos and Michael with their relationship to Solomon. Michael = Ring of Wisdom. Barbatos = Fountain of Knowledge. Both of them also have time related powers. Both of them made Solomon who he is. I know Michael is often compared to Diavolo but I think he’s Barbatos’ CR counterpart.

Another thing to consider is that in most religions, Barbatos is a fallen angel. I don’t think it will be something like Barbatos and Michael coming from the same being (though that would a twist), but I think them and their powers balance the realms out.

However, Michael is compromised with his feelings due to missing his brothers. This may be motive for him to act out and due something drastic.

Solomon is also frustrated with the power balance and how angels and demons regard humans. This could also be a motive for him to do something.

Then again what if this is some sort of test for MC, but I think there is more to it. Maybe, as Solomon’s apprentice, he wants them to forge a pact with Barbatos and this is the test to do so.

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marketfreshfics · 1 month

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The Stratagem Strain - Part II

Plot summary: Arriving at Hogwarts for an advanced graduate program on the direct appointment of the Minister for Magic himself, Paisley Gallos anticipates a successful sixth year of classes. Unbeknownst to her, she is a pawn in a sinister ploy orchestrated long before the start of the school year.

Save for the impromptu flying literature fiasco near the Charms classroom, involving one Hector Kibbings, one Lyle Dean and about twenty library books, Paisley’s fourth day of classes thus far was entirely, thankfully, ordinary.

The castle exuded a snug dimness, its atmosphere coloured by the dreariness of the weather, a mood that seeped into the professors and their lessons despite the fresh start of term. Even Professor Hecat, for all her unorthodox vitality when teaching, insisted they spend the morning class penning refresher notes on hex deflection. Oblivious to respite, with her quill enchanted to carbon-copy the lecture, Paisley read up on her assignment for Transfiguration.

She immediately recognized the start of a routine, the familiar weight of academic expectation settling lofty and buoyant on her shoulders, much like her father’s treasured old raincoat. Lost in thought, Paisley absentmindedly traced the intricate patterns etched into her desk with her fingertips, scrawls and quill carvings from generations prior, as her mind drifted back to the past few days' events. There was a strange anticipation of it all: graduating early had never been a prospect on her radar, but the mere idea of the head start on life gave her goosebumps.

But that was a long-term anticipation, a gentle flutter in her chest. Short-term, what she looked forward to most, aside from her trip to Hogsmeade after classes, was Astronomy. Not solely because it held her interest more than most of her studies, but because she could rely on captivating conversation with her tall, soft-spoken classmate.

“Hello Amit,” she greeted her first Hogwarts friend with a radiant grin. “Did you finish reading about the Olbers’ paradox?”

The young wizard practically beamed, pleating the corners of his dark eyes. “It was thrilling! I’d never considered such a theory, but it holds merit. Even if the universe constantly expands, it would explain why interstellar space still exists.” Warm hands withdrew the bound copy of Heinrich Wilhelm Olbers’ thesis from his foldover satchel, returning it to her; Paisley’s smile expressed fondness when she noticed the pages were still pristine, free of folds or creases, the spine still intact--a clear sign of his respect for such precious belongings.

Paisley thanked him, tucking away the text as she spoke. “It’s funny you mention that; I have a copy of Kepler’s considerations of this theory, which predate Olbers by a couple of centuries. If you enjoyed his theory of planetary motion, you’re bound to find this one fascinating.”

“Really?” Amit was just as starved for in-depth discussion, with the way he turned his whole body towards her as if to plant himself directly into their conversation. “Did you know he was a student of Brahe? Known for—“

“The Tychonic System,” Paisley finished his sentence, a modest, albeit proud tint to her cheeks. “Sorry… incredible, isn’t it? And when you consider Copernicus, we can keep going back—“

“Mister Thakkar, a moment? I require some assistance!” Professor Shah's interruption shattered their exchange, drawing their attention to the professor crouched over a domed gadget, reminiscent of a large, upside-down colander, attempting (unsuccessfully) to connect it to a prehistoric-looking telescope.

Amit gave Paisley a kind, apologetic look, already eager to return to their shared interests as he went to aide the professor with setting up the massive star projection. Meanwhile, Paisley enchanted her quill to scrawl notes before Shah even provided the basis of the day’s lesson. She perched on the edge of her chair and leaned back, ankles crossed, reclining as she surveyed her classmates with innocent glances, trying some name association to recall who was, well, who. From her measured assumptions, most of them didn’t make appearances in her other classes, at least from the perspective of her short-term memory.

Eventually, her line of sight fell on the student seated next to Amit’s empty chair. A fellow Slytherin she recognized but couldn’t place, looking far too proper for their surroundings, with his mousy blonde hair immaculately coiffed, pomaded, prim. Even his school robes hinted at additional galleons in the lining, more meticulous care interwoven in the stitches…

Though his appearance first piqued her curiosity, the miniature galaxy on his desk thoroughly captivated her. It hovered above a small wooden frame set flat on the table, the scaled-down twilight a transparent watercolour, diluted indigo and dotted with endless twinkling stars, the cosmos slowly swirling in suspended motion. The wizard absent-mindedly swept his fingers side to side, as if his touch travelled through the Milky Way, constellations webbing to and fro as he landed on Sagittarius-

“I'm not privy to courtesies across the Atlantic, but staring is not encouraged here.”

Paisley’s head jarred at his sudden speech, and she blinked, stammering, face all hot-flashed. “Sorry, I-I was just admiring your star map. I’ve never seen anything like it.”

“You won’t,” he replied flatly, still scrolling through the universe.

“Oh, did you build it yourself?”

His expression showed amusement. His head turned towards her, sloped, without established eye contact. “No, it’s how I get by in this class.”

A nudge born in her subconscious told her it wasn’t advantageous, but a necessity.

Seeking to understand further, Paisley took a closer look, noticing his distinct lack of pupils. His eyes were a remarkably bewildering hue, as if they argued between blue or green and eventually settled on a mutual agreement.

Not wanting to seem insensitive, Paisley took the opportunity to make light of the circumstance. “Rather poor sense of humour to make a visual-based learning class mandatory, in this case.”

The wizard huffed, a titter held captive in his throat. “You know, for a Ravenclaw, you make a terrible Slytherin.”

Recognition dawned on Paisley as she recalled seeing him at dinner the night before. She finally connected a place to a face; all she needed was a name. “You’re Sebastian’s friend.”

He nodded, slipping into practiced formality. “I’m Ominis, Ominis Gaunt.”

“Paisley Gallos.” she introduced herself in return, feeling rather inadequate compared to his well-groomed confidence. The tailored uniform and lack of stray hairs didn’t help matters.

Ominis nodded. “Sebastian’s looking forward to your trip to Hogsmeade. Was prattling on about it during breakfast.”

“He was?” This surprised Paisley, given the brief conversation they had. Was there something she was not yet made aware of?

“I’d have thought that would be obvious,” Ominis stated matter of fact. “You’re a new fascination around her, of course, he’ll want to pick your brain.”

Fair. At least he couldn’t see her sapped expression. “Surely that will cease soon enough? I’m not fond of the attention.”

The responding headshake paired with an inward grin said otherwise, and Paisley sighed. “Suppose I was expecting too much.”

“I’m certain you’ll have no issue blending in, especially if you’re nose remains buried in books.”

Paisley arched an eyebrow, undecided if his tone was mocking, playful, or abrasive. Before she could manage a retort, Amit had returned to his seat, pulling out his chair. “Sorry about that! Professor Shah curses that fossil of a contraption, but with the inclement weather, we’ll have to make due…”

While Amit picked up where they left off, Paisley peered around him momentarily, watching as Ominis swirled his fingertips through the stars.

-----

“Ah, there you are.”

Sebastian leaned against the door to the courtyard, kicking a chipped edge of the cobblestone, steeped in the appearance of a parent coming to gather their child from school. “Thankfully the rain has relented.” He held a hand outside, a scant smatter of droplets collecting on his palm. “Well, mostly. Hope you don't mind getting a little wet.”

Oblivious to his amused expression and anticipation of her reaction, Paisley started out the door ahead of him, already walking at a brisk pace. “No issue whatsoever.” The fresh air felt good in her chest, tinged with the earthy aroma of petrichor. “Keep up now, otherwise I’ll get lost.”

The dirt path, worn down to smooth ruts by years of foot traffic, guided them toward the village ahead. As they sidestepped to make way for a thestral-pulled carriage, Paisley's gaze swept over Hogwarts in the distance, her expression awash with wonder. “Magnificent.”

Sebastian stopped alongside her to take in the sight as well. “It’s rather enchanting, isn’t it?” He crossed his arms, idly scuffing a pebble with his Oxford. “Certainly wish Anne were here to see it again. Merlin knows she misses it here.”

“Who’s that?”

They fell into stride again as he replied. “My twin sister. She's ill at the moment, but with any luck, she’ll be back at school sooner than you know.”

Paisley’s expression softened with sympathy. “I’m sorry to hear that.” She reached for lighter fare. “Is she in Slytherin as well?”

Sebastian nodded, his grin lax, but loving. “She is. Her, Ominis and I were quite the trio—always up to some mischief, most of which Anne orchestrated herself.”

“Really?” This surprised her, recalling Ominis’s austere demeanour. “But Ominis seems so…”

Sebastian reached back to tug on the hood of Paisley's cloak. "Ah, now you're judging a book by its cover," he teased. "You, one of the brighter minds in our year, falling for such a cliché?"

She stumbled over her words, giving the tells of embarrassment. “I-I mean—“

Sebastian's chuckle cut through the unease, his playful tone softened by genuine warmth. “Oh, come now! Keep that uptight, and you’ll become as petrified as the gargoyles.”

Her silent frown only made his laugh echo on. “So temperamental. Look, Ominis is my best friend, my oldest friend.” His words were sincere, even after following such teasing ones. “He’s a good egg, despite how marvellous his family is.”

The telltale tone of sarcasm that capped off his remark was not lost on Paisley. “Are they dark wizards or something?”

Sebastian fell out of step momentarily, as if he wasn’t anticipating the question. He attempted recovery with nonchalance, reminding himself that he recently met this student; he’d have to be careful with the secrets he shared, especially their phrasing. “Well, rumours are just that—rumours. But they’re a bunch of pureblood elitists, the whole lot of them. Loads of Slytherins are, but his father’s side traces back to Salazar himself, so there’s even more to contend on status.”

“That’s rather intense,” Paisley replied, combing back shoulder-dusting waves, damp from the occasional condensation. “I wasn’t aware that blood status was so relevant here.”

“You have no idea. Slytherin is the worst for it.”

“How very fortunate that I'm muggle-born, then.”

Sebastian’s glance towards her was a wary blend of concern and fascination. His advice came with caution in tow. “Might be best to keep that information under wraps. You’re not from around here, so they probably won’t dig too deep on you, but don’t give them a reason to.”

A lump formed in Paisley's throat as she wondered who exactly Sebastian was alluding to. Who were "they," and were they people she needed to avoid?

Why even bring up something like that in the first place?

Sebastian backtracked. “But yes, Ominis wants nothing to do with his family’s beliefs. He’s been staying with us in Feldcroft for a while now, having excommunicated them entirely, though he’s still receiving a stipend. Mostly because his family is so hellbent on appearances and status and prioritizing themselves, so they keep him clothed and ‘cared’ for, though they’re hardly caring, if you ask me.”

“What does that mean?”

“There is… a lot of history there.” He struggled with his reply, meticulously choosing his words with precision. “History, that isn't my place to say. I’ve probably shared enough as it stands..”

With impeccable timing, they approached the entrance to Hogsmeade, dotted with clusters of witches and wizards in all manner of dress, eclectic to ragged. Crooked cottages leaned inwards and sideways, beckoning with their age-old charm, while a whimsical warmth enveloped Paisley's chest, infusing her with a sense of wonder. She couldn't help but admire the enchanting hamlet before her as if it were a scene stolen from a dream, delicately draped in the gentle mist of time itself.

“Seems all roads lead to Hogsmeade.”

“Beg your pardon?” Paisley cocked a brow.

Sebastian merely grabbed her arm, plucking her from an uncharacteristic stupor. “Tomes & Scrolls, correct?”

“Right, yes.”

——-

Although the (hefty) volume that Professor Fig arranged for pickup was already in her possession, Paisley acquired two more without hesitation. “Sure you don’t have any errands to run while you’re here?” She asked Sebastian, carting desired purchases stacked in her arms.

He shook his head, arms crossed, leaning against the railing as he peeked over his shoulder to survey the floor below. “I’ve scoured these shelves and then some,” he assured her. “Managed to evade Potions class and detention for this little excursion; Take your time.”

Scrutiny narrowed her hazel eyes. “What for? I thought you were striving for minimal detention.”

“It’s complete nonsense, really.” The annoyance rolled off Sebastian in droves as he dismissed Paisley’s comment. “There are… regulations that bar specific texts from circulation in the library. I believe that information should be readily accessible. Scribner, however, does not.”

“Are they dangerous?” Paisley ventured as she attempted to reach something from the shelf above, silently cursing her lack of height. Sebastian noticed her pitiful extension when she pushed up on her toes and, with ease, he intervened, effortlessly reaching over her head to grab the leatherbound copy of The Enchanted Elixir Compendium, plopping it on her growing stack.

Her relieved sigh was met with a nod of acknowledgment before Sebastian resumed his casual stance against the railing. “Of course, dangerous books are bound to be allocated there. What matters, in my humble opinion, is that the danger lies not solely within the pages themselves but, rather, how one engages with their contents.”

“How very valiant of you.”

Sebastian grinned, impressed by Paisley’s selection of books thus far. “Some light reading?” He teased.

“My mother was a teacher. Keeping well-versed comes second nature.”

"Likewise," the wizard chimed in. "Both my parents, actually—"

The sudden creak of the shop door swinging open interrupted them, startling Paisley. With a quick succession of thuds, her stack of books tumbled from her grasp to the floor.

"Dammit," she muttered under her breath, crouching down to retrieve them. Sebastian mirrored her actions, his helpful gesture met with an appreciative smile. As they straightened up, Paisley's gaze darted through the gaps in the wooden staircase rungs, fixating on the entrance of the shop.

A burly wizard sporting a bowler cap stared back at her, his sneer dripping with contempt. Before she could react, Sebastian rose to his feet, extending a hand to her. "You alright?" he inquired, sensing her sudden unease.

Paisley nodded, but as she glanced back towards the entrance, the man was nowhere to be found.

"Sorry, just... nothing. Thought I saw something," she dismissed, though a trace of uncertainty lingered in her voice.

-----

At the advice of Sebastian (and the mercy of her back), Paisley toted her armload of fresh books to the mail sorting to dispatch them to her dormitory via post. Once liberated from the weight, she emerged, savouring a deep breath.

The smell of milk chocolate and caramel swamped her throat, and she had to let out a brief cough to counter the sugary scent. Sebastian’s eyes were saucers. “Honeydukes, now.”

Before Paisley could interject, she was whisked away, captive to Sebastian's impromptu adventure. In hindsight, Professor Fig's decision to enlist Sebastian as her guide seemed more prescient than she had initially realized.

A riot of colour exploded from a nearby storefront, vibrant and shocking amidst the surrounding muted tones, a sore thumb of eye-popping saturation. The tantalizing aroma of confections grew stronger with each step, drawing them inexorably closer. "A candy shop?" Her question wasn’t one of confirmation, but surprise. “Last thing I’d expect to see here.”

Sebastian's response was cryptic yet assured: " Nothing compares to Honeydukes."

True to his word, the moment they crossed the threshold, Paisley felt as if she had been transported to an alternate reality—a fable where children might wander into enchanted forests and stumble upon the edible abode of a wicked hag. Before she could voice her bewilderment, Sebastian was already off, his cloak was billowing past her, brown hair all bouncing as he bounded towards the aisles in the back.

It provided an appropriate visual for the term ‘kid in a candy shop,’ prompting a wry smile from Paisley as she trailed after him, equally intrigued by the unexpected detour.

“Right, so you have to give these a try—” Sebastian practically tossed a box of bonbons at her, narrowly whizzing past her head before presenting another variety of treats. “Ah! Chocolate wands! Haven’t had these since I was in third year…”

Paisley snorted, deftly catching the confections as he lobbed them her way. “I don’t think I’ve consumed this much sugar in my entire life.”

“Need to catch up then,” He chimed, depositing another box of sweets in her folded arms, labelled Cauldron Cakes. “Have to put some meat on those bones; the castle gets plenty chilled during the winter, especially in the dungeons.”

She narrowly dodged his aimed pinch at her waist, accidentally dropping the box of cakes. “Sorry!” her sheepish tone aimed at the store clerk, whose expression claimed every ounce of annoyance that Paisley could detect.

“Excellent,” Sebastian was already strolling down another aisle, and with a quick-quipped “incoming!” Paisley sidestepped to grab the box of Every Flavour Beans as Sebastian grinned with mischief over the shelf at her. “You’ve got to try those, especially the dark-spotted ones.” She skimmed the flavour key on the back of the package and threw him a glare once she learned which ones were unmistakably pepper-flavoured. The box was promptly tossed back over the aisle towards Sebastian, who caught it before it could hit the floor.

It was at that moment that Paisley caught sight of a familiar bowler hat, traversing down the aisle opposite hers.

She bristled immediately, a chill of suspicion, of worry cooling her blood.

His narrow-set eyes were wild when they glanced at her, and immediately Paisley moved, rounding the aisle to join Sebastian again. There was an urgency in her voice when she prompted him. “Have all you need?”

Her tone was not lost on him, despite his scrunched brow of confusion. “Uhh, yeah, yeah of course…”

Almost predictably, the thickset wizard was suddenly nowhere to be found.

The pair paid for their pluckings, and Sebastian stuffed them into his robes as they left the shop.

“Well, now that that’s all settled,” Sebastian brushed a speck of dandruff from his robe, “I’d say we have just enough time to enjoy a butterbeer, on me.”

“What’s butterbeer?”

Sebastian’s overreaction was nearly comical. “I’m sorry, did you just ask me what butterbeer is?”

Paisley shrugged. “Perhaps you're a bit slow on the uptick, but I’m not exactly from around here.”

The range of his responding eyeroll impressed her. She didn't miss a beat as he led the way, passing by a gilded clothing shop. “Keep it up; you may find a thought or two in the back of your skull.”

“Oh, what’s that, Pais? You’d like to buy us a round, instead? Feeling charitable, hmm?”

Paisley swatted him before he could bring the hood of her robe over her head.

-----

“Well?”

Sebastian's voice lilted in expectation as he leaned in slightly, his gaze locking onto Paisley's every nuance. She found herself under scrutiny before she even took a sip of the amber beverage.

“It’s…” She combed for the proper terms. “Reminiscent of butterscotch? Though it's very similar in flavour to the crème caramels my mother used to make.”

Satisfied with her response, Sebastian drank before studying her more in-depth. “Must be quite the whirlwind, stepping into this world?”

Paisley nodded with exaggeration. “Thrilling, though it's all a bit more overwhelming than I initially thought.” She shifted in her seat, thanking the kind barkeep who delivered the platter of sandwiches they’d ordered. “When I started at Ilvermorny, it felt like, like an extension of what I knew, you know? Different land, yes, but not a different universe. It wasn’t such a shift to acclimate.”

“I can imagine.” He paused to wipe butterbeer foam from the corner of his mouth. “Do you miss it, your old school?” A complicated smile claimed her, bittersweet in its lack of depth. “Yes. Well, yes and no. I got plenty teased by classmates who didn’t appreciate my… academic fervour.”

“Bullied for your grades?” He seemed genuinely surprised by this. “Rather immature, if you ask me. ‘Round here, you’re more likely to be ragged on for failing studies. Granted, if someone wants to tease you, they’ll find a way…”

The slow swing of the tavern door diverted attention from their chat, Paisley's gaze fixating on the wizard wearing a bowler hat making an entrance. She felt a familiar knot of discomfort form in her stomach, and she couldn't help but voice her concern to Sebastian.

“Who is that man?”

Sebastian lacked subtlety then, craning his head past the wooden beam to follow her line of sight. “Ah, that’s Harlow. Local thug, one of Rookwood’s goons.”

Paisley frowned, creased between eyebrows. “He’s turned up everywhere we have. Tombs & Scrolls, Honeydukes, and now here? Doesn’t that strike you as odd?”

“Not something to fret about.” Her worry was dismissed with a quick head shake, but Sebastian explained before invalidation rooted in her gut. “Rookwood doesn’t dedicate much time terrorizing students, let alone Harlow. Unless you’re involved in some clandestine extra-curricular activity that I’m not aware of?”

“Not yet, at least.”

He snorted, though persisted in assuaging her concerns. “Probably a coincidence. Everyone loves Honeydukes. Criminals can have a sweet tooth, too.”

“...And at Tomes & Scrolls?”

“It would shock me if he could read, for one thing.” Sebastian took a bite of sandwich, continuing through chews. “Maybe he fancied a bedtime story? Something to settle Rookwood in for rest after a long day of pilfering and purloining?”

Despite his attempts to quell her suspicions, Paisley was firmly planted in nervousness, chewing her thumbnail as she watched the foam dissipate from the dredges of her butterbeer. Perhaps it was that wariness ingrained in most women, saturating her mind and all correlations in anxiety, her senses on high alert. It annoyed her that Sebastian was blissfully ignorant of such a feeling.

To her relief, Harlow didn’t linger, having barely stepped beyond the threshold, departing almost as swiftly as he had arrived, accompanied by an equally smarmy wizard who was all legs and elbows.

“Am I right, or am I right? ”

Sebastian’s smart-ass brand of reassurance was met with a deadpan glare. He raked a hand through his hair, sending it in a different direction than it was heading previously. "Look, if you're uneasy about it, we can always use the Floo to get back to the castle. I'm sure I've got some powder tucked away in my robes somewhere…”

-----

The rain had stopped completely as the duo exited The Three Broomsticks, the sunset obscured by thick but commonplace overcast, blocking out more light than usual for just past the dinner hour.

“There’s a public-access flame nearby,” Sebastian announced, striding around the tavern's corner, his hand fumbling within the inner recesses of his robes. "I'm pretty sure I've got enough powder for both of us. Always prepared for these eventualities."

“Right,” Paisley replied automatically, her attention stolen by a nearby group of witches and wizards, engrossed in animated discussion.

“What in Merlin’s name?”

Sebastian’s exclamation caught her attention, and Paisley pulled herself to join him, immediately comprehending the cause for astonishment.

Before them was a flat, stone plaque, crowned by a stone-carved bust of Ignatia Wildsmith with a cloth gag bound tightly around her mouth. Paisley felt along the knot, attempting to pull it off, but it was an impossible effort; the muffling accessory was enchanted to be an integral feature of the carving itself. Her fingers grasped futilely at the edges, the stone damp from the rain, but even with the slip, she couldn't dislodge it.

“The Floo flame, it’s…” Sebastian frowned. “It’s been bewitched.”

Paisley was on high alert before. Now, she was downright afraid. Thankfully, when she looked at Sebastian this time, his apprehension mirrored hers. “Come,” he uttered, taking her by the hand this time, the chill of fear now shared between them. “There’s another near Honeydukes.”

Intuition whispered to Paisley, confirming her suspicions when they discovered the second flame was extinguished as well, the inventor of Floo powder gagged from speaking, unable to name any guilty parties. Observers were keen to the sudden disappearance of transport to and from Hogsmeade, as small gatherings began to form around the out-of-place waypoints. “I’ll have Officer Singer investigate right away!” the cafe attendant shouted, vanishing inside to no doubt issue an urgent request via owl.

“Sebastian,” Paisley spoke up, wary, voice cracking. “Someone doesn’t want us to leave Hogsmeade.”

He nodded, expression grim. “Not quickly, at least. I suggest we head back via the main road. It’s a short walk, and there’s always foot traffic.”

With adrenaline coursing through her veins, Paisley needed little persuasion.

The students ducked out from the crowds, connecting to the road that led back to Hogwarts. As Paisley fell into step with her new friend, she peered over her shoulder towards the village, letting relief steep her nerves as she exhaled.

Only in the safety and embrace of hindsight did their predicament become painfully clear.

They weren’t trapped in Hogsmeade.

They were pigeonholed out of it.

#hogwarts legacy fanfiction #hogwarts legacy fanfic #hogwarts legacy oc #hl fanfiction #ominis gaunt x oc #amit thakkar x oc #sebastian sallow #garreth weasley #ominis gaunt fanfiction #sebastian sallow fanfiction #sebastian sallow fanfic #dark hogwarts legacy

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hanafubukki · 8 months

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hana, correct me if this is wrong but i just rewatch the final parts of the update and it seems that Lilias dream is still ongoing. ???

The memories played before Silver was due to the ring's magic rather than Lilia's dream itself. (Like It shone when he was swallowed by the darkness right???)(my memory is fuzzy on how this started so feel free to correct me 😂😂)

I'm thinking this because I held the assumption that "Lilia didn't change anything about his dreamworld" like "he wouldve like to meet Silver and embrace the change even if it led to the loss of his first family" but even after this update—which i had high hopes that'll reveal the purpose of Lilia's dream— we still didnt get it.

Malenoa sacrificed herself, thats what we know in reality. But we saw how Lilia was forced to flee before she could die, and the last moment of this update, we're still in that bridge where we got seperated from Lilia and Baul bcs we have to take care of the blot swallowing Silver---

SO We are still on the run and and---maybe that means that the theory that Lilia wishes Levan and Malenoa were alive thats why he's having this dream still stands???

Like When he finally reaches Black Scale Castle with the egg, Meleanor shouldve arrived later as well.

Im still holding onto this because man,,,, i want more pain 😂😂😂✊✊

also this "alternate reality" is also beneficial for Silver. We know that Lilia is aware that Silver gets hurt knowing hes causing Lilia pain or him realizing that Lilia "is not his family." So maybe if this human child shouldve grown up with his original family, he wouldnt have to be suffering under him whos "incapable of love."

Maybe in the case where Meleanor is alive, the Silver Owls retreat, (maybe their ill king got cured and they stop chasing after Princess Glow lol) the wars stopped between nations then Baby Silver wouldnt have been alone waiting for someone to take care of him if his parents were there, he couldve lived a normal and happy life as the crown prince. If you consider that his original life, "its much better than Lilia could offer", didnt he also say that he shouldnt hesitate to search for his original parents?? What if this is what he meant and wish for as well???

That if only there was a world where there is no war, then Meleanor couldve lived, Levan would be found, Malleus wouldnt be alone, and Silver wouldnt torment himself from the sins of his ancestors.

Hello Lian 🌺🌷💚

Yep, we are still in Lilia’s dream still and something about how Lilia and Baul are being chased so they are going to hurry after them. I feel like next update will have Lilia waking up now that Silver has accepted himself.

Yessss!! The ring shines and omg I have thoughts and feelings on it because some said that is silvers bio dad guiding him and I’m so soft abhhh

Honestly, I think Lilia’s dreams means that despite the sacrifices and everything he went through. He was happy to have the connections and what led him to his family. He ended up with malleus and eventually with silver because of these circumstances. He also saw what kind of man the knight of dawn was too.

I am curious though, why it’s not exactly as “happy” as we assumed it would be. So I definitely see your point!! It also seems that lilia is somewhat aware?? That it’s a dream?? Because silver heard lilia was calling out to him. So I wonder maybe if lilia is somehow controlling the dream

I imagine the queen had similar powers to malleus?? And maybe we will see her UM?? And that will give a clue??

Andkdkdjsbw Lian did you have to hurt me this way?? I wonder if lilia knowing that silver is there…maybe he also wants silver to know his birth parents loved him??

I feel like if lilia believes that he didn’t provide enough for silver…I feel like silver is going to finally break and angry yell at him for such thoughts. Because doesn’t father know?? How much he’s loved??

My worry is malleus not knowing any of this. And him watching and his reaction to it all. He loves his family so much so if this is the first time he heard…then I can’t imagine the chaos of emotions he has.

#answered #🌺Lian🌺#twst silver #lilia vanrouge

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sennqu · 2 years

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because i can't leave things well enough alone...

if the parallels between Henry and Will hold... lemme get full-on fanfic level speculation for a second:

if the parallel holds, we can also assume that Henry, like Will, is gay. in addition to the pride and god complex and hatred of order and normalcy Henry also has.

if the parallel holds, we can also assume that Henry, like Will, once fell for a boy who was in a straight relationship

like Will, Henry was punished by society for being gay. it's possible that's why his family moved. unlike Will, who turned that hate inward, Henry turned his outward

just some random notes: Henry develops his powers after his move to Hawkins. his dad was a war vet. Hopper was a war vet. as Lonnie is also around Hopper's age, it's possible that Lonnie was also a war vet.

Henry's killing method when he murdered his family is by breaking bones in unnatural poses and basically gouging their eyes out. this may be symbolic of him raging against the straight and normal (the bone breaking) and society's inability to see him and his suffering (gouging the eyes; the dad in Chrissy's hallucination also had similar eyes). he keeps this as a signature

back to the parallel, it's possible that Henry feels a kinship with Will and is the reason why Will survived the UD and might also be the reason Will vanished in the first place

S2 ends with the Mindflayer looming over the Snow Ball location. I know I was joking in the tag of the previous post but let's say it was serious and Henry/the Mind Flayer did sense that Will was in love with Mike and was jealous of El, a person Henry also hates. this further validates Henry's own feelings against society and normalcy and order and etc etc.

S3 has four separate times where Will senses the Mind Flayer after either being in Mike or Mike and El's presence: the cinema, the field, at the destroyed Castle Byers, and in the hospital after Mike and El's talk. This is before the party sees the flesh monster face to face. My memory of this season is pretty shoddy but iirc Will was never targeted by this monster. El was.

Connecting this to another theory of mine (which is hopefully more sensical than what i'm spouting here) where Henry's plan in s4 was to lure Will back to Hawkins...and Will returned heartbroken. Henry and Will's psychic link is open again with both Henry and Will knowing that the other is hurt.

anyway, blah blah blah, as per some theories, Will is the light to Henry's dark etc etc. Will isn't going to turn into a villain because Henry is already the gay Will villain people are expecting. He'd definitely try to get Will to his side though because he thinks he and Will are the same. and maybe also try to kill Mike

tldr: Henry is the part of the fandom that wants Will to become evil and hurt Mike for "hurting" him because he basically is evil gay villain Will.

edit: going back to Henry being rejected by whoever he was in love with and by society, and him being Will's foil/mirror, Will is, by extension, going to have his feelings reciprocated.

edit2: another note from a previous post: S4V1 have been hinting that Vecna and Will are similar. But what about their differences? Vecna had a sister (probably younger than him actually older than him with an age gap like Jonathan and Will's! thanks to @ravenclaw-wand for the new info! ) and Will has an older brother. The roles of their parents are switched too. Henry's mom/Will's dad thought something "was wrong" with their son, while Henry's dad/Joyce were the ones that "saved" them. Victor by taking the fall; Joyce by *gestures to S1 and S2*. They have other differences too of course but this one stand out as a mirror of their experiences.

#ku blarghs #strangely blogging #uh #byler #?????? maybe ??#bizarre love triangle redux

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theprinceandthewitch · 1 year

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Okay so this is going to be the revised theory post for this one. I didn't want to edit the original post because I was worried the date would change. And I want to keep the date for record keeping purposes lol:

10.) Luz’s and Hunter’s trip to the past:

It's obvious King is going to be sent to the past. We can make this assumption based on the fact that it's foreshadowed in one of the paintings in The Collectors castle [bottom left corner].

This painting is the same one from Echoes of The Past. But this time, the little titan in the corner is present. This tells me King is going to be forced into the past and he's going to witness his father fighting a titan trapper.

I need to remind people: The Collector really, really doesn't like Luz because he's jealous of her relationship with King. As King only allowed Luz to touch his stuffed animal. The Collector also believes Luz and King are out to stop him for good. He thinks they're going to try giving him some kind of punishment worse than being imprisoned for eternity in a mirror. This frustration is only going to be exacerbated once Luz wins whatever game he forces her to play. Or when King steps up to defend Luz if she completely fumbles the bag during her game with The Collector.

Either way, this child - who's already wracked with jealousy and had his trust broken by his "best friend" - is going to be PISSED with Luz and King. We've already seen what he does to people when he's mad at them - he turns them into dolls. And he keeps doing this to people despite King's protests. This entire situation with Luz and King is the perfect storm for a tantrum - and who knows what kind of power this literal god is going to dish out when he's this angry.

Well... we already know one of these hidden powers is time magic...

Anyways...

Why would Hunter go to the past with Luz you might ask? Well, from a writing standpoint he's needs to see Caleb. All he knows about this guy is that he's Philip's witch-hunting brother and he founded a town with Philip. Oh and he has lured away to his doom by a witch from another world. Seeing Caleb for who he actually was a person and his relationship with Evelyn will help Hunter develop a better view of himself. And he will get answers to questions he had about Caleb, as he did try looking into his life story when he was in the human realm.

The other reason why Hunter would go to the past with Luz? From an in universe standpoint: because Hunter can flash-step. I can see him trying to snatch up Luz like he did with Gus and Willow before she get’s sucked through a portal. But he’s either not fast enough to get out of the portal or something knocks into him - causing him to fall through the portal with Luz.

Sooooo

They’re going to show us Caleb and Evelyn. I have no doubt in my mind now, because not only do they need to show us Caleb and Evelyn in order for the Luz/Hunter and Caleb/Evelyn parallels to make sense -- the portal, out of all the places it could have connected to, connected to Evelyn’s house:

This is Evelyn’s house, because this is the place where Eda found the door when she was a teenager [Keeping up A-fear-ances]. The door was obviously built by Evelyn because the portal door’s fixed location in the human realm was Caleb’s house. And because they chose this setting as the first place we see in the demon realm… they’re going to bring it back again. Don’t even try to convince me that they’re not going to bring it back lol. They literally established Hunter and Luz as Caleb and Evelyn towards the end of TTT… and now at the beginning of FTF they show us Evelyn’s house. Totally not worth noting or anything, im sure...

You know that one trope in stories with time travel plots where they show us a location in one point in time, but when the character goes to the past or future it looks similar but different? This is what’s going to happen here. They’re showing us what the gate and archway look like because this is an entry point to Evelyn’s house, which Luz and Hunter will end up at later.

They’re going to show us Caleb and Evelyn for two reasons:

1.) They need to turn the audiences assumptions about Caleb and Evelyn’s relationship on it's head.

... I'll emphasize this for the 9348023944th time: it's absolutely essential we meet Caleb and Evelyn in order for the parallels between Luz/Hunter and Evelyn/Caleb to work. We also need to destroy any sort of sympathetic qualities the majority of the audience thinks Philip has. Again, most people do not consume media with a fine tooth comb, so most people aren't going to notice or even CARE to look for the context clues in Hollow Mind. We also need to note that the story of Caleb and Evelyn is told exclusively from humanity's perspective. Humans have consistently portrayed Caleb as a victim of bewitchment, Evelyn as a malicious entity, and Philip as a man who wants justice for having his only kin taken from him. Humanity thinks Philip is a man worthy of sympathy - and this is how most people who watch TOH are going to view him, because they will not be aware of the context clues of Hollow Mind. Their assumptions about Caleb, Evelyn, and Philip need to be completely destroyed. This is why its absolutely integral for them to make an appearance before this series ends.

We also need to see them so Hunter can know who Caleb was as a person. I already talked about this towards the beginning of this post... but basically once Hunter meets Caleb and sees his relationship with Evelyn, he will have a better view of himself and Caleb. All Hunter knows about this dude is that he was a witch-hunter lured away to his doom by a witch, he's Philip's brother, and he supposedly founded the town of Gravesfield with Philip. The first one is obviously a lie and the last one might not even be true because history can be omitted and rewritten to fit certain narratives. But yeah, basically meeting Caleb would improve Hunter's view of himself.

2.) The majority of the audience believe Evelyn murdered Caleb, thanks to her protrayals in Yesterdays Lie and Thanks to Them.

In FTF it was implied Caleb died by a dagger wound, but the majority of the audience don’t know it was Philip who stabbed him. As Philip has never given explicit confirmation he was the one who killed Philip.

They’re also using his design as a teenager to make the audience think Caleb was murdered when he was really young. He wasn’t murdered as a teenager - he died when he was an adult. You won’t know this is a "trick" unless you look at the paintings in Hollow Mind. In the paintings in Hollow Mind, he is portrayed as an adult man with short hair. His hairstyle is a neater version of Hunter’s current hairstyle. When Caleb was a teenager, his hair was longer and in a pony tail.

Adult:

Teenager:

And another thing that confirms for me we are going to see Caleb and Evelyn: FTF made it very clear Belos is experiencing hallucinations. This is why he saw Luz as Evelyn and Hunter as Caleb in TTT [and Hunter as Caleb in King’s Tide after looking at Flapjack]. But despite this, we STILL don’t see Evelyn’s “ghost” appear at all in For The Future. This is another reason why I know we are going to see her in the final episode and that she’s going to look like Luz.

Seriously... what other logical reason is there for them to be so cagey with the way she looks if she didn't look like Luz? Why hide her appearance if shes just going to end up looking like Eda or Willow? If she looked like Eda, they would have shown us her face in Hollow Mind. If she looked like Willow they would have shown us her face in Hollow Mind, because Huntlow is totally going to be endgame right? There's no reason for them to hide her face in Hollow Mind or to not have her "ghost" appear in For the Future UNLESS they're building up for the reveal she looks like Luz.

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

Okay, this is the fun part:

So, first of all, you know this image from Sense and Insensitivity - the episode that spoils certain story beats?

I thought they were going to drop this, but still go for a heavily implied Lunter endgame. Because almost every other piece of foreshadowing in this episode has happened [one of the drawing’s on the board is going to happen in the final episode. Consult the other post focused on Sense and Insensitivity to see what I mean]… but now… since time travel is obviously involved in the last episode I’m starting to think they’ll still go here.

Here’s the thing, I just don’t see Luz and Hunter going to Evelyn and Caleb’s time then just… going through a time door to the present right out the gate. That’s really really boring. Here's some possibilities.

1.) Since there is a level of tragedy at play this season with Eda and Raine being slated for death [and I think Eda's palisman is going to get killed by Belos], along with King getting sent to the past - all the way back to when his father died - and aging since then… It’s entirely possible Luz is going to age as well. We still don’t know how time doors work, but if we operate under the assumption they’re random like time pools, then Luz and Hunter might need to wait for the door to open at the correct time. I don’t think this is going to happen because it’s boring and it’s like… opening and closing the door would eat up alot of Titan Blood. While Evelyn did have access to alot of vials of titan blood, it’s still a highly coveted resource since people need to mine for it.

But another issue with this theory is that it would be really, really hard for Camila to explain what happened to Luz when she goes back to the human realm. Like Luz can't just drop out of school and disappear without Child Protective Services getting all up in Camilla's business lmao.

Unless Camila just... forsakes the life she built for herself in the demon realm to live on The Boiling Isles with Luz... but I dont see this happening tbh.

2.) This one is the option I believe they’re going to go with. Evelyn helps Luz and Hunter build a time door, but it has a one time use. It’s a one way ticket to the exact point in time they want - and the exact point in time they pick is a situation where they fight Belos in the future. But instead of going through the door right away, they choose to stay in the past to train under Evelyn until they feel like they’re ready to face Belos. Then once they’re ready, they’ll go through the door to kick his ass.

In this scenario, I don't see both of them aging significantly... they'll probably stay in the past for a few months, since Hunter and Luz are fast learners.

Even though Luz was on TBI's for only a few months, she rediscovered a lost form of magic AND she figured out you could combine glyphs to create spells. Just so you know, it took Philip YEARS to figure out he could combine glyphs, while it only took Luz around what... a month to figure that out. She also studies wild magic, which Evelyn would know since she comes from "The Savage Ages".

As for Hunter - the kid is literally a "teenage prodigy" and spent a great deal of his time studying while he was training to be the next Golden Guard. And he ALSO has an interest in wild magic.

So... the thing is: Evelyn somehow managed to fix her door to one location in the human realm, which was Caleb’s house. The door can be opened anywhere in the demon realm, but has one fixed location in the human realm. We still don’t know how she did this, but she could probably figure out how to fix a hypothetical time door to a specific point in time. Since she figured out the right ingredients to build a door to the human realm and have it be fixed to one location, she could figure out the right ingredients for a time door.

But yeah...

They’re most likely going to go with option 2 as a way to contrast with Luz choosing to stay on The Boiling Isles at the beginning of the series. And since they’ll be spending some time in the past, this will give Luz enough time to move on from Amity.

I honestly don’t think it’ll take her years to move on from Amity, because Luz has been mentally preparing herself to initiate a break-up for months. And narratively speaking, Luz was never going to break it off with Amity, because Amity has been set-up to be the one who ends their relationship. I just want to remind everyone: Luz came to the conclusion breaking it off with everyone was the best option for Amity and their friends. Luz thought about this for months, so the blow of a break-up will hurt less for her than it will for Amity.

Another thing to take note of: Luz was going to spring a break-up on Amity right after she found Eda and King. She even tried doing this to Amity before she found out Amity and their friends discovered a map to Titan blood. She had MONTHS to prepare for a break-up while Amity would have had this sprung onto her without warning. This is why I don’t think Luz is going to be NEARLY as heartbroken as Amity’s going to be when a breakup happens. Luz thinks her secret - wanting to break it off with everyone - is just going to be swept under the rug and never brought up again. However, Luz's secrets always come to the surface. She either throws herself into a situation where she is forced to tell someone her secret or someone else forces it to the surface. [The only exception to this "rule" is Camila accidentally turning on Luz's laptop]. Luz will not tell Amity or her friends her secret unless these two scenarios happen.

The only person who knows Luz wanted to break it off with everyone is Camila. And she's not going to her daughters secret to anyone - she even kept it a secret from Gus and Willow in FTF. So Luz's secret is going to come to the surface through whatever game The Collector is going to play with her. Another thing people need to take note of is that because of King, The Collector knows Eda's and Luz's personalities like the back of his hand. He's going to know about Luz's tendency to keep secrets from the people she loves.

But uuuuuh...

... Speaking of Luz and Hunter staying in the past... Hunter and Luz getting to live with Flapjack for awhile before they go back to the future KNOWING what’s going to happen to him in the future is going to fucking destroy me LOL.

ANYWAYS... back to Luz and Hunter staying in the past:

They’ll have more fighting experience and will have more spells to use during their final fight with Belos. Luz and Hunter are very intelligent and they both have a keen interest in wild magic. So it’s not going to take them long to learn all the spells Evelyn knows. Luz is going to need time to figure out how to fight with a staff and Hunter is going to need time to figure out how to harness Flapjacks magic consistently.

God... like... I really want to see Evelyn give Luz her red witches cloak - which will once AGAIN establish Luz as Evelyn with about as much subtlety as Philip calling Luz "Evelyn". I honestly want Luz and Hunter to get a change of outfit that fully sets them up as Caleb and Evelyn before they fight Philip once last time.

Oh right... another thing: Theres foreshadowing of Luz getting fucking murked by Philip, we are straight up going to have a reversal of what happened with Caleb and Evelyn. Where "Evelyn" is the one who's going to be stabbed by Philip and not "Caleb".

Let me just list the foreshadowing of Luz dying real quick:

1.) Sense and Insensitivity:

Luz: Luzura dies?!

King: I know right? What a twist!

2.) Thanks to Them, during Camila's dream:

Luz: Oh happy dagger, give me death!

3.) Thanks to Them, this comes after point number 2:

4.) Thanks to Them, this comes after point number three:

"Philip set off to save his brother and bring the witch to justice."

The dagger he's holding is the same one he used to kill Caleb with:

This is why a reversal is going to happen - where Luz [Evelyn] is the one who dies and not Hunter [Caleb]. Like, theres no way hes not going to try seeking justice from Luz because he sees her as Evelyn.

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Right, Right okay soooo I've been thinking about how this time travel situation is going to play out. I think it's going to go like this:

Luz and Hunter go back in time to meet Caleb and Evelyn - but it's not on the day Caleb dies - its some time before he dies. Luz and Hunter get to bond with Flapjack, Caleb, and Evelyn for a few months. They part ways with Flapjack, Caleb, and Evelyn, which is going to be bittersweet because Hunter and Luz know they'll never see Caleb and Evelyn again. They also know whats going to happen to Flapjack in the future. Hunter and Luz leave thinking Caleb and Evelyn are going to live long and happy lives together: and this is when Philip shows up to ruin everything.

We get to see the fight leading up to Caleb's death. Not only has the nature of Evelyn's and Caleb's relationship been completely flipped on its head - we also get explicit confirmation Philip murdered Caleb and not Evelyn.

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You might be thinking, oh but there’s not enough time for TWO time plots. I’d say, yeah there is.

Okay so, first of all, whatever game Luz and The Collector are going to play isn't going to be that long. This games only purpose is to force Luz's secret to the surface. Luz's secrets are always forced to the surface and it happens in two ways: The first way is Luz throws herself into a dangerous situation to distract herself from her emotional turmoil, which inevitably spirals so out of control she is forced to tell her secret to the person she's hiding it from. The second way is someone just straight up exposes Luz's secret to everyone - like what Philip did in Thanks to Them. The only exception to this pattern is Camila accidentally turning on Luzs laptop. But the point is is that the story has always made sure Luz couldnt keep a secret from her loved ones.

This game shes going to play with TC isn't supposed to be interesting or take up alot of time. It's going to be "anticlimatic" because again, its only purpose is to expose Luz's secret. And ya know... The Collector isn't the final villain of the story, so Luz and him aren't going to be in conflict for a huge chunk of the episode.

King isn’t going to get alot of time dedicated to him because he’s not the protagonist. Most of the time is going to go to Luz. We are only going to see King's father in his final moments and we're going to see King accepting the reality that he's trapped in the past - millions of years before the present day. Maybe we even see him carve the mural from Echoes of The Past. That's literally it.

We'll see someone - most likely Amity as she has been established to be great with kids in The Collectors age group - talk The Collector down from his tantrum. I don't see Camila doing this because I feel like the writers are going to have Camila meet up with Eda before her confrontation with Philip. I also think King [the future version of King] is going to help Amity calm him down. Because again, we have no idea what kind of power The Collector is going to dish out while throwing a tantrum.

Eda, Lilith and Camila fighting Belos [as he's possessing Raine] isn't going to take up alot of time either. Because the purpose of this fight is to kill Eda - this isn't some grand final battle - it exists specifically to emotionally compromise Luz and to highlight the tragedy at play in this season. This fight is also important for upping the stakes for Luz's final battle with Philip.

Philip is going to need to consume a palisman so he doesn't get one-shot by Luz in their final confrontation. Swapping bodies is going to put him at a disadvantage and his monster form is literally falling apart. He will continue to deteriorate if he doesn't regain his human form - which he can only do if he consumes a palisman.

Having Belos regain his human form and mental clarity will make the final fight much more tense than if he entered this fight as a deteriorating mass of goo. Because when Philip is in top form - Luz can't beat him. She can't beat him because this dude has CENTURIES worth of battle experience and magical knowledge he learned from The Collector. Luz couldn't even beat him when he switched to his monster form in King's Tide WITH EVERYONES HELP. This is how dangerous he is. This is also why I don't see the final battle ending with Philip dying. Luz and anyone else who comes with her into the final fight isn't going to be able to kill him. King still has the mirror The Collector was in, so Philip is set-up for a fate worse than death by eternal imprisonment.

I mean, maybe Philip will just die? It's kind of weird, because here's the thing about the mirror: It belonged to King's father AND you need an incredible amount of power to take someone out of it. So you MIGHT need an incredible amount of power to put someone IN it. I have no fucking idea - it's 50/50. Truthfully I don't want King to be remotely close to this fight with Belos, as he could turn this final fight into an anti-climatic shitstorm with his deity-like powers. While I do PREFER Philip to be given a fate worse than death - I don't want it if King or The collector are going to be involved in it. I would rather have Luz and Hunter kill this little idiot than have the literal god beings come in to completely undercut the tension of the fight.

...AHEM...

So... yeah... There's are only two things that are going to take up alot of time: Luz and Hunter meeting Caleb and Evelyn and the final fight between Philip, Luz and Hunter.

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We are not going to get any other characters joining in for the confrontation with The Collector or the Final Fight between Luz, Hunter and Philip. Do you know why they dedicated a good chunk of time in the second episode to the teen characters and Kikimora, despite the fact they could have just written them out of the episode entirely? It’s because you are never going to see these characters again.

You might see them at the very end of the third episode. But they’re not going to leech from the screen-time of the third episode. First of all, the confrontation between Luz and The Collector isn't going to be this grand thing spanning over most of the episode. To reiterate: It's only purpose is to force Luz's secret to the surface. The Collector isn't the villain of the story, so it makes absolutely no fucking sense to dedicate most of the episode to their confrontation. Nobody is going to show up to help Luz if she fumbles the bag with The Collector. The only character in the cast who has the courage to put himself in-between The Collector [a literal god] and Luz is King.

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See... I’m not here to argue whether or not Hunter and Luz getting together by the end of the story would be “bad” from a storytelling perspective. Because I’d say “no” lol.

First of all, Luz has been mentally preparing herself for a break-up for months. She was ready to break it off with everyone before she even knew her friends and girlfriend found a map leading to Titan blood.

By the way, the fall out between her and Amity is entirely Luz's fault. She's the one who continuously hides information from Amity, despite Amity making it clear time and time again she loves Luz and is willing to help her - but she cant help her unless Luz tells her whats bothering her. Despite being told this AND receiving unconditional love from Amity, she still hides stuff from her. This is an issue that's present in every single episode focusing on their relationship. This issue was also established in the very first episode focusing on them as a couple. And to think the writers will let Luz get away with attempting to spring a break-up on Amity - despite her unconditional love and support for Luz - is laughable. Because this show has never let Luz get away with keeping secrets from those around her. AND to think Amity wouldn't be heartbroken when she finds out Luz wanted to break-up with her is also laughable.

Anyways...

Hunter would obviously develop feelings for Luz because… she’s Luz… Shes incredibly intelligent and has an amazing personality - and if it wasn’t for her he’d be another body in a Golden Guard “graveyard”. She’s the only reason why he has anything good in his life. She’s also the only reason why he gave Flapjack a chance. I have to remind people that without Flapjack, he would have never gone back to save Willow and Gus in Any Sport in A Storm. The only reason why he went to help them is because he knew Belos was going to kill their palismen. Because of Flapjack, he was able to form a friendship with Willow and Gus - without Flapjack he would have never been able to bond with Gus and Willow through a flyer derby game. Hunter's friendship with Gus and Willow would have never came to be if Luz didn't show him wild magic wasn't dangerous. So to think Hunter wouldn't fall head over heels with Luz, especially when he's going to be spending some one on one time with her is just... hard to believe lol.

#lunter #huge theory post lmao #that ends abruptly because I am so fucking tired my dudes lol I aint getting paid to write consistently

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