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I feel like if they make an All Systems Red movie, the opening scenes need to build up to it.

It should make you think it’s going to be a regular gritty sci-fi movie, with tracking shots of Preservation AUX moving around their harshly lit habitat and doing things in drab crew uniforms as they prep for Volescu and Bharadwaj going out to survey the surface…

And in the background of every shot, so unobtrusive as to be almost unnoticeable in the mass of activity, stands Murderbot. Unmoving. Armored. Faceless. Looming.

As it boards the cargo hold, we zoom in on its opaque helmet.

And then the voiceover tells us that rather than murdering everyone when it hacked its governor module, it decided to consume 35,000 hours of media instead.

Instant cut to The Rise and Fall of Sanctuary Moon.

#the murderbot diaries #all systems red #murderbot #it is very important to me that #the rise and fall of sanctuary moon #is staged just like an og Star Trek/Doctor Who episode #bright technicolor #handmade set pieces #ham acting #the works #just to drive home the visual contrast

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From main blog to side!

[Inspiration for this has totally been nicked from writblr in general, but I’m aiming this one at my followers with a more fandom bent.]

                          🦇🎃🦇 Trick or Treat ! 🦇🎃🦇

Calling all my fandom guys, gals and ghouls, boos and baes! Would you like to play a game? Let’s celebrate the Spooky Season and all things that go boo, bang and bump in the night!

How to play? It’s simple! During this event we go traipsing up the winding path to each other’s ask boxes and send the owner one question: Trick or Treat?

As the owner of the house, the recipient then gets to decide if the reply is to be a trick or a treat!

      🦇🍬👻🍬🦇👻🍬👻🍬🦇👻🍬👻🍬👻🦇🍬👻🍬🦇

  Treat — If the recipient chooses treat, they share something with us as a treat. This could be a snippet of fic, sketches, character or fic lore, headcanons, inspiration music or whatever takes your fancy!

Trick — Asker beware: if the recipient chooses trick, the asker has to share something instead! But, since it’s a trick, they may choose to leave something in a link or under a read more that may be a little unexpected…

  Trick or Treating ask boxes are open from the 30th of October to the 5th of November! (Or until the owner of the ask box decides otherwise.)

       🦇🍬👻🍬🦇👻🍬👻🍬🦇👻🍬👻🍬👻🦇🍬👻🍬🦇

  (Examples of) Good things to share:

Snippets of fic/sketches

Character/world/fic trivia

Inspirational songs/playlists

Moodboards

Poetry

Anything else you think is a nice, fun treat to share with others!

If you get Trick, pulling a trick or posting a treat of your own is entirely up to you. But let’s play nice! Rick rolls, pic crews of characters, and fun, silly videos are all good, but let’s avoid things like screamers and other unpleasant tricks, alright? We want this to be a fun thing for everyone.

#halloween #twisted wonderland #twst #supervillain au #baldur's gate 3 #bg3 #but i like one piece #nanbaka #the magnus archives #tma

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Ok but like

TMA Mentopolis AU where Jonathan Sims is a rather scrawny and underutilized personification of Hyperfixation, Sasha James is fearless if distractible Curiosity, Tim Stoker embodies the desire for Physical Pleasures of all kinds, and Martin Blackwood is a rather dithering and unsure Attention Span…

…in the mind of an under qualified stoner employed at the Magnus Institute by the name of Elias Bouchard

#the magnus archives #tma #dimension 20 #mentopolis #dimension 20 mentopolis #tma au #mentopolis au #jonathan sims #martin blackwood #sasha james #tim stoker #elias bouchard #original elias bouchard #og elias

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In honor of the Mentopolis finale, may I submit for your perusal:

Mentopolis Family Sitcom

Featuring:

Conrad Schintz as our lovable young protagonist

Justin Fication as his Best Friend

The Fix as protective, fun-fact-filled father

Pasha N. as affectionate, intensely enthusiastic mother

Ronnie Reptile as snake-obsessed, artistic younger brother

Madame Guilta Loathing as the stern, secretly repressed teacher

Daniel Fucks as wacky, hijinx-fueled uncle

Hunch Curio as his easily distracted, well-meaning partner

Anastasia Tension as world-wise, chronically underpaid vodka aunt

Fanny Fawnsworth as her eager-to-please, maybe slightly criminal girlfriend

Imelda Pulse as extravagant, mischievous champagne aunt

H. V. Lance as her devoted, quasi-conspiracy-theorist fiancé

Bonus: Elias Hodge as resident family friend and weird neighbor

#dimension 20 mentopolis #mentopolis #dimension 20 #dimension twenty #mentopolis au #conrad schintz #the fix #pasha n #ronnie reptile #dan fucks #hunch curio #hunchfucks #anastasia tension #fanny fawnsworth #imelda pulse #h. v. lance #a. tension #daniel fucks #danny fucks #madame loathing #elias hodge

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Upsides of Mentopolis: Funky little brain chemicals that make my brain chemicals happy

Downsides of Mentopolis: When at my job that I have since left, there was a large group of seventh graders all trying to cram into the four sections of the revolving door. I have seen this door claim fingers and ankles and even arms before. It is not pretty. But instead of shouting something normal like “One person at a time in each section, or else you could get hurt!” what I said was:

“One person at a time in each section, unless you want to break half the bones in your body, which are in your hands and feet!”

The kids found it funny but I’m still reeling from the pure psychic damage days later.

#dimension 20 #dimension 20 mentopolis #mentopolis #the fix #hank green #you have ruined me #had to flee England to escape the embarrassment

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There are two types of divorcee in fiction:

Hunch Curio and Anastasia Tension

And

Whatever the fuck Elias Bouchard and Peter Lukas have going on

#the magnus archives #tma #dimension 20 #dimension 20 mentopolis #mentopolis #hunch curio #anastasia tension #elias bouchard #peter lukas #lonelyeyes #it’s the difference between #‘local PI needs to stop doing things’ #and #‘he played you like a cheap whistle’

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*taps mike*

Imelda Pulse is the living embodiment of “I have a permit” “This just says I do what I want”

#dimension 20 #dimension 20 mentopolis #mentopolis #imelda pulse #siobhan thompson #ron swanson

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The reason Pasha N. is stuck filing stimuli in the evidence locker is because if she ever went out for a walk and found Madame Loathing’s Home for Wayward Interests, all the kids would be freed and adopted within the hour

#dimension 20 #dimension 20 mentopolis #mentopolis #pasha n #madame loathing #ronnie reptile #kinda fucked up that Elias has a LITERAL CHILD CATCHER in his brain for his interests huh #elias hodge #my guy #join a nice club or society of community group #get urself a lizard

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Bright White

Dan Fucks can’t remember what he was doing.

Everything’s hazy and bright, and vaguely tingly in a way that he’s not not sure is pleasurable, like when the Big Guy stands up after a long time and pins and needles start to fade—

Oh, poor Daniel. It’s been hard times for you, hasn’t it?

Yes, Dan thinks with a sense of injury. Yes, yes it has. Sugah’s was raided, and he’s been chased all over the city trying to help his mortal enemy, and then it turns out the Big Guy was dying except not really, and he’s been beat up by shock troopers, and he, he killed Chief Tightass—!

You’ve been through so much. More than any respectable business owner should, really. And who’s to blame for that?

Of course it’s all Conrad’s fault, he grumbles to himself. That little shit, putting those notes on his door saying that pleasure shouldn’t be the body’s sole motivator, as if Dan himself isn’t barely getting by on the illegal dribs and drabs of the smoothness of the Big Guy’s favorite pen, or getting his usual order of coffee served just right, the impersonal touches of a barber or a coworker, looking at old photos from college and remembering when times were better.

As if his mortal enemy had any right to come and lecture him, look down on him from his high horse of being oh so above the earthly pleasures Elias needed, Dan needed to get by!

I couldn’t agree more. It’s his fault you’re in this mess. His fault everything you’ve built is crumbling around you.

Why don’t you do something about it?

There is a weight in Dan’s hand.

When he looks down, he sees it’s a bit of pipe. Nasty, dirty thing, almost like he’s just picked it up off the ground. And so hard to focus on over that white glow in his chest—

Now, now, Daniel. Focus. The solution is at hand. Make Conrad Schintz go away, and everything will be better again.

The little shit is curled against a wall in front of him. His eyes are big and frightened. The DA has a firm grip on one arm so he can’t slip away like the rat he is.

Where’s…where’s…?

—ght it, please, Mr. Fucks! Mr. Fu—!

Go on Daniel. You’re a smart man. A business man. If you can’t use something to turn a profit, what do you do?

Dan feels himself walk forward, one leg dragging behind him slightly. It throbs in time with his heartbeat.

This is natural. This is right. Conrad should have died a long time ago, saved him and the others (what others?) the trouble of having to try and keep the snot-nosed brat alive. If it wasn’t for him, Dan wouldn’t be in this mess. This is just correction. How things were always meant to go.

Who cares if the little shit is crying? He’s doing that half the time anyway.

His arms are raising the pipe. His torso twisting for the perfect swing.

That’s right, Daniel. You get ri—

Dan Fucks smashes the pipe right into Mark Bition’s jaw.

The DA spins like a top, arms flying free. He drops like a stone, eyes rolled back in his head.

NO!

“You really think you can pull one over on me, hm?!” He rolls his shoulders, trying to shake loose the burn in his arms. “Think you can get away with your little tricks like you did with him?! I’m Dan Fucks!! My urges have urges, sometimes so strange yet pleasurable I barely understand them myself! And I have hated this little shit for so long, you think I’m going to just sit pretty with your stupid plans to just kill him and not show him how wrong he’s been?!? No, my friend, we are here for a revolution!! An uprising! Down with—ghhk!!”

The white light from his chest is almost blinding. It pounds through him, like the world’s most demented drum.

KILL HIM KILL HIM KILL HIM KILL HIM KILL HIM KILL HIM KILL HIM KILL HIM KILL HIM KILL HIM KILL HIM KILL HIM KILL HIM KILL HIM KILL HIM KILL HIM KILL HIM KILL HIM KILL HIM KILL HIM KILL HIM KILL HIM KILL HIM KILL HIM KILLHIMKILLHIMKILLHIMKILLHIMKILLHIMKILLHIMKILLHIMKILLHIM KILLHIMKILLHIMKILLHIMKILLHIMKILLHIMKILLHIMKILLHIMKILLHIM KILLHIMKILLHIMKILLHIMKILLHIMKILLHIMKILLHIMKILLHIMKILLHIM

Dan grits his teeth around a scream. He needs to drop the pipe. His body won’t let him drop the pipe. Even just standing still, everything hurts—!

It’s not fair, he thinks dazedly. Donna’s the one who likes hard pain, not him.

He can hear Conrad and Justin shouting, as if from far away.

KILLHIMKILLHIMKILLHIMKILLHIMKILLHIMKILLHIMKILLHIMKILLHIM KILLHIMKILLHIMKILLHIMKILLHIMKILLHIMKILLHIMKILLHIMKILLHIM KILLHIMKILLHIMKILLHIMKILLHIMKILLHIMKILLHIMKILLHIMKILLHIM KILLHIMKILLHIMKILLHIMKILLHIMKILLHIMKILLHIMKILLHIMKILLHIM KILLHIMKILLHIMKILLHIMKILLHIMKILLHIMKILLHIMKILLHIMKILLHIM KILLHIMKILLHIMKILLHIMKILLHIMKILLHIMKILLHIMKILLHIMKILLHIM KILLHIMKILLHIMKILLHIMKILLHIMKILLHIMKILLHIMKILLHIMKILLHIM KILLHIMKILLHIMKILLHIMKILLHIMKILLHIMKILLHIMKILLHIMKILLHIM KILLHIMKILLHIMKILLHIMKILLHIMKILLHIMKILLHIMKILLHIMKILLHIM KILLHIMKILLHIMKILLHIMKILLHIMKILLHIMKILLHIMKILLHIMKILLHIM KILLHIMKILLHIMKILLHIMKILLHIMKILLHIMKILLHIMKILLHIMKILLHIM KILLHIMKILLHIMKILLHIMKILLHIMKILLHIMKILLHIMKILLHIMKILLHIM

“Fu-Fucking run, you little shits!” He’s barely able to gasp out. “Go!! Can’t you see I’m—!”

There’s the almost pleasurable sensation of a solid blow to the back of his head.

As Dan drops into black, his eyes catch sight of a familiar pink coat, hands clutching a copper gun.

Imelda Pulse, he thinks nonsensically to himself as arms come around him, something warm and clutching behind him giving a boost of oxytocin before he hits the ground. Party of one.

He wakes up staring at the underside of Hunch Curio’s chin, the now almost familiar sensation of a cold steak cushioning his head.

Dan squints.

“Are you sure we’re not in heaven this time?” He asks, suspiciously.

Hunch’s head whips down to stare at him, and his face breaks into an incongruously delighted beam. “Oh, thank god! Guys, he’s back to normal again!”

There’s a flurry of activity and Dan’s headache immediately worsens in protest to all the figures crowding into his field of vision.

“Are y’sure?” Comes The Fix’s hard drawl, accompanied by a hard, if worried, stare. “Maybe we should ask him somethin’, just to be safe.”

“Mr. Fucks, what are your current thoughts on Conrad Schintz?” Anastasia looks as though she’s a second away from shoving her notebook in his face. “The readers of the Daily Observer would like to know.”

Dan grumbles, shutting his eyes. “He’s an obnoxious little shit. M’ mortal enemy. I’m going to drown this city in oxytocin one day, see how he likes it.”

There’s a moment of silence.

“I, I think that means he’s okay?” Imelda pipes up. When he cracks an eye open again, she’s hefting the copper pistol in her grip. “I can always hit him again. Now I’m thinking about it. If someone doesn’t stop me, I’m hitting him.”

Dan lets out a throaty purr of a laugh. “Careful dear, I’ll need a moment if I wanna appreciate this properly. Try to get me across the chest, okay?”

Everyone above him exchanges a look.

“Yeah, he’s absolutely fine.” Anastasia proclaims, dusting off her trench coat.

“Mister, Mr. Fucks?”

Dan lets out a groan. Please, give him five more minutes before he has to deal with—

He blinks to see his mortal enemy kneeling next to him, eyes big and watery. Justin’s laying his head on Dan’s legs, looking sorrowful as only a dog can.

Conrad sniffs, one hand scrubbing at his face. “Mr. Fucks, I’m, I’m so sorry, I didn’t even see him, I should’ve—! I’m sorry, I—”

“God, Conrad, this is why people want to kill you.” Dan complains. “The, the constant apologizing! Do you have any idea how annoying that is?! If you really want to make it up to me, make the Big Guy quit his job and get laid!”

Conrad squeaks, mouth opening and closing. He seems to have been shocked out of his tears. “I—wh—?! Well, quitting might be good, but, but we can’t just—! An, and, I’m not opposed to, to, to the Big Guy having a relationship, but it shouldn’t just be—!”

Dan tries to flop one of his hands onto the little shit’s head. He’s pleased when his arm obeys with no outside interference, scruffing the hat down onto his little head.

“The revolution’s coming soon, Conrad.” He croaks wisely. “We’ll fill this city with so much oxytocin and dopamine the Big Guy’s gonna be useless. I’ll be rich. Well. Richer.”

For some reason that makes the little shit giggle.

Dan takes his hat in retaliation when he retracts his arm. He places the slightly-too-small headwear over his face, affects a lounging stretch that makes the back of his head (and his ankle for some reason?) twinge slightly, settling more comfortably in Hunch’s lap.

“I’m taking a nap.” Dan Fucks proclaims. “Wake me when you need my help saving the city.”

He’s rudely disturbed a moment later when Imelda whacks his chest with the pistol.

#dimension 20 #dimension 20 spoilers #daniel fucks #danny fucks #dan fucks #conrad schintz #the psychometer #the key #da mark bition #mark bition #imelda pulse #hunch curio #the fix #anastasia tension #justin fication #this is entirely self indulgent #a what if scenario if you will #please brennan don’t let this actually happen #possession #brainwashing #dan fucks beats the psychometer through his hatred of a child #and communism

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Watched Hank Green’s video about filming with the D20 crew and the one thing I have not stopped thinking about is the unfilmed Episode Zero, designed to ensure that when Episode One aired, every player character in Mentopolis knows at least one other player character.

Who does The Fix know?

Not Conrad, because though he’s seen him around he has no recognition of the kid in the file beyond, “this is a child”. Not Hunch, who calls him out when he’s looming in the doorway of Sugah’s as the “Strange Muscled Man”. Not Imelda, who he could conceivably know from foiling some of her more reckless behavior but acts as confused as Hunch is. Not even Anastasia, as the two treat each other with the same level of unfamiliarity that he extends to the previous three.

There is only one person the Fix actually knows prior to the start of this adventure.

And that’s Dan Fucks.

And this fact is driving me insane.

So much about The Fix’s characterization so far is that he’s a man on a mission. Sure he always spares some time for the kids, but his own living quarters have been described as him going into a closet and hanging off a bar for twelve hours, surrounded by white noise. He has a great deal of facts and affection for all of Elias’ childhood interests, but seemingly nothing for himself.

So the fact that the only person he willingly associated with before this, even as just a patron of Sugah’s, was the character that heads up pleasure and feeling good in Elias’ brain?

Maybe Fix isn’t so different from all those mechanical and synaptic workers sipping their tiny cups of oxytocin to get by at the end of the day.

#dimension 20 #mentopolis #dimension 20 mentopolis #last one i promise #the fix #hank green #dan fucks #daniel fucks #freddie wong #session zero #i am losing my entire mind #help #i already feel enough about this character I don’t need more

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Probably says a lot about the fandoms I’ve been in that I am incapable of looking at DA Mark “M” Bition and not imagining that he’s the spitting image of Markiplier.

#dimension 20 #mentopolis #dimension 20 mentopolis #mark bition #DA mark bition #m bition #mark m bition #markiplier #listen #okay LISTEN #i can’t help it if #in space with markiplier #a heist with markiplier #and #who killed markiplier #have left their marks on me okay?! #a brain function originally intended to do good and see that Elias got the credit he deserved and pushed his limits to achieve more #gradually becoming more and more narcissistic and self-serving as he becomes convinced that his way is the right way the only way #eventually corrupted into active sabotage of the being they once swore to protect #by an eldritch outside force that has more control of them than even they know?! #tell me you can’t see the parallels

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Mentopolis is so good for me actually, because now when the urge to do something crazy and socially inappropriate takes my brain I can just mutter “not today Imelda” and it HELPS

#dimension 20 #dimension 20 mentopolis #mentopolis #imelda pulse #siobhan thompson #probably wasn’t intended as a coping mechanism for an ADD brain #but hey I’ll take what I can get

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Turnabout SamurEye

Martin Blackwood stares at the fallen head of the oversized cartoon samurai mascot, and asks himself yet again how he got here.

The simple answer to that question would be “on the 386 bus that has a stop five minutes’ walk away from Global Studios”, but that isn’t quite what he means.

For all that he is a defense attorney, Martin’s always fancied that he has a poetic soul, one that still can’t quite believe he managed to scrape his way through law school and a handful of cases to running his own, meager firm. Sasha always used to laugh and tease that it was a combination of his dramatics and insecurities talking, that Martin was an ace attorney in his own right.

There are some days when missing his best friend and mentor gets easier, but today isn’t one of them.

There is a gentle tug on his suit sleeve.

Robbie’s eyes are crinkled in a smile above their face mask. They sign, “Ready to go check out the scene of the crime, Martin?”

He nods back. “Yes, ah, let me just take a picture of this for our evidence, first.”

They settle back, still bouncing on their heels slightly as he finishes up.

It makes sense they’re excited, he supposes. It’s not everyday that someone gets to go on the set of their favorite TV show, even if the leading actress has just been accused of murdering her coworker.

He probably would’ve taken the case even if they hadn’t badgered him into it with protests of the Blazing Samurai’s innocence, he reflects as they start walking towards the set area. Work has been thin on the ground lately, and the fees for Mum’s care home and renting the office space certainly aren’t going down anytime soon.

“We should get steak after this.” Robbie signs.

Martin blinks, has to mime out the signs himself to ensure he’s interpreted them correctly.

“What? But we just had lunch on the bus! How can you still be hungry after that?”

Robbie raises their chin proudly. “I have a second stomach for steaks!”

Martin gives them a knowing look. “Right. And, er, that wouldn’t have anything to do with the fact that you’ve just discovered that Lynn Hammond, The Blazing Samurai, also loves steak?”

Robbie’s eyes dart to the side guiltily as their fingers trip over the sign for “Noooo”.

“Ah,” Martin can’t quite control his grin at that as he pokes their shoulder. “Objection—the witness is withholding testimony!”

He snickers as they playfully shove his arm, hands a rapid flurry. “Don’t do that outside of court!”

There are wires and cameras everywhere when the two of them arrive on the set proper, large green screens and painted backgrounds propped up against the walls.

Robbie is practically vibrating with excitement next to him, likely torn between their desire to explore and their sense of duty as his self-imposed assistant.

They really remind him so much of Sasha, at times like this.

“Keep a lookout for anything that could be a clue,” He advises. They give him a mock salute.

There’s a large white outline near the base of the director’s chair, a discarded spear next to it. The murder weapon, presumably? It’s big and heavy, couldn’t be picked up by anyone who wasn’t trained for it, like Miss Hammond or even Jude Perry, the victim. That’s what it says in the autopsy report, but…

Martin frowns and kneels down next to it.

Surely, something like this, which is meant to have stabbed through Jude Perry’s torso, surely it ought to have more, well. Blood, on it? There’s a bit of dried bright red liquid on the very tip, but something’s…?

“Martin Blackwood.”

Martin freezes up. No. No, no, maybe, maybe he’s hallucinating things. Yes, that sounds plausible, surely he wouldn’t be here. He’s always been content sitting pretty in his office, while Detective Tonner brought him all the evidence to ruin Martin’s day, please don’t let him actually be—!

“Covering your ears and ignoring me doesn’t mean I stop existing, Blackwood.”

Well, worth a shot.

He takes a deep breath and turns to face the Demon of the Bar, trying desperately to turn his grimace into a polite smile. “Prosecutor Sims! How can I help you today?”

Jonathan Sims does not look happy.

He’s as crisp and ironed as ever, from his starched collar to his pressed cravat to the tips of his shiny, shiny shoes.

Martin feels small and shoddy just looking at him.

“I seriously doubt you could. I’d be better off banning you from the crime scene, so your bumbling around doesn’t destroy valuable evidence.” Sims scoffs. “That would be a welcome relief.”

Ouch. It takes everything Martin has not to wince.

“However,” Sims heaves a great sigh. “The law still states that the defense must have the same opportunity as the prosecution to examine evidence, so I can’t have you thrown off the premises. Yet.”

Yet??

“Yet?!” Robbie signs.

They’ve taken a step to place themself between him and the man who haunts his sleep every night. They are also trying to roll up the billowing sleeves of their apprentice uniform with their fists clenched.

Martin quickly places a hand on their arm and gives his kind-of-assistant-by-adoption a placating smile so they don’t do anything crazy like assault the prosecution.

“So I take it you’re representing the guilty party in this case?” Sims sneers.

“L-Lynne Hammond isn’t the one who killed Jude Perry!” Martin protests. “We’re still gathering evidence, but, but all the character witnesses thus far have shown that she wasn’t the kind of person who held any grudges against the victim!”

Robbie nods furiously next to him, signing “That’s right! The Blazing Samurai could never do that!”

Sims glances between them and Martin with an eyebrow raised.

“And you believe it’s suitable to bring a child along to a murder investigation?” He demands imperiously, one finger pointing at Robbie. “Really, Blackwood, I knew you were irresponsible, but this takes the cake.”

Robbie puffs up indignantly, hands moving almost too quickly to parse as they sign, “I’m not a kid! I’m thirteen years old!”

“Wh-?!” Martin splutters, “That’s not the—! And you, Sims, you were trying to find them guilty of murdering Sasha last month!”

“That—!” Sims sniffs, trying to regain his composure. “That’s different.”

“How?!” Martin cries, trying not to tear his hair out. “They would’ve got the death penalty! The only reason they didn’t is because I found out the real murderer and she decided it’d be funny to frame me as well! If we hadn’t gotten that list of names—”

“I’ve been meaning to ask you about that, actually.” Sims cuts in, glare hard. “How did you find that list of Nikola Orsinov’s blackmail victims?”

Martin freezes.

“I. Um?”

Prosecutor Sims tilts his head, pinning Martin in place under that stare which thousands of witness have sworn somehow makes them say things they’d never tell another soul.

“Well?”

It’s not like he can just say ‘oh the tween tagging along with me is a spirit medium and channeled the ghost of my dead mentor who’s also their older sister so she could tell me and force Orsinov to confess! Oh and your hair looks really good like that and I’d maybe like to gaze into your eyes constantly and I’ve been in love with you since we were both five so do you wanna go out sometime?’

No. No, no, bad Martin, bad! Just because he’s got a nice face does not make him boyfriend material. Jonathan Sims is a dick, no matter what he was like when you were in primary school together. 17 years of radio silence to you and Gerry have sent that message.

Besides, you learned this lesson with Michael. He was pretty, and funny, and seemed like the perfect boyfriend, and what did he do? He framed you for murder. Yeesh. Why is that becoming a pattern in his life. Better for everyone to not—

There’s a gentle tap on his arm.

He looks down to see Robbie staring up at him, signing “Martin?”

Wait. Hold on. Oh god. How long has he just been staring into Jon’s eyes for?! Sim’s eyes?! Shit?!

The prosecutor is giving him an odd look, his glare morphed slightly to…something else? “Well?” He snaps.

“I…uh…um. Well. You know how, er, Robbie, Sasha is their, was their older sister?” He darts an apologetic glance to them. They hunch into his side slightly.

“I know the relation between the acquitted defendant and the late Ms. James, yes.” Sims drawls, “What of it?”

“W-well,” Martin bluffs. “Sasha and Robbie had a separate hiding spot here in the city, when, when Robbie had come to visit her before. She, she’d left a copy of that list here, a while ago, so Orsinov and Sarah Baldwin didn’t know about it. Robbie mentioned the place off-hand before the last day so I…checked…”

Jon’s glare has deepened to its former disdain.

“Forget it.” He sneers. “If you’ll do nothing but lie, I don’t know why I bother. Still, if you’re going to be that obvious, it’ll be easy to prove the accused’s guilt in court tomorrow. Good afternoon, Martin Blackwood.”

Prosecutor Sims turns on his heel and marches away.

Martin watches him go and tries to ignore the twinge in his chest.

There’s another small tug on his suit sleeve.

He looks down to see Robbie staring up at him with gratitude. They slip one hand into his and give it a squeeze, one hand touching their chin as if blowing a kiss. “Thank you.”

He squeezes back, a tired smile on his face. “Oh, it’s no. No trouble, really. I’m not about to tell anyone about you-know-what just, just willy-nilly.”

Robbie puffs out their chest, hands coming up to sign, “Let’s go prove that mean prosecutor wrong! He’s nothing but a phony anyway, you’ll show him!”

Martin huffs a small laugh at their enthusiasm.

Wait.

Something clicks in his head. He turns back to examine the spear.

Blood is this color when it comes out of a body, yes. But for it to stay this way when dried, and there to be no stains around the white outline of the corpse…

“It’s phony.” He mutters, excitement raising his volume gradually. “It’s—this crime scene, it’s not real, it’s, it’s fake! The blood on the spear, it’s not the right color, and, and there are no other bloodstains or anything, so that means that when Jude Perry died, it wasn’t on set! It had to be somewhere else, and the body was moved here later!”

Robbie matches his excitement when he grins at them, fingers drumming against their neck rapidly.

“C’mon,” Martin says, feeling the thrill of unraveling a contradiction, of getting closer to the truth. “Let’s go see if we can’t work out where the real murder happened.”

#the magnus archives #tma #tma au #ace attorney #ace attorney au #jonathan sims #martin blackwood #jonmartin #tma oc #robbie #sasha james #lynne hammond #jude perry #nikola orsinov #sarah baldwin #pining #tw murder #aa spoilers #s1 jon fits first game edgeworth SO WELL #martin is at least 95% gay panic here

[staysaneathome]

Yes, while I have been obsessively writing a Martin Blackwood Ace Attorney AU I have also been watching Dimension 20’s Mentopolis.

Yes, I have also become partially consumed by the idea of a version of it taking place in Jonathan Sims’ head and what the ramifications would be as the Eye slowly transforms him and the occupants of his “mind-city”.

Why do you ask?

#the magnus archives #tma #tma au #my most used tag my beloved #jonathan sims #mentopolis #dimension 20 #dimension 20 mentopolis

[staysaneathome]

Because I Have A Problem (WIP)

“I’ve been meaning to ask you about that, actually.” Sims cuts in, glare hard. “How did you find that list of Nikola Orsinov’s blackmail victims?”

Martin freezes.

“I. Um?”

It’s not like he can just say ‘oh the tween tagging along with me is a spirit medium and channeled the ghost of my dead mentor who’s also their older sister so she could tell me and force Orsinov to confess! Oh and your hair looks really good like that and I’d maybe like to gaze into your eyes constantly and I’ve been in love with you since we were both five so do you wanna go out sometime, maybe?’

No. No, no, bad Martin, bad! Just because he’s got a nice face does not make him boyfriend material. Jonathan Sims is a dick, no matter what he was like when you were in primary school together. 16 years of radio silence to you and Gerry have sent that message.

#the magnus archives #tma #tma au #ace attorney au #ace attorney #jonathan sims #martin blackwood #jonmartin

[staysaneathome]

Because my brain can’t stop Making AUs:

Martin Blackwood, Ace Attorney

Sasha James is his mentor who meets a tragic demise

Jonathan Sims is the demon prosector (with a hidden heart of gold?)

Melanie King is a nosy quick-talking photographer

Elias Bouchard has a near perfect conviction record

Tim is the mysterious coffee drinking prosecutor because it’s hilarious to me if

Gerard Keay is Larry Butz

Fiona Law is the lovable, sometimes scatterbrained judge

Daisy is Gumshoe

#the magnus archives #tma #tma au #jonathan sims #martin blackwood #sasha james #daisy tonner #tim stoker #melanie king #elias bouchard #gerard keay #fiona law #ace attorney #ace attorney au #of course this is #jonmartin #what do you take me for #robbie #is maya fey

[staysaneathome]

Yeah, no, the idea of Annabelle Cane showing up in Across the Spiderverse as the herald of the Fears, taking advantage of a prime spider-themed opportunity to ensnare multiple realities hasn’t gone away.

It’s grown.

I have a dire need for fics where Annabelle Cane shows up in your fandom and Makes Everything Worse (or doesn’t! Maybe she gets foiled! Or kept out! Or contained! Or maybe everything is already so bad she takes one look at it and immediately Nopes into the next universe!)

#the magnus archives #tma #tma crossover #multifandom #annabelle cane #across the spiderverse #the web #the fears #me shouting into the void for fics #tma au #any ai can get punted into the sun #gimme sweet sweet human brainworms #you cannot tell me she wouldn’t be whispering into Miguel O’Hara’s ear #convincing him she’s too valuable to be disposed of like the other villains #that all his fears about Miles are justified #making him into a new Jonathan Sims #Hobie Brown would probably see right through her though