#and i realize how much i relate to with magnus

[lets-try-some-writing]

Random question, but how good do you think the ‘Bots and ‘Cons would be at cooking? Does the Matrix happen to have any tips or knowledge of the culinary arts? Would the kids be of any assistance to the ‘Bots, or would they also fail at cooking? For some reason I think Miko would be really bad at making anything with more than 5 steps but make a really good grilled cheese sandwich. You think they would fare any better at baking?

Heck yeah this is funny.

━━━━━━ ⊙ ❖ ⊙ ━━━━━━━━━━━━ ⊙ ❖ ⊙

Cooking on Earth

As a general rule, cooking is not really a thing on Cybertron, at least not as it is on Earth. The process of creating energon based fuels and treats is more of a purification than any real chemical bonding or serious alteration as commonly seen in human culinary works. As such, when the team brought the children under their care and were then hit with the realization that they needed to fuel their small wards, issues arose immediately.

Arcee could hardly process normal energon, much less cook anything to save her life. The only human food she is capable of putting together is boxed macaroni and cheese. Even then, it still isn't all that good. She either adds too much butter or none at all. Her milk additions make dish look more like cereal than anything else and quite frankly she somehow manages to burn the noodles despite that fact that it should be nearly impossible. The children don't like her attempts at cooking, but if pressed, they will consume her noodle dish. She has attempted baking but has only succeeded in burning the wall in an attempt to quote "make sure the cake was fully baked".

She is not allowed in the kitchen alone. Ever.

Bulkhead has been met with limited success in all things gelatin. He can't make much else unless he is putting sauce on pre-ordered food, but gelatin he can do. On Cybertron he was known amongst the Wreckers for his banger jellied energon, even earning minor praise from Ultra Magnus. Thankfully for everyone, the same general concept applies to human jellied treats, and so Bulkhead is able to make gelatin without killing anyone. Of course his flavor profiles are rather... off. He has no clue what actually is constituted as good food for including in gelatin, but he tries his best.

Smokescreen and Bumblebee can make a mean grilled cheese, but only if they are working together. One must have their optics on the food while the other plays music in the background while grating cheese. If either of them get distracted or only one is present, the results are wild and worthy of a fire extinguisher. Bee has attempted soup before, and surprisingly, once in a blue moon he can make a really good potato soup. It is close enough to preparing energon rations that he can manage it occasionally. Smokescreen though? He has been given a lifetime ban from the stove. He somehow manages to make a really good salad despite that. It is largely just him throwing random green things in the fridge into a bowl, but it works generally.

Ratchet does not cook. Optimus has forbidden him to cook despite the Doctor wishing to figure out the strange science. The only time he tried cooking, he made actual poison and almost fed it to the kids thinking it was a nutrient dense supplement. Since then he has been confined to the realms of baking, which thankfully, is not too foreign since he can and has made spectacular energon goodies in the past. He knows how to work heat related tools well enough to make really good cupcakes. He can't do frosting though. Its always chunky or pure liquid sugar. Miko still eats them, even if they are a little burned sometimes.

Ultra Magnus can cook, on both Cybertron AND Earth. He just refuses to do so. Period.

Optimus for his part, despite his knowledge, can cook in theory. He knows how it should work, and so largely depending on the resources given to him and his level of focus, he can make a mean dish on Cybertron and Earth. His specialty on both worlds is a variant of shepherds pie, something he lived and vented back on Cybertron due to how cheap it was at the local restaurant. Of course the names of the dishes and the ingredients differ, but the concept remains the same. And so as long as the dish requires no decorum, Optimus can make it fairly well. However if asked to bake, the Prime physically cannot. The singular time he made the attempt, he came away covered in soot and with a lifetime ban from the baking items.

When it comes to the Decepticons, Megatron does not cook, period. On Cybertron he was a fantastic brewer of high grade, but that skill does not translate over well. On the Nemesis, he has a small personal brewing station where he will occasionally whip something up for himself. But that is a rare treat. He has taken the time to study human brewing methods though, largely out of a desire to mock their efforts. This of course led to some experimentation on his end, which in turn resulted in better high grade than what he was capable of producing before. He will never admit where the jump in skill came from.

Knockout and Breakdown love to make cake specifically. They can't even eat the stuff, but they like seeing how big and how grand they can make it. Hours are spent dutifully baking cakes to perfection, molding them, and then decorating them. Usually its done after Cybertronian sites, but off an on they will make human tourist locations out of cake. Breakdown also experiments with chocolate and has become relatively good at making realistic chocolate molds. These, along with Knockout's cakes, he takes to different places around the globe to donate. He may not be fond of humans, but waste is not acceptable.

Starscream is by far the best chef out of all present Cybertronians, and that is only because he fragging hates that Gordan Ramsey is better than he is at it. Starscream has devoted a ridiculous amount of time to cooking JUST so that he can curse right back at the human chef and prove himself superior. No, he does not know where it stemmed from. No, he cannot even eat what he makes. But frag it all he will get that beef wellington right or he will die trying. However against all expectation considering his considerable cooking ability on Earth, he can't cook on Cybertron to save his life. He never needed to, so he never learned.

Shockwave doesn't cook. He makes purified energon and that is all. He doesn't even bother learning anything else. Why would he? Its not like he can taste or appreciate anything complicated. Arachnid does not cook either, and that is largely because she sees it as beneath her. Soundwave is in a similar boat and does not bother... unless it comes to making cat treats. Those he will go through the pain of working with tiny human tools to manage in order to lure in the furry creatures.

Dreadwing can only make noodles. And only from the box. He has no explanation.

#transformers #maccadam #transformers prime #team prime #optimus prime #ratchet #bumblebee #megatron #soundwave #shockwave #smokescreen #bulkhead #arcee #starscream #knockout #I aint tagging the rest #crack #enjoy yall

[spop-romanticizes-abuse]

i think i've mentioned The Magnus Archives before, but i wanted to talk about it again, in connection with Catra's redemption. The Magnus Archives is a fictional horror podcast with an overarching storyline and amazingly written characters.

[spoilers for TMA below]

one of the themes that was briefly explored in the final season was about forgiveness. it was a very brief moment but it really stuck with me so i'll share it with y'all.

this right here was so important. for context, one of the characters, Daisy Tonner, was a cop who frequently engaged in police brutality. there was nuance to this since she was an Avatar of the Hunt but simply put, she thought she was doing the right thing. regardless of her intentions, a lot of people were killed or grievously harmed by her. for similar reasons, she tries to kill Jon, the protagonist.

later after disconnecting from her entity, Daisy realizes her mistakes and feels painfully guilty about everything. she couldn't bring back the dead, she couldn't reverse anything that she had done. all she could do at that point was to just stop engaging in violence and try to be a better person.

she bonds with Jon after some time of mutual awkwardness. Jon, being lonely himself, wasn't entirely opposed to talking to her and they even form a friendship of sorts. for context, Jon has hurt people too and he could relate with Daisy's guilt and her attempts at redemption.

in the transcript i shared above, Jon is discussing her crimes with the other characters. the thing that was so refreshing about Daisy's redemption is that Jon wasn't forced to forgive her. she put him through an extremely traumatizing and agonizing situation that he couldn't forget. his trauma was taken seriously and while he had begun to consider Daisy as his friend, that doesn't mean he forgave her. and she knew that. she understood that she didn't deserve forgiveness, but she still worked on trying to be a better person.

and later on in the series, Jon even expresses his appreciation for her friendship and admits to wanting to say goodbye to her.

i feel like this is the best way to write a redemption arc. of course it's nice seeing the bad guy being forgiven and accepted by the other characters. but sometimes you have to acknowledge that some people go too far and while they deserve a redemption, they don't deserve forgiveness. the other characters can still appreciate and respect their attempts at redemption, and even become their friend but without being forced to forgive them.

contrast this to SPOP where literally all of the characters have to forgive Catra after everything she's done to them. it doesn't matter how much damage she caused, as soon as she expresses the tiniest bit of guilt, she is instantly forgiven. there's no question of how the other characters feel, their trauma is not valid.

also, i have a feeling that if any of the characters refused to forgive Catra, she would have immediately thrown a hissy fit and spiralled right back to square one. i mean, look at her reaction to Frosta punching her.

by the way, i want to add that Daisy was also a traumatized character. she was also a sympathetic antagonist and she was partially controlled by the Hunt (whether the entities controlled their avatars or not was an unanswered question but it was confirmed that the Avatars were at least 80% in control of themselves). but she still did what she did and no amount of tragic backstory could justify her actions. if only the writers of SPOP actually stopped to think this through, instead of just hyperfocusing on getting Catra and Adora together.

anyway, if you like cosmic/existential horror, lots of angst, deep psychological stuff, complex morally grey characters, and queer representation, i highly recommend TMA! it's the whole package.

#tma #the magnus archives #daisy tonner #jonathan sims #tma jon #tma daisy #tma spoilers #spop critical #spop salt #spop #spop criticism #spop discourse #she ra #anti catra #anti spop #anti catradora #anti c//a #antic//a #anticatra #anticatradora

[opeothalmologist]

New fan of TMA (Feb 2024) who’s just started Season 4. Here were my reactions each season! 3/3 — Season 3 (with spoilers)

Part 1, Part 2

“try not to relate to jonathan sims challenge (failed in 5 seconds)”

“the storybook concept is SO. GOOD.”

“Elias Bouchard always gaslight gatekeep girlbossing” (The one time I felt bad for Daisy lol)

In silent shock of how amazing Ep 86 is (and then Melanie and Martin look at Hot Waterfall Man)

“who… who is jude perry again”

“DIG DIG DIG”

“i did not expect gym bro horror but my god was it good”

“MIKE!!!!!!” 15 minutes later “mike….”

side-eyes at the Jonah Magnus mention, having been spoiled

“At the very least, he’s admitting to his crimes”

“THE ADMIRAL!”

Did not expect Georgie to have this much backstory

“War x The End best ship”

“long pig 🐷 short pig 🐷 wide pig 🐷 narrow pig 🐷”

“Tim :(”

“Melanie :( go queen. kill Elias”

“jonathan sims world tour!”

“julia and trevor duo in the US is not what we expected but exactly what we deserved”

“i could make a venn diagram of gerard keay, nacht faust, and nico di angelo”

realizes gerry is my new fave

“taking Murder Club too literally but go off”

“Let’s goooo… TIM. DAISY.”

“NIKOLA THEME?”

“TIM NO”

big sigh of relief now that Nikola is gone

“it’s giving recap episode” (Ep 120)

#nikola is the type of villain i love to hate lol #the magnus archives #tma season three #tma spoilers #tma reaction #jonathan sims #elias bouchard #daisy tonner #melanie king #martin blackwood #the admiral #jude perry #michael crew #mike crew #tim stoker #julia montauk #trevor herbert #tma crossovers #gerard keay #gerry keay #opeo gerryposting #nikola orsinov

[thatpodcastkid]

Magnus Archives Relisten 1, MAG 1

Very excited to begin this project! I will be updating Saturdays and Mondays, so feel free to listen along and let me know what you are thinking. I will be discussing each episode within the larger context of the show, so spoilers ahead!

I am starting with MAG 1, Angler Fish.

Oh, how I missed that cello intro.

Facts: Statement of Nathan Watts, April 22nd, 2012, taking place in Old Fish Market Close, Edinburgh. I want to keep track of statement times and places so that we could get some semblance of a timeline.

Character Notes: I forgot how autobiographical Jon gets in this first episode. He spends the first ten minutes just describing the archive, how he came to work there, and who he is. If he was just attempting to catalogue the stamens, this seems unnecessary. But, as we know, he wasn't exactly qualified to be an archivist.

Jon describes himself as a not believing in the supernatural and the archive as where the "dead end cases" end up. It's suspicious that Elias would hire someone who doesn't believe in the supernatural at all to look into the cases with the least evidence, which foreshadows that Jon wasn't hired because of his research or archival skills.

Another part of this episode that I really love is where Jonny puts the listeners focus in terms of character. At the beginning of the episode, Jon kind of glazes over Tim and Sasha to talk about how much he hates Martin, which in turn makes the listener ignore Tim and Sasha to think about Martin. Jonny really draws your attention to what's important there.

Additionally, at the end of the episode, Jonny brings the focus back to Sasha as he describes all the online research and computer-related work she does. So from the get-go, he was showing us how involved she was with the archive and how committed she was to work.

And of course, it wouldn't be TMA without Jon's complete tonal shift from describing to reading the statement. It's such a stark contrast.

Statement Notes: It's been said before, but the fact that the statement that draws Jon in is called "Angler Fish." Especially after hearing how immediately when he starts reading the statement, his voice changes. He is completely absorbed in it from the moment he starts reading. I know we all make fun of the way Jon acts out the statements, but he just can't stop himself. Once the statements start, he's no longer in control. We hear this in his voice from MAG 1, but don't realize how intense it is until Martin has to shake him out of statements in season 5.

It stuck out to me that Nathan was drunk when he met the thing in the alley. This serves as a reason for Jon to dismiss the statement, but I vaguely remember several statement givers being under the influence, which makes me wonder if entities specifically choose to prey on intoxicated people because they have a lower capacity to reason. Maybe because they're more likely to act based on fear than logic?

Entity Alignment: The entities overlap a lot, especially in this episode, so I'm going to share all the entity vibes I got and hear what others think.

Going on imagery alone, there's definitely something to be said about The Dark in this episode. The fact that actual angler fish live in the darkest section of the ocean and the creature refused to let itself be fully seen really bring that fear into this episode. Also, when Sasha reconstructs the photo one of the missing people took of the creature, Jon says it's on a stairwell. I remember the creature on the stairs episode being pretty Dark-aligned, though I doubt they're related.

But, the fact that Nathan and the listener are afraid of the creature because they can't see it and don't know what it is makes me think of The Stranger, too. Nathan says that, "whatever was asking, it wasn't the thing in the alley well," which really reminds me of "I don't even have a voice box." The creature isn't speaking for itself, an unknown voice is coming from an unknown place and it's asking for a cigarette. Nathan also says that when he told people about what he saw, they didn't believe him, only responding with "pity and concern." This is similar to how people would treat those who remembered the people The Stranger replaced: they were treated like they were acting weird and different, when it was the Not!Person. Also, before Watts realizes the thing in the alley isn't human, he calls it "The Stranger."

Yet, the entity I believe is really aligned with this statement, is The Web. With everything from Jon asking for a cigarette before trying to blow up the world, to his spider lighter, to this being the statement that draws him into the archive and leads to him becoming the Archivist, this episode is so reminiscent of Annabelle Cane and her plot (Can you say reminiscent before something happens? Is it just "miniscent"?). There were two things that really got me thinking this was a Spider ep though.

Number one, when the creature disappears, Nathan describes it, "as if a string had gone taut and pulled it back." This really seems like Annabelle or The Web itself had placed the creature there, let it play its part, and then yanked it off stage when it was done.

The second part being the very last line in the show. Sasha, IT god that she is, reconstructs the image of the creature, and a hand is visible in the darkness. Jon, without an ounce of professional distance or feigned objectivity, says, "I find it oddly hard to shake off the impression that it's beckoning." And just- Oh my god. Jon. It's beckoning him. It's calling to him. It's telling him to keep coming back. Telling him to change. To disappear. To become another mystery. It was all planned from day one. He never had a choice but still made all the wrong ones.

Anyway,

Will be posting about MAG 2 on Monday! Please share your thoughts on this episode, hope you enjoyed reading. Also hope that you have a great day, because you deserve it.

#magnus archives #the magnus archives relisten #tma relisten #tma #tma podcast #tma spoilers #MAG 1 #angler fish #the mag pod #rusty quill #rusty quill network #tim stoker #jonathan sims #jonny sims #martin blackwood #sasha james #podcasts #horror podcast #horror #audio drama #magnus archives spoilers #magnuspod #elias bouchard #the stranger #the dark #the web #tma entities #fear entities #analysis #media analysis

[historicallyaccuratecheese]

Well, I guess I’m continuing to make these now! Here’s the next part of my thoughts on every Magnus Archives episode! Now, last time I said that I was planning to write about episodes 21-40 in the next post, but as it turns out, the hyperfixation has set in and my thoughts are a LOT longer (so buckle up if you want to read this), and I also reached the tag limit. So, I’m only going to be covering episodes 21-30 here, and then I’ll write about episodes 31-40, and this 10 episode trend will probably continue for the rest of the posts, but that just means I’ll be able to put them out faster.

Also, unlike my first post, where I wrote all of my thoughts after finishing episode 20, all of these ones were written right after I finished the specific episode I talked about, so my thoughts are a lot more clearly documented. Finally, there’s a link to my masterpost, which will contain all the post’s detailing my thoughts on every episode before and after these ones.

Once again, no spoilers for future episodes please, and for anyone who hasn’t watched up to episode 30, spoilers are under the cut, so I recommend turning away until you’ve caught up. :)

- Episode 21, Freefall 🪂

Statement of Moira Kelly, regarding the disappearance of her son Robert.

WHAT THE FUCK??!! MARTIN??!! DAMN, I guess the horrors did get to him! Well, it’s nice to finally meet him, even if his first line was dropping shit on the ground. Either way, I get the vibe I’m in for a wild ride for this second half. ….What was I talking about? Oh yeah, the actual statement. Anyways this one upset me. Not only did it bring out my fear of heights pretty well, but the portrayal of a grieving mother who can’t comprehend what happened to her son was really heartbreaking. The line “The sky ate him” was kind of comedic at first, especially with Jon’s following reaction (love this guy btw, he’s such a loser), but then it became really horrific when I realized how it was just Moira desperately trying to make sense of the impossible horrors she just witnessed. The plot thread set up with Simon and Harriet Fairchild is also very interesting, and the whole sky thing kind of reminded me of Dominic’s visions in Ep. 4. Overall another one of many fantastic episodes, but HOLY SHIT I’M SCARED.

- Episode 22, Colony 🔦

Statement of Martin Blackwood, archival assistant at the Magnus Institute, London, regarding a close encounter with something he believes to have once been Jane Prentiss. Statement taken direct from subject.

….aaaaaAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!! Ok let’s start from the top. Firstly, I’m really happy we finally got to meet Martin in this episode, and he’s great! Honestly he comes off as more dorky than stupid, and just comes off as a real sweetheart, so Jon’s distaste for him (outside of very different personalities), gets more mysterious. Though all things considered, after what he experienced, I don’t think that the bullying is his biggest worry anymore… Alexander J. Newall does a fantastic delivery, as much as I love Jon’s readings, you can really feel how terrified Martin is here (also “Blackwood” is a sick as fuck last name, and I related to him trailing off about spiders…) Outside of Martin himself, we have Jane Prentiss (or what remains of her) and…well, let’s just say that I don’t find the sex worms nearly as funny anymore. Jane and the worms inside her are absolutely terrifying, and while I would say I’m excited to learn more about her, I wouldn’t be complaining if the institute staff never had to deal with her again. Also the text episode made me, if you’ll excuse my language…squirm. Honestly, this might just be my favorite episode so far. The way that the plot threads from previous episodes connected here was extremely satisfying, and needless to say, I’m very excited and horrified to see where the show goes from here.

- Episode 23, Schwartzwald 🇩🇪

Statement of Albrecht von Closen, regarding a discovered tomb near his estate in the Black Forest.

Worst episode ever because Jon didn’t do a German accent, smh. Ok but in all seriousness, I really liked this one! It wasn’t the strongest in terms of complex themes in my opinion, but it had a great vibe, and was still very interesting, entertaining, and decently creepy. Having a “statement” written before the archives was founded is a really cool idea that’s executed perfectly here, and while we didn’t learn that much about Jonah Magnus, I still found it cool to get a first glimpse of the archives’ history. (Also, given the eye imagery that appears both in here and in other episodes, I can’t help but feel like Albrecht’s wording of Jonah having “good eyes” or something like that is a little weird…) And…now that we have the instance of something that isn’t a statement, but is important being in the archives, I absolutely agree with the idea that Gertrude Robinson organized these poorly on purpose, so that Jon would get the knowledge he needed to have. Regardless, this whole episode had the vibes of a classic ghost story, which while not as weird and off-putting as some of the other horror here, was still a nice change of pace overall. The descriptions of The Schwartzwald were really well done and added to the atmosphere, and I just like the fact that we have another historical episode, that’s also set outside of The UK. Also, the way that they played with the time period at the end was amazing, I already had my suspicions due to the eye imagery, but the reveal of Mary Keay (and therefore Gerard Wa- I mean Keay) being a descendant of Albrecht was still really cool. I also do wonder if the Arabic book was eventually found by Jurgen Leitner in the future…eh, food for thought. Lastly, I loved Martin jumping in out of nowhere, it was both funny, and a grim reminder about how fucked the archives supposedly are, yippee!

Wow, these are a lot longer than my previous thoughts. This, my sweet children, is a phenomenon called “brain rot”.

- Episode 24, Strange Music 🪆

Statement of Leanne Denikin, regarding an antique calliope organ she possessed briefly in August 2004.

Jon, honey, are we not going to elaborate on the fact that one of ✨the horrors✨is literally inside the institute? Like, HELLO? That’s not terrifying at all! Anwyays, this episode continues the trend of making me scared of things I’m not initially scared of, yippee! It had great vibes as well, the weird shit in the attic was made to be as creepy as possible. Initially, I didn’t find this one to be too scary, and figured it was going to go in the direction of “music makes people feel kind of weird”. AND THEN JOSHUA GETS KILLED AND TURNED INTO A DOLL HELLO??!!! Like, I know he was kind of a toxic boyfriend, but DAMN, whatever was behind the calliope and the dolls did NOT have to go that far. (Also until the end I thought he might be Joshua Gillepsie, and like, I don’t care how toxic he is, but you do not dump a guy who bested an evil coffin with his freezer.) Outside of that, It was really cool to meet Sasha! I like her voice, and the introduction was quite funny. (Also, even as someone who has lived in England for over two years, and has a family that is 90% British, nothing hurt more that Jon’s “Americans”.) Lastly, I have a theory, which I like to call “Ringmaster? More like cult leader.” Because I’M SORRY, but you cannot convince me that a CIRCUS, called THE CIRCUS OF THE OTHER, which possessed a HAUNTED CALLIOPE ORGAN, is anything but a cult. (Watch me when I’m inevitably wrong lmao.)

I guess now is a better time than any to say that I’m kind of wondering if there’s an in-universe reason for the music in the background? I mean, considering that the whole framing device is Jon recording these statements, I have to wonder if there’s a reason for the noise we hear, especially with the worms in Ep. 22 and the music in Ep. 24.

- Episode 25, Growing Dark ⛪️

Statement of Mark Bilham, regarding events culminating in his visit to Hither Green Chapel.

HAHAHAHAHAHA!!! I LOVE BEING RIGHT!!! I saw the episode title and immediately assumed this would continue the lore of Episode 9, and I WAS SO RIGHT!!! (Also, I now just noticed that the PCOTDH’s symbol is a closed eye, while The Keay Family’s symbol is an open eye…my cult theory thickens…) Anyways, this was another very enjoyable episode! Firstly, even though it’s far from the first piece of media to do so, I though the way they portrayed a cult brainwashing someone when they’re most vulnerable was very well handled and pretty depressing. I also really enjoyed how the episode isn’t the most weird and paranormal on it’s own, but the knowledge of the connections to Ep. 9 makes us know that it DEFINITELY is, even when the characters in the story don’t. The episode was certainly very spooky, the description of the spinach and the dark church definitely got me. (Also my mom came into my room briefly and when she left she accidentally turned off the light and I nearly screamed.) There were also some really interesting plot threads set up here, like the chanting of the northern most human settlement in the world, the mention of “three hundred years waiting”, and I also wonder if “Mr. Pitch” is an alias for “Detective Rayner.” then…the ending. Holy shit. You know, maybe I DON’T need to know what happened to Gertrude….

Episode 26, A Distortion ☕️

Statement of Sasha James, assistant archivist at the Magnus Institute, London, regarding a series of paranormal sightings. Statement taken direct from subject.

I…what…I don’t even…we are so fucked. Ok, there’s a LOT going on here, but I’ll try my best to formulate my thoughts as clearly as possible. Firstly, this episode easily scared me the most so far, I agree with Jon when he says that the horrors being somewhat friendly is scarier than them being antagonistic, like HOLY SHIT this one was unnerving. But with that out of the way…uh…let’s talk about Sasha! She’s really cool, I like how her character gives us a lot more insight into what working in the archives is like for a fairly regular person (i say this because Jon is weird as fuck and Martin is too nice to be normal, and I mean that as kindly as possible). But…while I don’t necessarily doubt her status as the most level-headed person in the archives, I don’t think that’s saying much. Like, she saw a creepy guy with weird-ass hands who spoke in riddles and knew too much about her and her coworkers, and followed him into a dilapidated building, also she works at the council of ghost stories despite not liking horror. Like, no offense, I’m sure she’s overall an intelligent person, as are most people in the archives, but none of them are beating Joshua Gillepsie anytime soon (yes I’m still thinking about him.) But mentioning the guy with fucked up hands, WHO OR WHAT EVEN WAS THAT??!! I have very little ideas as to how this “Micheal” even connects to the greater picture. I know some people connected him to the mentions of the man with bones in his hands in Episode 8, but that honestly reminds me more of the Leitner in Episode 17. Outside of that, his name is quite interesting, I initially thought that he might be Micheal Crew, but given that Sasha doubts it being his real name, I have my suspicions (although it would give us a connection between this, the words in Episode 8, and The Boneturner’s Tale….hm….) However, I could absolutely see him being Micheal Keay, as he gives off enough ghost vibes to pass as him (and I’m assuming that if Gerard’s dead, Micheal is as well.) Also he is not described as having a Lichtenburg figure on him so…yeah. Lastly, we have the return of THE SEX WORMS. And as happy(?) as I am to see that The Magnus Archives, a podcast developed by RustyQuill.com, that is also licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License, is continuing it’s message of staying abstinent, all things considered, that was absolutely terrifying. I just LOVE the knowledge that the worms are a hive-mind and that Jane might not be the source, I LOVE THAT SO MUCH. In conclusion, I am probably going to sleep with a fire extinguisher tonight, and I am very scared for what the next 14 episodes have in store for me.

Also I guess I’ll mention Tim (the archival assistant, not the dead guy) here because why not. So far I’m getting major bastard energy from people’s descriptions of him, which means I will either love or hate him. Also I found it very funny but also kind of sad that Jon said he only trusts Tim to not prank him in Episode 11, and then he pulled a prank shortly before this statement took place.

- Episode 27, A Sturdy Lock 🔑

Statement of Paul McKenzie, regarding repeated nocturnal intrusions into his home.

Ok, after everything that happened in the last episode, it was nice to get a short and sweet one here. Well, as sweet as an episode of a horror podcast can be. Overall, this one isn’t my favorite, I thought it was a little bit under the standards of creativity for the show as a whole, but that’s obviously not saying much, as it was still pretty damn good in its own right. I think it was definitely very effective with its storytelling, and credit where credit is due, it certainly brought out my fear of weird noises in the middle of the night. And even if I can’t personally resonate with this aspect of it, I do really appreciate how it tackled the idea of mental illness at old age, and while I’d be surprised if the statement wasn’t real, considering where the show seems to be going, it did a very good job at planting seeds of doubt in my mind. But still, it was genuinely pretty crushing how Paul had no proof throughout the entire thing, along with how the cops treated him. It really did make me thing about what would have happened if he hadn’t washed the blood off his hands. It still had a creepy atmosphere, and the reveals at the end were pretty interesting, I hope they show us Marcus’ statement soon enough. Also, the aspect of loneliness in this one did remind me a lot of what happened in Episode 13, so I wonder if there’s some connection there. (Also, I love how I’m 27 episodes in and Jon is STILL roasting Gertrude’s organizational skills.) So while this one isn’t the most interesting for me, I still enjoyed it, and it was nice to have a slightly lighter one after Episode 26. I hope Sasha had a good few days off, she deserves it.

- Episode 28, Skintight 📷

Statement of Melanie King, regarding events at the abandoned Cambridge Military Hospital during filming in January 2015. Statement taken direct from subject.

WHOA THAT WAS SO GOOD!!! Ok, I feel like I should start off with my thoughts on the basic premise, as while those episode is certainly…not the most humorous in its execution, the premise itself kind of is. I don’t know why, but I just thought the idea of there being an in-universe competitor was a really fun concept that was executed perfectly here. It kind of reminds me of something like Hatchetfield and Clivesdale (I don’t know how many people reading this will understand that, but there seems to be overlap between TMA fans and Hatchetfield fans, and also like, shut up, let me indulge in my hyperfixations.) The bickering between Melanie and Jon was great, as was Melanie herself, I’d love to see her again as I think she oddly brought a lot to the world of the series. Although I will say that, while it doesn’t make me like him any less, Jon’s reluctance to buy into statements is a lot more frustrating when there’s another person in the room. I also absolutely love the fact that there’s an in-universe spooky podcast mentioned by name, like, come one, that’s genuinely hilarious. But comedic value aside, this one was definitely pretty creepy. In a similar vain to what Episode 23 was doing, the whole “young people enter creepy abandoned building to film stuff and then get genuinely scared” concept felt evocative of other classic horror stories, and the way they spun it into the context of the show was great. The atmosphere was definitely very creepy as well, as I have mentioned, hospitals creep me the fuck out. And lastly…oh my god, THE CONNECTIONS. So, I’ll start off by saying that all of the skin shit reminded me of what happened in Episode 18 (which I hope is true because I think some connections to other things would make me like that episode more). But that pales in comparison to the fact that we have stuff on THE ANGLERFISH, HOLY FUCK THE ANGLERFISH. I’m SO glad that they didn’t throw it away just because it was in the pilot episode. In retrospect, I think that the story of Episode 1 isn’t quite my favorite. It doesn’t really have to be, as I think the main draw of the episode is getting a first look at the framing device and general vibe of the entire podcast, but the stories didn’t really grab me until Episode 2, which is still one of my favorites. But MAN, this episode really made me appreciate the setup at the beginning so much more, and the knowledge that the people who walked into the alley didn’t necessarily die, meaning that all of those names could potentially come back, is SO exciting to me. In fact, when you consider that Sarah was kind of going through what looked like a possession, I wonder if The Anglerfish is a figure of worship in a cult, if that theory is to be true. (Also I have relatives that live in the same area as Sarah so…maybe I should tell them to watch out for their neighbor lmao.) So yeah, this…this show is just really freaking good.

Note: I have discovered the Leitner rant, and therefore I have achieved true enlightenment.

- Episode 29, Cheating Death ♟️

Statement of Nathaniel Thorp, regarding his own mortality.

I should start off by saying that I love the episode title for this, like, it’s not even metaphorical, the guy literally cheated in a game against death. Well, anyways, the main thing that caught me about the episode was how it absolutely blindsided me. While I was right about the soldier being the same as the statement giver, which I think was supposed to be obvious, everything else in those last six or so minutes left me with a wide-open jaw. (Also, can I just say that I love how poetic this guy just…decided to be? Like, I just love it when the statements really show of personalities with the way they’re written, and it comes with a cool framing device.) Regardless, I initially assumed that it was going in a very traditional line. Nathaniel cheats death, becomes immortal, and regrets it in modern day because he’s lived longer that he really should have. That, combined with the fact that “Death” didn’t seem like the one of the more creative horror monsters in the show so far, had me so prepared to just write this one off as one of my least favorites (once again, not like that’s saying much.) And then the twist comes and HOLY SHIT I WAS WRONG. The idea of there basically being multiple grim reapers at the hands of some unknowable power, who have to gain successors to finally die themselves is absolutely terrifying and extremely clever. I tip my hat to you Rusty Quill, you did a great job at fooling me. Kind of funny considering how this is a story about being punished for your hubris (which seems to be a recurring theme???) I have a few other small thoughts as well. Firstly, I can’t help but shake the feeling that Nathaniel Thorp was an actual revolutionary war soldier, but I can’t find anything online other than the character from this episode. Also, the fact that his fate remains unknown makes me think he’ll show up again, as it seems weird to NOT end the story with confirmation of his death, given the themes. Secondly, a lot of the…less than pleasant imagery here definitely reminded me of Piecemeal and The Boneturner’s Tale. I don’t remember the story inside that Leitner very well, but I might check just in case there’s any parallels between it and this statement. (Update: Not really.) And finally, I was just a little bit intrigued by the fact that we learn no one who was working at the institute in 1972 works there anymore. It’s probably nothing, but given the mysteries surrounding Gertrude’s death, I’m just a little suspicious, both in general, and of Elias because he’s still around. Overall this episode went hard, I’m still kind of stunned by what it pulled off.

Jane Prentiss statement…save me…save me Jane Prentiss statement…

- Episode 30, Killing Floor 🍖

Statement of David Laylow, regarding his time working at an industrial abattoir near Dalton.

You know what, Jon is right, there’s a lot of meat in this show. Not that I’m complaining, I mean, it does fuel my obsession with connecting the dots between statements. Regardless, while this isn’t among my favorite episodes so far, I still had a good time with it. The reason it’s not one of my favorites is purely personal, as I don’t do too well with animal violence. Like, as much as I do really appreciate how viscerally Jonny Sims can describe the statements, I will admit that the opening minutes describing the slaughter house made me more uneasy than the actual horror, and not in a particularly fun way, but it was overall fine. Speaking of the actual horror, that was actually pretty good. The endless hallways lined with doors that lead to precarious situations also kind of tapped into a personal fear of mine, but in a more fun and digestible way. And while the idea of “imagine humans being slaughtered like animals” is something I’ve seen many a time before, it was still much more well executed than many other interpretations of the idea (*cough cough*, peta) and there were also plenty of other interesting themes and ideas, like how the episode touched on the inherent horror of working in a job as gruesome as the killing floor, being enslaved to said job, and the idea that maybe we’re all just walking sacks of meat in the end, and nothing more. As for some other thoughts, I was definitely creeped out by Tom Han, I’m not sure whether or not he’s someone who spreads ✨the horrors✨or someone affected by ✨the horrors✨, and his sudden disappearance was certainly…odd. On top of that, it’s admittedly haunting to know that there’s still creepy stuff going on at the slaughter house, and that this isn’t something that happened to David, and only David. Overall, a pretty good episode, I don’t have much to say about it, but it was a fun time overall.

Tim…save me…save me Tim…

Well, if you’ve made it this far, thank you so much for reading! Genuinely means the world to me when there are people willing to listen to me ramble about my horrible (affectionate) interests lmao. I should have my thoughts on the final episodes of Season 1 out in due time, and while I’m sure it’s obvious, I’m absolutely hooked on this podcast. It absolutely has the potential to become one of my favorite things ever if the overarching plot becomes more involved and this is coming from someone who up until now, wasn’t all that gripped by podcasts. While I’m a little sad that I’m as late to the party as I am, then I remembered “oh yeah, I was in elementary school when this horrifying series came out”, and I’m also hopeful that I’ll be able to be around for The Magnus Protocol while it’s airing (I know it premieres in like a week but still.) Anyways, thanks for reading and hopefully you’ll be around for my thoughts on the next batch :)

#tma #the magnus archives #jonathan sims #moira kelly #robert kelly #simon fairchild #harriet fairchild #martin blackwood #jane prentiss #albrecht von closen #gertrude robinson #jonah magnus #mary keay #gerard keay #joshua gillespie #joshua drewery #sasha james #micheal crew #micheal keay #timothy hodge #jurgen leitner #marcus mckenzie #paul mckenzie #micheal mcweirdhands #melanie king #sarah baldwin #the anglerfish #nathaniel thorp #tom han #david laylow

[our-divine-violinist]

I was just thinking about this and I’m sure no one cares, but I’m putting this here for the hell of it. Someone talk to me about Nicolas de Lenfent.

----

He had turned to the window, and he was rising as if he’d been called by a secret voice. The look on his face was indescribable.

He knew I was there!

----

It was a very different thing from a mortal seeing my face and blurting out my name in confusion. He had recognized in my monster self something that he knew and loved.

----

And through the silence I heard his panic. He sensed that I was there! My presence, mind you, that is what he sensed, just as I sensed ‘the presence’ in the graveyards, but how, he argued with himself, could Lestat have been here?

----

All I could think was, What in the name of hell is this presence that he felt?

----

It’s a interesting question Lestat asks here, right?

Nowhere in the few chapters we get of Nicki in The Vampire Lestat is there anything to indicate that Nicolas had anything special about him. We know that he picked up playing the violin well enough to perform at a small boulevard theater but would never be good enough to play for the court or a court sanctioned theater. There’s nothing that was really said that was outstanding about his appearance. And we don’t get any kind of back story that he’s unique from any other young man his age-- we don’t hear of Nicki killing a pack of wolves or exceling in his intelligent or natural gifts.

I really think this is as simple as Anne explaining that Nicolas in this moment had a sixth sense. And that got me thinking about it in relation to the time period of the book.

The theory of a sixth sense is, interestingly enough, something that was being written about during this time period in the late 18th century. This was a time of animal magnetism, the belief that a universal magnetic fluid contributed to the health of individuals. But derived from that theory, the paranormal phenomenon of the sixth sense was introduced by Tardy de Monravel in his Essai sur la Theorie du Somnambolisme Magnetique (1785). This basically said that the sixth sense was the source and sum of all our partial senses combined. It had a more spiritual context to it.

Teachings relating to this was started as early as the 1760s by the mesmerists, but it’s doubtful this kind of knowledge would have trickled down into Lestat’s tiny part of the Auvernge so quickly. So it’s nice that he doesn’t know what to call it. I seriously doubt Anne put this much thought into this little bit of the book, but I couldn’t help but go, huh, why is Lestat so interested in this thing Nicki is able to do? I don’t think Anne was writing this from a late 18th century view on the sixth sense, but it’s nice to go down the rabbit hole and realize how recent the term really is! She’s definitely using it in a very modern sense of the theory.

But being the romantic that I am, I want to believe Nicki’s heart/soul was longing for Lestat’s heart/soul because their fates were so intertwined at this point. That it was the feeling of recognizing something familiar and gravitating towards it. And maybe that’s what love is? I want this to be the case so bad, it’s so sweet. So this is usually the take I go with to quench my parched soul for NickiStat.

But in all honesty, I think we are meant to read this as he had that feeling of knowing he was being watched and assumed it was Lestat—because who else would be creeping on some random alcoholic violinist? His sixth sense was alerting him that he had a predator nearby. Like those stories of people who report feeling something watching them in the woods-- whether that is some wild animal or something supernatural is up to you to decide. We see this same kind of sixth sense from Lestat as a mortal as well when Magnus began to appear. You could argue Magnus was using the Spell Gift on him, but I’m not sure Anne had even thought up that power yet at this point in her writings (but correct me if I’m wrong). We know he has the Mind Gift because Lestat is hearing him call to him as Wolfkiller.

----

When Nicki and I were alone I had to talk about it, about the peculiar sensation that I had fallen asleep on the stage and had been dreaming.

----

Moving away from this antiquated view of the sixth sense, there are two beliefs that we can look to that might resonate a bit more in the 20th and 21st centuries. Charles Richet—this is the guy who coined the term ectoplasm-- used the term of sixth sense to mean an unknown sense the perceives hypothetical vibrations of reality in his book Our Sixth Sense (1928). He denounced that the spiritual had anything to do with the sixth sense and it stemmed from physiology. And this theory later leads to J.B. Rhines’s term called extrasensory perception (ESP) with a book of the same name (1934), which was the ability to acquire information that was shielded from the sense.

Doesn’t this sound way more familiar? Definitely more of where I think Anne was writing from. So what was the name of the presence you felt, Lestat? Anne was writing about Nicki’s sixth sense, just in a modern way you won’t know for around 150 more years! Or you can just do my thing and say it’s the result of love, knowing someone’s heart so well, longing for the thing you recognize as home. Go for the latter explain Lestat. 🥲

#Nicolas de Lenfent #nicki de lenfent #nickistat #nicki x lestat #lestat x nicki #the vampire chronicles #don’t mind me I’m still trapped in this desolate place #I just wanted them to be together #it was such a star crossed lovers story that could have been

[toomanylegos]

MAG Episode 200

I decided to write down my thoughts on the final episode in a completely separate post. I felt like I would have lot to say and analyze after the episode was done and it would've been too much for the reblog chain I made.

I was right.

So, I started listening to this podcast ages ago. Like I mean sometime early last year and then stopped; forgot everything that happened and restarted from the beginning then proceeded to take long breaks in-between more upsetting episodes to keep me sane.

I went into this as someone who doesn't really listen to podcasts and doesn't have much interest in tragedies. I'm more likely to pick an animated film or an action anime or a fantasy novel or a short hurt/comfort fic than a 200 episode horror tragedy podcast.

Buuuuuuut my dearest Eggo had introduced me to the characters and the story. They talked about how much they loved the horror elements, the characters, the world; she encouraged me to give it a listen and reassured me that it was completely worth it. Obviously, she convinced me.

Despite the fact that my soul is shattered due to the emotional series finale, I'm so glad I gave this podcast a chance and I'm glad Eggo rambled about it to me. If they didn't, I wouldn't have come to a wonderful realization...

Tragedies are heartbreakingly beautiful.

I loved learning about these characters and seeing how they dealt with these horrible situations and impossible odds; I had to take so many breaks because if I binged MAG for too long I would become completely miserable due to the pure agony that Jon and everyone around him goes through.

However, there were always these little moments in between the agony. These small conversations between characters; a private reflection; a light joke. A pressure release for the audience that reminded me what, I believe, tragedies are meant to do -- highlight the beauty in the painful and be a cathartic outlet as well as a lesson.

I still don't like angst very much. I don't see the appeal of going into a piece of media that has no sense of comfort in it. Funnily enough, despite the genre space it sits in, MAG is comforting to me.

It brought me the love story of Jon and Martin -- together til the very end and learning to communicate and be with each other. Something that came to me at a point where I am considering pursuing a relationship myself and fear the hurdles I may face. Their story put my own worries just a tad at ease. The way I related to them and the way their fears are handled in the story helped -- are still helping me -- handle my own.

It brought me themes of humanity and monstrosity and how thin of line that can be. It brought me into worlds of flesh, and dark, and sky, and twisting corridors that made my head spin and my heart race.

Most of all, it brought me hope -- something I only realized in episode 199. The hope that even when your world is ending there is something that can be done. The faith in a chance that things can be better if you decide to take that leap.

That good old saying...

"It's always darkest before the dawn."

Now, after finishing The Magnus Archives, I can move on.

So, as I type this with teary eyes and a scattered brain, I would like to say that I loved The Magnus Archives; I have a better appreciation for the tragic and horrible.

I can seek out The Mechanisms and experience more of Jonny Sims' wonderful work.

I can start listening to Rusty Quill Gaming and listen to Alex's DM style and all of the team's adventures.

I can seek out more works produced by the wonderful people over at Rusty Quill.

And most of all, I can catch up with The Magnus Protocol and I can finally say...

They put my bois in the fuckin' 'puter

#apologies for the rambling #and sorry if none of this makes sense #i am very emotional #the magnus archives #magnus archives #tma #tma podcast #tma spoilers #the magnus protocol #tmagp #magpod

[daphnebowen]

percy jackson episode five thoughts

I skipped a couple episodes where I wrote down my thoughts, but I'm about to rewatch and write don't worry! warning: lots of screaming, fangirling, heart attacks, and nonsense below :))

also these are all just copied straight from the notebook I use when I'm writing down my thoughts and I barely proofread them :)

Annabeths trust in Percy being alive is literally just like her belief that Luke is alive later on and even though it's kinda sorta different (or at least people are gonna treat it that way) I'm all here for it

WHY WERE THE FATES SO CREEPY HELLO

AAAAAHHHH THE PERCABETH HUGGGG I IGNORED SO MANY SPOILERS AND IM SO GLAD 2 minutes in and I'm already fangirling so hard haha

is Grover blushing at them??

"surprise" omg Walker 😭🥹

the droplet of water clinging to walkers chin is so distracting

"I'm the last person to realize this aren't I?" It's okay Percy

his eyes are SO FREAKING BLUE it's giving zac efron from hsm2

"it doesn't have to be a thing, yk. That you hugged me." OHKAY HES NOT ENTIRE CLULESS THIS IS FAN SERVICE RIGHT HERE WE KNOW THAT IT MOST ABSOLUTELY WILL BE A THING LMAO and annabeths "oh boy" and Grover's clear exasperation HAHAH

where the heck did the motorcycle go lol we know it's ares but like it doesn't take that long to drive

"we're all gonna die... eventually" wise words Percy wise words

ugh the fact that it's Luke's string 💔

Ares ‼️‼️‼️

Ok but why is ares literally EXACTLY how I thought he would be?!?!

"that's my cousin? what kind of family is this?" A dysfunctional one for sure, sorry Percy you're in for a rough ride

ares starting a fight on twitter is ABSOLUTELY CRAZY and yet so in character lmao

"I'm gonna kill him" same Percy SAME I will gladly help you - although all things considered I am glad they decided to keep delinquent percy in the show

they keep bringing up the "push someone down a flight of stairs" thing! There's no way this is just a coincidence anymore, what with chalice of the gods and earlier on with Annabeth and like... they're obviously doing it on purpose. is that gonna be the shows new thing?? trusting someone enough so that if they can push you down the stairs they're the one? idk man, love the metaphor tho

PLS LET THERE BE THE ZOO TRUCK SCENE OH MY PLS

leah's eyebrow quirk is 💋

WATERLAND IS PERFECT OMG

walker portrayed Percy's anxiety and nervousness and scaredness (is that a word?) perfectly

Can't tell if Grover is actually a history buff or playing Ares so he will talk but that scene was actually cool, I like the change they made to have Grover stay behind (this was what I wrote originally, but now after seeing peoples interpretations and opinions and things I know he was playing ares and I think it's BRILLIANT how smartly he played the god of war. Good for you buddy!)

"I didn't say anything" "I can feel you thinking it" OHKAY THEN

thrill ride of love = flawless. No words. I am speechless.

"I hate kids" relatable

ARES IS ACTUALLY BEING SMART AND MAKING SENSE FOR ONCE not to mention he's so funny and so relatable!

AAAAAAHHHHHHHHHH SEAWEED BRAIN ALERT 🚨 SEAWEED BRAIN ALERT 🚨 SHE CALLED HIM SEAWEED BRAIN AND I LOVED IT never mind the actual SCREAM i let out lmao

is Annabeth about to cry?!?!

yeah she's definitely about to cry

why am I so scared. This cannot be happening. What?? What??? he's the main character. main characters don't die. well except for Magnus chase BUT THOSE ARE DIFFERENT GODS AND DIFFERENT RULES NO WALKER

why am I actually so scared about this chair thing omg

(I would just like to say that I was so speechless and in shock throughout the whole chair thing, so I didn't write down a single quote but I loved them all I just was in too much shock to pause the show lol)

um.

WHAT. JUST. HAPPENED.

WHY IS MY BABY GOLD

WHY IS MY CHILD GOLDDDD

I AM SO CONFUSED RIGHT NOW THIS DEFINITELY DIDNT HAPPEN IN THE BOOKS MY BRAIN IS TOO SLOW FOR THIS 😭😭😭

oh my gosh ITS HEPHEASTUS

dude the way that door suddenly opened scared the crap out of me

leah is absolutely shining as Annabeth, her monologue was so profound and heartfelt, love that addition 💗

THAT CLIFFHANGER GOES CRAZYYYY

okay of course those of us who read the books know who really stole the lightning bolt and stuff but the clueless fools just watching the show are gonna be like OMG WHO WHO and even if they piece it together technically they'll only be half right. and their confusion and confidence in what they think they know is going to be SO entertaining in the coming weeks hehehehe and even throughout the whole series if we continue to get green lights for the series

but yes that episode was utter perfection! Now for the teaser...

WHO DID PERCY JUST TACKLE EXCUSE ME

duuuuude. The lotus casino is MASSIVE and actually super pretty I cannot wait for the episode tomorrow!

WHY IS PERCY DRIVING OMG THIS IS NOT LEGAL although tell me why he is literally better at driving than I am HAHAHAHAHAH

ugh and that is it! Those are all my random thoughts from the episode! thanks for reading :))

#percy jackson #percy jackon and the olympians #percy series #percy jackson and the olympians #percy pjo #pjo tv show #annabeth chase #ares #grover underwood

[alexanderlightweight]

Greetings and loves.

Warlock Alec as Magnus's assistant please

hey <3 thank you and same to you!

i hope you enjoy how this goes! it's part of the tethers of fate verse which is where baby!alec ends up in the unseelie realm. it's a bit different than just alec being a warlock but he does have magic

lumine

-

“High Warlock Bane is no longer taking any appointments for the rest of the evening.” Alec says without even looking up, he can sense nephilim presences and he doesn’t care what they think they want or need, Alec isn’t letting a single other person take up another minute of Magnus’ night.

“Oh, I think he’ll be interested in this.”

Alec looks up at the smug, arrogant voice and blinks, staring at the group of three nephilim in front of him. The male looks vaguely familiar considering shadowhunter lines but the dark haired girl is the one Alec can practically taste a connection with.  One of his very sideways nephilim relations then, he thinks with a scowl. The blonde is dangling a very familiar necklace and Alec blinks at it, honestly astonished and fairly furious at the sheer audacity.

Alec knows that his magic is spiking and he doesn’t care.

The shadowworld is in turmoil and Alec keeps a low profile for his own safety and that of Magnus and Tessa’s. That does not mean he is interested in playing little mind games with baby nephilim who don’t even consider the shit they’re trying to pull.  Alec is the first line of defense when it comes to Magnus and the sanctity of their home. If Alec didn’t make sure Magnus wasn’t inundated with requests, he’d never get a moment alone with him. It’s possible that Alec is only have such a bad reaction because he hates Camille so fiercely, but the fact that after all this time, pieces of her and Magnus’ toxic friendship keep showing up, irks him.

“Alexander, is something wrong?” Magnus calls from the couch, looking as cool and composed as usual, his normal entourage respectfully attending him but never quite touching Magnus with anything other than admiration.

Alec’s normal temper is even and cool but when it crests, there is nothing to stop the cold storm of his wrath. Magnus’ eyes widen as his breath mists and he rises, shooing away his retainers as he steps down and closer to Alec who gives him a scowl and crosses his arms.

“What is wrong.” Magnus says, because he won’t ask the same question twice and Alec doesn’t huff, he won’t give the nephilim the satisfaction of a divided front.

“These nephilim are hoping to bribe their way into an appointment with you.” Alec murmurs, his voice as soft and deep as the moan of winter wind being strangled by the trees. I found their methods crude enough; it was the bribe itself that is the problem.” And then, because they haven’t been bonded for years for Alec not to know exactly how to push Magnus’ buttons, he summons a portal and sends Magnus a toothy, barely feral smile and says, “have fun.”

—

Magnus stares at where his darling has disappeared and turns, staring at the three nephilim who have upset his boy. He’s about to demand an answer when he realizes several things at once. The necklace Magnus once gave Camille as a sign of their friendship is being held in the air. Magnus feels his breath leave his lungs and then it reignites with fury.

“Why did you bring that?” Magnus asks, voice sharp, because he is not going to meet with these nephilim for a mere trifle of a poisonous friendship.

“Oh please—” blondie scoffs, “everyone knows that you’ve been trying to get this back ever since you and your lover broke up.”

“My lover?” Magnus asks, because he’s gone to great lengths to protect Alexander’s place in his life from prying clave and nephilim noses. But never with the intention that another might be named as his paramour instead of his bonded partner. That alone would be enough to ignite Magnus’ own fury, but for it to be Camille, this is so much worse. Magnus would make that clear, but he has more important things to be doing, like checking in on the man he loves. “If you want to make an appointment, bring something worth my while.” Magnus scoffs and he summons a portal, about to step through it when a pressure against his personal wards and a small cry of pain make him turn.

“Do not grab warlocks without permission.” Magnus snarls and he thinks the burns on her palms a well-paid price for her audacity. “Make an actual appointment, if you desire my attention.”

Magnus portals to their lair and focuses for a moment, trying to pinpoint where exactly Alexander went. Not to Tessa and not to Ragnor — who loves to bitch about Camille with Magnus’ boy — and, ah.

Magnus blinks as rage resettles into his system and the portal he makes shatters wards as he steps through into the unseelie realm that Alexander so rarely goes without him.  It’s a concession and only given because Magnus can never be sure when the wild magicks that rest under Alexander’s skin will awaken and drag him off onto another wild hunt.

“Beloved—” Magnus croons when he sees his boy and he bites back the rage at seeing Alexander curled up with others.  Alexander never minds others touching Magnus the same way Magnus minds others touching his Alexander. Partially, because of how Alexander was raised, and partially because Magnus knows that the unseelie hate that Magnus claimed Alexander as his own. That they have never forgotten and never forgiven that Magnus was part of the reason the Spiral Labyrinth claimed Alexander at all.

Alexander pouts up at him, eyes glossy from whatever he’s inhaled since coming here and Magnus hisses, not having expected whatever it is to kick in so quickly.

“Come home with me?��� Magnus asks gently, not yet approaching because there are several viciously smug unseelies smirking at him.

“No.” Alexander says, tone sulking as he turns and presses his face to the bare shoulder of an unseelie guard.  Magnus wants to rip away the skin that is daring to touch his boy, but he doesn’t. This is something he has to allow no matter how furious it makes him.

-

there is a lot of backstory that i'll have to write into notes for this lmfao

alec isn't quite a warlock, he's not actually an unseelie but he's no longer nephilim as he should be. also if you're wondering about the timeline. uh, no one knows when alec was born or where he's from. faerie rings don't work in the same magic and time as the rest of the world. he's been Arawn's kid for a couple centuries at this point

#lumine writes #writing wednesday #writing wednesdays #magnus bane #alec lightwood #malec #shadowhunters #tethers of fate

[presidentofthelipglossclub]

i think heatwave’s favorite member of team prime is ultra magnus. and i know that the way i post might make it seem like he would prefer wheeljack or something but no, he is absolutely sold on ultra magnus and getting his approval. the sole reason for this is because ultra magnus actually has like a real job and has real work experience and parameters. heatwave might be chaotic but he does respect authority figures (to an extent). magnus is strong as hell and has very precise plans, even when it’s sometimes hard to puzzle out his goal, which heatwave respects the hell out of (hes the same). they’re both fiercely loyal, not necessarily to a specific sentiment but to a specific bot (optimus prime for both of them). also ultra magnus is in charge of a small but chaotic highly specialized team of bots and heatwave relates!! they have so much to talk about!! heatwave follows ultra magnus around with stars in his eyes bc look at his goddamn hammer thats so sick.

surprisingly, ultra magnus actually feels the same way. i mean his job description is “make sure these adults dont like light themselves on fire” so meeting a little dude who is just as crazy but actually responsible as well is SUCH a refreshing experience for him. like hes so used to weird guys that heatwave does not bother him at all but heatwave being a trained first responder with credentials and field experience is so soothing. he can hang out with this guy who is so similar to him but also a nice foil, bc heatwave may have a reputation for being impulsive but he still knows how to safely manage himself and others, and ultra magnus has a reputation for being very uptight but still participates in very dangerous activities. he just sort of accidentally becomes another father figure for him before he even realizes it. (optimus is SO jealous but doesnt want to say anything bc both of them are actually happy and comfortable for the first time in primus knows how long).

idk they both have similar personalities, they just express themselves differently. heatwave will do anything to get ultra magnus’ approval and mags will kill and die for heatwave. they deserve to have fun and meet people in different age ranges with similar world views and goals and thought processes!!

#one of the main things that got them started on bonding is their shared confusion over like social norms and expectations #ultra magnus clearly has no idea how to talk to anyone outside of a formal setting and heatwave cant talk to people period. #the rescue bots are all very confused about things that other bots seem to grasp fairly easily #some of the stuff they ask questions about are things that definitely existed on cybertron like pets or figurative language #same thing for ultra magnus #he doesnt understand friendship or going with the flow or doing things for fun #the rescue bots dont understand making their own choices or personal space or not sacrificing themselves #idk i think heatwave and ultra magnus would be a great duo #rescue bots #tfrb #transformers #transformers rescue bots #tfrb heatwave #transformers aligned #tfp #tranformers prime #tfp ultra magnus #ultra magnus #tf heatwave #tf ultra magnus

[umbraastaff]

(prev)

There's a lich in the umbrella. Barry's pretty sure of that.

He feels bad for them, whoever they are. But also, it's really not his problem. Having another lich running free would be neutral at best, and at worst would be another thorn in his side. Besides, they're clearly safe in there: Kravitz is apparently unaware of them, or may just be ignoring them in order to better flirt with the elf.

Maybe Barry could cozy up to those three, too, and then Kravitz wouldn't bother him anymore. But that's not really his style, is it? He's not good at making friends, forming connections. People with friends don't turn themselves into liches.

Well, anyway. Kravitz is out of his way for now, and he's going to make the most of it. When the trio breaks out of Refuge's frozen bubble, he's ready. And sure enough, like they always do when they go on one of these little excursions together, they've come out carrying a powerful artifact.

Magnus gasps when Barry reveals himself, then stands in a defensive position. "Guys!" He hisses. "It's one of the Red Robes!"

"Yeah, it's, uh, definitely a robe that is red," Barry says. "Never joined a team about it, though. I did think we were on a team, sort of, back when I helped you with the blood and the map and everything, but I guess that wasn't enough to be worth your heroism."

"...Barry Bluejeans?" Taako realizes, incredulous. Oh, so they do remember that, at least. He always thought his name was pretty distinct.

"Um, we did save your life!" Merle adds, annoyed.

"And then left me to burn!" Sparks crackle across Barry's form, making all three of them step back warily. "Not that you give a shit-- Me and that halfling and hundreds of others who didn't happen to have their souls dragged back from the brink--"

Magnus says, "We-- we didn't want--"

"Enough!" They're all flung back, exposing the cup. That has to be it; he can feel it, and they're all scrambling to get back to it like they know--

He scoops up the artifact, and time freezes around him. That's good-- he gathered from the boys' discussion before they entered the bubble, from snippets between the static, that it might be related to time.

I can help you erase your worst mistakes, comes the voice snaking into his head.

"Oh, good," he says. "I mean, I don't need-- that. Probably. But if you can do that, then it means you can see my past in the first place. That right?"

The scene around him changes-- flashes of his childhood, of his mother. Then forward, to studying in school, to college. Static slowly overtakes more and more of the memory until they're submerged in it, a complete wash of nothing.

"What is this?" he asks, even though he's pretty sure he already knows.

There are large pieces missing from your history. If you can't remember something, can't regret it, then I can't alter it. 

"That's some shitty divination."

Yeah, well, time travel is more of a conjuration-transmutation thing.

"Okay, well, can-- Can you show me anything useful? Can you show me when I became a lich?"

Again, it shows him only what he remembers: through the haze of static, he sits and reads and reads and reads. He talks to other masses of static that are just as likely to be coworkers as they are walls. No hint of where he was. No hint of why.

He really thought this was going to be the answer.

"Fuck!" What kind of idiot rips their soul out and does it so badly their memory gets fucked up? What kind of idiot rips their soul out? He's not a leader, and he's not smart enough to know anything aside from how much he really shouldn't be a leader, so what the hell did Barry Bluejeans ever think he was gonna do with power?

We could undo it, says the cup. Maybe. To be completely honest, I don't know how well I could anchor a timeline in a memory like this, but we could at least try--

"What, and then I get blasted to hell in Phandalin? Look, I'm not a fan of being in this state, but I wasn't exactly ready to die."

It flicks forward through more of his memories. He turns the cup over in his hands, tapping its sides, examining the enchantment.

Well, what about Phandalin? You could avoid dying!

"Right. Uh, it's a pain, but not a big enough pain to, y'know, put a whole diverged timeline on my conscience."

You could save everyone else!

That makes him pause.

"No, I don't think I could," he says finally. "I mean-- I was there. I did try. I'm literally one guy, and that dwarf blew up a town."

It keeps flicking through his memories. "Having trouble?"

The thing is, aside from the death Phandalin sprung on him, Barry Bluejeans has not led a very exciting life. He's done very few things of note, at least that he can remember. His parents both passed away in ways that he'd never have been able to prevent, and nobody else has ever been all that close to him. It's kind of hard to have huge, life-changing regrets when you haven't ever done shit.

The artifact in his hands is starting to shake, he realizes. And glow. That seems bad.

I've had my every offer rejected. How are all of you so stubborn?

The bindings of the artificing are coming loose. Whatever held this thing together, it clearly doesn't react well with getting rejected.

And they're going to take me and destroy me, put me on a shelf, it doesn't matter. I'll never be what I was again. But if nobody uses me, then I can't be what I am now, either! Its voice sounds different in his head, now: less of a "voice echoing from speaking into a cup" and more like a "myriad of voices speaking in chorus."

Barry considers tossing this thing before it explodes in his hands. He's not totally sure if it'll work, though, and he's not really into the idea of leaving it to explode on all these frozen people.

"Well-- hey-- If you can be something else-- Can you be something that actually can do good divination? 'Cause I'd for sure use that."

It's hot in his hands. You would? Yes-- Yes! You can reshape me. You can use me. I can be so much more than just this!

"Great! Great, I'm just gonna get us the hell outta here before you forget how to freeze time, 'cause, uh, I don't want to get into an actual fight with a wizard." And he prepares to teleport them away, back to his warded lair.

So maybe Barry Bluejeans does have some use for power.

#taz balance #the adventure zone #the eleventh hour #barry bluejeans #taz fanfic #mine #writes #balance #barry #au #happy ''barnes and noble please deliver my copy of eleventh hour'' wednesday

[lets-try-some-writing]

It's that year of time, so Imagene Optimus rolling into base light up like a freaking chirstmas tree after falling asleep at a truck stop or something.

How he suppose to transform with all theses lights going all over his frame???

I didn't know that people randomly decorated each other's trucks, but I can still see this happening. Prime is such a workaholic, he likely would just straight up pass out at a truck stop after a particularly draining patrol. Hopefully some Christmas cheer can lighten him up a bit!

🎵Oh Christmas Prime, Oh Christmas Prime🎵

The Autobots have known about the holiday called Christmas for quite some time. However they have never had an reason to celebrate it... that is until the children came into their lives and Optimus ended up rolling into base far more "cheery" than expected.

He had accidentally fallen into recharge while undercover at a truck stop looking for Decepticon activity. It had been somewhat late at night when he woke again and felt many very drunk looking human males climbing all over him putting... some sort of wiring on him?

Not wanting to scare the humans or blow his cover, Optimus remained still, watching and waiting to see just what in the pits they were doing. Eventually the human males hopped off and promptly passed out on the sidewalk, completely intoxicated. Optimus could feel the wiring they put on him, but as there was little he could do about it in the middle of the open, he opted to return to base. However as soon as he hit the road, Optimus realized just what the wiring was.

Lights. He was positively covered in multicolored lights, all of which were glowing, powered by a battery on Optimus's trailer.

When he arrived at base the very first thing he was greeted with was uproarious laughter from Miko, Bulkhead, and Wheeljack. The rest of the team were more confused than anything else as the lights were something they had learned were usually only found on houses or trees during the Christmas season. Ratchet tried to untangle the mess of lights, but the humans were rather good about wrapping it around ever cog and crevasse in Optimus's frame. Bumblebee and Smokescreen tried cutting off some of the lights with their blades, but there were simply too many lights to effectively remove them. Not knowing what else to do, Optimus decided to attempt to transform and maybe tear the lights off.

It was a bad idea.

The children fell to the floor clutching their stomachs in laughter as Optimus managed to transform and promptly tangle himself up in all the tights even more than before. Stuck looking like a contortionist on the ground with lights woven in-between his limbs, plating, and even his tires, Optimus could do nothing unless he wanted to risk harming his sensitive inner wiring.

The team tried, they really did try to get all the lights off him. But for all their efforts they were simply too large to get all the tiny little lights out of Optimus's frame. And so until a better solution was devised, Optimus was stuck looking like a glowstick of red, green, and gold. The children of course, capitalized on Optimus's predicament and decided that making him into a proper Christmas tree was the only correct choice of action.

They requisitioned Bulkhead and Ultra Magnus and had them move Optimus up against the wall so that he wouldn't be as uncomfortable in his pretzel like position. They then started methodically putting little Christmas ornaments all over his frame. Miko made a makeshift wreath and put it around him neck, Jack covered him in ribbons, and Rafael put a golden star on Optimus's helm.

It didn't end there. Optimus soon had his plating painted to look more festive, snowflakes, glitter, and other Christmas related things covering every visible part of his armor. Miko also put a little Santa hat on his final, much to Optimus's agitation.

Optimus was not fond of being made into a living lightshow, but he relented and allowed the children to do as they wished since there was nothing better for him to do anyway. The kids had a blast dressing him up and the team were a bit distracted watching Optimus's Christmas transformation to work on a way to get the lights off.

After a while they got Fowler to get a team of experts in to get all the lights off, but not before the children got a picture or two with the visibly unhappy Prime.

Extra

Optimus: I am not doing this again

The kids: Please! Just this once!

Optimus: ...Fine, just this once

The kids: Smile~

Optimus:

#transformers shenanigans #maccadam #transformers prime #transformers #tfp optimus #tfp kids #christmas prime #hehe christmas prime #I can see the kids changing the whole song just because #optimus prime

[studentinpursuitofclouds]

Hi! So you know how In the crimson badlands there are fallen warriors who are dead but attack you , can you write how those who go to/ are familiar with the crimson badlands would react to seeing the farmer, a close friend of theirs, as one of the fallen possessed warriors ? ( I’m referring to Alesia, Camilla, Jadu, Lance, Issac, Magnus, and anyone else related that I didn’t think of)

Dear God! Anon, this ask is sheer pain and suffering!... You son of a bitch, I'm in. And If I am destined to suffer from writing this headcanon, then I will drag everyone who wants to read it to the bottom with me. Suffer! Ahahahahahaha!

Anyway, enjoy and thanks for asking 😊

(PS: of course, I refuse to believe in this scenario, and my Farmer was on the verge of death in my story, but they are all good, fluff, puppies and nothing bad at all).

⚠️ Warning: angst, mention of deaths, blood and corpses.

_________________________________________

Isaac:

He knew that he shouldn't get attached to this stupid and annoying upstart from Stardew Valley. To this little dumb pup, always smiling, always trying to help everyone, always covered in mud and grass, to this... This... Damn it. Isaac's insides screamed that he shouldn't get attached to the Farmer. But he did not listen to his inner voice. And from that, the realization of loss hurt the heart more painfully than a knife. Maybe on the face, Isaac will keep his negligence, and even say a not too kind word towards the fallen Farmer, who, because of their stupidity, became another lost soul. But some of his close colleagues know that he is filled with grief and sadness. He lost too many people he could call friends... All the tears in the world won't be enough for every person Isaac has lost. But why did Farmer's death hurt so much more?...

Magnus:

When Magnus learned from colleagues about the fate of the recently missing Farmer, he cursed the day Camilla decided to show the Farmer this Yoba forgotten place. Even though they were gifted youth, they were still youth! Magnus yelled at Camilla for a very long time, accusing her of being partially responsible for their death... No, not death - even worse. After all, their friend, a young adept who gave hope, must wander in the form of a walking dead along with other damned. It will hurt him more if the Farmer was also his partner... Then Magnus is unlikely to forgive Camilla.

Lance:

Of course, Lance agreed to another patrol along with the other adventurers in the Crimson Baldlans, as they needed magical support. Of course he didn't lose his temper fighting the damned mummies and serpents. Of course, his hand didn’t waver as he struck down the fallen adventurer with his sword, a walking corpse that had already warped due to dark magic. Of course, he had already prepared his sword when another walking dead appeared among them, ready to attack. Of course he... what? No... This is... can't be... For the first time in his life, Lance was momentarily paralyzed. His friend, his ally, his... object of sighs?... stood in front of Lance, trying to get the words out. They spoke indistinctly, but Lance could recognize two words: "Sorry.... Run...." That's all they said before inflicting a serious wound on the pink-haired adventurer, which almost became fatal for Lance. While his colleagues were distracting, Lance managed to cast a teleportation spell for them all, and they immediately found themselves in Castle Village. Lance's colleagues immediately began to help him stop the bleeding and look for a healer, but he still couldn't get their face, their friend out of his head... Lance closed his eyes, hoping it was just a nightmare.

Marlon:

Marlon heard something fall and crack in his and Gil's room. He went to check and saw that there was a broken photo frame on the floor. Marlon picked it up, dropping the pieces, and looked at it for half a minute. It was a photo of him with Gil and the Farmer in front of their Adventurer's Guild that they recently took as a memento. Marlon usually did not believe in omens, but for some reason some bad feeling gurgled inside him. Unfortunately, his fears were confirmed by Alesia, who entered the Guild in the evening with bad news. Both Marlon and Gil were in complete shock, still not moving away from the realization that their next close friend fell victim to the damned desert. Old adventurer couldn't sleep tonight, and already wanted to get drunk to drown out the pain of loss. Gil didn't let him do it, trying not to leave his old one-eyed friend alone with grief.

Camilla:

It was quite rare when you could find Camilla out of sorts, but today was exactly that day. After an important meeting hosted by the Ministry of Magic, Camilla left conference hall irritated, not even bothering to joke in her usual manner. She refused to talk to anyone who wanted to ask her about something, and didn't even react to the strange tingling in her body, referring to this spoiled irritation. But suddenly, anxiety paralyzed her. She turned pale as a corpse, for Camilla felt the inception of some very strong dark magic. Stronger than even the energy from Apophis. Casting a protective spell on herself, Camilla moved from the cozy tower to the very heart of the Crimson Baldlans in an instant. The place where she felt this energy. And she gasped in horror. A living dead man was walking sideways nearby. Fallen warriors in these sands are already quite common, but it was a completely fresh corpse, the blood did not even have time to dry. And Camilla saw the corpse's face... Yoba, that tingle she felt earlier... She always felt the Farmer in the Crimson Baldlans, and always had time to save them if they were on the verge of death. But due to her irritation, malice and negligence at this very moment, she lost a friend and a budding mage warrior. She needs to make every effort now to stop a new threat that has not yet arisen. The Farmer was indeed very gifted in magic, such an uncontrolled flow of energy could even surpass even Camilla's with proper training. But this is not meant to be. Now Camilla can only stop the Farmer's torment and hope that they, up there, will be able to forgive her...

Alesia:

The day for Alesia was the same as the previous days: patrolling the walls of Castle Village, training recruits, and controlling monsters if there were too many near the main gates of the village. And so it was until a strange figure appeared not far from the walls. Alesia saw floods like those of fallen mummies, and realizing that this man was not alive, she fired an arrow from her bow to end the suffering of another lost soul. Only the arrow bounced off them like a spring. Alesia considered that she had missed, and more focusedly released another one. Still nothing. Looking closer with binoculars, she saw that this creature surrounded the barrier. But what struck her more was the face of this already dead man. With ugly scars and blood all over... But still recognizable. The Farmer, her dear friend... This desert spares no one. And although Alesia's heart broke from the loss, she did not lose her composure and immediately went to report to Camilla about the impending threat. For the Farmer was an unusual walking dead, with magic still preserved in their body, which could harm even more people, or even make a breach in the village's barrier.

#stardew valley #sdv #sve #stardew valley expanded #sdv farmer #sve lance #sdv wizard #sdv rasmodius #sve magnus #sve camilla #sve alesia #sve isaac #sdv marlon #sdv gil #sve headcanons

[flo-nelja]

mind control

I get this one often, because people love me <3 also while it changes the two first are always the same.

Xavier/Magneto (X-men)

I have read fics with consensual mind control for them that were extremely formative. I also read fics with noncon mind control, though in general they were gen. The last one has happened in canon a few times, though it was often more complicated than that. It's never easy. But damn it works so well for well and there are so many possibilities

2. John/Scorpius (Farscape)

Nothing beat the horror of John realizing how the mental chip was influencing him, slowly, then too fast. And it was hot too.

3. Doctor/Master (Doctor Who)

With a Shalka image, because with the Master living in a robot body and unable to leave the TARDIS, there's at least an element of this, but there is potential in both directions and it would be so creepy and this show already has so many mind control plots. I think it might work.

4. Eden/Mohinder (Heroes)

I used to ship this really hard when I started watching Heroes, and the mind control was canon, and it had unrealized potential. So I spent quite a bit of time looking for fics. ^^

5. Christabel/Geraldine (Coleridge)

Discovered this ship in a Locked Tomb related accident, and damn, the canon mind control and creepy homoeroticism was everything.

6. Horatio/Lin (Horatio Lyle)

The fact that Horatio has trauma about Tseiqin mind control makes the possibility of this - for plot reasons of for sexy reasons - even more delightful.

7. Jon/Martin (The Magnus Archives)

The universe is good for this, and I've read so many good fics for this, from canon-typical use of compulsion to Web!Martin AU...

8. Sistah Spooky/Mindf**k (Empowered)

In canon Hannah is too much of a good person to brainwash anything but herself (and it's creepy enough), but she did some invasive-things-you-can-safeword-from in Theresa's mind anyway, and there would be so many possibilities, if the writer had not evilly made them fail to resurrect Hannah.

9. Knives/Legato (Trigun)

It happened once and of course the power dynamics totally go in the opposite direction, but still, it has fanfic potential.

10. The Gentleman with the Thistledown Hair/Stephen Black (Jonathan Strange and Mister Norrell)

Yes, still here for the creepiest aspects of fairy magic!

#mind control #meme replies #xavier x magneto #knives x legato #gentleman x stephen #sistah spooky x mindf**k #doctor x master #eden x mohinder #horatio x lin zi #scorpius x john #christabel x geraldine #jon x martin

[ember920]

the Dark and the Desolation both have religious cults.

They have links to each other in that respect. It does make me wonder, do their avatars work together? The Desolation has ties to the Stranger. Jude Perry and Nikola Orsinov worked together before (In case of Sebastian Skinner). The Desolation is all for teamwork, but would the Dark be?

It also draws up the question of how the cults work in relation to the avatars. Is it possible for an avatar of the Dark to be created with no idea the Church of the Divine Host even exists? Would they feel pressured to join? What if the cult had a member who for some reason didn’t become an avatar (maybe they had too many ties to another entity to become fully realized)? Would they get killed/casted out?

We only ever see the Desolation really active in statements, Jude Perry is the only scary Desolation avatar Jon meets. We know some of how that cult works, with Arthur Nolan being challenged and ultimately replaced by another member. Agnes is already dead by the time TMA starts. This all gives the Desolation an almost passive role in the series. We don’t learn much about what they’re like in modern day.

All this also makes me think (along with the Dark’s opposition to the Eye and the Desolation’s antagonism towards the Web) that the Forever Blind and the Lightless Flame will be having a main role in the Magnus Protocols.

The original series had two or three main entities. The Eye (obviously), and the Web. You could also argue that the Lonely had a substantial role.

The Magnus Protocols I think will have three main entities. The Dark as the main one, the Desolation, and the Flesh. These three are united by their religious themes. While the Flesh doesn’t have an entire cult, it is implied to have ties to old Christianity.

Idk just a few thoughts sewed together

#the desolation #agnes montague #the magnus archives #the magnus protocol #the flesh #the lightless flame #tma spoilers #tma dark

[neoncat666]

hello i am insane about the suckening if you would like to theorize and talk about it with me 👍

yeah you could say im really normal over it. vague spoilers for ep 1 and 2 and more direct spoilers about ep 3

Mind you my knowledge of vtm is very limited due to the last time i even thought about it was years ago and i didn't even play it but oh my god they really got me researching on shit again and ive never wanted to see their character sheets sooo bad

i'm obviously a big fan of Arthur but like i remember when they first introduced shilo i genuinely thought it was a timeskip after emizel fuckin died and thats why they mentioned how similar they looked only to be shot out back with them outright saying theyre related and everyone has made that connection except shilo. theyre relationship facinates me so much cause they emphasize how "identical" they look so its not just a brotherly relationship but a twin relationship as well but also what the fuck lmao??? im excited to see where that goes

speaking of brothers what the fuck Arthur has (had he's probably dead now) a younger brother ??????? and on my second listen through I realize that Charlie explicitly mentions fire along with blood for the nightmare so somehow Arthur lost his younger brother that may or not be related to fire and blood and literally has nightmares every night. somehow for a loner Arthur has a weird amount of ties to other characters /j but like the fact all these characters have being seperated from their brother/family in common is kind of funny. but it also kind of brings into question on if this loss will affect arthur and how he treats the boys. he's made it clear that he's not going to actively stop them from doing stupid shit and getting hurt but he still tried to make sure that they weren't to be targeted during this supposed ambush that seems about to happen. he cares for the vampiric rules enough but also is actively fighting against vampires in general. like its easy to say he wants them alive since he's responsible for emizel and they're both the queen's sons but he's also said he doesn't care what happens to them so im curious and what he full motives are. like more of a meta thing but grizzly making sure he focuses more on the scent of an animal to feed from rather than a supernatural because emizel was right there was something. arthur says otherwise but he wants these two to stay alive whether so he can use them or not cause it seems that he has a group or even just a person who can help him if things get worse around here anyway but he doesn't just let it happen. i also wonder who this new person he's more focused on is cause it could be a few people and i wonder who the person he originally came for is too

also i keep saying arthur n deacon are toxic yaoi and when we met magnus i said that arthur now has doomed yaoi so good on him

#i could do a whole post on my thoughts about magnus and the slayers tbh #asks #adolin-is-best-boy #the suckening spoilers #the suckening #jrwi the suckening