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#and maybe tma once I finish the podcast
casual-socks · 4 months
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HI IVE BEEN MASSIVELY HYPERFIXATED ON TMA FOR ABOUT A YEAR AND IVE SEEN MAYBE ONE (1) SINGULAR PERSON TALK ABOUT THIS and i am not even kidding when i say its been a passionate topic of conversation for that entire year. people know me for this. it comes up and my entire friend group SIGHS AUDIBLY because they know the 20 minute tangent i Will be taking
WHATTTTT IS GOING ON WITH GERARD KEAYS NAME. what. what???? okay i
youre telling me jonathan sims went to oxford college (relatively prestigious if my memory serves me correctly) for RESEARCH. for, to put it simply, READING. and he looks at the name gerard and goes Yeah looks like jared to me lets go with that!!! HELLO?? NO?? not even mentioning the fact that he is being what could easily be called possesed when reading these statements which leaves us with two options
1. the ENTIRETY OF ENGLAND CANNOT PRONOUNCE THE NAME GERARD.
2. jonathan sims is so monumentally stupid that he is somehow breaking this possesion for the 2 seconds it takes to say the name gerard (i love him i swear i will sound so so hateful for this entire post but its out of love)
and like??? its not even that EVERYONE is calling him jared? elias and gertrude have both called him gerard and thats just off the top of my head. i also think jon said it correctly ONEEEE SINGULAR TIME. Just the once.
now i feel it necessary to mention jared hopworth here as well. because why, why on gods green earth, would you name a character gerard. pronounce it jared. TURN AROUND AND GO. lets make another jared but this ones made out of meat and is sort of implied to not be too fond of gay people. Yeah he steals peoples bones. Yeah.
SO LIKE GERARD KEAY IS THE OBJECTIVELY SUPERIOR JARED EXCEPT HES NOT JARED HIS NAME IS LITERALLY GERARD?? FUCK YOU SO MUCH
so okay. sure whatever this podcast is sooo british that a bunch of people are just completely failing to pronounce gerard. sure. whatever you say.
GERRY?????? HIS FUCKING NICKNAME IS GERRY???????????? NO!!!!
NO. no. LOOK ME IN MY EYES. LOOK AT THE NAME GERARD. GER-ARD. AND YOURE TELLING ME YOURE GONNA CALL HIM JARED. SND THEN YOURE GONNA CALL HIM GERRY WITH A G???? gerry with a g. that is utterly ridiculous i cannot even believe this that is monumentally frustrating i cannot even begin to describe to you all the anger i have experienced over this particular bit because why on earth would you take that particular extra step??? gerard -> gerry. sure. thin ice, but sure. jared -> jerry. sure! yeah! makes sense! GERARD -> JARED -> GERRY? you must be playing some sick joke jonny sims. seriously. you are a cruel and usual man
now this is when i start to wind down, but far from where i finish. lets take a moment to really pause and soak in his actual name here.
gerard.
that is so unfortunate already i mean really, gerard is such a…. a name…. i mean his mom skins people and puts them in books and the cruelest thing i think she ever couldve done is honest to god name her son gerard.
keay.
now dont get me wrong. theres nothing seriously wrong with spelling it keay on principle. but god, really? youre gonna shove all this gerard gerry jared business in front of me and tell me his last name is just key but gone the extra mile. really feels like the cherry on top of a shit cake.
now if you consider gerards character i truly feel as though thats the deepest disservice here. gerard keay is an incredible character whos short appearance is so memorable and charming, and despite his VERY little screen time he still has an intriguing and well fleshed out character. really, gerard keay is so excellent character wise. But, every time i think about him for any more than 5 minutes, almost this exact rant is being told to whoever is unfortunate enough to be near me at the time.
another thing i think also really adds to this is just the nature of gerard keay. everything you can say about that guy could be ended with “and everone calls him jared for some reason”. hes emo and everyone calls him jared for some reason. his hair dye job is so miserable that EVERYONE mentions it and everyone calls him jared for some reason. he has mommy issues and everyone calls him jared for some reason.
okay i need to wrap this up before i start just repeating WHY WHY WHY WHY WHY for thousands of words but heres a graph i made for my friends in october 2022 when i was going on about this in the middle of my spanish class 👍👍
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So, I’m finally finishing King Falls AM and I want to throw my two cents in. So to clarify I really don’t know what all happened in the fan bases I’ve seen some accounts but because I got into KFAM late after it was already dead I didn’t really look to far into it after satisfying my curiosity of why what seemed like a fairly popular but problematic show would just end like that. So these are my thoughts after basically finishing the series.
One I do see the problems, I see where people would get upset and honestly had every right to get upset. I do feel like with maybe with some professional behaviors (taking criticism, work shopping the story after hearing out the fans) from certain people, I think they could have turned it around but that’s not on me to say maybe if I had listened to this as it was coming out and not already fully aware of it reputation I would have fell differently.
Two I do really like the dynamic between the four main characters in the story, I can see aspects of my friends and myself in their relationships and struggles. The fact that the fans the people who were there from the start, people who helped fund the podcast never get a canonical ending is terrible. The way that the whole thing ended (fans fighting each other, a certain someone being an asshole) is terrible and y’all deserved better than that even if the media had its problems. It also does feel like they, or at least some of them, tried to turn a new page on how they were presenting the podcast but again I really don’t know.
And because there’s never going to be an ending here is a mix of my head cannon and theories.
• Merv is connected to all the supernatural stuff in town, if Merv is a real person. No person would sink so much money into a small radio station and its employees. Literally the station got blown up, there was an attack campaign against the hosts.
• The station itself has some reason to exist. I grew up in a small town about the size that they make King Falls out to be. There's literally no reason that they’d have their own radio station and its own tv station.
• The Void is an alternate dimension, the shadow maker is an ultra-terrestrial kind of like the fears from TMA
Here are the head cannons.
• They get Jack out of the Void and the terrible loss that they keep mentioning is the supernatural, it sounds like the rest of the world isn’t overrun by the supernatural. I think the Devil’s Door Step is what causes all the supernatural things that happen.
• The Sammy and Ben Show continues with Jack, Lily and Emily all being regular guests along with the other regulars from town.
• Lily continues her show, and Jack becomes the producer.
• Ben and Emily live right next door to Sammy and Jack. Somehow rumor has it that the original owners of the homes got a very huge mysterious offer for them to move so that the houses could go up on the market. The details of the houses end up in the Stations mailbox, Ben has some ideas of who it was but the rest of them convinced him to just this once let it be a mystery.
• Ben along with Sammy, Emily and Jack when they have time are looking into getting their supernatural back or at least Kingsy, mostly because Ron Misses her.
Like I said I get why some people had real problems with this show, and that’s perfectly valid. Honestly other then the slight disappointment that there will never be a real ending to the story, I’m glad that people, fans and creators, were able to remove themselves from a toxic environment and I wish everyone, except the instigators of the toxic environment, the best and hope that this won’t be the end of peoples experience with podcasts.
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fridayyy-13th · 6 months
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for the honesty hour, what got u into tma?
okay okay SO. sort of a long story, buckle up. this tale actually technically starts a couple years before i even listened to the podcast; it's not really a necessary part of the story but i think it gives some neat extra context.
so back in 2018, i was getting into horror for the first time, particularly psychological horror (i still can't really deal with slashers or gore or anything, so psychological horror is my spooks of choice lol). and in the art class i was taking, one of my desk neighbors would give me recommendations. they had recommended Doki Doki Literature Club to me, and i'd loved it! so when they recommended me a podcast called The Magnus Archives, i went home and checked it out...by poking around on the wiki for a little bit to suss out the kinds of spooks it entailed. poking it with a long stick to see if it would bite me, as it were. i read through the wiki synopsis for a random episode (which was MAG 034 - Anatomy Class), decided it was too scary for me, didn't listen to it, and subsequently completely forgot about the entire thing.
jump forward to 2021, i once again had a vague awareness of Magnus due to following some artists for fandoms like Hermitcraft and YTTD who also made art for TMA. at this point it was kinda just in my periphery? i hadn't really given listening a second thought yet.
...and then in December i got covid for the first time, totally smacking down all plans of going out to do stuff or visiting friends.
so like, i had absolutely nothing to do for the holidays. i mean, i'd started playing Deltarune chapter 2, so i had that going for me, but that was it. i was bored outta my mind. and then one evening, i was scrolling aimlessly through tumblr at like 12 in the morning when a piece of jmart fanart caught my eye. i wound up searching the TMA tag, and after watching @/faerie--kei's fantastic Home PMV, i was Deeply Intrigued and Very Curious. the next morning i decided to start listening, and the subsequent two weeks absolutely rewired my brain.
and yknow how i mentioned that back in 2018 i had been told about this podcast, but didn't pick it up til three years later? the entire first thirty-three episodes felt strangely familiar, and then i listened to MAG 034 and went "OH HEY WAIT I READ ABOUT THIS ONCE DIDN'T I." and then it became my favorite episode!! so it came full-circle; the episode that initially scared me off became one of the ones i love the most.
i actually think i finished MAG 200 on the evening of Christmas Day? so that was a nice little gift to end my holiday, lol. i remember sitting on my bed after 199 like "wow. this is it. and i know how it ends." (due to aforementioned PMV.) "but maybe it won't actually end that way??? One Can Only Hope :)" and then i listened to 200 and yeah. ouch. i have been insane about this podcast ever since.
so uh the short answer is "the throes of boredom caused by sickness." i'm actually re-listening to it currently, much more slowly, since it's been a couple years. it's just as good as the first time, maybe even moreso because now i don't just have a vague idea of where everything goes, i know exactly when and how things go downhill. fun times :D
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luxflora · 8 months
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i think after i get done with the tfes drop i'm gonna have to relisten to tma (already in progress, currently in very early s1) or malevolent or both. i also think im getting to where i could start a new podcast; i just need to bite the bullet and dive into space horror podcasts. or hfth or something maybe idk. i'm just REALLY in my feelings about malevolent tbh it's so. it's so good
specifically im thinking abt this bc tfes has a lot of like... "the power of love" stuff going on, along with "you were chosen for these powers by merit of your character," which... it's fine, it's just very kids' media, and Malevolent has a lot of not that, which I'm feeling drawn to. One of the best things about the admittedly very limited amount of TF comics that I've read was the framing of the Cybertronian government as incorrectibly corrupt and Megatron's war as... not entirely unjustified. I have a lot of turbulent feelings about that whole situation, but I bring it up because I find Transformers's usage of the "morality lock" fascinating, and the circumstances by which Optimus comes... I was going to say 'into possession of the Matrix,' but I suppose more it would be more correct to say the circumstances by which Optimus comes to be, I find fascinating as well.
I don't know. There's just something about inciting incidents that I'm feeling drawn to examine right now. I should relisten to MAG160. Also I want to hunt down and see if I can find... I've been assuming that the story of how Optimus came to be in IDW1 is available as a comic somewhere? And Rodimus as well, actually? Idk. I think I need to watch G1 for Rodimus maybe? I REALLY need to finish Cyberverse once I get done with TFES.
Also I really desperately want an at least partially Rodimus-centric animated show. Maybe I'll get lucky and later Cyberverse will have the Rodimus content I want. They at least have down the delightfully pretty design for him, which is very important to me. For all of the bots, but PARTICULARLY for Rodimus. Not to be ~that person~, but of all bots, Optimus Prime, speedsters, and seekers Need to be Pretty. I like for Megatron to be pretty also (I like ALL of them to be pretty, and Megatron and Ratchet are the two bots most allowed to be butt ugly, on account of being ancient curmudgeons and more preoccupied with practicality over form. Though depending on characterization, it could be argued that form would be a practical consideration for a Megatron utilizing higher amounts of charm/charisma.
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lyrebright · 2 years
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Got through a good chunk of TMA episodes yesterday while at work but didn't really have an opportunity to share my thoughts on them as they came because while my job is conducive to listening to podcasts while I work, it is adamantly not conducive to posting on Tumblr while doing so.
Got through...I think MAG014 to MAG026? So. Thoughts on that block of episodes below!
still not super fond of MAG014 now that I've like actually finished it but I will say that the spooky methodology was Fucking Metal. Getting mailed your body parts before you lose them? High concept art.
MAG015 was probably low-key one of my like...favourite "closed" statements? Since it's clear now that a decent chunk are connected...I don't think this one is (I am prepared to eat my words) but it WAS very visceral, to me. As someone who had to leave a mine tour once from having a panic attack at being in the dark and small underground, this one Got To Me.
My initial reaction to MAG016 was holy shit. Man does not like spiders. And that was about it. Knowing some more things retroactively has made me like. See it from a different angle but I still think my overall takeaway is Man Does Not Like Spiders!
MAG017 was a case of me being Fucking Confused.
I had to check the transcripts WHILE ON THE CLOCK just to make things make sense.
Why The FUCK are they pronouncing Jared and Gerard exactly the same way.
MAG017 was clearly a fucked up books episode! So when I heard the name Jehred, which is apparently how both Gerard and Jared are just Pronounced Across The Pond, I was like oh! Gerard is here! Fucked up books are his thing! But then it was a Jared and I was lost.
Anyway! Good episode I liked it. I think I like the fucked up book episodes. Still would love to know why they get Jon so heated when he is such an asshole about being a skeptic. I can only imagine he has a fucked up book backstory.
Maybe a fucked up book ate his dog?
MAG018: meat
this one made me queasy I didn't like it
MAG019/020! Wasn't expecting a two parter but I definitely liked what we got. It feeding back into a previous statement was really cool and the actual story itself was gripping. Did have me fairly tense though because of the religious stuff mostly I think? I Don't Like Fucking With Demons.
Everytime I went in to do another coat on the room I'd been painting while listening to those episodes I just kept thinking about demons so those are just bad vibes rooms now.
BUT ALSO I called it I KNEW those delivery guys would be coming back into it somewhere. I know worldbuilding when I see it.
Speaking of: I think I'm just deep enough in now to start getting a grasp on the world building of TMA. Like, in a general sense; that one church has been mentioned a few times, something something the lightless flame, that one house on. A hill. Recurring elements are showing. I See Them. I Am Noting Them Down.
I Am Petrified Of Heights. MAG021 Is A No Thank You.
MAG022 MADE ME :D!!!!!!
Another live statement! But this time it is Martin who I am glad to finally properly meet. He seems so sweet Jon why are you so mean to him.
Did Martin kill Jon's dog?
Poor Martin though oh my god
I still feel like I'm missing something re: Jane Prentiss because they're acting like I should know who she is but I SWEAR she didn't pop up before the uh, worm sex statement so I have simply resigned myself to bafflement.
Clearly we're ramping up the plot that exists outside of the statements and I am so excited. Poor Martin though for real. Get some therapy.
Jon gets one (1) point for letting Martin stay in the archives at the end.
(Also: there is something both really funny and really scary about the worm hive lady just. Using Martin's phone to pretend to be him so people didn't like. Call a wellness check or something)
MAG023 Was An Old Timey Episode And That's Literally All I Have To Say About It.
MAG024: I Do Not Like Clowns. Or Dolls. Or Puppets.
Fuck Everything To Do With This Episode, Basically.
Except for Jon and Sasha♡
Jon and Sasha: arguing over the correct pronunciation of calliope. Me, a vtuber fan: (filled with knowledge)
MAG025 was just an exercise in me staring at the skirting I was painting and going But How Are You Not Immediately Cluing In That She Joined A Cult.
This cult has shown up a few times now I think? At least once before, I remember the mention of the closed eye symbol. I'll be keeping an, uh, eye out for more mentions in the future.
MAG026 was where I knocked off for the day and man. Very good. I loved it.
Another Michael?? I SWEAR that I've heard of at least two other Mikes already
I guess I did go to highschool with like eight Sarahs, though.
A Sasha statement! I love her.
I've now "met" both Martin and Sasha. When Do I Get Tim.
Jon is SO much nicer to Sasha than he is to Martin so I can only presume he and Martin do have some sort of torrid past. I'm choosing to believe a primary school Jon slipped Martin a note saying "do you like me" that Martin then promptly threw away because it's the absolutely funniest option.
Sasha Sweetie Your Sense Of Self Preservation Is Fucked.
You do have the gumption of a horror movie final girl though and I admire that.
I can feel the plot building up around me and I am so excited for the final worm showdown, whenever it hits.
Torn between taking a break for a few days and just charging on ahead because I'm so curious as to what happens next, lmao.
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starlocked01 · 3 years
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So how do I write characters?
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virtulee · 3 years
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i know it’s been a little while since but i literally can’t process that tma ended??
i hear “was a podcast” and choose to ignore it <3
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danhoemei · 2 years
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9 books I intend to read in 2022
Tagged by @verycharismaticdragon thanks 💚
It’s already almost march so I guess I could list what I already finished ;d
1. Qi Ye (Lord Seventh) by Priest - ah the infamous prequel to TYK. I initially wanted to read it only to get to know Zhou Zishu’s past, but the more glimpses of Jing Beiyuan and Wu Xi I’ve seen in the fandom, the more I wanted to read it just for them. And oh boy did I enjoy. It wasn’t the easiest to read though, ngl. So Many Politics. And scheming. I love jby so much, what a mood. Anyway, I’m happy I read this novel for multiple reasons. And now I’m writing a xiyuan fic :’) help
Now, what’s on the list to go:
2. Reread Tian Ya Ke (Faraway Wanderers) by Priest - I planned to reread it for a long while, once I finish Qi Ye (I’ll do so after being done with that xiyuan fic). I’m so excited for it, to see the wenzhou disaster pair in a new light and catch all the details which I missed during my first read. But my other goal is to refresh the image of TYK characters before going back to my wenzhou fics and continuing a few WIPs which have been rotting in my folder :’)
3. Liu Yao: The Revitalization of Fuyao Sect by Priest - I’ve seen so much art and it looks incredibly fun, I simply cannot resist.
4. Zhen Hun (Guardian) by Priest - I want to get to know it, after seeing it around in the fandom. Quite a few things ticked off the checklist of my tastes 👀 
5. Qian Qiu (Thousand Autumns) by Meng Xi Shi - I don’t know if I need to say why it’s here. Just good stuff.
6. Of all the Transmigrations, why am I a Prisoner? by 1111 - I’ve seen nice art from nightjar-draws and ohohsomething which coax me 👀 
7. The Magnus Archives - not really a book as it’s a podcast, but I will probably follow a transcript and it’s only words, so ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ It’s been haunting me since I got pulled into wwdits and then made that one fatal post which blew up in TMA tumblr fandom. So I’m thinking of giving it a try out sometime this year, maybe when I need a change from danmei works.
8. A volume of poetry - still haven’t decided which one, I have a few at home which I read years ago or haven’t touched at all. I recently realised that although I’ve been writing stuff which could be considered poetry, I haven’t really Read (with Thoughts and some Analysis) any poetry since I finished school. So I wanna try reconnecting with that. Candidates from my shelves are: Wisława Szymborska, Leopold Staff, Czesław Miłosz.
9. Leaving space for whatever I’ll need to consume for the master’s thesis, most likely stuff on biometrics and maybe neural networks :’)
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Just wanna say, "intend [to read]" is a big word here, because that's quite a few titles, while I'm not only busy but also take long breaks between the series whenever I get inspired enough to produce some writing (that's exactly what happened after TYK last year and what's happening now after Qi Ye). So yeah, just listed a few titles high on my list, but not sure how many I'll manage to read. Still, excited for each if them!
Ayy dunno if you already did it or feel like doing it, free to ignore as always, @ashenwren @ohohsomething @nightjar-draws @cytharat @antique-forvalaka @theyilinglaozus @hedonistbyheart @domidoom @myshadowlovesfire @still-gathering-roses @miyakuli @a-very-fond-farewell 
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rosy-cheekx · 3 years
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Heard you were looking for prompts :) 1 of 2 - From favorite tropes: Blind date set up by mutual friends! And maybe combined with "I'm speechless you're so beautiful" from the fluff & kisses (and other stuff) prompts. Go wild with it!
This will go to AO3 soon, but it was a lot of fun to write and a nice distraction from any hypothetical realities the TMA fandom may be experiencing. 
Double-Blind: 5K
Martin smelled like espresso. He wrinkled his nose and dusted his hands on his apron uselessly, as if doing so would rid himself of the months of coffee, cinnamon, and hazelnut baked into his skin.  It wasn’t all that bad, he supposed, except what was the point in using cologne if it was going to be immediately overpowered?
The bell above the door jingled and Martin jumped, pulled from his thoughts on cologne and what he would like to smell like, given the opportunity. Sandalwood, maybe? Tobacco and vanilla? The musky-sweet smells are nice, they have a nice mix of feminine and masculine to them, almost—
“Ahem.” An exaggerated clearing of the throat, once again whisking him from his distractions. Martin locked eyes on the woman across the counter from him, grinning mischievously. “Welcome back to Earth, Martin.”
“Oh! Oh. It’s just you. Hi, Georgie.” Georgie Barker, a regular customer, moderately well-known podcast host, and most importantly, one of Martin’s favorite people to see at the tiny coffee shop he spent more time in than his own flat.
“Just me? Excuse me.” Georgie pouted and crossed her arms, coily hair bouncing around her face as she shook her head. “I’ll have you know you should be grateful to see me this fine afternoon, Martin Koffee Blackwood!”
Martin grinned and dropped the act. “I always am, Georgie. But I told you, there’s not a—”
“Like I said, you should be happy to see me.” Georgie barreled on. “I have good news.” She cocked her head and pondered the chalk-covered board behind the counter. “Two chai lattes, please. And make one of them extra spicy?”
Martin rang up the order and passed two cups down to Rosie, all the while checking the door surreptitiously, ensuring a little chat wouldn’t hold anyone up. “Okay? Spill.”
Georgie’s phone was in her hand, and she waved it at Martin like it contained the secrets of the universe. “D’you remember my roommate, Melanie?”
Martin nodded, pursing his lips. “Vaguely. I thought you guys were dating.” He raised his eyebrows, waiting for her to elaborate.
Georgie waved a hand dismissively, rolling her eyes. “Not the point. Anyways, she has a friend of a friend-“ Georgie frowned for a moment, “…of a friend who is looking to get back into dating. Mel says he’s short and nerdy and prickly until you get to know him. Apparently a real pain to work with according to the friend.” Georgie smirked and pulled a sticky note from her back pocket. “Thought maybe you’d want his number.”
Martin grimaced at the blue piece of paper as she smoothed it to the counter with a firm motion. “Wow, George. Really selling it.” It was his fault; they had bonded over being queer back in July when Martin had worn his gay and trans pride buttons and Georgie was proudly sporting her own pansexual patch firmly affixed to her laptop case. One lunch break discussing quirky exes later, their friendship had been sealed. Mentioning offhandedly that he was on dating apps and hating every minute of it seemed to have rooted itself in Georgie’s mind and had grown like weeds until she had taken it upon herself to become his personal wing woman.
“Do you even know his name?” Martin asked, regarding the string of numbers on the piece of paper in front of him.
Georgie blushed, shrugging apologetically. “Friend of a friend of a friend. Sorry mate. Melanie said he likes cats, documentaries, and-” she made air quotes with her fingers, “-being uptight.”
“Wow.” Martin chuckled in disbelief. “Really selling it here.”
Rosie sidled by Martin and set down Georgie’s lattes, who shrugged and picked them up after dropping a few coins in the tip jar. “You have his number. Just think about it, Blackwood. Melanie’s friend doesn’t spread the word about someone unless they’re something special.” She blew a kiss (clumsily, considering the cups requiring the attention of each of her hands) and made her way to the door.
“I just want you to be happy!” She called out as the January winds pulled her out the door and into the grey afternoon.
Martin chewed on his lip as he considered. January was always a tough month for him, and he had been feeling a little lonely recently. He really didn’t see anyone besides his coworkers, customers, and his mother. As much as he enjoyed his job, he wouldn’t call anyone there a romantic interest. He folded the sticky note and stuck it in his pocket as his next customer approached the counter. He did like cats, after all. Maybe that would be a good starting conversation.
--
Jonathan Sims groaned and shifted the stack of books in his hand as he inspected the knee-high table that was buried amongst the fiction books. He hated working the children’s section of the library. Although no food or drink was allowed, there always seemed to be crumbs everywhere. He was starting to wonder if children just manifested them. He made a mental note to come back with disinfectant wipes after putting the stack of child-suitable biographies away and turned, nearly walking straight into the chest of one Timothy Stoker.
“A-ah!” Jon jumped instinctively backward, clutching the books closer to his chest in an attempt to keep from dropping them. “Tim! Good lord, there’s really no need to be sneaking up on me like that.”
Tim grinned wryly and shrugged, taking half of the books from Jon’s arms. “Sorry boss, thought you heard me.” He gestured for Jon to lead the way through the half-sized bookshelves; an unnecessary act seeing as Tim worked the children’s library much more frequently than Jon did.
“I’m not your-” Jon sighed, deciding this wasn’t the hill he wanted to die on today. He made his way through the shelves, sliding books into their correct placements with practiced hands. “Do you need something?”
“Actually,” Tim checked a Dewey code and slid a book into a shelf a few rows down. “I don’t. But you do.”
Jon stared blankly, uncomprehending. Tim chuckled and gestured with a cock of his head towards the research section. “Melanie said she has a friend who has a friend she wants to set up on a date. And while normally, I’d jump at the chance-” he waved his left hand, the silver ring inset with tiny diamonds flashing in the fluorescents, “I’ve been wifed up and I don’t think my dear Sash would appreciate my going on a blind date with a stranger.”
Jon frowned, setting his stack of books down and eyeing Tim. “What, so I have to?”
Tim shook his head, a patient smile on his face. “No, no one is forcing you. I just think—well. It’s been a while since your last relationship and you’ve been a little…testy, recently.” The look on Tim’s face dared Jon to contradict. “Melanie says he’s apparently a really good guy, very kind and sweet and patient. I think his name is Melvin? I kinda tuned out after she wrote down the number she got from her friend.”
Jon scoffed, pushing his glasses up his face as if that would help him comprehend the absolute ridiculousness of what Tim was saying. “Y-You want me to go on a date with this guy, Melvin? Because I’ve been…grumpy? That doesn’t seem very kind to this mysterious date.”
Tim pursed his lips. “I just think you could benefit from seeing someone who doesn’t work here. I mean, we love you Jon, but god, you need to get a social life. I’m practically begging you.” Tim’s purse elongated into a pout, eyes going big and starry. Jon inwardly groaned. Tim was his oldest friend here at the library and he really never learned how to resist that face. Maybe he should ask Sasha.
“One date,” Jon promised. “I’ll do one date. And then you never set me up again.”
Tim grabbed the rest of the books Jon had set down and added them to his stack before whisking himself away down the aisles. “If we’re lucky, I’ll never have to!” He called down the aisles, grinning madly. Jon sighed and grabbed a small pink sticky note that had been stuck to the countertop, running his eyes over the numbers before slipping it into his pocket. He’ll call later.
--
Martin stared resolutely at the numbers on the blue sticky note, running his thumb over the curled edge of the paper, slightly stained from some sort of milk during the shift. Even his apron pockets weren’t foolproof. The underground was busy and he was jammed between an older woman who smelled weirdly like salmon and a man who seemed utterly too well-dressed to be on the tube. Elbows crammed into his side to keep from nudging anyone, he pulled out his phone and stared at the messaging app for what felt like several minutes. He typed the numbers into the message bar and watched his cursor blip in the body of the message.
Hey whats up?
No, that would be so weird.
Hiya, this is martin!
Georgie never said the man’s name, would this mysterious date know his?
Hey I think the alphabet is missing I and U together.
Gross. Just gross. Martin grimaced inwardly and chewed on his lip, thinking carefully before typing.
Hi! My name is martin. my friend gave me your number, hope thats okay. she said you were really nice and recommended we try a blind date. if this is too weird, I get ignoring it. but if youre game, I am! :)
As he finished typing, he heard the familiar robotic voice of the tube announcing his stop. Quickly, Martin shoved the phone in his pocket and carefully forced his way through the crowd and onto the platform, mind cast to what he had accessible for dinner.
----
It took Jon a few days, until Saturday, to remember to call the phone number they had been given. They could text, they supposed, but they always appreciated hearing someone’s intonation a little better. Especially a stranger, ugh, they shuddered at the idea of not being able to decipher the tone of this Melvin. It was half-past 11 when they decided to call, hoping this would be late enough in the morning to not wake him up.
The phone rang momentarily before a surprisingly feminine voice answered the phone. “Hello. This is Rosie. You’ve reached Swirl Café and Bakery.”
Well shit. This was not what Jon expected. They stumbled over their rehearsed speech, trying to scramble words together in a way that made sense. “Uh-sorry, I must have the wrong number. I-I was trying to speak to Melvin?”
“Mmm, sorry. No Melvin works here. We have a Martin, but he’s off the clock. Would you like to speak to our manager?” Rosie’s voice was clipped and courteous, but Jon could hear the bustle of voices in the background. It must be their weekend rush.
“Ah-uh, no, no thank you.” Jon shook their head into the phone, before remembering that did not translate aurally. “It’s alright. Thank you anyways.”
“Sorry, mate. Thanks for calling!” The dial tone droned on for a moment before Jon hung up, sighing and pressing the heels of their hands into their eyes. That was a waste. Melanie must have been playing them; Jon knew they generally didn’t get along, but they didn’t realize she would stoop so low. Honestly, shame on themself for getting excited about a date.
Later that evening, Jon was cooking and listening to music through the speaker that balanced precariously on a shelf next to their stove. The music was low, with a variety of orchestral instruments and sultry, smooth voices. Jon’s eyes were half closed as they stirred the curry in the pan in front of them, letting the music and heat of the kitchen entangle them in a sleepy feeling relaxing their whole body. As the cello in the song dipped low and resonant, Jon stood still, letting the music sweep them away—
They jumped as the ringer alerted them through the speaker that they had received a text, glaringly electronic compared to the rich notes of cello and viola that had been so rudely interrupted. Sleepy feeling gone as adrenaline washed through their body, Jon sighed and retrieved their phone, checking for the message.
An unknown number flicked across the screen:
Hi! my name is martin. my friend gave me your number, hope thats okay. she said you were really nice and recommended we try a blind date. if this is too weird, i get ignoring it. but if youre game, I am! :)
i meant to send this a few days ago but I never hit send. sorry ab that! rosie said someone called the café asking ab me and i assumed that was you bc i wasnt expecting anyone else and no one involved in the blind date thing ever asked for my mobile number.
if it wasn’t you, oops! either way it reminded me that i had never texted you. :)
Jon squinted at the screen as they read the messages a few times over. That was…a lot of words. So his name was Martin. It was certainly nicer than Melvin. Jon agonized over their words as they typed out a response.
Hello Martin. That was me who called the café…I hope it didn’t cause problems for you. Blind dates aren’t usually my thing, but my coworkers think I need to get out more. I’d be happy to meet you for dinner or coffee. Even if we don’t get along, we can say we’ve done it.
Unless, of course, you’re rather sick of coffee. I prefer tea anyways.
…not “done it” done it. Just. Had the blind date.
Jon winced at their follow up texts. God, that was embarrassing. Martin probably didn’t even take it that way until they bothered to clarify. They shook their head, warding away the growing anxiety in their chest and tucked their phone in their pocket as they turned their attention back to the simmering curry. Jon had embarrassed themselves enough for one night.
----
Martin chuckled at the texts that came through; one slow and the two follow-ups rapid. He could feel the awkwardness through the messages, desperately trying to give a good impression. He chuckled to himself as he set down his dinner plate.
dinner sounds perfect. but same about the tea! and about the coworkers tbh, my friends think im making friends with the espresso machine. which, i am, but only bc its good company haha.
btw i never got your name?
Martin’s phone was silent the rest of the night, as he plodded his way through a mediocre dinner and shower before settling into his armchair, desperate to work on his poetry. Words came slowly to him recently, thoughts about the world and darkness and the intersection of fall and winter. He really should up and move to somewhere warmer, he thought to himself, before laughing the notion away aloud. Yeah, right. He rolled his eyes and tried to focus on the poetry prompts book he had found at the charity shop. “Use noncolor words to describe a color.” Great. Martin settled back and tried to focus, but kept finding himself checking his phone impulsively, the foamed latte art he’d photographed, one of a cat he was particularly proud of, stared back at him judgmentally.
As he drew his evening to a close, Martin almost missed the buzz of his phone, now plugged in by his bed, as he brushed his teeth.
Congrats on the espresso machine. And my name is Jon. Anywhere you want to go for dinner?
________________________________________________________________
Jon hesitated, thumb hovering over the icon that would open a video chat with Tim. He didn’t want to come off nervous, but… he was.
Texting had been going well. Martin was good at keeping the conversation going and genuinely seemed to enjoy the long texts Jon had sent regarding his irritations with the research he was conducting as a part of his master’s in literature, asking him questions about details Jon had added for context. Martin was easy to talk to, too, he always seemed to have an opinion on subjects but always ones Jon was happy to hear, even if he was objectively wrong about spiders and oolong tea. Martin had sent an awkward text, letting Jon know he was trans and that if that was a dealbreaker he should tell him now, one Jon had blushed over and responded that he was nonbinary himself, and that it certainly wasn’t. The “okay fantastic! :))) remind me of your pronouns? he/him for me.” that followed it up had made Jon’s heart sing.
They had agreed to meet at an Italian place, equidistant between their flats and not too fancy. Martin had commented about getting ice cream after, but Jon wasn’t sure if he was joking or not, since it had also been a jab about Jon’s preference for rum raisin. Thus, he was staring at his wardrobe, paralyzed with indecision. Tim had offered to help, which Jon had initially rejected since he’s “not a child Tim, I’ve dated before. And I know how to dress myself.” But lord if he wasn’t wishing for someone to lay out his clothes and tell him to behave. He grimaced and jabbed the video chat button, bracing for the onslaught of teasing to come.
----
Martin adjusted his collar for what must have been the twelfth time, sucking on his lip as he waited at the reserved table. He hadn’t been there long, no more than five minutes, but his anxiety had been building up all day and a part of him was absolutely certain Jon wasn’t going to come. Neither of them knew what the other looked like; what if Jon saw him and had dipped out immediately? He was wearing mint green, as he had promised, so Jon would recognize him, and brought a bouquet of daisies, mostly because it felt weird not to bring anything, but he didn’t want to be too romantic. Not roses or anything. Besides, Jon said he liked daisies, said they reminded him of an old friend. Martin hoped it wasn’t too weird. He brushed his auburn curls out of the way of his eyes, part of him regretting not having gotten a haircut first, but he tucked those thoughts aside as he surveyed the restaurant from his vantage point.
He blinked in confusion as he watched long curls make their way towards him. Dark black hair, streaked with white, half bunned up in the back and rest left to hang loose, skimming purple-covered elbows. Martin wasn’t sure if they were wearing flowy grey pants or a skirt, but either way, the faint black pattern to them was stunning and Martin couldn’t help but watch the swoosh of the hemlines. As the person got closer, Martin realized they were tiny, stylized eyes.
“Ah-you’re Martin, right?” It took Martin a second to realize this absolutely beautiful person was talking to him.
“hmm—Oh! Yes! You must be Jon.” Martin stood, unsure whether he should shake Jon’s hand or hug him or? But Jon solved the problem himself by sitting, and so Martin did as well. “It’s nice to finally meet you…in person, that is,” he added, grinning shyly. “You look lovely, by the way.”
Jon blushed. “Ah, thank you. Y-You too. O-or handsome, whichever you prefer.” He sipped his water and fidgeted with his hands, eyes flicking around the room nervously before coming around to rest on Martin.
Martin shrugged. “A compliment is a compliment, they all work. Speaking of—what pronouns are you feeling today? I remember you saying it varies.”
Jon shook his head slightly. “I’m not going to pitch a fit either way, but ‘he’ is just fine.” It was nice to be asked. The library respected his pronouns, of course, but something about Martin going out of his way to make sure he was on the same page was… It made Jon’s heart thud deep in his chest.
They made small talk about the travel, the weather, Italian food preferences until the waiter came and relieved the tension. Martin felt his shoulders relax after they both ordered; it felt more real somehow.
“So,” Martin asked, sipping his water demurely, a smile tinged on his lips. “Melvin, huh?”
Jon choked on air for a moment. His mouth gaped open and shut again and Martin couldn’t help the grin overtook him. Jon’s embarrassment was sweet; his cheeks flushed and he bowed his head slightly. It was a lovely look on him. “For the record, that’s what I was told by my coworker, Tim.” Jon made air quotes with his fingers. “‘Melvin or something.’ Who was I to question your name?”
“Right, and I’m glad you respect names ‘n’ all. But Melvin?” Martin chuckled to himself, shaking his head. “I’m not the decimal system guy.”
“Nn-mmm,” Jon shook his head, nose wrinkled in a way Martin found particularly cute. “That’s Melville. Melville Dewey.” Jon emphasized, back straightening. “Distinctly different. I’m a librarian, actually.”
“Oh!” Martin blinked. “That makes sense. You work with Melanie, then, I assume?”
Jon grimaced again. “Unfortunately.”
“She’s not that bad!” Martin insisted. “I’ve met her once or twice and she’s been very polite.”
Jon rolled his eyes. “For someone who’s getting a degree in parapsychology, she seems very judgmental.”
“Oh? And what are you studying again?”
“English Lit-hey!”
Martin grinned behind his glass of water. “Just saying, I haven’t met an English Lit student who wasn’t obscenely pretentious.”
Jon faltered for a second and slumped his shoulders in defeat, though his voice still seemed to carry humor, albeit dry. “Unfortunately, I am no exception.”
“Well, I didn’t say I didn’t like it.”
Dinner arrived smoothly, shrimp scampi for Jon and eggplant parmesan for Martin. They ate slowly, chatting more about Jon’s graduate degree, Martin’s affinity for fiction and poetry, and their shared interest in tea.
“So, are you vegetarian?” Jon gestured to the eggplant on Martin’s plate. Martin wobbled his head slightly, not quite a negatory shake of the head.
“It’s complicated. My mother has—had—a sensitive stomach so we didn’t eat meat growing up. I think that turned me off the taste. And there’s something about the texture,” he shuddered. “Weirds me out.”
Jon’s eyes were sharp, boring holes into Martin’s in a way he should have found alarming, but instead found soothing. “Mine, too.” His tone—softer, almost reverent, clued Martin in: he wasn’t talking about being vegetarian.
Martin nodded, and gently placed a hand on Jon’s, the one that hovered near his drinking glass. “I’m sorry.”
They were quiet for a moment, Jon’s hand was small and warm under his, and Martin could feel a thin silver bracelet clinging to his wrist. Martin was amazed by how perfectly his fingers rested over Jon’s, how nice it must feel to hold hands with him on a walk or side by side against the world. Jon cleared his throat suddenly and reached for his glass, gulping down water while staring steadfastly at his plate.
Martin felt his own blush rise through his cheeks and pushed a stray noodle around his plate. “So, here’s a question,” he began, eager to clear the tension. “You said earlier your friend Tim gave you the number to Swirl, right? I don’t know a Tim. So how did he know me?”
Jon frowned, cocking his head. “Technically, I got the number from Tim but that was via Melanie. She said her roommate was friends with…well, friends with you.”
“Mmhmm, that makes sense. I know Georgie from the coffee shop.” He was about to continue when he saw absolutely paralyzed look on Jon’s face. “You…you alright?”
Jon was stock still, pausing the forkful of shrimp that was en route to his mouth. “Sorry, Melanie’s roommate is Georgie?”
Martin nodded slowly. “Yeah, Georgie Barker, that podcaster. She gets her an extra-spicy chai latte from Swirl most days and that’s about the most I know of the relationship. Why, you know her?”
Jon put the fork down, shrimp forgotten, and sighed, running his thumbs along the bridge of his nose, pushing his thin-rimmed glasses up to his eyebrows. “Y-yes, she’s kind of…my ex.”
It was Martin’s turn to freeze. “Sorry?”
“Mmm, yeah, we decided we were better as friends. It was back in Oxford. But I don’t exactly see her often much anymore.” Jon winced at his own words, as if he knew how bad they sounded.
Martin sat back in disbelief, chuckling to himself. “Y’know, she said you were a ‘friend of a friend of a friend.’ D’you think she even knew it was you?”
Jon cocked his head in thought. “I guess not. I mean, I think the whole library staff has been gunning for me to relieve some tension. I wouldn’t be surprised if they’ve been looking for a blind date for me for months now.”
Martin grinned, eyes sparkling. “Well, no matter. It was lucky for me.” Lucky again, was Martin, when he was rewarded with Jon’s warm blush.
----
The bill had been a painful affair, with both Jon and Martin vying for the privilege of paying. Martin struck a deal: he’d pay for the dinner, and Jon would pay for ice cream. Jon knew the differences would widely outweigh when it came to cost but he relented, and the self-satisfied smirk that blossomed over Jon’s face was payment enough.
Martin pointed out the ice cream parlor was a few blocks away and, though it was January, they decided to walk. The fresh snow on the ground glinted against the orange street lamps, and Jon laughed under his breath at the way Martin took great care to step on any unusually large clumps of snow, like he had a personal vendetta. When Jon’s chuckle had made it past the scarf he had wound round his neck and mouth, Martin had glanced over, embarrassed.
“I like the sound of it,” he mumbled, suddenly very meek for a man his stature. It was, regretfully, endearing. Martin was tall, but he was big too, and it was obvious underneath the layer of soft cashmere and chub, there was rigid muscle, and beneath that still, a gentle heart. Jon was struck by him, in more ways he had prepared himself for, and it felt second nature to slide his gloved hand into Martin’s and give it a solid squeeze of acknowledgement.
“Do you think it’s too cold to get ice cream?” Jon asked, watching a cloud of breath float by his lips.
Martin shrugged. “Technically? Yes. But who’s going to tell on us?” Jon swung their entwined hands a little. “Unless…you don’t want to?” Martin added, eyes locking on Jon’s before his head followed.
Jon shook his head. “No, I want to. I believe we have a debt to settle and I have a personal score involving rum raisin.” Martin beamed, clearly pleased, and Jon was certain the snow around him melted right off with the warmth of his smile. Jon leant into Martin’s side a little, and they continued in silence until they reached the ice cream parlor, the entrance to which glowed with pink and white LEDs.
Jon smugly ordered a scoop of rum raisin and was delighted to find Martin “didn’t hate it,” though he insisted his mint chip was better. That was genuinely the best Jon could hope for; not even Georgie in all her unusual tastes enjoyed his rum raisin sensibility. “My grandmother loved it when I was a kid,” he explained between bites, stirring the ice cream with his spoon. “It was the only flavor she kept around the house.”
“Not even vanilla?” Martin gasped in mock disbelief. “Any sensible person would say you’ve been tricked into enjoying it.” Jon chuckled and elbowed Martin mildly.
Jon found himself lingering over the bowl, realizing that the end of their dessert meant an end to the date. Martin seemed to be acting similarly, putting his spoon down between bites and taking more and more thoughtful swallows between their bouts of conversation.
“You-you took the tube here, right?” Jon asked, setting his finally-empty bowl off to the side. At Martin’s confirmation, Jon clenched his fist below the table. “Do you want to walk to the station together?”
Martin’s eyes lit up, nodding eagerly. “I had meant to ask, actually! I wanted to make sure you got there safe.” Jon winced at the blush that overtook his cheeks, though it was easy to blame it on the chill of the ice cream and the frigid night.
The walk to the tube was longer and the pair, heavily sated by pasta and dairy, were quiet, making soft comments about the snow or the odd remaining Christmas decorations, hands clasped tightly and shoulders pressing into the other. The fluorescents of the underground shone brightly, normally a beacon calling travelers home in the night, but to Jon it felt like a dreadful curse. He truly hadn’t expected to enjoy his evening with Martin so much, but they had just clicked. It felt like a shame to let it go.
Swiping their cards, Jon and Martin passed through their respective turnstiles and stood at the bisecting tunnels through which the various lines waited to take them home. They faced each other in silence, hands still interlocked, unsure of how to begin.
“If you’d like to,” Jon murmured, eyes shifting focus to Martin’s curls, plastered to his forehead from the snow; his collar, peeking through his coat; the way the shell of his ear seemed to have a nick missing (was it from a childhood accident? Just the way it was grown?). “I’d like to go out again.”
Martin squeezed Jon’s hand, and Jon’s eyes flitted back to Martin’s own; they were grey-blue and reminded Jon of his childhood sea. “Mmhmm, yeah.” Martin rolled his eyes at his own words and tried again. “Yes, Jon, I’d love that.” Martin moved to hug Jon, a gesture Jon eagerly accepted, relishing the warm arms encircling him and the feel of Martin’s chin resting on the crown of his head. As they pulled away, Martin’s eyes flitted across Jon’s face and the hand around his back moved, cautiously, to rest on the side of Jon’s neck.
“I…I don’t want to presume,” Martin said quietly, and Jon was distinctly aware of how empty, how big, the station was. “Is it okay if I kiss your cheek?”
Jon blinked rapidly, nodding wordlessly, before clearing his throat. “Ah, um, yes. Please.”
Martin’s smile was soft as he pressed his lips to the apex of Jon’s cheekbone, almost into his hairline. Jon was sure the blush that rose across his face this time certainly couldn’t be explained away by the snow, but he honestly wasn’t really sure he cared.
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aerialflight · 3 years
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Fic Recs (cause it's always nice to give a shout out and get people into things I'm into rn)
[The Magnus Archives] (I recently finished the podcast and I fell into a hole for a while so here you go)
Sing a Song of Sixpence by Kaiel
Ship: Jon/Martin
In which Jonathan Sims is a Siren, and he fails to notice any new abilities granted to him by the position of Archivist. Or really anything about the Entities at all.
Takes place in season 1 featuring Jonah Magnus’s slow decent into madness
(The new mythology interwoven with tma's worldbuilding is so freaking good and I love how all the characters change and develop because of these changes. Also, f you Elias)
Along Came a Spider by Dribbledscribbles
Ship: implied Jon/Martin
Sasha James is the Archivist, as expected. Martin Blackwood is menaced by Jane Prentiss, as expected. Elias Bouchard weaves his web, as expected.
All goes as it should.
At least until something calling itself Jonathan Sims steps in.
(Web!Jon in this makes me want to weep, it's so freaking good. A pretty long, very excellent oneshot on what could've happened if Jon got taken by the web when he was a kid. And Sasha as the Archivist is ALWAYS so cool, we love her in this house.)
A Break in the Clouds by Ash_Rabbit
“I’m eight.” the kid sniffs as if eight was any different from four, maybe not an unspeakable horror then, just a regular horror. “And I heard that the Magnus Institute deals with-” his little nose scrunches, cute. “-spooky things.”
“Do you have a-” he cracks a grin, and then rethinks it as small hands tighten against their burden.”-spooky thing to deliver?” gods he hopes not, it’s bad enough when adults walk in and lay out all of their baggage, but for a child-
“There’s a spider in this book.” the kid says solemnly, raising his textbook sized parcel. “It ate Evan Pritchard.” a bloody fucking Leitner. Of course an eight year old would find a murder spider book. “This seemed like the best place to bring it.”
(I never thought about what the Original Elias could've been like AND NOW I CAN'T STOP THINKING ABOUT IT BECAUSE OF THIS FIC. I LOVE HIM, HE'S COMPLEX AND HE CARES AND JON CARES AND THEY BOTH CARE ABOUT EACH OTHER. THIS IS THE CONTENT I WANT, OMG. Also, Jon being even smaller than usual is adorable, so cute. No wonder Elias wants to hug him, a LOT.)
See the Line where the Sky meets the Sea by The_Floating_World
Ship: Jon/Martin, Jon/Oliver Banks
When Jon is a child he looks into the infinite abyss of space. The Vast looks back into him.
(One of my all time fave fics in this fandom, no questions asked. I have reread this three times and am open to doing it again, god. Vast!Jon, such a concept. It's written so beautifully and the relationships Jon develops, so good. ugh. My heart. Please please read.)
Sweet As Roses by Prim_the_Amazing
Ship: Jon/Martin
“Come in, Martin,” he says, not looking up from his notes.
“Hi, Jon,” he says, and Jon stops writing at the sound of his voice. “We’re out of the green tea, but we’ve got lemon?”
Jon looks at him. Martin smiles at him in his usual tentative way as he sets the mug of tea down on Jon’s desk. Heat spikes so sharply in his gut that he twitches with it.
“Thank you, Martin,” he says, mouth dry, and he stands up.
“Oh,” he says, sounding almost surprised. He smiles again. “No-- no problem-- um, what are you--”
Jon takes Martin by the shoulders, leans up on the tips of his toes, and kisses him.
(You have no idea how much I howled through this fic, my god. *buries face in hands* The number of times I wanted to cry from sheer hilarity and horror reading this good lord.)
Things Could Always Be Worse by theOestofOCs
Ship: Jon/Martin, Georgie/Melanie
Sometimes, the most horrifying thing of all is what might have been.
Somewhere, Jon could swear he heard a crowd laughing.
Or: in which Jonathan Sims is forced to swap places with his alternate self—a tall, chivalrous hero extraordinaire, who knows neither fear nor nuance—and is sent to the aggressively straight alternate universe the Magnus Archives was never meant to be.
“Whatever place this is,” Jon announced, “I just want to be sure it knows I hate it.”
(I will say this once, THIS IS THE MOST CURSED THING IVE EVER READ EVER. Like holy hell. I can't believe this thing exists. please read it oh please please please)
-
[Supernatural]
heard from your mother (she don't recognize you) by Schmuzz
Ship: Dean/Cas, Jessica/Sam
A man named Cas wakes up in 2003 with no memories, but he's able to piece together a few things:
1. Supernatural creatures exist, and most of them will hurt innocent civilians if he doesn't stop them; 2. He has abilities that no human hunter should have, but he knows enough about human hunters to keep that to himself, and finally; 3. He keeps running into another hunter named Dean Winchester, who seems to be about as lonely as he is if he's willing to put up with those former facts long enough to help Cas unravel the mystery of who (or what) he really is.
For his part, Dean's still (not) dealing with Sam's departure to Stanford, and figures distracting himself with a bit of mystery and intrigue is as harmless as it gets, right? Right.
(THE fic I'm most into right now, been following this from the very start and it's AMAZING. Cas has agency and is making friends and S1 Dean is growing out of John's influence and is becoming a Person and the both of them first being friends then more. The slow burn as their relationship develops, SO GOOD. SO SO DAMN GOOD. *screams* Seriously one of the best spn fics I've read in a long, long time.)
anamnesis by cenotaphy
Ships: Castiel/Dean, Sam/Eileen
Chuck is depowered, Jack is the new god, and the world is free. Dean and Sam get into the Impala and chase down the miles on an endless highway, and their story is finally, finally their own to follow. At least, that's what Dean tells himself. But the diners and motels and painted interstate lines are blurring together and the smallest details keep catching at his brain like tiny fishhooks and he can't quite shake the feeling that not everything is exactly as it should be.
* Fix-it/alternate series finale. Canon-compliant through the end of 15.19.
(THIS IS THE FIC THAT GOT ME THROUGH THE FINALE OKAY. WHY COULDN'T THIS HAVE BEEN CANON. It's Disturbing and honestly plot-wise this makes more sense. Why couldn't we have had this. *screams*)
-
[Avatar: The Last Airbender]
where the stars do not take sides by WitchofEndor
Ship: Sokka/Zuko
When Azula is nine, she becomes an only child. She hears the Fire Lord call for Zuko's life, and in the morning, her mother and brother are gone. Azula may be young, but she isn't naive. She knows what happened to them.
Which makes it all the more surprising when Azula tracks the Avatar down and fights his group of peasant friends, only to find herself staring into an eerily familiar face.
(The fact one of the tags in this fic is, "Sibling Dynamic: Fucked Up But Wholesome" should give you an idea what this fic is like. Chaotic as HELL and I just love Azula here, she loves Zuko so much in her messed up way and Zuko loves her back in the exact same way lol. It's batshit and I am Here For This.)
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[Naruto]
Eclipse by AislingRoisin (JayBird345) for HybrisAnaideia
Ship: Nara Shikaku/OFC
"In life, it's easier to remain stagnant and wallow in your troubles. But life isn't merely about continued existence, nor is it meant to be gone through alone."
(This is a fic that's slept on and I NEED people to read this. A self-insert fic that I find really interesting in its approach and the worldbuilding for the post-third war shinobi world is fantastic. I feel like there's a certain pattern with self-insert fics, not that is a detriment in any way to how much I enjoy them, so this fic feels fresh to me in a way I haven't read in a while. I am waiting eagerly for this to get updated! Please read!)
On Freedom and Other Formalities by iaso
Ship: Kakashi/Genma/OFC
When push comes to shove, Hiwa Inuzuka doesn't go down easy. Reborn into a new, dangerous world? She puts her past life as a spy to work. Thrown into a war? Hiwa does her duty, for Konoha. And when she's forced into an arranged marriage? All there is to do is beat them to the punch and get married first. Thankfully, Genma Shiranui is willing to lend a hand. Literally. SI/OC
(Listen, LISTEN, it's about the slow burn, the longing, the communication (it both has and hasn't and isn't THAT great??), the messy way you fit three very different people together, it's so freaking good! Also, Kakashi is so Chaotic here this is my fave characterization of him, you can't change my mind. And Genma is a Good Boi who is Doing His Best, along with the Self-insert character who I LOVE SO MUCH, SHE'S FANTASTIC FNEIWOPAF. Sped past this fic in the speed of light, I could not stop reading!)(Honestly, read all of the author's fics, they're all really REALLY good!)
Building a Castle by WhisperingDarkness
Without needing anyone to tell her, Sakura knew that talking to someone no-one else could see or hear would make her weird. It would draw the bad kind of attention to her, something people could make fun of her for.
She didn’t like being weird, but she did like the voice. Her inner voice was helpful and it was a part of her that had always been there. The idea of it not being there would have been so much weirder than anything else.
It was during her first year at the Academy that Sakura realised the voice was not in her head at all, but that it came from a cloudy shape floating next to her.
(Basically a short-ish retelling of Hikaru no Go. Only with more Shogi and Nara and Ninja's)
(Sakura can see ghosts (I'm noticing this is a popular trope for her) and it's really cute haha! Her relationship with Tobirama is sweet and I just enjoyed reading this so much.)
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[The Magicians]
So Long (And Thanks For All The Books) by IncompleteSentanc (Erava)
Ships: Quentin/Eliot, James/Julia, Quentin/Margo/Eliot
When Quentin is told Julia wasn't admitted to Brakebills, he realizes he has a drastic decision in front of him. If he tells Julia about magic, he'll have his mind wiped as well as hers. But he can't just leave her behind, either. He can't lose his best friend, and he can't let her life a life with her magical potential stolen away from her.
So he makes a third choice.
(Really, and I mean REALLY well-done canon divergent fic, this is the Quentin & Julia friendship fic I have been looking for forever. It explores so much of what could've happened and I just love Quentin here, I really really do. Characterization done so right. I also recommend the author's other works too. Been a follower of them for a long time, they're great.)
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[Game of Thrones]
The Road to Victory by writing_as_tracey
Too late in preparing for the Night King and the Long Night, the last stand at Winterfell is close to falling. Bran takes desperate measures to ensure victory, and Jon, Sansa, and Arya pay the price for it in a time unfamiliar to them, on the cusp of another war. [GoT, time-travel fix it]
(I swear, this fic made me laugh so many times, all the Stark are BAMF and fantastic, and Rhaegar gets Wrecked lol. It's crack btw, and the plot goes in directions you'll never guess and it's amazing hahaha!)
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[Haikyuu!!] (I am very very late to the fandom but here I am)
Ballare (To Dance) by MidnightSparks
Ship: Iwaizumi Hajime/Kageyama Tobio/Oikawa Tooru, and platonic Kageyama & Kentarou (really love their friendship)
Kageyama’s first love is volleyball. His second, however, is ballet.
In one world, Kageyama Tobio is left behind by his parents. In this world, the existence of soulbonds keeps Kageyama’s parents in Miyagi and leaves Kageyama in the care of his grandma and grandpa.
(In which soulmates exist and that changes everything and nothing at the same time.)
(*buries face in hands* I have fallen for this ship so hard and I can't get out fudge me. I understand now. Their DYNAMICS FIEWONPAF)
Kings of Tomorrow by bokubroya (liarielle)
Ship: Kageyama Tobio/Oikawa Tooru
On the eve of Tobio’s 16th birthday, he counts down the seconds to midnight, and emerges with Oikawa Tooru’s name on his wrist.
It’s been two years since then, and Tobio thought they had an understanding. A silent, never spoken about understanding that this thing between them is nothing, and they’re going to pretend it doesn’t exist.
Of course, it’s just like Oikawa to change the game and leave Tobio wondering what comes next.
(I am WEAK for soulmate fics between these two, I don't even really like soulmate fics half the times what is WRONG WITH ME-)(Please suffer with me, I'm begging you. Its a good fic, thumbs up.)
-
[Crossover]
Honey and Magic by JustARatherVerySillyWriter, White_Squirrel for Super Carlin Brothers
Fandoms: Matilda (yeah you read that right), Harry Potter
Everyone knew Matilda was a rather extraordinary child, but even she didn't know she was a witch. Matilda Honey receives her Hogwarts letter in the year of the Triwizard Tournament, and soon, she will leave her unique mark on the magical world.
(Do I even need to explain how amazing it is to have Matilda in the wizarding world? And Matilda is a HUFFLEPUFF AND I WILL DIE ON THIS HILL THIS FIC IS GREAT PLEASE READ!!!)
An Eye for an Eye by DpsMercy
Fandoms: The Magnus Archives, Welcome to Night Vale
In which Jonathan Sims is not from the UK but instead, if you took his origins and turned them sideways twice then flipped them over, he technically would be from the US, the town of Night Vale specifically. Elias can’t do shit about it and gets a headache and slowly creeping madness instead.
(Look, I know probably everyone has read this because if they haven't, what have you been DOING with your lives??? Jon interning at Night Vale is Incredible, nothing phases this man, it's Delightful. I laughed so many times reading this, I'm not even kidding right now. Read or perish.)
The Favour by R_Cookie
Fandoms: Harry Potter, Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them
Ship: Original Percival Graves/Harry Potter
Percival is ten years old when his grandfather tries to tell him that he's ensured the greatness of the Graves legacy for him, that he ought to be eternally grateful - but the explanation is hijacked by a stranger who manages to intimidate Chester Graves with an ease never seen before.
or: Hadrian (Harry) Potter is the Master of Death, who grants Graves a boon. Nobody could have known that the Deathly Hallows didn't turn you so much into the 'Master of Death' as into the anthropomorphic personification of Death. And so, Death becomes Percival's guardian angel, and Percival does not spit out his cereal.
(Look, I don't know how I stumbled back into the FBAWTFT fandom either, it just happened and I'm grateful for that. Otherwise, I wouldn't have found this amazing fic. Their relationship is slow and strange and I just love how Percival is characterized here. Also, one of the tag promises that it deviates from canon so I am really, really excited for that! XD)
baby that's what i do by natanije
Fandoms: Naruto, Katekyou Hitman Reborn!
"Are you telling me," Hidan exclaims, incredulous, "that you collect money all this time to give to orphans?!"
Kakuzu pauses. He blinks a few times.
"Huh. I guess I do."
(Tsuna reincarnates as Kakuzu and it's HILARIOUS. HE'S SUCH A MOM HAHAHA)
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chekhovs-harpoon · 3 years
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Hiya! I wanted to ask if you could recommend some podcasts to listen to. I’ve listen to a few like tma, tpp, wtnv, sayer, wolf359, eos10, tscosa and I’m currently listening to the once and future nerd but i’ve almost finished it. So would you happen to know any good podcasts that have lgbt characters and is maybe sci-fi, space like wolf359, sayer and tpp or horror like tma. Thank you!
Hell yea so glad you asked!! here’s a couple: -Empty: Hard sci-fi about the crew of an intergalactic colony ship waking up after several billion years in cryo to find the universe devoid of life. One of the few pods that successfully communicates how vast space is and how small we are. Similar vibes to Wolf 359, SAYER, and Girl in Space. Has a nonbinary bisexual main character! Also features a cool robot that wants to do murder! -The Pasithea Powder: an interplanetary war ends when scientists from one side leaked their government’s plan to weaponize the titular powder, a medicine designed to treat PTSD, to mind control people. After the war, a decorated soldier sees one of those scientist off world and she’s suspicious because they’re supposed to be imprisoned. So she calls her kinda ex estranged friend whose one of the imprisoned scientists. This show has unbelievably good interpersonal drama! Everyone’s messy and complex and very human. And it’s all very well integrated into the story and world building, which feature lots of well written twists and turns. Also everyone on this show is queer. Similar vibes to TSCOSI and Wolf 359 -Burst: Comedy about a woman starting a bubble tea shop on a space station then found family and hilarity ensues. Features a really wholesome coworkers to friends to found family dynamic. The show really hates capitalism and will quote Marx at you. Overall just a very fun low stakes comedy when you wanna get away from it all. Episodes are only 10 minutes long which makes them very easy to listen to. There’s a gay guy, a nonbinary alien, and a lesbian in the main cast. Similar to EOS 10. -Under The Electric Stars: Dystopian sci-fi about a nonbinary person and their robot best friend doing delivery missions to make ends meet. After a run in with cops and gangsters, they became involved with a resistance movement that opposes the corrupt government. The mc has an abusive household and they find a new loving family in the resistance it’s really sweet and wholesome. Everyone on this show is queer. Also a lot of them are also people of color (and it makes me very happy to hear my own native language in a podcast!). Similar to TSCOSI, and TPP -Solutions to Problems: comedy that’s a fictional radio advice show set in the far future. Features cohosts that are extremely wild and chaotic and crazy but in exact opposite directions, but somehow they always manage to give good advice. It’s also an affectionate parody of the entire sci-fi genre. If you’ve seen any sci-fi media, they would have spoofed it in one of the problems they gotta give advice for. Main characters are a lesbian that’s on again off again dating the space station ai that commits time travel crimes with alternate timeline versions of her, and a nonbinary alien that’s seen and experienced everything across the galaxy that gives the most insane advice delivered in the calmest way. Similar to EOS 10, and also Burst
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feathered-serpents · 3 years
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So, I am tempted to write like an OTS “Epilogue” that’s posted separately and has like Jmart meeting John/Willa, more relationship stuff, maybe a second proposal/wedding just cause that sounds fluffy and cute but honestly I’m unsure what the future of my TMA fic writing and honestly what the future of my fic writing in general looks like right now? 
I didn’t advertise this but OTS was supposed to be my last fanfic, that was a big motivator to finish it because I would say to myself “It’s gonna be your last one! Finish it!” and then once it was done I was gonna move on from fanfic altogether and focus solely on my original fiction and getting published 
And like... I still probably AM going to focus more on my original fiction I think that’s a really important thing to start doing but as for giving up fanfic I’m no longer sure. I had a really good time writing OTS and I’m no longer sure I wanna give up fanfic completely, but I also just don’t have a lot of time, if I wanna keep painting and writing I know I won’t be able to write a bunch of fanfiction and original fiction at the same time, I just can’t. 
So I’m conflicted, as for writing for TMA I’m equally as unsure. I might write the OTS epilogue and try to finish my poor neglected safehouse fic but beyond that we’ll see. I do have other ideas but the reality is I know it’s only a matter of time until a new podcast catches my attention
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chemistfail · 3 years
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Something I loved about TMA was how badly I wanted to hate Jonathan Sims, The Archivist. But yet in the end I just wish he could have had better.
In the beginning of the show we are introduced to this rude bastard man, who snips and snides at people because he's fucking scared. And as the seasons wear on him, we see how scared he really is.
Then we see how far he's been manipulated. Jonah tells him how his agony has been manufactured special for him. How all the pain he's been made to endure, all the people hes lost, was for another's gain. He was made to suffer to be another man's tool.
Then we speak to Annabel Cane and the knife is twisted further in. It hasn't just been one man using him, it's been a system of lies and weaving threads. His pain once again has been in service of another. Jon could have been okay. Not a nice person maybe. But he could have been better, but he was fed to a system hell bent on using him and twisting him into the tool they needed.
Anyone Jon could have been close to dies or suffers horribly by that same system. So by time the end comes, how can anyone trust him and how can he trust any of them?
Jon killing Jonah was an act of defiance to the systems that hurt him, a selfish act, but an understandable act. He had just been told that the Web wanted them to carry out this plan, to be the final mechanism in its operation. After this man has been told just how much he's been molded and used? And we expected him to now willingly go with another's plan?
To know that if he finished the plan, he could potentially be countless others to suffer the way he has. To put another person like him in the position of pain he's gone through?
Idk
I just can't hate him. I understand where he was coming from and I think the way he acted was true to his emotions. He wasn't right, but I don't blame him. He couldn't have been better, The Magnus Archives was a horror tragedy podcast
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ashes-in-a-jar · 3 years
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Tma relisten Episodes 6-10
(Still really long)
Alot of really important details that are going to be very relevant later on. Very facinating how early on you find these out. Relistens are good.
Episode 6 squirm
It's a good thing tma doesn't do much of sexual encounters and their connection to entities. While I'm sure that's a thing that in any realistic universe would exist avoiding it was a good choice. This statement was *shudder*
Interesting that she had no visible mark on her. Also being repulsed by police stations because the sectioned officers could have helped.
Naked in the streets after lighting his apartment on fire. What an image.
So technically the worms were in the archives 3 times: when Jane made her first statement, when Timothy hodge made his and when Jane attacked. The worms are very familiar with the magnus institute.
"This story is concerning. Not because of Mr. Hodge’s experience, although I’m sure it was very upsetting." ace Jon talking very technical about "experiences"
" though obviously it’s a tragic loss of life, etcetera, etcetera." Jon being Jon.
Ecdc are aware of Jane and corruption typical attacks which is off the bat interesting world building.
He's skeptic here because of lack of evidence but does admit the existence of a threat in Jane Prentiss
Also! He knows of her from before probably when he was a researcher. This confused me on first listen because I was trying to remember if she was ever mentioned before this. But she wasn't.
Episode 7 the piper
Wilfred kind of sounds like martin in some way but maybe it's just me assigning poetry to anyone like him.
But he hated apathy which might be very Martin like
Gentle sadness and creeping fear from the music. For violence of war... Is that what it means to immortalize it?
It's really cool that the concept of music in this podcast is associated specifically with war and unwarranted violence. There's a very strong statement in there somewhere that needs to be explored.
God this statement was intense. Lying for such a long time in that trench surrounded by violent death. But what's most interesting is that this statement doesn't feel like a supernatural one and yet... The piper was with Wilfred throughout the various battles and bouts of violence until the moment it was officially over. But in a very subtle way.
The description of the piper is really intense with the 3 faces. I think I missed it the first time but hearing that representation of war and fear is something I'm going to look for in artistic depictions now.
Wait. Who is Joseph Rayner? I know of Maxwell but never heard of Joseph.a victim instead of Wilfred? Collaborator with the Slaughter? Hmmm
I wonder how Accidental it was that the statement from 1922 was filed in the 2000s. Maybe to show that the piper never really leaves and the war never really ends. Ever.
Episode 8 burned out
Wow Hilltop Road already! I forgot how many of the first episodes were so important to the plot later on.
"That side of the road backed onto South Park with fences marking the bottom of each garden." this is wrong btw. Hilltop Road in Oxford does not run along Sount Park but is perpendicular to it, meeting it in the corner with Divinity Road which meets with Morrell Avenue which is the road running along South Park. Just FYI because I had to look this up to get a good picture. But I guess Morrell doesn't sound as exciting as Hilltop (which isn't even at the top of the hill smh)
Ivo lensik describes Raymond fielding as white which makes me automatically think he is not. Just a thought that popped in my mind.
Huh. His family had a history of schizophrenia. And his dad was obsessed with fractals. Being followed by The spiral (all the bones are in his hands) was also part of this story really interesting.
Agnes had mousy brown hair and looked like Raymond! Not red hair ( at least at first) like I pictured. Also she was a hell of a creepy child...
So did he time travel? Seeing the moments of Raymond's end? Seems like time doesn't work right in that place anyway.
Web person being devout church goer is also an interesting touch
Father Edwin Burroughs! I forgot he was here too! The knock reminded me of Mr Spider *shiver*
The priest explaining that the church exorcized demons but what not decisive if ghosts exist was hilarious. Jon dismisses paranormal but asks Martin if he's a ghost is opposite of the church.
Hmmm the web pushing him to cut the tree to uncover box from antique table...
Apple full of spiders ugh. Maybe something web was trapped in there by Desolation and ivo managed free it as Agnes was dying.
"We cannot prove any connection, but Martin unearthed a report on an Agnes Montague, who was found dead in her Sheffield flat on the evening of November 23rd 2006, the same day Mr. Lensik claims to have uprooted the tree." wow that's an obscure thing to find well done Martin!
Jon still looks for credence for this story despite the schizophrenia that could leave him skeptical.
"while I trust Mr. Lensik’s testimony of his own experiences about as far as I can throw a bleeding tree," again Jon with his special brand of jokes.
Episode 9 a Father's love
The Montauk's story! I always thought their family had one of the most tragic ones. The hunt is a really cruel patron with its forced hunger and having other entities use them as tools.
Julia telling the truth of the story to the Magnus Institute instead of the police is also heartbreaking. How desperate and alone she must have felt drowned in that awful literally unbelievable story. The magnus institute feeds off of those people too.
So many of the hunt end up in police it's just... Such a strong statement against that establishment. What do we do to make that less of a horrible, unjust, all consuming system? That feeds on the hunger of some and the abject fear of others? And it doesn't have to be supernatural. It's interesting how season five, of all seasons, is the one that gave us that perspective. The non supernatural one on the subject while the world itself is so far away from the natural. God everything about this idea is so heavy and painful.
I kind of hate Julia's fate because of her background and how much alot of its beginning was out of her control. It's like Daisy. The hunt can never be forgiven no matter how compulsive it is.
The dark that took her mother turned her into part of it? Like the dark liquid?
A dark room to develop his photos of his victims huh? A play on words here.
Oooh they put a heartbeats in the soundscape really cool actually.
So Montauk killed other dark members that tried to leave? For the ritual? Like Julia's mother?
The hunt compelled him to keep the hearts as trophies? which is very self destructive of the hunt to do. Or is it part of the dark ritual with the sacrifices that the heart had to be kept?
I think Montauk was trying to slow down the ritual as revenge that night, rendering the sacrifices he helped create useless. Which is why pitch came after them that night and dissappeared once Montauk finished his ritual.
Sourcing the Serial killer enthusiast community. Love that the archives use whatever source of info they can access.
So Maxwell dissappeared in 1994 from public eye land yet the cult kept working towards a ritual. But now in secret? Their timeline always confused me.
Episode 10 vampire killer
I never noticed Trevor came right after Julia! Oooh this is so much connecting the dots so early on!
Vampires are so disturbing here makes you ever wonder how the hell media like twilight were ever created. But hehe the monster ****er community has always been a vibrant one. Not these vampires tho.
Trevor is so sassy I love his statements. Like Julia it really makes me sad how consumed he became at the end and how awful his death was. Once again the tragedy of the Hunt.
"I taught myself to read, I read as much on the subject as I could, and it isn’t covered often or clearly in those books I have found." can you imagine what kinds of books he might have found during the sexy vampire Era? This is a hilarious picture to paint.
So vampires feed off of blood and not fear which is an interesting creature to have in this kind of universe. Although hunters are also like that but there is still alot of fear and awareness involved with that while the vampires try to conceal themselves until the last moment.
There's alot of mosquito imagery in these vampires which is... Ugh
Also interesting how many time Trevor just uses the vampire's full name. Never shortened and never talked about in another title. Sylvia McDonald this Sylvia McDonald that. Also the other vampire. They always had a name that was psychicly imposed on the victims to be remembered fully. Very Stranger behavior.
Ahhhh the one vampire weakness... Drrrugs.
It's also very flammable which sets interesting precedence to setting unnatural things on fire to make them disappear.
Alard dupont comes in a later statement right? Yeah in 56
Martin was there when the statement was given which was 2010 and in 2016 he's 29 so he worked there for a while! At least since age 23 perhaps we'll find out even earlier. And he was still scared to be found under qualified after all this time! Oof...
I wonder how draining it is to give a statement that it kills someone who is sick.
The government is in on this! Looking for the teeth Trevor gave the institute... Somehow that strikes me as hilarious in the world building of this podcast. And it really leaves Jon no choice but to concede that there is something to the statement even if he refuses to use the term vampire like Trevor did so freely.
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pronouncingitwang · 4 years
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wtgfs | 2.5K words | basically a redo of mag94 with more crying and cuddling | for tma h/c week day 6: cradled
Georgie wraps her braids and changes into her pajamas, feeling—not fear, or apprehension, because that’s not possible, but perhaps, less excitement than usual. She normally doesn’t notice her heartbeat, but tonight, she does. It’s stable, but the fact that she checked in the first place is another bad sign.
“You said you wanted to tell me something,” Melanie says as Georgie gets under her blanket.
Georgie nods slowly, then realizes that Melanie can’t see it. “Yeah. I did.”
“I… I might’ve misread you, but it sounded serious?”
Georgie’s heart continues to beat, slow and steady. “A little.”
“Do you want to start?”
“Sure.”
“Talk away, then.”
“Okay.” Georgie shifts into a more comfortable position, then closes her eyes. “You know how I graduated from uni a year late?”
“Yeahh,” Melanie says, slowly. “You said it was for mental health?”
“Right.” Georgie blows out a breath. “Which was true, definitely, but… that’s not the full story. It’s, well…”
The last time Georgie did this, it was with Jon, the Eye drawing the words out of her like sap from a particularly juicy tree. This time, there’s nothing spurring her forward but her own determination. “Blood from a stone” is a far more apt simile.
“Uh, basically, my first year at Oxford, there was some stuff going down with the med students—or wait, I should probably start by saying I had… a friend named Alex… Or… no… that’s not it, either. God,” Georgie groans. “Why is this so hard?”
“Probably because talking sucks,” Melanie says. Georgie laughs, and Melanie adds, “I could… I could hug you while you told me? If that- Would that help?”
Georgie considers it, thinks about burying her face in the scent of Melanie’s citrus shampoo, so different from the antiseptic and decay of the Oxford medical building, thinks about feeling the strength of Melanie’s arms around her as she whispers out her story. “Yeah. Maybe.”
It takes a lot of shuffling around to get into the right positions, especially since Georgie’s vast collection of pillows include a body-sized one that forms what’s practically a wall between the two of them. Melanie sniffles a little as Georgie moves a few pillows to the nightstand, and Georgie makes a mental note to buy some allergy-friendly/dust-resistant pillowcases soon. Then, there’s getting into the hug. At some point Melanie grabs Georgie’s boob, which is… something to revisit. Eventually, though, they’re settled properly, Melanie’s arms around Georgie’s waist and their legs tangled together.
“Ready to try again?” Melanie asks, in a voice Georgie’s pretty sure is meant to imitate her therapist’s. She appreciates the effort to sound soothing.
“Yeah. Okay. Rewind. So, my first year at Oxford…”
Even with the hug, it’s still not as easy as it was with Jon. With Jon, Georgie was practically in a trance, but here, she has to form every word herself, relive every image. It’s like… if the first time was Georgie walking through a fog-lined street, her boots crunching uncomfortably against the ground, the second time is Georgie walking through the same street, except the fog is gone and it turns out she’d been stepping on bird bones or something equally crunchy and awful the entire time, and every step she takes, Georgie has to watch the bones break under her feet and cane. Not only that, but she cares more about Melanie’s opinion than Jon’s. As she stumbles forward, Georgie forgets details, has to backtrack, and leaves a lot of modifiers dangling in the process.
But in some ways, this is also easier. Easier because the background sounds are Melanie’s breathing and occasional vocal stimming instead of the dead whir of a tape recorder. Easier because the main physical sensation Georgie’s experiencing isn’t her skin prickling from Jon’s intense gaze on her face, but the increasingly firm circles Melanie is rubbing into her neck.
“And… now I’m here,” Georgie finishes, inadequately. “The end. Or, I guess, the End, with a capital E, according to Jon.”
Georgie feels Melanie swallow. Then, “Georgie… you’re saying you lost—”
Georgie had figured that that part would call for more explanation, but luckily, she has an explanation prepared. “My ability to feel fear, I know, not necessarily a bad thing—”
“—your best friend,” Melanie finishes, and Georgie stops breathing. Oh.
“What?”
Melanie shifts against Georgie. “Alex Brooke, right? You said… you said she was your only friend at Oxford, and you said you never saw her again.”
Oh, Georgie thinks again, and feels a swell of love and long-buried grief rise up in her chest, oh.
The first few weeks after she woke up, Georgie had been too numb to even wonder what had happened to Alex. The month after that, she’d tried to call her, three times a day, every day. Then, one day, she’d realized that perhaps she should’ve been checking the newspapers instead of her phone. That night was the first time Georgie’s parents had seen her drunk. They’d looked so afraid—something Georgie would never be able to do again. She’d shouted at them until their concern turned to exasperation and spent the next week in bed biting her nails off.
“I guess I… hadn’t thought about that for a while.”
“I’m so sorry, Georgie,” Melanie says. She means it.
“Thanks,” Georgie whispers, for lack of better things to say, and buries her nose further into Melanie’s hair. Her joints are beginning to protest at her staying in this position for so long, but she keeps holding on. Just a few more minutes.
“Do you…” Melanie starts. “Do you miss her?”
“I…” Georgie clears her throat and tries again. “I don’t know,”
“It’s okay if you don’t,” Melanie says. “ I don’t miss my dad most days, and he died a lot more recently than Alex did.”
“Thanks,” Georgie whispers for the second time that night. “I think… I think about her sometimes, but I don’t know if it’s because I miss her, or because… It’s more like… I used to blame myself for going with her instead of- instead of trying to stop her, or pulling her out as soon as I saw how- how fucked up the situation was. And then I spent a lot of time thinking the opposite, blaming her for not leaving well enough alone. I thought, well, ‘Alex already made her choices, and her choices were bad.’ I wished so badly that my younger self had just… stayed away. Let her friend go to her death alone.”
“And now?”
“Now? After you, and Jon, and… Well, now, I don’t know,” Georgie says, and notices, for the first time, that there’s a lump in her throat and that her eyes are stinging. “I don’t”—and then she starts to cry.
Georgie hears the intake of breath from Melanie when she realizes what’s happening, feels Melanie’s thumb stop moving against her neck and just stay there, pressing into her skin. Georgie feels her own throat, choking out various ugly sounds, hears those sounds tear out of her in the form of sobs and ragged breaths. She thinks she might be getting snot on Melanie’s shirt and hair, but she’s shaking too badly to reach for a tissue to wipe it off.
Alex and Jon and Melanie and Alex. She’d failed Alex, or maybe Alex failed her. She’d let Jon stay in her guest room and watched him waste away, and then she’d practically told him that she wished he was dead and to get out of her flat. Melanie—Melanie had wanted Georgie’s help, and Georgie’s help had happened to be what Melanie needed, and Melanie is here and safe, but just for now, and if Georgie fails Melanie like she’d failed Alex she will be so fucking sad, and if Melanie fails Georgie like Alex had failed Georgie, she will be so fucking sad, and if Melanie ends up in a coma or on the run or if they cross each other’s boundaries too much she will be so fucking sad—
The first thing that cuts through the crying isn’t comfort, but a different pain—an ache in Georgie’s lower back that grows persistently harder to ignore. She groans and turns out of Melanie’s arms, back into starfish position on her side of the bed, and Melanie makes a sound of confusion at the sudden loss.
“I moved, it’s- it’s the arthritis,” Georgie explains between one sob and the next, and Melanie says, “Oh, of course.”
—and if either of them grow resentful of each other, then she will be so fucking sad, and if they have money problems or The Admiral dies she will be so fucking sad, and—
Georgie thinks, dully, that crying on her back is very different from crying on her side. Earlier, Georgie could curl into herself, into Melanie, but now, each of her sobs punches upward into empty air. The closest thing to an embrace she has now is her awareness of the potential weight of the ceiling, hanging seven feet above her, out of reach, just like Alex and Jon and maybe, one day—
“Melanie,” Georgie gasps. “Can you… hold my arm or something?”
“Of course,” Melanie responds immediately. Then, “Um, where exactly is your arm?”
“Uh, if you- if you take your hand and go up a little more—”
“Got it.” Melanie says, moving where Georgie has directed her, and for one beautiful second, all of Georgie’s consciousness narrows down to the warmth of those five fingers curling around her skin. Then, she remembers that she’s lying on her bed crying, and the moment is broken. It’s still better now, though, having something to anchor her, something to remind her that she is more than burning eyes and heaving chest.
It takes a while, but eventually, Georgie begins to calm down, her thoughts and breaths slowing down and her muscles loosening. She fumbles for the tissue box and begins to wipe at her face, then passes a few sheets to Melanie.
“I, uh, snotted on your hair a bit,” she explains. “It might be hard to feel, do you want me to get it?” and Melanie nods.
Once they’re all cleaned up and Georgie has fetched them both a glass of water, Melanie turns to her again.
“Is this…” Melanie starts, then stops. “Is this something you want to talk about more, or something you want to be distracted from?”
“I’m… not sure, actually,” Georgie croaks, wiping at her eyes again to catch any stray saltwater. “I just… I wanted you to hear it; I wasn’t really thinking about afterwards.”
“If I had to guess… That sounds like a distraction thing to me? But… I’m not sure what kind of distraction would make you feel better.”
“Well”—Georgie lets out a wet laugh—“you’re already doing miles better than Jon did, at least.”
“Oh?”
“Yeah. To be fair, I didn’t cry when I told him about everything. But all he had to say was something about how he”—she puts on Jon’s posh accent and deepens her voice—“‘couldn’t believe I never told him’ or something.”
“What a wanker,” Melanie says, and unlike the other times she’s insulted Jon this week, there’s actual heat behind it.
“An inconsiderate dickhead,” Georgie agrees. “But,” she admits, “I think I’ve been worse to him.”
“I… I’d say so too,” Melanie replies, but thankfully, she doesn’t push Georgie any further in that direction. Melanie’s fingers flex against Georgie’s arm, a signal that they’ll pick up this thread of conversation later. “Though I still think the real dickhead here is Ms. Trauma Corpse of Medicalville.”
Georgie’s giggle comes out weaker than she expected. “Yeah?”
“Absolutely.” In her most passable radio announcer voice, Melanie cries, “Melanie hates her! Local medical corpse discovers supernatural method to traumatize her girlfriend. Click here to learn more and/or stab that fucker with a cool knife cane.”
Georgie laughs again, and Melanie continues, this time in a bad American tourist voice. “I visited Trauma Corpse with my family yesterday afternoon, and I have to say, it’s a real piece of shit. The human equivalent of a moldy chunk of cheese, or rice cooked in a saucepan. Zero out of five stars.”
“Would not recommend,” Georgie adds.
“Exactly. And,” Melanie presses on, returning to her normal voice, “what kind of name is ‘Trauma Corpse’ anyway? White people and their ridiculous baby names, seriously!”
This time, Georgie’s laugh is completely genuine. “I agree. It’s disgraceful. Motherfucking ‘Trauma Corpse.’”
“Motherfucking?” Melanie lets out an exaggeratedly affronted gasp. “She fucked your mother, too? A homewrecker on top of everything else? Do Ms. Corpse’s crimes ever end?”
That’s an awful—but distracting—mental image, which was probably the point. “Clearly not.”
Melanie smiles, and then, very slowly and carefully, moves to rest her cheek in Georgie’s palm. Her next words blow warm against Georgie’s wrist. “Seriously, though, Georgie… the evil thing here is The End, and whatever else may have been animating that body. Not you or Alex.”
Georgie lets the sentence linger in the air for a moment. Not Georgie’s fault. Not Alex’s. The thought wraps around her, not quite touching her skin, but warm. Close. Possible.
“Thanks,” Georgie says for the third time that night. She means it.
“God,” Melanie sighs into Georgie’s palm, “I’m not very good at this distraction thing, am I?”
“No, but it’s still helping. A lot, actually.”
“Good,” Melanie says, and chastely kisses Georgie’s wrist.
A slow smile spreads over Georgie’s face at the feeling. Said smile sparks several thoughts that occur to her in quick succession. She considers said thoughts, then performs a quick self-assessment: joints feel better, heart beating steadily, emotions fairly settled except for the part where she is very, very in love.
Finally, after making sure she’s okay one more time, Georgie turns to her side and scoots closer to Melanie. “I’m moving my hand away,” she warns her, and then, “I’m going to press my forehead to yours,” and lastly, “Can I put my hand on your hip? Cool.”
Having gotten into position, Georgie begins to speak, leaning into the Scouse a little bit more because, as she’s learned, Melanie likes it a lot. “Speaking of distracting me… if you really wanted to do that, I have a few suggestions.”
“Oh!” Melanie practically squeaks. Georgie adores her. “Do you mean sex?”
“Yes. I was thinking maybe… you could ride me? If you’d like.”
Even in the dark, Georgie can sense Melanie’s eyebrows rising. “Well… yes, I would like, but… are you okay for it?”
“Hey now,” Georgie says, “just because we’re dating now doesn’t mean we can’t continue to have sex in un-ideal emotional circumstances.” Melanie huffs out a laugh, but Georgie still clarifies, “But yes, I feel good, and I think you’re wonderful, and this isn’t a shitty coping mechanism or anything. Promise.”
“Okay, then,” Melanie says, audibly smiling. “One distraction, coming right up.”
“Emphasis on come—“ Georgie begins, but is cut off rather pleasantly by Melanie’s mouth.
Georgie kisses Melanie back. As she does so, she feels her heart begin to race.
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atalienart · 4 years
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Your OC reminds me a lot to a character from a ~spooky~ podcast called "the magnus archives" and I just want u to know that I love your OC :') (also highly recommend the podcast if ur into that) 💕💕
You mean Jonathan Sims!? I saw some amazing designs of him done by other artists and I think they really nailed it. I love spooky things and The Magnus Archieves (I’m grateful for the anon who recommended it to me), I still need to finish the podcast (I stopped a few episodes into the 3rd season? I guess) but I had to take a break from it because listening to it, as much as it was an amazing experience, was making me really depressed. So I wasn’t emotionally capable of finishing it, hope to go back to it soon though. I’d like to draw some characters from TMA, or maybe some scenes from the stories I particularly liked, we’ll see. I wanted to draw Jonathan once but I wasn’t too happy about the design (I think I posted a sketch in my insta stories). Anyway, I’m glad you like my guy! I have a soft spot for nerdy, paranoid, magical boys who are kind but feisty at just the right moments and wear jumpers. Big fan! Tbh most of my ocs are like that, so yeah :)
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