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beerecordings · 4 months

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Look we all know Mr. Higgins is the real star of the new comics. Here is a fic about him adopting Marvin, all while Marvin finds himself struggling desperately against the memory control of the Magic Circle. Written after Altrverse #0, extrapolations are probably not canon to anything. Thanks for reading, let me know if you enjoy!

The excitement of a new book always fills him with verve enough to keep him up late into the night. His shop is warm, a green fire burning without wood or fuel along the back wall, and his scalp tingles with every new sigil passing through his vision.

The fact that it's an extremely illegal book to own only makes it more exciting for Marvin.

He's almost laid out over the counter, bent low over the pages, his free hand wrapped around a third mug of hot mint tea – got to have something to go with the book, after all – when the door to the shop jingles. He'd meant to lock up for the night, but he hadn't managed to tear himself away. “Come in!” he calls distractedly, pressing his hand over a complex sigil shaped like a pair of antlers.

No footsteps sound. Marvin looks up quickly, his mind conjuring images of the twins in full regalia in his doorway, ready to strip him of his power for the transgression of his black magic book, but no one's there.

He can't decide if that's worse or better.

“Hello?” he calls, voice sharpening. He can handle most magicians, and certainly any civilians. But if this is the Magic Circle trying games with him, he won't be playing. “Reveal yourself.”

Something shifts by the bookshelf closest to the door. Marvin gets to his feet, book forgotten, and fixes his mask back over his face. He'll address this head on. He summons a spell and transports the four feet to be on the other side of his bookshelf, purple light gleaming for a second in his wake, alighting on his hand markings.

“Meow?” says a little grey and white cat.

Marvin stops short, mouth falling open in delight. The tension rushes out of him so fast his face feels cold. He claps his hands together and falls to his knees. “Hello, there, darling, aren't you a pretty sight? I wouldn't have thought a cat could get through that door, or you wouldn't have set me so on alert, you know! You must have really wanted in.”

He glances up at the door. Really, how did a cat push through that? The cat mewls at him again.

“Oh, come here, poor thing.”

He scratches his fingers against the carpet. The cat looks at him with interest, sitting down beside his shelves. It has remarkably clear eyes, blinking languidly at him, tail flicking. It's so calm Marvin just approaches it, putting a hand on its head and stroking down its grey back. It closes its eyes and purrs minutely, completely unhurried.

“Yes, there's a good little creature,” Marvin laughs. He pulls his hand away at a tacky sensation and finds his palm coated in dirt and dust. He sits petting the cat for several minutes, until the creature flops onto its side and exposes its belly to him. It's a male cat, purring loudly at him now, those cute paws folded in the air. Marvin laughs.

“You are a sight for sore eyes. But I can't have you tearing up the carpet or peeing on my books, kitten. Tell you what, I'll get you something to eat from upstairs and set it outside for you. Okay? Be right back.”

He heads upstairs to his flat and gets into the fridge, setting several strips of deli meat onto a plate for the cat. Maybe he'll take some pictures of the little guy as he eats. It would be nice to have a cat coming around every now and then. He had cats as a kid, in his family home, before he had to... well, before everything that happened. He loved them enough to shape his mask after them, but he's never had the free time for a pet. At this point, he's not even sure he has the safety for a pet. If the Circle finds out...

Well. Seeing as he himself isn't even aware of what he's doing half the time, he's hoping the chances of being discovered are slim.

Marvin sighs and heads back downstairs, clicking his tongue at the cat as he walks to the door and opens it. He sets the dish on the ground, but the cat hasn't moved, just looking at him from the carpet inside.

“Oh, you're comfy there, are you?” Marvin chuckles. “I understand. But you better have something to eat. Come here, then.”

The cat doesn't get up. Marvin sighs again, stepping over to him. “Sorry, my darling, but you can't stay in here.”

He leans down to pick the cat up. He doesn't struggle at all – well-behaved little thing – but as Marvin sets a foot outside, he sees a droplet of dark grey appear on the pavement beside it.

He frowns and looks up. A drop of water strikes his cheek.

“Really, right now?”

He's used to UK rain, but it's only a moment or two later that a full torrential downpour is pushing him back inside the shop. He curses and grabs the deli meat, pulling the dish inside. The cat leans down and delicately begins eating.

“Oh, lucky bugger,” Marvin says, shaking his head. “You're sure you're not a magic spy cat or something? A man disguised as a cat to trick me?”

The cat finishes the turkey and leans down to begin licking his anus.

“Alright, yeah, not a spy.”

Marvin looks out at the rain, coming down aggressively onto the awning and beating a cold rhythm through the shop. The cat polishes himself up politely at Marvin's feet. Poor dirty thing. Maybe he has an owner who's looking for him.

“Alright, then,” Marvin says, leaning down to pick the cat up once more. “You can stay just for tonight, while I figure out what to do with you.”

The cat pushes its head into his chin and purrs.

"Why do you have this? Where did you get it?"

"Would you just look?"

Sunday chooses to look up at him instead, something between astonishment and dismay arguing on his face. "Marvin..."

Marvin sighs out and taps the front of the book. "I have some contacts from my old mentor. They found this for me."

"Marvin, Ramesses wasn't exactly the kind of magician the Circle would approve of."

"You think I don't know that?"

Sunday sighs and rubs at the ear of his mask - a pretty cute form of self-soothing, really. After a moment, he flicks open the pages of the book.

"How's your memory today?" Marvin asks, trying not to sound too strained.

"What do you mean, my memory?"

"Do you remember that the Circle has been wiping things from our heads?" Marvin insists, clutching at the table.

Sunday's eyes flicker. "Right. That's... why we're looking at things like this."

"Right," Marvin agrees, relieved. "That's why we need help from magicians like Ramesses. Ones who know what's really going on. We need to find a way to keep them out of our heads."

It's dangerous stuff, but he and Sunday have had that discussion. Marvin has to trust that he's going to stay on board even as both of their memories ebb and flow. He desperately needs someone to help him remember. It's infuriating, knowing that the people who are supposed to be helping magicians are just taking control of them instead. Marvin won't be their puppet.

"This is the spell you're looking at?" asks Sunday.

"Yes. To protect someone from mind magic."

"You can't cast that alone."

"Help me, then!"

"We can't cast this alone," Sunday corrects. "You would need a huge group or an artifact."

"I have some magical artifacts."

"Not ones with enough power."

"Sunday, please."

"Marvin." His friend looks up at him sharply. "I know how deep we are in over our heads, but that's why we must be careful. You don't even know if this spell will work. It could harm you, change you, burn you out. Start with some of the smaller ones... look, this can imbue an object with the magic to see things for you. A looking glass of its own. And I'm sure you've been scrying."

Marvin grits his teeth. Yes, he's been scrying. All he sees is black wisps and red eyes through the darkness. Something is coming, and he can't stop it without knowing his mind is secure. He needs to expel the twins from the Magic Circle, needs to have a group of magicians he can trust, needs to -

"Marvin," says Sunday again. "You're working yourself up."

His sigils are glowing. He turns away bitterly, clutching his hands into fists.

"We're going to figure it out," Sunday says wearily. "You have to believe that. But you can't hurt yourself."

He sets the book down. "I need to get going. Not all of us get to run our own bookstores. I'll text you tomorrow after work, okay?"

"Fine," says Marvin. "Fine."

"Whoa, wait, is this yours?"

Marvin looks over to see the stray cat coming out of his bedroom, sitting down beside Sunday to regard him warily. It meows at him loudly enough that Sunday chuckles.

"No, I just took him in for a couple nights," Marvin sighs. "Trying to find his owner."

"And if he doesn't have one?"

"I don't know." He really doesn't. The cat's super cute, but Marvin has a lot going on. "I don't think I've got time for a cat. I get a little focused on one thing at a time."

Sunday gives him a look of disbelief. "A little?"

"Oh, shut it."

Sunday rubs the cat's head for a moment before standing. "We'll figure this out," he repeats. "Don't lose hope."

"I need you to give me some," Marvin says wearily.

Sunday touches his shoulder and grins at him, just as tired, but there's nothing more he can say. Once he's gone, Marvin sinks onto the couch, sighing deep. The cat jumps up beside him.

"You want to switch places?" Marvin asks, reaching out to scratch his chin. "I'll sleep and eat all day and you can go back to a place where you know you'll be brainwashed every time they call for you. You don't know how sick it makes me... but then, of course, I forget, and I'm theirs again."

He almost sinks in on himself, then, just wanting to melt into the couch. But the cat gets into his lap and meows at him, and the stink of his breath makes him laugh and pull back, and he sits up and pets him for a while instead of crumpling into his own dismay.

“Well, he's not got fleas or ticks or anything.”

The vet runs her hands professionally over the disgruntled cat, looking through his fur and petting his head. He turns to Marvin like he's expecting him to come help, and Marvin stifles a laugh. He's an expressive cat, really. Must have been good at begging for scraps.

“Really, none?”

“No," says the vet. "Why, did you see some?”

“No, it's just, I figured a stray cat would have one. You sure he's not chipped either?”

“No chip,” the vet confirms, running her hands over the cat. “How long have you had him?”

“Five days now. I called the animal shelter and posted online in case anyone is looking for him.”

“You can check our board in case someone's posted that he's lost.”

“Alright, will do.”

“But he's neutered and all, so you don't have to worry about that.”

“Good,” says Marvin emphatically. “I've never met such a headstrong cat. I don't think he'd let anybody get down there with scissors.”

“Oh, but he's such a well-mannered little boy,” coos the vet, petting the cat's head. The cat purrs.

“Yeah, now,” Marvin laughs. “But if you do something he doesn't like, he will let you know. I think he's capable of revenge.”

They have a laugh about it and the vet gets ready to give him some shots. When she gets out a syringe, the cat raises his butt like he's ready to bolt, but Marvin grabs his scruff sharply and leans down to chide him.

“Everybody has to get shots, Higgins,” he says. “You behave. You can't come home if you're not healthy.”

“Oh, no, you've named him,” smiles the vet.

Marvin puffs out a sigh. “I have, haven't I? I didn't mean to. But doesn't he look just like a little Mr. Higgins? Who's the prettiest boy?”

Mr. Higgins shoots him a disgruntled look, but he allows the vet to pin him down gently and give him his shots. Soon as they're done, he nips Marvin's thumb with his teeth.

“Yeah, yeah, I get it,” says Marvin, pushing him back into the carrier. “We'll check the board and then get you home.”

He's still not sure he wants a cat, but Higgins keeps trying to sleep in his bed, so Marvin figured he'd be responsible and get him checked over before they both get fleas. "You might not get to stick around forever," he tells the cat. "But I'll take care of you while you do."

But as he gets out to the reception of the vet's clinic, looking at their board of announcements and missing pet posters, he realizes he doesn't mind having the cat around. And this is how people get cats, right? They just take one in for a night, and then the cat adopts you. It's not like there's much going on for him right now, anyone. Things are good at the shop and with the Magic Circle. Everything's -

Higgins lets out a meow so loud other people turn to look at him, and so does Marvin, surprised. He's reminded of Higgins meowing at Sunday, who was over at his place to - to what?

To look at that black magic book...

Which he got because... because... why? Why is he looking at magic like that?

Higgins meows again, a little strangled. Marvin looks into his big, languid cat's eyes. Because...

The Circle is fucking with his head.

The realization hits him like a baseball in the chest, but even as it does, he knows this isn't the first time he's realized it. They keep making him forget - forget - forget.

He's a fucking puppet.

Marvin pushes himself out of the vet's office, vision blurry with frustrated tears.

"It keeps happening," he says to Higgins, voice tight. "I can't make them stop."

Higgins looks up at him from his carrier. The cat's quiet now, not struggling or meowing. Just looking at him.

"Yeah, you might not want me for an owner," sighs Marvin. "Fucked up head and a fucked up mess I can't seem to get myself out of."

Higgins lets out one little meow. Okay. That's pretty cute too. Marvin tries to get over himself. The self-pity won't help. Maybe, when he gets home, he can focus on getting Higgins a treat instead, since he was such a little gentleman at the vet.

Knowing that Sunday is right about the spell he wants to try doesn't it make it any easier to resist.

In fact, he thinks it makes it harder. Who is Sunday to tell Marvin what he's capable of?

He's always had that proud streak, and he knows it. Wanting to be the best at everything has served Marvin well in some parts of his life, but he's also been called cocky, overzealous, and, on one occasion, "basically a rat going to town on a Cheeto when it comes to magic," and all for good reason.

Higgins has hopped up on the kitchen counter, sitting beside the black magic book. Everytime Marvin looks over at it, he meows pointedly. If he didn't know better, he'd say the little miscreant was trying to warn him away too.

"It's just a spell," Marvin tells him, pacing around his living room. "I've never died trying stupid spells before. And I have tried some damn powerful spells."

He's good at powerful spells. He's a powerful fucking sorceror. It's why he was picked for this, mentored so intensely, sculpted to be better, better, better. The Magic Circle has its rules, but it should never have become a means to control him or restrain him. They can't take his own mind for him. He won't allow it!

"No one else is doing anything about it," he says to Higgins. "Sunday's the only one who's been able to hear me out and not forget everything the very next day. And even him, I have to remind again and again, and he has to remind me."

Higgins says "mrrp."

"Well, it's not like I can just leave the Magic Circle! All magical authority comes from them, and the twins - well. I have a lot to learn from the twins. Things the outsiders will never have access to. No, I need to be the one to take this all down from the inside. I'll cleanse it with fire if I have to! Or else - or else what will happen? We'll all be their slaves forever."

No. No. He won't be their tool. He grabs the black book. Higgins yowls.

"There is food for you in your bowl," Marvin chides him, heading towards the stairs. "Stay up here!"

Higgins tries to follow him down to the shop, and Marvin has to push him away with his foot, closing the door on him. Higgins makes a noise that can't be anything other than annoyed.

"Needy thing," Marvin chides, heading down the stairs, but it's soon gone from his mind. He's really going to try a new spell, one that might exorcise the twins's control over him. There's no rush like this, he loves it. New books, new spells, new magic. This is what he was born and trained for.

"Sunday doesn't know what I can do," Marvin says, putting his book down on his desk. This time, he makes sure the door to the shop is locked. "And neither do the fucking twins."

Mensprotego, not the original name of the spell, to be sure. It's Romanian in origin and the name is just some Latin combination of phrases given to it to lend it a feeling of power. But Marvin knows the real power of it as he traces the words over the spell. He draws his sigils with precision - he should have known when he was practicing the unfamiliar ones that he would always end up trying this alone - and sticks a mandrake leaf against the roof of his mouth, as the spell instructs. For extra energy, he'll use Ramesses's old staff.

It's good to grip it in his hands again. Even after all this time, he still thinks he can feel his mentor with him every time he holds it. Sometimes, he even gets the nostalgic smell of fire and the Vaseline he would smear over his scarring.

"Help me once again," he asks, pulling the staff over to his counter.

The power rushes up over him like a wave of water as he starts to speak. It's a strange sort of spell, the way it coasts over him, like it's sending sparks into him, a mini electrification that keeps repeating across his body - and keeps getting stronger. He wets his lips and keeps going. He's more used to magic that makes you feel tired as you use too much, but this! This is invigorating. His heart starts to pound. He can feel it against his chest. The electricity feeling makes him cramp, his fingers squeezing at the staff, and then his tongue sticks to his mouth. Wow. It kind of makes it hard to move. Kind of hurts.

Another wave of it grips him, and he pauses, breathing out and giving himself the chance to stop.

But then what will happen? Nothing. Things will keep going as they are. He can't take it. He has to keep going. To keep trying something new.

"I will not be yours," he whispers, and, clearing his throat, speaks the last words of the spell.

Everything explodes with light, blinding him, and a hot, raw pain bursts across him, his whole body lit up with purple markings, his eyes aglow, though he cannot see through them. He gasps and his body tries to crumple, but another wave of it crosses over him, shocking him stiff, unable to even collapse. Still, he clings to the spell, to the magic, vying hard for protection. If he can just get free, nothing else matters. He'll recover later, won't he? If he can just protect himself -

Something sharp clenches down on his ankle and he yells. The different kind of pain snaps him out of everything, and he drops Ramesses's staff, falling to his knees, still blind to all but his own light.

The electricity stops, but he thinks his brain might have short-circuited with it. He feels himself start to shake - maybe even to seize - he drops to the ground -

He loses consciousness to the sound of something scraping at his sigils with its claws.

Marvin wakes to the heavy smell of blood in his nose, and his fingers come up towards it instinctively, shaky and unsure.

"Ungh," he groans, shifting against the cold wood of his shop's backroom. He spits out a mandrake leaf, smacking his tongue at the odorous taste.

Marvin tries to push his glasses back into place, only to find the right temple snapped off its hinge, the glass cracked at the side. He pulls them off his face and sits up.

It makes his head rush painfully. Owch. There's blood all the way from his nose to his chin.

Okay, okay. Fine. He went way too far. Sunday's right, he's pushing too hard. Worse, he's not sure what would have happened if he didn't have that sharp pain.

He pulls his ankle up to himself as he sits down. Wait - that is distinctly a cat bite.

Setting his leg down, he lets his head thump back in surprise. Higgins saved him. Did he know he was in distress, or just get scared by the light and shaking?

"Higgs?" he calls. "You here?"

No little feet come padding towards him. He drags himself onto his feet - his poor head, owch - and stumbles towards the bathroom, washing his face off and swishing water around his mouth to clear out the copper taste.

"Maybe I don't tell Sunday about this," he mutters. He's made himself sick for certain. He won't feel well in the morning either. What's he going to do? Just -- with all of it, what is he doing?

The tears prick up against his will and he scowls at himself in the mirror, brushing at his eyes with the un-bloodied side of a washcloth. He strikes the flat of his palm against the bathroom counter and breathes. He can't let the twins or the council keep misusing their magic. He promised Ramesses he'd find a way.

But honestly, he just really wants to sleep for about twelve years or so. Feels like that would fix everything. Why does all this have to be on his shoulders alone?

"Not crying, we are not crying about this," he announces to himself, tossing the washcloth in the sink and stepping back into his living room. He crashes onto his couch and his head swims again from the movement. He covers his face from the light and breathes out slowly.

"Meow."

It's a very professional little meow, no wailing or pleading involved. Marvin pulls his arm away from his eyes and blinks towards the floor, where Higgins looks up at him carefully.

"Meow," he repeats.

"You want up here?" asks Marvin. He pats the little space beside his stomach. "You can come on."

Higgins doesn't move, peering up at him. He has eyes like a little man sometimes. Marvin prefers him playing, when his pupils get dilated huge and he just looks like the cute dumbass he's supposed to be.

"Yes, alright, I went too far," Marvin sighs. "What, are you angry? I'm sorry."

Higgins wraps his tail daintily around himself, blinking. Marvin sits up with a sigh and reaches for him.

Higgins say "mrrp" a little irritably, but he lets Marvin pull him onto his stomach and set him down there, stroking his head. After a few quiet minutes, Higgins settles and starts to purr gently.

"What a good boy," Marvin murmurs, scratching his ears as he lies back. "Did you know I needed help?"

Higgins looks at him with slitted eyes, rumbling.

"You got me out of that," Marvin continues. "You've never bit me like that before. Did I scare you? I'm sorry."

Higgins gets up slightly and Marvin mourns the loss of the warmth. But his cat doesn't hop off the couch. He just clambers higher up Marvin and pushes his soft head into his neck.

Marvin's face creases and the tears burn his eyes again. He blinks rapidly and wraps his arms around the hot little body of his cat.

"There's my good boy," Marvin rasps, holding him close. "My hero, aren't you? What a good cat."

He hugs Higgins close to him, closing his eyes, and for several minutes interrupted only by steady purring, he does cry. Maybe it's okay. No one's here to see him, and he'll feel better afterwards. Higgins licks the salt from his beard.

"Thank you, lovey," Marvin purrs back to him, scratching his back. "I know someone's got my back, don't I?"

Higgins meows loudly at him and Marvin laughs, wiping his face.

"Yuck, cat breath. You must be hungry. I'll fill your bowl, okay? And I better get something for me, too. Maybe a treat tonight. You think there are delivery places open twenty-four seven?"

Apparently it's not abnormal for someone to want pad see-ew at two in the morning, because his food comes less than fifteen minutes later. It hurts his head to go down the stairs, but it's euphoric to crash on his couch with several hot boxes of takeout arrayed on his coffee table. He puts on a Ghibli flick and spaces out hard, kept in the moment just by the sweet noodles and broccoli, the flashing colors of a movie he's seen a hundred times, and his cat, who jumps right back onto his lap and tries to get his head into the takeout box. Marvin lets him have a little too much chicken, but he's such a good boy, he deserves it. It's nice, really. It's nice to have this cat, purring on his chest as he sinks towards a deep sleep.

He thinks Higgins is asleep too.

Marvin wakes up feeling sick.

"Oh, my darling," he groans, feeling Higgins move as he does. "What did I do last night?"

He sits up slowly, glancing around his living room. He got take-out? He's usually so strict about eating at home. Did he drink?

"Well, I must have," he breathes, standing. He goes to his kitchen, but there's nothing out, no empty bottles or discarded lids. There's nothing in the trash out of the ordinary either. He didn't go out, right? He checks his phone, but he hasn't talked to anyone since yesterday. He wasn't out with friends, and he's sure he had no one over.

He's still trying to figure out what happened as he heads towards the bathroom, but the bloody washcloth in the sink stops him short. Marvin shakes his head, bewildered, and a little worried too, now. What is going on?

Higgins meows at him. He glances down at his cat. Higgins moves between his legs and then, apropos of nothing, puts his little teeth in Marvin's heel.

"Ow! Higgins! You - you bit me..."

He was trying that spell last night. He made himself sick with overuse. Higgins bit his ankle.

"Oh, oh," he whimpers, trying not to spiral. "They have such a grip on my memory I even forgot my own endeavors. They're in my house. In my head. I can't... I can't, I..."

He sinks down to his knees, shaking. His fingers press against the cold tile floor, and he sucks in shaking breaths, the fury and the terror passing over and through him like a great wave of heat.

"No more," he snarls, striking his hand against the floor. "No more of this. I will remember anything they take from me. Again and again, as much as I lose, I will get it back no matter what. I'll remember. And then I'll fight."

He turns his head and presses his hand against his cat's head. Higgins looks up at him with those sharp eyes, his fur soft against the palm of his hand.

"And you're going to help me, aren't you, my darling?"

He really does think that he sees that cat nod in that moment. The oddest part is, it doesn't even really surprise him.

"Right, then," Marvin breathes, his panic clearing. "Right. Back on your feet, Marvin, and no more sulking. Anyway, you got to get the cat fed."

Higgins' eyes dilate and his tail stands straight up. Marvin finds himself laughing despite everything.

"Okay, okay. One thing at a time."

He kisses his cat on the head, and goes to get him his breakfast. The rest will come - and he'll be ready.

#altrverse #higgins the cat #marvin the magnificent #jacksepticeye

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glass-trash-bab · 6 months

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Major altrverse spoilers, void silver specifically. I just need to write down a theory I have

Ok so I'm thinking about the masks all of the known magic circle members wear and I have a theory as to why some of them are different than others.

So, from what we've been shown, there are 3 different types of masks.

The dinky little superhero mask (a single woman in the background of the various investigation scenes)

The animal half-face masks (Marvin and Sunday)

And the Full animal face masks (The Twins)

I think the different masks correspond to their rank in the magic circle. Cause obviously The Twins are important (and kind of full of themselves), so I'm just assuming the more of their face that's covered, the more important they are.

But I wanna know why doesn't that one background woman have an animal mask. And what determines what kind of animal your mask is. Maybe there's no correlation between the masks and their rank, maybe it's just Whatever They Want. Idk.

I wanna know why Sunday's mask is yellow and a bear. Why are they Golden Freddy

#someone think about this with me #altrverse #altrverse spoilers #void silver spoilers #void silver #Jacksepticeye

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leobashi · 2 days

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sooooo any altrverse 1 thoughts? c;

Altrverse #1 spoilers

Hehe 2 out of 2 issues so far Jackie is stinky boy I hope it becomes a running joke 5 stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

The dichotomy? LOVE it! Marv the chosen one and Jackie a coincidence. Marv’s got a funny teacher and Jackie’s probably on his own. Marv’s a mama’s boy and Jackie is fatherless hdjdjd

(Also Marv’s mom’s name is Moira and my sister is in love with Overwatch Moira so I thought it was funny hdjd)

Also, I compared Ramses’s face mask thing to issue #0 in the future and it switches sides?? And it looks like it progressed too. Was it a mistake or change in character design or did something happen to make it move? Love the closer look at the magic system in his world too! I got plenty of questions about how the hell the magic circle works like how do they choose who gets to learn magic if 8 is already really late? You choose specific children or something? Based on what? Who they know? Do people have different potentials for magic and also based on what? Natural skill? Ramses can’t do magic, why? Because he doesn’t have the natural skill? Or because he never bothered to learn? How does he know magic anyway if he can’t do it? Who thought to teach him if he can’t? Unless he lost his ability somehow? What’s his connection to the magic circle? How do the twins know him? Is he a prophet of some sort? How reputable is he that the twins stopped whatever they were doing to hear about him? Why is he homeless? Is Marv’s mom okay in the future? We didn’t see her in #0, she better not die a horrible death in between. Hopes she calls him about tea or something ever week. What the hell were they doing in the entrance exam that it took so heckin long? And I’m sure there will be more questions if I reread it and thought about it more. Lots of world building, not many questions really answered yet, but makes sense, it’s only issue #1

That thing is Anti right?? For some reason I have it in my head that the Anti we know is not the Anti but some sort of human made into a vessel or host or something completely corrupted by Anti-energy idk. Either way, it’s seen Jackie and it seems a fraction of its power has entered him. Now Anti will be after him. Also, what happened to those other scientist guys who got shocked? Are they possessed now? Or in a similar situation as Jackie as in they got cool powers now? And that guy got laser eyes or something? And who are the other people around Jackie in that premonition that Anti saw? When will we meet them? What universe do they come from? Are they the other egos? Or will they be replaced by the other egos?

There’s also the two quotes I got from Jackie’s comic that I don’t think the fandom can treat normally anymore. One from that panel about that face and the other is ON THE FUCKING BACK OF THE COMIC TOO HNNNNNNN NEED TO PROTECC THE BOY

#ask #anon #altrverse #altrverse spoilers

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kalcifers-blog · 1 month

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Dead Mans Switch - A Void Silver/ALTRverse FanFic

Angst, Hurt/Comfort Fic

CW: implied attempted execution, blood, injury, near death experiences, almost major character death (he doesn't actually die but he definitely thinks he's going too) self loathing, self deprecated thinking, major sacrifice

Also implied Sunday x Marvin because I want people to see them in the way I do

Word Count: 1, 643

If you had told Marvin only a year ago that The Magic Circle, the people he trusted the most, would be the ones to put him in grave danger, he wouldn't have believed you.

It was almost like some kind of cruel joke, it rang out in the back of Marvin's mind as the red hot pain of his injuries bled through the fabric of his now bloodstained and sticky clothes. A very small part of him grimaced at the thought of peeling said fabric off his wounds- but a bigger part of him wondered if he would be allowed to live that long.

A sadness and fear blossomed in his chest as Marvin started to come to realise that he is going to die. His mask layed shattered in half in front of him- his aid being stripped away and broken into pieces as the Twins first attack. One that left the left side of his face burning in an agony he couldn't even begin to describe- his left eye filled with red and began to darken. Marvin wondered if he'd be able to see from that eye again if he somehow managed to get out of his situation alive.

The face of one of the Twins- whom he never was able to discover the name of- stared back at him with a cold, uncaring expression. It wasn't even like she particularly cared that he had betrayed The Magic Circle, or her by extension, or that he mattered any more to her than some pest that needed to be dealt with.

He stared back at her with the one eye that could still see with as much sorrow and pleading as he could muster. If the mage had any compassion for the man at any point she certainly did not show it. There was a cruel nothing behind her gaze, something that only cemented Marvin's fate in the form of a stone cold headstone.

He should've been smarter- been more vigilant, consulted and found more allies. He shouldn't have looked into the void of a man in the first place. It wasn't his business and now he was paying the price for it.

He had Sunday- the one person who truly stuck by his side through all of this. He owed Sunday everything for the sacrifice the man made for him, Sunday had everything to lose by putting his trust in Marvin and he did so without a second thought- how Marvin could've ever repaid him he had no idea. All he knew is that, even if he escaped this situation, he'd never be able to.

Sunday was apprehended by the other twin- his magic had a stronghold on the man, forcing him in a stone like stillness, watching the brutal execution take place. Marvin wished nothing more than to spare the man the view, but paired against both of the twins, even at his full ability, Marvin didn't stand a fighting chance.

Marvin was not a pleading man, up until this point there was nothing you could have done to convince him to be vulnerable in any sense of the word. But today was not like most days and Marvin feared what would become of not just himself but of Sunday- and of the people that will no doubt be affected by the man who is void of all space.

Marvin looked back on Sunday- his eyes were glazed over in the same purple glow as the Twins where, his face frozen in horrified shock. It was then Marvin felt the warmth of his own tears sting the deep cuts on his face- It was his fault- all of it- he should've done or said anything, Sunday would've been spared if he hadn't. Marvin didn't want to think of what would come of his friend if he died.

Would they kill him off for helping him?

Marvin couldn't stand the thought- he had to- no he needed to make sure that this would not happen. His fear and sorrow gave way to the last resort Marvin had- a dead man's switch of all mages when they get to a certain level of their ability, only to be used in the most dire of situations and not recommended if you plan on continuing on having magic.

It was a true last resort. Marvin would never be the same if he did this. He would never get back to the level he had spent his entire life building up too if he even attempted this. But how much life does he have left? He's almost dead as it is- it would be the only way he could ever repay his debt to Sunday…

Marvin's magic erupted in a fiery blaze of agony- every last fibre of energy and magic left in him exploded into a wave of electrical rage. Marvin kept his eyes shut, only looking at Sunday to assure himself the spell wouldn't harm him.

There was a look of shock and rage that flashed on the faces of the Twins. The male Twin dropping his hold on Sunday- who collapsed to the ground in anticipation of the spell rushing past him. The spell hit both of the twins as they both attempted to stop Marvin. Neither of which succeeded.

As the magic settled, Marvin fully collapsed to the ground, feeling the life bleed out of him slowly. The pain even started to fade- he couldn't give up now- but he just could not move, he was so tired…

“MARVIN?”

Sunday's voice rang out- Marvin couldn't move or speak to settle his fear, but he felt him roll his body onto his back as his breathing, rugged as it was, came out in slow and painful waves. He felt the coldness of Sunday attempting a healing spell.

"Healing spells always leave such a minty taste at the back of your throat", Marvin thought- as he tried to cough up words to reassure the other with. All he could muster was his blood soaked hand lazily reaching out to the other- it landing on the side of Sunday's face and it stayed there until Marvin didn't have the energy to keep it held any longer-

Healing spells could only work on wounds that the body could naturally heal by itself, the spell essentially only sped up the process. Both of them knew that, it didn't stop Sunday from trying.

Marvin felt the world start to move around him as Sunday picked him up- was he planning on taking him to a hospital-?

The world went blurry…

And then it went dark.

There was a harsh light when Marvin woke up. A blinding light. For a second he almost thought that he was dead and had passed on to the afterlife. But as his vision came too, he was definitely in a hospital bed- a faint droning beeping of several machines he was hooked up to played in the background as he weakly took in his surroundings.

Sunday was asleep- a book half open still in his hand. The desk next to him had a small pile of books, most of them on healing spells- a small few being graphic novels Marvin recognised from his own shop. Had Sunday tried reading to him? The idea pulled at Marvin's heart in a way he couldn't describe- his attention pulled to Sunday himself. His clothes were in a state, bags under his eyes heavy and his demeanour just screamed that the man had barely slept.

The guilt of everything started to set in- even now Sunday was giving more of himself just to help Marvin. Probably not knowing if the man would live or not. Marvin couldn't help but feel a crushing sensation wash over him- he won't be able to protect him now- of course Sunday could protect himself, he was at the same level, if not deserved a higher level of magic compared to Marvin. Sunday was strong and resilient and Marvin knew that.

But the idea of him not being able to do anything to help Sunday- without his magic how could Marvin even begin to protect or to help Sunday.

He deserves better than this- he shouldn't be wasting his time with me- the warmth of his own tears poured down his face. Marvin couldn't help but collapse under the realisation of everything that had happened.

It must've been the sounds of his sobs that woke Sunday up-

“Marv you- oh thank fuck-” Sunday crashed into him in a strong embrace, he held onto Marvin like he was about to slip away again. Marvin clung onto his friend's shirt, all he could do was bury his face into his shoulder and let himself cry.

“You had me so worried- the Twins they've gotten off, I can't track them with a scrying spell so I don't know what they're up too but we're protected right now don't worry. You've been here for nearly a week now by the way..”

Sunday trailed off with a yawn. Clearly his nap hadn't helped with his clear exhaustion at all.

“Why are you here Sunday..”

Marvin asked, his voice broken and hoarse. The look on Sundays face in response pained him-

“You've done so much for me- I don't deserve it-”

“No- none of that”

Sunday cut him off almost immediately.

“Marvin I'm here because I- because I care.”

Sunday pulled Marvin back into a hug. Marvin tiredly accepted it without question. Maybe for just a moment he could let himself feel the warmth of the other man and let himself feel lost in it.

There was an uncertainty in the air. About the twins, the magic circle, the void man, his magicless future- everything. The only thing he could be certain off is the comforting liminality of this moment, just waiting for whatever happens next to arrive.

#jacksepticeye #jse egos #jse #jacksepticeye egos #marvin the magnificent #altrverse #void silver #fanfic #kalcifers blog #kal writes #kals fanfic #altrverse Sunday #marvin x sunday

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the3rddenialist · 21 days

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Every friend group has

Furries

Guys who think they're secretive

Uncles

The ride or die

#altrverse #altrverse spoilers #jacksepticeye #marvin the magnificent #jackieboy man #sonja altrverse #sunday altrverse #the twins altrverse #higgins altrverse #unnamed altrverse #ramesses altrverse #mason altrverse #sean altrverse #only including what seems to be recurring characters

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chaseisglitched · 5 months

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i have now decided the twins are just really really tall. the tallest one is like 6'5" and the other one is 6'2"

#don’t ask why I thought of this idk #I just feel like they would be tall and kinda scary #slightly related I wanna know what their names are #because I’ve just been calling them twin one and two #chase.ramblings #jse.ramblings #altrverse #altrverse spoilers #just in case :]

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mooniemenace · 4 months

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my hazbin and jse/altrverse brainrot is strong please bear with me-

but Marvin and Jackie doing the "IF HELL IS FOREVER THEN HEAVEN MUST BE A LIE" to the Magic Circle???

can- can anyone else see the vision?

youtube

(watch from 2:05 to 2:57 for the specific part I imagine-)

I was inspired by this text/comic, and the animatic in my head just made me imagine Marvin telling off the Twins for their selectiveness and hypocrisy- Then Jackieboy just shows up from his hiding because he was watching this entire thing go down, knowing how fucked the situation is and says "THAT'S WHAT THE FUCK I'VE BEEN SAYING"

THEN THE DUET ENSUES, WHERE THEY BOTH CALL THE MAGIC CIRCLE OUT im going nuts omfg 😭

#I PROBABLY SOUND CRAZY #I KNOW I DO AJKSDHAJSD #im cringe but im free fr #jackieboy man #marvin the magnificent #jse egos #altrverse #hazbin hotel #tw hazbin hotel #yeah im putting a trigger warning bc i know people don't like this show #Youtube

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jselorekeeper · 25 days

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I don't have ALTRVERSE man

who even are these twins that everyone keeps talking about

I mean there are twins in ALTRverse but I don’t think that’s what we are talking about.

If people been asking me about ALTRverse twins then yall gotta make it obvious which ones we are speaking about 😅

Least what I been referring to is the little series Jack did! This is my playlist cause it’s easier to have it all together lol

#jacksepticeye #lore keeper speaks

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beerecordings · 5 years

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Masterlist

My masterlist!! This should be... pretty much all of it? It’s getting really long ahahaha. Hope you enjoy going through some of these! and if you want to see my casual headcanons, potentially funny bits, and angsty ideas, the tag to check is “bee posts” :) thanks for being here!

I don’t really write short fics so I think pretty much all of these are at 1000 words each, with even the “snippets” being a few thousand words long. My longest piece is my wip My Brothers, Corrupted, which is an ask blog more than 400,000 words and counting.

I recommend all the short stories and any aus you think are interesting, and then for the fics organized by year I starred my favorites with an asterisk.*

Some of these are old and some of these are new but I got a lil place in my bee heart for all of them. Watch the trigger warnings, okay? Thanks loves :)

My Brother’s Keeper

An AU where Jameson was stolen from his brothers the day he was created (wip).

(Part 1 l Part 2 l Part 3 l Part 4 l Part 5 l Part 6 l Part 7 l Part 8 l Part 9 l Part 10 l Part 11 l Part 12 l Part 13 l Part 14 l Part 15 l Part 16 l Part 17 l Part 18 l Part 19 l Part 20 l Part 21 Part 22 l Part 23 l Part 24 l Part 25 l Part 26)

Bonus: Anti gives JJ a present.

Bonus: Jameson falls ill.

My Brothers, Corrupted

A story blog where Marvin, Chase, JJ, Henrik, and Jackie are trying to survive living as Anti’s puppets. It’s so big it gets a masterlist of its own.

(MBC Masterlist l Chapter Summaries)

MBC was completed as of November 2021 but the final chapter has not been compiled.

Short Stories

What We Have Left: At the end of the story, Anti has won, and Jackie is just trying to hold on to what little remains.

Punishment: Jackie used to go to Anti when he wanted to be hurt. Now he goes to his family.

The Newcomer: Surrounded by strangers, Eric Derekson just wants to know where he belongs. Bonus: the Jim twins think JJ’s name makes him the long foretold Jim Jim! Bonus: Google isn’t as much of a family man as Eric is.

The Missing Piece: Doktor has been Anti’s for months now. Doktor and all of his brothers. Except of course, the last missing piece. Jameson’s blue eyes call out to him, but he will not answer... he will not answer... he cannot answer...*

The Fish: Written in my experimental style, a short, descriptive piece about Henrik losing his job.*

Marvin’s Brothers: A snippet-by-snippet piece about Marvin hating all of his dumb-ass brothers - until he doesn’t.* (Plus a follow-up snippet)

Poison: Marvin is kidnapped by one of Jackie’s enemies and poisoned with strychnine. Jackie and the others try to save him before his time runs out - but in the meantime, they might just find an old enemy and a missing brother who’s in need of his own detox. (Part 1 l Part 2 l Part 3 l Part 4 l Part 5 l Part 6 l Part 7)

Memory (wip on AO3) - a story about Henrik, Anti, and the surrender of memories.

Alternate Universes

ALTRVerse: As close to new canon as I get. How Higgins came to adopt the reckless magician trying to defeat the Magic Circle on his own.

Werewolf AU: Marvin and Jackie have been wolves their whole lives. Henrik and Chase just got turned by a stranger who assaulted and bit them against their will, a stranger who’s still running free. All four of them find themselves in a werewolf rehabilitation center run by Jackie’s old friend Sean, who is determined to help them all get through both their newfound lycanthropy and the issues they haven’t dealt with for years. (Chapter One l Chapter Two l Chapter Three l Chapter Four l Chapter Five l Chapter Six l Chapter Seven l Chapter Eight l Chapter Nine l Chapter Ten l Chapter Eleven l Chapter Twelve l Chapter Thirteen l Chapter Fourteen l Chapter Fifteen l Chapter Sixteen l Chapter Seventeen l Chapter Eighteen l Chapter Nineteen l Chapter Twenty l Chapter Twenty-One l Chapter Twenty-Two l Chapter Twenty-Three l Chapter Twenty-Four l Chapter Twenty-Five)

Mythology AU: Chase is a Selkie, Marvin’s a star spirit, Jameson’s fae but likes to look like a little black dog, Henrik’s the seventh son of a seventh son, and Jackie is Jackie! (One: Henrik didn’t know what happened when a Selkie lost their coat until today. Two: Selkie Chase comes home to find his wife and pups missing and races into the ocean after them.) (Three: Fae Jameson comforts Henrik through a panic attack.)

Marvin’s Cage AU: Marvin is the one keeping Jameson in the little puppet box so that Anti can’t use him to hurt his family. When Jackie finds out, he sets Jameson free and throws Marvin out of the house, cutting off all communication from him and leaving him to devolve into hatred and magical corruption while the rest of his family grieves his betrayal. (One: Marvin doesn’t trust Jameson, so he acts in secret to eliminate the threat. Two: Marvin struggles under the weight of his guilt when Jameson reaches his breaking point. Three: Jackie knows something’s wrong. He just wishes Marvin would tell him what. Four: Marvin has an encounter with someone eager to watch his downfall. Five: Marvin’s birthday changes everything.)

Graceling AU: Based on Kristin Cashore’s Graceling books, this is a universe where Jameson is a child who’s been raised by Anti - a powerful Graceling and abuse survivor who’s come to believe that everyone is evil and wants to hurt him. The others, including the Graceling warrior Jackie and his Monster brother Marvin, catch news of the captive Prince Jameson and go to help him. (One: Anti gets bad news about the only person in the world he cares about. Two: Anti escapes his family home as a teenager and becomes an assassin in love with his guildsmaster. Three: the story of how Anti came to have Jameson in the first place. Four: the Monster Marvin is stolen away from his home. Five: Jameson wants to take care of his friend Marvin, but he’s just a little kid.)

Kidnapped Anti AU: Features a soft Anti who was kidnapped and abused for weeks only to be saved by Jackie and returned home. He’s known for being violent, wild, selfish, and reclusive, but he’s finding a way to get along with the family he ran away from months ago as he recovers from what he went through. (One: Jackie saves Anti from his abuser and brings him home to heal. Two: Anti hopes to save some of his own kind. Jameson waits in a cage.)

Favored Puppet AU: Anti is a supernatural creature who enjoys tormenting mortals - until he decides there’s one he might want for his own. (One: Anti realizes it might have become attached to the human man it’s been haunting for months now and decides to steal him for its own. Two: Months after his kidnapping, a typical day in the life of Chase and Anti turns out to be dangerous - and meaningful - for both of them. Three: Chase and Anti meet someone from Chase’s past. Part A l Part B l Part C)

Bartimaeus AU: Based on the Bartimaeus series, where sorcerers are able to summon shape-shifting demons from the Other Place to use as slaves, Mark and Jack are the only magicians they know who don’t believe that spirits should be mistreated. Jack, a researcher with an interest in demonology and a secret curse of his own, has found a way to befriend five familiar spirits, while Mark secretly keeps track of a long list of spirits who have been injured in the service of magicians to help protect them from further harm. (One: For the first time in his life, Jack might have found another sorcerer who’s on his side.) (Two: Dark is a broken, aching thing. Some days, in his confusion, he seeks comfort.)

Bastard Cats AU: my fluffiest au. Chase has five cats named Anti, Marvin, Jackie, JJ, and Dr. Henrik von Schneeplestein, Ph.D, MD. (One - Chase is having a bad night when he finds a very sick kitten in the gutter. Two - Chase is struggling, but it would be worse without the cats.)

Snippets, Requests, and Impromptu Pieces (Aimless Writing, but still good) listed oldest to newest.

Chase is a fighter. He doesn’t want to die.

Chase and JJ eat too much sugar. They’re bonding, okay?

Anti is trapped.

Henrik’s scared to sleep, but JJ’s suffered at Anti’s hands too.

Chase and Marvin have a game of dice.

Marvin has plans in place, but Anti doesn’t intend to let him save anyone.

Jackie used to think he was condemned.

Anti loves to stare. JJ just holds still.

I wax poetic about what the egos look like and wear.

Marvin’s been taken, but he trusts his brother to save him.*

It hurt, losing Henrik. Chase just waits for the day he can see him again.

In an attempt to save Jack, Marvin is possessed instead.

Chase is forced to watch as Marvin is tortured by sleep deprivation.

Henrik would do anything to save his friend.

Chase and Jameson are on the run. They are the only ones left.

Blue can’t remember anything. There’s just him and the monster.

Things Antisepticeye Has Felt*

Anti tortures Jameson from within his own flesh.

Chase shows Anti what fear is.

It’s Jackie’s third birthday. He realizes he’s happy.

Jameson is badly injured. Jackie sits at his bedside, waiting to see him wake.

When one Anti dies, another rises to replace him.

Of course Marvin doesn’t purr. Don’t be silly. He definitely does not do that.

Somebody drugged Chase. He’s hoping one of his brothers comes to save him.

Jackie’s brothers try to help him recover from sensory deprivation.

JJ wishes he could tell you that all these hedgehogs were making things better.

Marvin has a chance at escaping Anti, and he summons all his magic.*

Chase is sick. His family looks after him.*

JJ did not dress well for this weather.

Henrik looks after Marvin when he’s been hurt.*

Jack asked Jackie to protect his brothers, so he does - no matter the cost.

Anti puts a muzzle on him, but Chase is still fighting.

JJ, Marvin, and Chase are stuck in a strange room. Something is wrong.*

Jackie’s being possessed. His brothers don’t notice fast enough.*

Birthdays are scary for Jameson, but his brothers are trying to help.*

Jameson and Marvin used too much magic. Now they’re just trying to survive it.

Jackie really doesn’t want Henrik to move out.*

Marvin is sorry for all the ways he’s failed his brothers.*

Non JSE - my original short story horror journal about bringing back someone you love

#masterlist #LOOK AT THIS IT'S BIG OHHHH #which one is your favorite?#bee writes #long post

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the3rddenialist · 16 days

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Celestial AU I guess*

*aka I took Sun and Moon symbolism and went nuts

help

#the magic circle is like universe coded #the twins would be milky way or something #iris would be dark matter #i wanted to add sonja and unnamed so i did #friend would be a comet i think #anyways tags #marvin the magnificent #sunday altrverse #sonja altrverse #unnamed altrverse #celestial silver au #jacksepticeye

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the3rddenialist · 29 days

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The Unreliable Narrators of

The Somewhat Incredible Jackie-Boy Man & Void Silver

And their capacity to deceive us in the future.

Dramatic Youtube Thumbnail lol

Major #0 spoilers

Gotta say, I really love when a story comes with a sister story with it, this being the two Altrverse comics. As I personally love having two texts to compare and contrast, as it can really help highlight what they share, what's different, and what's missing.

And wow there is some things in each story that look a lot more suspicious due to their sister text existing.

While Sister Stories do many things, in this case it highlights the unreliable narrators of each text. I hope after this look into these aspect, and if these aspects continue into the next comics, will implore you to keep an eyebrow raise in regards to Marvin and Jackie.

But first, what is an unreliable narrator? At the most basic, an unreliable narrator is a storyteller whose perspective isn't totally reliable if we want to get the full picture. They can be intentional, unintentional, aim to wrongfully mislead or give a happier story. But even unreliable narrators with good intention still can alter the story to its viewers in a way that will lead us to the wrong conclusions.

Now do I think the Volume #0 are unreliable? Not really, but it had the capacity to be, which means in future comics, they may become more and more unreliable.

I will explore how each comic is unreliable by the perspective of each story and what we are shown (or more importantly not shown).

First we'll start with

Perspective: Who is their story being told by?

From the first page of The Somewhat Incredible Jackie-Boy Man, and by the second page of Void Silver, it is already establish that these narratives will be unreliable.

First we have Jackie. Who straight out of the gate acknowledges the viewer.

SO LET'S JUST GET OUT THERE--

And continues to narrate the rest of his story.

Now this probably doesn't seem important at first, don't a lot of comics do that? Spiderman does it! Which TSIJBM draws inspiration from. But remember what I said about Sister Stories? While this doesn't seem strange when by itself, it's strange when you look at VS.

Unlike TSIJBM, who has Jackie address the viewer, we instead have a completely different character, Higgins the Cat, introduce Marvin to us. And boy does Higgins know we're watching.

So while in TSIJBM, Jackie introduces himself to us, in VS, Higgins introduced Marvin to us.

Giving us two different protagonists, Jackie, who knows he's telling a story, and in the role of storyteller, and Marvin, unaware his story is being told and the role of storyteller belongs to Higgins.

This shows that these stories have unreliable narrators.

Shown: What do we get see?

This is also evident in the structure of the comics.

In TSIJBM, the entire story we are following Jackie, as we get his input and thoughts. The only exception being the first couple pages and the final couple panels. This also limits what we see of Jackie. As we only see what he sees/cares about, having an entire page dedicated to his thought process, because he decided that to be of most important than what else is going on around him. His story is heavily skewed by his perspective of things. Which seems to be a theme in TSIJBM, as he mistakes CyberMass' demo to be a Robot Apocalypse. We even have a minor time skip in the comic with a flashback, as we see why JBM was late to an order, but this flashback is used to bring out sympathy. It's why we only see him come out of the dumpster, not into it, it's what is more important to recall to him.

This is oppose to VS, where we don't follow Marvin the entire time, he's not even in his first page. And have an entire section dedicated to the Twins. You could say it's still Marvin's perspective because he learns of what the Twins do, but we don't learn it at the same time as Marvin. We see what happens and he learns afterwards. If we saw him go home, pick up the mask, and then see what the twins did, that would be more accurate to Marvin's experience. But Marvin, while the protagonist of his comic, is not the narrator, which belongs to Higgins. And so we see in the order of how Higgins wants us to see.

Higgins controls the perspective in Marvin's narrative. Jackie controls his own.

This means Jackie has the capacity to deceive the viewer in TSIJBM. Will he? Well we don't know him well enough in this version to know for sure. But we need to know he does have that card at his disposal.

But Higgins has the capacity to decisive the viewer in VS, and a part of me feels like he wouldn't be above that. What is especially interesting though is that it makes Marvin's story appear a lot more authentic, due to his lack of knowledge of his story being told, as we need to worry more of what Higgins shows us of Marvin.

All of this shows how Jackie is the narrator of his story, whilst Higgins is the narrator of Marvin's, both storytellers having the ability to mislead us in the future. We've already touch on a bit about what is shown in each narrative due to their narrators. But Great Sister stories highlight what they don't show.

Shown: Marvin doesn't think

There is almost 0 thought bubbles in VS. I implore you to look yourself. The only thing resembling a thought bubble is Marvin recalling what was mention in the previous pages and the statement that "Everything this masks sees, it records", which doesn't seem to be his own thoughts but just recalling statements said to him.

There are pages in VS, where if Jackie was in the situation, would be scattered with thought bubbles, like the two pages of Jackie moving while he comments on social aspects that dehumanises people. But there is none in VS. This makes sense of course, Higgins is the narrator, not Marvin, why would Higgins know what Marvin is thinking? He at best can show us what he's doing, or doesn't want us to know what Marvin's thinking.

This does highlight that Jackie is his own narrator with the lack of though bubbles in VS, if thought bubbles are a tool only for the storyteller. I mean look at these pages and tell me it wouldn't have thought bubbles if Marvin was the narrator.

If this was in TSIJBM, we would probably see Marvin's thoughts of frustration, not just his face.

This page especially.

We didn't know why Marvin recognised the insignia until later, when Higgins showed us a flashback. Because we don't know Marvin's thoughts.

So while Marvin is more authentic than JBM, he's more secretive, not of his own volition, but because he's not his own narrator.

While they aren't both unreliable narrators, since Marvin isn't his own, they are both unreliable protagonist. One which can alter his own story, the other which has his thoughts concealed.

Similar to how there is a theme for Jackie of his perspective being skewed to what he deems reality is, there is a theme of Marvin just not knowing what's actually happening, having to rely on others to inform him (Sunday, his mask, Ramesses). Marvin is a lot less aware that he's in a story and his role in his own story.

The viewer can only trust what Jackie decided is more important for us, and the viewer has to be informed by Higgins what is important for us. This makes both comics of TSIJBM and VS have unreliable narrators, and that we should be careful at taking everything at face value in the future.

I have no clue if these aspect will continue in #1, perhaps these things only a apply to #0. But is they do continue in the next comics, I hope this has help you approach the next comic with more suspicion.

Thanks for reading. And remember that you can't always trust what is shown.

#jacksepticeye #altrverse #altrverse spoilers #the somewhat incredible jackie-boy man #void silver #jackieboy man #marvin the magnificent #tell me if i missed something

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