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plainbageltoastedwithbutter · 2 years

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oswald cobblepot (the penguin) hcs

DONT TELL ME IM WRONG IM RIGHT /lh

I'm leaning towards asexual penguin but I feel like aceflux would also work. if you don't know what aceflux is, it just means your sexual attraction fluctuates on the asexual spectrum

ik most iterations of penguin involve him actually liking birds, even being RAISED by penguins but i feel for gotham penguin, he probably wouldn't like to get birds. sure, he uses the name penguin but only because he found power and intimidation in using it but it's still connected to his trauma of being made fun of.

he's unlabeled cause 1. robin has stated that there's no confirmation that oswald is specifically gay. he's just not straight. 2. is because it makes sense for his character not to rlly give thought to his sexuality or to put a name on it, however i do think he only likes men just isn't labeled. if someone were to ask him his sexuality, he'd whip around and go "that's not of your concern!" and storm off or something pfft

he gets sick often, especially during his umbrella boy days. like imagine standing in the rain but you have to give your umbrella to fish mooney of all people because its what you get paid for. he'd get sick often cause of the cold murky weather of gotham. he's also unhygienic, at least in the start of gotham and constantly shouts so he'd probably get sick rlly often and has sore throat. cuts back to his mom always helping him with her tea and how he has a raspy voice!!

when ed switches over to riddler all oswald does is "ed ed ed ed come back baby im sorry"

him being domestic can range from childish innocent things like singing songs to each other and having picnics to tracking down people to kill <3

probably only got a dog cause he wanted loyalty and a dog is known for being loyal. hes seems more like a cat person to me

learns asl for martin, (and teaches him it if he doesn't already know how). oswald will literally ONLY shut up for martin, he won't speak when he's signing or when martin is (ed is kinda different but THIS ISNT ABOUT HIM *proceeds to write mostly riddlebird hcs*)

oswald buys martin antique toys and lame stuff, like jack in the boxes. ed buys him extremely hard puzzles and 'educational toys'. uncle zsasz buys him music-related things, headphones, radios, etc. barbara buys him more of what a kid would want, like an xbox. (ik this isnt just oswald but idc)

actually back on the cat person oswald, im going to state how cats are attracted to HIM. he probably tried to pet a cat when he was a kid and got scratched and sobbed to gertrude. he'll immediately become upset when a cat doesnt like him but he'll eventually learn how to gain a cat's trust and suddenly theres six following him around, he teaches them to bring dead animals to his enemies.

he treats his maids and house employees extremely well. like olga was the one to like oswald and not ed. why?? because he pays her good!

sadly probably mistakes olga as his mom, he catches himself right when "mother" slips out of his mouth, he feels embarrassed and ashamed, he doesn't get mad at olga but he excuses himself and runs to his room. olga doesnt get angry, she just feels bad :(

oswald walks into gcpd. everyone stops what they're doing and are like "oh no", he just skips over to lucius and props his umbrella on his desk and is like. "make this into a gun or else." with two of his henchmen behind him. hes not even scared that hes surrounded by police PFFT

in MY gotham, oswald is still very close with ivy and other people like mr freeze and firefly.

he realizes how bad he was to them, apologizes and promises to be a better friend. everyone is skeptical besides ivy cuz she's naive but turns out he's not lying. he gets upset when ivy messes up or whatever but quickly apologizes and calms himself down, he learns to value his friends and their quirks as they have for him

oswald is autistic and has bpd, along with apd, maybe ptsd?

he usually gets driven around by others but he owns his own car which is a hearse. yes, coffin car.

doesn't know about ed's hallucinations but finds his pills and was like ???

he dropped out of school probably when he was a teen and when he did have school, i'd like to think that he had straight A's.

not only did he get bullied a lot but oswald is smart. it's only a matter of time before he snaps, so i imagine he'd put his smarts to use and would start a business where he'd write people's essays and tutor them for tests (explains why he wasn't surprised when ed asked for oz to mentor him)

gertrude would have boyfriends when oswald was younger, but oswald being the clingy mama's boy he is, didn't like them. he'd put bugs in their pillows and coffee, and other fucked up shit to scare them off. eventually, they'd break up with gertrude and yell at her about how fucked up her kid is. gertrude would get rlly upset and explains how her little oswald could do no wrong. after a while, getrude would stop dating entirely, much to oswald's approval.

his favorite holiday is christmas and thanksgiving

does not speak of either mothers day or fathers day

will disappear off the face of the earth on those days

hates the cold strangely, it reminds him of when he almost drowned, multiple times. he always has multiple layers on so when you see without all that or a suit in general its very 'woah'

he hates when people touch him, especially those who he does not trust. like did you see when sofia touched him that one time, EW. or when he first met ed, "you're standing too close", could be that he could strike at any moment but he also just doesnt like strangers

speaking of his touch aversion, oswald wouldn't trust ed to touch him after he, yknow tried to kill him. in s5, when oswald jumped to save ed was probably when he got over it and as we know they later hug (non-homosexually 😊)

ed is like the only one who can mention his mom (ofc in a good way) without oswald bursting out in tears or attacking them. partially because of their shared history, when ed nursed oswald back to health he used his mother's memory to gain his trust more.

when people insult him, depending on who you are he'll either dissociate or attack you. he's probably learnt to do that from when he was bullied as a kid

speaks rlly fondly of fish after her death, ppl would be like "but didnt she try to kill you?" "idk what you're talking about"

doesnt kiss ed unless ed goes in for the kiss first, hes afraid of somehow being rejected again, and also cause he's aceflux he doesn't crave a kiss like some ppl do but he does forehead kiss martin all the time. hes the parent who will drive martin in his limousine and be like 'wheres my hug 🥺🥺' before he gets out of the car to go to school

ok me needs to sleep hope this was enough to satisfy the penguin stans

#riddlebird #nygmobblepot #oswald cobblepot fanart #dc #gotham #ed nygma #gotham tv #the penguin #the penguin headcanons #oswald cobblepot headcanons

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henrysglock · 8 months

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Salem's lot possible by king inspo for tfs? Was watching a vid about it and it has random things (very similar 1980s poster, Ralph/Danny brother dies at 12, becomes vampire, Father Callahan/Father Newby, Marsten House/Creel House, "original evil" haunting of house tied to csa) that just remind me of the creels, was curious if you had any thought abt the show or book

So sorry for taking a few weeks to get to this, Nonnie!! This time I actually have a reason for the wait, though: cross referencing.

(This is going to be a long post...)

I definitely think 'Salem's Lot is an inspo for The First Shadow for a few different reasons.

First things first, a lot of 'Salem's Lot is giving ST3 and the flayed, with One as a (supposed) Barlow figure and Will as a Danny type figure carrying on from ST1/2. However, as we know, Will and Henry exist as something of a repetition, and the Creel house does seem to function similarly to the Marsten house at first glance, as you said, with Henry being that era's Danny figure. (I'm going to come back to this later).

We also have some cool visual connections.

First off, like you said, we have the poster (and the book cover for good measure, since there's similarity there too):

Then we have iconic shots from the movie itself being replicated:

A third one comes, however, from a third source: Midnight Mass

As I've talked about before, the church in The First Shadow promo art is a near carbon-copy of the church from Midnight Mass:

There are also a fair number of other similarities. For one, the window silhouettes:

For another, the birds and cats:

(Added context: The TFS leaked audition tapes talk about cats being killed in Hawkins with no known suspect, much the same as the cats being killed on Crockett Island by the "angel" vampire in Midnight Mass.)

Further, the setup of the Midnight Mass rec. center as compared to set pieces for The First Shadow...as compared to the Rainbow Room in NINA:

And, while not strictly related to The First Shadow, there is an interesting detail to note across all three sources. The eyes:

(This also comes through in Annihilation (on the ST4 movie board) when altered Lena and the alien doppelgänger of her husband Kane reunite. Both of their eyes shimmer and glow, much the same way as the monster-fied humans pictured above.)

I bring all this up now in relation to 'Salem's Lot because 'Salem's Lot was a clear inspiration for Midnight Mass, to the point where Flanagan easter-eggs it into the show:

We also have other overlapping references, such as Se7en, which appears both in Midnight Mass and on the ST4 movie board:

So the question we're all asking is "why the tangent about Midnight Mass? How does that tie in, besides being a 6-degrees-of-separation thing."

Here, I'd like to posit a connection between the three: Barlow, Brenner, and Pruitt's Angel.

In Midnight Mass, Father Paul Hill (Msgr. John Pruitt), is a "newcomer" who brings a vampire (read: Angel) to Crockett Island. In truth, he's the missing Msgr. John Pruitt, who was restored to youth by the vampire's blood after an ill-fated trek to Jerusalem (much like 'Salem's Lot's Father Callahan). It is he who does most of the dealing on the vampire's behalf, feeding its blood to his concentration and convincing the people that becoming a vampire is a miracle...all while transforming into a vampire himself.

In 'Salem's Lot, Kurt Barlow is the vampire responsible for Danny's death and turning. He's the newcomer to the Lot who buys the Marsten house and hides within it. He does most of his dealing via Richard Straker, his human familiar.

In The First Shadow, Martin Brenner is a newcomer to Hawkins, establishing his spot in basement of Hawkins National Laboratory. We don't know much about him, but we do know that his later self has a fair amount of vampire coding (not appearing in mirrors, a habit of not dying from things that ought to kill him, etc), as does Vecna, a supposed byproduct of his experimentation. He's also got people who deal on his behalf, such as Connie Frazier and Sam Owens.

I'm not so much saying that Brenner exists as a physical vampire, but perhaps a more figurative one. As you mentioned, Nonnie, vampirism is often used as symbolism of non-consenual acts (see: SA in Bram Stoker's Dracula, CSA in 'Salem's Lot, and grooming in fanatical/fundamentalist church circles in Midnight Mass). They're also used to represent the spread of ideas and practices that are generally thought of as evil or unclean.

Brenner is no different, and his story is far more heavy-handed in this regard.

He may not physically drink blood, but he farms children to to be the figurative (and eventually literal) lifeblood of his scientific endeavors, all of which is possible via abuse of and a fundamental lack of consent from Henry and the children. Brenner may not be feeding on them, but he is feeding on them, if you catch my meaning. And, as we know, Brenner has a penchant for lying and manipulation. He spreads stories that aren't true, that turn people against his victims.

He comes to deliver messages regarding the reliability of the government and the dark underbelly of control and abuse that spreads under the patriot-acclaimed shining goal of "progress", much like Pruitt's fanatical church and its "miracles" that can only end in slaughter, or the blind eye being turned to a predator on the loose in the town of Jerusalem's Lot, in which the steady spread of vampirism denotes the fact that each blind eye becomes complicit in the spread of abuse.

Brenner, then, seems to be both the Barlow and the Pruitt of The First Shadow: A newcomer who does horrific things in pursuit of a selfishly "selfless" goal: scientific progress.

As such, I'd like to alter a conclusion slightly: Both the Creel House and Hawkins National Lab seem to be the Marsten house of Stranger Things, no?

And on that note...

Vecna/One and Brenner seem to exist as two sides of a coin: While Vecna/One literally sucks the life force from his victims, Brenner does so in a more figurative sense. Vecna/One doesn't literally spread lies the way Brenner does (in fact, any lies he might tell are very much contained between himself and his victim), but the way the UD spreads under his control is very much the metaphorical flip-side to that pattern of behavior.

In this respect, they both seem to be Barlows. While Brenner isn't the physical source of the magical terror in Hawkins, he did kidnap a child and through that act corrupt a neutral magical source into what it is today. In this he acts as half of Barlow, with Vecna/One acting as that literal magical source/other half.

Do with that what you will.

#long post #asks #stranger things: the first shadow #stranger things and salem's lot #stranger things and midnight mass #stranger things

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jcryptid · 2 years

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The Magnus (fic rec) Archives

This one has been literally years in the making and a true testiment to the power of hyperfixation and what I could maybe do if my brain decided something like graduating highschool was actually really interesting.

I'm sure my fic preferences will be made very much clear as you read this, so do keep in mind said preferences might not allign with yours. I have included a lot of Whump, H/C and angst in my list, so if you're not into that sort of thing, that's fine, have a nice day. I've also got some content warnings in my descriptions as well for the more... intense....whump?... yeah let's go with that.

(Most are all Jmart, but there's some JonTim, some LonelyEyes on the side, and the occassional OG archivist squad polyamory, anything tagged as Jon/Elias is 100% in some kind of whump scenario)

Rec list and key under the cut (^o^)/

Key:

Bold = 11/10 fic, very much had me thinking about if for way longer than I should have, recommending it way too many times than is necessary and pretty regularly rereading it

Purple italics = didn't quite have the same earth shattering effect as the bold fics, but very much worth a read all the same

Plain text = it's up there fam, but not quite on the same level as the purple italics or bold fics

The garden of forking paths - by bibliocratic

After killing Elias and presumably setting the world back the way it was Jon and Martin find themselves falling through the doors of the distortion, holding each other tight and doing everything they can to not let go. It's only when Jon wakes up later to an archivist named Sasha and the Tim he used to know waving an axe in his face that he realizes that wherever somewhere else was, he came through alone.

First fic I ever read for TMA that I connected with really, written midway through season 5 so we pretty much ignore any canon ending, but I don’t think any of us are particularly complaining about that one considering the sheer amount of fix its. (Completed)

Out There, Somewhere - Artyphex

Jon wakes up, blind and alone and bleeding out having been spat out of the crack between realities after the end of the world and now finds himself alone, alone and in pain, entirely alone in a way he's never felt before, in a world that is not his with no one he knows and loves beside him. And he is left to search, with unseeing eyes and shaking words for the one person he needs to know is okay. (Completed)

They keep trying to row away (series) - by assigned_Jon_Kin_Again (sparrow0), blackwood (transjon), radula (stickpenalties), screechfox, skvadern

Body horror mermaid fic that breaks my heart in the best way, feat. Archivist Sasha and maybe a polyamory between the 4 main archivist crew? Either way a hurt/comfort mermaid fic that I can't stop coming back to. If you're a big fan of Whump and excessive angst with the sweat relief of comfort this is the fic for you, but please for the love of god pay attention to the Trigger Warnings. (Series complete)

Family, Found - Dribblescribbles

Basira was there for the unknowing, she was there when Elias told them all to their faces that he was a bastard who was using them for something none of them could understand, and ever since the unknowing she's been doing whatever she could, taking whatever scraps of investigations she could to find the answers. And of all the people it had to be Helen who helped her figure it out. Because Jon is not a monster, but the Web and the Eye are doing their damn best to make him one, and she's going to make sure that the others working for the archives aren't doing the same. (One Shot)

My witness brings me Into existence - by driflew

A take on Not!Jon au with an exploration on what happens if he comes back and the experiences he has to deal with as someone who cannot be physically remembered but still wants to help out Sasha and the others, even if Elias, the one person who seems to know him, won't let him.

This one has me feeling a lot of things, currently existing as just a One shot but I'm still crossing my fingers from some extra additions to the series, and boy does this one have me coming back on the regular. (Completed fic, Series ongoing)

Not a Second Thought - by i_can_do_fics

An alternate take on Not!Jon, specifically involving the web instead of the stranger. Where people aren't replaced, but thin unseeable strings of spider silk force his hand and his tongue and his body in no way he can resist. And after everything that'd happened since this all started, he's not quite sure it's a bad thing. (One shot)

Miles to Go before I sleep - by AuralQueer

Sleep Dep. Hurt Comfort Set S4, feat. A Jon who is putting himself through way too much crap but honestly that's just par for the course. (One shot)

Beastly Behavior - by Prim_the_Amazing

Martin is a man struck by a curse, a curse that is vindictive and cruel and cast by someone he will always love despite everything she's done to him. Jon is a man on the run from a monster of his own, a man with all the power in the world to take everything he has left of himself for his own entertainment. Two men with two tasks, a mother and a grandmother, both dying in their beds and both losing a part of their freedom and themselves trying to save them. Both terrified of the world they live in, of the person they grow to love, of the people they may be becoming.

A Beauty and the Beast au with a bit of a twist, and a happy ending well worth the wait. (Completed)

The Sea Calls Me Home - mothjons

Martin Blackwood takes a job at Peter Lukas's estate in exchange for his mother's care and

their housing for his service. It's not a pretty job, it's not anything Martin would have picked for himself but nothing he'd had ever would be and he's resigned himself to that fact, no matter how much it hurts. And then he meets a strange man by the sea, and god knows all the secrets and the pain of loving someone is the one choice he knows for certain he'd never give up.

Not going to lie this one had by ugly crying by the end. A great and honestly very angsty take on Mer Jon x Martin but also set during the height of WWI and I promise you there is of course a happy ending they both deserve. (Complete)

Head in the Lion's Mouth - by renwhit

Au where Danny is alive, damaged goods but alive. So when a certain archivist, possibly delirious and in pain, narrows his eyes and tells him he looks familiar in a way the other uncanny circus members don't, it sparks something in him he can't explain and for the first time in over a decade the ringmaster has a name. (Series is ongoing)

Maybe they'll leave you alone, but not me - by ghostfrog

A cute ongoing fic where Jon becomes a teacher after Martin singlehandedly stops the apocalypse at the end of S4, and because they're both trying to move on with their lives Jon becomes an English teacher for a local school, where he has a class that are a bit too observant, and maybe just a bit too into cryptids.

There Are Monsters In These Woods - by DoilySpider

Once upon a time there was a prince of a kingdom named blackwood, with a wicked stepfather who wanted him dead. One day the prince asked his stepfather what he could do to claim the crown that they both knew was rightfully his, and the stepfather told him that a king must be brave, and to prove it he must then slay the beast of eyes.

Once upon a time there was a man named Jonathan Sims, a man who sought whatever knowledge and magic it would take to be able to protect those he loved from the monsters that took everything from him; and so he went to see the Mage Magnus, who would only be making him just one more.

Dark Fairytale au? Well that's what you get I suppose when the fandom is based around a horror podcast. All I can say really is that I love the world-building on this one, and the writing, featuring a happily ever after we all know they all deserve and some Jon/Martin/Tim/Gerry Polyamory. (Complete)

A Weather In The Flesh - by cuttooth

An emotionally devastating one shot about touch starvation that may or may not have made me feel a lot of things (One shot)

One of these birds, is not my bird - by updownandsideways

Just a good ol' Not Jon fic, a bit predictable in places but the gist is Jon is taken by the Not Them and Martin's feeling a bit different about Jon since he got back from the Prentiss incident, it's only when he re-reads some of his old poetry that he finds out why. (Complete)

Thresholds (series) - by bubonickitten

At the precipice of finding out he's changing into something inhuman, Elias decides to give Jon a push, with the perfect bit of information to leave him a wreck, and makes him know the story of a young man he remembers all too clearly being taken by dear old Mr. Spider. (Complete)

Chamomile - Dribbledscribbles

Chamomile is a mischievous little creature who finds its delight in seeing how many times they can give the people in this safe house a heart attack. It's attempts on Martin have been successful to a fault, pushing him as far as it can to scare the living daylights out of him before he comes at him with a broom and scuttling away before he can come close. It's a fun game they have, but when they try it on Jon it just doesn't work. It's not fun, because Jon lets it win, Jon names it, Jon gives him cuddles and lets it rest on his shoulder, and this little creature is rather determined not to give up.

Aka a cute fluff fic where Jon and Martin are living in their cottage in Scotland and end up adopting a few of the spookier residents. (Completed)

Go softly - by doomcountry

Martin brings home a jug of bleach, sets it on the counter with an eyedropper for when Jon is ready, and even if both of them know it will hurt, that is has to be done, but no matter what they are going to get through this together.

TW for eye mutilation (Oneshot)

Terror Management Theory - by prismatical

Jonathan sims was eaten by a spider when he was eight, he died, but then he came back. Since then Jon has a very interesting relationship with death, one that terrifies him more than anything else, more than any other fear, and it's going to take a hell of a lot to earn his right to death back. (Completed)

Nature has taught her creatures to hate - thepolysyndetonaddictsupportgroup

Many times Jon has tried to run, sometimes it even worked, sometimes he got barely made it out alive at the end of the day, but it never worked when he was running from the Magnus institute, from James Wright or Elias Bouchard, or from the horrors that have never let him go since he was eight and stupid enough to pick up that damn book. The powers that be had taken him as a child, wrapped him in tight cobwebs of contracts and kidnappings and under a bruising hand on his shoulder that guided him down the path of inhumanity no matter how hard he tried to run. And even now, when he's failed again and facing losing another of a short line of close connections to the curse that is the Magnus institute, he can't back out.

NGL this one is depressing at times, but it kept my eyes glued to the screen it was so thrilling. Featuring a Jon who was chased to the Magnus institute by a book and a boy overflowing with spiders, and then claimed by something even worse, lots of child abuse and Elias being a manipulative bastard. (Ongoing)

Reflection - by LazuliQuetzal

There's something haunting Jonathan sims, something that looks just like him, but different all the same. Something inhuman that he cannot allow himself to trust, no matter what it says or claims to know about him. Something that keeps telling him with every moment they have to stay away from the archives, no matter what.

Meanwhile, Jonathan Sims, the monster and remnant of a ruined world, is rapidly forced to reconcile with living in the past as something no one is able to see or even notice as anything out of the ordinary, not even with the power of the eye behind them, and as fun as getting some small sense gratification from being petty and messing with Jonah as much as he can, the only person he can really talk to is quite literally himself.

And he's a fucking idiot.

This fic is great if you just want a little giggle and some catharsis. Pending alternate title is currently tied between "Two Jons in an archive, what will he do?" and "Jon would be the first person to tell you that he is absolutely insufferable". (complete)

See the Line where the Sky meets the Sea - by The_Floating_World

Jon has always had a fascination with things vastly incomprehensible, staring out from a dock out at the ocean and marveling at the infinity of everything before him. How the sky can be perfectly reflected in the ocean, how everything is endless and so vast in such a beautiful way, and I need not tell you that fears have never been loved in the way Jon loves infinity. After a probably not so chance encounter with Simon Fairchild, Jonathan Sims begins his slow evolution to becoming as an avatar of the vast, but he's different in a way the others aren't. Asking questions with no answer and living on that threshold between the vast and unknowable and madness in a way the other's haven't seen before, and by virtue of his own strangeness, even in the face of the other avatars, he is known as the philosopher, a man who isn't a man that seems content to hide just how powerful he really is.

At least until he makes some friends of his own and they come under threat. (Complete)

Starving Gods - by sevansa

Jon is in a really, really bad place when he decides to go through with it, knowing with a certainty his future doesn't have that if he were to follow in the footsteps of Eric Delano, he wasn't going to allow himself the luxury of a chance to back out, not with so many victims at stake.

Needless to say the shock of finding Jon in his office like that, unconscious and mutilated is something none of them will ever forget.

TW eye mutilation but you already knew that, first fic i the series is complete, but the sequel is still ongoing.

The Unknown Watcher - by authureameslove

Martin knows the rules as well as anyone else. You do not stay out past dark, not for anything, lest you fall prey to monsters and madness more potent than any ghost story or relentless creature cooked up by gods bigger than anyone could have imagined. So on a dark night, chased by monsters a plenty and his own stupid decision to chance it Martin Blackwood stumbles upon an estate filled with its own monstrosities. Two killers stalking the woods that weren't there before, a stranger in the night, two who cannot leave lest they be unmade with wooden splinters where there should be skin, and a man with two glowing green eyes and a face that no one can see. Each with their own stories to tell, each bound to this place by powers out of their control and choices they have made and each playing their own part in the end of both themselves and the world.

And of all things, they seem to think that Martin just might be the only one who can save them.

Inspired loosely on Beauty and the Beast with its own unique and captivating TMA Spin, this fic had be glued to my seat in anticipation, and I highly recommend it to anyone who enjoys tales of vengeance, Jmartin and that classic ghost story style mystery. (Complete)

Déjà Vu - CirrusGrey

What do you even do with yourself when you are given a second chance? What does it mean to truly feel your death, being unmade or destroyed or unwound or stabbed through the heart by the man you love, and waking up alone long before you would have come to know any of it. Remembering everything, every pain, every choice that led to it and everything that you can't bring yourself to believe hasn't happened yet, and to do so all alone?

Sasha James was unmade, Tim Stoker was destroyed, Martin was unwound, and Jon was stabbed through the heart by his love. They all woke up alone on a day long before even the thought of Prentiss would touch them, and they all think they're the only one.

The Watcher's Bargain - arthureameslove

Fae au says what?

Martin hadn't known freedom since he was a child, when the witch Mary Blackwood took him in and bound him with silver threads and promises. So when she lays sick and dying in their house he makes a bargain with her. The Death's book of names and her life in return for his freedom. He should have known stealing from the Fae would have consequences beyond death, should have known the witch would have been vindictive enough to only allow him to leave her if it meant trading one prison for another, and this time, surrounded by the high court of the Panopticon, with Fae and tortured humans in chains, bound to one who speaks in half-truths and secrets, hope has never been so far from his eyes.

At least that is, until the fae proposes a bargain of his own. (Ongoing)

This Lonely Knight - arthureameslove

Martin doesn't remember why or how he came to join the knights of the Lonely, nor does he remember any of a life before that point. Like the many other heartless knights he cast away his memories and the pain they carried with them with his choice and that was just the way it was. It's not until he's sent to escort a strange man from the beholding to be the Watcher's betrothed that he begins to find what he'd been missing, what being of the Lonely had kept him from, and more importantly that he can't go through with his suicidal mission to see the death of his charge.

Honestly, this is classic fairytale knight and royal in an arranged marriage romance but with another perfect Magnus Archives twist from arthureameslove. (Complete)

What Belongs to the Sea - TwoDrunkenCelestials, WhyNotFly

When Jon first meets Elias he's dry as a bone and still smelling of thick salt with wild hair, knocking on his door with fury in his eyes and blood roaring in his veins as he demands back his stolen skin. For all his grandmother's warnings though, he still ends up in a gilded cage of his own making. Soon Jon, against his better judgement and consent is swept up into the path of the unblinking, newlywed and bound by powerful magic and paraded around in ceremony and unfeeling shows of affection and control. It's only after an admittedly prickly encounter with Martin, that he begins to hope.

TW there is abuse here, and alot of iron burns (Complete)

The Path of Least Resistance - chermit

Martin, Sasha and Tim go into what they think will be a normal day of work in 2016, and it is anything but. They arrive to find a crime scene, swamped with police officers there to inform them plainly that everyone in the institute is dead, except for them. Elias in his office clutching his head as if in pain, Jon shot three times in the chest with an empty look in his eyes and the rest of them from apparent cardiac arrest. Needless to say they want answers, they want justice, and if it means involving themselves in a world of monsters and fear a mysterious someone had tried so hard to keep them safe from, then so be it. (Ongoing)

The Sweetest Thing - JoyHeart

Martin has always been warned away from humans, his mother took great pains to plant that fear firmly within long before she and all of Selkie kind seemed to turn their backs on him. It isn't until he's rescued from some particularly nasty flesh worms by the Magnus Institute for Oceanic Research and Rescue that he finds an alternate perspective. Unfortunately, even if he doesn't yield his form, Martin's about to find that humans have more than one way of keeping a selkie under their grasp, even if completely unintentionally.

A martin selkie au that had me cackling, in suspense and squealing with just the right amount of fluff (for my tastes at least) featuring Marine Biologist Jon who's just as insufferable when it comes to his skepticism as he is incredibly sweet. (complete)

Heavy angst and whump warning for the sequel (which is ongoing)

A deeply annoying child - ajkal2

A oneshot (that I will defend until my dying breath) where Jon reads a Leitner that turns him into his 8 year old self right after his encounter with Mr Spider and Tim is there to help him pick of the pieces. (Oneshot)

Antigonish - softlyblue

Martin inherits an the Blackwood house from a woman he's never heard of sharing his last name and very quickly finds it inhabited by something trying to kill him, something that is not the four friendlier ghosts that inhabit the place, and something that goes a hell of a lot deeper than cold spots and whispers in the night. It's not so much a choice then to call in the cavalry when a portion of the very well-built roof tries to crush him for the third time in a row, so he sends a reluctant email to three ghost hunters under Basira's recommendation, with one of which being a man reportedly most adept of seeing and reaching out to things that are not there. (Complete)

The Reverb in These Holy Halls - Wolftraps (AlwaysBoth)

After a distinctly unwell day at work Jonathan Sims comes to awareness and marches in to the archives without so much as a word and declares himself to Elias and Martin both as the new head archivist. A lot of people are confused by this, a lot of people suspect Jon of murdering Gertrude and a lot of people want to know what the hell is going on with him. With a bargain made, and an eye and a Spider in his heart Jonathan Sims is going to save the world, and this time he's going to do it right.

Very generic premise of a Timetravel TMA fix it but it comes with some added flavor thanks to some clever writing from the author/s.

Two Graves - SupposedToBeWriting

In saving the world singlehandedly Jonathan Sims honestly thought he was going to die, so it was more than a surprise when he didn't, and even more than his plan actually worked. Now, with nothing but the remnants of fear and a broken heart he flees London, along with everything and everyone to do with the Magnus institute, but quickly finds himself a new purpose with a garden and connection to some avatars who need some help finding themselves after their patron's disappearance.

And then his world shatters when Martin and Basira finally manage to track him down.

This one got me through a particularly rough patch, a fic about reconciliation after the end of the world was... well, ended, and about reconnecting and forgiving the ones you love. TW for some implied sucidal thoughts and ideation. (completed)

The Archivist and the Adventurer (series) - paperdream

There are few things for a human that is worse than to be considered lovely by the Fae, and that is a lesson Jon, like so many things, had to learn the hard way. Ensnared by the wild hunt and bound to the high fae Elias and forcibly changed by the Mother of Spiders, all Jon has left to hold on to is his name, spending his days confined to the Archives to serve and be subject to the whims of the fae, whatever they may be. At least that is, until he finds his solace in helping an adventurer escape the cruelty of the fae unscathed, no matter how foolish he may be. (Ongoing)

Auspex (Series) - faridsgwi

(Victorian AU) The year is 1841, and Jonah Magnus is ready to begin building his archive in London. Now it's just a manner of going to the workhouse to find a child that won't be missed to serve as his repository.

Highly recommended au for you guys, as of now it's still ongoing but my god is it keeping my rapt attention in hopes for updates to the series. Featuring our good old Victorian asshole and resident child abuser Jonah Magnus, as he builds up his new archive and apprentice Jonathan Sims in preparation for his uses. Assistants will be traumatized, friends will be made along the way, and as always remember the apocalypse is always much closer than you think. (Ongoing)

The Kindness of Strangers - theOestofOCs

What's that saying? That Hindsight is 20/20? After a rather delicately arranged meeting in eye neutral terf (read as not in the institute) on Tim's request, Jon is finally able to get the chance to really talk to Tim since… well everything. So when the two find themselves snagged by Breekon and Hope and handed over to Nikola Orsinov, let's just say Tim being in the wrong place at the wrong time was the least of their worries.

Content warning for disassociation, forced nudity and non-consensual touching (not sexual), this one is heavy on the angst, but if you, like me, really wanted Jon and Tim to get the chance to actually reconcile before the unknowing, and love seeing Tim's protective older brother side, then this is the fic for you. (Completed)

Stag Story - With_the_Wolves

Stag's are notoriously hard to capture in the wild, using magic to flee and disappear before any bullet comes close to touching them. As a results hunts are often drawn out and tedious in search of trophies, and notoriously difficult to pull of successfully, at least until one of the most respected of the Hunter's alliance, Elias, comes up with something of a solution.

A solution he keeps under lock and key and threat of iron burns and torture should he disobey. His precious bait stag, cowed and shaped to his will, and he's going to use him to finally kill the Beast of the Northern Forest. (Oneshot)

The Fates Design - theOestofOCs

Kept hidden, starving and without any memory of a time before Elias saved him, the Archive had resigned himself to a life under his care and in his service. He was the Archive after all, a danger to himself and the world, this was what he was for.

So when a thief climbs in through the window of his tower, and gives him a story to ease the pain of hunger and asks him to come with him, at least until Elias's return, he accepts. The want for the pain to end winning out over the safety of his tower and unfortunately, the knowledge that this is where he should be for the safety of the realm.

And then he meets a ginger haired man he couldn't be sure he'd only ever seen in his dreams, and things change.

Alternately titled by the author as the Tmagled au (which I absolutely love), this one puts a really intriguing TMA twist on the classic Rapunzel set up, with some added mystery that had me desperate for more.

As it stands it is still ongoing, and pretty new, but as of posting this has actually been updated fairly recently.

The Lives We've Shared - The OestofOCs

Jon finds something he shouldn't have, something someone took great lengths to keep hidden, and something Elias Bouchard doesn't want him listening to. A tape from Gertrude, hidden below a loose floorboard in his office, speaking with certainty of death and leaving a warning for her successor.

Needless to say Elias will do anything to make sure a secret like that doesn't come to light, so after a short flick of a blade across his throat, all he needs to do is clean up as much of the blood from the office as he can and start again with one of his assistants.

What no one accounted for though, was Jon coming back.

Completed fic where Jon dies and comes back as a ghost, with the single goal to protect his people as much as he can from Elias and others like him.

Fold, Fallow and Plough - theOestofOCs

Jon is a marine conservationist researcher, so when he sees the net squirming and rolling on the beach with something impossible inside, he does what he always has and cuts it free, regardless of any praise or recognition he might have gotten from the discovery.

So when the head of the Magnus institute of Marine discovery arrives moments later, fuming and demanding to know what happened to his catch, Jon certainly isn't going to apologize for doing the right thing. No matter what earning the man's ire might bring upon himself.

He just… he didn't expect this.

Have I mentioned I'm a big fan of Mermaid Body Horror? TW for abuse, non-consensual body modification and a lot of whump, featuring Mer Tim, Danny and Sasha as they try to walk their unexpected charge through a new life under the waves, as others above continue to search for the missing researcher. (Ongoing)

Darkling I listen (half in love) - theOestofOCs

Jon had never had a good feeling about their newest client Jonah Magnus, but it's not until he sees him one night crawling down the side of his castle with spiderlike grace that he truly comes to realize he's not human, and Martin needs to survive this. So, throwing caution to the wind and what he knows has to be all sense with it, he makes a deal with Magnus. Martin will be sent back to London under the guise that Jon will be continuing their work here, and Jon's life is forfeit.

But Magnus has far greater plans for his new pet, and no intention of letting him go that easily.

If you're me and you've read the original Dracula by Bram Stoker this is one hell of a treat. Just the right amount of TMA and Dracula plot points with some very well written body horror as Jonathan finds himself slowly turning into a creature of the night. (Ongoing)

The Archivist's Moving Castle - Hallali

In a world full of magic and monsters a plenty, Martin's life on its own has thus far been profoundly uninteresting. But dreaming of adventure in the hills was never a way to stay safe, and Martin has always been quietly content, if a fair bit lonely, tending to the town's library under the employ of one Peter Lukas. At least, that is, until a strange man full of magic of his own seeks his sanctuary and promises to help him escape, a hope Martin can at least hold onto for now even as his world twists beyond the limits of what he thought possible and he is cursed and forced to flee before Jon could even have the chance to return. Which is all well and good he could suppose, he needed to get out anyway, he just wished there were less monsters trying to kill him involved. (Ongoing)

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georgiapeach30513 · 5 months

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Very controversial opinion because I know how some people feel about the Russo brothers:

Their films outside their big four marvel films : TWS, civil war, infinity war, and endgame - some are questionable. I watched cherry and I was like….are these even the same guys who did those other movies???

But. One thing I really believe, and you mentioned here before:

The Russo brothers can pull an amazing performance out of Chris E. He is their muse and they are his. it’s clear to ME that he is very probably their favorite. Even during TGM you could 1000% tell the Russos lived for Lloyd. They knew it was a six franchise so Lloyd was one and done but if they could they would have had Chris as six. And we know this.

They were able to pull something out of him rarely other directors besides bong joon ho, rian Johnson, and Danny Boyle were able to. I’m actually going to add David Yates to this because I’m still convinced Pete Brenner in PH was one of his most poignant performances of recent memory. He was underused but David got something out of him. I disagree with critics.

Anyways - back to Russos. They got Steve and Lloyd out of him. I know people poo poo the action comic book stuff because it’s not awards worthy or Martin Scorsese and Leo but seriously?

Are yall CE fans or Leo fans?

I really think people ought to start looking at the actor they Stan/fan and stop wanting to put him in a book with another actor.

Nobody knows if and or what he will do next. But I do think it’s a good sign that the Russos were able to repeatedly direct Chris into a version of himself that’s not only memorable, but iconic.

That’s why I’m totally ok if for some reason in the future, he does end up working with the Russos again.

Super super bold statement: you can call me delusional all you want but if there were a pair of directors that could actually pull an Oscar worthy performance out of CE, it would be Joe and Anthony Russo. I’m serious.

TBC, Im not saying the Russos are ever going to make any awards worthy content nor that they’ll work with Chris again or that Chris wants to do that or anything. I’m just saying, their connection is unique and mutually beneficial/special.

We do not know if Chris’ dinner with the Russos will result in a project. We don’t know what was discussed, or why they met. They are friends. But let’s assume it was work related. The next project they’re casting for isn’t even action. Let’s not forget the work the Russos did on Community. They can do some great work. I just feel in recent years they became all flash and no substance. So that Amazon project isn’t pure action. it is about cryptocurrency.

I was talking to someone this morning on discord about the whole damn comparison thing, it’s tired and old. Sebastian and Chris get compared all the time because Steve and Bucky. Sebastian clearly wants to be a critical darling. He takes risks and makes award baiting movies. That is what HE wants with HIS career. Chris wants to make more popcorn flicks. Do not come at me. There is nothing wrong with that. It is HIS career, and that is what HE wants. It’s like comparing Brad Pitt to Tom Cruise. Does Tom still have a great career? Does he make popcorn flicks? Has he pretty much stuck to popcorn flicks with some random critically praised movies? Yes. Now look at Brad’s career, early on Brad was making award baiting movies. Legends of the Fall, Seven Years In Tibet, A River Runs Through it. And he has continued to do that. But does that make either actor better or worse than the other? No, it doesn’t. Do they still have careers to this day? Yes, they do. So can we squash comparing actors to actors? Instead compare Chris work to his other work?

I get a bit annoyed that Chris continues to work with the same people all the time, but doesn’t Leo work with Scorsese all the time? I just hope whatever his next project is something he is passionate about. I hope he enjoys the time he has on set, and the people he’s working with. And I’ve got my fingers crossed for something, and I hope that the rumbles and mumbling as I’m hearing about February are true. So let’s see.

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t00thpasteface · 2 years

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Two things:

1) Your art is very shaped and I love it, the colors are mwah

2) I have only ever watched people play Oblivion but your comic made me do a wiki deep dive because POTATO EMPEROR SON WAS IN A SEX CULT????? Don't ever change, Elder Scrolls

THANK YOU!!!!!! ヽ(✿ﾟ▽ﾟ)ノ

also YEAH IDK WHY THEY PICKED SANGUINE. like idk how else to articulate my thoughts besides a bullet list but there's a lot of layers there that make it an extremely bizarre and hilarious choice

Martin says JACK SHIT about what he actually did in the cult or what happened to it other than "uh oh it ended bad". the distinction that it was specifically Sanguine is NOT a load-bearing factoid. you could swap out the Rose with almost any other artifact and his dialogue would still make sense. he also mentions being in the Mages' Guild before leaving because he found their rules on magic too restrictive. again, NOTHING to do specifically with the Sanguine sphere. (unless maybe he was mad that the guild has a rule against fraternizing with your colleagues...? but you don't need to start a cult to start a threesome so idk)

the sphere of Sanguine and the questions he raises have nothing to do with the broader plot and themes of TES IV's main quest, which is overall about stuff like destruction, change, bravery, fate, friendship, doing what's right because of faith vs duty, and (gag) the divine right of kings. again Sanguine is NOT LOAD-BEARING. completely thematically irrelevant. sanguine has a very clear and defined sphere of "party til you're purple" and none of the philosophical quandaries surrounding debauchery even make a guest appearance in the main quest's plot

similarly, Akatosh as a divine is completely divorced from that sort of sphere. not in that he's opposed to it, but in that, as the god of time, he has literally NOTHING to do with the issues of temptation, self-denial, moderation vs indulgence, sexual deviancy vs purity, etc. Mara and Dibella have a stake in that, and even Arkay would in that there's an argument to be made about living your life while you have it, but again Akatosh is just not in that conversation. he's the time god and the father of dragons/dragonborns. i genuinely don't think he gives a fuck of a shit about whether you've shot up in a gas station bathroom

MAYBE there's an argument to be made about how the idea that Martin is a changed man can be connected to the idea that change (Mehrunes) and the passage of time (Akatosh) are inevitable, but again, the fact that it's specifically Sanguine is not important. literally any other daedric cult could have the same effect. Martin makes no comments about petty grievances like getting freaky before marriage (i.e. doing a 180 specifically on the Sanguinite ideals) because he's too busy trying not to die.

there's an artifact in ESO called the Death Dealer's Fete and it's a ring sacred to Sanguine that apparently lets you just fuck nonstop without getting tired. this isn't here or there but i feel like it's worth mentioning because it's fucking hilarious to bring up in discussions of what the hell was Martin doing in there

#sorry for long post i think about this FUCKING CONSTANTLY #shebbz shoutz #tes #oblivion #martin septim #anon hour #ask

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tommymartin · 4 months

Text

BASICS

NAME: thomas martin NICKNAMES: tommy, tom GENDER: cis male PRONOUNS: he/him BIRTHDAY: december 20, 1993 AGE: 30 HEIGHT: 5'5" SEXUALITY: bisexual OCCUPATION: housekeeper at pinecrest hotel LIVING: a small home in pinecrest LENGTH OF TIME IN HAVENRIDGE: fifteen years

DETAILS

POSITIVE TRAITS: honest, resourceful, logical, sentimental, observant NEGATIVE TRAITS: guarded, unambitious, stubborn, cautious, resentful STYLE: dark colours, hoodies, well-loved jeans, thick / warm coats

HISTORY

Tommy lives in blissful ignorance of HavenRidge for fifteen years, content amongst the hustle and bustle of New York City.

It’d just been him and his mother for over a decade until a whirlwind one-year romance sweeps them off across the country. A wedding worth ten times his mother’s life savings and a new extended family later and Tommy’s entire world is turned on its head.

It’s hard to adjust to a life he never wanted, but he keeps his mouth shut and stays out of trouble for his mother’s sake. He’s not perfect, no one ever is, but with average grades and a clean behavioural record, she never has anything to complain about besides the odd sock that misses the laundry basket or his lack of conversation at the dinner table.

When he’s eighteen, he has the opportunity to get out, go to university in another state, but he can’t leave her here, with people he doesn’t think he’ll ever be able to trust, no matter how much his step-father seems to worship the ground she walks on. He doesn’t think he’s got the confidence to finish another four years in education anyway.

It’s not that HavenRidge isn’t nice; he enjoys his early morning long walks along the beach and he can’t say no to a good farmer’s market. And it’s not that New York was particularly great either; he’ll never miss the constant noise of city traffic. He just doesn’t feel at home anymore, not with such high ceilings and a fridge full of foods he’s never even heard of.

He works odd jobs to keep himself busy — and more importantly, as financially independent as possible. He saves everything he can, tries to ignore how he technically benefits from his mother’s new wealth making it easier to pocket his own earnings.

At twenty, he moves out into a space much more fitting for his humble beginnings, perfects dodging his mother’s insisting she’ll furnish it all as a moving in gift.

He knows she means well, but the more she argues against almost all his decisions, the firmer his boundaries become. Losing her to his step-father’s wealth feels inevitable no matter what he does and it stirs that bitterness in him that he’s held for the Atwaters since he was fifteen.

She almost disowns him when he tells her at twenty-six that he’s got a new job at Pinecrest Hotel as a housekeeper. He actually loves it more than he’d ever expected, often out back with one earphone in, typically little interaction with guests / customers — and seeing his hard work in the final product is so satisfying.

The more they draw away from each other, the less reason he has to stay in HavenRidge, but he lingers anyway, holding onto the tiniest bit of hope that one day they can repair the seemingly unbreakable bond they used to have — that maybe how stubborn and proud he is will go back to being the things she loved about him the most.

TRIVIA

Tommy has a scar on the back of his hand that he's had his whole life and tells a different story of its origins to everyone who's nosy enough to ask.

LINKS

connections

#havenridgeintro #hello! ♡

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rubykgrant · 11 months

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OK, a bit of a gore/self-harm warning for this thought...

There's no way that, upon finding out that blinding yourself is the sure-fire way to escape the Magnus Institute, Jon wouldn't have jumped to the very self-sacrificing and main-character-syndrom conclusion of "I bet if I'M the one who is blinded... then EVERYBODY can leave!". Which, to be honest, has a few dots to connect in there; he's the Archivist, so a lot of the Eye powers are focused on him, and losing him would disrupt that control. Also, the other characters work with him so much, they've got background Eye-radiation from exposure to Jon, besides their own issue of just BEING there.

Unfortunately, here's the unpleasant gore part... Jon would just be like "Don't worry everybody, I found that corkscrew Martin had before! I'm just gonna go gouge out my eyes in the bathroom real quick!" about half an hour goes by "Alright... so... bad news... I keep healing... my eyes keep growing back... but it still HURTS... and I'm losing a LOT of blood with each attempt... an 'm gonna pass ow now..." Daisy is the only one brave enough to go in there, get an unconscious Jon out, and then they all have to go through the sucky process of hooking up several hoses to rinse-out the bathroom.

Melanie is torn between mocking him, and feeling a little guilty over giving him such a hard time... but one thing is for sure, she's not waiting for another failed attempt to actually quit, and this incident has kind of put her off any extreme "bloody" measures for herself (no more Slaughter, so she's trying to chill). She still finds a way to blind herself, using harsh light exposure.

Later when Trevor and Julia show up, Jon is like "Oh! People with Hunt powers could probably hurt me REALLY bad!", and in the middle of their threatening, he asks "Hey, I get you two are mad, and y'know what? Fair is fair, and eye for an eye... so how about before you guys kill me, you stab me in the eyes? I want this because of reasons". They're honestly a little off-put, because he's taking all the fun out of this. Daisy still runs them off, and when they come back later, they DO get ONE of Jon's eyes, before Not-Sasha and Lonely Stuff happens. Jon's wound heals... but they did indeed hurt him, and that eye remains gone.

At the cabin, it fully heals, just some scar over the area. With "less eyes" it's actually harder for Elias/Jonah to find him and Martin, so they get an extended vacation being all happy and domestic. Eventually, the apocalypse still happens; Jon wears an eye-patch as they go walking about (and Martin assures Jon this makes him look roguishly handsome and NOT like a pirate), but whenever he uses spooky Eye powers, a glowing symbol of the Eye appears over the patch

Anyway, yeah; I think Jon DEFINITELY would have tried to blind himself if it meant freeing everybody and sparing them the potential pain, and I really like the idea of an Avatar of the Eye only having one eye himself, with a cool eye-patch (it's all symbolic and junk)

#the magnus archives #possible trigger warning #mild gore #eye injury

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the-cabin-complex · 1 year

Text

I posted 996 times in 2022

580 posts created (58%)

416 posts reblogged (42%)

Blogs I reblogged the most:

@the-cabin-complex

@clever-and-unique-name

@themarimosystem

@subsystems

I tagged 945 of my posts in 2022

Only 5% of my posts had no tags

#tony’s tag - 171 posts

#esrah’s tag - 139 posts

#jon’s tag - 97 posts

#cabin complex talks - 68 posts

#martin’s tag - 68 posts

#banner’s tag - 62 posts

#cabin complex art - 56 posts

#crowley’s tag - 53 posts

#osdd - 53 posts

#ari’s tag - 48 posts

Longest Tag: 135 characters

#literally i was like “wtf you’re putting my diary under the projector??” and he was just like “hmmm “clean as a whistle”… that’s cheesy

My Top Posts in 2022:

Another positive introject meme

[ID: epic handshake meme. The shared space below the people’s hands before they connect is labeled: Introjects who were enemies/against each other in their sources but are now on good terms and value the bond they have. /End ID]

96 notes - Posted January 12, 2022

[ID: expanding brain meme. The first blank panel says: figuring out what gender you are in the mornin. The second blank panel says: figuring out what combination of pronouns you want to use in the morning, regardless of gender. The thirds blank panel says: figuring out who you are in the morning. /End ID]

This meme is brought to you by the day-specific multiple pronoun users in this system who get blurry in the morning

107 notes - Posted January 8, 2022

Yes this is based on someone else’s post, and yes Esrah really has used this excuse before. No one knows why they seem to have made so many friends over quarantine lmao

[ID: a picture of Esrah at a table, talking with someone. They are wearing a mask, glasses, an unbuttoned shirt with a pronoun pin, and a plain shirt underneath. There is a cup to one side of them. They are motioning and saying to someone: Yeah that actually reminds me, one of my friends— Beside the speech bubble is a fainter thought bubble reading: They don’t know my friend is a traumatized millennial living in my brain. /End ID]

112 notes - Posted February 2, 2022

[ID: the “You wouldn’t download a car” meme edited to say: “You wouldn’t tag an unrelated Moon Knight post with “DID.” Below it, in smaller text is written: No seriously I’m this close to blocking the Moon Knight tag unless I’m looking for Moon Knight stuff, because I keep seeing y’all’s unrelated fandom posts when I’m looking for posts from the DID/OSDD community, or about DID/OSDD specifically. Try not to tag fandom posts with the names of disorders unless it’s actually relevant to do so. (like, I’d hope you wouldn’t tag every post about a depressed character with #depression. Don’t do that for this either). /End ID]

218 notes - Posted April 20, 2022

My #1 post of 2022

Going from “I don’t deserve this love/care” to “I don’t care if I don’t deserve this love/care, I’m accepting it anyway since it’s freely given” as a step in undoing self-esteem issues is something I don’t see that much, but I think it’s a really powerful thing

265 notes - Posted June 5, 2022

Get your Tumblr 2022 Year in Review →

#long post #cabin complex talks #thanks for the year everyone! :) it’s not over yet but we enjoyed it

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kerink · 2 years

Text

Welcome to Somewhere Else

my, @sm0kebreaks , and @game-warden 's tma-wtnv crossover au! we only have the summary for act 1 finished right now, but i'll update this document as the other acts get fleshed out and finalized.

**spoilers for tma and wtnv**

a foundational piece for this au is that, like jon was mainly touched by the beholding and the web, cecil is mainly touched by the beholding and the distortion. jon and cecil have a psychic connection due to their eye link, both tapped into the same well of knowledge. jon's role for the eye is gathering information (the archivist), cecil's role is distributing information (the voice). jon's role was influenced by the web, leading him to act on information he has. cecil was influenced by the distortion, leading him to...distort obviously. jon takes the truth and makes things happen, cecil takes the truth and makes it into a pretty lie you can live with.

Act 1

we start off immediately following the events of mag200, with martin killing jon and they and the fears teleporting out of their reality. martin's still fully awake, clutching the knife, with a limp jon in his arms. cecil was out and about before work, and since he Knows immediately when new people come into town and can Feel that jon is Like Him, he seeks them out. jon eventually wakes up and Knows cecil is Like Him too, and is able to convince martin that they should trust cecil. and besides, they should be dead anyway so if cecil plans on killing them at least they got see each other one last time.

being cut from the eye zapped jon of all his reserved power, and cecil can See that he's in really bad shape. cecil takes them to the station so jon can go into the tape archives and have a snack, and cecil had a show to do anyway. he also pulls aside an intern and tasks her with looking after them and fetching them whatever they need. martin ends up sleeping the entire time while jon goes on a feeding frenzy.

after the show cecil offers them either a hotel or his guest room, and jon picks cecil's place without hesitation and martin's too tired to care. cecil takes them home and they end up sleeping for basically three days straight.

that first week in night vale is spent mainly with jon and martin trying to acclimate to what's happened and actually introduce themselves properly to cecil and carlos. cecil shows jon around town using mainly the eye on the water tower. at the same time carlos draws up a map of the town with all the most dangerous places highlighted and teaches martin how to survive here.

see, cecil grew up with leonard, the voice before him, and trained under him for an uncountable number of years. leonard has only been dead for 40, meaning for most of cecil's immortal life he's had another like him to lean on. meanwhile, jon has only had these powers a few years and it wasn't like jonah was doing anything to help or support him. cecil's happy to not be alone anymore, and jon's happy to have someone who actually knows what he's doing to help him come to grips with himself and what he's been through.

carlos and martin on the other hand are still clinging to normalcy. while martin is himself touched by the fears, he hasn't been consumed beyond recognition and often forgets that he honestly isn't human anymore either. and in him carlos sees himself: a regular man who was seeking knowledge about the unknown who wound up in a relationship with the source of it all. he's fascinated by martin's real-world experience, especially since he's seen how the fears operate from start to finish. he's been able to collect more data than carlos' entire team has!

so while cecil and jon teach each other about their powers, and cecil realizes just what a wreck jon is, carlos takes martin under his wing.

their first few months in night vale jon tags along behind cecil, learning how he can still be a person and be himself while still being able to feed. he learns how to keep from being compelled into action, and, frankly, cecil just teaches him a lot about self-care. they spend a lot of time talking about fate and freewill, and work through jon's belief that everything that happened was entirely his fault. jon can't let go of the fact that he had a plan to set his world right, make it fair, make it so the fears and humans could cohabitate and he wasn't able to execute that plan. and if he'd never come to night vale, maybe he could have lived with the peace of mind that at least he removed the fears from his own world. but seeing what cecil has, he now knows his plan could have worked. he could have fixed it. cecil has to explain to him that they were dealt different hands and did the best with what they had, and slowly cecil gets jon trust himself and the eye again.

and while jon is doing a lot of trying to have fun and relax, carlos gets martin a job at the lab. martin took some time to recuperate, but mostly he's uncomfortable sitting around the house, he needs to feel like he's being made useful. carlos is in love with the simple categories martin has for all the fears, using his experience to help them group the weirdness and start finding correlations and determining meaningful differences. before, his team was just scrambling to predict whether something was dangers or not and if so how much. night vale is so overwhelming and never ending, there was no way to actually understand anything. and martin can give them a shortcut that enables them to start getting some working hypotheses going.

martin feels so good actually studying the paranormal, you know that thing the magnus institute was supposed to be doing. and not even just studying it but contributing to the understanding of it. he's not only being useful, he's being successful. and plus, carlos is 13 years older than him and it's nice having an older-brother figure who claps him on the back and tells him he did a good job.

#tma #the magnus archives #wtnv #welcome to night vale #welcome to somewhere else #wtse

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bananonbinary · 3 years

Text

Time for a Salty Meta Post about Martin!

people who’ve followed this blog for a bit know that spending six hours combing through text for some goddamn sources is my specialty, so i compiled every time jon ever talked about martin’s work in season 1. which for the record, he stopped complaining about all the way back in episode 26, where he was angry that martin of all people got hurt.

things jon gets mad at martin for:

not being able to find records that don’t exist

not being able to find someone based only on a first name

the Dog

not wearing trousers in his off-hours

being the one that got caught up in the jane prentiss thing

mag 004 and mag 012 both have jon taking potshots at martin over research that was proven accurate by outside sources

things jon has never once complained about:

martin not understanding the filing system and just putting stuff away at random

martin being clumsy, constantly ruining things, spilling tea everywhere everyday, etc

martin turning in incompetent, poorly-edited, or badly formatted reports

martin not understanding the terminology used, skills expected, etc., and generally being extremely new to the field

please for the love of god stop making martin the silly bumbling idiot who can’t do anything right just because he doesn’t have a formal education. there’s zero evidence for it in the text, and it’s really weird to act like a 4 year degree would outweigh the *10 years* of job experience he has, not just in academia, but in the institute itself by season one. my boy has worked there longer than ANY of the rest of the main cast. screw you guys.

tl;dr: martin is never once shown to be bad at his job, jon pretty much only ever gets mad at him for the really stupid first impression and also not finding stuff that no one else was able to find either. after martin got hurt, jon talks about his research basically the same way he talks about tim’s or sasha’s work.

fucking proof under the cut:

(i didnt include the s1 finale or martin’s statement bc that’s just...two entire episodes of them talking to each other, but there isn’t really any notable Martin Complaints in either of them imo)

I swear, if he’s brought another dog in here, I’m going to peel him.

[pre-launch trailer]

Well, technically three, but I don’t count Martin as he’s unlikely to contribute anything but delays.

[...] Alongside this Tim, Sasha and, yes, I suppose, Martin will be doing some supplementary investigation to see what details may be missing from what we have.

[MAG001 Anglerfish]

Martin couldn’t find any records of Ex Altiora as a title in existent catalogues of esoteric or similar literature, so I assigned Sasha to double-check. Still nothing.

[MAG004 Pageturner]

I had Martin conduct a follow-up interview with Mr. Woodward last week, but it was unenlightening. Apparently there have been no further bags at number 93 and in the intervening years he has largely discounted many of the stranger aspects of his experience. I wasn’t expecting much, as time generally makes people inclined to forget what they would rather not believe, but at least it got Martin out of the Institute for an afternoon, which is always a welcome relief.

[MAG005 Thrown Away]

Martin was unable to find the exact date the original house was built but the earliest records he could find list it as being bought by Walter Fielding in 1891.

[...]

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.

[MAG008 Burned Out]

According to Martin, who was here when they took this statement, it was at this point in writing that Mr. Herbert announced he needed some sleep before continuing. He was shown to the break room where he went to sleep on the couch. He did not awaken; unfortunately succumbing to the lung cancer right there. Martin says the staff had been aware of how serious Mr. Herbert’s condition was, and had advised him to seek medical aid prior to giving his statement, but were told rather bluntly by the old man that he would not wait another second to state his case. I can’t decide whether this lends more or less credibility to his tale.

[MAG010 Vampire Killer]

“Veepalach” might also be a mishearing of the Polish word “wypalać”, according to Martin, which means to cauterize or brand. Admittedly, if Martin speaks Polish in the same way he “speaks Latin,” then he might be talking nonsense again, but I’ve looked it up and it appears to check out.

[MAG012 First Aid]

I sent Martin to look into this ‘Angela’ character - not that I want him to get chopped up, of course, but someone had to. Apparently, he spent three days looking into every woman named Angela in Bexley over the age of 50. He could not find anyone that matches the admittedly vague description given here, though he informs me that he had some very pleasant chats about jigsaws. Useless ass.

[MAG014 Piecemeal]

Martin declined to help with this investigation as he’s “a bit claustrophobic”

[MAG015 Lost John’s Cave]

There simply aren’t enough details given in this statement to actually investigate, short of Martin confirming that Mr. Vittery did indeed live at the addresses he provided.

[MAG016 Arachnophobia]

Oh, he’s off sick this week. Stomach problems, I think.

Blessed relief if you ask me.

[...]

I asked Martin to try and hunt down Mr. Adekoya himself for a follow-up, but have been informed that he passed away in 2006.

[MAG017 The Boneturner’s Tale]

MARTIN

Well, I need to tell someone what happened, and you can vouch for the soundness of my mind, can’t you?

ARCHIVIST

…

That is beside the point.

[MAG022 Colony]

Martin! Good lord man, if you’re going to be staying in the Archives, at least have the decency to put some trousers on!

[MAG023 Schwartzwald]

Martin found one other thing while combing through police reports for the Hither Green area. About a month after this statement was given, on May 15th, 2015, police were called out to once again investigate the chapel.

[MAG025 Growing Dark]

I know, but it would have to have been Martin, wouldn’t it? I mean, anything goes wrong around here, it always seems to happen to him. Anyway, we’re getting off topic. Why didn’t you report this?

[MAG026 A Distortion]

Martin made contact with the son, Marcus McKenzie, but he declined to talk to us, saying that he’d “already made his statement.”

[MAG027 A Sturdy Lock]

Tim and Martin had a bit more luck investigating Tom Haan, though only really enough to confirm that he seems to have completely vanished following his departure from Aver Meats on the 12th of July.

[MAG030 Killing Floor]

Martin’s research would seem to indicate the place employed a reasonable number of international staff they preferred to keep off the books

[...]

TIM

Ah well, that’s actually what he was asking, huh! Um, apparently Martin, uh, took delivery of a couple of items last week addressed to you. Did he not mention it?

ARCHIVIST

No, he… Oh, yes, actually. I completely forgot. He said he put it in my desk drawer, hold on.

[MAG036 Taken Ill]

#the magnus archives #LISTEN #i am once again asking people to remember that martin has MORE job experience at the institute than literally any other character #(except elias or i guess maybe rosie)#he's the goddamn veteran not the newbie #fan wank /

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substantial-exposure · 2 years

Text

The Long Game

Martin Lang x Oc

Link to Part Two!!

Summary: Tulip had met a surprising amount of psychopaths in her life. It was like they were drawn to her. Which is why when she met Martin she thought nothing of him. She'd been friends with people like him for years. Just a different type of psycho.

When she met Martin, Tulip had all her friends together. Now? She'd been outcasted for weeks and finally made some new friends. Friends who'd have her back when a certain unhinged boy starts to stalk her.

A/N: this is a purely self indulgent crossover with Martin and my IT oc, might get confusing but I just wanted to post something for Martin bc there's literally nothing :(

Eight months ago Tulip was blackout drunk at a party. It was a natural habitat for her.

She threw down another shot and looked to her friend beside her. The blonde stood right next to her, practically connected at the hip and poured another round of shots. He was too intoxicated to realize just how far in they were. Despite her swaying she hit him on the arm twice.

"Hey Vic" she grumbled. "I'm heading out for a smoke" she said, hand snaking down and casually going through the boys pocket and pulling out a lighter.

"Coulda fuckin' asked" the boy slurred and held out the other shot. "Come on... one more T" the boy pressed. Victors face showed how drunk he was. He was one of the most sane of her friends, he had the best head on his shoulders out of all of them. That was for damn sure, but right now? It didn't seem like it. "One more, for me" he said giving her his best attempt at puppy dog eyes.

She laughed in his face. "Fucking fine" she said taking it from his hand. The two counted down in sync and once they reached three they knocked back another round.

"Okay go outside. And don't lose my lighter!" The short blonde yelled as she walked off.

Tulip stumbled her way to the backyard of the house. She stood on the deck and held onto the banister to keep herself upright. The warm summer atmosphere surrounded her, the cool breeze was welcomed. She dug through her pockets and pulled out the pack of cigarettes.

She was so drunk she hadn't realized a boy sitting on the steps.

She pulled out a cigarette and placed it between her lips. Even with the asthma it was a habit she couldn't shake. She brought the lighter up to the end of the cig and kept trying to light it. She closed the zippo and let out a huff of annoyance.

She went to turn back inside and find her best friend inside the massive house. He always had lighters, he was a pyromaniac after all. But before she could a voice seemed to surround her. She hadn't even noticed the boy sitting on the steps.

"Do you need a light?" The boy asked standing up. Clad in his hoodie and regular jeans he grabbed his bag and pulled out a lighter. "My dad always said pretty girls shouldn't have to light their own cigarettes". Martin nearly died inside the second the words left his mouth. "Im sorry that was very forward" he said trying to backtrack while at the same time igniting the lighter and lighting the cigarette for her.

Tulip looked at the empty backyard. Was this kid outside by himself? "Thank you." She said simply and took a drag off the cigarette. "So do you like... know anyone here" she asked looking back towards the door and inside to the party.

"I'm friends with Vic actually...." he said rather quietly and immediately he was shocked at how she lit up.

Tulips grey eyes opened wide with the amount of excitement that could only be found in a drunk girl thirty minutes from throwing up. "What! No way! Who are you!" She said loudly.

"Wha- what?" He asked taken aback by the volume

"What's your name? Vic hasn't mentioned any new friends" she began to ramble. She let out a gasp. "Are you Ethan? Holy shit it's the rich kid! Were you the one with the crush on him? Holy fucking-"

"No, um my name is Martin" he cut her off and stood beside her, leaning on the banister.

She shrunk back into herself and stumbled backwards but caught herself. "Well Martin" she said shifting her weight on her feet, she pulled out her pack again. "Do you smoke?"

Martin looked her in the eye and found himself absolutely awestruck. Before he could even think it through he was lying. "Yeah" he said taking one from her container and lighting up his own. He had to stop himself from coughing it up.

The door behind them opened and Tulip nearly fell over with how fast she turned her head. Her head began to spin.

"Woah! Woah!" A deep voice called.

Martin watched as a six foot tall unit of a male came up behind her. Hands on her hips, he seemed very comfortable. It made Martins blood boil. He looked stronger than any teenager he'd ever seen before. The other guy was much taller than Martin, his brown hair wavy with a few scattered curls.

"Woah, baby you okay?" The stranger called keeping an arm around the girl.

"I don't feel so good" she muttered snuffing out her cigarette and throwing it in the ash tray. Her boyfriend held onto her and began to walk her inside. She didn't notice the stares both boys were now giving eachother.

Tulip didn't have any remembrance of that night. All she knew was that she hated herself in the morning and she was missing two of her cigarettes.

However that night changed Martin at his core. He needed to see her again, going as far as switching schools. He was obsessed with this unnamed girl he had met at that party. It took everything in him to play the long game and so once September rolled around, Martin was starting his senior year at Derry High.

What Martin did find out upon moving to Derry Maine made it even harder. He hadn't known that girl was an apex predator in town. She was practically untouchable.

Tulip belonged to the Bowers Gang. A group that consisted of four other boys and her. Thankfully he was friends with one of the members, though now they were in school together they rarely saw each other. Victor was very cautious about his image and who he hung out with. But Martin would occasionally play ball with Vic every once in awhile when the opportunity arose.

The top dogs of the school consisted of Henry Bowers, a violent little punk who Martin thought deserved to rot in hell. Martin wasn’t an idiot, he’d seen it in the halls. Despite being friends Henry seemed to have it out for Tulip as well, he’d seen the hair pulling, the smacking, the screaming. Martin had contemplated a lot of things. Next, Patrick Hockstetter who happened to be Tulips best friend. Martin learned fast that he was an absolute mental case. He kept dead animals in a fridge at the junkyard, his blood was a petri dish of any drug and disease he could think of. The one member Martin didn’t mind was Victor Criss. They had been friends for over a year now and Martin deemed him acceptable. Vic was smart and had wealthy parents. He knew the relationship between them, Vic could be trusted. Lastly was Reginald 'Belch' Huggins, Tulips boyfriend. Martin didn't like him one bit. She didn’t seem happy with Belch. As Martin remembered the party he couldn’t help but think that she looked happier talking to him. She’d be happier with him.

But it seemed fate was on his side because after his third month enrolled in Derry, hell broke loose.

Martin watched it happen. He sat at his lunch table and watched Tulip through his peripherals and suddenly she was standing beside Bowers and screaming. They both were. Martins eyes blew wide at what happened next. She clocked Henry to the side of the head, and suddenly they were fighting and dragging each other across the lunch room.

Since that day, Tulip had been alienated from her friends and she was left to her lonesome. She didn't have four guys protecting her. She didn’t have four guys at her back every waking second anymore. There was no one to get in his way anymore. If he did this right, if he played his cards, he'd get everything he wanted.

He hadn’t spoken to her. He couldn’t yet. He was too nervous for that. But he knew when he would be. The time would come and he’d be good as gold.

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

It was late Febuary and Tulip stood at work. Standing at the register, bored out of her mind, she had nothing to do. Christmas was long since over and any rush after that had finally stopped. All she could do was stand beside the cash register and fold whatever returns were left at the front end.

She picked up her head and looked to a boy standing in the line queue. Taking a deep breathe she left her folding station and called out "I can take you down here." Tulip said, her customer service voice sickly sweet.

Tulips eyes flickered from the tags on the clothes then to the customer infront of her. She could of sworn she'd met him somewhere before. "Hi how are you?" she asked politely as she sectioned out all the clothes.

"Oh uhm, im alright. How are you doing?" Martin asked shifting his weight.

"Im doing great, thank you" she said forcing the happiness in her tone. She continued ringing in silence. The only sound was the quiet ringing of the cash drawer.

The boy looked to her chest at her name tag. He spoke up and broke the silence. "Your name is Tulip?" He questioned as if he didn't already know.

Tulip met him with a cold stare. For a split moment she forgot she even had a name tag. She was freaked out that this random guy knew her name. Then it clicked and her harsh exterior seemed to crumble. "Uh yeah." She nodded along quietly. Silently cursing herself for her own stupidity. She waited for the line that followed.

Almost any time a guy tried to talk to her it always ended in. “Like the flower”. That line got old fast and any time she heard it, she shut down. But what the boy said next left her pleasantly surprised.

"It's a very pretty name" he said kindly.

Tulip looked at the boy. She met his eyes and he seemed like he was a million miles away. Like he was physically there but mentally? He was detached and far away from here. She'd seen that look a hundred times over. "Oh! Thanks!" She said with a tightly lipped smile as she finished bagging everything. "Okay, here, so your totals gonna be 32.95 today" she said looking to him.

She watched as he fumbled through his wallet and pulled out enough cash to cover the transaction. He looked her in the eyes as he handed over the money. "You have really pretty eyes by the way..." he said raising his pointer finger in the air and loosely gesturing up to his eyes as he spoke about hers.

Tulip felt herself actually smile at the seem of onslaught compliments. "Thank you" she said as she finished counting the money and pushed a few buttons on the register.

"Uhm I'm sorry to ask this but is there anyway I could get a receipt?" he explained looking at her. “You just incase I need to return anything?” The smile and nod she gave him had his chest feeling warm. He found himself smiling. Of course he had no intention on bringing anything back up until he said that. Maybe he’d come back just to see her again.

"Sure thing! It's just gonna take a second" she said to him and turned to her printer. She pressed the button and waited for it to print as she gathered the boys change.

"Alright and this is yours" the girl said putting the change into his palm.

The printer slowly did its job and the pair stood waiting. In the silence, Martin looked to her neck. "I like your necklaces." He blurted out.

Tulips hand immediately went to hold her neck and chest, she hadn't remembered which one she'd had on. "Oh? Oh!" She said surprised. "Thank you! I actually made this one myself" she said nodding along proudly. She pulled off the reciept and handed it to Marin along with his bag. "Alright, you have a great day now!" She said sweetly.

"Bye Tulip! It was nice to meet you" the boy said and left the store. Tulips shoulders dropped as she went back to her folding. Only two more hours till her shift was over. She could get through this. Besides she was going out with the girls tonight, she had plans.

The two hours had finally come to pass and Tulip was ready to tear out of the parking lot and speed home. She had a lot to get ready for.

As Tulip walked out the doors of Freese's Department store she shouldered her jacket and pulled on the lapels till it was fully on. She pulled her keys out of her pocket and twirled them around her finger as she made it to her Camaro.

Tulip got into her car and started the engine. She couldn't help but smile to herself every time she got in it. This was the most petty purchase she'd ever made in her life. Her ex boyfriend wanted a Camaro more than anything in his life. So what did she do after they broke up? She bought his dream car. As Tulip got herself situated (meaning she stared at herself in the rear view mirror and applied a bit more chapstick) she finally went to leave.

She didn't know it but Martin was standing idly in the parking lot watching. He stood beside the motorcycle and watched the girl get her things together in her car. His eyes flickered to the license plate.

Tulip slid her cassette deck into the slot and the music began to blare. She twisted her wrist and opened all the windows. Within seconds the the sound of bass and a shrill yell blasted out from her speakers and filled the parking lot. Tulip sped out and disappeared onto the roads.

Martin watched her turn out of the car park and speed down the street. He felt his heart pound. The day had finally come. He thought to himself. 'You'll see her in a few hours... tonight's the night'

Martin was seeing her at that party tonight. That was damn sure.

#Martin Lang #Martin #the killing of a sacred deer #barry keoghan #bowers gang #crossover #Martin x oc #Martin Lang x oc #Martin Lang fic

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gammija · 3 years

Text

The final Web!Martin evidence list

Now that canon is done, and we’ve got word of god confirmation that Web!Martin wasn’t complete nonsense, I decided to go back to my lil chronological evidence list and actually clean it up a bit, delete parts that in hindsight weren't all that indicative, and put everything in a slightly more readable format. (Obligatory disclaimer that i don’t and never did believe or advocate for some kind of evil web!martin, and that I'm not intending to connect a moral judgement to martin (or anyone else for that matter) having some of these traits)

So here: The (hopefully, please) final list with Web!Martin Evidence! Presented in order of importance, according to. me

The final (hopefully) Web!Martin evidence list

(In order from most to least obvious)

Spiders

I mean, it’s called the Web. TMA reiterates quite a few times that Martin liked spiders. Sometimes it IS that easy.

MAG022: Martin: "I like spiders. Big ones, at least. Y’know, y’know the ones you can see some fur on; I actually think they’re sort of cute -"

MAG038: | Sasha: "A spider?" Jon: "Yeah. I tried to kill it…" [...] Sasha: [Chuckles] "Well, I won’t tell Martin." Jon: "Oh, god. I don’t think I could stand another lecture on their importance to the ecosystem."

MAG059: Jon: "I have done my best to prevent Martin reading this statement in too much detail. I have no interest in having another argument about spiders."

MAG079: Jon: "Apparently, biologically, his account of the spiders doesn’t make any sense according to Martin."

MAG197: Martin: “What? Because I like spiders? Well, used to.”

Lies and subterfuge

Martin is able to use lying and subterfuge to achieve his goals, and is called manipulative a few times.

Lies:

MAG022: Martin: "[He] became slightly more co-operative after I lied to him and told him that one of the upstairs residents had buzzed me in."

MAG056: Martin: "I lied on my CV."

MAG158: Peter: “But you said –” Martin: “Honestly, I mostly just said what I thought you wanted to hear.”

MAG164: Jon: "You – I actually believed you!"

MAG189: Martin: “Sorry. Sorry, John. Not sure how much everything up there actually understood what was going on. But, y’know, I didn’t want to take any chances so it made sense to… um…” Jon: “Put on a show?” Martin: “Yeah, basically, more or less.”

MAG191: Martin: "That's not true." Arun: "Liar!"

Subterfuge:

The plan in 118, which revolved around convincing Elias that Martin was only “acting out”, to create a distraction for Melanie. (Also compare the way he evades giving a straight answer here with the way Annabelle talks in 196.)

Working with Peter in s4 under false pretenses, to distract him from Jon and eventually try to learn what Peter wanted.

Manipulation accusations:

These, I know, are somewhat contentious, since it’s mostly villains saying this to him. I’m still including them, since

1): From a media analysis standpoint, being mentioned 3 times is a sign to pay attention, even when it may not be the full truth.

2): I only see it as describing Martin’s behaviour in the previous points, not as a moral judgement; Especially since he almost always ‘manipulates’ people in positions of power over him.

Still, if it bothers anyone, feel free to ignore these.

MAG138: Martin: "That’s it? No, no monologue, no mind games? You love manipulating people!" Elias: "That makes two of us."

MAG186: Martin: “I can be a real manipulative prick, you know that?” Also Martin: “Oh yeah.”

MAG196: Annabelle: “Because you always managed to get what you wanted through smiles and shrugs and stammerings that weren’t nearly as awkward as they seemed.” [SMALL SOUND OF MARTIN’S CONCESSION TO THE POINT] Martin: “Point taken.”

The Lonely/the Web

The Lonely and the Web sometimes affect Martin to similar degrees.

In season 3, when Martin is getting used to reading statements for the first time, most of them leave him emotionally affected: MAG084, MAG088, MAG090,

MAG095: Martin: “S-S-Statement… done.” [HEAVY BREATHING & TREMBLING AS MARTIN STEADIES HIMSELF] “I don’t like recording these. There. I-I said it.”,

MAG098: Martin: [Panting] “End of statement.” [Deep breath] “I, um, I think I might need to sit down. Oh. Yeah, I am. Right. I don’t, uh, I’m not really sure if these are actually getting easier or harder. I mean I don’t feel –”

Only the last two statements he reads are remarkably easier. This might be a hint that Martin is just getting used to reading them, but the quote from MAG098 seems to contradict that. Either way, it’s likely not a coincidence that those last two happen to be the Lonely and the Web:

MAG108: Martin: “Statement ends.” (exhale) “That wasn’t so bad…”

MAG110: Martin: “Statement ends.” [...] “I mean, I think it sounds like a Jurgen Leitner book. About spiders. Hm. Good John didn’t have to read this one, anyway. I know he’s not a fan. Although, this one wasn’t too bad, actually! I – yeah. Anyway.”

In season 5, there are two powers’ Domains that actually affected Martin mentally, as opposed to only physically: the Lonely’s, in 170 (and arguably 186), and, depending on your interpretation, in 172, when Martin went exploring without knowing why he did so.

Proximity

Martin investigates a lot of the Web statements during season 1 to 3 (in other words, when the archive team still researches statements). The only ones he isn’t mentioned in during this period are MAG019 and MAG020, when he’s being harrassed by worms, and MAG081, which Jon records by himself outside of the institute.

Most notably, he’s the one who discovered the statement in MAG114, ‘Cracked Foundations’, which is the one statement in the entire show that sets up the interdimensional properties of HTR.

The Web!Lighter passed through Martin's hands first, before he gave it to Jon.

Similarly, Annabelle mostly spoke to Martin in season 5, despite most other Avatars usually focusing on Jon.

Aesthetics

Apart from the above obviously Web related areas, there are some other aesthetics which are mentioned in connection to both the Web and Martin, throughout canon.

These are describing the Web;

These are describing Martin.

Tapes:

Martin is the only character to treat the tape recorders as friends - any other character is either indifferent, or treats them as enemies.

MAG039: Martin: "I think the tapes have a sort of… low-fi charm."

MAG154 Martin: “Oh. Hi. Hello again.” … (small laugh) “Sorry pal, false alarm this time.”

MAG156 Martin: “Mm? Oh.” [HE LAUGHS, GENTLY.] “Yeah. (rustling paper) I was going to read one. Hate for you to miss it!” [SHORT, FORCED LAUGH, AS HE FLAPS THE STATEMENT AROUND.]

MAG170 Martin: “Oh. Oh, hello. What’s this? Wow, retro! What are you up to, little buddy; just – listening? That’s okay. It’s nice to have someone to talk to.”

MAG190 Jon: "[The tapes] seem to like [Martin]."

Retro:

MAG069: Statement: “I only saw Annabelle Cane once during this period. She wasn’t hard to pick out. She dressed like a vintage clothing store exploded on her, and her short bleach-blonde hair stood out sharply against dark skin.”

MAG160: Jon: “Anyways, don’t tell me the phonebox down there doesn’t appeal to your retro aesthetic.” Martin: “It – might. Maybe.”

MAG163: Annabelle/the Web callying Martin via an old payphone: [ A PHONE RINGS. IT’S NOT THE TINNY, ELECTRONIC SOUND OF A CELLPHONE – NO, THIS IS A TRUE, HEAVY, CLASSIC RING.] Martin: “Uh. John? Uh, J, John – the, uh, payphone that’s – here, for some reason – it’s ringing?”

Hatred of burns:

MAG067: Jack Barnabas’ statement: “I looked up and noticed within the corner of the room, where there had been a spider’s web this morning, there was just a faint wisp of smoke.” “Another held a bag that seemed to be full of candles, while a third had a clear plastic container filled with hundreds of tiny spiders.”

MAG139: Statement by member of Cult of the Lightless Flame: “The Mother of Puppets has always suffered at our hand; all the manipulation and subtle venom in the world means nothing against a pure and unrestrained force of destruction and ruin.” Agnes burned down Hilltop Road.

MAG145: The Web ties Gertrude to Agnes, stopping the Desolation’s ritual (the only Power whose ritual the Web is known to have prevented).

MAG167: Gertrude enlists Agnes’/the Desolation’s help in order to burn her assistant Emma, who was Web aligned.

MAG169: Martin: "Look, I just – don’t want to get burned, all right? It’s, it’s like my least favorite pain ever. [...] I, I legitimately hate burns, alright? They’re, they’re awful, and they scar horribly, and they just – it – it just makes me sick; I, I hate it. Hate it!"

Phrasing:

MAG039: Martin: "I’m trapped here. It’s like I can’t… move on and the more I struggle, the more I’m stuck. [...] It's just that whatever web these statements have caught you in, well, I’m there too. We all are, I think."

MAG079: Martin's poem: "The threads of people walking, living, lovi–"

MAG117: Martin: "This last couple of years, I’ve always been running, always hiding, caught in someone else’s trap, but, but now it’s my trap, and, well, I think it’ll work. I know, I know it’s not exactly intricate, but it felt good leaving my own little web. Oh, oh, Christ, I hope John doesn’t actually listen to these. “Good lord, is Martin becoming some sort of spider person?” No, John, it’s an expression, chill out! Besides, spiders are fine. I mean, yes, people are scared of them, obviously, but actual spiders, they just want to help you out with flies."

MAG167: Jon: “Methinks the Spider dost protest too much.” Martin: “Jon –” Jon: “Joking! Just joking.”

Personality:

How applicable these are depends heavily on how you interpret Martin's own personality, so your mileage may vary.

MAG008: Statement: “Nobody ever said a word against Raymond himself, though, who was by all accounts a kind and gentle soul [...]”

MAG123: Jon: "The Web does seem to have a preference for those who prefer not to assert themselves."

MAG147: Annabelles statement: "I discovered a deep and enduring talent inside myself for lying. [...] My manipulations were not intricate, but they were far beyond what was expected of a child my age, and I have always believed that the key to manipulating people is to ensure that they always under- or overestimate you. Never reveal your true abilities or plans."

Word of God and Annabelle

I kinda wanted to ‘prove’ that Web!Martin had quite a bit of evidence to back it up, hence this header being last. But of course, in this post-canon world, there are a few lines that most obviously confirm the theory:

MAG197: Martin is Web enough to be able to read the 'vibrations', like Annabelle, and see Jon and Basira (the latter being especially notable, as he hadn't known she was there beforehand): [CHITTERING, BUZZING AND HIGH-PITCHED SQUEALS CHANGE CADENCE] Martin: "Wait… Wait, hang on, is that him?" Annabelle: "Yes. I guess you’re better with the Web than we thought." Martin: "And – Wait, ha– No, uh… is that… Basira? He – He’s got Basira with him!" Annabelle: "Yes."

Season 5 Q&A part 2: Jonny: “Essentially, it was fascinating looking at the fandom and, like, the Web!Martin believers, because what they were doing was correctly picking up on hints dropped in the early seasons that were later, like, not exactly abandoned, but it was much more like, ‘Well, no, he does have like aspects of The Web to him, but he is moreover The Lonely.’ And that came about very… very organically, really. Because throughout Season 3 and going into Season 4, we had this conversation and we were like, ‘No, actually he's like-” Alex: “‘It can't be, it cannot be, it must be the other way round’ Yeah.”

(Note that they say “throughout season 3 and going into season 4,” which likely means that season 1, season 2, and at least part of season 3, aka half of the entire show, were written with Web!Martin as an intentional possibility.)

If you read all that, thanks so much! Obviously, Web!Martin never really came to fruition, so it's fine if you still don't like it. This is just a post explaining where it was coming from, at least for me and the other theorists I've spoken to.

#the magnus archives #magnus archives #tma #tma s5 #web!martin #web martin #webmartin #or as jonny called it:#spider!martin #tma theory #tma meta #martin blackwood #martin k blackwood #martin #tma martin #magnuspod #i feel like i say this every time too but #when i say martin lies a lot i dont mean that #in comparison to 'normal people'#i mean that in canon he gets specifically mentioned to lie; at a higher rate than the other protagonists #ditto for everything else. im not speaking about real life people who might have these traits. im doing a media analysis #my own real life bedroom curtains being blue dont mean im depressed but in media sometimes aesthetic themes can be deeper signifiers #and tma especially has some very strong aesthetic themes #ok i think im done talking now. webmartin theories always get me rambling #EDIT: oops i changed a part on mobile and now the formatting is a bit fucked #ill fix it back tomorrow #if anyone cares #EDIT EDIT: ok fixed it

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