#I miss bonzo though

[thecodeisveroncia]

Yes so I just watched “becoming Led Zeppelin” and I couldn’t be more happier to be a classic rock listener, I was jumping up and down in the theater seat. I was honestly amazing and so happy I went

[shootingstars-or-airplanes]

Alright folks buckle up because I'm about to break down my entire theory for the TMAGP classification system before season 2 drops.

1. CAT - Category Many of you have probably seen my original post about the TMAGP categories being literally the most basic thing in the world and we all missed it, but in case you haven't, here's the gist! It's nouns. Is the source of the supernatural activity a person, place, or thing?

1 - Person

Zombie [Ep 1]

Needles [Ep 6]

Bonzo (x2) [Eps 10 & 12]

Snake Guy [Ep 14]

Hunt Aristocrats [Ep 15]

Ink5oul (x2) [Eps 16 & 20]

Talking Corpse [Ep 18]

Isaac Newton [Ep 19]

Not sure if this one is the scientist or the test subject but either way it's a person [Ep 22]

Coral Doppelganger [Ep 23]

Demon Baby [Ep 24]

Compelled Runner [Ep 26]

2 - Place

Garden [Ep 3]

Theater [Ep 5]

Hilltop (x3) [Eps 7, 17* & 30]

Liminal Building [Ep 8]

Cemetery [Ep 11]

Construction Site [Ep 21]

Restaurant [Ep 25]

Magnus Institute [Ep 28]

Tunnels [Ep 29]

*Episode 17 isn't confirmed to be at hilltop I don't think, but it is heavily hinted at so I'm going with it.

3 - Thing

Tattoo (x2) [Eps 2 & 11]

Murder Violin [Ep 4]

Dice [Ep 9]

Phone App [Ep 13]

"Fruit" [Ep 19]

Telegraph [Ep 22]

Coral [Ep 23]

Carriage [Ep 27]

I may be slightly off on some of these, but many of them are glaringly obvious. And each episode seems to fit, though some more cleanly than others. I'm open to suggestions on this, though.

2. R - Rank I posted about this just a day or two ago but I noticed when I was going back through that episode 30 had a rank of S instead of A, B, or C which seems a lot like it's a tier system, likely for danger levels. My best guess would be the ranks mean the following:

C - Low-Level Threat B - Mid-Level Threat A - High-Level Threat S - Extremely High-Level Threat [DNI]

If this is the case, any ranks that contain two letters are likely to mean that it's between those two levels. BC is Low-To-Mid-Level Threat, AB is Mid-To-High-Level Threat. This could also mean that in the cases where there are multiple supernatural elements, one of them is low and the other is mid, etc., but based on the way double numbers and double letters line up, I'm inclined to believe it's the first theory. Here is a list of all supernatural elements along with their rankings.

C - Low-Level Threat

Garden that turns people into trees [Ep 3]

Violin that needs blood to play well [Ep 4] *

Hilltop Charity Center [Ep 7]

Spooky tattoo in a cemetery that makes people drown themselves [Ep 11]

Portal from another dimension [Ep 17]

Talking corpse [Ep 18]

BC - Low-To-Mid-Level Threat

Zombie/reanimated corpse [Ep 1]

Tatoo that makes reality reflect a self-portrait [Ep 2]

Liminal building with uncanny cannibals [Ep 8]

Isaac Newton's fucked up crystal tree [Ep 19]

The Dome construction site [Ep 21]

Something about an experiment splitting a brain in two [Ep 22]

Coral that grows into a doppelganger if you shove it in your leg [Ep 23]

Demon baby [Ep 24]

Compelled runner guy [Ep 26]

B - Mid-Level Threat

Movie theater that Knows you [Ep 5]

Needles [Ep 6]

Dice that control fate [Ep 9]

Bonzo [Eps 10 & 12]

Gambling app where you can bet against your own life [Ep 13]

Snake guy [Ep 14]

Hunt aristocrats [Ep 15]

Ink5oul [Ep 16]

Restaurant where you can't stop eating disgusting food [Ep 25]

Carriage that eats people [Ep 27] *

Magnus Institute ritual [Ep 28]

Tunnels that drown you [Ep 29]

AB - Mid-To-High-Level Threat

Ink5oul [Ep 20]

A - High-Level Threat

[None in Season 1]

S - Extremely High-Level Threat [DNI]

Hilltop/Portal to another dimension [Ep 30]

*Some of these seem to be ranked lower than I think they should be, but they are much older cases so maybe time plays a factor in how dangerous they are considered to be.

While not everything is where I would put them, personally, I do think that overall they do seem to increase in threat level. I'm still not 100% sold on this, but it's what I'm running with for now until season two either confirms it or proves me wrong.

3. DPHW I'll admit it. I'm stumped on this one. I feel like this has to be a lot more arbitrary than the other two so it would be hard to reverse-engineer a filing system from it.

The only tiny morsel of a theory I could come up with is that each letter in DPHW stands for a word (duh) and that corresponds to the same number in the four-digit code. So for example, if a DPHW was 1947 it would be D=1, P=9, H=4, and W=7. Now what those letters stand for or what the numbers actually mean are completely lost on me.

If anyone has any good resources for how we could potentially figure this out, please let me know. But as of right now I think my theory is "It's a rather arbitrary sorting system that Alex and Jonny made up and we have little to no chance of decoding it without much more data."

That's it. That's the whole theory. It's not as wild and fantastical as we all hoped I don't think, but I think everything seems to check out. Let me know if you have any other theories, especially about the DPHW.

[autismprotocol]

TMAG Theory Board Update (EP 11-12)

Hi guys sorry about the late posting I've just started a new quarter of college and its been pretty hectic. also got into my school design BFA program so pretty stoked about that! Anyways lets get into the Episode Breakdowns because even though not a lot of lore related things happened I still have a lot to talk about

For the breakdown I'll separate each by episode in sequential order

What Happened in Episode 11: Marked

Celias Rude Awakening- we jump right into the weirdness straight away with Celia waking up on the side of the interstate. she indicates that this is not a weird occurrence and ends the scene by telling someone named Jack that she's "on her way." If you remember episode 8 after Celia and Sam talk to Gerry and Gertrude, she mentions stuff about wanting help with her own mystery. When Sam asks about it she says she's looking into Time travel, other dimentions and teleportation. Many people have theorized that maybe Celia is just a super heavy sleepwalker, but I think the she teleports random places out of nowhere. This could be a side effect of her reality hopping if this Celia is originally from The archives universe.

As for the identity of Jack I'm not quite sure about that yet. I cross referenced the name Jack with past episodes of TMA. The only thing that came up was Jack Barnabas from the statement about dating Agnes Montague (aka an avatar of the desolation and Jesus-like figure for the cult of the lightless flame) So Unless Celia is secretly Agnes of Agnes reincarnated , I can't find any way to link Barnabas to Celia. (if anyone has a theory feel free to send it my way.)

Sam Lore- this one is pretty minor story-wise but I thought it was interesting. Before the statement for the episode is presented we get some classic Sam and Alice Banter ™ most of it is pretty lighthearted but I noticed Sam mention something that could indicate he might be an amputee.

These could not mean anything and I find it weird that it hasn't been mentioned until now but thought it was kind of cool and I will probably be drawing sam with a prothetic leg in the future cause I really like this head-canon. It also begs to question if he is missing a leg. it might have anything to do with his past as a Magnus institute test subject but then again could just be a fun character detail added by Jonny and/or Alex .

The Statement- Getting into the statement we get another Ink5oul appearance. Also possible Ink5oul identifying as she/they. (and lets be honest being a fear avatar is pretty non binary core). I found this Episode gave me a feeling of a hybrid between the Vast, Buried and the Flesh some people are theorizing that is might be a new entity called the Deep but I think that the fear of the ocean could easily apply to the vast or buried. Not much to say about this story though pretty standard Magnus horror that also gave us a hint to what Ink5oul's goal could be/which entity they serve.

Post Bonzo- Gwen has a debrief with Lena after her first Externals Liason assignment and her meeting with Mr. Bonzo. Undoubtedly Gwen is still pretty shaken from her encounter, even arriving late to work due to sleeplessness. Gwen is able to ask Lena a few questions mainly she wanted to know who's name was written on the letter given to Bonzo

Lena is largely unhelpful but tells Gwen she should have worked it out by now and if not to pay close attention to the case load for the next couple of days. before the latest episode my guess was Klaus because that is the only person mentioned so far that the OIAR intends to kill. but more on that later

Marked- Now were getting to my favorite thing about this episode. This episode title can have two meanings. The first is the more literal interpretation. Tattoos are marking of the body and the case this episode was all about tattoos so easily a good name would be marked. But I believe this is a red herring meant to misguide listeners who have not consumed all 200 episodes of TMA because if you know the world of Magnus Archives the term Marked takes on a entirely different meaning.

In TMA the term marked is used to indicate that somebody has been influenced by one or more or the fears and are one their way to becoming an Avatar. I think this could be a coded way to tell the audience someone in the OIAR has been marked. I have two potential candidates

Alice Dyer- Alice has been having dreams about the Institute after her and Sam's adventure into the ruins. also she mentions feeling like someone's watching her (common to people influenced or fed upon by the Ceaseless Watcher/The Eye) My guess if she is marked it would be by the Eye.

Gwendolyn Bouchard: Probably the most likely culprit. The main way an entitly tends to mark people is through encounters with other avatars. Gwen has just had an encounter with Mr Bonzo last episode who I strongly believe must be an avatar of some sort.

What Happened in Episode 12: Getting Off

Aww Sam!!- Sam asked Celia out and it was adorably awkward. not much to say I just loved this interaction and I'm longing for a new Magnus brand office romance hopefully is wont be an agonizing slowburn that ends tragically like a certain pair of morons from Archives (I love you Jon and Martin but Jesus christ)

It's Bonzo time bitches!!- Probably one of the most gruesome Magnus statement I've ever listened to (good work Alex) Mr Bonzo completely annihilated some poor dude at his bachelor party. Based on the date of the Incident the I can confidently say that whoever Baz (the groom) was he was our mystery person the OIAR sent Mr Bonzo to get rid of. Along with some of the bloodiest imagery we learned a few things about Bonzo. The most interesting detail is that Bonzo has to be summoned by playing his theme song I think the CD of his theme song acts somewhat like the tapes did in TMA by materialising out of nowhere. Also fun fact you know that torn seam that is right down Bonzo's middle? that is actually is his mouth lined with rows sharp teeth so I guess I know that now (so fun) Moral of the story dont f*ck with Mr. Bonzo

Alice knows something: Theres been this recurring audio glitch throughout TMAGP thatnks to a few extremly observent fans we have started to relize that these glitches are not at all random and are actually letting the audience know when a character is lying (i actually reposted somones deepdive into all the istances of this glitch so far if you guys are intrested in knowing more) why i bring this up now is becuase since we know when any charater is lying we also know when they are being truthful if there is no glitch when they say somthing and at the end of this episode this interaction occurs

Alice goes ahead and makes a joke about this to annoy Gwen but the fact theres no audio glitch when she says "I know" means she does actually know who is behind the OIAR and is activly refusing to share it with Gwen or the others. What do you know Alice!?

and that's about it im already loving these next batch of episodes and am so excited to learn more (ERROR has to show up somtime )

thanks to everyone who resonded the poll on the last update I will continue to include drawings into the breakdown even if it takes me a little bit of time to post. anyways I wrote this all in one sitting and I'm about ready to pass out so thanks again and the ask box and comments are always open for discussion and theory crafting.

-Echo

[witchinatree]

i'm having so much fun with the new tmagp characters (and i will miss them dearly until april 11th) (side note: patreon members get access on my sisters birthday which is pretty cool) and i don't want to compare them to the tma characters because they are unique and different in MANY ways, i just also notice some parallels

gwen is very similar to jon, she has had a somewhat skeptic attitude but has now clearly been exposed to the horrors (bonzo..) and she's also climbing the corporate ladder if you will. she runs the place, she's grumpy, and i think she's closer to becoming an avatar than any of the others (even sam) (see my other post about it if youd like) (idk how to link it on mobile sorry)

alice and tim are kinda obvious, both comedic with younger brothers and are very susceptible to romantic feelings (sasha/sam). there was a lot more going on with tim and we haven't seen much of that side of alice, so i'm really excited to learn about her backstory and/or traumas. less excited about what that might to do her but yk.. yk..

sam/sasha is the most interesting one to me. sam is curious like sasha was. sasha wanted to know which made her archivist potential in everyone's eyes. sam also wants to know, he'd make a great archivist. except he's not cautious, he's like sasha if she had never worked in the artifact storage. i think sasha's strength was what she had already experienced and what she knew, but she didn't know enough and ultimately that got her killed. sam is going to keep learning until he does know enough, but he doesn't have that prior knowledge to stop him from going too far. very interesting characters from both of them

celia and martin i guess? celia's different since she's not exactly from tmagp

lena and elias because creepy murder boss

and finally colin and gertrude which is kind of insane of me to say but hear me out. gertrude cut out the eyes of book covers and magazines and everything in her home. she was incredibly paranoid she just was also a boss ass bitch about it. i think younger gertrude must've been a lot like colin, but she figured it out quicker and realized what she needed to do to survive. she asked the right questions and took the right precautions. she had the archive full of knowledge. colin doesn't have the archive, he's messing with the wrong thing and he's taking every precaution and hurting himself and those around him (sam's phone specifically comes to mind). i think gertrude was like colin but she had the right resources to get through it

idk all of these are very interesting and it makes me worry a bit, but ofc every character is unique and has aspects to them that change their stories. they're probably still gonna die though, we know jonny sims loves killing characters ☹️

[babylon-crashing]

Originally I thought it would be fun coming up with a story using Parliafunkadelicment (that is, the 1970s American music collective known as P-Funk) mythology, "funkology," as George Clinton called it. But the more I worked on it, the more it headed in different directions. Let's just say, I had fun along the way ...

TEXT:

PAGE

Blast Hardcheese: Space Detective Welcome to the distant future of 1983. The Man has taken to the stars to make the Galaxy safe for Disco by destroying the Mothership Connection (Though you'd think that the Grand Ole Opry and Hillbilly Country and Western music would be a much better antithesis to urban city Funk than, say, Disco, but no matter). Led by our glorious leader, Sir Nose D'Voidoffunk … THE FUTURE IS SAFE: For J. Edgar Hoover and law-abiding citizens such as ourselves. Obey puny humans! Welcome, Blast, to our groovy swinging party! In the future it's always Bedtime for Bonzo! I didn't know you could make pancakes! Yum yum! At last the last of those evil Parliafunkadelicment beats have almost been wiped from the Universe. Only small pockets of resistance remain … to get up by getting down.

PAGE

Our Rebel Hero: Bootsy Collins Glorious Leader: All hail Sir Nose D'Voidoffunk Lady Bunny: Smash the Sucka MCs! Old school forever! Meanwhile, somewhere else that fits within our limited filming budget, Lady Bunny was fighting the good fight. Really? “Lady Bunny” was all you could come up with? Not even Funky Fresh or Soulful Swag? Anahit Broccolian? Wait!--

PAGE

Yes, it's what our boffins at the H.O.N.K.E.Y. Institute feared … the Funk is back and far freakier than before! It's tub-thumping from here, the Electronica Zone. That's impossible! Electronica has been dead for ages! Are you sure? I thought the last Rumpasaurus had been hunted to extinction. All we know is that the Jive-Flux-Matrix is powerless against this new dope blood developed by the Phunklords. Our secret weapon: Tanner Tannington III, bio-engineered as the most unhip human in history ... ...volunteered as our guinea pig. Great Scott! It was cranked up to 11! Egads! The cads! Another one bites the dust. Hush your foul mouth. His dying request was to hear Achy Breaky Heart one last time. He died as he lived: unable to keep a beat. These old models only play German opera, we thought that was enough. Have you tried Oko Ono? Or maybe Yma Sumac?

PAGE

That's all we know so far, Fanny. But I thought we dropped da bomb on Bootsy Collins. Literally! So, how did the Funk survive? What did we miss? Word on the street is that there was enough of it in J-Pop to turn the beat around, I love to hear percuss-- No! Do not start quoting 'Nam movies and Disco lyrics … as tempting as that might be. I love the smell of napalm in the morn—ack! J-Pop? Are you sure? J-Pop or K-Pop, I can't really tell the difference. Plus it's only 1983, we haven't even gotten to Hammer Time! yet. Indeed. The power of the Funk is most insidious. I miss the police state. USA! USA! Remember when being sterile, one-dimensional, monochromatic and against freedom of expression was thought of as a bad thing? Tell that to the average American male voter. Someone put Trump in the White House … twice.

PAGE

Meanwhile, back on “The Planet.” And I'll go this way and look for some kind of audio-vibratory-physio-molecular transport device. You mean...! Yes, Brad, it's something we ourselves have been working on for quite some time. A vibrator! But it seems our friend here has found a means of perfecting it. A perfect vibrator! A device which is capable of breaking down solid matter and projecting it through space … and who knows, perhaps even time … Itself? Itself! Wow! Sex toys sure have gotten crazy in the future. This has a pump-action grip! Now all I need to find is a … Butt plug? Calling Pebbles and Bam-Bam Calling Pebbles and Bam-Bam … Not only did I find our audio-vibratory-device but wait until you see the size of “Operation: Neurological Enema”!

PAGE

Meanwhile, back with Lady Bunny … Wait! Is this my cue? Meanwhile, back on “The Planet.” [Anything to advance the plot!] Ignore her. She's just embarrassing herself. Get down! She won't be able to see us this way! What page of the script are we on? This is a very bad segue and you should feel ashamed! Hey, cool, retro robots! Finally! Something to do with fighting The Funk! Er... what is it doing? Warming up with calisthenics. Funk fighting is a strenuous activity. Bend with the knees!

PAGE

You know what this story needs? A training montage sequence! Cue: Styx! Beep bop boop! We are the Majority for Musical Morality! Kilroy was here. Dōmo Arigatō Misutā Robotto. Secret, secret I've got a secret! With parts made in Japan! O funk me! No! No funk! We put our faith in Sir Nose D'Voidoffunk!

PAGE

I'm sorry, M.E.C.H.A.F.L.O.P.S.Y., I thought you were going to have some speaking lines or at least do something. “Perhaps in the sequel.” I told my agent, “No nude scenes.” The American public is not ready for it. It's sum sawt ov Unident'ah'fied a-Flyin' Objec'! Why are you talking like that? Well, we haven't made a Hillbilly joke since page 2. I mean, wasn't this whole story about how terrible Country and Western music is? The plot seems to have drifted. Of course it has! Those robots were suppose to be break dancing! Originally we were the heroes, using Old School Hip Hop to defeat the Kosmic Sucka' MCs. We had our own theme song! There was going to be a cameo with Cameo and Salt n Pepa … but we ran over budget. As the Armenians would say, “Vo'chinch”!

PAGE

Ideas I couldn't work into the story … Afrika Bambaataa and the Soul Sonic Force, art by Ed Piskor “Take M.E.C.H.A.F.L.O.P.S.Y. down to the planet with you.” “It looks too cute to be evil.” “Have you seen it try to dance?” In the words of our glorious leader, “We must maintain mental constipation and prevent Funkadelica from deprogramming the population” … again. The death of a disco dancer Well, it happens a lot 'round here I feel faint, someone hum Toby Keith. Help!

[gnomebinary]

This is my protocol bingo! (Thank you as always osric.com).

Lena is just doing her evil job - No thoughts, no morals, no alligence. Girlboss.

Nobody ever finds out Jmart's real names - I just think that would be tragic, and fit in with what RQ have been saying about this not being too attached to Archives.

Redemption arc - There was a notable lack of these in Archives even though forgiveness and making a conscious effort to behave morally were important themes in the later seasons. I'm ready for Mr Bonzo to have Kylo Ren's exact redemption arc where he's redeemed mostly through kissing. I don't even care who he kisses.

Froyo trip - It's pretty clear that we're being told that this is Somewhere Else through things like the Archives staff having tea and the OIAR staff having coffee. The s1 Archives gang iconically got icecream, so I'm gunning for a froyo trip, and a Gwen monologue about preservatives.

Colin dies first - He's just so killable. Plus, Celia can't die until they do her reveal and they'll probably want to build up to it, Sam can't die because he's the driving force behind investigation into Magnus, Alice can't die because she kinda makes the whole show, Gwen can't die because she's mid-arc and it is of the type that if left unfinished it would be anticlimactic not tragic, and Lena can't die because the impact would be pretty low.

Nostalgic PC games - I LOVE that RQ appears to be into old tech. I want to see Chester and Norris play Catz 5. Lowfi retro charm.

Dyhard - I go back and forth on this one, it feels too obvious what with the hot drinks imagery workplace annoyances to lovers stuff, but at the same time it does Just Make Sense.

Somebody becomes disabled - In Archives people were injured a lot, but none of that amounted to a long-term physical disability, except for Melanie's blindness. Feels like something to do in Protocol.

Police brutality - Feels like a theme that Jonny still has more to say about, and an incredibly easy one to weave into this kind of story.

Alice is hiding something - I actually think she isn't but y'all are saying it.

Alice naming stuff has consequences - She does it so much and Colin warned her off it, clearly seeming concerned but not explaining why, I think it will have unforeseen and damaging consequences.

Someone has a pet - In Archives, especially in the earlier seasons, everyone was notably unattached. Martin has a mum to take care of, but nobody has partners or children. I think this was partly because it made them easier to manipulate, and partly because it meant that tragedy could be dialled up: Sasha dying was sad, but not as gutwrenching as Daisy dying because Daisy's relationships were more fleshed out because it was later in the series. We're already bucking that trend with Celia's son, so I think we might see a pet too. Also, the pet will probably die.

Alice dies in the last season - Alice is very killable but she's also the heart and soul of the character relationships, so I think they will kill her but they'll wait to do it, and then do it mid-final season as an OOH THEY WENT THERE turning point, like how Tim dying brought in a new, darker era for Archives.

Conclusion that love isn't what makes you human - At London Comicon in October, Alex or Jonny (I forget) said that if Archives was about what makes you a monster, Protocol is about what makes you human. I think it's kinda trite if love is the answer, and I think the conclusion re love will be that monsters can love, because that's cooler. Hell yeah romantic monsterfucking.

Celia evil - I LOVE that we're seeing another Welsh person, but she doesn't sit well with me.

Agnes returns but we don't hear her speak - The tree on the other side of the rift is still alive, and if that universe was this one then that means that Agnes may still be alive. Jonny and Alex have said that they regret not doing more with Agnes, and I don't think they'll miss out on the opportunity to use her again. However, I think the fact that she doesn't speak is central to her tragic character and role as Jon's character foil, and I don't think they'll change that. I actually posted a tiktok about this.

Scene on London public transport - We're already seeing our gang at the pub and on dates, I think we're going to get some tube content.

Jmart fate worse than death - They're going to have us WISHING that they died in mag200.

Fears never treated as separate - I just think we're over that.

Breakup - They're getting the character relationships in early, so I'm predicting an onscreen breakup, because that's one of the few ways that we didn't see relationships between characters going bad in Archives.

Gerry's life gets ruined again - I'm sorry guys but I don't think they're going to let him have peace. He's going to get dragged into the OIAR situation and he's going to suffer.

Alice's brother lives - People are already noting similarities between Alice and Tim, I think that it'll be essentially the same character beat again if her brother dies. Adapt, improvise, overcome, RQ.

Another Michael - Just another character called Michael, unrelated to the four existing Michaels. I wasn't going to put this because Jonny is very aware of the four Michael problem, but this man plagurised his own full legal Christian name, so anything is possible.

Jack is Agnes' Jack - I think it's cool if we all think about how there was actually a massive age gap between Agnes and Jack because she didn't seem to age past her twenties, so he was absolutely a child when she was an adult. Not that I want to have Discourse or anything, that relationship was hecked up and complex in plenty of other ways, just because it's interesting.

Onscreen kiss - They said they wouldn't do it during Archives and then they did and it wasn't that gross, so I'm ready to see it happening again. They might have a relationship between allosexuals this time, I don't think they're going as far as onscreen fucking, but I'm game to be surprised. Insert joke about reusing the whimpering noises from Archives here.

[anthroposeen]

tmagp 12 relisten notes

Celia:

- requests tea, not coffee, the OIAR custom. points to her being from the TMA universe + bonus thing! there was no tea in the OIAR and sam lended her some. potentially a demonstration of their relationship dynamic lore-wise (celia representing other-wordly things and sam's insistence on interacting w them. this is definitely a reach, though, since im very much a 'the curtains are never just blue' person)

- she agrees to go out with sam but needs to "sort some things out" maybe related to jack, georgie, or her individual research

Sam:

- he asked her out! oh my god (alice's father)!

- is trying to distance himself from the magnus institute (TMI) but is still unable to break his curiosity about it

Alice:

- watched sam ask out celia (we can assume it was with the manner of a deer in the headlights)

- "its rude to have no game" i love you maam

- no glitch after she says "i cant believe im missing out on all of this- devastating" but could be because it comes off as more sarcastic than a blunt lie

- "we dont always get what we want, do we?" potentially a hint at her feeling about sam

- "i go by alice, now, actually" important only because i adore you miss dyer

- seems to genuinely care about gwen, lending to the idea that shes protecting her coworkers

- "i dont wonder. i know" no glitch followed this statement. it could be because it was meant as a joke and not to deceive gwen, but who is to say

Gwen:

- she's trying to discuss the morality of their roles and seems to be unhappy to participate in mascot strip club murder

- "you dont wonder what the point is? who benefits from all this awfulness?"

Glitches/lies:

- "dont worry about it, it wasnt that bad" alice, referencing TMI

- "no." sam, lying about not being interested in information about TMI

Incident:

- this is the result of gwen giving mr bonzo the hit, and it seems to have been read at her computer (once again implying theres a consciousness within FR3D1 or jmj)

- incident made by jordan bennett -> maybe related to this universe's bennett family (connection to barnabas bennett) but i doubt its lore relevant

- no obvious alchemic ties in this incident

- this case is narrated by norris/martin, but goes against the regular theme of his incidents (lonliness, loss of a loved one)

- the robotic sound of the narration seems to be diminishing, with very little of the beginning and end of the incidents being read in a monotone and robotic voice

- i want to voice my deepest appreciation for the title being "getting off", along with mr bonzo initiating a hit for the uk government in a strip club. incredible. absolute cinema from the minds of AJN and johhny sims truly

The target:

- before this episode, my theory was that klaus, colin, and teddy were the most likely to be the hit

- based on this list, if the target is the groom, it makes the most sense for it to be klaus, since there has been no mention of colin or teddy being engaged, and thats a clue i dont think the writers would leave out. however, the groom is called "baz" by his friends, which is a nickname i dont recognize (but its potentially on the rpg somewhere?)

- im not very convinced that klaus was the groom in this incident. i think the hit may have been obvious to lena, but gwen has yet to connect all the dots, leaving the audience a bit in the dark as well

[laora-ryn]

So I've been rotating TMAGP in my head like a rotisserie chicken and. You know what happened in one incident report, I never thought about it too hard, and it hasn't come up again?

In the Voyeur episode, after Tom arrived at the movie theater, his audio started being corrupted. But not in a way that... Really makes sense? It's just that every so often, Chester would read out "[UNINTELLIGIBLE]" instead of whatever words Tom wrote and/or said into his phone

And I'm like. Where and when and why did the distortion happen? Was it during the recording itself, because of the supernatural nature of the theater? Was it when he uploaded it to the internet? Was it when Freddy archived it? Or was it when Chester read it out?

Because we have audio of Needles, Mr. Bonzo, Lady Mowbray, and Ink5oul recorded off a modern cell phone. We have audio recorded in Ink5oul's various hunting grounds, and in Mr. Bonzo's house. Hell, we have audio recorded from Sam's phone in the Magnus Institute. It only switched to the tape recorder when they got to the archivist's office

So it's not necessarily a supernatural creature, or a place steeped in the supernatural, that's distorting it

And I don't know, maybe this is a reach, but the other time we've seen bracketed all-caps text within otherwise normal transcript stuff is with our good friend [ERROR] from episode 10

So now I'm wondering, what made Tom's incident report special? More special than RedCanary's spelunking in the ruins of the Magnus Institute? More special than universe-hopping Darrien, who very likely ran into some version of Jonathan Sims and Martin Blackwood in his therapist's office?

The distorted lines below the break, with a best guess of what might've been there:

Is it a private screening just for me? The contest didn't mention *that.* That's, [UNINTELLIGIBLE], cool, actually. I'm going to head on in... Hang on a sec.

Possibly: "uh," "really"

Snacks acquired! They're obviously short-staffed, since it was the same guy working the concession stand. I feel bad. He looks super old and they're really putting him to work. He seems in good spirits though. Okay... [UNINTELLIGIBLE] find my seat!

Possibly: "I'm gonna," "time to"

So I'm almost done with my popcorn and the film hasn't even started yet. No previews or anything... Do I go talk to the old guy? I really hate [UNINTELLIGIBLE] bother him. I'm just going to wait for now.

Possibly: "to," "having to"

So it's been a minute, and the screen is still black. I can hear what sounds like... beeping. It sounds so familiar but I can't quite place it. Medical equipment maybe? There's something [UNINTELLIGIBLE] the screen... Looks like it might be a flashback or something, handheld... looks like it was filmed on an old camcorder...

Possibly: "appearing on," ?

I know that room.... How... How did they get [UNINTELLIGIBLE] This was after the accident. Mum wanted to film it for my brothers... Dad... I... [UNINTELLIGIBLE] Wait. Who is that? In the corner of the screen, there's... _(soft, more shocked than anything)_ Who the hell is that?

All of the other breaks were inconsequential, basically. Dropped helper words, filler words, easily inferable verbs. It's just this last paragraph that we're actually missing information?

So no real... Revelations here, I guess, I just think it's weird that this is the only time we've seen this kind of thing happen and wanted to type it up??

[bijouxcarys]

𝐓𝐨 𝐋𝐨𝐯𝐞 𝐒𝐨 𝐂𝐨𝐦𝐩𝐥𝐞𝐭𝐞𝐥𝐲 (𝐑𝐨𝐛𝐞𝐫𝐭 𝐏𝐥𝐚𝐧𝐭 𝐅𝐚𝐧𝐟𝐢𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧)

Masterlist

To Love So Completely Masterlist

Description: Sometimes the pain of what should have never been, opens your eyes to what can be.

Tags: @celestial-dragoness @firethatgrewsolow @callmethehunter @angrychicksposts @chromations

@strsmn @m-faithfull @ourshadowstallerthanoursoul @dzdndcnfsd @tangerine1969

@inanebula @friccinfricks (if you want to be tagged in any future Robert Plant fics, just let me know!)

Playlist:

 “I mean it, he’s yer guy. Yer not gunna find a better drummer,” Robert insisted, leading the way to squeeze through the modest crowd that had formed in front of the raised stage.

“We’re trusting your judgement, Plant. Don’t make us regret doing that, y’hear me?”

“Listen, if you don’t like him, I’ll take the punishment,” he held his hands up in defence. “Give him a chance, though. He’s a beast!”

Robert practically bounced on his heels, hands clasped together in preparation for what he hoped would be the turning point… As if there hadn’t been a million of them already… But this may be it! The break he’d been looking for.

“That has to be the most intense face of concentration I have ever seen.”

Robert glanced to the side and smirked. “Just you wait ‘til he gets goin’.”

Waiting for the Tim Rose set to begin, Robert took a moment to have a gander, eyeing every corner of the venue—very warm, welcoming, humble… A pub without the overpopulation of old tables and chairs, and patches of dried beer somebody couldn’t be bothered to clean up after a night shift. But then, in the distance, stood happily at the side of the stage against a large wooden pillar, was her.

He swallowed, every sense tingling with anticipation and instantaneously needing to be closer to her. So, he led his small group over to where Elena stood, finally getting a better look at her. His eyes unintentionally landed on the short skirt, hugging her to her waist and leaving her legs from mid-thigh down on show.

I’ve never actually seen her legs before…

Blinking, he quickly averted his gaze to her face, finding her watching Bonzo with a bright expression, his heart fluttering, stomach twisting. Why can’t I just take her in my arms and let her know how fuckin’ gorgeous she is?

Oh, right. That’s why.

As Robert closed in, the unfortunate sight of the shaggy-haired man Elena had been talking about for months came into view from behind the pillar. One hand in his pocket, and one glued to her lower back.

Suppressing his grimace, Robert pushed the feeling aside as Elena spotted him, and gasped excitedly.. She left the side of her man-friend just to engulf Robert in a tight hug. Enthusiastically wrapping her arms around his shoulders.

One point to Robert.

Only about a million more to catch up with the jammy sod that’s scored the most perfect woman I’ve ever seen in my life…

“I didn’t know you were coming!” she exclaimed as they pulled apart, Robert’s hands cautiously ghosting over her sides.

“Ya thought I’d miss ‘ar Bonzo?” he shouted back over the sound of said drummer. “Not a chance, luv.”

Elena simply giggled, taking a step back and reaching for the guy who was just burning holes into the back of her head with his eyes. “Finally get to introduce the two of you!”

I’d prefer it if you didn’t—oh, stop it, Rob. He’s probably a nice guy! Yer just bein’ a jealous prat.

“Robert, this is David,” she proudly proclaimed, her delicate hand sliding down David’s arm before finding refuge in the bend of his elbow.

“Ah, the lucky guy she’s been bangin’ on about for ages,” Robert did his utmost best to keep a friendly disposition, no matter how badly he wanted to rip the man’s arm off when he went to shake his hand.

“I must be,” David said with a small smirk, before pulling back from the singer and draping his arm around Elena. “You been talkin’ about me, sweetheart?”

It was jarring. Seeing Elena flush up and giggle like a lovesick pre-teen; a complete 180 to how she usually was. But then again, Elena didn’t view Robert like she viewed David—and the former had to remind himself of the very fact as he felt a stinging in his chest at how adorable she looked, despite getting flustered over another man.

Amidst his rampant thoughts, he almost completely ignored Elena’s silent gesture to the two guests he had brought along with him to watch John perform. 

Idiot, Rob. Idiot, idiot, idiot!

“Oh, yeah!” He played it off with a crooked laugh, shoving his hands into his back pockets as he stood to the side. “Elena, this is Jimmy, and Peter. Two of the very best in the industry.”

“Now you’re just kissing my arse,” Peter snorted, instantly going for a handshake with Elena. “Y’alright, love.”

“I’m using your words, G,” Robert rolled his eyes as Jimmy greeted her. Elena found herself analysing the dark-haired musician with curiosity, eyes narrowing.

“Is everything okay?” Jimmy asked.

“Yeah, sorry,” Elena chuckled, shaking her head. “No, you just look sort of familiar, that’s all…”

Robert folded his arms, watching as Elena slowly put the pieces together once Jimmy divulged a little more information as to who he actually was. Then, finally, it clicked.

You’re the cutest, Elena.

“Oh fuck!” she crudely gasped, smacking herself on the forehead. “Jimmy fucking Page! As in The Yardbirds?”

“As in The Yardbirds, yeah,” Jimmy grinned, always one to take pride in being recognised by music fans every now and then. It meant he was doing something right.

“Holy sh–”

“Alright, we don’t need to be effin’ and blindin’ every sentence, do we?” David pulled Elena into him, his grip tightening on her shoulder.

“Sorry,” Elena apologised quietly, embarrassment taking over. You should’ve known that, you dickhead…

Robert’s brows furrowed a little in confusion, momentarily casting his eyes over David. “Nah, yer alright, luv. We’re always swearin’ like a bunch of sailors, aren’t we?” By the end of his question, his gaze was back on her, and the smile just looking at her face brought out of him was insurmountable. It couldn’t have been quashed by anything.

That was what she did to him. But he could never tell her that.

She wasn’t… his.

It was foreign to see Elena act so shy. So… withdrawn. Sure, she chatted away like she usually did the majority of the night, but it wouldn’t come without the occasional squeeze from David’s arm, still tightly wrapped around her—that was when she would tone it down. Stop talking altogether.

However, in that moment, no amount of David stopped her from realising the purpose of Jimmy Page and Peter Grant’s attendance. 

With John still rolling away like he always did, Elena had the opportunity to speak with Jimmy at the side of the stage, absolutely filled to the brim with questions. It was actually difficult for her not to rattle off each question, one after the other, but she managed. Didn’t want to get on the poor lad’s nerves, after all…

“So, you’re scouting new talents, then?” Elena nodded in understanding, folding her arms as she divided her attention between John and Jimmy.

“Either that or stay a session musician for the rest of my life,” Jimmy shrugged, chuckling to himself at the thought. 

The prospect of Robert and John joining forces with Jimmy Page, of all people, caused a wide grin to spread across Elena’s face. If she lacked the ability to contain her impulses, she’d be screaming and jumping for joy. She only hoped that Robert understood how excited she was for him through the inevitable hug she brought him into once she snatched another moment with him.

“This is such a huge deal!” she squealed, gripping onto Robert’s upper arms.

“I know! Just hope Bonzo’s up for it,” he nodded towards the stage.

Elena scrunched up her eyebrows. “Why, is he giving off the impression that he wouldn’t be up for it?” If she knew John well, and she most definitely did, he’d be raring to go.

“Well, the thing is… Jimmy is pretty serious business. I mean, if he’s gunna go for it, he’s gunna go for it, ya know? No half-arsing it, and he definitely doesn’t want to keep it a national thing, either. If there’s one thing I’ve picked up from him, it’s that he’s shooting for worldwide success.”

Worldwide success. What a daunting thought. John was a homebody, through and through. Elena actually struggled to picture her best friend in such a setting; she didn’t know what that would do to him mentally. She briefly recalled the time he had called himself a family man first, farmer second, with the occasional impulse to bang on some drums for an hour or two. Was worldwide success something he could cope with?

“Are you worried he won’t be as committed or something?” Elena questioned, tilting her head to the side.

“No, I just… ah, I dunno, he’s just never seemed like the ‘fame’ type, ya know?”

“Maybe not,” she started, glancing to the side. “But he’s a bloody good musician, and you know that better than anyone. If anyone’s gonna make good music with you guys, it’s him.”

Obviously, Elena had a natural proclivity to protect and defend her best friend; he was practically her brother. But it wasn’t just coming from a place of loyalty. She’d heard enough music in her 19 years on Earth, and John was without a doubt destined to be one of the greats. No one dictated rhythm like he did, she’d never heard another drummer emit the same energy as him, and she definitely had never come across another musician with as much passion for his craft… apart from Robert, of course.

“And look, right,” she smirked. “If he doesn’t accept an offer from Jimmy fucking Page, he’s an idiot, and I’ll be havin’ words.”

Robert laughed, running a hand through his hair. “I just want it all to go well.”

“It will,” Elena reassuringly placed a hand on his shoulder, squeezing the muscle underneath ever so slightly. “And I know you’re a smart lad, but to be completely honest… There’s no way in hell I can picture you working as an accountant.”

“Ya just had to get that one in there, didn’t ya?” Robert playfully scowled down at her, ruffling her hair.

“Oi, you twat, my hair looked really nice!” She leaned away from him, attempting to smooth her hair back down.

“Yer not wrong there, darlin’.” 

Robert was so happy he’d said it quiet enough for nobody to hear it. Especially since David decided to slide over to the two of them, his arm instantly swinging around Elena’s shoulders.

“What’s goin’ on ‘ere, then?”

“Talkin’ ‘bout Bonzo,” Robert simply replied, stepping back a little and sliding his hands into his pockets. “Elena was just sayin’ that she thinks he has a good shot at success.”

“He doe—”

“Ah, that’s Ellie for ya,” David chuckled, his knuckles visibly whitening from the grip he had on her. “Always makin’ people feel good about themselves, eh?”

Elena, instead of jabbing back and making her usual jokes, just chuckled, sending her boyfriend a closed-mouth smile.

“I just care about my friends,” she nodded, looking down.

“I know you do, sweetheart,” David cooed down at her, causing Robert’s stomach to turn. He wasn’t sure if it was just his deep-rooted jealousy, or if he genuinely hated the way he spoke to her. It wasn’t cute, it wasn’t funny. It was condescending. And Elena couldn’t see it—he knew that much, if anything.

“Anyway, I think it’s time for us to go, Elena.”

“Aw, what? Bon’s not even finis–”

“Remember you told me we’d only have to be here an hour or so,” David raised an eyebrow at her.

Searching for the memory in that pretty little head of hers, Elena conceded pretty quickly the longer the silence went on, before she just shrugged and let out a small sigh.

“You did, baby, I promise,” David smiled. “You know I have to get up early.”

“I know you do,” Elena smiled at him, before looking back at Robert who watched the interaction like a hawk. “David’s a real estate agent.”

“Oh, lovely,” Robert feigned interest. “Pay well?”

“Fairly. Big cities bring in the biggest cheques.”

Unable to ingest any more of this arsehole’s drivel, Robert only nodded, closing off the conversation with a small hum, before turning back to Elena. “It’s alright if you have to go, luv, you can always stop by rehearsals like normal.”

David squinted his eyes a little at Robert, subtly sizing up the singer, who he’d imagined to be much smaller.

“We’ll see. She’s gettin’ real busy at work lately, aren’t you?”

“You still work in Walsall, ye?” Robert asked.

“Of course she does. Makes me drive her there and back, don’t you?”

Let her answer the fucking question, you twat.

“Okay, one question at a time,” Elena breathed through a laugh. “I promise I’ll stop by when I can, Rob, ‘kay?”

“Anytime,” he reminded her.

“Yep… Anyway, we’ll be going now. Uh,” she glanced at David, “Tell Bon I said sorry for not staying longer.”

“Alright, will do…”

It broke his heart that night: Elena’s departure without the jovial pageantry of a hug and one more jab for the road.

-`♡´--`♡´--`♡´--`♡´--`♡´--`♡´--`♡´--`♡´--`♡´--`♡´--`♡´--`♡´--`♡´--`♡´--`♡´--`♡´-

One particularly grey afternoon, Elena found herself behind the bar of the pub in Walsall, wiping down the well-worn surface and arranging glasses. The place was quiet, save for the low murmur of a few regulars nursing their pints. The midday shift was always slow, offering her ample time to dwell on her thoughts.

As she finished setting the last glass in place, the door creaked open, the area’s regular postman stepping in with his hat tilted against the drizzle outside. He nodded to Elena and handed her a small stack of letters, the top one bearing an unmistakable scrawl.

“Another one for Bonham, is it?” the postman remarked with a friendly smile.

Elena took the letter, matching the smile. “Seems like it. Cheers, Arthur.”

She retreated to a quiet corner of the bar, the letter clutched in her hands. Anyone looking on may have taken her to be a bad friend, opening telegraphs addressed to someone who wasn’t her, but John had stated many a time that she was more than welcome to check letters for him whenever they came directly to the pub and not to his home.

As she opened it up, Robert’s familiar handwriting greeted her, his bold, looping script filling the page. She couldn’t help but smile at his colloquialisms and the playful tone that permeated his words, much like they did in real life.

‘Bonzo, mate,’ the letter began, ‘You’ve got to get your arse into gear and join The New Yardbirds. We’re onto something big, I can feel it in my bones. Don’t let this chance slip through our fingers. We’ve got Jimmy Page, for crying out loud! He’s got some groovy ideas and we need your magic to make it all come together. 

Don’t make me come drag you out of Walsall myself! 

Rob.’

Elena giggled to herself, imagining Robert’s earnest expression as he penned the words. She admired his determination, this being the 19th telegram he’d sent. The 30-odd others were all from Peter Grant. She knew they were absolutely pining for John to join, but he had offers coming out of his ears! He had a lot of heavy decision-making to do.

The later it got into the afternoon, the more vacant the pub became. With it being a Tuesday evening, Elena doubted that there’d be much of a buzz tonight. Not that she’d need to be there anyway; she was a solid 40 minutes away from clocking out for the day.

Outside, the drizzle of the rain continued, painting the windows with streaks of water that blurred the view of the cobbled streets. She was lost in her thoughts completely, replaying the lines of Robert’s telegraph in her mind as she wiped down the counter yet again, making sure to eliminate any unpleasant sign of sticky beer residue. The comforting rhythm of her task provided a temporary relief from the growing sense of irritation that had been creeping into her life as of late. She couldn’t quite put her finger on what it was, but she knew it was there—swirling in the recesses of her mind.

“Hello there,” a familiar voice greeted with a casual charm.

Elena peered up, her face lighting up as she met the sight of David settling onto a barstool. A genuine smile broke through her thoughts. “Dave! What are you doing here? I don’t get off for another 40!”

He shrugged, a relaxed smile playing on his lips. “Just thought I’d come by and see you. Missed my girl. How’s your day been?”

Heart warming at his words, she leaned across the bar to give him a quick kiss. “It’s been alright. Slow, as usual. Got another telegraph for John from Robert. He’s trying to convince him to take up Jimmy’s offer.” She snorted with a small shake of her head.

David’s eyes narrowed a little, but his smile remained. “Oh, another one of those, eh? Why are you even friends with ‘em, it seems like all ya do is open their letters.”

Elena chuckled softly, returning to her duties of wiping out glasses and lining them up behind the bar. “Bon-Bon’s my best friend. Has been since we were kids.”

David’s fingers drummed on the surface of the bar, sending her a nonchalant nod. “And what about that faggy-lookin’ one… What’s his name—Robin?”

Her hands paused for a moment before she forced herself to continue. “Robert?”

“Yeah, why would you want to be friends with someone like that?”

“Someone like what?” she asked, trying to keep her voice steady.

David sighed, as if he were pointing out the most blatantly obvious concept on Earth. “Ya know, the musician-y types. They’re not gunna go anywhere. They all think they’re gunna be big bad rockers. They just recycle old shit. I thought you were more perceptive than that.”

Elena’s jaw tightened, but she kept her tone light. He was just looking out for her. “Well, I like listening to Bon and Robert. And The Yardbirds were a good group. Besides, Robert has a background in accounting, so it’s not like he’s got nowt to fall back on. Same with John and his carpentry stuff.”

David’s expression softened, and he reached across the bar to take her hand. “I just worry about you, sweetheart. You deserve stable friends, who can be there for you. Not ones chasin’ some pipe dream.”

Elena squeezed his hand, her heart swelling with affection. “I know, Dave. But they’re good guys. Honestly, they are.”

“Alright, if you say so,” he nodded, the smile returning. The smile she loved to see, purely because he had one slightly crooked tooth that gave him a goofy kind of appearance; it never failed to make her like him even more. “Just remember, I’m here for you as well. Always will be.”

As the minutes ticked by, David continued to chat with her, asking about the mundane details of her day, occasionally making her laugh with his witty remarks. But as she got back to work with half an hour left of her shift, he watched her with a keen eye as he rested his arms on top of the bar.

“Ya know,” he began, “You look like you could use a break.”

Elena glanced up, a puzzled smile playing on her lips. “Nah, I’m good. Another 30 and I’m out of here.”

David shook his head, his smile widening. “Nonsense. You’ve been working too hard. Come on, let’s get out of ‘ere. You deserve a night off.”

Hesitating, her eyes darted to the clock. “I can’t just leave, David, I’ve got to make sure everything’s set for Alison when her shift starts.”

His smile didn’t falter, but there was a steely edge to his voice. “You’ve been here all day. What’s half an hour? I miss you, Elena. Come on, let’s have some fun.”

She wanted to resist, to tell him that she couldn’t just abandon the rest of her shift, but his gaze was so intense, almost hypnotic to her. The way he looked at her, like she was the centre of his universe, made her heart flutter. He was so open with the way he felt about her, it was overwhelming at times, but he was the only one who had been so open.

“I don’t know, David…”

Once again reaching over the bar, he took her hand in his. “Please, Ellie. For me? I just want to spend some time with you.”

Alas, her resolve weakened. The warmth of his hand, the sincerity in his eyes—it was so hard to say no to the man sometimes.

“Alright,” she sighed. “Let me just get my coat, yeah?”

David’s smile broadened, and he gave her hand a small squeeze. “Atta girl.”

When they stepped out into the persistent rain, David pulled her close, his arm wrapped around her waist. “You’re not gunna regret this, love.”

The chill in the air made Elena shiver, but David’s touch was warm, almost possessive. Or was it protective? The two meshed together with David, it was hard to tell the difference. Besides, nobody had ever touched her the way he did.

They reached his car, a sleek vehicle that contrasted sharply with the modest surroundings of the pub. He opened the door for her with a flourish, his charm on full display. Once inside, the engine roared to life, and they pulled away from the curb. The familiar streets of Walsall blurred past, the shower around them transforming the world into a series of indistinct shapes and muted colours. Elena leaned back in her seat, for a second pondering on what John would have said if he knew she was leaving work early without any notice.

“You know, I’ve been thinking…”

���About what?” Elena asked, peering out at the passersby heading home from work or whatever after school club they had attended.

“About you. About us.” He reached over, resting a hand on her thigh. “I don’t think… I want you working in that pub anymore.”

Elena blinked in surprise. “What? Why not?”

He sighed, his fingers tracing patterns on her leg. “Because you’re so much better than that. You don’t need to be working there. I can take care of you.”

Heart skipping a beat, a combination of bewilderment and flattery overtook her. “Dave, I like my job. I like being independent, y’know?”

He shook his head, the grip on her leg tightening ever so slightly. “But you don’t need to be, though. I’ve got enough for both of us. I want to look after you, give you everything you deserve.”

“But I—”

He cut her off, his voice lower and more insistent. “Elena, don’t you trust me? I just want what’s best for you.”

“I do trust you, David, but—”

Moving his hand higher, the tip of his pinky finger slid under her coat. “Come on, baby… Let me take care of you. You don’t need to work there. You’re too beautiful, too special for that place…”

Her resolve was slowly crumbling. She couldn’t think. Only wished he’d move his hand a little higher. He knew exactly how to get her to succumb. “David, I…”

Momentarily diverting his eyes from the road, he leaned his head into her. “I’ll make it worth it, darling. I promise.”

Elena felt herself giving in, her body responding to his touch, despite the nagging thoughts telling her to not to quit her job. The job her best friend gave her. “Alright,” she whispered. “Alright….”

David’s smile was victorious as he pressed a kiss to her neck once they stopped at a red light. “That’s my girl… You’ll see, it’s the right choice.”

[bonzos-number-1-fan]

TMAGP 18 Thoughts: Dead Letters

Another really great episode. Feels like the show has hit its stride now and it just keeps getting better and better IMO. I can't say I entirely get the episode's title though. This one feels fairly strained to me and I feel like it must be because I'm missing something obvious.

Spoilers for episode 18, and some lightly implied spoilers for TMA, below the cut.

Teddy and Alice being Teddy and Alice isn't something I have a huge amount to say. I'm never 100% sure how you're meant to read these two. Teddy having his own little story in the background is interesting though because the framing of this implies he's very important to the narrative. His leaving is the instigation for two of our main characters to be able to join the OIAR, his leaving party is the opening scene of the show, and every time he's been in it since something about him has progressed. It could just be a grounding element so that not every character is wrapped up in it but it seems fairly obvious that his story is going somewhere.

Fun Fact: I've mentioned it before but as it was name dropped, Robert Smirke was an architect for the Royal Mint.

Lena continuing to be very Lena about everything really does warm my heart. She could just be entirely disinterested, distancing herself from the employees for their safety, or other reasons beside. Either way "Oh, is that its name?" is wonderful and she should never change.

This statement was really great. Augustus being back is a massive highlight. Tim Fearon has killed both of his episodes and I want more of him than we're getting. A haunted house narrated by him is really a treat to listen to. The literal contents of the experience we hear narrated back to us isn't something I have too much to say on. It's got some strong Hilltop Road vibes but is at Church Street. Church Street itself doesn't have anything too important to mention about it. Milton Court, however, is interesting. Violet was seemingly the victim of the same thing that killed Drowning Victim a few episodes back, likely [Error]. But what's interesting about the Milton Court Open Space is that it's about 20 miles from where Drowning Victim was. These cases happened 3 days apart which is ample time to cover that distance but it's interesting because it's largely along the path you'd drive if you were coming from Manchester, where the Institute's ruins were, back to London and taking the M40. You'd drive passed Ickenham. I would not be surprised if we see a similar case from early further north along that route. Another thing of note here is the extreme malnutrition. I think a lot of people are going to link this back to Darrien from the last episode but I think it's more obviously a physical symptom of reliving said experience. Violet wandered though a house with no exit until she starved, like how Drowning Victim, well, drowned. No notes otherwise, great incident. Well, "Some figure reaching asking questions in an alley?" is curious phrasing but I won't get to into that.

Alice and Sam's chat directly addressing the contents of the case is something I love to see. Alice is trying her best to bury all that, bless her, but Sam is for sure never letting this drop. It's just great to see this stuff not washing over them now and it's all becoming more and more relevant. Although it does bring into question why Augustus read this one out. Chester seems to read things that nudge people to act a certain way but this one seemed almost cruel. Like Augustus was trying to get under Alice's skin. In any case its hard to find a thread between this and Taking Notes, at least as far as "motivation" goes.

Oh Gwen. Poor, poor Gwen. Finally opens up about her truly fucking awful experiences and Sam laughs in her face about it. To be fair to Sam leading with Mr. Bonzo is a perfect wind up and I would've laughed too. We all would've laughed if our co-worker said that. To be fair to Gwen, Mr. Bonzo has traumatised the shit out of her and who else is there to really lead with? And as always Anusia killed it here. What a glorious F-bomb too.

Backing up just a little bit, there is this quote during that interaction:

GWEN In the cases, you know how there are often things or places or people or whatever who… aren’t right? Who seem to be causing all the awful things to happen.

Which is fairly interesting if you've been reading theories. Specially about what CAT# means. The most common theory by far is "Person/Place/Object". Meaning that CAT1 indicates a supernatural person in the incident, CAT2 a place, etc. Now, I have written an essay all about this subject entitled "Putting the CAT# Back in the Bag: The Flaws With Person/Place/Object". So, y'know, I don't buy it. Gwen mentioning it now feels like a red herring too given how early it is. Obviously that feeling is rooted in my current belief about said theory. If I don't think it holds water I won't think this is a clue about that. But it's not just that. I think this is too early from a narrative stand point, CAT# standing for those things pointless from a narrative standpoint, and if Gwen has settled on those three things it's not much of a stretch to link it back the the case numbers and part of the point of them is they're inscrutable to everyone there.

Because all of the above isn't enough for this already stellar episode we meet two new characters. Georgie and Jack. Both at long last as they've both come up before. It's hard to talk about this without getting into TMA stuff. I'll try to be light on TMA spoilers but Celia and Georgie have history. Now, unlike with Celia, this very much seems like TMP's version of Georgie. She's a conspiracy theorist instead of a ghost hunt, she's paranoid instead of fearless, and she seems to know as little about Celia as you'd expect. The conspiracy angle is also really clever. TMA was very much just about supernatural encounters but TMP has the cast working for the government. So Georgie has stayed fairly consistent in this regard it's just the shows themes that changed. Celia finding Georgie makes a lot of sense to me though. Their history makes her a good touchstone here and as she's still podcasting about strange things it's a good cover as any. However whatever is happening with Celia is clearly getting worse and she's not lying about it well.

GEORGIE Celia, I’m saying you don’t need to lie to me. CELIA I’m not! [zzzzzt]

Sure you're not, Celia. Sure you're not.

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

Incident/CAT#R#DPHW Master Sheet and Terminology Sheet

DPHW Theory: 2374 not much to explain on this one I don't think. Spooky house that you can't escape from gets you spooky house you can't escape from numbers.

CAT# Theory: CAT1 is semi-interesting for the theory I think it definitely isn't (see here). Because for that theory to remain consistent corpses end up as objects. Which you'd think would put this in CAT3 if assessors were applying those themselves, and if they aren't all headers of this type being people seems very farfetched when we've seem objects that compel already.

R# Theory: C seems reasonably to me. Having a spooky memory and talking about it seems like the sort of thing no one would care about.

Header talk: Memory (Derelict) -/- Compulsion. Two interesting things here. Firstly, the section being Memory implies that this experience actually happened. Either to Violet or someone else. It could be a ham-fisted section choice if there isn't anything for hallucinatory experiences of this nature but I'd assume there must be. This system is so specific and as that would be a large oversight it seems unlikely that it isn't there. But it's hard to say how much any given assessor knows about what they're picking. Misfiles are always possible. The subsection is the other interesting thing. Derelict is such a specific subsection here that Memory must have 100s of them.

[deeply-unserious-fellow]

GUYS I GOT THE DAY THE NEW ZOMBIES RE-ANIMATED EPISODE WAS GONNA AIR WRONG I THOUGHT IT WAS TOMORROW I HATE IT HERE- luckily I had it set to record tho so I just watched the whole thing and I have some thoughts so ZOMMENTARY'S BACK BABYYYYYYYYYY

At first I was kinda worried it would suck? Just bcuz everything felt... off. Y'know? Like they got a bunch of things that happened in the movie wrong, the most jarring(to me at least) being that Bucky appearently didn't know Addison wears a wig, that was kind of a big thing in the movie Idk why they cut it, and Addison's reaction to being outted. She was a lot less upset then she would've been in the movie continuity, and her running off instead of just. Putting her wig back on felt kinda ooc Idk- plus the whole premise just seemed really off. Seabrooke devolving into a wasteland of dance battles bcuz Zed and Addison didn't get together, while plausible I guess, just wasn't really explained well enough for me to get into it right away. Also Bucky was WILDLY out of character for a bit there I don't understand why he was okay with letting Bree be in charge... they don't even explain it like they did with Willa not being the alpha anymore it's just really weird!

All that being said though, I did still enjoy the special, despite it's flaws. It's one of those things where like... yeah the writing's bad, but my god was it fun to watch. The jokes were good as ever, the more minor characters like Bree and Bonzo got some time to shine, RACCOON WYATT RETURNED, we got to see more of Bucky hanging out with the werewolves(AND SPECIFICALLY WILLA!!!!!! BUCKY AND WILLA BEING BESTIES IS LITERALLY MY FAVORITE THING!!!!!!!), we got to see Bree's fuckin. Panic bucket or whatever it's called again which was funny, and of course, the Zeddison was so fucking cute. If there's one thing you can count on Re-Animated to do consistently well, it's Zeddison. I also liked the remixes of the songs in this episode! It was fun seeing characters that weren't even close to singing the original songs getting parts in the revamps(like Eliza in Fired Up or Bucky in We Own The Night). The animation wasn't even that bad tbh. Like, it still wasn't perfect, but it was better than the animation in the shorts, and the dance animation specifically was really energetic and fun to watch.

Also appearently they're retconning Bucky being Addison's cousin on her mom's side? Which is kinda weird, but Ig I can see where they're coming from. Re-Animated is a very simplistic show very clearly aimed at people young enough to not understand how genetics work(which is why Addison's whole deal is kinda confusing and she kinda gets lumped in w/ the aliens most of the time), so it would make sense for them to change that aspect and have Bucky be her cousin on her dad's side instead. Makes things less complicated for the writers. Though FOR THE RECORD, in the movie continuity he IS her cousin on the mom's side, it's literally stated in Z3, so I GET TO KEEP DRAWING BUCKY PART ALIEN FUCK YOU IT'S MY HEADCAN-(I get shot with a tranquilizer dart to make me stfu)

So overall I'd rate this special at like a... 6.5/10 I think. It was confusing, kinda poorly paced at the start, and had some wonky characterization, but once it actually gets going and you start adjusting to the new setting it's a fun watch!

Edit: ALSO it was a really quick moment but wE GOT TO SEE ADDISON AND BUCKY ACTING LIKE THEY'RE ACTUALLY FAMILY YIPPEE!!!!!!!!! They're so sibling coded to me and, as somebody who has a sibling, I thin their one interaction(+ Addison's reaction fo Bucky being missing tbh) just SCREAMED siblings.

[rebeccasteventaylor]

Me, beginning listening to The Magnus Protocol after binging Magnus Archives for a third time…

Well this is pretty good, though I miss my TMA crew, this is enjoyable but I will be completely normal about this and not as totally obsessed as I was by Magnus Archives

Me, after episode 10 of Magnus Protocol

I am OBSESSED. Feed me fanart! I need to have a drink with Alice. I need to know Gwen’s innermost thoughts. I am terrified of Mr Bonzo. Someone warn Sam! Colin is my beloved.

Dammit, Alex and Jonny managed to get me just as inextricably intertwined with Magnus Protocol as Magnus Archives and I didn’t think that was possible.

[milkteamoon]

My nonexhaustive list of protocol thoughts up to ep 20 since I've been relistening during the hiatus:

The protocol statements are pretty solid overall. I've seen some complaints comparing it to tma s1 and saying they aren't as memorable, but let's be real, we've been in the tma soup for eight-ish years now, so there's a reason for that. Not all of them hit the mark, but not all of them hit the mark in tma either

I think the deviation from standard statement format was a good choice for the series as it makes a lot of it feel fresher. The voicemail ones are especially fun to me

Alex's horror is oddly Wet

The Mr. Bonzo statements are really really good. They're good guys

Something I didn't notice initially is that the statement giver in ep 13 and the statement giver in ep 17 are both named Darrien. This could easily be a case of the michaels once again, but it seems a bit more...pointed, given the subject matter of ep 17

The Madam E episode isn't as cringe upon second listening as I remember it being made out to be. Kinda embarrassing and over the top? Yes, but it's not terrible. I actually found myself a bit disappointed at the end that Madam E is a character that allegedly dies, because she's someone I'd actually be interested from hearing from again with her relation to Ink5soul

I remember at the beginning seeing some posts attempting to categorize the types of statements that Chester and Norris (and Augustus) read, but with this many out now I feel like the categorization doesn't quite work. That being said, I do think it's interesting that compulsion plays a big role in the only two Augustus statements thus far

Things that I've been less enthused about during this first season: the romance subplot (though it seems to be moving away from that? I'm not sure). The guest episodes are a bit hit or miss (not bad, but I think that some of them fail to capture the right tone for the show) and I feel like front-loading the season with them probably wasn't the best choice. This is only season one, so I'm not expecting all the answers currently, but I'm hoping to get a bit more to chew on for these last ten episodes

As for things I'm looking for in the coming episodes: for now, the character I'm least interested in is Sam, which is kinda wild considering he's the protagonist. That said, I do think he's suffering a bit from protagonist syndrome at the moment, and I'm hoping that his motives and morals get a bit more messy in the future

Favorite episodes thus far: Saturday Night (10), Marked (11), Getting Off (12), Saved Copy (17)

[fuckthisshitimin]

I spent too much time just staring at the other spreadsheet but look I think I'm onto something.

You know the DPHW/TSHU IDs? Yeah I've been staring at those for the most part of my day, and I very much had other things to do so I hope I can get my mind off it soon.

I've read the Theory of Fears, and it's cool but it doesn't scratch the itch in my brain because this is a classification system used by the OIAR; so the codes you get should give you... an assessment and a suggestion of response, I guess.

I don't know what the letters stand for yet, I don't speak German, but I highly doubt the numbers are 'ratings', that would be extremely inefficient. More likely, they're sub-categories. I'm gonna disprove this example in half a paragraph but just to illustrate:

Let's admit D=T is Death=Tod, then we have cases 5246 (the dug up corpse with a tattoo of a boat), 5257 (the woman who sees something that is "some of [her deceased partner]") and 5337 (Dr. Frankenstein). Cases 4426, 4622, 4728, 4824 are respectively; death by snake horde transformation, death by gambling shady app, death by Bonzo crashing your bachelor's party and death by Needles. So if D=T is Death=Tod more than a scale of deadliness it might be

D (death)

non-lethal

violent death (misc)

???

violent death (creature)

corpse desacration/post-mortem vitality

???

feeding

or something like that. No it doesn't work because the D3 cases have very different attitudes towards death, but maybe I'm just missing something crucial.

Now I don't know if that would be correct in German, but I kinda want D=T to be Department=Teilung. Why? At the end of report 3338 (Hilltop Road - Oxford Trust taken over by volunteers), the person says she escaped and then was held at gunpoint by a man wearing black, who let her go when she cried and seemingly partook in burning the store down. Report 3354 (fateful dice) was a statement given to TMI which also burned down. Now, the location of report 3366 (liminal brutality) has not been burned down. So that might just be a coincidence - though if Forton Services catches fire I'll get to say I called it.

But okay, you want to know what's very interesting if I'm at least a little right? 2275.

That's the DPHW for Bonzo's first appearance. That's also the number on Fr3-d1's boot screen on the trailer, with the date 29/05/2023. That's... around six months before canon, right? Around the time Sam had his 'Incident' at work, right? Unlike Bonzo's Incident who's a CAT1RB, this one is a CATIRB, and it's the only one so far with a letter for "CAT". So if I'm right, the conclusion of a "2275" is hire this guy. Why would Lena be so deterrent in the interview then? I don't know.

And if I'm right, you know what might be funnier? The D4 ones.

Because Bonzo's Bachelor Bash has a D4, and he was kinda sent by the OIAR. Serpent shop owner was maybe too obsessed about a certain institute? Don't know if this is gonna be anything, but if the D4 are cases originating from OIAR 'external contractors' I'll be so thrilled.

Okay, I'll stop looking at a screen now and get some sleep. Hope I'll do something else tomorrow.

[neverwalka1one]

Tag game!

So @omgpurplefattie tagged me in this, so on we go!

Last song I listened to: The 'new (to me)' song that got added to the perpetual playlist is 'Shadow' by Livingston, and it's a banger. I mean, how can you not hit repeat:

There's some kind of fic lurking in there, haven't quite figured it out though.

Currently watching: Some sort of upper respiratory thing has managed to flatten me for the week (omfg I miss Not Coughing) so I've had a lot of time to binge Netflix. I got through 'Delicious in Dungeon', which is truly addictive - I love that not a single one of them manages to match their stereotype, and the mix of impossibly cute and immensely disturbing is awesome (I'm sorry, deaths? DEATHS? YOU HAVE MULTIPLE? Have you considered DIFFERENT CAREERS?). I also watched 'Suzume', which is adorable and well-paced, along with being just drop-dead gorgeous. Finally caught up on the Fab Five, even if I did get a little... grumpy with their handling of the demisexual gal. At least the writing of the script made it sound like that was being equated to 'just very shy', which. Um.

No. Thanks. I choose to have faith that it wasn't like that iRL, and it was a post-production choice, but... eugh.

ANYWAY.

Did watch the beginning of Netflix's live-action A:TLA attempt, and while it did considerably better than the Movie That Shall Not Be Named... idk. Vibes are off. I don't think I'm going to finish it.

Currently obsessed with: MDZS/Untamed, which I watched early in the pandemic and may never escape - I have two big fics, a big bang and a reverse big bang (because I'm nuts and I'm a sucker for art) in the works, and I've _finally_ figured out how to end the big bang, WHOOT. Also Magnus Protocol, as evidenced by the weekly flailings as the episodes come out. I am currently having a mental breakdown over the fact that Mr. Bonzo is sweaty, send help. Like, so much alcohol. And chocolate. I need to forget that. And finally the Pulleyverse, because I may never get over this awesome historical/magical vibe, even as I still struggle to finish The Kingdoms (guys. Guys. Does it ever get less disturbing? Will I ever stop asking a book 'What the actual hell was that' at 1am? I thought the Eel Singers was wild, I've read a decent chunk of the Master and Commander series, I THOUGHT I WAS READY. But seriously. What the hell?)

So I'm tagging @silveraspen, @dreamingmappist, and @everythingismadeofchaos. And of course, if anyone wants to play, feel free!