#also Celia how do you know his voice

[ultranerdygirl]

JON???

[fridayyy-13th]

gonna be honest, feeling very conflicted about this episode, lads. i've been really hoping Protocol won't explain away the (NARRATIVELY IMPORTANT) mystery left at the end of Archives, i.e. Jon and Martin's fate, so seeing as they're the next thing Sam and Celia are gonna be investigating, this is kinda gonna be the thing that makes or breaks Protocol, for me.

i do think there's a solid chance Chester and Norris are the Jon and Martin from Protocol's universe, and that is something i absolutely would not mind. but i haven't actually made a post explaining why i think that, and i should probably do that before it's explained, just so i can mayyyybe say i called it.

(for the record, i'm pretty sure i came up with most of this before the series even officially dropped, when all we had was the ARG and the trailer. i haven't done much to connect this theory to the further information we've learned, so it's probably not fully accurate (if accurate at all). and quite a bit of it is kinda baseless conjecture; i'm just throwing my thoughts out there. just a little disclaimer.)

so!

in Archives, Jonah's primary motivation is fear of death. turning to the Eye is what allows him to body-hop as he does for 200 years, trying to create a world where his Patron reigns supreme, where he is seated upon its throne and cannot die. assuming his motivation is the same in Protocol, this new universe is (likely until recently) untouched by the Entities. if Jonah wanted to evade death, how could he do that without the help of an eldritch fear god?

easy—alchemy.

i'm not particularly knowledgeable about the subject as a whole, but i'm certainly familiar with the Philosopher's Stone (the symbol of which is also present in the OIAR's/podcast's logo, though it seems the OIAR is more focused on balance than on experimentation).

i also know that the seven metals used in alchemy (gold, silver, mercury, copper, lead, iron, and tin) are all components of computer chips. i've been thinking Jonah, or maybe his successors, saw that and began turning their research to how it could be utilized to extend—or preserve—life.

to cut to the chase, bc frankly it's hard trying to sound like i know what i'm talking about and this post would take forever to write otherwise, i think Jonah tried to Sergei Ushanka himself into a computer, because metal and plastic are a hell of a lot longer-lasting than a human being.

but he wouldn't shove his consciousness into some random motherboard without making sure it was safe, what do you take him for?? he is a man of academia. obviously he had to test it on others first, and then he'd do it himself.

cue the thought experiments the Institute ran on kids. the things the experiments quantify are empathy and obedience to authority, which to me screams that they were trying to find kids who were easy to manipulate into more dangerous experiments.

and who are two characters who were kids in the 90s, with circumstances that left them lonely, isolated, and who, even as adults, are desperate to please (whether a parent or a bad boss)? Jon and Martin.

i posit that Jon and Martin were both victims of these experiments, perhaps the first (and only) successful subjects, and Jonah uploaded his consciousness to the computer soon after. their records could have been stricken from the spreadsheet to hide that they'd even been part of the program, and given the Institute burned down soon after, and there were no survivors—it could have been assumed that they'd died in the fire. it isn't like they had the most doting guardians to worry over them.

...but Chester and Norris's voices are those of adult Jon and Martin.

best i can figure, Jonah's plan might have worked in the short term, but computers have had date/time hardware in them since the 80s, so they—and Augustus—are still aging. so they've been trapped in computer software since 1999, and now that Sam and Celia are digging into what happened, they're desperate to catch their attention and find a way out.

(and lastly, a fun little thought—given Jon and Martin were both born circa 1987, they would have been twelve in 1999. they didn't even get to be teenagers.)

[autismprotocol]

TMAGP Theory Board (S1 EP 7)

Dang that episode was a RIDE Hope everyone had a relaxing week because after the newest protocol episode I am screaming!! so lets get right to it

What Happened in Episode 7: Give and Take

Celia seems to know something about the powers with her references to the buried and the flesh in the opening conversation with Alice

Celia recognizes Chester's voice!! since the introduction of Celia's last episode, I wanted to see how she would react to hearing Chester and Norris and we got that in this episode. It's safe to say that Celia recognized Chester's voice as Jon. This piece of evidence makes me almost 100% sure that this Celia is the same Celia/Lynne from Archives

Jon is Back!!! after Chester's statement (more on that later) we learn that Sam has been getting emails from someone named Jon. He also mentions it in an internal email. This helps support the theory that Jon and Chester/FR3-d1 are fused somehow which is what I (and a lot of the fandom) have been thinking. This leaves me with a lot of questions how else can Jon communicate through FR3-d1 with the outside world? Are Martin and Jonah sentient as well? Also, my big question is if this is the first time Jon has been able to signal to the OIAR Staff or if he has been trying to get them to listen since he manifested in the world and Sam was the first one to notice him or is this his first attempt to make contact. I'm interested to learn more about how Jon will continue to influence Sam. I think he's either trying to warn Sam about the OIAR's true intention or is he looking for some way to escape FR3-d1 and needs Sam's help.

This week's statement involved a place called Hilltop Centre branch of the Oxford people's trust. if you were like me and my roommate all your lore alert bells started ringing the moment Hilltop was mentioned. for people who are new to the Magnus Universe Hilltop Road is a major location for avatars (usually web-aligned ones) and also was the childhood home to the desolation avatar Agnes Montague. Hilltop is a big deal in TMA. Hilltop Centre being located in Oxford also lines up nicely with where we know Hilltop Road is located. I'm interested to know if we will hear anything about the house at 105 Hilltop Road being student housing because if that is true then we can connect the statement giver Anya Villette From MAG 114 to being from protocol's world. if that's true there could be a way to get to the Archive Universe through the gap in reality (a wormhole that exists where the house was built) Anyways definitely will have to listen for any more mention of a place called Hilltop in Oxford 

Gwen was promoted by Lena to external liaison and is officially "In" It's time to learn the OIAR's secrets! after doing some research into the job title of external liaison it seems that Gwen is almost gonna be acting as a messenger between the OIAR and another party which is unclear at this time. my guess is it has something to do with Starkwell which was the private military contractor that was mentioned in Episode 4 but that's just a guess and me trying to fit in pieces that have not found a snug place in the lore yet. could be someone else (I'd love to hear your thoughts)

Remember our Buddy Klaus from Episode 4 who we thought was killed by Lena? turns out Klaus is still alive we learn through Gwen and Lena's conversation, that Lena was paid by someone to kill Klaus but failed.

Colin is more paranoid than ever! could be because of the eye or the institute but he does not want to be near technology right now.

Ooh boy that was a lot I'm still reeling from this episode so I'll leave it there for now. honesty I'm most stoked to hear Jon's back in the story and excited to see what role he'll play in Protocol.

Hope you guys have a wonderful week ask box and comments are always open and I'll be back next week for the episode 8 debrief/theory crafting

-Echo

[disappointingcabbage]

TMAGP 21 thoughts, spoilers below the cut

“What if Alice is right about how fucked up the OIAR is?” I mean fuck, dude, she probably is

“It’s fine I can just quit if something tries to murder me” Sam that won’t help with the whole “monster trying to kill you thing” that’ll just make you unemployed in addition to being about to die

When Celia said she had a “complicated immigration status” I fucking cackled like girlie you are never beating the universe hopper allegations

Also yeah why did the OIAR not notice that she probably has next to no legal documentation of her existence? Like I get them being more lax than other government organizations but this is a whole other level

tbh it’s probably because Lena was like “eh fuck it this isn’t even in the top 70 weirdest things I’ve seen” and let it slide

“I wouldn’t be able to take Jack with me if I went back” Does this mean she knows how to go back?????

MAGNUS INSTITUTE CHESTER STATEMENT

ooh this is some alchemy shit

POLITICAL RESOURCES? did the institute have fucking plants in the government or did they just have, like, lobbyists?

love how this guy is like “we need stop being Christian centric when choosing the date to our fucked up eldritch ritual guys”

I’m sorry, a UNIVERSAL TRANSMUTATION? as in transforming the entire earth or even the whole universe???? Dude what???

The fucked up ritual in question is called the Dome Project, which judging only by the name sounds like they’re trying to make Flat Earth real, which is fucking hilarious

ok they were allegedly trying to create a utopia but every “utopia” is flawed so the question is how did they fuck this one up?

Oh damn they were trying to create a perfect“final state of society” that never changes. Even without the eldritch bullshit that’s a terrible idea just look at like every dystopian novel ever (and also the game slay the princess, which is built around the idea that change is a necessary component of life and has Jonny Sims voicing a lot of the dialogue)

I love how this guy’s best argument against bringing the world to a stagnant state is just “but we’re alchemists, guys, change is our whole thing :/”

Was I the only one who thought “et al” was pronounced like “et all” or is it just me? Or is it a regional thing?

Wait was their plan to actually just build a big ass dome to house a “perfect society”?

Oh shit they had actually already started construction.

Of course they were exploiting workers to build this “perfect dome”

THE DOME IS REAL????? (It’s called the millennium dome, don’t just google “dome project” you’ll just find a bunch of unrelated shit about business models and stuff)

WHAT DO YOU MEAN YOU DON’T KNOW HOW LONG THE DOME WILL BE THERE? Isn’t that a major safety issue?

bro thinks the place is supernaturally contaminated and he’s probably right

Oh boy it’s also contaminated with heavy metals the real danger here is lead poisoning

I’m sorry what the fuck??? Construction guy got cloned by some dirt in the site and then his clone just fucking yanked him into the dirt? Clone didn’t even bother to replace him

lol statement writer just went “tldr we shouldn’t do our ritual here it’s fucked up enough as it is and incorporating a stagnant utopia into our eldritch ritual is dumb and we shouldn’t do it”

Alice has realized that Freddy is purposefully giving Sam Magnus statements

GIRLIE DID YOU JUST DELETE IT FROM HIS CASELOAD???

oooh shit she got caught by Lena

“haha Sam’s computer keeps malfunctioning so I tried to fix it and he definitely gave me permission hahaha ANYWAYS when are we getting a new IT guy?” smooth, Alice. Smooth.

Oh shit where’s Gwen? She’s late coming back? Lena doesn’t know where she is????

Ink5oul probably got her

Was that a .jmj error noise I just heard?

Oh fuck we actually get answers to the Gwen question and she is in fact running from ink5oul

Jesus this chase scene is actually scary, I’m impressed. It’s kind of hard to unsettle me this much without involving one of my actual phobias. Nice.

Also I had to google what trash polka is, turns out it’s a really cool tattoo style that’s simultaneously photorealistic and trippy, usually done in black, white, and red.

Oh shit Ink5oul can mess with tattoos they didn’t do

oh fuck they caught Gwen

Hey why is Gwen monologuing like those corpses?

[ERROR]? Where have you been, loca?

WHY IS THE MAGNUS ARCHIVES THEME PLAYING UNDER GWEN’S STATEMENT MONOLOGUE?

The transcript describes [ERROR] as “a nightmarish specter of an older world” and I’m not sure what to make of that yet but they sure are possessive of their victims, apparently. Judging by the fact that they said “there is more” I think they’re targeting either anyone with institute ties or anyone in the OIAR. Maybe both.

Love that Gwen just fucked booked it instead of sticking around to witness whatever that whole [ERROR]/ ink5oul interaction was

I’m glad that [ERROR] didn’t kill ink5oul tbh I like them

THE TAPE RECORDER FUCKING BIT THEM IM CACKLING

The Magnus Protocol sure is a podcast

[nathanbatemanfucker]

In Plain Sight: Tiana

summary: nathan does his best to support you.

pairing: nathan bateman x f!reader, f!reader’s mother (Tiana)

contents: this entire series is 18+, sick parent, parent death, grief, panic attacks, existential crisis, support!nathan

wc: 1,360

an: this one is a bit heavy so do heed the warnings. we also jump around in the timeline so it is important to have read previous parts or it won’t make much sense. be gentle with yourselves on this one

in plain sight masterlist | TIONB | planted | little hamlet

3 Weeks before To Atomize*

The day you told your mother about Nathan was one of her last good days. Many, many bad days came after. Celia— her nurse— sent you the usual report before you left to go home. It said that your mother had slept most of the day and gotten a burst of energy.

When you got home that day, she was propped up, watching some soap opera with mild interest. Seeing her genuine smile when you walked through the door had made your heart flutter.

You made her favorite tea, and brought a book to read though you really had wanted to talk to her, not at her. With working, taking care of your sisters, and her health you found that you didn’t get to do that much anymore. Talk with your mother, hearing her thoughts and opinions, her praises and suggestions. Feeling her intentional love. You crave it.

“Have you told your sisters?”

“No— I will. I wanted to tell you first.”

Her brows raise and teasingly she murmurs, “You’re serious about him.”

“I am,” You say through a laugh.

Her smile is so warm, like the sun, the corners of her eyes crinkling, “You love him.”

“I’m not sure yet.”

“But you could?”

“I could.”

“Don’t be afraid to.”

“That’s easier said than done, mama.”

She sighs patiently, shifting more on her side so that she can look directly at you, “Does he love you?”

You grow warm under her serious gaze. You don’t particularly like thinking about Nathan feeling more deeply for you. He’s assured you that he’s in this for the long haul— that he’s ‘spoken for’ but words and actions are very different things. He hasn’t done anything to show he words aren’t true…yet. “I think so. He acts like it.”

“Then let him.”

“Mama—“

“When you find a man that treats you the way you’re meant to be treated, you can’t be scared, darling.”

“But it’s scary.”

“You’ve done so many scary things in your life. You’ve watched my health fluctuate with a brave face. You’ve raised those girls out there. And now you’re on the cusp of falling in love. A beautiful girl with a beautiful heart. Everything will work out how it’s meant to.”

“How can you be so sure?”

“I’m not. Isn’t that more reason to grasp it while you can?”

“I don’t know mama, this is all so existential.”

“Promise me something.”

“Anything, mama.”

“Promise me you won’t waste the time. If you want him, if you love him, then don’t waste any time. When the time comes, let yourself as openly and honestly as you possible can. Promise me?”

“I promise.”

—

Present Day (5 months after Family Dinner)

“Honey?”

Nathan’s voice pulls you out of the haze that you seem to always be slipping into now that your mother is gone. It’s hard, not wanting to escape into memories so that it feels like she’s here.

You give him a wane smile, “Hey.”

“I’ve been calling you,” He says softly, sliding onto the couch beside you.

You sigh, shaking your head a little as if that’ll clear the fog, a task that you imagine will take years. “Sorry, I’m just…”

“I know, sweetheart. It’s alright,” He assures you, draping an arm behind you on the couch. His brows are pinched with worry— an emotion you’re still trying to get used to seeing on his face.

You sit up on the edge of the couch abruptly, looking around. Where’s your phone? Your laptop? “Wait, what time is it?”

“Almost 4.”

“I wasted my entire day here?”

“You didn’t waste it. You said you wanted some space, I gave it to you.”

“But this is the only day of the week that I stay this long anymore. You didn’t have to give me that much space.”

“There’s next week and the week after that…and the week after that. I could keep going but I hope you’re understanding our situation here,” He teases gently, running his hand over your back.

You lean out of his comforting touch, feeling guilty. “It’s not, I should be cherishing my time with you. Who knows when—“

He cuts you off immediately. He’s had this conversation with you multiple times since your mother’s passing. He doesn’t want you to focus on him— but on yourself and your sisters, on getting you all through this. “Hey, uh uh, don’t do that. Don’t go there.”

You’re already there. You’ve been there for weeks now. All you can think about is life slipping out of your grasp. Of not having the words or the feelings to make the time dwindling in front of you feel like it's enough. Your chest feels tight, and you scoot further away from him trying to keep yourself centered. Its futile attempt, everything’s all out of whack, you can’t find your balance, your emotions sway and crash around you unpredictably like the waves of a seastorm.

“But, it’s true. I could lose you today or tomorrow. I could lose you right now, you could have some fucked up brain vessel or something. You could choke o-or fall o-or– and Philippa, Emma–”

He cups your hands in his chest, brown eyes soft and desperate as he tries to calm you down. “Honey. I need you to take it down a notch and breathe, you’re gonna give yourself a panic attack.”

“I don’t— I can’t—“ You gulp frantically, feeling your breath grow shallow.

“She was sick,” He whispers, pulling you flush to his chest. “She was sick, sweetheart, there was nothing to be done. I’m healthy, I’m here— so are your sisters. We can get them check ups every month, get them checked out by oncologists as much as you want. Whatever you need to make you feel alright.”

“I feel like I’m going insane. How can having less to do and worry about make me insane?” You say through tears.

Nathan hates seeing you like this. He’s never hated anything more than seeing you in pain. He wishes he could take it away— he would do anything, pay any amount of money, invent any program if it meant that you could have some reprieve.

“Stop. You’re not insane, you’re grieving. Studies say there’s no right way— trust me I’ve looked high and fucking low for a methodology— but you’ve gotta take it as it comes, sweetheart. I’ll be here, right beside you the whole time.”

You’re quiet for a long time, letting Nathan hold you. He rocks you side to side, brushing soft, tickling kisses across your temple and forehead. You focus on the rise and fall of his chest, allowing your breathing to mimic his own. He’s warm and solid against you. He’s right here. Living and breathing and talking right beside you. He’s right here.

Finally you say, “I don’t want to take it as it comes. I want to feel okay again.”

“If I could make it so baby, I would,” He whispers, squeezing you a little tighter.

“I know. I’m sorry. Thank you Nathan.”

He cups your face, guiding your gaze to his own– its unyielding and firm. No nonsense. “You don’t apologize to me, alright? Ever.

He’s been more like that since your mom’s passing. More directive and firm, guiding and caring for you in ways that were necessary before. It’s exactly what you need right now. And sometimes, it has those butterflies settling in your stomach and heat simmering in your veins.

You refocus on him where your gaze had gone a little blurry. “Not even if I accidentally knee you in the nuts?”

Nathan pretends to consider your ridiculous question. “I shouldn’t have had my nuts where your knees are.”

“You may be the closest specimen to a perfect man.”

“I mean it honey, don’t apologize to me for this. I won’t accept it and I’ll yell you every single time.”

You raise a brow at him, “Yell?”

“Yell.”

“You’ve never yelled at me, not even when you were just my boss.”

“Maybe I’m exaggerating,” He allows, grinning at you mischievously.

“You are.”

“Maybe I’m not.”

“Trying to keep me guessing?”

He presses a chaste kiss to your mouth, and then another and another, addicted. “Always, baby.”

nathan taglist: @missdictatorme, @hon3yboy, @runa-falls, @campingwiththecharmings, @toracainz, @steven-grants-world, @clemdango04, @jdbxws, @crispysublimecupcake, @sub-aro, @faretheeoscar, @cupidysm, @whentheskyispinkandabitblue, @nova-ivy541, @sparkypantelones, @veritable-trash, @mangoslushcrush, @thhriller, @tenderhornynihilist, @queerponcho, @redcake333

[someones-there-1]

am i fully convinced that this new [error] character will be jonah? no. is it funny that i can somewhat unscramble his name from this? yes

(more theorizing under the cut)

so because of celia ripley, who was originally in tma, we know that characters from the tma universe have alternate selves in the tmp universe. celia ripley isn’t [error], but jon and martin (presumably) are, which also means something interesting: either [error] characters have to have some tie to the institute in the tmp universe, or they’re originally from the tma universe and aren’t alternate universe tmp versions.

either way, i think this third character would have to be in some way associated with the magnus institute. it would have to be a significant character that doesn’t have a voice yet, and would be played by an older man. the tmp logo has alchemy symbols and an upside down philosopher’s stone, so there’s themes of immortality. can you see the vision

do i know the logistics of how we’d be hearing jonah’s voice? absolutely not. i have no idea how it would actually work out. but i would think it would be neat that the three characters who caused the fears to spread (jon, martin, elias/jonah) are also the three [error] characters in this. or i could be totally wrong but that’s just theorizing babey!

[ashironie]

I don’t have a good feeling about Celia

I tried to post this earlier but it got deleted so fuck

But from so many standpoints she just irks me

-She has the same character archetype as Alice. Many have pointed out their similarities and while this by itself isn’t much (as is everything on this list) with everything else it makes me weirded out

-She just came out of the blue. We had no warning in the episodes before no build up. We were introduced to the concept she was coming and then she came with little fanfare.

-Her introduction to the rest of the cast is a lot different than Sam’s. A lot understated. Maybe Jonny and Alex just didn’t want to do the same thing again but it felt really rushed and weird.

-I cannot see how she can possibly contribute to the plot in any meaningful way if she is just another victim coworker. She was introduced too late to have her death feel like anything but fridging (when you make a character just to kill them for momentary character drama), once again she shares a character archetype with Alice so the only thing that they could give Celia could be given to Alice perfectly fine, and she once again feels forced

-Celia was also too comfortable too quick for me. She just instantly trusted none of her coworkers would report her for talking shit about their boss. She seemed too genuine about everything even though she was in a completely new environment. And she was just so laid back with everything, like sure she might not know the full scale of things but she seems like she’s been their for as long as anyone can remember (something that might be due to the fact I associate this trait with Alice who has been there a long time)

-idk if I’m reaching or going crazy with this one but Alice seemed off. She moreso just said “I’m Alice” and and Aliced all over the place. But as soon as Celia left she said ‘yeah’ sorta suspiciously? Maybe I’m crazy. Then she’s back to herself replying to Gwen, who we can assume is only less interested in what Celia has to say due to the situation she’s found herself in during ep 4 was it? with Lena. The only time we really get to know her thoughts about Celia when she isn’t in front of her is when she’s bugging Sam about his crush on her, and also literally all conversation she has with Celia she also has with Sam and shifts the conversation (aside from just meeting Celia) to Sam (imo). The only time we get her opinions on Celia away from other characters is the little ‘yeah’.

-We don’t see Colin’s reaction to Celia either, which would mark the third episode in a row where Colin is only mentioned (to my knowledge). Though we don’t have any mention that he’s been hostile to her. The only characters that truly talk to her and that we can see their reactions to her are Alice and Sam. One who I’m convinced is suspicious of her and the other who’s ’in love’ with her (I was completely caught off guard by this due to not even thinking about any of that in the very beginnings of a horror podcast, I’m autistic and demiromantic, and because I was half listening the first time I listened. I sense it more but it still feels like a stretch to me before Alice mentions it though makes a lot of sense due to Sam’s reaction to her mentioning it)

-I feel like I’d be amiss to not mention the fact this is the episode we truly have an Avatar in it. Needles is the first avatar we tma enjoyers know as an avatar (in Norris’s statement in ep1 we have the maybe scammer but it’s unclear weather that’s an Avatar, someone being possessed, or something else entirely). Thematically, this would be a great way to establish a connection with Avatar and Celia. She was introduced exactly when Avatars were. Also the episode name could also be a reference to the fact we are having our “introductions” to Avatars thought this episode, but that’s unrelated.

-People has also pointed out Celia is in Tma, same name and same voice actress (so no Michael situation or helen and Mel’s therapist situation [I think I remember them having the same voice actress and that being a problem] here). Although I don’t know what the could mean but that’s actually the reason I decided to rewrite this mini-notsomini-rant.

I could be wrong about all of this and am prepared to be wrong but still, needed to get this out there.

[helpimstuckposting]

TMAGP 30 Speculation

Now that it’s season finale time, I’ve got a LOT to say and a lot of ideas so I will ramble them here and either I’m horribly wrong or horribly right but unfortunately we have to wait to find that out

First, I can’t believe Alice had two mysterious talks with her friends saying they have something super important to say with a horrified quiver to their voices and she didn’t have time to listen to EITHER of them. Teddy and Colin are high high high on the list for ‘died off mic and we only find out next season’

Since Gwen was promoted (idiot) and Sam is… mmm… missing, it looks like the OIAR will need to fill at least one position, and I think it would be fun if Teddy came back to take his place as a main character. It’s possible that what he had to say was “This new job… it’s not exactly [working out]” and he was simply looking for a new one, and it’s no more ominous than that. If that’s the case, I can absolutely see him taking his position back next season. Colin’s probably dead, though, I’ll be shocked if he’s not tbh

Speaking of Colin, he called the system Freddy while talking to Alice. You know, the same guy that said “Don’t give it a personality. We shouldn’t even be calling it Freddy.” So the change up here is really blatant to me.

I’m still really attached to the idea that Jon and Martin (and Jonah’s) voices were stolen and they’re not actually trapped in the computers. However, I *do* think the voices are sentient, I just don’t think we’re right about who’s behind them. I think Freddy, the program itself, may be using the voices to push its own agenda and manipulate the decisions each OIAR employee is making. Alice gets a lot of JMJ errors, and is specifically the only person on staff who actively tunes the cases out and does not read into them.

OR, if it does turn out to be our guys, then I think it’s possible they’re working counter productively to Freddy, and the JMJ errors are a result of that — like they’re actively trying to work against Freddy. This could also be why Colin said he messed up, like maybe his attempts to deal with the JMJ errors made Freddy more powerful.

Either way, it seems the OIAR is in a huge bind going into season two. Colin probably did something buck wild and pissed the computer off, he’s probably dead, Sam is missing and they’ll need a new hire, Lena is gone (the only person who presumably knew anything that was going on) and Gwen just got promoted to boss despite having 1) absolutely no idea what’s going on with anything at all, 2) an inability to handle the externals and several panic attacks, and 3) no clue what Lena’s job even was, with no direction from the man who promoted her. It seems like even the PM has no real clue what the OIAR does, how it functions, or who it employs (“I’m sorry, do you hire a lot of murderers for contract and consultancy work?” - the answer is Yes, actually, several!)

Picturing the team next season as Alice, Teddy, Celia, and their boss Gwen is… a comedy of errors (or comedy of [ERROR]s? … Sorry) like that absolutely cannot go well. Although, we are pretty used to people being hired as a boss while they have no qualifications of the sort (also did not go well)

As for Sam, the Archivist, and Hilltop Road, I have a few questions about what could possibly happen. First, if the crack in reality was specifically calling for and tugging Celia toward it, we can probably assume that it’s the TMA universe on the other side, right? Which means Sam and the Archivist are now in our original beloved universe. I’m curious to see if Sam is just going to be MIA for the entirety of season two, or if we’ll get tape recordings of him at the same time as our TMagP friends, and we’ll have updates between both universes. I could see that being very interesting if some voice actors appear as two different people in the same episode (their TMA part, and their TMagP counterpart) but that would probably be really complicated to pull off in an audio format.

Also, we know the TMA fears cannot be separated, and that they’re possibly just one entity and have been one entity the whole time. That’s why they couldn’t start the apocalypse without all of them participating, and that’s why when Annabelle opened the crack in reality they all left the TMA universe. “Any attempt to separate the fears is doomed,” is what she said. She also said, “I would either travel with them, or I would die. I do not know which... Most would simply lose whatever power they have been gifted.”

So, if an archivist travels back through the crack in reality, what would happen to them? They’d be cut off from the entity that gave them power, right? So either the archivist will die, or maybe we’ll find out who Beth Eyre (the voice of [ERROR])’s character really is? Who they were before they became an archivist?

I don’t think they’d introduce [ERROR] and then just get rid of them without any resolution, which leads me to believe we will eventually find out what happened to Sam. I don’t think Sam’s just going to be dead or missing and never come back, I don’t see how there’d be any point to that. He is still the only person we know of who’s survived telling their whole statement, and even though he had a headache I feel like that must be significant. The janitor turned into a rock, I really don’t think a normal person would just walk away with a headache. Like, for all intents and purposes, Sam probably should have had his skin ripped off if we’re following the pattern of [ERROR] related deaths.

I hope next season focuses on Hilltop Road, because the lore in this episode was amazing. First of all, it was hard not to notice how each shop had a different danger. The custodian mentioned the drunk man walking into the newsagent and then he “ignored the smell of burnt hair and charred meat”. Then there was the shop that turned a woman into a mannequin, and Sam and Celia walked past the appliance shop where doors kept opening and closing, and the dentist that wanted peoples teeth. There was also the antique shop from episode 7 that almost buried the manager alive, plus the institute also used one of the units. I could be reading too much into it, but it feels like each fear from TMA has uhhhh… set up shop?

It’s also interesting to me that Annabelle said every owner on Hilltop Road in TMA was marked by the Spider, and died a grizzly death.

“So many schemers and spiders and full-throated monsters. Twisting manipulators and furtive liars. Each meeting a violent, grotesque end.” (TMA 196)

And the owner of Hilltop Center was no different.

“I found the owner dead in his office, with every blood vessel stripped from his body and strung around the room in a grim cat’s cradle.”

Not only did he die a violent and mysterious death, but his blood vessels were strung up ‘in a cats cradle’, which is pretty web-like if you ask me.

Anyway, I’m really really hoping to learn more about Hilltop Center next season, that’s the ONE thing I’m super latched on to post-finale

[theanxiousghostartist]

TMAGP 26 SPOILERS

(theories and reactions)

Sorry this is late, I didn't have time to listen to the episodes last night 😭

Pre - Case (Sam, Celia, and Alice):

Celia classified the case as "dog?" Idk, it's been bothering me (like it was with Sam) because it had no cross-reference whatsoever. Putting that aside, this scene, it felt like Celia was manipulating Sam a little bit? Like the tone she had while asking Sam what he was worried about felt werid. It could be just me but idk.

Yay! Establishing and respecting boundaries about the Institute! /pos

Helen tried to eat Celia, so it makes sense that she would bring a big knife to their meeting. "It is remarkably easy to buy an axe in Central London."

Also, can we take a moment to appreciate the word "Magnussing?" It was very clever on Alice's part, and I have a feeling that will become a new word in the language of the OIAR.

Case (Chester):

This case is Eye-related, mainly because of [Error], but it also feels like the End a bit? Not just because Rumins's father and Jarrod died, but when Rumins's father died - so did his love of running and his relationship with Jarrod.

The line "...if I took my eyes off him, something truely awful would happen." reminded me of Graham in TMA, the person that told his neighbor to keep watching and was later taken by the Stranger (specifically a Not-Them). Maybe Rumins is Eye aligned?

Jarrod's statememt (or at least the fragment we get) "They're coming now and getting close and when I slow and when I stop they will catch me and they will hurt me." makes him seem like he was a victim of a fear before [Error], as he is forcibly giving a statement. Perhaps he was a victim of the Hunt (his running reminds me of prey running from a predator)?

[Error] is an Archivist!!!! (Annabelle Cane theory fell through, but failed Archivist theory still stands lol)

Post Case (Alice and Gwen):

Alice realizing that [Error] is from the Archives!!!

I really like the Alice/Gwen back and forth here, even if it was a small bit. You can really see how each character shines through here!/pos

Post Case (Helen):

Helen is getting a section dedicated to her because something feels off with her.

Helen yay!!!!!!!!!!! (She is my favorite character from TMA so I am so happy)

Helen feels like she's reading off a script? IDK how to put it, but it feels like she's trying to manipulate Sam and Celia with a facade. When they start talking about the Institute, her voice lost it's softness, and it feels more real. I might be reading into this way too much, though.

She seems to have a good amount of information on the Institute. I wonder if she will have a reoccurring role...

Institute requirements - big basement, security options - what was the Institute doing? What kind of experiements were they partaking in?

Helen hasn't had contact with the Institute in 20 years, and she assumes all contacts are out of date, and she can't share them because of a GDPR. She could be hiding something. I wonder if she's had contact with Gertrude since she was firm about nor giving up contacts. Maybe she wants to try to steer them away from information, like Gertrude?

She is giving Celia and Sam real estate information that relates to the Institute, violating her GDPR... She is most definitely manipulating them in some way. We know that she wants to be featured in the documentary, but I wonder if there's more.

Also, her laugh - it is very reminiscent of the distortion. It says so in the transcript, lol. I wonder if this is a different path for her, sort of like Gerry. With Gerry, instead of being traumatized, he's happy. Maybe with Helen, she feels more in line with the Spiral as time went on. So instead of being forcibly turned into the Distortion, could this be a path where she slowly Becomes on her own? It would be cool to see how the Distortion could come to be, without forcing someone to it's heart.

Post Case (Sam and Celia):

Sam is worried because he and Alice let out [Error], which is to be expected, but Celia? It feels like she's more disappointed here, not knowing how to outplay [Error], since they don't act like Jon. It's a bit suspicious on her part.

Celia is very nervous around Helen, which makes sense because, again, Helen tried to eat her.

Sam and Jack are so cute, I love his little impression of Helen!

Celia said she felt like they were being watched - perhaps [Error] is on to them?

The Celia and Sam scene - where they flirt and kiss - it felt wrong to me? This could be because I'm demi romantic and sex - adversed ace, but it didn't feel right. Sam is awkward during their conversation and seems uncomfortable at first, while Celia is not. It feels like Celia is manipulating him again. She's trying to get closer to Sam and pushing him further down the Magnussing route in order to figure out how/why she is in the TMAGP universe.

I might add more to this later, because I feel like I'm missing things....

Overall though, I really liked the case and the character interactions, especially with Helen and Alice/Gwen!

[irradiatedsnakes]

btw in the tmagp launch celebratory stream alice's voice actor said her favorite scene that'd been recorded by that point was "alice and sam go to a place". so i suppose we'll be getting that next week :]

other notes. this statement (hey! actually a statement this time! what the fuck) was SOOOOO GOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOD

the cursed dice angle is so good, the way the statement giver took on that role (roll), played the part, UGH it's so fun. the theme of choice that was brought up is also so good- just. ONE more roll for old time's sake :) especially given that this is a TMI statement and how HUGE IMPORTANT of a theme choice and free will were in tma, felt very fitting. fantastic, loved that.

continuing on my stuff about the entities in tmagp- once again some things here feel very on the nose, particularly the statement giver literally calling himself a mysterious stranger. this feels like a fun little red herring to me, for people a bit hung up on the entities stuff. that's how i interpreted it, anyways. i wanna know more about this world so fucking bad, dude.

also, the institute's in manchester in tmagp, not chelsea/london. which means no milbank prison, no panopticon. interesting. (though soemthing that was known from the arg already- i really need to deep dive on that. tomorrow, maybe.) statement taking and artifact storage are still a thing, evidently, but noting that there's no mention of an archivist or anything like that. and the subject/agent/catalyst stuff, that's Very interesting.

once again, chester bringing up a magnus-related statement, here in obvious reply to what sam was talking about- just when he was considering to celia about dropping his investigations- clearly (imo) to goad him into not leaving it behind. excellent. and fun given the first TMI-related incident with redcanary had the obvious conclusion of THE MAGNUS INSTITUTE IS WEIRD AND DANGEROUS while also having enough mystery to draw sam in further. sam's seen the canary die in the coalmine and has made the decision to keep digging and that's fantastic.

now! characters! sam's paperwork :) VERY intriguing that he's getting all this stuff and celia's got none of it- he said it was due to that box about the response department, but i've got my doubts about that being the reason he's being saddled with all this weird stuff. also the questions on the thing made me laugh, very good. sam and celia have such good interactions, i love how they bounce off each other. also, with regards to the paperwork- i think there's a connection to be made about the statement giver's continued rolling of the dice (it always felt like my choice.) and sam filling out all this creepy, utterly pointless paperwork to "refuse to give it the satisfaction of giving up".

GWEN AND LENA. nigel dickerson, you know, from tv? possibly. i don't watch television. i do hope we'll be seeing exactly what gwen is being told to do next episode.. delivering something, keeping calm, recording the detailed reactions to what's being delivered. maybe we'll get a bit more of a clue as to what the oair is actually for. i do like that gwen's not become one bit less indignant, skeptical, and disrespectful towards lena now that she's got this job. i'm very excited to see her on her fist job she's gonna suck at it i think

i'll admit i was a little surprised to see teddy again. i was worried for a sec he might be going in the direction of getting dragged back to the oair, but nah. not yet, at least :) and ALICE. ALIIIIICE auaaaaagh!!! i don't know if i have much to say baout this part that isn't just (shaking a plushie in my mouth like a dog). very neat that she has agreed to help sam investigate this and actually go to the institute when she's been so staunchly don't get caught up in the creepy stuff! leave the magnus institute stuff ALONE you don't want to get into this spooky shit! like.. she does not want to get involved with spooky shit and she doesn't want sam to get involved with spooky shit but she cares about him and their friendship a lot and this is obviously important to him. so. (plus, the thing about alice's brother having been at the institute alongside sam and gerry..) i like them both so much. i am so excited for next weeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeek

[lickmycoffeecup]

I’m normally never up this early, but couldn’t get back to sleep, so lets goooo

TMAGP 26 spoilers

I can’t believe we got a sexual implication/innuendo warning for that joke 😂

And I guess kinda what happens at the end but /hand wave

ALICE IS SO SMART, and I am so worried for her. Sam has shared very little of his ‘Magnusing’ with her beyond their little trip to the burned down building. AND SHE PIECED IT TOGETHER WITH NOTHING BUT HEARING “Archivist.” Seriously, Celia and Sam should involve her, they would have solved this shit already.

Also, is it weird the OIAR’s system DOESN’T include an ‘Archivist’ category? Cause that seems weird 👀

The statement was interesting, but mainly [ERROR] MY BELOVED ❤️

I love it when they show up. I’m a Vast girlie, but The Eye has a special place in my heart.

Its curious that [ERROR] is literally scaring people to death. That seems really counter intuitive, cause you can’t really control how long it will be until someone dies, and you have to move on to someone else. Death was always just a result in TMA, not usually the goal. Not that I think [ERROR] is trying to kill people.

But it really feels like that part of Jon that just had a need to feed, stumbling upon random people with trauma, and asking for their story to get a fresh meal.

Also brings up what comes with having an addiction.

Something about the statement it was taking though. It didn’t sound supernatural. Neither did the drowning lady Alice came into contact with.

If I had to guess, maybe these people experienced someone dying themselves? Why else would you run like you’re being chased like that? If you weren’t afraid of the same thing you witnessed happening to you?

Thats just speculation, but guess we’ll see.

Oh, some thoughts cause I saw @/hemi-demi(❤️) talking about it. “An” is definitely a curious descriptor. Cause not only does it imply ‘more than one,’ which might explain how we keep seeing [ERROR] in the places we do. That they are not a singular being. It feels like a call back to Jon being “The Archivist” and eventually “The Archives.” It divorces that sense of self and humanity, that just makes me love [ERROR] even more. (Oh you say you’re not human? TOO BAD, I LOVE YOU ANYWAY.)

Now onto the best part.

HELEN.

Does anyone else think it’s wild that she’s also a real estate agent in this universe? CAUSE SHE SEEMED SUS AS HELL. The laugh, the willingness to help, giving them a list to possibly dangerous places.

Of any of the fears I would expect to be hard to kill, The Spiral is it. I would not be surprised if this is our Helen. Cause its WAY too convenient for her to be a real estate agent, have connections to The Magnus Institute, and be just SO HAPPY to help.

HELEN IM WATCHING YOU.

But also it was so nice to hear her again.

Imogen loves Helen more than anyone, and I just know she was so excited to voice her again.

Also I LOVE how unnerved Celia was by Helen. Never beating those originally from the TMA universe allegations. I need Celia thrown off balance more. SLIP UP! SLIP UP!

I’m with Chester, thats a huge nah from me, listening to people get it on 😂

Also Chester not beating the asexual allegations, same bro.

This was a fun episode! A lot going on! The sense of dread at the approaching finale is not getting any better. But I get excited every time Tuesday rolls around now!

[grimogretricks]

The Magnus Protocol 30- season finale

A gut punch of a season finale ! My thoughts on this, and how the relationships between the characters set this up, below.

Found myself exclaiming CELIA!!! out loud at this one! Genuinely, in retrospect, I think the dynamic between Sam, Celia and Alice was set up very well for the utter gut punch of this season finale ending.

At the start, Alice had the upper hand, she was the one in control, cracking jokes for every occasion, taking nothing seriously, very much by design. She overstepped boundaries at times with her jokes, and wasn’t all that respectful of Sam. At every turn she disapproved of him looking any deeper into things, and Alice’s constant insistence that they should NOT investigate anything was quite wearying. It was easy to sympathise with Sam wanting to investigate more and more, so we could get more information as to where the plot was going.

As it went on though, and Sam established his relationship with Celia and got an ally in the investigation, and finally it felt like, yes, here he was getting somewhere.

But we all know, from TMA, that the urge to investigate, the urge to actually go prying into mystery, is a double edged sword, made of many fears, ready to drag a person into a complex web of fear in which ‘knowing’ in itself can feed a dark power. The ‘somewhere’ that you can go, is not a good ‘somewhere’.

At the back of our minds then, whenever Alice says ‘don’t!’ we sympathise with Sam’s need to know, but at the back of our mind, know that Alice is right. Even if it’s also true, ignorance at this point couldn’t save them.

On the personal level as well, it’s easy to sympathise with Alice losing, as Sam gained, in his relationship with Celia, and hard not to cringe at Alice’s jealousy on the matter.

The way that alienation has been building between Sam and Alice, all that awkwardness around his relationship with Celia, all that Alice pushing too hard and too constantly for him to listen to her, for him to stop prying into things, stop investigating, for everyone’s safety, all that came together for that perfectly painful denouement.

 Sam, no longer heeding Alice’s warnings, Alice, panicked and having to let everyone ELSE fall by the way side (and maybe die.. I don’t think things look good for Colin or Teddy, they both had incredibly ominous send offs), desperately trying to get through to him, but she’s already said it too many times to be anything but too late. He’s stopped listening, and he’s followed Celia, right to the centre of Hilltop road, right to where he believes, something terrible will happen. In some futile belief that somehow, to go there is to be able to stop it.

And in doing so, he draws ever closer to the horrible truth of things, that won’t reveal anything good, that will only consume him, that has only awful secrets. That will take him to that somewhere, that is nowhere good.

And ahhh, Celia’s voice, the way, as they got closer, the way she started to show how she knew the answers to the questions, the coldness in her voice, the distance, creeping in. The way she spoke of the balance she needed. The revelation, of all that she’d been getting close to him for. That he was the sacrifice, she’d make, to keep herself from having to go back. That final confrontation, between her and Sam, interrupted by her statement. Powerful and painful!

So, yes, in retrospect, painful as some of that interpersonal conflict has been between Alice, Sam and Celia, I do think that it did a great job of building up to the crescendo of this moment.

And then, in the wake of it all, there’s Celia, having the gall to play innocent and say Sam played the hero.

I wonder what shall happen, in the wake of all of this! I hope we stay in the OAIR world, and not back to the post-apocalypse for too long, but I am not sure, considering where Sam went.

Overall, I think The Magnus Protocol made a solid start to its season, and I’m definitely invested. I’m surprised how enmeshed in TMA it actually turned out to be, although  at the same time, a lot of people seem to be trying to make it into something that’s more different from TMA than it has reason to be: The fears came here from the TMA universe, there’s no reason to believe that they are, in essence, different, even if they might manifest in slightly different ways. I believe that the difference of this world is that manifestation of the fears and efforts to keep them in balance are being more consciously pursued via alchemy and the endeavours of organisations like the OAIR on one side and the Magnus Institute on the other. But now we have inter-dimensional balance also to consider. And now the archivist from one world has gone through to the other, creating, presumably, a new imbalance.  

[starsoftheeye]

TMagP Live Reaction Ep 30

Finale Spoilers!!!!

Ahhhhh I am so scared. samalicelia my loves please live. also the episode title is worrying me

Pre-Statement

train time train time

sam open your damn messages alice is the designated "would survive a horror podcast" friend

celias just like me fr I'm the designated painkiller friend

... that is a worrying cough

celia being wonderfully vague and suspicious as always I love you girl

ohhh just wait til the last season sam that's when the apocalypse gets you

"we're safe here" jon watching them from the next carriage like 👀

call him a bitch alice it's okay he's earned it

ah yes, ticket prices, the real horror

COLIN HI BUDDY

oh no colin what did you do

are there people in the computer colin

welp he's probably dead

oooooh gwen meets the consequences of her actions this is gonna go brilliantly

lena also being suspicious and vague I love you too girlie

honestly iconic of her. you go lena ily

ah yes, the laugh of someone who should be in charge of a government office

celia don't act like you don't know what you're looking for

the way she said that makes it sound like they did think it was there

oh I'm sure it has its ways to get round transportation

"call it a hunch" girl you are not subtle

honestly ever since getting braces that's what I think dentists are like these days, there's no way they don't have ulterior motives

woohoo footsteps

celia "knows what genre she's in" ripley

WHOS THIS I PAUSED TO WRITE THAT LAST ONE

"that's one hell of a reflex!" scottish voice acting I love you so much. also who's this guy I love him already

oooooh scottish guy what do you know

I love him so much he's so real

LMAO I would also give up client confidentiality for 50 quid

*one normal night* begins playing

oooooh scottish guy who are youuuuu

is this a statement I hear?

Statement

STATEMENT TIME

oh god it's being pulled from him

hmmmm I wonder who this boss is

mmm lovely

oooh is it like a siren shop

HILL TOP TRAVELLERS

oooh people mannequins love that

oh god he has a daughter

woooo the boss is dead good

job so bad that it haunts your worst nightmares

hello?

HELLO? SCOTTISH GUY??? SCOTTISH GUY NOOOOOO

I'm so sorry I have no idea what you're saying my guy I'll need to consult the transcripts for this one

Post-Statement

okay sam at that point you need to call her back you can't hide from consequences forever

girlboss and malewife

ooooh what do you seeeeee

almost???

yeah what does that mean????

ah yes, they finally have the argument

tell himmmmm tell him celia

YESSS CELIA BACKSTORY

oh yeah she doesn't know that the eyepocalypse is over does she. she probably thinks she's gonna go ba k to another fear domain. I don't blame her tbh

is she gonna send him to the tma universe. IS SHE GONNA SEND HIM TO THE TMA UNIVERSE

welp. samcelia was cute while it lasted folks

AHHHHH CELIA STATEMENT

... I am taking that "get away from her" as a final samcelia crumb

...uh oh that's not good

ooh alice is gonna be pissed

oh hey scottish rock guy how's it going

ah hi gwen. it's good to see all the girlboss villain arcs starting

everyone wishing gwen luck really bodes well for her /s

THATS HOW IT ENDS???? OH MY GOD SAM NO

boy everyone's dealing with consequences now

I am not ready for the break between seasons I need more already

hey at least no ones confirmed dead. also I support celia 100% I still love her and I will continue to be a samalicelia truther despite recent events

[disappointingcabbage]

Tmagp 15 thoughts, spoilers under the cut

So Alice’s brother’s name is Luke, he plays the bass, and he’s in multiple bands. Got it.

I wonder who Celia trusts enough to babysit Jack

Lmaooo Sam knows exactly what Alice is doing

This is how protocule can still win

Oooh fully voice acted statement (phone call recording)

Oh no rich people… what flavor of horrible wil they be?

Oh Jesus it’s rich cannibals

This family might be the protocol version of like the Lukases or Fairchilds

Ooh a matriarch ok girlboss

Of course, it’s rich people forcing poor people to kill each other for entertainment. Fucking gross. Also great allegory for capitalism lmao

Aaaaand of course the one survivor is then hunted down by the matriarch for sport

OH FUCK SHES HERE

Her name is Lady Mowbray apparently. Thanks, transcript

Oh no Celia

Did Lady Mowbray just sniff out that Celia is from another dimension?????

GWEN INVITED HER?!

“no you won’t” Celia I love you but you are in DANGER

The Cheshire Bouchards? Do we get to learn more about the Bouchard lore?

oh shit we get to meet Luke!!!

Oh damn he’s actually a successful musician, good for him!! I hope we get to hear some actual music from one of his bands.

Luke calling Sam a “weedy git” is hilarious actually, roasting people must be a family trait. Generally, Luke seems cool and not particularly supernatural.

Hey what the fuck

Why is this random person reciting what sounds like a vast statement?

WHY DID THEY ATTACK ALICE?

I’m glad Alice called 999 and she knows cpr

Why the fuck did this lady’s lungs fill with water

A TAPE RECORDER?????

MAAM YOU’RE DEAD WHY ARE YOU STILL TALKING

In conclusion, what the fuck?

[cool-person-yey]

ok but what are the puter voices trying to say????

or: my theory on what the fuck Chester&Norris have going on

so first of all, the voices are trying to communicate with the OIAR through reading the incidents, that's something that basically everyone has noticed, now here's the thing: what are they trying to say?

we only got one Augustus case ( at the moment I'm writing this) so I'm gonna leave him out of this.

anyways, now to the good part, first off let's start with our favorite whiny little toad:

Norris

Norris speaks in episodes 1, 3, 8 and 12

my theory is that Norris is trying to warn them of the consequences their actions (and choices because this is the "at the end of the day, you just need to make a choice" podcast) could have.

in episode 1, this one's a bit obvious, but it shows the consequences ( only " some parts" of their loved one coming back) of them trying to get the person they loved back.

in episode 3, it shows the consequences ( the guy turning into a fucking tree) of the ' statement giver' ( can't think of a better name sorry) killing his ex.

in episode 8, this one I'm not 100% sure tbh, like yeah the consequence is the guy getting a part of their body eaten, but the cause I'm not so sure. maybe the fact they accepted to go in the building ( even if they didn't understand why they did it. something something even if the choices are shitty you still made a choice), or maybe something relating to the ex-wife they mentioned earlier in the incident? that'd be a bit of a far reach, but I'm not discarding anything. It could also be just the fact that they applied and got hired for the job.

in episode 12, the consequences ( whatever the fuck that was. I'm still not over that) of Gwen giving Mr Bonzo that envelope. do i even need to say anything else?

now, to our beloved Archivist Spooky Computer Voice!

Chester

Chester speaks in episodes 1, 5, 7, 9 and 11

my theory is that Chester is trying to warn them to not fucking mess with that type of stuff, and if you're going to, fucking be ready

in episode 1, this one's a bit obvious, RedCanary choosing to explore the magnus Institute, and that resulting in... well, we still don't know yet it but it sure as hell didn't go well. that was a very clear " do not go to the fucking magnus institute manchester" and what did they do? go to the fucking magnus institute manchester

in episode 5 a warning about being desensitized to horror, the characters ( especially Alice) have mentioned dozens of times how they just don't get scared that much anymore, that episode was showing that that isn't always a good thing. also the more obvious don't trust spooky shit but eh

episode 7 it's a bit tricky, I'd say it's a warning to either a) hiring new people (aka Celia? maybe Chester doesn't trust her? idk) or b) trusting people, just like, in general?

episode 9, a warning about making choices, and how ppl are gonna make shitty choices bc they're in shitty situations— but hey, at the end of the day, you still made a choice. or simply about Spooky Artefacts™

episode 11 this one seemed to be very much targeted at Alice, and it seems to be warning her about the paranoia that a paranormal experience can give you. And considering Alice's earlier comment about being followed, I'd say the tattoo being the boat bring hunted by something is definitely something to consider.

but well, this is just a theory, a magnus protocol theory.

seriously tho, i love this initial point of every series cuz i can just make up a lot of connections that in the future prob won't make sense but like, we don't have shit so might as well make up our own lmao.

that being said, maybe i got a few things right! only time will tell. my goal is to say as much random theories as i can until i get atleast one (1) thing right.

thanks for reading all of this, and if you have any addition that you'd like to make feel free!

[dragoneyes618]

More details about how the Isle kids cannot process or interpret emotions....

@tiredflowercrown tagged:

@shellyseashell tagged:

Yes to all of these.

Ginny doesn't even know what she's feeling.

Mal was raised to be a perfect copy of her mother. But she doesn't want to be her mother, she hates her mother, but she doesn't know what else she is besides a mini-Maleficent, so she hates herself too. Anything that's close to her, she pushes away, rejects, makes them as unlike her as possible. She did it with Maddy. She did it with Uma. She would have done it with Evie, eventually, if they hadn't gone to Auradon.

The only way Jay ever earned his father's approval was through stealing. Even years later, he'll habitually steal little trinkets to gift to Lonnie without even noticing.

Evie doesn't know how to have any relationship with anyone that isn't seducing a prince.

Sammy Smee was raised in an violent environment full of anger and shouting. Even once he was on Harriet's ship, well, Harriet also gets angry, and also shouts, because she was raised in that same environment. Sammy can't understand anything that isn't like that.

Freddie and Celia don't trust anything that's for free. Everything has to be for something. Everything is in exchange for something. No one is simply "friends" with anyone, they have to be getting something out of it. It's only a matter of figuring out what, and making sure you won't be left at a disadvantage. (And it can be inferred that Freddie and Celia had one of the better childhoods on the Isle, so if this is their view on relationships, imagine everyone else's!)

Squeaky and Squirmy trust Sammy to be their provider, their teacher, their caregiver, and no one else. They don't know how to relate to anyone who isn't him. They just sort of shut down. Not with their father, who loved them but never tried to protect them, not like Sammy did. At least Sammy tried. Not with the Hook siblings, who were always getting involved in various dangerous shenanigans and who scare them, just the tiniest bit, even though they also help them and take care of them. No one but Sammy.

Dizzy....Dizzy has two examples: Anthony and Lady Tremaine. (Her mother never even pretended to love her. Her aunt was too beaten down to show it.) Anthony loves her, and everyone knows this. But Anthony was raised to be a lord on an Isle full of the dregs of society, an Isle where everyone ridicules those with pretenses to greatness. Yet his grandmother insisted, and he doesn't know how to show anything but his facade. He tells Dizzy he loves her, and he does, but he speaks coldly, strictly, harshly. He rarely, if ever, shows anger. No outbursts of emotion; hardly any emotion at all. No raising his voice. No playing games, no hugs, none of the things Dizzy would like to do. And Lady Tremaine....she really barely feels any emotion at all, not anymore. Of course she loves Dizzy, she says. She's her grandmother. What kind of grandmother wouldn't love her granddaughter? If only Dizzy would do her chores quicker, better, quieter. If only she would behave well. Then she would surely show Dizzy that she loved her, more than just saying "Of course I love you Dizzy" without even a smile and sending her off to the salon. Or so Dizzy believes, anyway. Anthony has inherited far more of his behavior and mannerisms from his grandmother than he would like to believe.

And Claudine. You see, Frollo usually does not lose his temper. He rarely shouts or rages. He prides himself on keeping perfect control on his emotions. And so Claudine doesn't associate loud noises or shouting with his anger. No, she associates frighteningly calm voices, in an even tone, with no expression, excoriating her with the harshest of words. And of course she thinks she should be hurt. Anyone who cares about her would hurt her as a punishment, so she should learn to do better. She doesn't like it, of course, but it's what has to be done, right? Right?