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aerialflight · 4 years ago

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Fic Recs (cause it's always nice to give a shout out and get people into things I'm into rn)

[The Magnus Archives] (I recently finished the podcast and I fell into a hole for a while so here you go)

Sing a Song of Sixpence by Kaiel

Ship: Jon/Martin

In which Jonathan Sims is a Siren, and he fails to notice any new abilities granted to him by the position of Archivist. Or really anything about the Entities at all.

Takes place in season 1 featuring Jonah Magnus’s slow decent into madness

(The new mythology interwoven with tma's worldbuilding is so freaking good and I love how all the characters change and develop because of these changes. Also, f you Elias)

Along Came a Spider by Dribbledscribbles

Ship: implied Jon/Martin

Sasha James is the Archivist, as expected. Martin Blackwood is menaced by Jane Prentiss, as expected. Elias Bouchard weaves his web, as expected.

All goes as it should.

At least until something calling itself Jonathan Sims steps in.

(Web!Jon in this makes me want to weep, it's so freaking good. A pretty long, very excellent oneshot on what could've happened if Jon got taken by the web when he was a kid. And Sasha as the Archivist is ALWAYS so cool, we love her in this house.)

A Break in the Clouds by Ash_Rabbit

“I’m eight.” the kid sniffs as if eight was any different from four, maybe not an unspeakable horror then, just a regular horror. “And I heard that the Magnus Institute deals with-” his little nose scrunches, cute. “-spooky things.”

“Do you have a-” he cracks a grin, and then rethinks it as small hands tighten against their burden.”-spooky thing to deliver?” gods he hopes not, it’s bad enough when adults walk in and lay out all of their baggage, but for a child-

“There’s a spider in this book.” the kid says solemnly, raising his textbook sized parcel. “It ate Evan Pritchard.” a bloody fucking Leitner. Of course an eight year old would find a murder spider book. “This seemed like the best place to bring it.”

(I never thought about what the Original Elias could've been like AND NOW I CAN'T STOP THINKING ABOUT IT BECAUSE OF THIS FIC. I LOVE HIM, HE'S COMPLEX AND HE CARES AND JON CARES AND THEY BOTH CARE ABOUT EACH OTHER. THIS IS THE CONTENT I WANT, OMG. Also, Jon being even smaller than usual is adorable, so cute. No wonder Elias wants to hug him, a LOT.)

See the Line where the Sky meets the Sea by The_Floating_World

Ship: Jon/Martin, Jon/Oliver Banks

When Jon is a child he looks into the infinite abyss of space. The Vast looks back into him.

(One of my all time fave fics in this fandom, no questions asked. I have reread this three times and am open to doing it again, god. Vast!Jon, such a concept. It's written so beautifully and the relationships Jon develops, so good. ugh. My heart. Please please read.)

Sweet As Roses by Prim_the_Amazing

Ship: Jon/Martin

“Come in, Martin,” he says, not looking up from his notes.

“Hi, Jon,” he says, and Jon stops writing at the sound of his voice. “We’re out of the green tea, but we’ve got lemon?”

Jon looks at him. Martin smiles at him in his usual tentative way as he sets the mug of tea down on Jon’s desk. Heat spikes so sharply in his gut that he twitches with it.

“Thank you, Martin,” he says, mouth dry, and he stands up.

“Oh,” he says, sounding almost surprised. He smiles again. “No-- no problem-- um, what are you--”

Jon takes Martin by the shoulders, leans up on the tips of his toes, and kisses him.

(You have no idea how much I howled through this fic, my god. *buries face in hands* The number of times I wanted to cry from sheer hilarity and horror reading this good lord.)

Things Could Always Be Worse by theOestofOCs

Ship: Jon/Martin, Georgie/Melanie

Sometimes, the most horrifying thing of all is what might have been.

Somewhere, Jon could swear he heard a crowd laughing.

Or: in which Jonathan Sims is forced to swap places with his alternate self—a tall, chivalrous hero extraordinaire, who knows neither fear nor nuance—and is sent to the aggressively straight alternate universe the Magnus Archives was never meant to be.

“Whatever place this is,” Jon announced, “I just want to be sure it knows I hate it.”

(I will say this once, THIS IS THE MOST CURSED THING IVE EVER READ EVER. Like holy hell. I can't believe this thing exists. please read it oh please please please)

[Supernatural]

heard from your mother (she don't recognize you) by Schmuzz

Ship: Dean/Cas, Jessica/Sam

A man named Cas wakes up in 2003 with no memories, but he's able to piece together a few things:

1. Supernatural creatures exist, and most of them will hurt innocent civilians if he doesn't stop them; 2. He has abilities that no human hunter should have, but he knows enough about human hunters to keep that to himself, and finally; 3. He keeps running into another hunter named Dean Winchester, who seems to be about as lonely as he is if he's willing to put up with those former facts long enough to help Cas unravel the mystery of who (or what) he really is.

For his part, Dean's still (not) dealing with Sam's departure to Stanford, and figures distracting himself with a bit of mystery and intrigue is as harmless as it gets, right? Right.

(THE fic I'm most into right now, been following this from the very start and it's AMAZING. Cas has agency and is making friends and S1 Dean is growing out of John's influence and is becoming a Person and the both of them first being friends then more. The slow burn as their relationship develops, SO GOOD. SO SO DAMN GOOD. *screams* Seriously one of the best spn fics I've read in a long, long time.)

anamnesis by cenotaphy

Ships: Castiel/Dean, Sam/Eileen

Chuck is depowered, Jack is the new god, and the world is free. Dean and Sam get into the Impala and chase down the miles on an endless highway, and their story is finally, finally their own to follow. At least, that's what Dean tells himself. But the diners and motels and painted interstate lines are blurring together and the smallest details keep catching at his brain like tiny fishhooks and he can't quite shake the feeling that not everything is exactly as it should be.

* Fix-it/alternate series finale. Canon-compliant through the end of 15.19.

(THIS IS THE FIC THAT GOT ME THROUGH THE FINALE OKAY. WHY COULDN'T THIS HAVE BEEN CANON. It's Disturbing and honestly plot-wise this makes more sense. Why couldn't we have had this. *screams*)

[Avatar: The Last Airbender]

where the stars do not take sides by WitchofEndor

Ship: Sokka/Zuko

When Azula is nine, she becomes an only child. She hears the Fire Lord call for Zuko's life, and in the morning, her mother and brother are gone. Azula may be young, but she isn't naive. She knows what happened to them.

Which makes it all the more surprising when Azula tracks the Avatar down and fights his group of peasant friends, only to find herself staring into an eerily familiar face.

(The fact one of the tags in this fic is, "Sibling Dynamic: Fucked Up But Wholesome" should give you an idea what this fic is like. Chaotic as HELL and I just love Azula here, she loves Zuko so much in her messed up way and Zuko loves her back in the exact same way lol. It's batshit and I am Here For This.)

[Naruto]

Eclipse by AislingRoisin (JayBird345) for HybrisAnaideia

Ship: Nara Shikaku/OFC

"In life, it's easier to remain stagnant and wallow in your troubles. But life isn't merely about continued existence, nor is it meant to be gone through alone."

(This is a fic that's slept on and I NEED people to read this. A self-insert fic that I find really interesting in its approach and the worldbuilding for the post-third war shinobi world is fantastic. I feel like there's a certain pattern with self-insert fics, not that is a detriment in any way to how much I enjoy them, so this fic feels fresh to me in a way I haven't read in a while. I am waiting eagerly for this to get updated! Please read!)

On Freedom and Other Formalities by iaso

Ship: Kakashi/Genma/OFC

When push comes to shove, Hiwa Inuzuka doesn't go down easy. Reborn into a new, dangerous world? She puts her past life as a spy to work. Thrown into a war? Hiwa does her duty, for Konoha. And when she's forced into an arranged marriage? All there is to do is beat them to the punch and get married first. Thankfully, Genma Shiranui is willing to lend a hand. Literally. SI/OC

(Listen, LISTEN, it's about the slow burn, the longing, the communication (it both has and hasn't and isn't THAT great??), the messy way you fit three very different people together, it's so freaking good! Also, Kakashi is so Chaotic here this is my fave characterization of him, you can't change my mind. And Genma is a Good Boi who is Doing His Best, along with the Self-insert character who I LOVE SO MUCH, SHE'S FANTASTIC FNEIWOPAF. Sped past this fic in the speed of light, I could not stop reading!)(Honestly, read all of the author's fics, they're all really REALLY good!)

Building a Castle by WhisperingDarkness

Without needing anyone to tell her, Sakura knew that talking to someone no-one else could see or hear would make her weird. It would draw the bad kind of attention to her, something people could make fun of her for.

She didn’t like being weird, but she did like the voice. Her inner voice was helpful and it was a part of her that had always been there. The idea of it not being there would have been so much weirder than anything else.

It was during her first year at the Academy that Sakura realised the voice was not in her head at all, but that it came from a cloudy shape floating next to her.

(Basically a short-ish retelling of Hikaru no Go. Only with more Shogi and Nara and Ninja's)

(Sakura can see ghosts (I'm noticing this is a popular trope for her) and it's really cute haha! Her relationship with Tobirama is sweet and I just enjoyed reading this so much.)

[The Magicians]

So Long (And Thanks For All The Books) by IncompleteSentanc (Erava)

Ships: Quentin/Eliot, James/Julia, Quentin/Margo/Eliot

When Quentin is told Julia wasn't admitted to Brakebills, he realizes he has a drastic decision in front of him. If he tells Julia about magic, he'll have his mind wiped as well as hers. But he can't just leave her behind, either. He can't lose his best friend, and he can't let her life a life with her magical potential stolen away from her.

So he makes a third choice.

(Really, and I mean REALLY well-done canon divergent fic, this is the Quentin & Julia friendship fic I have been looking for forever. It explores so much of what could've happened and I just love Quentin here, I really really do. Characterization done so right. I also recommend the author's other works too. Been a follower of them for a long time, they're great.)

[Game of Thrones]

The Road to Victory by writing_as_tracey

Too late in preparing for the Night King and the Long Night, the last stand at Winterfell is close to falling. Bran takes desperate measures to ensure victory, and Jon, Sansa, and Arya pay the price for it in a time unfamiliar to them, on the cusp of another war. [GoT, time-travel fix it]

(I swear, this fic made me laugh so many times, all the Stark are BAMF and fantastic, and Rhaegar gets Wrecked lol. It's crack btw, and the plot goes in directions you'll never guess and it's amazing hahaha!)

[Haikyuu!!] (I am very very late to the fandom but here I am)

Ballare (To Dance) by MidnightSparks

Ship: Iwaizumi Hajime/Kageyama Tobio/Oikawa Tooru, and platonic Kageyama & Kentarou (really love their friendship)

Kageyama’s first love is volleyball. His second, however, is ballet.

In one world, Kageyama Tobio is left behind by his parents. In this world, the existence of soulbonds keeps Kageyama’s parents in Miyagi and leaves Kageyama in the care of his grandma and grandpa.

(In which soulmates exist and that changes everything and nothing at the same time.)

(*buries face in hands* I have fallen for this ship so hard and I can't get out fudge me. I understand now. Their DYNAMICS FIEWONPAF)

Kings of Tomorrow by bokubroya (liarielle)

Ship: Kageyama Tobio/Oikawa Tooru

On the eve of Tobio’s 16th birthday, he counts down the seconds to midnight, and emerges with Oikawa Tooru’s name on his wrist.

It’s been two years since then, and Tobio thought they had an understanding. A silent, never spoken about understanding that this thing between them is nothing, and they’re going to pretend it doesn’t exist.

Of course, it’s just like Oikawa to change the game and leave Tobio wondering what comes next.

(I am WEAK for soulmate fics between these two, I don't even really like soulmate fics half the times what is WRONG WITH ME-)(Please suffer with me, I'm begging you. Its a good fic, thumbs up.)

[Crossover]

Honey and Magic by JustARatherVerySillyWriter, White_Squirrel for Super Carlin Brothers

Fandoms: Matilda (yeah you read that right), Harry Potter

Everyone knew Matilda was a rather extraordinary child, but even she didn't know she was a witch. Matilda Honey receives her Hogwarts letter in the year of the Triwizard Tournament, and soon, she will leave her unique mark on the magical world.

(Do I even need to explain how amazing it is to have Matilda in the wizarding world? And Matilda is a HUFFLEPUFF AND I WILL DIE ON THIS HILL THIS FIC IS GREAT PLEASE READ!!!)

An Eye for an Eye by DpsMercy

Fandoms: The Magnus Archives, Welcome to Night Vale

In which Jonathan Sims is not from the UK but instead, if you took his origins and turned them sideways twice then flipped them over, he technically would be from the US, the town of Night Vale specifically. Elias can’t do shit about it and gets a headache and slowly creeping madness instead.

(Look, I know probably everyone has read this because if they haven't, what have you been DOING with your lives??? Jon interning at Night Vale is Incredible, nothing phases this man, it's Delightful. I laughed so many times reading this, I'm not even kidding right now. Read or perish.)

The Favour by R_Cookie

Fandoms: Harry Potter, Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them

Ship: Original Percival Graves/Harry Potter

Percival is ten years old when his grandfather tries to tell him that he's ensured the greatness of the Graves legacy for him, that he ought to be eternally grateful - but the explanation is hijacked by a stranger who manages to intimidate Chester Graves with an ease never seen before.

or: Hadrian (Harry) Potter is the Master of Death, who grants Graves a boon. Nobody could have known that the Deathly Hallows didn't turn you so much into the 'Master of Death' as into the anthropomorphic personification of Death. And so, Death becomes Percival's guardian angel, and Percival does not spit out his cereal.

(Look, I don't know how I stumbled back into the FBAWTFT fandom either, it just happened and I'm grateful for that. Otherwise, I wouldn't have found this amazing fic. Their relationship is slow and strange and I just love how Percival is characterized here. Also, one of the tag promises that it deviates from canon so I am really, really excited for that! XD)

baby that's what i do by natanije

Fandoms: Naruto, Katekyou Hitman Reborn!

"Are you telling me," Hidan exclaims, incredulous, "that you collect money all this time to give to orphans?!"

Kakuzu pauses. He blinks a few times.

"Huh. I guess I do."

(Tsuna reincarnates as Kakuzu and it's HILARIOUS. HE'S SUCH A MOM HAHAHA)

#Fanfiction #AO3 #Fic Rec #Fic Rec List #Podcasts #The Magnus Archives #Supernatural #Avatar The Last Airbender #Naruto #The Magicians #Game of Thrones #Haikyuu!!#Crossover #Matilda #Welcome to Night Vale #Harry Potter #Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them #Katekyou Hitman Reborn

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iceeckos12 · 4 years ago

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tma fic recs

I’ve seen a couple of fic rec posts floating around. since ive been reading so many excellent fic recently, i thought that id make one as well! please note this list is going to be 99% jonmartin. also buckle up, because this is going to get long.

Completed

the umbrella by Wildehack (tyleet)

"And to think—all of Jonah Magnus’ carefully laid plans, the centuries of scheming, the murders, the sacrifices, all of that work could have been completely undone if Martin Blackwood had gone back for an umbrella" - holdthosebees

Notes: This is probably my go-to fic if i want an apocalypse never happened scenario. The jonmartin is wonderful, as is the h/c.

Diary and Prenon-nous la main by luftballoons99

Diary summary:

Not for the first time since they ran away together, a camera reel of all the things they don't know about one another whirs behind Martin's eyes, and he can't help but look at all the sprawling magnetic tape and wonder if they’re going to wind up a romance or a tragedy.

or: Office parties, garage bands, and the joy of being known.

Prenon-nous la main summary:

They still haven't talked about it, any of it, not even to pass the time on the long train ride to Scotland. Instead, Martin fell asleep in the seat next to him, pressed into his side from shoulder to knee, and Jon thought about love confessions and verb tense and how the two fit together when you think you're dying.

or: Good cows, mediocre poetry, and other crucial topics of discussion.

Notes: Do you love impeccable safehouse jonmartin characterization? do you love characters grappling with the mortifying ordeal of being known? do you love softness so tender that it makes you want to weep? please read these fic. im begging you.

i’ll tell you about all the times i’ve smiled because of you by cryptidkidprem

Summary:

Martin thinks about their shoes, sitting beside each other on the floor by the bed. Thinks of the way Jon wears Martin’s cardigans more often than he wears his own, the way Martin’s started keeping elastics around his wrist because Jon always forgets his own when they go out.

He thinks about all the gentle touches and fussing over each other they’ve done, and how much is still to come over the next… however long Jon will have him.

They have a long way to go, an entire life to build out of the wreckage Jonah Magnus and Peter Lukas left them, but laying together in a comfortable, sleepy quiet, Martin thinks they’ve got a good start going.

Or, Jon quits the Institute, saves the world, and it turns out to be exactly what he needs in order to heal and start moving forward towards building a life with Martin.

Notes: how many times have i reread this fic? more than i can count. jon quits the institute and it’s just full of soft jonmartins. they get married! god i love them.

go softly by doomcountry

Summary:

And there is nothing else besides this.

Notes: every time i remember this fic i reread it. please heed the tags because martin is blinding jon, but he’s like. blinding jon in the most heartbreaking way possible. idk how the author made this so tender but i know i was certainly crying so!

The Reverb in These Holy Halls by Wolftraps (AlwaysBoth)

Summary:

Undoing the apocalypse would have been enough for Jon, if all his people survived. Without them, Jon's only recourse is making it so it never happened in the first place. He's going to do better this time.

Notes: Do you like time travel fixits? i sure like time travel fixits. reverb is an excellent one. heavy on the h/c, I wanted to hug jon so so badly.

Yesterday is Here by CirrusGrey

Summary:

"Who the hell are you?" Jon could feel his hands shaking. The man laughed, taking a step forward and raising a hand to point at him. "I'm you, from the future!" he said, then swayed, eyes going unfocused, and collapsed to the floor in a dead faint. -------- Post-season-four Jon and Martin time travel back to the season one Archives.

Notes: Yet another time travel fixit! also excellent. the teasing was HYSTERICAL. also Im just going to say this now - CirrusGrey in general writes incredible tma fic. You can’t really go wrong.

unassigned supplementals by bibliocratic

Notes: I won’t put in a summary just because it’s a long series of oneshots, but bibliocratic’s writing is amazing. Again, you can’t really go wrong with one of their fic!

let the soft animal of your body by autoclaves

Summary:

Standing in the warm kitchen, slats of sepia light filtering through onto the counter in front of him, Martin doesn’t know what to do with his hands. He half expects them to go through the countertop entirely, glossy and solid as it is. He isn’t used to any of it, yet. The safehouse. Jon. Beams of sun pouring into his hands. After being deprived of everything of significance for so long, the longing that crashes over him is almost painful in its tangibility. He wants to laugh, to sob, to scream and hear it echoed back against the neat, square walls of the safehouse.

In the end, he doesn’t do any of these things. He makes eggs instead. He can do that, can’t he? Use his hands for something simple and plain and good.

(Or: In the safehouse after it all, Martin starts cooking.)

Notes: this fic really speaks to me a) because i project on martin like crazy and b) because food is also my love language. this fic is incredibly soft and it’s all about cooking!

“Have you tried turning it on and off again?” by shinyopals

Summary:

I hope you find your new role as Head of the Institute as rewarding as captaining the Tundra, wrote Elias Bouchard, to Peter Lukas. There are so many people working there: all with their own interesting lives, and all desiring your attention and support. I'm sure you will relish the challenge it will bring and enjoy every moment spent with the fine men and women of the Institute. In time I'm confident they'll become like a family to you.

The Magnus Institute has a new boss. The Magnus Institute also has a new tech support technician. These two facts are unrelated, except they both happen at the same time.

Meanwhile Jon's woken up from being dead for six months and for once he's trying his best. He just wishes Martin would stop avoiding him and answer his messages...

Notes: if you’re looking for a good laugh, this fic is SO SO SO FUNNY. i was dying. basically the magnus institute being an absolute bureaucratic nightmare.

hello my old heart by firebirdsuite

Summary:

Peter’s wrong, of course. When it’s all over, Martin does still want to tell Jon everything. It’s just—well, there’s a few things they need to work through first before they can get there.

Martin and Jon find each other again in Scotland.

Notes: it’s all about the yearning. and trust me, the yearning in this fic? im just. i sure do love jonmartin, and this is such soft, loving jonmartin it just makes you want to cry

two ships passing by pyrites

Summary:

Gerard Keay is 10 years old the very first time he tries to run away from home, right around the time that Jonathan Sims has just come into possession of his first Leitner.

Or: One dropped stone can change the way the whole ocean moves.

Notes: again, JONGERRY. MY GOODNESS. this fic is beautiful, the writing is absolutely breathtaking and it owns my heart. im so in love with it. the author said you’re going to have emotions about jon and gerry and jongerry and i said OKAY

Terminal Sight by viv_is_spooky

Summary:

Spider silk weaves through the visions of two Seers. Monstrosity is dawning on them both.

Notes: I’d never read a gerryoliver fic before this, but the execution is EXCELLENT and now im sold on the ship forever. This fic has wonderful prose and great characterization and i love it a whole lot.

Incomplete

assistant archivist au by PitViperOfDoom

Notes: I won’t put a summary since I’m reccing an entire series, but. it is absolutely no secret that i adore jongerry. pit’s assistant archivist au slapped me over the head with some gorgeous jongerry oneshots and then gave me the gift of the main fic (which is still in progress) about head archivist martin. i love this au so so much

dustsceawung by callmearcturus

Summary:

Martin had always been favored by the summer courts, and moving up north to the little village of Lacuna is a difficult adjustment. It's rainy and lonely and everyone seems to have a strange, distant relationship with the local faerie court.

However: there is a strange man in a cloak who walks past Martin's remote little cottage every few days.

However: there is a moth that keeps getting stuck in Martin's house during the rain.

These events are not as disconnected as they first appear.

Notes: you ever just read a fic that you didn’t know that you needed until after you read it? yeah. featuring the fae and moth jon and excellent characterization.

Illicio by ThatOneGirlBehindYou

As the new Archivist debates between life and death, the Eye ponders on what to offer him in order to avoid an encore of the unfortunate situation with his predecessor.

-----

Gerard Keay opens his eyes at what feels like fuck-ass in the morning, inside a room with far too little space and far too much dust.

Notes: This is also the moment where I reveal that im a sucker for jongerrymartin. please read this fic. gerry is brought back from the dead in s4 and everyone is far better off for it.

where there’s a will, we make a way by bubonickitten

Summary:

"So, what does happen if an Eye learns to See within itself?

What happens is this: the Archive Beholds the Watcher – and the Watcher blinks first."

________________________

Jon goes back to before the world ended and tries to forge a different path.

Notes: this time travel fixit is shaping up to be an absolutely incredible read. i love the way this author writes jon so so much, and the characterization is spot on. this whole fic just satisfies some little part of me. god. also!! bubonickitten’s writing in general? beautiful. please check out their other works.

The Timeline of Theseus by Applea

Jon tries to force the Spiral to send him back, but the Sprial's corridors never twist things quite the way you want them to. Back in 1996, Elias has no idea why or how the Eye made such a powerful Avatar out of an 8 year old, especially when said 8 year old doesn't actually know he has any powers at all. Clearly such a child cannot be left outside the Institute's care.

Notes: This fic is legitimately brilliant. The author manages to capture the big ADHD mood and the precociousness of baby Jon while managing to write a wonderful storyline. Time travel! Elderly lesbians! A Jonah who is wildly in over his head but was walloped over the head with paternal instinct! Baby Gerry! What more could you possibly ask for?

rooms full of people who do not love each other yet by seaer

Summary:

“Wanted to ask about a book.” The boy has his hand on the counter, and he leans into it, nonchalant. The library is air-conditioned, but by no means frigid, and Jon can’t help but feel sweaty just looking at the layers he’s wearing; what looks like old leather over an olive-green Magnus pullover over his school shirt. “Do you have A Journal of the Plague Year?”

Jon says, tetchily, “We’re about to close.”

“I know. Do you have A Journal of the Plague Year?”

Notes: I am so in love with this author’s writing style and the way they write the characters!! The jon and gerry friendship is PERFECT and the character interactions are all darling.

if you read these fics please send the authors some love, they definitely deserve it!!

#tma #fic recs #ill update this as i read #seriously some very very good stuff on here #long post

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dickwheelie · 4 years ago

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Chapters: 1/1 Fandom: The Magnus Archives (Podcast) Rating: General Audiences Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply Relationships: Martin Blackwood/Jonathan "Jon" Sims | The Archivist Characters: Martin Blackwood, Jonathan "Jon" Sims | The Archivist Additional Tags: Alternate Universe - Fantasy, Libraries, Paladins, Angels, Martin Blackwood's Poetry, Pre-Relationship, Fluff, Pining, Moth Jonathan "Jon" Sims | The Archivist

Summary:

Jon is an Angel of Written Knowledge, and Martin is his only paladin. Recently, Martin’s poetry has started appearing in Jon’s library.

Notes:

First off, my amazing friend Anna (coulson-is-an-avenger), who has been listening to me ramble about this AU for weeks now, drew this absolutely gorgeous fanart of angel Jon and paladin Martin. Technically this is based on another, still-being-edited fic I’m writing from Martin’s perspective, but there aren’t any spoilers in the art so I’m sharing it here. Go stare at it with your eyeballs! You won’t regret it.

Secondly, this (very self-indulgent) AU was inspired by this Tumblr post by @dathen and @acemartinblackwood. I say inspired by because while this fic does feature Martin as a paladin and Jon as an angel, I didn’t necessarily jive with the D&D rules about paladins, so I sort of made up my own system for how they work.

You absolutely don’t need to know anything about angels or paladins (or my stupidly long Google doc about this magic system) in order to understand this fic; everything relevant should be explained in the text.

Please, enjoy!

#the magnus archives #tma #jonmartin #martin blackwood #jonathan sims #look at me now #writing au fics #who'da thunk

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pensivetense · 4 years ago

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A List Of (Mostly TMA) Fic Recs Sorted By Vibe

Not an exhaustive list by any means, just a few favourites that caught my fancy. I shortened many of the summaries for space.

I’m going to pin this here and update it as I go.

Also, I’m pensivetense on ao3

MELANCHOLY VIBES

for when you want to feel comfortably muted

(sad but not utterly bleak endings here)

Hope, Etc. (Dickenson, et al.) by yellow_caballero

Jonathan Sims, six months after the Unknowing, wakes to find himself without a daemon - without humanity, without a soul. It’s a cursed half-life, but existence as a shell without a heart isn’t so bad: between solving the mystery of a persistent illusion cast over his friends and some light pseudo-cannibalism, a life as a monster is better than no life at all. At least, it would be, if it wasn’t for the fucking Owl.

A freaking. Amazing. Daemon au. Ties the lore of Dust with TMA lore very satisfyingly, but is mostly about Jon navigating what it means to be human, or, in the absence of that, a person, and doesn’t require prior knowledge of His Dark Materials. Cannot recommend highly enough.

after one long season of waiting by nuinuijiaojiao

Annabelle is not used to having nice things. or, Annabelle heads to Upton House, muses a little, and gets some well-deserved rest

I love survivalist Annabelle and also the concept of the Web as kind of a horrible Patron, actually.

i love you. I want us both to eat well. by SmallishWormMasterOfTheUniverse

At the safehouse with Martin, Jon decides it's time to quit statements once and for all. The Eye disagrees. Martin just needs Jon to be okay. It's quite possible that nobody is going to get what they want.

Scottish Safehouse Era, Jon and Martin coping with their respective Entities... really, really good.

the friend by doomcountry

He always greets a new spider when he meets it. It’s instinct, born in childhood, the same way he instinctively counts magpies, or flicks salt over his left shoulder. A little harmless superstition. A bit of politesse.

A great Martin character study with eldritch spider horror included. The imagery regularly haunts me (in a good way).

autumn’s rare gift by bee_bro

Annually, the two meet, renewing the binding ritual where it had all started. The procedure simple: a waltz.

Singlehandedly made me ship Gertrude/Agnes so there’s that. It’s so bittersweet and bee_bro’s writing is, as always, incredibly poetic. (I’d recommend everything they write, actually.)

smile, you’re trending by Goodluckdetective

During an encounter with another Avatar of the Eye, Jon faces his past, Martin takes a turn at playing Kill Bill and Basira has a second look at the monster she’s determined to see. For three people associated with the Eye, they could all use some perspective.

Features an original Eye Avatar character who’s a YouTube personality; she is infuriating and inspired and genuinely frightening and I cannot say enough good things.

Humility by The_Lionheart

have you no idea that you're in deep?/i've dreamt about you nearly every night this week,/how many secrets can you keep?

An OC centric story but don’t let that put you off, it’s amazing. Very heavily focused around Jonah Magnus and the other Avatars as they change through the years. Also, I’d die for the OC.

oh, for one sweet second without the eye series by faedemon

Beholding does not like in the way humans do, but it likes its Archivist all the same.

I’m just so fond of the way this is done stylistically. I have a great weakness for dialogue only/dialogue heavy writing, not to mention all of the wonderful character beats and interplay of humanity/inhumanity for Jon and Melanie.

Rewind by WhyNotFly

It takes eight days of forced confinement for Jon to start hallucinating. [...] It’s Martin, though, that his exhausted brain conjures, because of course it’s Martin. After all this time, of course it’s Martin.

Jon willingly allows himself to be confined rather than hunting for statements, and examines his relationship with Martin.

for a firmament series by supaslim

There is beauty in destruction. There is art in becoming. In which Jon becomes the Archive, and the Archive becomes Jon.

Part two posted this morning and uhhh. Good. Also if you’re here for weird eldritch body horror (I am), this one’s for you.

ONES THAT JUST HURT

for when you want to feel sad

(somewhat bleaker endings here/everyone is NOT okay)

Feste by yellow_caballero

If asked, Martin would say that he became the shadow director of the Magnus Institute by accident. But nobody ever asked, and nobody ever cared, and it was in this way that Martin stopped lying to himself. Or: break free, Martin. All you have to lose are your chains. And your sanity.

Oh, this one totally didn’t go the way I expected it to. A study in isolation. Could go into the category above, as the ending is not bleak, but the tone of the whole is somewhat more depressing than most there.

Ghosts of Love by RavenXavier

Nothing made Martin more grounded in the world than yearning for Jonathan Sims.

Lonely!Martin that really captures a sort of visceral ache. Hurts me and yet I keep rereading.

i do desire (we may be better strangers) by godbewithyouihavedone

For ages, it only knew how to worship, taking human bodies and living off the fear of those who remembered. It never knew love until it became Jonathan Sims. Now it must fight against every instinct to save Martin Blackwood. Archivist Sasha, Not!Jon/Martin, and the worst kind of Fake Dating AU.

Oh, this one just made me sad. The poor not!them, which is something I never thought I’d say.

Apple Of Your Eye by fakeCRfan

In which the Eye is fond of Martin. Perhaps a little too fond for comfort.

Somehow manages to be both sweet and horrifying—the characterisation of the Eye is incredible. ‘The Eye loves Martin’ is a scenario that’s so utterly doomed to failure and yet the writing is packed with so much pathos that I just want them all to be happy. A fantastic use of themes of agency and choice, and the single best use of Beholding as a source of horror I’ve read.

The Last Press by copperbadge

Jon Sims is awake, and has begun preparations for the Rite of the Watcher's Crown. Peter Lukas, who woke him, would be content to rule at his side. Martin is very upset about all of this, and the Lukases aren't thrilled with it either.

I really can’t say anything without spoiling the end and it’s so good. An alternate take on the Watcher’s Crown. Not a pairing that I ever thought would work for me, but this made it work.

watch the blood evaporate by 75hearts

It starts, like so many things in Jon’s life have started, with a nagging itch of curiosity. Jonathan Sims uses his healing abilities throughout s4. Read the tags.

Dear God please read the tags. But this is some high quality pain if it’s for you.

the lighthouse series by low_fi

Peter Lukas is a lighthouse keeper. One evening, he gets a call from a cryptic overseer tasked with monitoring his work.

This is such a vivid and yet subtle story—from the setting to the emotions portrayed, it creeps up on you slowly. The ending was like the gentlest possible gut-punch. The sequel just completed, and yeah, just as wonderful. This one is very much LonelyEyes but I listed it here because it is just exquisitely painful.

SATISFYINGLY HOPEFUL VIBES

for when you want to feel cozy

Clutching Daffodils by Gemi

Martin has always liked the idea of love at first sight. It’s such a romantic idea, the whole thing of it. Seeing someone and instantly feeling that strange, twisting feeling deep inside that every single media likes to obsess over. Of knowing you are in love within the day, petals falling from your mouth and warmth filling your chest as love burrows deep, vines twisting through your lungs. He always liked the idea of it. And then Jonathan Sims starts working at the Magnus Institute.

Somehow manages to be lighter and fluffier than most hanahaki fare, despite the setting. I’ve reread this one a lot.

the least he could do by Prim_the_Amazing

Martin should in fact not pick this man, specifically because of how attracted he is to him. It would be the responsible thing to do. Except he’s already following him. And he’s hungry.

Fluffy vampire au which everyone’s probably already read, but was too good not to mention.

rather interesting by bee_bro

Jonah Magnus realizes that, for some reason, when he comes in contact with weed, Elias Bouchard's consciousness will come into his life banging pots and pans.

Oh boy. So these are all favourite fics but this one is a favourite amongst favourites. The way Jonah is characterised (i.e. incredibly sensitive to scrutiny) is my favourite depiction of him, and the slow-burn between him and Elias is far sweeter than it has any right to be. Also, it’s hilarious.

The Magnus Records series by ErinsWorks

In a world parallel to that of the Archives and the Institute, a supernatural sanctuary stands against a cruel and uncaring world: A world of bureaucracy and tyranny, of murder and carnage, of loneliness and surveillence, of plague and death. But in this world of fear and misery, 14 entities born of the hopes of the world have emerged. And one of them has made their home here, at The Magnus Sanctuary. Perhaps, the employees within may lead happier lives than their counterparts did in the Archives.

This is just so goddamn pure. The author writes a really imaginative, fleshed-out alternate world and alternate Entities with engaging, well-written short statements. All of the character voices are absolutely on point, and it’s overall absurdly hopeful without ever feeling overly saccharine. I love this series so much, you guys, you don’t even know. I want to print it out and paste it on my wall. I love it.

HARD APOCALYPSE

for when you want to feel dark and angsty (and eldritch)

Most of these are shorts/oneshots because it’s just that kind of genre, y’know?

Ashes to Ashes by marrowbones

A conversation at the end of the world.

Oliver Banks is one of those minor characters that I am overly attached to. Love him here.

Employee Benefits by equals_eleven_thirds

The Magnus Institute offered some normal employee benefits: a pension plan, holidays, travel subsidies, free lunch on the last Friday of each month. Rosie makes it work.

This manages to hit that perfect sweet spot of satisfying and hilarious. Rosie gets to torment Elias, as she well deserves.

a rose by any other name by Duck_Life

Part of Jon blooms in Jared Hopworth’s garden.

This one was sad and honestly too gentle to really belong in this category, but I love it.

Eye to Eye by Dribbledscribbles

In which Jonah Magnus attempts a post-apocalyptic pep talk.

Unreliable narrator at its finest, and the implications are suitably horrific.

commensalis by doomcountry

The tower is endlessly, impossibly tall, but Jon’s work is taller.

If you’re here for the eldritch imagery, then this has some of the best.

SOFT APOCALYPSE

for when you want to feel gently triumphant

apocalypse how series by sunshine_states

Humanity adjusts. The Entities have Regrets.

Some nice vignettes set in a kinder apocalypse.

ceylon series by Sciosa

The one in which Jonathan Sims decides that no, actually, he isn't going to let the world just end.

I include this only for the sake on completeness, as everyone has no doubt already read it.

rituals by doomcountry

Martin is the first person to knock on the Archivist's door since it arrived, fully, into its little waiting temple. The Archivist saw him coming from down the hall, but decides to feign interest when the knob turns, and Martin—still a little bit smaller, a little more translucent than before—stands uncertainly just outside the room.

This one’s a little less focused on the world at large and more on JonMartin specifically.

we raise it up by savrenim

Jonathan Sims reads a book and saves the world; although maybe the real salvation is the friends he makes along the way; (although perhaps the world itself and the darkness that exists behind it isn't quite as out to get everyone as it seems).

More ‘soft revolution’ than ‘soft apocalypse’, but has the same vibe. A time travel fix-it. Incomplete but worth it if this is a mood that appeals to you.

Scarred Ground by DictionaryWrites

“You see," Elias said softly, "people always have this idea that only living things can be scarred - and they're right, of course. But a building is a living thing, Martin. And the ground can be scarred, too." "I don't have any scars," Martin said. "Yes, you do," Elias said. "You just need the right light to see them.”

Falls somewhere between ‘Apocalypse’ and ‘Soft Apocalyse’ but I’m putting it here because I feel like it. Also technically a LonelyEyes fic. I found it hard to follow at first but it’s worth sticking with; things will eventually begin to make sense and come together.

LONELYEYES

for when you want to feel lonelyeyes

marrying anguish with one last wish by procrastinatingbookworm

In which Elias isn't Orpheus, and Peter isn't Eurydice, but Elias brings Peter home anyway.

Lives in my head rent free forever. My favourite lonelyeyes fic.

ouroboros by Wildehack

“You know,” Jonah says, a muscle in his calf quivering agreeably where it’s slung over Mordechai’s shoulder, “it’s really quite--fortunate--that I don’t care for you at all.”

Oh, this one hurts in the best possible way. The endless cycle of their relationship, the way it comes full-circle... yeah, good. Actually, no, this one might be my favourite. It’s a tie.

Breaking all the Rules by Thedupshadove

Elias proposes a somewhat...unusual wager.

Soft lonelyeyes? In my recs? It’s more likely than you think. Short, sweet, and... sweet.

Threefold by Sprinkledeath

Peter Lukas breaks three rules.

I’m just a slut for mythology allusions I guess.

Luck Be A Lady Tonight by prodigy

In 2014, Elias Bouchard takes a rare trip outside of his comfort zone. Peter Lukas wastes a bunch of money. You'd be surprised how many things can go wrong for two beings of cosmic power.

I love the sense of the history of them you get while reading this.

love is just a word (the idea seems absurd) by kaneklutz

"Something's wrong. It's stopped hurting" An avatar of the Lonely and an avatar of the Beholding walk into a bar relationship. It was bound to blow up in their faces.

Short, sweet, painful. Excellent exploration of their priorities.

Victor by penguistifical

elias tries something with his powers that he hasn't attempted before

The one where Elias tries to raise the dead. Not incredibly LonelyEyes centric but that’s still the pairing.

Simon Says by penguistifical

“Peter asked me to drop by and have a word with you, and, so, here I am.” Simon chuckles at Elias’s disbelieving stare. “Well, he asked in his own way. He’s not a complicated man, you know. He either comes from your arms looking like a stroked cat that’s been given a dish of cream or looking like he’s been in that toy boat of his out in an unexpected storm. He was far angrier than normal, so I daresay you weren’t cream today.”

I mean personally I’d just go ahead and rec all of penguistifical’s LonelyEyes fics but this is a standout for me.

AROMANTIC AND ASPEC MOODS

for when you want to feel Seen

The Aro Archives series by WhyNotFly

These are all just really really good. From Aro!Peter to two different aro-spec versions of the Scottish Safehouse to a long and beautiful aro hanahaki fic, this series is uniformly wonderful. The two Scottish Safehouse ones (Torn Edges and Murky Water) are my comfort fics.

and now all fear gives way by j_quadrifons

Before he can think it through, he murmurs, "Is that what it feels like? Being in love?" Martin's hand stills in his hair and Jon's stomach drops.

This one just. Wow yeah this is how it be. Another absolute comfort fic of mine.

Sweet As Roses by Prim_the_Amazing

Jon takes Martin by the shoulders, leans up on the tips of his toes, and kisses him.

I’m going to be honest—I didn’t know where to put this one. But it ended up here because the real standout of this fic for me is the portrayal of Sasha, and especially her portrayal as an aro character. So I’m putting it here. Mind the content warnings with this one!

HUMOUR

for when you want to feel delight

The Torment of Sebastian Skinner by Urbenmyth

After the Eye's victory, the statement givers are trapped in their horror stories, living them over and over again. Naturally, this works out better for some then for others.

Premise? Delightful. Execution? Fantastic. I read this one to cheer myself up when I’m sad.

Unlucky by VolxdoSioda

Jon’s dice betray him

Short, sweet DnD au, and the reason I cannot get DM!Elias out of my head now.

Voracious by beetl

A bird hits the window. Jon experiences The Flesh's thrall.

“Dead Dove: Do Not Eat” but make it literal.

The Stupid Endings by Urbenmyth

There are a lot of very deeply thought out and creative AUs on this site. These aren't among them. These ones are how the story could have ended, if Jonny Sims was a dumbass.

These are just uniformly hilarious, I cannot recommend them highly enough.

PODCAST CROSSOVERS

for when you want to make one of those “if I had a nickel for every time...” posts

The Sabbatical by morelikeassassin

Nicholas Waters is in need of an all-knowing eldritch entity beyond the confines of human imagining to help with his latest ritual. He'll have to settle for Jonathan Sims, who happens to have nothing better to do.

Crossover with Archive 81 (s3, specifically). Both fun and bittersweet.

The City And Its Sorrows by cuttooth

“What makes you think your friend is in Eskew?” David asks. He feels he can risk the scrutiny of the city that far. “I read that this is a place people end up when they get lost,” says the man. “This is a place people end up,” David agrees./The Archivist comes to Eskew.

Contemplative piece, and I love the way it presents David’s relationship with Eskew, the way he finds it horrible and hates it and yet belongs to it, is almost proud in the way he shows to to Jon. Great little vignette of two people oppressed by eldritch powers, intersecting.

Hiatus by bibliocratic

My name is Jonathan Sims, and I am in Eskew. (Jon gets lost in a Spiral city. It is not as easy as escaping.)

This one is far more focused on Jon than David, and is honestly more Eskew-weird than Spiral-weird. In the best way. Told in Eskew episode style, and is very good.

Sweet Music by Shella688

Eskew has a music to it, if you know how to listen. The percussion beat of thousands of footsteps, the melody in the squealing of the trains overhead. Today, the music of Eskew comes in the form of nine musicians, playing outside my office. My name is David Ward, and I am in Eskew.

Not TMA, but since a lot of Mechs fans go here—this one’s a Mechs/Eskew crossover. Short and simple, mostly David Ward centric, just a little well-written one shot I had to mention because I enjoyed it but it doesn’t have much traffic. Nice portrayal of the Mechs from an outsider’s perspective, and how genuinely strange and frightening they’d come across (especially if you’re already being haunted by and eldritch city). If you like Eskew-style storytelling, check it out!

NOT TMA

...but good enough that I physically cannot make a recs list without including them. Here!

#tma #the magnus archives #fic recs #long post #i'm not kidding you guys it's long #so be warned before you click read more #pinned on my blog

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peachcitt · 4 years ago

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fanfic year in review - 2020

hey laddies i was tagged by both @miabrown007 and @strangerahne to do this, so without further ado here we go!

1) List of fics completed this year in the order they were finished:

Bone Tea (march) // All These Selfish Feelings (march) // Doomed from the Start (may) // Wouldn’t it be Nice (may) // my favorite set of stairs is the one up to your room (may) // screw the classics, and screw you for believing in them (june) // Friendship Bracelets (june) // Those Benevolent Stars (june) // the dark and the stained glass watchers (july) // Bloodsucker (july) // Messy Advances (july) // Happy Endings, the Sun, and Other Steps to Madness (july) // Guessing Game (august) // Passion Fruit Sunset [zine piece, currently unavailable] (september) // Home Coming [zine piece, currently unavailable] (november) // here (november) // bread and oranges (november) // clarity (november) // burgundy, near black (december) // About Emma Martin (december) // cherries (december) // falling, flying (december) // aloe-infused fuzzy socks (december)

23 fics??? okay well looking at it like this just makes me feel ridiculous

2) Number of words written:

219,184 words (which includes my unfinished fics on ao3 and the wips i haven’t posted)

again looking at it like this just makes me feel ridiculous

3) Your most popular fic:

friendship bracelets - the first in the series of my homoerotic college au zukka fics. honestly? i can’t even say im surprised

4) Your personal fav:

MAN this is hard. okay it’s gotta be a four-way tie between bone tea, those benevolent stars, home coming, and screw the classics and screw you for believing in them but really i could be lying because i wrote so much this year (i guess now last year?) that i was really really proud of

5) Your fav scene:

okay i have a lot of favorites but for right now i’ll say: the scene in chapter 3 of those benevolent stars when adrien and marinette are sitting on the banks of the seine and they talk about their favorite colors and adrien’s soulmate - it’s such a quiet and gentle moment, and because you know that their favorite colors are based off each other’s eyes but only marinette knows that and because you know adrien is talking about his soulmate to his soulmate and she knows it but he doesn’t. it’s full of such beautiful, tragic dramatic irony that i just love so so much

6) A fic or scene that challenged you:

hm okay the last few chapters of bone tea were definitely challenging not only because of, like, the big fight scenes (which, im not really comfortable writing fight scenes) but also because i had take all of the mess of emotions in bt and wrap it all up into a conclusion that needed to be satisfying. the same could be said about happy endings, the sun, and other steps to madness (minus the fight scene part)

writing impure - my changeling jim au fic - has also been a fun challenge because i basically watch trollhunters episodes as i write, examining each line of dialogue and each character interaction and seeing how that scene or relationship would be changed by the fact that jim is a changeling. it was also a little challenging to keep everything fresh and new - especially at the times when the dialogue from the show stayed the same in the fic, but so far, im really really happy with the way the fic is going

7) A line of writing you’re proud of:

off the top of my head are these two lines, both from screw the classics:

It was the ‘Daisy, Daisy, Daisy’s, over and over. Like her name conveyed some sort of deeper meaning that she expected Daisy to be able to understand. Like if she repeated it enough, it would become a sort of prayer that God would listen to, that He would enact to make Daisy put her fists away for once in her pitiful life. It was just “Daisy, Daisy, Daisy” over and over until her name stopped sounding like a name, like a word, and it was just a sound to fill the silence so that neither of them would have to talk about the way Basira’s touch lingered each time she wiped blood away or the way Daisy would always sit so that her knees touched Basira’s even though they were on the floor and there was more than enough room for them to breathe different air.

and

But sometimes Jon was easier than Basira. He didn’t have any of Basira’s softness - he was all edges and sharp lines. His elbows were basically knives, and his hips were edged with broken glass.

the first paragraph i really love because there’s almost a rhythm to it - like poetry - and i love the sound of it and all that it means in the context of the fic.

the second little bit i just love because every so often i think about it and i love the imagery and metaphor and the way it fits jon - in canon and in this fic. in this fic, they’re all in high school so jon is gangly and skinny and bony and in general, he’s just abrasive and a little rude. this description of him i just love (and the way i described him from martin’s pov in doomed from the start; “Jonathan Sims looked, even from a distance, as if he was perpetually smelling something awful. His features, just left of handsome, were marred by furrowed eyebrows and a distasteful frown.”)

8) A comment that touched you:

LITERALLY SO MANY????? the comments on the final chapter of bone tea, telling me that the story was something that they loved and found comfort in, the long comments on any of my fics detailing their exact favorite parts, the comments that were just short jokes that made me laugh out loud - literally i can’t pinpoint one. im just so thankful to have written things that people respond to with such kindness and love

9) Something that inspired your writing:

music!!!!!! i found myself making playlists for a few of my fics this year or listening to specific old playlists of mine for the right mood for a fic, and it’s really inspired me to write

also, as always, my own personal experiences. i thought and felt a lot this year, and i think in every single one of the fics i posted this year, you can probably find a central thought or feeling driving it that no doubt comes from my personal life

10) Your proudest accomplishment (that one scene; finally finishing that one fic; posting your first fic; etc):

finishing bone tea and tying the title to the fic!!!!!!!! finishing happy endings and also tying that title to the fic!!!!!! getting accepted into two different zines and working with two different amazing artists and completing those fics!!!!!!!! literally writing anything at all!!!!!!!!!

11) Do you have any writing goals for the next year?

i think mainly i just want to write, you know? i want to stop putting so much pressure on myself, because this past year i put so much pressure on myself that i was constantly feeling like i was underperforming (which was, like, super untrue, but you know how it goes) so when i wasn’t writing i felt like i was wasting time. i mean, don’t get me wrong, i had so much fun writing and creating all of these things that im so so proud of, it’s just the space in between writing sessions that i want to let myself breathe in. i don’t want to dread thinking about writing for fun anymore because that’s not fun

besides that, i think my other goals are to just continue forward with my unfinished projects - impure, the new wave, the bone tea extras - and to officially start the other two long fic ideas i have for mlb that ive been really excited about for a long while. this past year i wrote a lot of one shots (like. so many. oh my god) so maybe this year i might focus on long projects. who knows though definitely not me it’ll be a surprise for all of us

anyway that’s all!! thanks mia and strangerahne for tagging me!! ive been needing a lot of reminders lately that i have, in fact, written this year, and having to, like, do math and scroll through my ao3 page and all my google docs has been really enlightening so thanks so much for this

i tag: @lnc2, @chatnoirinette, @deinde-prandium, and @rosekasa! y’all don’t have to do this, but i’d love to see how y’all felt about your works this year and also to see y’all love yourselves very much because you deserve it. also literally anyone can do this you can just say i tagged you i don’t mind it’ll be our secret - i highly encourage it because it’s very sweet and very fun to look back on all you’ve accomplished this year

<3<3<3<3

#tag game #GOOD LORD.THIS TOOK ME LIKE TWO HOURS KJFBGLKDFJHLSDIHG:SD #i will admit. most of those two hours was spent trying to figure out my word count akjfghlk #also scrolling through my ao3 and linking all my fics that also took a while #BUT REALLY while i was adding up my word count i just kept on staring at the growing number like ????jfc???????#i know ive been posting about it a lot lately but the fact that i have had the audacity to keep on getting antsy over not writing???#literally im ridiculous. OVER 200k WORDS. LITERALLY SHUT UP THAT'S RIDICULOUS.#and the fact that i wrote so much of those words during a pandemic and going through perhaps one of the worst years of my life???#struggling with personal issues and mental issues and school issues and like. SO MANY ISSUES????? HOW #idk this was just so so validating. also terrifying. god #im scared of myself tbh. i have no idea how i did any of this. i feel like i just. blacked out and now im here and FUCK I JUST FUCKJFHLGJSR #IT JUST SUNK IN THAT IT'S 2021 NOW???????? H O W #like logically i knew 2020 would have to end at some point but like most days felt like fucking decades so ??#god. it's a whole new year now. that's fuckng wild bro #im feeling emotional. it doesn't help that im listening to my favorite band (armors) now and it's the song that always brings me to myknees #EMPTY AND WORN YOU CARRY ME HOME NOW YOU'RE LETTING GO OF ME BROKEN AND TORN YOU CARRY ME HOME NOW YOU'RE LETTING GO OF ME #tell me that doesn't send you into a State. you can't. fuck.#(the song is comatose by armors btw)#SPEAKING of armors when i was typing out the fics i had written this year i realized that two fics in a row were named after armors songs #all these selfish feelings (chlonette; lyric from portland by armors) and doomed from the start (jonmartin; lyric from name by armors)#im literally so lame. and that's fine #also i scrolled up just now to check and i realized that i have FOUR FICS IN A ROW NAMED AFTER SONGS???#man i really wasn't kidding when i said i was inspired by music huh sldjfhgsjfh #also in case you're wondering they're all these selfish feelings and doomed from the start and ALSO #wouldn't it be nice (jonmartin; lyrics from wouldn't it be nice by the beach boys)#and my favorite set of stairs is the one up to your room (adrinette; 11:11 by waterparks)#ANYWAY i should be done with this post now sorry for anyone who is still reading for having to deal with my rambling #and goodnight sweet dreams happy new year ily

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ieatmypizzawithaforkandknife · 4 years ago

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MAG 021 - Freefall

Summary: Jonathan reads the statement of Moira Kelly, regarding “the disappearance of her son Robert.”

This was one of my least favorite episodes my first time through the season, which is kind of funny considering how much I loved it the second time around. (I didn’t hate it the first time around, for the record - I think it was just overshadowed by the plot-heavy two-parter right before it and by the one after it, and I just didn’t give it the consideration it deserved.)

That poor woman. Like Father Burroughs, as far as we know, Robert Kelly did nothing to “deserve” his fate, and his mother certainly didn’t deserve to see that happen to him. She only saw him a few times a year because of how busy he kept himself, and then he comes home unexpectedly and poof! Gone the next day forever.

The incident on his last skydive seems to have been abrupt and without warning: as far as we know, Robert doesn’t know anything is wrong prior to Simon saying those three words to him. Like so many of these stories, I’m left wondering: Why Robert? Why did Simon (apparently) choose him? Did something else happen that we don’t know about that would explain it, or was it just a wrong-place-wrong-time type thing? If Robert wasn’t targeted for a specific reason, then what was Simon’s motivation?

“Enjoy sky blue” intrigues me, not because of what it is but what it isn’t. I’ve come to expect that, when a character says something Grade A Creepy, we’re going to hear that creepy static/interference over their words. But here it’s conspicuously absent, and if it weren’t for the immediate dizziness and the endless sky Robert found himself in a moment later, the words wouldn’t have been much more than a blip on my radar. Was it an oversight when they were editing in the sound effects? I can’t imagine that they’d just forget to put something like that in, especially when it’s been pretty consistently sprinkled throughout the rest of the season so far. So it bugs me.

I really liked the apparent contrast (but really parallels) between this episode and episode 15, “Lost John’s Cave”. In this episode Robert’s mother says that he always enjoyed high-risk activities involving heights, that he “always climbed higher” and “always pushed further” than his friends. In episode 15 Laura says that caving was her only real hobby, partly because of the cost, but also because she loved the feeling of being deep down in the earth that much. And in the wrap-up for this episode, Jonathan says that “Open Skydiving” has never existed - or, more accurately, there was no trace of any of the licenses or permits that would be required for a skydiving business, though there were a few mentions of it in newspapers around the time; likewise, in episode 15, Jonathan notes that there is no trace of the permits Laura claims to have gotten for their caving trip. Lastly, there is the climactic event itself: a person’s unexplainable disappearance. In both cases, a person straight-up disappears under circumstances that don’t make any kind of sense for a person to disappear under. In both cases it’s either implied or said outright that nature itself swallows them. Laura doesn’t see the exact moment her sister Elena disappears forever, but several times during her statement it seems like the rock shifts around her, and in this episode Moira saw the sky twist and shift and, for lack of a better way to describe it, eat Robert.

Which brings me to my favorite part of the episode: Moira’s description of the sky when Robert disappeared. She says at the beginning that “it makes my head hurt awfully when I try to remember it well enough to describe”, and when she actually gets to that part of the story, she doesn’t describe what she saw so much as explains what she didn’t see: “He didn’t fall or fly or take off. There wasn’t anything in the sky that took him - it wasn’t a hand that reached out and grabbed him, it was the sky itself - the whole sky, as far as the horizon I could see, that twisted around and moved like…like the shifting of sand.” Like the pile of meat that “opened all its eyes” in episode 18, something happened right in front of our narrator that their mind just could not comprehend somehow. It’s incredibly cool to think about, but also absolutely terrifying.

I have to wonder what made Robert push her away from him at the very end. Did he see something, like the beginning of the shifting of the sky that Moira described? Or did he feel something, like the plummeting sensation of falling or the dizziness and confusion he felt during his last skydive?

I thought it was really cool that his last skydive was described as “bright, he kept saying, it was so bright”, and just last episode Father Burroughs described the church in his fever dream as “it was bright...so bright”. I don’t mean to imply there’s any kind of specific connection here - I just think back to what I was feeling and picturing at those moments in each episode and once again have to commend Jonny on his amazing writing and performance, because these two nearly identical lines felt so completely different.

But I am wondering if there’s a connection between what happens to Robert in this episode and Ex Altiora (the Leitner featured in episode 4). The book’s title alone would make me wonder, but more important is the contents of the book and its effect on those who read it. Dominic says it contains a series of illustrations: “a mountain or a cliff or in one picture what appeared to be an empty night sky. I felt an odd sensation when I looked at that image as though, simple as it was, I was about to fall into it, and my stomach gave an odd jolt”. Dominic lost time (about an hour) while looking at the book - the opposite of what happened to Robert, as it felt like he was falling for hours or even days when he only fell for an extra 15 minutes. Also the-same-but-opposite is the fact that the main Ex Altiora illustration featured in episode 4 was of a night sky, whereas Robert’s experience was with a day sky - “an endless sky blue nothing”, as Jonathan calls it.

I’d like to end with my favorite Jonathan quote of the episode, from the very beginning of the wrap-up at the end: “Before I address the central point of this statement, namely the question of [sigh] whether the sky can eat people”. ily Jonathan lmao please never change.

This post is part of a series where I write my thoughts about each episode and obsessively connect dots in an effort to figure out The Big Mysteries of the series. All posts in this series are tagged “is this liveblogging?” Comments and messages are welcome but I have only listened to season 1, so I ask that you not spoil me for anything beyond episode 40. In the words of Jonny Sims…thanks for listening!

#personal #liveblogging #is this liveblogging?#The Magnus Archives

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zykaben · 4 years ago

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Chapters: 11/11 Fandom: The Magnus Archives (Podcast) Rating: Teen And Up Audiences Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply Relationships: Martin Blackwood/Jonathan Sims Characters: Jonathan Sims (The Magnus Archives), Martin Blackwood, Tim Stoker (The Magnus Archives), Sasha James, Michael | The Distortion (The Magnus Archives), Michael "Mike" Crew Additional Tags: Alternate Universe - No Powers, Fluff, Cat Cafés, Cats, Getting Together Summary:

One day during his lunch break, Jonathan Sims stumbles across Kit-Tea, a cat cafe that recently opened in London. He becomes a regular, determined to pet the cats that reside there as much as possible. He didn't plan on getting a crush on a member of the staff there, but really, how could he not have fallen for Martin?

Or: Jon falls in love with Martin through a series of visits to a newly opened cat cafe that Martin happens to work at. Extremely graphic depictions of petting cats.

Mine and @quantumducky’s fic for @pilesofnonsense’s Rusty Quill Big Bang. Featuring amazing art by @smolghostings!! This has been an amazing event.

#link #tma #the magnus archives #magpod #tma fic #jonathan sim #martin blackwood #jonmartin

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yszarin · 4 years ago

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Chapters: 20/20 Fandom: The Magnus Archives Rating: Mature Warnings: Graphic Depictions of Violence Relationships: Martin Blackwood/Jonathan Sims/Tim Stoker, Martin Blackwood/Michael “Mike” Crew/Tim Stoker, Melanie King & Jonathan Sims Characters: Jonathan Sims, Tim Stoker, Martin Blackwood, Melanie King, Michael “Mike” Crew, Elias Bouchard, Danny Stoker Additional Tags: Canon-Typical Violence, Canon-Typical Gore, Non-Consensual Kissing, Depictions of claustrophobia, heights, Abusive family dynamics, kidnapping, imprisonment, Alternate Universe - Fantasy, magic, airships, jealousy, Sex-Ambivalent Jon (brief & nonspecific references) Summary: Adventure on the high winds! Jon Sims signs on with a skybound ship in a desperate bid to find and rescue his stolen assistants, Tim and Martin, before their skins can end up adorning Captain Nikola Orsinov’s sails. However, there is more than he bargained for out on the air currents, from the odd behaviour of his crewmates to the magic he finds himself embroiled in. Elsewhere, Tim and Martin find unexpected sanctuary, but disaster is never far away, and they struggle to keep hold of one another in this world of the Vast, where there is no guarantee of port and it is always too easy to fall.

Written for the @pilesofnonsense RQ Big Bang 2020, and featuring art from the amazing @syrren!

#the magnus archives #pilesofnonsense #rq big bang 2020

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letterboxd · 4 years ago

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How I Letterboxd #9: Julie Collette.

Christmas movie lover Julie Collette tells Jack Moulton all about her seasonal movie habits, the best big screen Santa Claus of all time, disability visibility in festive films, and some of the weirder holiday picks.

It’s the most wonderful time of the year: when Letterboxd members turn to the Neverending Christmas List to help plan their Christmas movie viewing. Arrange it by highest rated, arrange it by newest release, or by popularity—any which way, there’s something for everyone, from corny TCM romances to obscure seasonal horrors.

Created six years ago by Canadian member Julie Collette, the list runs to more than 4,300 titles, and contains the word ‘Christmas’ 1,837 times at last count. Julie and her husband are die-hard Letterboxd fans, having allegedly used the platform every day for the past nine years. She’s logged every film she’s seen in theaters since 1996.

A message from John McClane in ‘Die Hard’ (1988).

What inspired your Neverending Christmas List? Can you please explain the minimum requirement for eligibility? My husband had told me about a list on Letterboxd of Every Horror Film Made from 1895–Present and that gave me the idea to start the neverending Christmas list. My eligibility rules are not strict at all. It can be a film that centers on or around Christmas time. Even New Year’s counts in my book—as long as there’s a moment in the film that has a Christmas song, a Christmas scene, or Christmas decorations. Die Hard is definitely a Christmas film. First of all, it takes place on Christmas Eve at an office Christmas party. There’s that great note that John McClane sends to Hans Gruber on a dead guy’s shirt: “Now I have a machine gun, ho-ho-ho.” Now that’s Christmas! There are a couple of titles that test my relaxed requirements. Examples would be Psycho—there are a few Christmas decorations at the beginning [and Bryan Fuller agrees]—and the documentary Beauty Day by Canadian director Jay Cheel, which has Christmas lights at the end.

And what percentage of the films have you seen? As of right now, I've watched 20 percent—that’s 882 of the 4,322 films on the list. I’ve got a lot of homework to do. Here’s a few hidden gems I recommend: Mon oncle Antoine, Holiday Affair, Remember the Night, Olivia, On the Twelfth Day…, Bing Crosby’s Merrie Olde Christmas and One Christmas, which is Katherine Hepburn’s last role.

David Bowie and Bing Crosby sing ‘The Little Drummer Boy’ in ‘Bing Crosby’s Merrie Old Christmas’ (1977).

When does your Christmas movie viewing season start? I usually start mid-November to try to keep up with the TV rom-coms because they start to air even before Hallowe’en. This year on Hallowe’en night we rewatched The Night of the Hunter and I had forgotten that there was a sequence that was set at Christmas time. It was a perfect segue between Hallowe’en and Christmas, so I started November 1st. As far as how I pick what to watch, I go through my list and randomly pick some. I try to watch as many first-time watches and mix up the genres. But the closer I get to Christmas, the more I want to watch my favorites—for the most part I go with the flow. Christmas Day is usually a day of family time, but I try to sneak in one favorite if I can.

What was the first Christmas film that got you into all of this? I’ve always loved Christmas and growing up I watched the yearly airings of vintage Christmas cartoons and A Muppet Family Christmas. When Home Alone came out it was an instant obsession, then Home Alone 2: Lost in New York was just as good. Even now it’s our yearly tradition for my husband and I to watch the Home Alones while we decorate the Christmas tree.

If not Home Alone, what is your all-time favorite Christmas film? It’s a Wonderful Life is up there for me. Partly because growing up I watched it every Christmas Eve and kind of forced my dad to watch it with me. I think he secretly didn’t mind. As a kid, I didn’t dwell on the sad parts of the story, I just wanted to go to that candy shop and run in Bedford Falls like George in that beautiful thick fake snow. Now as an adult, I appreciate the story about a small town coming together to support a man at his lowest of lows more. Jimmy Stewart is amazing as George Bailey and we can all see ourselves at some point in his journey in the film. The chemistry and comedic timing between Stewart and Donna Reed is one of the best. Every time they sing ‘Auld Lang Syne’, I always get a bit misty-eyed.

メリークリスマス Japanese style, in ‘Tokyo Godfathers’ (2003).

What have you noticed about the ways in which Christmas films have changed over the years? In classic Christmas storytelling, there are a lot more religion-centered ones like The Bishop’s Wife and It’s a Wonderful Life. The ’80s and ’90s were about the blockbusters that the whole family could enjoy; Batman Returns, Home Alone, and The Santa Clause. The last twenty years have brought us a lot of different movies, but I do find that the start of the 2000s had a better crop of Christmas movies; Love Actually, Elf, Tokyo Godfathers, Far from Heaven, Bridget Jones’s Diary, About a Boy and so many more. The last decade has been saturated by the rom-coms of Hallmark, Lifetime and their imitators, but from the last five years, a few stand out that could be destined to become Christmas classics: Carol, Little Women and The Night Before.

The best, most rewatched Christmas stories tend to be remade. Do you have a classic Christmas story that you always love, no matter who’s telling it? Hands down Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol. From my favorite—Scrooge—to The Muppet Christmas Carol, to Scrooged. Growing up, I had the book of Mickey’s Christmas Carol and I loved the cartoon adaptation. I love to see the different actors’ excitement and elation at the end when Scrooge wakes up on Christmas Day. My ultimate favorite is Alistair Sim in 1951’s Scrooge. He’s so jubilant asking the maid what day it is and wishing himself Merry Christmas in the mirror. It’s a bit darker than others. When I was a kid, the intro with Jacob Marley and the build-up of the chains scared me, but I couldn’t stop watching. Patrick Stewart’s Ebenezer [in the 1999 TV movie] is also great for his relief that he survived the journey through time. What an actor! An honorable mention to The Shop Around the Corner, In the Good Old Summertime and You’ve Got Mail, which are all based on [the 1937 Hungarian play Parfumerie by Miklós László].

A Christmas Treat in ‘Dolly Parton’s Christmas on the Square’ (2020).

Treat Williams stars in not one but two of this season’s films (who knew he could sing?!). Which actors bring that special spark to festive films for you? Yes, and boy can he sing! Another actor who can sing and puts me straight in the Christmas mood is Bing Crosby. Those classic songs in White Christmas and Holiday Inn are favorites of mine. Jimmy Stewart is an obvious one. He has that charm that’s perfect for Christmas movies, especially in The Shop Around the Corner.

What’s your guiltiest pleasure on the list? Why do we love cheesy movies so much?! Every year I watch TCM’s Classic Christmas marathon [but I also watch] the Hallmark and Lifetime Christmas rom-coms. For me, I love them partly because there’s always a happy ending. I love to see all the decorations and all the cute small towns—some I wish existed so I could visit them because they’re so darn cute! Another reason I love them is the nostalgia, as some of the better ones star TV actors from the ’90s and ’00s like Candice Cameron Bure, Lacey Chabert, Jonathan Bennett, Adrian Grenier, Mario Lopez, Alicia Witt, Alison Sweeney and so many others.

One of the other great Christmas-themed lists on Letterboxd is the one about Christmas movie posters with white heterosexual couples wearing red and green—though many members pride themselves on having seen none of them. I like those movies because I can zone out and enjoy the predictable Christmas ride. However, like other Letterboxd members, I know that these aren’t Oscar-caliber films—though some are better than others! I’m glad that the powers that make these movies are starting to be more inclusive with more POC and LGTBQ+ characters. As a wheelchair user with a physical disability, I was happy to see that Lifetime has an upcoming one called Christmas Ever After, starring Ali Stroker.

Ali Stroker finds love in ‘Christmas Ever After’ (2020).

Indeed, our Make the Yuletide Gay list is an attempt to highlight queer festive films, but the pickings have been slim. Yes, very slim. There’s been queer characters in Christmas films but it’s your stereotypical gay friend or something like that. This year I feel there’s a shift in the air to be more inclusive. My favorites this year so far have been the star-filled lesbi-rom-com Happiest Season, The Christmas House—featuring a landmark first gay couple in a Hallmark festive film, Dolly Parton’s Christmas on the Square and Jingle Jangle: A Christmas Journey—with Ricky Martin! I’m looking forward to checking out A New York Christmas Wedding, The Christmas Setup and Dashing in December.

What is the scariest Christmas film that your horror-loving husband has made you watch? The best one is Black Christmas. I love that it’s female-centered and ahead of its time in their portrayals. The killer’s POV really gets me into it and still to this day puts me on edge, so much so that an ornament fell off our tree while watching it this year and it freaked me out!

Also, should we be watching The Nightmare Before Christmas on Hallowe’en or on Christmas? I watch The Nightmare Before Christmas on both holidays so you get the best of both worlds—the ghoulishness of Hallowe’en and the merriment of Christmas!

What other films on your list show Christmas in an unusual light? The first weird one that popped to mind is The Star Wars Holiday Special. That was weird! Also, from what I’ve watched I would say Eyes Wide Shut, The Ref and 3 Godfathers are not your usual Christmas films. I do have quite a few on the list I have to watch that seem weird and unusual like Elves, Santa and the Ice Cream Bunny and Santa Claus Conquers the Martians.

[Editor’s note: Previous How I Letterboxd interviewee Dave Vis urges you not to watch Santa and the Ice Cream Bunny under any circumstances.]

Which actor is the quintessential Santa Claus? For me, it’s the Santa in Miracle on 34th Street, played by Edmund Gwenn. He truly embodied the part in the way he plays Kris Kringle. The gentleness and innocence he shows throughout the film is magical. It’s no wonder he won a Best Supporting Actor Academy Award for his performance.

Gunn Wållgren in ‘Fanny and Alexander’ (1982).

Of course, so many films in the Christmas canon are American films. What are some of the best Christmas films from around the world? This question makes me realize I haven’t watched enough Christmas movies from around the world. With that being said here’s a few; A Christmas Tale from France, A Child’s Christmas in Wales from the UK, Tokyo Godfathers from Japan and Ingmar Bergman’s Fanny and Alexander from Sweden. Mon oncle Antoine is a great Canadian film set in a small mining village during Christmas. It reminded me of the stories my mom and grandma talked about their Christmas traditions in their small village.

Are there any overrated classics you want to protest? I didn’t watch A Christmas Story growing up, so when I finally did watch it as an adult, I didn’t connect with it. The iconic scenes are funny and all, but it’s just okay. Now I’ll be on my hubby’s naughty list!

Does the film marathon continue through that purgatory week between Christmas and New Year? Do you have any film-related traditions to ring in the New Year? It does continue during that week to a certain extent. Some years after Christmas I’m done and what I haven’t watched goes to the following year but other years I can watch a few more and not feel overwhelmed. On New Year’s we have no traditions per se, but this year we might do a Tarantino marathon.

Christmas season is also synonymous with awards season. You keep track of a lot of Academy Awards history. How are you feeling about the awards season this year? First off, like many others, I haven’t even set foot in a theater this year and that is sad. I hope that the theater-going experience is not irreparably damaged. One good thing that came from the pandemic is film festivals streamed online and we were fortunate to watch some great titles from TIFF from the comfort of our home in September. I saw Nomadland, and it’s going to be a frontrunner for many of the main categories. I hope Regina King’s One Night in Miami gets some love. Miranda July’s Kajillionaire script is so unique—Evan Rachel Wood and Richard Jenkins should be contenders. I haven’t watched a lot of docs yet but Boys State stands out. I’m also eager to see First Cow, Minari, Ammonite, The Truffle Hunters, Soul, Mank, The Father and Promising Young Woman.

This Christmas is going to be weird for a lot of people. What’s one film you’d recommend for a guaranteed happiness injection? Weird indeed. If I have to pick just one it would be John Favreau’s Elf. Will Ferrell as Buddy the Elf instantly brings a smile to my face. You can feel his joy for Christmas from start to finish. From the classic claymation, to New York City at Christmas, to eating all that sugar, to that hilarious scene with Peter Dinklage—it’s Christmas gold!

And finally, are there some other Letterboxd members you recommend we follow? Emily, Flurryheaven, Guyzo997, Peter Spencer, Michael Dean, Brent Vanhomwegen, Ara Hiddleston and also some more Christmas lists.

#letterboxd #how i letterboxd #letterboxd community #letterboxd culture #letterboxd members #christmas #christmas films #christmas movies #holiday movies #holiday films #jack moulton

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friendlycybird · 6 years ago

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The Magnus Archives Characters

If you’ve been reading all my TMA posts, you’ve probably gathered a little bit of how I feel about each of the characters. I figure I’ll just take a moment to be plain about each of them. To keep this brief, I’ll only be discussing characters whose voices we have heard more than once, who are currently alive. So obviously there are a few characters with a lot of weight in the overall arc or even just that make my shortlist of favorites who I won’t be getting into. Yet. Lemme know if I forgot anyone who fits those qualifiers.

Jonathan Sims - The Archivist.

I...I don’t even know what to say about Jon? He made me angry a lot in the beginning, but I always knew I’d grow to love him. I think I was helped a lot by coming into TMA direct from Gravity Falls? In that Jon seems very much cut from the same cloth as Ford. So it was always a familiar sort of irritation I felt with him, and still feel if I’m honest. Placing a “save the world” flavored burden on him doesn’t really help with the parallels there either. I think that...ultimately I just want to help him? I’ve noticed a lot of my affection for other characters tends to be built on how much they care about or want to care for Jon. Really I just wanna wrap him in a blanket, give him some tea, let him sleep for a week and then give him a nice safe job where he gets to do a lot of quiet reading.

Martin Blackwood

My baby. I don’t think you understand how much I love this man, alright? I fucking *adore* Martin. He’s the best. He’s just. Doing his best and he’s totally overwhelmed and probably always has been because he’s neck-deep in a job he’s not technically qualified for that just became a HELL of a lot more than a job and he’s just genuinely *sweet* and fucking...naive. But he’s learning, and when it comes down to it he steps up. He’s my favorite, and I don’t expect that to change.

Tim Stoker

Tim is like a housecat. Pound by pound he ought to be nature’s perfect predator...except for the fact that he’s the smallest animal in the room and it pisses him off. He actually reminds me a bit of a character you might see on a show like The Good Place. Genuinely fun, professional, flirtatious, - and utterly consumed by a situation so far beyond him that it’s all he can do to even imagine that he’s still a good person. While Martin is stepping up to do what he needs to do, what’s expected of him, Tim is just trying to survive with his...sense of self intact. I’ve been told Tim gets some “interesting development” that makes a lot of stuff around him spoilery, and honestly I haven’t asked if I’m there yet because I find his development so far extremely interesting. Assuming he has a secret to be revealed though...I’m definitely looking forward to it.

Elias Bouchard

I wish I could hate him. I wish I could dismiss him as evil and be on my way. It’s not that simple though, is it? Elias is an avatar of The Eye. He may or may not be the same Elias Bouchard that shares his official record, and I’ve recently realized that can’t possibly be the first name he’s used. Whatever else is happening, Elias wants to stop The Unknowing. Or, more precisely, he wants to train Jon to stop The Unknowing. At this point it seems he is almost completely unrestrained by any human limitations in terms of knowledge and ability, but his hands are almost completely tied by the workings of something...higher. He’s...a genuinely fascinating character. Surprisingly so for someone with so little affect.

Sasha James

Okay, I know I said I’d stick to the ones who are still alive I *know*. I Just. I couldn’t leave out Sasha. That was the team, right? Tim, Sasha, and Martin. Sasha was empirical without being blinded by a need for evidence, and arguably the most courageous character we’ve had yet. Coming out of months working in Artifact Storage and not being as desperate to leave the Institute as later season Tim? I Miss Sasha, and giving up hope of getting her back has been the hardest thing this show has made me do yet.

Melanie King

If someone had to replace Sasha, I’m glad it’s Melanie. She’s a good foil for Jon, I think. She’s practical, but seems like she’s a fun person when her life isn’t totally falling apart. Maybe I just have a soft spot for characters with backgrounds in media production, I don’t know, but I’m definitely enjoying her.

Basira Hussain

I love her? I don’t know why, or when this happened I certainly didn’t straight-up love her coming out of the initial Section 31 episode but somewhere along the lines... and like. I’m perhaps more amused than I should be by the reactions to people thinking she’s romantically linked with Jon - and as I type this I realized what I love about her so much. She gives me something of a Donna Noble vibe. I can’t back that up with any textual evidence but...

Michael

Effortlessly alien. Naturally other. He wears his status as something inhuman so well that the implication he may have been human as recently as 2007 is utterly jarring and I’m *desperate* for an explanation. I’m glad he’s the first...avatar...we’ve actually heard from in its full capacity as such? Because he’s such a perfect example with the kind of...otherness...being featured here.

Alice “Daisy” Tonner

She appeals to the part of me that watched Nine Seasons of Supernatural, honestly? She fits that...Hunter Mold, in an increasingly “(s)he who fights monsters...” sort of way. I don’t blame her for wanting to kill Jon. I don’t blame her for backing down when Elias played her relationship with Basira against them both.

Georgie Barker

She’s coming for my “Favorite Character” Spot HARD. She’s already knocked Gerard Keay out of his second place spot and if Martin hadn’t been so wonderful in Light’s Out she might have pulled first. She’s AMAZING. She *Recovered* from a brush with well, That! She recovered and she’s living her life and she can’t feel fear but that doesn’t for a moment make her stupid or reckless - or make her lose compassion for people who are scared. She’s a master a tough love and has been so *good* for Jon this season.

Also, her cat is fucking adorable. ...and now I’ve said that I’m actually really worried about the cat.

#Cybird Says Things #about TMA #The Magnus Archives

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agnesmontague · 6 years ago

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what is tma? i see a bunch of stuff on my dash and it seems p interesting

is it some kind of rite of passage for tma bloggers to get at least one “so what’s tma?” ask? i see it a lot in the tag HAHA

anyways: short answer, tma (short for The Magnus Archives) is a horror fiction podcast! it’s presented at first as a series of unrelated short horror stories, read/narrated by a character named jonathan sims, head archivist of a paranormal research institute called the magnus institute in london. the stories are the “statements” that come into the institute from people who had paranormal experiences firsthand. jon quickly starts to learn that the stories are a lot more interconnected than they appear, however.

if you’re the kind of person who does listen to long-form serial fiction podcasts (and i know not everyone is the type), and you don’t mind a little horror, then i very strongly suggest giving it a go! obligatory plug here but it features almost no jumpscares, no sexual horror (so nothing like sexual assault or rape being used for cheap spooks) because the creators have a strong distaste for such “shock value”-based horror, and a solid cast of lgbtq+ characters.

what it does have:

extremely good worldbuilding, that you’re eased gently into instead of having a whole bunch of nonsense shoved in your face at once (there’s still a lot of intriguing grey areas that aren’t cleared up yet, and theorizing’s half the fun!)

absolutely stellar voice acting for the most part

i can’t emphasize how good the worldbuilding is, like not to spoil too much but there are things in earlier episodes that you’d probably just pass by that come back in much later episodes as important plot threads

really good sound editing, courtesy of the director alex newall (who also does an amazing job voice-acting martin, one of the deuteragonists)

subtle (or sometimes not-so-subtle) humour. like, it’s a horror podcast, but it doesn’t take itself too seriously, and i really appreciate it for that

the ability to worm into your brain after you’ve listened to it and colour your entire worldview forever afterwards

it touches upon a variety of horrors and fears, so even if some things don’t really frighten you, there’s something in there for everyone, and you’re likely bound to find an episode or two that really gets under your skin if you’re into that ;)

the characters are fantastic - i haven’t met anyone so far who isn’t super-attached to at least one if not all the characters in their own way, and some of them undergo arcs that range from cathartic to tragic to just about everything in between. even the one-off “npcs” are charismatic and each have their sizeable fanbase! everyone is believable, sound like actual people, and are (in my opinion) hugely likable despite (or even because) of their flaws

s3 episodes have trigger warnings in the description should you need any; earlier eps don’t, but i heard they were working on that last i checked in

anyways if it’s not obvious, i really really really love this podcast lmao…. if you’re curious what the heck it is that tma thing cerise/charlotte’s been blogging so madly about these past few months, i do absolutely give it my full recommendation!!! it’s a good podcast made by good people and the fan content for it is fuckin balls to the walls amazing

#the magnus archives #tma #Anonymous #im an IDIOT #I DIDN'T EVEN INCLUDE THE FULL TITLE IN MY ORIGINAL ANSWER LGJDLKHJLH

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gilear-core · 3 years ago

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The Magnus Archives: If you’ve been on the thread and haven’t had tma recommended, i’m surprised, but if not, it’s one of the best horror pods of all time. Archivist, Jonathan Sims, is tasked with sorting through the old and stories of the Magnus Archives, though his tasks soon become much larger, and much more terrifying. The stories are pretty much 100% amazing and scary, and the metaplot is spooky and mysterious, AND all the characters are complex and lovable! It is an absolute must listen for any horror lover!

I am in Eskew: easily the scariest show I’ve ever listened to and one of my absolute favorites. Not for the feint hearted but so so good, it’s hard to describe, but things are not right in the city of Eskew- maybe you should join us here?

Light House: Short and absolutely terrifying. the voice acting and imagery is incredible! one of my favorites and one of the few that have actually terrifies me! a rare find for genuinely spooky haunted houses, just listen to the story of Light House, the girls, and all the spirits there.

Welcome to Night Vale: A radio show for the small desert town of Night Vale, featuring local weather, news, announcements from the Sheriff's Secret Police, mysterious lights in the night sky, dark hooded figures with unknowable powers, and cultural events. It’s so bizarre and funny, sometimes creepy and sometimes wholesome! It was my first podcast like five years ago, and it’s still incredible!!

Unwell: A story about a very creepy and very mysterious small town. It embraces the creepy vibe of the midwest, but hides a lot of the socio economic tragedy of these crumbling small towns! It’s an amazing listen!

A Voice from Darkness: about a call in radio show for paranormal advice, the metaplot and the individual stories are so creepy- plus the narrator has the most perfect and spooky voice!! It also has some of the most creative and interesting paranormal lore I’ve ever heard!

The Mistholm Museum of Mystery and Morbidity: about a museum of spooky artifacts and their stories, brought to you by your perfectly functioning audio tour guide- it’s also pretty funny as well as unsettling, and i think it balances those tones well!!

King Falls AM: another show about a creepy small town, but it has a lot of just regular mystery and conspiracy, and isn’t 100% creepy all the time , there’s a lot of humor and “downtime” between the spooks. Although, I do think it ended really abruptly? It’s long so if you don’t want to get invested and then have nothing else be careful!

Hello from the Hallowoods: Your nightmarish host Nikignik presents a heartfelt horror show from the beautiful (and deadly) Northern Hallowoods.

Listen as a cast of (wonderful and largely queer) survivors face twisted wildlife, the Instrumentalist, and other terrors in the forest at the end of the world. I live this show, it’s like a more cryptid/eldritch Night Vale, but it’s so much more than that! it has so many amazing threads that are genuinely exciting to unravel, and the narrators voice/voices are so soothing to listen to.

Mirrors: A story about a ghost (or creature) haunting three different generations of women! All the ladies are really lovable and complex! And there so much more to it than just spooks! (this one actually gets more mysterious and less spooky but it’s really wonderful!)

Weeping Cedars: Another Creepy small town, this time in the docu-drama style. The story is really good the first season, though the second season looses a lot of scare factor and just sounds like a documentary! Still give it a listen though, I still liked the second season, it’s just a lil slow.

Alice isn’t Dead: Alice isn’t Dead, and her wife is going on a road trip to try and find her! Alice is one of my all time favorites, it’s creepy and the sound design is incredible! The story is so creepy and wholesome and mysterious, I will absolutely recommend it to everyone

The Six Disappearances of Ella McCray: a twist on the “missing person/cold case” genre that gets really wild really quickly

Zoo: a delightful and spooky little mystery about disappearances, vanishing signs, and cryptids with a really fun twist!

Spines: about a girl who wakes up with crazy super powers and no memory of what happened to her, Wren is unraveling who and what she is, where she came from, and the horrors that created her. really good, though definitely a body horror warning on this one!

How I Died is a short indie podcast about a coroner who can talk to ghosts in a very mysterious town, it’s an amazing concept, and they bring more to the story than just a dude who can talk to ghosts!

The Lovecraft Investigations: Tackles the stories of HP Lovecraft in the docu-drama style and it’s actually really good! both the hosts are likable, and they make some of the confusing ramblings of mr lovecraft actually is treating and sensible!( I always recommend this to people who were disappointed in the Balck Tapes)

The Left/Right Game: A short story about a very scary extra dimensional road trip- genuinely terrifying and the sound design is beyond amazing! one of my absolute favorites, i’ve re listened so many times now!

Borrasca: A short but scary mystery, the little details make it so much more immersive and interesting, the ending is a bit of a toss up, but I really liked it!

Call of the Void: A really amazing reimagining of the Lovecraft story, short, and really well done! the characters are all real and likable, and it has so much heart!

The Deca Tapes: Ten people locked in the same space- they have no memories of who they are, they have no names, just jobs, and no other details from me! this ones a wild ass ride, it kinda reminds me of Lost, but like, good.

The Deep Vault: A group of friends venture into an underground bunker to avoid the apocalypse, but everything is not what it seems.

Aftershocks: A short show about a very shady and creepy Institution- the representation of different mental illnesses is really thoughtfully done and portrayed, but you should definitely cross check your triggers before listening!!

Death by Dying: about an obituary writer trying to solve the mysteries of those he writes about. It’s creepy and funny and absurd, even more off the rails than Welcome to Night Vale.

The Storage Papers: Jeremy buys a storage unit filled with creepy and weird statements. The independent stories are great, though the meta lot has a lot of different threads going on. It focuses a lot on like demons and stuff, and i personally don’t like Judeo-Christian themes in my horror, but om still listening because the stories are good! i have high hopes for the third season though!

Limetown: Over three hundred people went missing from the small city of Limetown, in the docu drama style, Lia Haddock tries to unravel the conspiracy of what happened there. it’s a little confusing, but the story is compelling, though the second season is pretty hit or miss

Malevolent: Arthur looses his sight in an accident, and when he wakes up, there’s a mysterious voice in his head who can see through his eyes, and has to narrate the world around them!! Really spooky, and give off that 20s lovecraft/eldritch vibe, and it’s really well done! I think it’s and and really creative and smart framing device! and of all the shows i think their patreon has the most exciting rewards!

The Sheridan Tapes:The Sheridan Tapes: Anna Sheridan, famous horror novelist, has gone missing, and Sam Bailey, homicide detective, is trying to find her. He has to listen to her weird an spooky tapes for clues, but finds out a lot more about the world around him, and specifically his little city. i really love it’s one! if you like to hear your narrator sort of wax poetic while delivering spooks, you’ll def like this one!! the characters all feel real and the story unravels in a really satisfying arc!

Video Palace: Mark finds a mysterious VHS tape, and after watching, he brings to talk in his sleep in a language that doesn’t exist. As he and his girlfriend set out to investigate they get wrapped up in occult, conspiracy, and legend surrounding the mysterious Video Palace.

Nora: hard to describe, but it’s really interesting!! a woman who calls herself Nora is investigating a series of strange events, including a building that can not exist

The Silt Verses: The same creators of I am in Eskew, and it’s just as amazing!! The world is so full and terrifying! It’s a horror/ religious fantasy in an alternate world, with outlawed gods and fanatics! I want so much more inside this universe, and it’s easy to forget how horrifying it is because the story is so compelling, but it will remind you exactly when it should.

Alexandria archives: a late night university call in show blended with a horror anthology! the tone is largely horror-comedy, but i really love this one, it’s bizarre and the meta story it’s so fun!

Duggan Hill: Traveling through old country roads, a woman named Sasha goes missing, the last person she spoke to, was her ex girlfriend, Zoe, but… Zoe can’t remember anything about her. I really like this one!! the story evolves in a pretty unexpected and interesting way!!

the Gloom: short and sweet! it’s in the “docudrama” investigative journalist style, i really love the focus of the story, but the narrator is just a little melodramatic for my tastes! the journalist finds and explores tapes from a decades old cold case, involving the deaths and disappearances of four kids from a mental home for troubled youths.

In Another Room: only 8 episodes, but one of the best pieces of haunted house media I’ve ever heard! Investigative journalist, Wendy, steps into a local haunted house to report on paranormal findings, but is immediately swallowed up. Each room shows her exactly what happened there and gives her clues to the truth of the house.

The Orpheus Protocol: if you can get into TTRPG actual play games you MUST give it a listen. It’s true my some of the best horror writing I’ve ever heard, and the dice act almost secondary to this incredible story!! There are dozens of characters and an enormous back catalogue (like 200 eps?) it’s really 10/10 incredible!!

Achewillow: Achewillow isn’t really 100% horror, it’s more of a cozy mystery with some (albeit spooky) supernatural characters. Miriam inherits the Achewillow cafe from her great aunt (a bonafide witch) in the tiny town of Achewillow. She has to use her wits to learn her aunts magic to help the town and protect it from demons! it’s actually pretty cute and wholesome, with interesting characters and ideas, and when the horror pops up it’s really great!

Where the Stars Fell: Dr. Edison Tucker is having a very weird life. Not being able to die tends to color things that way. Luckily, the strange and unusual is something of her speciality, and Ed’s set her sights and wunderkind grant money on the strangest town in America: Jerusalem, Oregon. She’ll certainly get her EMF Meter’s worth. Between an eccentric housemate, quirky townsfolk, and the mysteries lurking just beyond the tree line, Ed’s going to find the answers she’s been searching for. She just might not be ready for what finds her.

Blackwood: Five years ago, three high school seniors start a podcast to document the local monster, the Blackwood Bugman. The investigation grows out of control, with supernatural and human horror and only one of them makes it out.

Orphans: The first season follows seven people who shipwreck on an abandoned and savage planet- each season continues to expand the world, its mysterious and spooky and great, though it eventually leans more towards sci fi than horror in the later seasons!

Ghosts in the Burbs is anthology about haunted suburbs, the stories are all very judeo-christian demonology (i personally don’t like Judeo-Christian themes in my horror) but it’s still a good listen, though they really brick the ending, the stories are fine, but damn if that ending wasn’t rushed and disappointing.

NOT HORROR

Dust: Each season is a different story (except the first season which is just an anthology of stories about the future) and Flight 008 and Chrysalis are both amazing

Within The wires: A really amazing listen, each season is found audio from an alternate world, one where we took a different path after world war 1! it’s one of my favorites!

The Bright Sessions: an amazing story about therapy for people with superpowers, it’s dramatic, and wholesome, and honestly very comforting if you too need therapy

Stella Firma: Also by Rusty Quill, though it’s certainly not even remotely like Magnus, it’s a really silly show about designing custom planets for a wild ass corporation, and the shenanigans of one very capable clone and one less capable sales associate

Passenger List is about an investigation plane that disappeared, really mysterious and really compelling!

Girl in Space: a really fun show about a girl who’s all alone on a colony ship, a very strange star, and a light in the distance

The Amelia Project: A very silly show about a place that helps you fake your death and disappear! It’s honestly really funny and I love it

Wolf 359: One of my absolute favorites! 3 astronauts and one AI on a space stay on that’s much to big for just the three of them. It’s kinda silly, but the plot picks up pretty fast, and the balance between comedic relief and more sinister aspects of the Hephaestus!

Liminal Apocalypse: Only three episodes but they’re honestly so great, about split timelines, morality, and hard decisions

ars Paradoxica: do you like time travel that’s actually well written with a legit understanding of the physics around it? Government conspiracy? It’s great!!

Anyone have any podcast recommendations? So far I’ve listened to tma, wtnv, tpp and chnt, i tried to use the recommended feature on spotify, but honestly it’s so hard to get a vibe just from reading the description if u get what I’m saying

#podcast #tma #wtnv #hello from the hallowoods #hfthw #alice isn’t dead #i am in eskew #the silt verses #w359 #wolf 359 #within the wires #unwell #the mistholme museum of mystery morbidity and mortality #king falls podcast #how I died #the lovecraft investigations #left/right game #the orpheus protocol

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