#it makes me think of the theory that Gwen is taking the place of Jon

[vertigala]

*Grabs you by the throat* Listen to me you TMAGP-loving freaks. Listen to me right now. RedCanary might be the host for this universe's Jonah Magnus.

This is under the assumption that TMAGP takes place in a parallel universe that may or may not have already had the fears in it prior to Jon releasing them at the end of TMA.

RedCanary goes to explore the Magnus Institute ruins. They become paranoid because the Eye is watching them. They pick up a wooden box with strange symbols carved into it. They go to put it back. Next we hear from them, they post an image of gouged out eyes with the caption "Canaries should stay above ground."

They found the tunnels, hence that caption. Then they found Jonah Magnus's body sitting down there, waiting for a new host.

In this universe, the Magnus Institute burned down in 1999. Maybe in this universe Gertrude went through with her original plan of burning the place to the ground after finding out Elias was actually Jonah in 1997. Either way, let's say Jonah's original body is down there, maybe with Elias's body and his eyes and all that, and with his plans foiled, he's just chilling down there waiting for an opportunity which RedCanary then gives him. This is my going theory due to the specificity of the caption "canaries should stay above ground" (referring to the tunnels, and also it being in third-person) and the fact that RedCanary themselves would be pretty unlikely to be able to post that picture of THEIR OWN EYES GOUGED OUT unless it was Magnus assuming their body and identity and being a freak about it.

But there's more.

Narratively speaking, it makes sense for the third voice in the computer to be Jonah Magnus, right? If Jon and Martin ended up in this universe as voices in a computer, the only other person sharing their fate would have to be Magnus, given how TMA ended. Recall, also, the boot-up sequence in the trailer of TMAGP.

[id: a screenshot of the text from the TMAGP teaser, which says “initializing J.01… OK/initializing M.01… OK/initializing J.02… OK”. end id.]

Jonathan, Martin, and Jonah, right? Unless Augustus is gonna be a new J name or this is just an unrelated easter egg but like. It's Jonah right?? Right??? And he's watching the O.I.R.A through the systems like a good little voyeur, and Colin knows it!

So now we possibly have TWO Jonah Magnuses in this universe!! That's absurd!! One from the TMAGP universe now loose and running around in RedCanary's body, and one from the TMA universe trapped in a computer. But if this is true...doesn't that mean there would be two Jons and Martins too?

And listen...I'm thinking about what Jonny and Alex said during that liveshow panel about this story's themes regarding "what makes a human." If we dare to hope that Jon and Martin (and Jonah, if it's his voice in the computer) are going to gain consciousness and once again become proper characters...then, are they going to simply stay in the computer? Or are they going to "manifest" physically? Are they going to UPLOAD themselves into THEIR OWN TMAGP UNIVERSE BODIES?

@doomatix and I have been going crazy over these theories and they were the one that initially considered RedCanary's new identity as Jonah Magnus. Are our facts wrong? Does any of this even make sense? We haven't seen anyone else posting about this particular theory. Someone help us we are rotting. And don't even get me started on how GWEN would fit into this--

[autismprotocol]

TMAGP Theory Board (S1 EP 7)

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

What Happened in Episode 7: Give and Take

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

-Echo

[blujayeyes]

TMAGP OIAR Theory under the cut⬇️

Hi! It’s me! If you were on tmagp tiktok in the VERY early days of tmagp(I’m talking first two episodes just released) I was that one guy in the comments of every tmagp related video telling people my ship name for Chester and Noris(bEYEnary bfs). It is very likely you have no fuckin clue what I’m talking about, and if so, yeah that’s fair I’m assuming that’s most people reading this; HOWEVER either way in the past several months since tmagp 1&2, I have been working on my theory board(red string and all) and I have created a conspiracy board that would put Collin’s to shame, and looks just as insane, but using this I think I have solved the OIAR’s purpose within tmagp’s alchemy based fearscape, and bottom line, everyone is screwed.

So it all started when I saw these two images being compared on here

So then I was like yeah that’s interesting from the alchemy angle but what does it mean but then I saw someone saying that if you look closely at the OIAR logo you can see the symbols for sulphur, salt, and mercury, the soul, body and mind, and then my curiosity got the best of me. So I started theorizing about this on my coarkbord and did some digging into the philosopher’s stone.

It was said to be a red stone that alchemists would try to make due to it’s properties of being able to turn base metals precious metals BUT it was also said that it could be used to create the elixir of life which could indefinitely prolong life aka immortality AKA one of the major reoccurring themes of tma AKA Jonah Magnus’s main goal that motivated him into starting the eyepocalipse AKA the thing we learnt was impossible in the fearpocalypse because no new people were being born and the end would eventually get them all.

So what did Lena say the OIAR’s job was to Gwen? To keep the wheel forever turning. So logically that would probably mean keeping the entities fed but preventing the end of the world. In other words sustainable fear. Keeping the wheel FOREVER turning. Are you starting to get it? So using that logic that clearly shows why she works so hard to keep the externals(avatars) at such a distance. But in her phrasing she made it sound like the OIAR is something they would jump to take if given the chance.

And then it hit me. Going back to my previous point we have been showed how much avatars and alchemy overlap, especially with the more recent episodes highlighting how avatars are partaking in alchemy, with tmagp 19 showing both the Magnus institute and sir Isaac newton were very involved with using alchemy in their spooky shit. Even as far back as the first two episodes we see this, and although it is more implied in episode 1 with red canary seeing “weird symbols” in the Magnus institute, it is said overtly in ep 2!

Which leads me to at least theorize that wether metaphorically or literally, the reason the avatars so intertwined with alchemy want to take control of the OIAR so bad, is because the OIAR(and probably FR3-D1, let’s be real) is the philosopher’s stone of their patrons, granting them eternal fear with perfect balance, just as Robert Smirke always dreamed. And the reason Lena wants to keep the place so secure is because if one did take it, it would unbalance the scale, making it lose it’s function and the possibility of an apocalypse imminent. And Gwen just weakened Lena’s boundaries by letting lady mowbray into the building.

Or I’m wrong. There’s every possibility that I’m wrong. After all this is my theory board

And it’s like, 40% Elias theories. Jon would be proud.

But I’m like, 72% sure I’m right.

[bubbl3s-dot-jpg]

My thoughts about TMAGP 7 before reading anyone else's:

Oh my god we got a lot of stuff today

Celia recognizes Chester's voice which could imply a few things: One, Jon is alive in this universe and she met/knew/heard of him. Two, Jonny Sims is playing an entirely different character with whom Celia has met/known/heard. OR three, Celia has previous experience with the fears. All three are equally likely in my opinion, IF it weren't for the next piece of information.

Sam got an email from someone named John. (I checked the spelling on the official transcript and that is how it is spelled). The email was internal. I'm not going to jump to conclusions about this because of how this is spelt and because Jonny is known to reuse names. (See Jared and Gerard, and Michael). However, if I were a writer, I wouldn't mind using common names for smaller characters that may or may not show up again, but would mind severely if a major character shared a name with a minor character. Jury's still out on this for me.

Colin doesn't allow external devices into his workspace. I didn't think about it much in earlier episodes, but I think it is notable that we only hear him occasionally and never from his own devices. Sam brings in external devices, or he's out and about, in a place where devices can hear him. He could be worried that they interfere with his work, but Sam had described him as otherwise paranoid and worrying about interference seems to be something not worth fighting about. This leads me to believe Colin knows something is going on.

The mention of hilltop road is interesting. I'm aware that Hilltop road is a road an therefore could have multiple addresses, but since it was such a significant part of MAG, I think it is worth noting what happened there. To me, it feels like a bunch of avatars, or a cult, similar to that of the Lifeless Flame attempted to bring a bunch of items that could possibly be fear-adjacent (like Leitner books) into a place of power. That's pure speculation, however.

Lena has attempted to murder at least two different people, and they both suggest "disappearing again". I have no idea what this could mean, but it feels relevant to me. I'm keeping this in mind for future refrence.

Lena makes mention of "real work" which leads me to wonder what everyone is doing there. People have speculated that the OIAR is feeding the eye in the same way the Magnus Institute was and I think I agree with that. However, Magnus' goal with the institute was to start the eyepocalypse. Is this what Lena is doing? If so, how? Is she doing it the same way Magnus was, by taking a already fear-touched person and using them as their avatar? If that's the case, what is the point of the files that they are reading?

Gwen's family is rich. I don't know if it was mentioned in MAG that the Bouchards had money, but I think it's more relevant here. It also explains her entitlement and the fact that she watched two attempted (and one successful?) murders and decided that this was the line of employment she wanted to continue. I'm biased because I have a history with the name, but we're only seven episodes in and I already don't like her.

Last and very least, Alice thinks Norris's voice (possibly aka Martin's voice) is whiny.

This was a way longer post than I meant to write, but I'm interested in seeing where the fan discussion goes. This was such a plot-heavy episode that I'm still taking time to digest it. I'm also really interested in seeing how my theories and thoughts evolve.

[pennesloppy]

the magnus protocol is so good i cant

second episode's statement feels both like an expansion on the slaughter and its ties to music and arts / wild passion but it's also very focused on the flesh and the perfection of self and i'm not even at what I assume to be the big twist yet but this feels like mastery over your series' concepts. also martin and jon being the TTS is unspeakably cool but the fuckn Implications. like I'm pretty sure it's because they've opened the floodgates in MAG300 and they're like. a part of the eye now? maybe??? but I feel like it makes sense. I hope they show up in reports or something. and in person ofc

idk if sam trying to piece together the system hints to a gertrude equivalent of shtick being misfiled on purpose? colin definitely knows more about it though (hes got my name!!!!). lena definitely hits the elias vibe but feels very much less insidious. i feel like drawing parallels might be a reckless move but I can see so many of them. like, alice has the willingly skeptic vibe that jon had.

oh also I love the character focus. the original is definitely more of a slow burn in that regards which makes it very difficult for me to not gush about to the friends i'm introducing TMA to, but this is wonderful.

it feels significant that teddy is allowed to leave in the first episode. makes me think the OIAR isn't affiliated with the eye/ not as much as the archives, might be because of the lack of jonah magnus? also gwen wanting to take lena's place and stuff definitely foreshadows SOMETHING and I am scared as hell.

im still on the 'the archives failed their ritual due to the lightless flame' theory train but i'm very intrigued by the archives still fighting back against intruders.

canaries should stay above ground is very fucked, i love it, i think it's interesting the eye actually made someone STOP seeing for once though. also the dates of the posts built tension so efficiently I loved that so much. the different report formats and the heavy breach of privacy add so much flavor to the horror. also that box redcanary took is absolutely the web box thing right?

speaking of the web, the listening devices are so good. i doubt they're web-related this time, especially if the archives are not as important this time around, but the fact they're just following you is horrible.

i don't know to what extend the eye is 'stronger' because of the TMA ritual or if it's even canon to the TMP series but I feel like the eye is much more insidious and I don't know if it's because it's desperate due to the destruction of the archives or if it's a manifestation of it's dominance over the other fears? I do hope the TMP universe is one of the many made to be consumed after the fear in TMA world dried up completely though, that would be very cool and that is personally why I think martin and jon show up as text-to-speech.

i think I should do more unhinged rant posts tbh, i'm sorry it's disorganized to any hypothetical readers though, it's very much hastily typed thoughts I haven't exactly very much expanded upon. i've got doubts anyone is gonna actually see this but i do really wanna talk about it so if anything is confusing ask me about it or something. might clean this up later anyways

[asterzratz02]

BIG MAGNUS PROTOCOL SPOILERS FOR EP 1 AND 2! YOUVE BEEN WARNED!

Ok I have a theory. Has this already been posted? Probably, but I'm brain rotting.

It's mainly based off of this bit in the transcripts (pls note im getting my transcripts from the unofficial transcript archive, however as far as I know these transcripts are still accurate and the the same as the official transcripts)

This is literally from the first episode, the first non-spoken lines are about a computer listening. No, sorry not listening eavesdropping. As a writer you wouldn't use the word eavesdropping unless it was ment to personify something. Maybe I'm looking too much into this, but like- this is only where my decent into tmp madness starts. Ofc Norris and Chester being voiced by Jonny and Alex heavily implies that some part of Jon and Martin's soul has been transferred into the computers, or programs, files, or whatever you wanna call it. There's not quite enough info to determine how much of them is trapped in the computers, but im quite certain more than just there voice is trapped. There's emotion in the voices, especially Martin's (because ofcourse there would be, my favorite poet-) once again personifying the computers. Now, im not sure if the eavesdropping computer was 'Norris' or 'Chester' or even 'Augustus.' At first I though 'Oh well lots of people are theorizing that Augustus is Jonah and I was convinced. Not the mention that supports my connection to the eavesdropping computer. Because ofcourse, Jonah would be eavesdropping, especially seeing as we're all theorizing that Gwen is related to Elias. (Bouchard lastname)

NOW. HEAR ME OUT. The Bouchard lastname isn't inherently connected to Jonah Magnus. Before Elias was possessed by Jonah, he was just some guy. I can't remember excatly what ep of mag that's in, but I distinctly remember someone mentioning how odd it was that Elias went from a low level position at the institute with issues of some kind? I forgot what kind? Anyways what I'm trying to say is while yes, it makes sense that Elias and Gwen are related, that doesn't mean Qwen has anything to do with Jonah. Especially since as far as I know, Jonah was obliterated. Like... he's gone gone- and this universe were listening in on is most likely (this might have been confirmed, I'm unsure) a whole alternate universe from the one the magnus archives took place in. Wait I think it was confirmed? Seeing as it burnt down in 1999 in this universe as far as I recall, and the tma podcast takes place in the mid 2010's. So pretty sure tma and tmp take place in different universes, tied togethor via the web. Think spider man into the spiderverse if your confused. (Sorry im really just rambling at this point)

Anyways. Now I'm thinking, the Jonah Magnus in the tma universe was destroyed.... meaning Augustus probably isn't Jonah? HOWEVER. I just though of something. Was the Jonah Magnus in the tmp universe destroyed??? Maybe he's just some guy who died before coming to use the power of the watcher, but... maybe not? Ok so... the main question I'm left with then is who's useing the computers to eavesdrop? Maybe it is this universes Jonah, whoever he's possessed this time... my bets on Lena, but that's a whole other theory that I don't feel like going on a tangent about rn. Maybe it's Chuch, Norris, and/or Augustus. Maybe Augustus is Annabelle? Idk.

Anyways, I'm gonna use this as a thread and add onto it the more thoughts I have on this :3

[moonsanoverthinker]

MAGNUS PROTOCOL EPISODE 7 SPOILERS

Here’s a series of thoughts I had while listening to episode 7 (I’m loosing my mind and these are the most random thoughts!)

I’ll stick them under the cut just incase people haven’t got to it yet! <3

Also edit: I’ve seen things about how these dots were too easy to connect and that theory makes sense. Now questioning are the dots easy to connect because they were supposed to be followed or are they easy so we all go on a goose chase…

Celia why are you mentioning the tape recorders…

“Spoken cases have anything in common” What like one specific voice reading about loosing loved ones? Or the one where the horrors follow people? Or the need for power and to be recognised? OR THE ONE ABOUT THE INSTITUTE?

Celia, dear, why are you asking about flesh and being buried alive? (The Flesh and The Buried perhaps…)

WHAT DO YOU MEAN HILLTOP CENTRE

Is Mr C.Clayton dead? Or is there just something pretending to be him?

“It’s all for a good cause” I’m sure it is!

Also random thought most of this takes place in 2015 which lines up with series 1 of TMA (this more than likely means nothing just thought about it)

Right time to start noting every single item down!

Also isn’t this how Breekon and Hope took over that guys removal business?

Those new worker 🤝Mikaele Salesa 🤝ton of weird objects that may or may not be spooky

Mmm yep those descriptions are fucking awful thanks for that!

Is the man in black clothing a friend or a foe I wonder?

Feeling very Stranger coded this one (I know the fears might not be a thing in this universe but still)

“The voice threw me” DID IT NOW CELIA, SOUNDING FAMILIAR IS IT?

“Whiny little toad” Wonder who wrote that…

“Do you know who voices Chester?” They don’t but you might Celia

“Doesn’t matter. I’m sure it wasn’t anyone important” CELIA. 1. It does matter. 2.NO

COLINS ALIVE!

Johns learnt how to send emails then?

Or is it John or Jon? Are we getting Michealed or this is him?

Was the random name Sims, Sam?

“The real stuff” What is the real stuff? Is what they look at not the real stuff…

“It’s already recorded too…” Colin. What does this mean. Are the horrors listening? Perhaps some might say waiting?

Lena and Gwen! That’s it that’s the thought.

“It’s really quite amusing actually” “Trust me” GOD GWEN. Is she from the violent side of the family? Or the Elias before the horrors side?

“Most people would consider directly confronting me like this a rather foolish idea” Why’s that Lena…

“According to my source” Gwen how did find the source? Family connections?

“Maybe with your job” GO OFF GWEN

“I am not a wealthy woman, certainly not compared to your own family” Every episode I am getting more convinced she is directly related to Elias OR she is the non-Jonah version of Elias and is just cut throat?

“I want ‘in’” WHAT IS ‘IN’

“Step up too the real work” Is…is this not the real work. More horrors await I assume?

“I hope you’re ready for it as you think you are. Consider yourself ‘in’” This will either go splendidly and in Gwens favour or everything is going to be awful! (For now I’m going to assume awful)

[ledenews]

Suicide? No Way - Part 3

(Publisher’s Note: This is the third in a series of articles that will examine the passing of 19-year-old Colby Brown, a 2018 graduate of Cameron High School, who attended Marshall University in Huntington. Colby was pronounced dead on Aug. 26, 2019, after paramedics treated him in the middle of Interstate 64.) Darby Brown and her brother Colby had a thing, and it was the same thing he had with Shelby and his mom when it came to hitting the gym. The little brother babysat. “When are you going to gym? What machines are you using? How long are you there? How many reps? His questions were non-stop, but I know it was because he wanted me to do it the right way,” Darby said. “So, we would Snapchat each other when we were at the gym to be accountable. It really was one of our things.” But then there was August 26, 2019. Colby Brown was pronounced dead shortly after 7 p.m. after he worked out at his gym, attended both of his classes during the first day of his sophomore year, and played video games with five friends.

Colby was popular at Cameron High, a school he continued attending despite moving out of the district. “We were in contact on Snapchat at about 3:30 p.m. that day, but then at 6:35 p.m., I sent him a photo of me at the gym,” Darby said. “Usually, he would send something back that was supportive, but not that time. I didn’t hear back from him, and yes, I did think it was odd at the time because he always replied, especially when it came to the gym. “That day, though, the photo I sent him was opened, but there was no response, and I thought it was odd and rude that he wouldn’t answer me because he always did without fail,” she continued. “I mean, why would he open my message and not respond? Now, though, I’m not so sure it was him who opened that message. And then we found out that after that, his location was turned off on his phone right around the same time.” The end result is what is known. Colby Brown died that day on Interstate 64. A young lady who stopped when seeing him fall to the cement knelt over him during his final breaths. “It doesn’t add up, and that's why I still don’t know what really happened to Colby, and that is what is so infuriating,” Darby said. “I have all of these theories in my mind, but I don’t have enough information to make sense of a single one of them. I don’t know, and that’s why we’re so desperate for more information so we can know where he was and maybe why this happened. “It’s just not right. It’s been over five months, and we still don’t know anything new other than I don’t have my brother anymore,” she said. “And the state police still have not given back his phone because the investigation is said to be ongoing, but I wish they would just give it to us so we can go find the answers like we have been since this accident happened.”

Colby's family created this collage showing the young man at various ages. ‘Thank you, sir. May I have another?’ Pledging a fraternity was a discussed topic. His mother and his sisters were anti-frat for reasons of their own, but Colby was surrounded daily by members of the Alpha Sigma Phi fraternity. His roommates and the boys with whom he was playing video games on the day he died, were mostly Alpha Sig members. If Colby had, in fact, decided to pledge to join his friends, no one in his immediate family was informed. “He had told us that he wasn’t really interesting in joining a fraternity, but all of his friends were fraternity members of Alpha Sigma Phi,” Gwen explained. “One of his roommates was the president of the fraternity, so I guess it is possible that he finally gave in and decided to pledge. “But if that turns out to be the truth, I’ll be very surprised,” she said. “But he was growing up, living on his own, and was making his own decisions. I do not know if he made that decision on the day he died, though.”

Gwen captured this image from a news station reporting on her son's death. Alpha Sigma Phi is a national fraternity with more than 8,000 undergraduate members and 56,000 living alumni, according to the organization’s website. It was founded on Dec. 6, 1845, at Yale University, is the 10th oldest national fraternity in the nation, and is one of 12 fraternities at Marshall University. Investigations into behavior and hazing have taken place at Marshall concerning fraternities and sororities during the past five years. Jon Crow, once a family friend and a classmate of Colby’s, did not say anything when he visited for Colby’s funeral about the fraternity or whether or not he had decided to become a pledge. “All he told us was the same story over and over again,” Gwen recalled. “They all smoked a bowl of weed, and then Colby went downstairs because he didn’t feel good, and then he just left. That really doesn’t sound like something Colby would ever do. “I mean, he never just left without saying goodbye, so I don’t know. Obviously, we know he did leave, but like that?”

This card from his freshman year at Marshall University has Colby's name and Alpha Sigma Phi as the listed organization. Herd Life? The legal drinking age in West Virginia is the same as it is in the other 49 states – 21 – but that wasn’t an obstacle for Colby and his friends, Darby insisted. Why not? “Colby found out during his freshman year that there are bars in Huntington where you could get a special card and those bars will allow you to drink if you are pledging the right fraternity,” Darby claimed. “And yes, even if you are underaged. And Colby did get one of those cards from one of his friends, but he told us he used it only to go to that bar and that he was never really going to pledge the fraternity.

Colby's sister Darby insists that some establishments near Marshall University issue cards to fraternity members so patrons younger than 21 years old can consume alcohol. “I told him that it wasn’t his type of thing and I really didn’t want him to get involved with it because you hear so many stories from all over the country. But I also had a friend die at WVU because of hazing. Nolan Burch died because of that culture, and that made me worry about my little brother,” she said. “When it came to college, I was the person he went to because I graduated college just before he was a freshman at Marshall.” Once his personal belongings were collected from his apartment and his car, Gwen did find a new card for the Premiere Pub & Grill with no name or organization listed. The question Colby’s family has asked is whether the new card was another gift, or was it earned somehow this time? “I don’t know if he had to do something for it. Maybe,” Darbie said. “But I don’t know if he had to do something his freshman year to get that card. He just acted as if he just had to be interested in pledging to get it, but as for his sophomore year, that’s something we never talked about. “His freshman year, he had a card for Jake’s, but that bar closed down, but he had a couple of cards in his wallet from a place call the Premiere, and one of his roommates, Jon Crow, was a bouncer at that place,” she explained. “If he went down to Huntington with the intentions of pledging that fraternity, he hid it from us, and that wouldn’t have been like him. He wasn’t a secretive person with us.”

The initial report conducted by law enforcement indicated that Colby Brown had taken his own life. Heroin in Huntington The entire state of West Virginia has gravely suffered from the opioid crisis, but the Huntington area? It was stricken. The largest city in Cabell County is met with many of the same challenges law enforcement encounters here in Ohio County because of its proximity to state borders. One after another. One day in 2017, more than 20 people overdosed on opioids laced with fentanyl in Huntington, and the city since has been a focus during the epidemic. But opioids? Heroin? Colby? “The only way he would do anything like that is if he didn’t know it,” Darby insisted. “And that stuff didn’t come back on the first toxicology report that we finally received from the private investigator. All that was on it was marijuana and nothing else.

Colby had earned a Promise Scholarship and had plans to earn a business degree at Marshall University. “I know there was mention of him doing mushrooms, but that isn’t listed on that report either,” she continued. “He liked weed, and we all knew it so that is why we are anxious to get the second toxicology report that hopefully will be completed soon.” In 2017, 1,019 West Virginians died of an opioid overdose, and in 2018, 900 perished, according to the Centers of Disease Control and Prevention. Quick response teams are operational in 22 of the state’s 55 counties, and the first squad was formed in 2017 in Cabell County. A paramedic, a law enforcement officer, and a recovery coach are involved. “I know Huntington is ground zero for opioid deaths, but I also know my brother would have never gone there,” Darby said. “He was too concerned with his health and his body to ever do anything like that of his own accord. Now, was he slipped something without him knowing? We don’t know. “Colby has seen people in our family struggle with addiction, and it’s something he paid attention to and something he always said he would avoid at all costs,” she said. “I know he would not get on that path of opioid drugs even if he wanted to experiment with something. That was something he would never get involved with; that I know. He saw it destroy too many people.”

Colby was unable to take Penny to Marshall for his freshman year, but once he secured an apartment with friends, his canine went to college with him. A Shiny Penny No More Gwen’s voice changes when she begins to talk about her son. It lowers into persistent somberness and often is difficult to hear during conversations. She and Colby’s sisters are not alone in their sorrow. Penny, a canine Colby took to Huntington with him for his sophomore year, has changed, too. “At first, Penny would look for him any time she heard a car door or an engine rev up,” Gwen said. “But now, she acts depressed and just wants to sleep all of the time. She’s not the same dog she was, and she’s a 6-year-old Boxer. I just think she’s sad and that she’s lonely. She misses her best friend. “She doesn’t like to be left alone, either,” she continued. “Penny seemed angry during the first few weeks, but now she just seems so damn sad.”

Colby traveled with his family to Myrtle Beach in July 2019 and posed with his sister Darby for this fun photo. The family has been contacted since this series of stories began on January 11, and they are hoping and praying that more people step forward with any information they may know to be true. “That’s really what we want, so I’m glad that some of his friends are now reaching out to us to help us fill in the parts of his timeline that we don’t know yet,” Darby explained. “No piece of information is too small, either, because this is a big, giant puzzle we’re putting together ourselves because of the lack of help from the investigators. “If you talked to him the day before or the day of Colby’s death, that’s important to us, and if you talked to any of the people he was around during those days, that’s also important to us,” she insisted. “I would love to hear from more people; that’s for sure.” (Photos provided by the Brown family) Read the full article

[theprocrastinatingalien]

Things to consider for Spider-Man: Homecoming 2

SPIDER-MAN: HOMECOMING is out there in the cinemas, and it's getting rave reviews.

I've seen it, and I enjoyed it - although I will say (sorry!) I do think it's a little over hyped.  For me, personally, I have to disagree that it's one of the best MCU films - I'd place it in the middle ground.  But each to their own - it's easily the funniest SPIDER-MAN film so far, there are some great character moments, Tom Holland is now my favourite Peter Parker, the connection to the MCU works well, and sets the film apart from the Raimi and Webb films, and it's same to say we're looking at the most comic-accurate Spider-flick to date.

Next year we'll see Holland don the red and blue in AVENGERS: INFINITY WAR, but in 2019 we'll get a double dose of the webslinger in the untitled AVENGERS 4, and (most importantly) in SPIDER-MAN: HOMECOMING 2, which will allegedly start up moments over AVENGERS 4, and will also kick off the MCU's Phase 4.  That's some heavy duty there.

So, here are some thoughts on the already-highly-anticipated sequel.

THE TITLE

Well, Holland's already told us it won't be SPIDER-MAN: HOMECOMING 2, which makes sense, but whilst the actor refers to it as SPIDER-MAN 2, there's already a film out there with that (a good one too), so I think we can expect a new subtitle.  I'm going to hazard a guess now - SPIDER-MAN: THE NEW AVENGER.  I'm probably way off, but we know that's where he's heading, so I think it's possible.

THE AVENGERS

In HOMECOMING, we get Robert Downey Jr as Tony Stark, the guy that started it all.  We also get IRON MAN supporting characters, such as a cameo from Gwyneth Paltrow's Pepper Potts, and a larger role for Jon Favreau's Happy Hogan.  We've already been told that the sequel will feature a different Avenger.  It's part of the deal between Sony and Marvel, keeping it all connected.  Everyone's already got their theories on who it might be - and I've already stated mine - The Hulk.  To me, it makes perfect sense.  Mark Ruffalo's Bruce Banner is unlikely to receive a solo film (thanks to legalities with Universal) so is doing his rounds in the other heroes flicks.  He cameoed in IRON MAN 3, and is next set to appear in THOR: RAGNAROK.  Banner is a scientist, so already that's a way in to connect him to Parker, and just from a marketing point of view, having the Hulk and Spider-Man - the two most popular Marvel characters - together won't hurt.

THE DIRECTOR

Okay, so might be a bit awkward... I'd like to see a change behind the camera.  HOMECOMING is making a load of money, and the positive reviews suggest that director Jon Watts will be back for the next adventure.  However - I'm going to say it - I thought the direction for the first film was one of the weakest in the MCU.  I thought some of the CG looked cartoonish and unrealistic (Spider-Man didn't seem to have the gravity in his swing that both Raimi and Webb perfected) and the night scenes were too dark to see all the action.  Some of it was just a bit messy tbh.    In an ideal world, I'd have Joss Whedon return to Marvel-land, but he's currently caught up over at "the opposition".  So, how about Matthew Vaughn?  I'd love him to get involved in Marvel.

As I say, Watts will probably return, hopefully he'll be warmed up for it.

THE KIDS

Jacob Batalon's Ned was a scene stealer, and I think it'd be a no-brainer to have him back. Also, I think we can expect more from Tony Revolori as Flash Thompson, and the other kids such as Betty (Angourie Rice) and Cindy (Tiffany Espensen) as all of them have future stories from the comics.

THE SCHOOL

Kevin Feige has made it quite clear that they cast the younger Holland to allow for more stories at school.  It's another way Marvel can separate their Spider-Man from previous movie efforts.  But how long can they keep that up for? Holland may be younger than either Tobey Maguire or Andrew Garfield were, but he's already in his twenties, and we're only one film down. Well my answer is thus - 3.   Marvel love their trilogies and I don't think Spider-Man will be any different... well, no, actually I do.  Let me explain...

Holland is signed for 6 films that we know of. That's three solo Spider-flicks (plus CIVIL WAR, INFINITY WAR and AVENGERS 4).  I'll bet my socks that those three solo films will all be School-bound.  I then believe both Sony and Marvel will renegotiate Holland's contract for another trilogy.  I believe those films will see Parker post-education.  He'll work for the Daily Bugle etc... It's a long time to wait for J Jonah Jameson, but it'll be worth the wait I'm sure.

THE OTHER SPIDER-MAN

The first film included a role for Donald Glover,  appearing as Aaron Davis, and he specifically states he has a nephew.   We all know that nephew is future-Spider-Man Miles Morales. 

There were a lot of campaigns to get Miles as the Spider-Man for the MCU, but - really - Marvel had to go with Parker.  The everyday movie goer know Parker and would be confused, if not disappointed, that it wasn't *their* Spider-Man.   Chronologically, you need to have Parker first - Morales comes later.   They've mentioned his existence, but he's a while off yet.  Should my predicted 'second trilogy' get greenlit, he may well get involved then, but he'll be their trump card for when it's time for Holland to go. Under his current contract, Holland will already be serving in more films as Parker than his predecessors, and a second trilogy (possibly with some more AVENGER films add in there for good measure) certainly take up Holland's 20s.  3 films at school.  3 films at the Daily Bugle.  Then hand over to the next Spider-Man.  That's what I'm predicting.  

THE LOVE INTEREST

Let's get this out of the way now - Zendaya does NOT play Mary-Jane Watson.  The 'MJ' comment at the end of the first film was more of a wink to the fans.

Peter's love interest in that film was Liz.  Laura Harrier made for a nice buffer, but she seems to be out of the way now, which means we're due another... and whilst a lot of fans expect MJ, if Marvel are going to do things properly, we need to go through the Gwen Stacy years... and death.   I reckon Gwen will come in with HOMECOMING 2, and die at the end of '3'. Finish the trilogy with the a big loss. Mary-Jane Watson may be introduced in '3' but I'll guess she'll wait for the second trilogy, ushering in the new era.

THE SUIT

Tony Stark offered Peter a new suit - a take on the 'Iron Spider'.  Peter turned it down though, and Holland has already said for fans to expect the same suit in INFINITY WAR as what they've seen.  I think that suit will continue on in to the next film.   There may be some upgrades, but I doubt they're tamper with the look too much.  I think we can expect for 'suit lady' voiceovers by Jennifer Connolly as Karen too.

THE VULTURE

There were some nice moments between Peter and Adrian Toomes, and I think some of what made it great was Michael Keaton's performance.  Is that him done now?  He's in prison, so that suggests it might be... for now.    Will Keaton appear again in HOMECOMING 2?  Yes and No.  I don't think he'll play an important part of the main story... but I think we might be treated a small post-credits cameo, along with Mac Gargan (Michael Mando)... hinting at things to come.

THE NEXT VILLAIN

Who will Spidey have to face next?  Well, I very much doubt it'll be the Sinister Six... but I think that's where we're heading. I believe the Vulture and the Scorpion will be the first two members, and the next film will gives us a few more.   Marvel didn't want to re-tread what Raimi and Webb had given us... and by giving us the Vulture, the two Shockers, the Tinkerer and (sort of) The Scorpion, they certainly didn't.  But I think that will change with the sequel.  In fact I'm going to predict we'll get three new members of the Sinister Six... Doc Ock is due a return, having not been touched since SPIDER-MAN 2.  I also think we might get something a bit different... with Mysterio due a live action appearance.   I believe those two have strong chances of being the two main villains.   With a back ground hint at the third...

THE TOWER

Throughout the first film, we see Happy Hogan prepping a move from Avengers tower to their new complex.  That tower now stands empty... but I'm sure we've all guessed who might be moving in, right?

Back in the 2012 THE AVENGERS, Marvel wanted permission to use Oscorp tower, but couldn't get it in time, and that's how come we ended up with an Avengers tower.

I believe the next Spider-Man adventure will see the Osborns move in.  I think we'll get Norman in the background.  Pulling some strings, connected somehow to Doctor Octavius, but I do think a bigger role in the film be Harry Osborn, joining Peter's school.   Will we see the Green Goblin?  I doubt it.  I reckon that will be held back for '3', where we'll meet the full Sinister Six.

I think that's enough thought on a film that's not due out for another two years, but it's fun to speculate.  I wonder how much I'm write on - or maybe I'm way off.  Time will tell!

What do you guys think?

[ledenews]

Suicide? No Way - Part 3

(Editor’s Note: This is the third in a series of articles that will examine the passing of 19-year-old Colby Brown, a 2018 graduate of Cameron High School, who attended Marshall University in Huntington. Colby was pronounced dead on Aug. 26, 2019, after paramedics treated him in the middle of Interstate 64.) Darby Brown and her brother Colby had a thing, and it was the same thing he had with Shelby and his mom when it came to hitting the gym. The little brother babysat. “When are you going to gym? What machines are you using? How long are you there? How many reps? His questions were non-stop, but I know it was because he wanted me to do it the right way,” Darby said. “So, we would Snapchat each other when we were at the gym to be accountable. It really was one of our things.” But then there was August 26, 2019. Colby Brown was pronounced dead shortly after 7 p.m. after he worked out at his gym, attended both of his classes during the first day of his sophomore year, and played video games with five friends.

Colby was popular at Cameron High, a school he continued attending despite moving out of the district. “We were in contact on Snapchat at about 3:30 p.m. that day, but then at 6:35 p.m., I sent him a photo of me at the gym,” Darby said. “Usually, he would send something back that was supportive, but not that time. I didn’t hear back from him, and yes, I did think it was odd at the time because he always replied, especially when it came to the gym. “That day, though, the photo I sent him was opened, but there was no response, and I thought it was odd and rude that he wouldn’t answer me because he always did without fail,” she continued. “I mean, why would he open my message and not respond? Now, though, I’m not so sure it was him who opened that message. And then we found out that after that, his location was turned off on his phone right around the same time.” The end result is what is known. Colby Brown died that day on Interstate 64. A young lady who stopped when seeing him fall to the cement knelt over him during his final breaths. “It doesn’t add up, and that's why I still don’t know what really happened to Colby, and that is what is so infuriating,” Darby said. “I have all of these theories in my mind, but I don’t have enough information to make sense of a single one of them. I don’t know, and that’s why we’re so desperate for more information so we can know where he was and maybe why this happened. “It’s just not right. It’s been over five months, and we still don’t know anything new other than I don’t have my brother anymore,” she said. “And the state police still have not given back his phone because the investigation is said to be ongoing, but I wish they would just give it to us so we can go find the answers like we have been since this accident happened.”

Colby's family created this collage showing the young man at various ages. ‘Thank you, sir. May I have another?’ Pledging a fraternity was a discussed topic. His mother and his sisters were anti-frat for reasons of their own, but Colby was surrounded daily by members of the Alpha Sigma Phi fraternity. His roommates and the boys with whom he was playing video games on the day he died, were mostly Alpha Sig members. If Colby had, in fact, decided to pledge to join his friends, no one in his immediate family was informed. “He had told us that he wasn’t really interesting in joining a fraternity, but all of his friends were fraternity members of Alpha Sigma Phi,” Gwen explained. “One of his roommates was the president of the fraternity, so I guess it is possible that he finally gave in and decided to pledge. “But if that turns out to be the truth, I’ll be very surprised,” she said. “But he was growing up, living on his own, and was making his own decisions. I do not know if he made that decision on the day he died, though.”

Gwen captured this image from a news station reporting on her son's death. Alpha Sigma Phi is a national fraternity with more than 8,000 undergraduate members and 56,000 living alumni, according to the organization’s website. It was founded on Dec. 6, 1845, at Yale University, is the 10th oldest national fraternity in the nation, and is one of 12 fraternities at Marshall University. Investigations into behavior and hazing have taken place at Marshall concerning fraternities and sororities during the past five years. Jon Crow, once a family friend and a classmate of Colby’s, did not say anything when he visited for Colby’s funeral about the fraternity or whether or not he had decided to become a pledge. “All he told us was the same story over and over again,” Gwen recalled. “They all smoked a bowl of weed, and then Colby went downstairs because he didn’t feel good, and then he just left. That really doesn’t sound like something Colby would ever do. “I mean, he never just left without saying goodbye, so I don’t know. Obviously, we know he did leave, but like that?”

This card from his freshman year at Marshall University has Colby's name and Alpha Sigma Phi as the listed organization. Herd Life? The legal drinking age in West Virginia is the same as it is in the other 49 states – 21 – but that wasn’t an obstacle for Colby and his friends, Darby insisted. Why not? “Colby found out during his freshman year that there are bars in Huntington where you could get a special card and those bars will allow you to drink if you are pledging the right fraternity,” Darby claimed. “And yes, even if you are underaged. And Colby did get one of those cards from one of his friends, but he told us he used it only to go to that bar and that he was never really going to pledge the fraternity.

Colby's sister Darby insists that some establishments near Marshall University issue cards to fraternity members so patrons younger than 21 years old can consume alcohol. “I told him that it wasn’t his type of thing and I really didn’t want him to get involved with it because you hear so many stories from all over the country. But I also had a friend die at WVU because of hazing. Nolan Burch died because of that culture, and that made me worry about my little brother,” she said. “When it came to college, I was the person he went to because I graduated college just before he was a freshman at Marshall.” Once his personal belongings were collected from his apartment and his car, Gwen did find a new card for the Premiere Pub & Grill with no name or organization listed. The question Colby’s family has asked is whether the new card was another gift, or was it earned somehow this time? “I don’t know if he had to do something for it. Maybe,” Darbie said. “But I don’t know if he had to do something his freshman year to get that card. He just acted as if he just had to be interested in pledging to get it, but as for his sophomore year, that’s something we never talked about. “His freshman year, he had a card for Jake’s, but that bar closed down, but he had a couple of cards in his wallet from a place call the Premiere, and one of his roommates, Jon Crow, was a bouncer at that place,” she explained. “If he went down to Huntington with the intentions of pledging that fraternity, he hid it from us, and that wouldn’t have been like him. He wasn’t a secretive person with us.”

The initial report conducted by law enforcement indicated that Colby Brown had taken his own life. Heroin in Huntington The entire state of West Virginia has gravely suffered from the opioid crisis, but the Huntington area? It was stricken. The largest city in Cabell County is met with many of the same challenges law enforcement encounters here in Ohio County because of its proximity to state borders. One after another. One day in 2017, more than 20 people overdosed on opioids laced with fentanyl in Huntington, and the city since has been a focus during the epidemic. But opioids? Heroin? Colby? “The only way he would do anything like that is if he didn’t know it,” Darby insisted. “And that stuff didn’t come back on the first toxicology report that we finally received from the private investigator. All that was on it was marijuana and nothing else.

Colby had earned a Promise Scholarship and had plans to earn a business degree at Marshall University. “I know there was mention of him doing mushrooms, but that isn’t listed on that report either,” she continued. “He liked weed, and we all knew it so that is why we are anxious to get the second toxicology report that hopefully will be completed soon.” In 2017, 1,019 West Virginians died of an opioid overdose, and in 2018, 900 perished, according to the Centers of Disease Control and Prevention. Quick response teams are operational in 22 of the state’s 55 counties, and the first squad was formed in 2017 in Cabell County. A paramedic, a law enforcement officer, and a recovery coach are involved. “I know Huntington is ground zero for opioid deaths, but I also know my brother would have never gone there,” Darby said. “He was too concerned with his health and his body to ever do anything like that of his own accord. Now, was he slipped something without him knowing? We don’t know. “Colby has seen people in our family struggle with addiction, and it’s something he paid attention to and something he always said he would avoid at all costs,” she said. “I know he would not get on that path of opioid drugs even if he wanted to experiment with something. That was something he would never get involved with; that I know. He saw it destroy too many people.”

Colby was unable to take Penny to Marshall for his freshman year, but once he secured an apartment with friends, his canine went to college with him. A Shiny Penny No More Gwen’s voice changes when she begins to talk about her son. It lowers into persistent somberness and often is difficult to hear during conversations. She and Colby’s sisters are not alone in their sorrow. Penny, a canine Colby took to Huntington with him for his sophomore year, has changed, too. “At first, Penny would look for him any time she heard a car door or an engine rev up,” Gwen said. “But now, she acts depressed and just wants to sleep all of the time. She’s not the same dog she was, and she’s a 6-year-old Boxer. I just think she’s sad and that she’s lonely. She misses her best friend. “She doesn’t like to be left alone, either,” she continued. “Penny seemed angry during the first few weeks, but now she just seems so damn sad.”

Colby traveled with his family to Myrtle Beach in July 2019 and posed with his sister Darby for this fun photo. The family has been contacted since this series of stories began on January 11, and they are hoping and praying that more people step forward with any information they may know to be true. “That’s really what we want, so I’m glad that some of his friends are now reaching out to us to help us fill in the parts of his timeline that we don’t know yet,” Darby explained. “No piece of information is too small, either, because this is a big, giant puzzle we’re putting together ourselves because of the lack of help from the investigators. “If you talked to him the day before or the day of Colby’s death, that’s important to us, and if you talked to any of the people he was around during those days, that’s also important to us,” she insisted. “I would love to hear from more people; that’s for sure.” (Photos provided by the Brown family) Read the full article