#rusty quill crew

[jaisaac-cosplay]

Relistened to @rustyquill 's Honey Heist from like. 2018 😭 anyway Toddles Boris and Winnie

[tenshiboyfriend]

i am just gonna put this out here and hope that people find this funny

[kald-dal-art]

Bringing back this series hi. Trying to do a proper relisten of the series, so have the first 4 episodes of TMA posters. Hopefully manages to do all the episodes of the first season 🤞

Ko-Fi

[helpmeimblorboing]

Melanie - Hey, was the Black Death caused by a Corruption Avatar, d’you think ?

Jon, not looking up from his book - We didn’t do everything, Mel. Sometimes shit just happens

Melanie, rolling her eyes - It’s a yes-or-no question. Not much of an Eye Avatar if you can’t answer that, are you ?

Jon - I am not going to dignify that with a response

Melanie - Anyways, I was just asking because I think the whole situation was really quite well-done

Tim - How morbid

Melanie, a little bit indignant - Oi, Slaughter Avatar, remember ? Anyways, so did they create the Black Death or no ?

Tim, squinting at her - Why are you asking me that ? D’you think I’m a Corruption Avatar or something ?

Melanie, deadpan - Yes

Tim, rolling his eyes - Fuck off

Jon, still not looking up from his book - Will you two pipe down over there ? I just got to a good part !!

Tim - He dies at the end

Jon, finally looking up to glare at him - I know, Timothy. I’m the fucking Eye Avatar, of course I know. But it’s not about the twist. It’s about the plot setups and executions, not -

Tim - The author’s a homophobe

Jon, throwing his book aside - Fuck you

Melanie - Will someone please answer my question ?

Tim - Oh, for the love of - fine !! (pulls out phone) Lemme just phone her real quick. I’m sure she’ll be glad to have her business interrupted by your inane questions !!

Jon- Who’s “her” ?

Melanie - What business ? Worm breeding ?

Jon - Wait, worm-breeding ? Tell me it isn’t-

Melanie, nodding soberly - Prentiss

Jon, indignant - Tim, do you have the fucking zombie on speed-dial ?

Tim, rolling her eyes -She’s a useful associate, alright ?

Jon - She’s a corpse !!

[agrodo1ce]

here are some avatar designs I did while listening will wood songs

( I know that Gerry isn't an avatar but still)

[entre-isaac]

oh.

[just-an-enby-lemon]

I fully belive the 18-months crew is pretty much:

Wilde: I'm the only sane person here.

Zolf: I'm the only sane person here.

Barnes: I'm the only sane person here.

Carter: I'm the only self-aware person here.

[starrynightsoversunflowers]

The Vast ⚡🌪️

Magnus masterpost

[thatpodcastkid]

Magnus Archives Relisten 17, MAG 17 The Boneturner's Tale

Honestly, if my high school bully got their hands on a Leitner I think basically the same thing would happen.

MAG 17 analysis, spoilers ahead.

Facts: Statement of Sebastian Adekoya regarding a new acquisition at Chiswick Library.

Statement Notes: "Books are amazing, aren't they?"

The first line of this statement is so hopeful. Sebastian approaches what happened to him with this strange light pouring out of him. He takes on the world with a realistic yet deeply optimistic outlook. His character feels out of place in the Magnus Archives world because, although he's afraid, he isn't sick or sad or angry or desperate. Despite the horror he finds himself facing, there isn't any actual disruption to his routine, meaning he doesn't have to change in the face of danger. Adekoya is a static character in a dynamic setting.

As a book lover, Adekoya uses a lot of flowery language in his statement. He spends the first minute giving a speech on the beauty and power of language and the written word. He serves as an incredible contrast to Jared. They don't necessarily have conflicting beliefs, but conflicting focuses. Adekoya deals in the beautiful and abstract, Hopworth deals in the messy and real. Language is art, humans are meat.

Since Sebastian and Jared are around the same age, and Adekoya just graduated college, we can assume Jared is about 22-23 during the events of this statement. His characterization was very realistic. People often joke about hearing the bully of their secondary school getting arrested, but it's very different when you realize the violent but ultimately harmless kid you knew has become a violent and harmful adult. Often, that violent energy is turned against family members first. Those who tried to help, those who enabled, those who don't deserve it.

The end of the statement was very frightening. The violence enacted against Adekoya is a show of power by Jared and, in turn, The Boneturner's Tale. The Magnus Archives is an eldritch horror story, and The Bonetruner's Tale holds power no human can possibly understand. It is capable of enacting violence no human can understand. Its power is so great, we are left to assume a car killed Sebastian, because no living thing could do that much damage. Right?

In addition to Mike Crew's strange strategy of dropping the Leitner off in a random library, he chose to file it as Trainspotting of all things. This means that not only did Crew check out Trainspotting from the library, but he now owns the copy. Does this matter at all to the plot or metaplot of TMA? No. Does it matter to my heart? Yes.

Entity Alignment: Another strong Flesh episode. When Hopworth's mother is described as missing bones in her arm, I began to wonder if Boneturner was how Hopworth first began harvesting for the meat pit. Early on, he likely had no knowledge of the ritual. But since Boneturner is what allowed him to steal the flesh of others, it would make sense that he would utilize it to feed and serve the entity.

If not, and Jared only used Boneturner to steal for and add to himself as his powers developed, there is something to be said about the Flesh's affiliation with greed. Humans eat meat partly out of necessity; it's accessible, it's filling, it's fuel. But the excess of meat consumption, the ever-increasing animal slaughter across the world at the expense of our own health and environment? Is that because we're hungry, or because we just want more?

I also noted how Sebastian didn't seem attracted to Boneturner at all. There's a motif with Leitners regarding them "calling out" to people and drawing innocents into their dark ways. But clearly, it's not indiscriminate. The isn't an apple of discord or ring of power situation; Leitners are capable of choosing who they want to attach themselves to. While I don't know much about the Canterbury Tales (feel free to educate me in the notes), it does seem that as the book makes Hopworth stronger, he makes it stronger by feeding its written desire for blood and violence.

Character Notes: Who speaks to their boss like that. Who. I get Elias needs him but is it not suspicious to everyone else when his employee can just say stuff like that? "Fine, fine, I'll be more lovely?" You sarcastic bastard?

This is a...weird intro to Elias to say the least. While of course Jon is being rude and they're passively sniping at each other, Elias does seem calm. He seems responsible and put together. He's not antagonistic in any way. If anything, Jon is the aggressor in the conversation. Up to this point, Jon has been the listener's only lens to view this world through. So when we are presented with a new character to compare him to, and Jon is snippy and rude, we are essentially forced into seeing this character as calm and rational. There was no way for the audience to ever perceive Elias as the villain. Which is exactly what he wanted.

Jon also states the Institute's goal is to "record and study, not interfere or contain." This makes sense for an academic institution (you wouldn't expect a forensic research lab to arrest criminals and keep them on-site), but it becomes interesting in the context of The Magnus Protocol. The Office of Incident Assessment and Response explicitly intends to respond to the supernatural even though it's still questionable how/if they do. Jon's initial goal isn't to take action against the entities, but he is more or less forced to. As of now in TMAGP, Sam wants to be involved in the supernatural, but is forced into a state of inaction.

Also Elias calls him "Jonathan." That doesn't mean anything but god to be a fly on that wall.

There's also the strange implication in this conversation that Rosie is in charge of the recording equipment. If this is true, it clearly doesn't last as Jon slowly becomes lord of the tape recorders. But still, the only reason I can think of for Elias giving his assistant access to the tapes is to indulge her "nosy Rosie" habits. She seems to only have access to the digital recordings, so none of the "real" stuff. But she can still listen to other people's private thoughts and experiences. Elias wants her to look into other people's business so he can keep her on in the world to come.

The first indicator of Martin's absence. "Stomach problems." There is the continued question of Prentiss' lucidity. In her statement regarding the wasp's nest, she seems to be losing her grip on reality. Several statement givers describe her and other infected as mindless monsters. But, she clearly was conscious enough to concoct an elaborate story of Martin's illness and maintain text communications with the archival staff. She would also need to be lucid if she was consciously conducting the corruption ritual, but it's equally possible the ritual was driven by animalistic and unnameable drives given to her by the entity. The Corruption needs Prentiss mindless enough to serve as a source of nameless protruding rot, but still sentient enough to A) not be captured and B) fulfill its worldly tasks. This is another instance of TMA dream logic: Prentiss is lucid enough to lie and form plans, but too far gone to be reasoned with.

[elysiumsblesseddead]

Vibrates

[jabberwock-the-lemur]

// (The Magnus Archives SPOILERS!!)

Dual Pull of Fears on Avatars

something notable about The Magnus Archives, which I think is under discussed, is that almost (if not) all Avatars turned to their Dread Power to avoid another Fear Entity.

John is marked by the Web and turns to the Eye to feel control, Jonah fears his End above all and turns to the Eye to learn the secrets of immortality, Mike Crew had his youth affected by the Spiral and welcomed the Vast as a reprieve to freedom, Jane feels Lonely and joins the Corruption's swarming hive, etc etc etc.

Every character is bound to (at least) two Fear Entities, I believe - one they reject, and one they embrace. One that hunts them, & one they seek. This is REALLY neglected by the fandom when the questions of "what Avatar would you be?" and "which Entity do you fear most?" are, mistakenly, conflated as the same thing.

(I don't remember if attention is ever explicitly drawn to this in Q&As or the show itself, but it's very key to understanding the greater picture of TMA, imo)

[kald-dal-art]

Drawings of two of my fave TMA avatars

[snakeskinass]

Jonathan Sims, Michael Crew, and Agnus Montague would definitely be autistic.

No one can convince me otherwise.

[helpmeimblorboing]

Desolation Avatar Tim headcanon -

After his brother died at the hands of the Circus, Tim was, naturally, hurt. One might even say, desolate. Predictably, said pain and emotional injury attracted the attention of none other than the Cult of the Lightless Flame, and Tim, desperate for anything that could let him revenge himself upon his brother’s killers, willingly accepted their influence, becoming an Avatar of the Desolation

But the Desolation has never been a benign force, even to its own followers. It’s a Fear, and it’s hungry. So it fed. Not just on the people Tim hurt, but on Tim’s own hurt. It gorged itself on the memories of his suffering, until one day, it just burned them clean away

Now, Tim can’t remember why he came to the Cult. He can’t remember why he hates the Circus. He can’t even remember what his brother looked like, sounded like. Hell, he can’t even remember that he had a brother

But he remembers the pain. He still mourns for a man he has no recollection of, he just doesn’t know why. He hurts and hurts, but without knowing why he’s hurting, he never heals. The pain never numbs

He is, now and forever, desolate

[phoenixphire24]

Ooh tell me about the 18mo crew and how it’s complicated 👀

I am not immune to the CarCar train. I have this idea of writing from Carter’s POV as he’s recruited in Cairo by Wilde and the two develop a relationship; then Wilde asks for Zolf, who slowly replaces Carter; and finally leading to them finding Barnes, who Carter is desperate to form a connection with because he’s become the third wheel whether or not Zolf and Wilde realize it. All layered with angst and sexual tension and messy feelings.