#these are both from mag 134

[mac-cheez]

Peter Lukas is a manipulative bastard, but omg does he have some of the funniest lines in S4.

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

Martin(talking abt Jon): He's not a Moron.

Peter:................... If you say so-

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

Peter: We have bigger concerns then this little soap opera you call an archives

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

And quite a few more but I don't remember and don't wanna relisten so.............

[theopolis]

hello!! im sure youve gotten this question before but im having a Harry Moment and want to get Even Weirder about it SO !! i was wondering if you have a recommendation for approaching the original comics, where to start, which runs you think are the best reads for capturing his story, stuff like that!! your blogs a joy to browse, thanks so much!!!

Hello fellow Harold enthusiast!! I have in fact gotten this question before but I'm actually quite happy to receive it again as I've long been meaning to create a Harry reading list that would (hopefully) allow people to follow his entire story up to his death

In this chronological guide I've attempted to capture Harry's journey as a character, narrowed down from my own 616 reading experience.

I tried to stay focused on Harry-centric storylines and issues, but I couldn't resist adding some casual appearances particularly during the Silver Age because 1) I think of it as foundational to just about everything that matters in Spider-Man comics and 2) Harry-centric storylines tend to show him at his most distressed. They're important and often brilliant, but reading only those issues feels like a disservice to his kind and loving qualities. It's important to experience the smaller, calmer moments with him as well to truly understand his character.

Personal favorites are bolded, if you care for my bias.

Due to the numerous Spider-Man mags that were at times running simultaneously and ping-ponging storylines between one another, titles will be abbreviated as follows;

The Amazing Spider-Man (1963) = TASM63

The Spectacular Spider-Man (1976) = TSSM76

Web of Spider-Man (1985) = WOSM85

Now let's get into it!

Harry Osborn Reading List

Flashbacks

These were published more recently, but take place before Harry's first appearance in the comics

Short about Harry's childhood and Norman's failings as a father. One of the best depictions of their relationship, in my opinion

Nice Things from Amazing Spider-Man Extra! #3

Gwen-centric miniseries set during her time in high school and giving some insight on her and Harry's longlasting friendship

Giant Size Gwen Stacy

From introduction to deathbed

Watch Harry evolve from goofy background character to Peter's most important narrative foil!

First establishing of Harry's character and his dynamics with other key personages such as Peter and Norman

TASM63 #31, #34, #39, #40

Further development of all aforementioned things. The highs and lows of Peter and Harry's life as roommates. Daddy issues. Romantic drama. Drug addiction subplot. Anything you could ask

TASM63 #46, #47, #53, #54, #57, #59, #60, #61, #62, #63, #66, #74, #82, #95, #96, #98, #105, #110, #118

The storyline that changed everything

TASM63 #119, #120, #121, #122

Harry grows increasingly suspicious and paranoid around Peter following his father's death

TASM63 #123, #124, #126, #127, #129, #134, #135

Now... here's a disclaimer for the following issues: Despite the aforementioned buildup being very well executed, the result is not exactly so and has more to do with giving the Goblin as a concept another hurrah, rather than delving into Harry's character. In fact I'd even argue they're out of character for Harry, as his behavior in them is just cartoonishly diabolical and in stark contrast to both his previously established personality and subsequent depictions of his Goblin. So yeah, these issues are technically important to the grander picture of what is happening with Harry and why, but don't expect insight lol

TASM63 #136, #137

Harry's back and his friends are more than happy to welcome him. He even moves in with Flash

TASM63 #151, #152, #153

Harry and Liz Allan enter a romance and quickly move on to engagement. He is also seen seeking psychiatric treatment

TASM63 #156, #157, #163, #166, #167

The happiness was not to last: Liz' stepbrother, Mark Raxton aka the Molten Man stirs up trouble, and she leaves the city in the aftermath. Harry seeks fault within himself and appears to be on his way to going green again – but is all as it seems?

TASM63 #172, #173, #174, #175, #179, #180

Harry and Liz have settled into the suburbs. In come more Molten Man and more insecurities!

TSSM76 #63

A mysterious foe known as the Hobgoblin has been attacking the company Harry inherited from his father and even blackmailing him with Norman's secret identity. During this troubled time, Liz and Harry are also having a baby

TASM63 #239, #244, TSSM76 #85, TASM63 #249, #250, #251, #260, #261, #263, TSSM76 #146, WOSM85 #47, TASM63 #312, TSSM76 #147

Molten Man, take three – this time with a wholesome twist

WOSM85 #61, #62

Harry briefly attempts to turn the Green Goblin into a superhero

WOSM85 #66, #67

The final Green Goblin Jr Saga – an absolute Must Read. If I could recommend just one Harry storyline, it would definitely be this one

TSSM76 #178, #179, #180, #181, #182, #183, #184, #189, #200

Post OMD Revival/"Clone Harry"

Full disclosure, I don't read much Post OMD Spider-Man. One day I might venture into it despite my gripes and add more to this section. Until then: I'd sort of be amiss not to include these two at the very least in a Harry Osborn reading list, even if recent nonsensical twists have revealed Post OMD Harry to have been a clone all along

Harry and Peter's reunion

Amazing Spider-Man Family #4

Harry cutting ties with his father. While I think this story could have been improved in numerous ways, watching Harry leave Norman behind is still pretty satisfying and I enjoy the way his relationship with Peter is portrayed in this

TASM63 #595, #596, #597, #598, #599

[malachiwardyt]

Howdy, podcast side of Tumblr.

I forgot to share this here, but on the 30th (yes, I cut the deadline that close) I uploaded an explanation of the Extinction from hit horror anthology podcast The Magnus Archives as part of my ongoing series analysing the Entities one at a time. For this, the penultimate episode, I wound up going way further into detail than I expected, resulting in the video analysing the least significant Entity being the longest in the series. Whoops.

As always, here's a breakdown of the art, for the curious. Although he isn't an avatar of the Extinction (in fact, he seems to be actively fighting against it in most of his appearances), it felt wrong not to do Adelard Dekker for this piece. I really wanted to play around with colour and contrast in this one, and I think it turned out pretty nice.

I dressed Dekker himself in a grey suit with silver accents, because I wanted him to feel very ordinary. Dekker is one of the most human characters in TMA, never seeming to fall to any Entity despite interacting with them very frequently. More than that, he's about as close as TMA gets to a true hero, being at least a comparatively strong force for good. Silver, then, I chose both because it compliments his suit very nicely and because it has mythological and traditional precedent, especially in European folklore, as a deterrent for evil or the supernatural. One of Dekker's most interesting traits is his persistent faith, which I knew I had to include somehow, so I gave him a silver necklace with a cross on the end. It's simple, but it works. The only pop of colour in his otherwise monochrome dress is the tie around his neck, which I've coloured green to show his connection to the Extinction. I know I needed at least a bit of colour, and a neon, toxic green is the colour I associate with the Extinction, so I used a darkened, desaturated form of it for his necktie. I always pictured Dekker as a slender, angular man, which I've conveyed in his face and body. I wanted to give him hair that stood up a lot into short points, and while I considered making them a bit rounder, in the end, the pointed tips just stuck. Finally, there's the glowing green in his eyes, which is, of course, another allusion to the Extinction. Not to imply that he's being guided or influenced by it, simply that he sees it. He was the first to catalogue it, and, admittedly, they do stand out quite nicely against the shadows over him.

In the background, I knew I wanted a skyline with a mushroom cloud behind it, but, as I was working, I decided to make the buildings different references to Extinction episodes. Before I get to that, though, I have to talk about the colour scheme, which is mostly pale green. This was both, again, because the Extinction's colour, in my mind, is green, and because it contrasted nicely against the reds and oranges of the blast. Starting at the leftmost building, it references MAG 144: Decrypted, with numbers running down the side and an antenna on top to send out its encoded message. The next one over is a reference to MAG 175: Epoch, being a massive, Empire State-esque building with abandoned boxes and detritus scattered on its landings, alongside a few more... "living" manifestations. There are only five statements which are the MOST likely Extinction appearances, so, for symmetry, I had to pick an extra statement to throw in. This wound up being MAG 65: Binary, since it's a fan favourite and plenty of people theorise that it actually was related to the Extinction. To get the idea across, I put a few distorted faces on large screens, though I do regret not lightening the entire building up a bit. Across the empty space, we find a reference to MAG 156: Reflection, designed to mimic a large carnival sign and featuring tall windows with thin creatures in them. The windows could have been a bit smaller, but I worried that they would seem too similar to the next building. Speak of which, that brings us to the MAG 134: Time of Revelation reference, being an apartment building in a French architectural style (I don't recall which one at the moment, but I know it was a specific one) filled with figures in the windows, some of whom are half melted into walls or floors. Finally, the last building is a reference to MAG 149: Concrete Jungle, with a rounded roof to mimic the circular shabonos of the Yanomami people and a large, concrete serpent for... obvious reasons.

I think that about covers it. If you've read this far, I hope you enjoyed, and get yourselves ready for the final episode of Entities Explained dropping later this month. With that, all I have left to say is good night, Tumblr people!

[lycanlovingvampyre]

MAG 138 Relisten

Activity on my first listen: putting up a new fence.

MARTIN: "You know I don’t care if Jon hears this." ELIAS: "Come on, Martin. It’s been so long since I’ve seen you. Let’s not start with lies." [MARTIN TAKES A STEADYING BREATH.] MARTIN: (sigh) "Fine." Martin doesn't deny it?

ELIAS: "For all his… many faults, Peter is legitimately trying to stop the end of the world as we know it." MARTIN: "So why haven’t you helped him?" ELIAS: "My relationship to the apocalypse is more… complicated." Okay, Elias saying this?! In the episode of Smirke's statement, where the sky blinks at him? I just realized how many of those conversations fit the tone of the respective episode (without the obvious, like MAG 125, 128, 131, 133, 134 etc). Of course MAG 122, Jon waking up from the dead with the Zombie statement. MAG 124 Left hanging and Martin left Jon hanging. MAG 127 A letter to Jonah with Jon's door motif talk and Basira visiting Elias. MAG 129 opening with Jon and Martin before THE anchor statement. I don't know, MAG 130 maybe? It was about a ritual and the Web suggested this tape to Jon for further preparation of the Eye's mass ritual. MAG 135 talking Basira into a potential Dark ritual after the statement about the creation of that ritual. And then that mean red herring in MAG 136, Web statement with Melanie's therapy (Jon later worries, that Melanie's therapist could be Web). Also like the way Elias talks about Peter, they really sound like a divorced couple xD

MARTIN: "Yeah, well. I’m still not sure I really believe it. (long exhale) A,And I don’t… I – I’m –" ELIAS: "Worried he might charge off into another coffin." [HE MAKES A SMUG LITTLE SOUND.] ELIAS: "Quite." I love how Elias ships Jon and Martin.

ELIAS: "As for why I’ve done so little about such a looming existential threat, (sigh) to be blunt, I have been rather busy." Martin laughs at him, but it's true. He's still pulling strings from the inside of his prison cell and he's going to be very successful with it.

MARTIN: "What? (small dry laugh) That’s it? No, no monologue, no mind games? You love manipulating people!" ELIAS: "That makes two of us." Iconic lines. Web!Martin! Btw no wonder the Web supports Jonah in his scheme, he's quite talented at manipulation himself.

ELIAS: "I simply have to trust that when the time comes, you’ll – (rattle) – make the right choice." Like not to kill him.

"My dear Jonah," Pffft...

"What we built at Millbank should be left well enough alone, resigned to the nightmares of the reprobates and brigands contained within its walls." This statement is such a tease about what's going to come!

"It is telling, that of those I have brought into my confidence, it is only you and I who have continued this far without falling to one power or another, despite all my instruction and work. This is, of course, assuming you have not taken the path of the Eye that I know has called you, called us both for so long." Was this after the Watcher's Crown? -> “ What we built at Millbank should be left well enough alone, resigned to the nightmares of the reprobates and brigands contained within its walls.” That sentence sounds like it. So that ship has sailed? This probably why they didn't stay in contact? -> “ but I feel I must break the silence that has characterized our acquaintance for these past few decades.”

"I’m sure you recall what happened with the Reform Club" MAG 35!

"but you may be unaware of some of my other experiments below the very streets of London." The tunnels for example?

"Places I have tried to cover with churches, of all things" Was there a church built by Smirke in a statement? I immediately thought about the Oratory from MAG 20, but it's in Oxford, Smirke speaks of London here. Thought about Hither Green (MAG 25) or St Paul’s Church (MAG 63), but nope. He wasn't involved in any of the buildings I just listed. Am I missing something or do we actually never hear about anything connected to a church of his?

"perhaps the site of our Saviour will be enough to contain them." Funny how some people still won't lose their faith even in full knowledge of the Dread Powers. Smirke here. I thiiink, Dekker was also religious, was he?

"I stop, and look up at the sky, that empty black nothing, and I see the edges of the horizon becoming a dull white. I cannot understand what I am looking at. And then the sky blinks." Love that foreshadowing!

"I am not a fool. I know well enough what this dream is likely to mean, and I warn you again, that if you have any remaining ambitions to use our work, to try and wear the Watcher’s Crown, you must abandon them!" I know there's this discussion about what the Watcher's Crown actually was, Jonah's prison soap opera or using the Archivist. And, I think, there was something about Jonny saying the Watcher's Crown was Jonah's prison thing and what we see in MAG 160 could be called, like, the Magnus Archives, ha! But the title "Watcher's Crown" does fit the Eyepocalypse pretty well. Jonah calls himself "king of a ruined world" - king and crown and such. And the Eye ruling over all the other Fears like a... United Kingdom (badum tss!). (Also, Gerry says in MAG 111 "Uh, the Rite of the Watcher’s Crown. It’s what she called the ritual for the Eye. She didn’t tell me much about that one, just that she knew how to take care of it." This sounds like Gertrude called the ritual to come the Watcher's Crown. And she knows how to take care of it, sounds a bit like she already knew that the Archivist is the linchpin to the Eye's ritual. I say "a bit" because in the end there is no confirmation that this was exactly what she knew at this point. Gertrude still believed single Fear rituals could work, or she was at least still trying to stop them just for good measure according to MAG 137, which was in October 2014. And I think we don't know an actual death date of Gerry? Just late 2014...)

"But what is not to be dismissed is when your driver, on the long road from London, takes his eyes from the horses and begins to turn his head, slowly at first, but with a clear determination, inch by inch without ceasing, neck cracking and skin stretching, until his whole head seems as though it were placed atop his shoulders in reverse by some careless sculptor. The others in my carriage seemed not to mark this awful sight, but I could scarce look away" This describes the dream logic the Fears bring with them. How they can bend reality just a bit to their needs. Like Martin being trapped by Prentiss, who spent two weeks in front of his flat knocking at the door without any of his neighbors noticing anything!

MARTIN: "Good luck, Jon; I –" love you. (There, finished it for you, you're welcome <3)

@a-mag-a-day

[dannimatic2]

The Tapes Are Web And I’m Right: A long, rambling, semi-comprehensive list of reasons why the web controls the tapes and also jon, written as of MAG 194:

1. It's practically all but confirmed that they aren't linked to the Beholding (they appear in the Eye's blindspots like the tunnels and Upton House) and I genuinely just can’t imagine how they'd pull off the "the tapes were actually us, the audience, all along" theory in canon aside from subtext and meta implications, so that crosses the two off as mostly implausible in my mind.

2. How could Annabelle have known exactly when Martin and Jon split up so that she could snatch Martin up the next moment and take him to Hilltop Road, unless she heard the tape of their argument? How could she have known so much about them to be able to use their doubts & insecurities to manipulate them? (Are you truly in control of the choices you make? Does he even need you at all?) She's not semi-omniscient like Jonah, so where does she get all her information from? How does she know so much? 

3. There are countless hints linking the tapes back to the Web, including but not limited to:

-MAG 134: It was revealed that Martin piled the tapes on top of the coffin while Jon was still in the Buried to help him find his way out, but he didn’t know where the idea came from, and it’s very likely that the web placed the idea in his mind. 

-MAG 147: Annabelle was in possession of the Anglerfish tape, the very first statement Jon ever recorded, and placed it atop her own statement at hilltop road. I can’t think of a single reason for it to be there besides as a hint to the audience of the Web’s subtle involvement with the plot since the very beginning, and the convenient placement of the tape on top of Annabelle’s statement is just screaming that the two are somehow linked.

-MAG 157: Annabelle was the most plausible option as to who left the tape on Jon's desk that led him to try to find the panopticon & save Martin, consequently getting the Lonely mark and ending the world.

-MAG 163: At the end of the episode, a tape manifests in Martin’s bag. He asks it what it's doing there, and at that very same instant, the phone rings. It’s later revealed that it was Annabelle on the other line.

From these examples alone, I’m almost entirely convinced that the Web is behind the tapes. One thing that still doesn’t make sense, though, is the 6 month gap of time while Jon was in a coma. Why would the Web choose not to manifest any tapes during the Flesh invasion, or during Martin’s turn to the Lonely? Maybe it simply wasn’t important to the completion of the world-ending ritual: Jon was comatose, so logically the ritual couldn’t be furthered until he woke up, and the Web had no reason to spy on Melanie as she furiously stabbed a many-limbed eldritch monstrosity triple her size (although I, personally, would’ve paid to hear that go down).

But another explanation may be that Jon himself, being The Archive, is a vessel for Annabelle Cane’s master plan. If we take into account the hints littered throughout the series that the apocalypse was mainly orchestrated and carried out not by Jonah but by Annabelle—the worms being let into the archive when Jon tried to kill a spider, Oliver Banks being compelled by Annabelle to give his statement to Jon (“you know better than anyone how the spiders can get into your head. Easier to just do what she asks”), the Web compelling Martin to lure Jon out of the Buried by piling tapes on top of the coffin, etc—His entire purpose as Archivist could possibly be better attributed to the Web, not the Eye. We already know that the entities are so fundamentally connected to each other that not one single fear can be brought into the world without bringing along the rest, and many, if not all of them, overlap to some degree. And the Web’s whole thing is manipulation! If the Desolation ritual involves a messiah born in flame, and the Flesh ritual is literally just a bunch of people throwing meat into a gigantic hole, then it would make a lot of thematic sense for the Web, instead of orchestrating a ritual of its own (which we all know wouldn’t work in the first place), to succeed through the manipulation of another entity’s ritual, silently pulling the strings so that another entity, such as the Eye, is unwittingly helping the Web fulfill its plans the entire time. This theory works in the case of past archivists as well: Gertrude used the Web to bind herself to Agnes Montague in an attempt to thwart the Desolation’s ritual, not to mention that she was established to be extremely cunning and manipulative by nature, characteristics more in line with avatars of the Web than the Eye. And it was the Web that brought Jon to the institute, that led him to get marked by all fourteen fears and, ultimately, to end the world. 

This could tie the “the tapes are a manifestation of Jon's powers" and "the tapes are the Web” theories into one, explaining why the tapes didn’t manifest during the six months that Jon was comatose, while also falling in line with the evidence that the Web is in control of, or at the very least has unlimited access to the tapes. This would also explain why the tapes only started manifesting around season 2: it was the first point in the series where Jon began fully taking on his role as Archivist and became able to compel people to give him information, the first instance of such being in MAG 61. Not to mention that this ability itself could easily be an extension of both the Web and the Eye: the Eye part being that it's a way to get information from people, and the Web part being the manipulation of one’s free will to do so. Note how Jon compels Floyd Matharu in MAG 141:

ARCHIVIST

[Soothingly] You can go.

FLOYD

Erm… I, I don’t…

ARCHIVIST

Thank you Floyd. You’ve been… very helpful.

FLOYD

C—

ARCHIVIST

It’s alright, Floyd. You just… need a break.

FLOYD

Yeah… Sure.

[RINGING FOOTSTEPS DEPART]

He doesn’t ask Floyd a question. He’s not trying to get any more information out of him. He’s doing what I can only describe as mind controlling him. He plants an idea in his mind that makes him walk off in a daze. It’s unlike anything he had used his powers for before. It reminds me of MAG 59, where Ronald Sinclair made his way down to the basement of Hilltop Road, and every subsequent movement—removing the box from the table, taking out the apple, lifting it up to bite into it—was made not only against his will, but performed with the calmest expression on his face while in his mind he desperately fought against it. It reminds me of MAG 81, where the book lures Jon out of his house, walks him all the way down to Mr. Spider’s doorstep, and balls his hand into a fist to knock on the door.

His being the Archivist could also be why the Web gave Jon the lighter in the first place: maybe he’s the only one who can use it to fulfill their grand plan, whatever that may end up being in the end. Maybe he was meant to from the start.

And for my final and most damning piece of evidence, feast your eyes on THIS:

Thank you for your time.

[ollieofthebeholder]

leaves too high to touch (roots too strong to fall): a TMA fanfic

Read from the beginning on Tumblr | Also on AO3

Chapter 59: Statement of what comes now.

[CLICK]

[PANTING BREATHS, ECHOING SLIGHTLY, THAT SLOWLY EVEN OUT]

JON

Wh-what…what…?

Martin! Martin, where—where are you? I can’t—oh, God, I can’t see anything, I can’t—did that—

(in a different tone of voice) Martin? Are you here?

[ECHOING SILENCE]

JON

…Okay. Okay, this—this isn’t reality. This isn’t—he’d be here if I was—

Right. Okay.

(more loudly) Hello? Hello, is anyone out there?

[MORE SILENCE]

JON

W-wait…wait, is that—there’s something—okay, okay, I’m not blind, it’s just…dark. I can cope with that.

Right, okay. Think, Jon. After what you just did…if you’re not in the Institute, if you’re not in the world you’re used to, then you’re probably…somewhere else. So things are going to follow dream logic, right?

Right. Dream logic. (sigh) So I suppose I go looking for a switch.

[ODD CHITTERING, BUZZING NOISE THAT SUDDENLY STOPS]

JON

Oh, for—there has got to be away around this. No light switch, no walls, and I don’t trust the floors, so…

What am I supposed to do, say “Let there be light”?

[LOUD THUNKING NOISE, LIKE SOMEONE SWITCHING ON STAGE LIGHTS, OR AT LEAST A SPOTLIGHT]

JON

Seriously?

(frustrated sigh) Well, at least I can see now. I—wait. What in the—who’s there?

[A VOICE BEGINS SINGING SLOWLY, FAINTLY AT FIRST BUT SLOWLY GETTING LOUDER]

ANNABELLE

One elephant went out to play Upon a spider’s web one day She had such enormous fun She called for another elephant to come…

JON

You have got to be kidding me.

(resigned sigh) Right, here we go…

[ODD NOISE STARTS UP AGAIN, PUNCTUATED BY STICKY RIPPING SOUNDS, FADING IN AND OUT AS IF RESPONDING TO PRESSURE…OR FOOTSTEPS]

ANNABELLE

Hello, Jon.

JON

Annabelle Cane. Why am I not surprised?

ANNABELLE

You don’t sound pleased to see me.

JON

Let’s just say yours is not the first face I wanted to see when I woke up.

ANNABELLE

I have good news for you, then. It isn’t. You’re not awake.

JON

Oh, you can invade dreams now too, can you?

ANNABELLE

You aren’t asleep, either. And I think you already knew that.

JON

Oh, goddammit.

[A MOMENT OF SILENCE, SAVE THE FAINT ODD CHITTERING NOISE]

JON

…Wait. That noise, that’s—

And it gets louder every time we—

[CHITTERING SUDDENLY GETS LOUDER, WITH A FEW CLEAR WORDS HERE AND THERE, THEN FADES AGAIN]

JON

Are these tapes?

ANNABELLE

A fine material to spin a web with, don’t you think?

JON

It’s you.

A-all this time, all these—the recorders, the, the tapes…it’s all been you?

ANNABELLE

Well, not all me. Not all of it, anyway.

The Mother of Puppets has always collected stories. There are more reasons than one it’s called spinning a tale, you know. And spiders…it’s so hard to keep them out of places. People don’t generally call exterminators for them. Not for only one or two, and not if they don’t seem dangerous.

So yes. The Web has been lurking about the Magnus Institute, and the Archives, nearly as long as there has been an Institute. Listening. Drawing from the stories. Weaving a tapestry that tells the history of the world…and its future.

But this web? This one is mine.

JON

The tapes I recorded…

ANNABELLE

Oh, yes. All the tapes since you became the Archivist are here. Listen to this!

[A SQUEAL, THEN A CLEAR PLAY OF THE TAPE FROM MAG 000.2 - PRE-LAUNCH TRAILER]

ARCHIVIST ON TAPE

It’ll get you too. You can stare all you want, make your notes and your inquiries, but all your beholding will come to nothing. When the time arrives, and all is darkness and butchery, you’ll wish you had stopped listening and run.

[ANOTHER STICKY SOUND, LIKE SOMEONE PULLING OFF AN ADHESIVE BANDAGE]

JON

(shocked) That—that was—I only did that one as a test, to—to see if the recorders would work…

ANNABELLE

And they did. Admirably.

Go on. Try one.

JON

Look, I don’t—

ANNABELLE

You’re curious, aren’t you? You want to know.

There is no time here. Not really. No hurry. No pain. Nothing can hurt you if you indulge your curiosity a little bit. And it might not be so easy to believe once you leave.

Pick a strand. All you have to do is touch it, like so—

[ANOTHER SQUEAL, AND THEN ANOTHER RECORDING BEGINS TO PLAY FROM MAG 22 - COLONY]

MARTIN ON TAPE

—wasn’t anything to do with spiders that ended up after me. Almost wish it had been. (nervous laugh) I like spiders. Big ones, at least—

[RECORDING CUTS OFF WITH STICKY SOUND AGAIN]

ANNABELLE

—and you can hear them.

JON

He doesn’t anymore, you know.

ANNABELLE

Like spiders? Oh, believe me, I know.

I don’t think he’s liked them since he found out what happened to you. Not that I can blame him, of course. How do you feel about clowns these days? Or being alone?

JON

I—

ANNABELLE

Go on, Jon. Touch one. It doesn’t have to be…fresh.

JON

Why are some of these—

Is that…ash?

ANNABELLE

Dust, mostly.

(considers) Well, some of it might be ash. It depends on why that section of web isn’t used anymore.

JON

(tartly) I didn’t know being obscure and mysterious was in the Web’s domain.

ANNABELLE

It is if you want to manipulate somebody who’s addicted to knowledge.

Oh, don’t look at me like that. I’m not trying to manipulate you. It’s just a habit at this point, really.

JON

…Fine.

[A COUPLE OF CAREFUL STICKY, CHITTERING FOOTSTEPS, THEN A SOFT SQUEAL BEFORE A RECORDING SHARPENS IN, FROM MAG 134 - TIME OF REVELATION]

PETER ON TAPE

What does—puzzle me though, and I mean that genuinely, is—why you were piling tape recorders onto the coffin while Jon was in there.  (brief pause) It’s a question, Martin, it’s—it’s not an accusation.

MARTIN ON TAPE

I don’t know. And I just – felt like it might help. He’s always recording, and I thought it—it might help him…find his way out.

PETER ON TAPE

Interesting. Were you compelled?

MARTIN ON TAPE

I don’t know. Maybe? I-I, I definitely wanted to do it.

[RECORDING FADES OUT ON THE LAST WORD]

JON

(shocked) Th-that, that was—that hasn’t happened, that didn’t happen…

ANNABELLE

This time.

JON

You knew? When, when I met you at Hill Top Road, when you…you knew I’d come back from the future.

ANNABELLE

Of course.

You and Martin, your Martin, you came back after Jonah Magnus made you end the world. The Keeper of the Light led you to a door, that led you through some halls, that led you to another door, that led you…back. To get—

JON

—a second chance.

ANNABELLE

A second chance? Hardly.

JON

And just what is that supposed to mean, exactly?

ANNABELLE

Only that.

JON

…Fine. F-fine. Be mysterious and vague. See if I care.

[ANNABELLE LAUGHS KNOWINGLY]

JON

How do you know…the tapes. You just told me you’ve been listening to the tapes. Martin made his statement about those halls—

ANNABELLE

But you didn’t.

You haven’t talked about what your journey was like to anyone, have you? Not even Martin. He knows you came through the same halls, but not what you saw. He doesn’t know that for you, there were no colors and no changes, that every hallway was the same and there was no way to tell when you were getting closer, until you reached that long tunnel.

The one with the glass walls and ceiling, like an underwater aquarium. With dark shapes you couldn’t make out pressing against the outside, trying to get your attention. With thousands of whispering voices, over one another, so hard to make out, pleading, promising, coaxing. Offering you anything you desired if you would only make it stop, blaming you for their suffering, demanding how you could just walk on by as if—

JON

Stop.

ANNABELLE

You didn’t know you were recording, either. You’ve grown so used to those recorders that you didn’t even notice them anymore. And yet, I was listening.

JON

You were—what?

Y-you—you’re from the future, too!

ANNABELLE

Mm. That’s more complicated than you think it is.

JON

How did you know what we were doing?

ANNABELLE

Because I set it in motion.

JON

…You…you what? Those halls, that—that portrait gallery, that—

ANNABELLE

Which one?

JON

Which—both of them. The ones that—that Martin had to face.

You said you listened to the tapes, you—

ANNABELLE

I did. And I was…shadowing you both, I suppose.

You never wondered how I was at Salesa’s, did you? Not why I was there, how I was there.

JON

I…to be honest, I don’t remember much about those days.

ANNABELLE

I don’t mean while you were there. I mean after. You never thought about how I could have ended up outside my own domain, let alone outside the Apocalypse altogether.

JON

I tried to think about you as little as possible.

ANNABELLE

(heh) I’d be hurt if I didn’t understand completely. I suppose if I’d been lucky enough to escape the Spinner of Webs, I’d want nothing to do with any of her children either.

But you know the rules of the Apocalypse, Jon. It never occurred to you to wonder how a Watcher could stray from their domain?

JON

Martin did. And Helen. They both—

[STATIC CRACKLES; IT’S THE ARCHIVIST’S STATIC, BUT IT SOUNDS UNUSUAL IN A WAY THAT’S DIFFICULT TO PINPOINT]

JON

The Distortion never truly left its domain. Never went far from its doors. And while the domains we saw Helen in were seemingly those of other fears, they all had at least an element of the Spiral in them.

Martin was in the unique position of being both Watcher and Watched. He had the domain he oversaw, small though it was, but he was also, perhaps, the only sufferer in a domain that belonged to me as me and not me as the Eye itself. He could walk the world unharmed because what hurt him was watching my pain and power grow in equal measure, the suffering of not knowing what I would choose in the end.

And you…

Your domain was like Daisy’s. It was the other domains, woven through them like a silken thread, a subtle tug of manipulation. It was the tapes that kept recording our journey and the tugs that led us to people we tried to help or conquer and a thousand tiny maneuverings to keep us moving ahead.

[STATIC FADES; JON GASPS SLIGHTLY]

JON

That…that shouldn’t have felt like that.

ANNABELLE

You’re a bit far from the Eye here. But to be fair, so am I.

JON

We’re in the middle of your fucking web!

ANNABELLE

But my web. Not the Web.

Any power the Mother of Puppets has here is residual, and comes through me. Any power the Ceaseless Watcher has here is residual, and comes through you. I brought the web to show you, to help you understand, but it doesn’t belong here any more than we do.

JON

You were—you were manipulating those tunnels. To…what? Slow us down?

ANNABELLE

To help. Well, you didn’t need it, but Martin…

JON

Martin is stronger than you think.

ANNABELLE

Do you know whose domain that was?

JON

The Spiral’s. Of course.

ANNABELLE

And the Eye. Together.

Together they hung that gallery of accusation, the paintings that all seemed to hold Martin responsible for their deaths. His friends, his family…strangers he never met but felt responsible for. Its purpose was to keep Martin lost—disorientated and in crippling pain and anguish. Forever.

If he had kept going down that corridor, he would never have found the door to the past. And the Keeper would never have been able to find him. Both of them had too much of the Lonely in them—just enough to keep them both isolated and searching. If they didn’t know where to meet.

JON

(whispers) My God.

They—they knew what we were trying to do. Of course they did. And they didn’t—

ANNABELLE

It’s not about foresight. Neither of them really have that. That domain was a mix of the Spiral and the Eye. It’s just what it was designed for, that’s all.

JON

That’s all? It was more than enough.

So which did you—

(with horrified realization) The paintings of me. You did that.

ANNABELLE

To remind him.

JON

Of what, for God’s sake?

ANNABELLE

In part, of what he had to prevent—what he had to stop from happening. What you’d been through and he had to make sure didn’t happen. In part, it was letting him experience your pain. He’d heard what you went through, of course, but to actually see it…in so many ways, that would make it worse, and make his determination stronger.

And, of course, part of it was just putting you back in his mind over everyone else. It was the last little…anchor tethering the two of you together, to the past. Something to keep him present so the Keeper could find him.

JON

And show him that last painting. Thankfully.

Did you know about that one?

ANNABELLE

I put that one there, too.

Surely you didn’t think the Keeper knew enough to have done it.

JON

I—n-no, no, but—

Why?

ANNABELLE

Why show it to him?

JON

Why that moment?

ANNABELLE

Because it wasn’t on tape.

I left you alone while you were in Scotland, up until the end. You two deserved a few weeks…unobserved. Alone together. To figure out what you are to one another.

Actually, I had quite a job keeping the Distortion distracted so it wouldn’t pop in and interrupt. It was something of a challenge.

The first time, anyway.

JON

The first time?

ANNABELLE

Oh, we’ve done this dance before. In its fashion.

JON

What dance?

ANNABELLE

The Apocalyptic Tango, I think Martin called it once.

[JON SIGHS IN EXASPERATION]

JON

Do you ever give a straight answer? Or tell the truth?

ANNABELLE

I’m hurt! I’ve been nothing but honest with you this whole time.

JON

(dry as the Sahara) And the other times?

ANNABELLE

Mostly you wouldn’t have believed me.

I did try a time or two. You always insisted it wasn’t possible, or that there must be some sort of catch. You only believed me once, and even then, I don’t think you believed. You simply wanted it to be true.

JON

Are you trying to get me to compel the truth out of you?

ANNABELLE

The way you did Peter Lukas? Or…which one was it? Breekon?

You don’t need to force it, you know. All you have to do is…ask nicely, and I will spin you the tale.

JON

…

Statement of Annabelle Cane, regarding the Web’s plan. Recorded direct from subject…ah…

ANNABELLE

At the end.

JON

…Statement begins.

ANNABELLE

This is the house at Hill Top Road.

This is the crack beneath the house at Hill Top Road.

This is the hole that lay in the crack beneath the house at Hill Top Road.

This is the truth that lurked in the hole that lay in the crack beneath the house at Hill Top Road.

This is the spider that peered at the truth that lurked in the hole that lay in the crack beneath the house at Hill Top Road.

These are the strings that moved the spider that peered at the truth that lurked in the hole that lay in the crack beneath the house at Hill Top Road.

This is the hand that pulled the strings that moved the spider that peered at the truth that lurked in the hole that lay in the crack beneath the house at Hill Top Road.

This is the Mistress that bore the hand that pulled the strings that moved the spider that peered at the truth that lurked in the hole that lay in the crack beneath the house at Hill Top Road.

This is the web that cradled the Mistress that bore the hand that pulled the strings that moved the spider that peered at the truth that lurked in the hole that lay in the crack beneath the house at Hill Top Road.

This is the blade that cut the web that cradled the Mistress that bore the hand that pulled the strings that moved the spider that peered at the truth that lurked in the hole that lay in the crack beneath the house at Hill Top Road.

This is the hero that wielded the blade that cut the web that cradled the Mistress that bore the hand that pulled the strings that moved the spider that peered at the truth that lurked in the hole that lay in the crack beneath the house at Hill Top Road.

This is the story that begged to be told of the hero that wielded the blade that cut the web that cradled the Mistress that bore the hand that pulled the strings that moved the spider that peered at the truth that lurked in the hole that lay in the crack beneath the house at Hill Top Road.

Again, and again, and again, and again.

So few of the things that are Fear are gifted with foresight. The End, of course, knows what will come, because the End is inevitable. All things end, sooner or later. The Web cannot see the future but it can see…patterns. The threads of a story, and what they will be when they weave together.

When the Mother of Puppets first saw the crack beneath Hill Top Road, she thought she understood what it was. A hole in reality, a portal between universes. Places where fear had not touched, where it was not known. But then she saw it for what it was. A crack, not in space, but in time. A way to move between moments. And she began to plan For she saw the threads, and she knew that someday, someone would end the world. And when that happened…eventually, all would end. Even fear cannot last forever, in a world where nothing new is born. Eventually, all must end.

Her plan has been the same, for years. Generations. Choose a champion, mark them young. Put them in the path of a fear, and wait. Then, should the world end at the hands of that fear, tug that champion to cut the strings of fate and send all bound up in it through the crack…and back in time. Back in time enough that they could stop it.

And really, it should have worked.

To a point, it did work. Again, and again, and again, and again. Jonah Magnus sent you his ritual, you read it, the world came to an end. You tried to repair it. You walked to London…and there it got complicated.

The trouble is the Spinner’s plan depended, in the end, on your choice. We told you that you would have had to simultaneously blow up the Archives and stab Jonah Magnus, and then all would have been thrown back in time. In truth, that would not have worked—not if Jonah was still the Eye’s Pupil. It had to be you. You had to choose to take his place…and then have the tethers cut. Then, and only then, would you be sent back with the knowledge to alter things.

Sometimes I told you the original story, that it was a crack in reality and would send all the fears somewhere else, or scatter them across worlds. Once or twice I told you the truth. As I said, it was so hard for you to believe me, regardless of what I spun. Mostly you thought I was manipulating you, lying to you, trying to get you to doom a thousand other worlds. Occasionally you thought it would end the world faster. Only once did you believe me—in a time when I came to you in a cabin in what was once Scotland, a time when I knew you would not act if you did not know you could turn back time, a time when the man you loved turned back for his umbrella and understood what he was hearing and tried to save you and the world.

JON

No…

ANNABELLE

It never quite worked, in the end. Time and again, the strings would be cut, the world would snap back…and time and again, we would retread the same paths. Over and over. So little I could change, so little I could do differently before the Apocalypse and I tried to find a new way to get you to be in position to be dragged back.

Finally, finally, it happened. You tried to take Jonah Magnus’ place, to hasten the end and starve the fears…it would never have worked, of course, but you tried. Martin anticipated it, though, he tried to stop you before you killed Jonah, to delay you while the others lit the fuse. You were faster than he thought, though, and had already become the Pupil of the Eye. You told him to go. To save himself. But Martin would not leave you, despite the danger. Rather than watch him die for nothing, you told him to cut the tether. And he did.

It worked the way the Web intended, of course it did. But for you to remember and be able to fix it, you would have both had to be alive when you came through at the other side. Even one of you would have been enough. But when I woke again and plucked the strand of the Web, I could hear that neither of you remembered.

Neither of you had survived.

[JON MAKES A PAINED NOISE OF DISTRESS]

ANNABELLE

It was then that I realized that Mother’s plan depended too heavily on precise timing. She wanted me to try again, of course. Strangely enough, the Fears never knew it had happened, not even the Web. But she reminded me, again and again, about her plan, told me what strings to pull.

This time, though…this time I thought I’d try something a bit different.

I did what I have done every other time. I stayed with Salesa, I spoke to you both. I followed your progress through the tapes, and when you disappeared beneath the tunnels…I acted. As I promised him, I killed him, and I took his camera. I brought it to London, to the Institute…to the Panopticon. But this time, I brought it up to the belly of the beast. I took it to the office of Jonah Magnus.

The camera wasn’t strong enough to dispel the entire Apocalypse there, of course. But it created enough of a hole to break Jonah free of the Eye’s hold.

He was as pleased to see me as you might expect. Demanded to know what I was doing there. And I told him. I told him I had come to warn him.

JON

What?!

ANNABELLE

I told him that his precious Archivist was far from resigned to this new world he had brought about, that he was coming to stop it. To stop him. I said that you were bringing Martin with you and that you had a plan, and if he wanted to continue his reign, he’d best do something to stop it.

JON

Did you have any idea what that something would be?

ANNABELLE

Patterns. Of course I knew.

Jonah would never have harmed you, even if he could have; he still hoped to get you on his side. As you learned tonight. On the other hand, he would have known, or at least guessed, that the only thing stopping you from joining him was Martin. And even if he couldn’t hope to win you over by separating you…he would at least have found a way to use that bond against you.

JON

(shouting) Martin could have died because of you!

ANNABELLE

Perish the thought! My dear Jon, do you know know how many times I’ve been through this loop?

Even when I filled him with spiders, there has never been a time you could bring yourself to harm him in the slightest, let alone kill him. Faced with a choice between letting him die or getting revenge, I knew you would save him. Of course he wouldn’t have died.

[JON SPUTTERS INDIGNANTLY]

ANNABELLE

And I made sure you had somewhere to recover. I had already nudged the Keeper towards that door.

He couldn’t have done it, of course; he was too tightly bound to the Light—not the Lonely, not the fear he watched over, but the Light itself. If it fell, so would he, and he cannot leave it for long. Even if he had come back, he would have been unable to make a difference in anyone’s past. But of course he thought of the Archivist. His godson. And when you thought Martin might be taken from you, you experienced the precise fear that summoned one of his doors—the fear of being forever separated from the one you love.

Perhaps the original plan would have worked eventually. Perhaps someday you, or Martin, or both of you, would have survived long enough to awaken in the past and remember. But I think it’s better this way, don’t you? Much more…direct.

And look how much you’ve spared the others from.

JON

The others—G-Georgie, Melanie, Basira—in, in that timeline, the one Martin and I left. Did they…what happened to them?

ANNABELLE

The Keeper and I took care of that. Don’t worry.

After he saw you safely through, I introduced myself to him and told him what needed to happen. He fetched Basira and took her to the tunnels beneath the Institute, and then I came myself. I told them what Jonah had done, what you had done, and what they needed to do.

I gave them the choice. The same one I often gave you. I told them they could either…let things stay as they were, allow things to die out in time, and keep apart from it, or end it. Take out Jonah Magnus and blow up the Institute simultaneously, and send all the Fears back in time as well—the Fears, and any of us too tightly bound up in them to survive without them.

I know you won’t believe me, Jon, but I never influenced them to make the choice they did. Basira did ask me what they usually chose, and I did tell her that I had never known them to choose anything other than one option, but I didn’t tell her what it was. I knew it would be important for you to know that, whatever they chose, it was their decision and their decision alone.

JON

(heh) I can’t imagine Melanie not choosing the option that allows her to kill Elias.

[ANNABELLE LAUGHS]

ANNABELLE

Neither can I. And she didn’t choose differently.

As I understand it, Melanie made her way up alone—being blind, of course, the fearful things on those stairs could not affect her—while Basira provided a distraction and Georgie lit the gas aflame. Melanie took the camera and aimed it at Jonah Magnus to bring him down, and then while he tried to belittle her, she stabbed him, just as the building blew.

JON

And then what happened? Did they survive?

ANNABELLE

I don’t know. But they succeeded, or I wouldn’t be here.

JON

…

How many others has the Web done this to? Tried to—manipulate into a savior?

ANNABELLE

Oh, I don’t know. Hundreds?

Most of them would have failed. Many never made it beyond her. I was one of them, actually, a child tested out but ultimately found lacking, although I was the only one I think she would have trusted with this. But you…the Mother of Puppets saw the threads of your life. So many Fears noticed you as a child that you were bound to fall afoul of one of them eventually. And as soon as she realized where Jonah Magnus’ thoughts were trending, and where they would eventually lead, she knew that you would be a perfect candidate to complete the ritual in the end.

So she chose you. She lured you in. And you resisted her pull. She knew then that you would be the only one strong enough to succeed.

JON

I only survived because someone else took my place! I would have died if he hadn’t—

ANNABELLE

My dear Jon. Has anyone meant to be claimed by a power ever actually handed away a book or an artifact willingly?

Had you been meant to be the Spinner’s in the end, Mitchell Hopkins would never have been able to take that book from you, let alone read it. Mister Spider was a test, a test that you passed.

A test I never would have.

JON

…

…Was that his name? Mitchell?

ANNABELLE

It was.

It is.

And now you know everything.

[A FEW MOMENTS OF SILENCE, SAVE THE TAPES CHITTERING IN THE BACKGROUND]

JON

I—I suppose I should be grateful that we don’t remember all of…these. All these…cobwebs.

I’m damned grateful I don’t remember—

ANNABELLE

I must admit, that was a bad one.

JON

Getting through that…it was hard enough with Martin. I don’t—I don’t see how I did it alone.

Especially after—especially knowing I—

Did I know?

ANNABELLE

…

You spent far longer at Salesa’s that time than you did any other time. In the end, I had to go with you almost all the way to London.

…Yes. You knew.

Not at the time. Not when it happened. But the Eye made sure you Knew the details in the end. You ran into Basira and she asked where Martin was—

JON

—and the Beholder forced me to describe it.

ANNABELLE

You said yourself, more than once. None of this has ever been to the benefit of humanity. Or any individual human.

JON

Or whatever I—whatever we are.

ANNABELLE

What defines a human, anyway? The limitations, or the abilities?

We can do more than what an ordinary human can. But we can still do all the things that an ordinary human can, too. We think. We feel. We love, Jon.

As far as I’m concerned, that makes us human.

JON

���Who do you love, Annabelle?

ANNABELLE

I was the first to hold him. Did you know that? I was staying with Harry and his wife while I was at university, just before I took part in that study. They wanted someone to read to him before he was born, so he would learn the stories. Harry worked late, trying to make a better life for them all, and Elizabeth…well, she was blind, so she could tell stories fine, but she wanted him to hear books too. Every night, after dinner, I’d sit and read to her belly. He came early and Harry didn’t get to the hospital in time, so after Elizabeth, I was the first one to hold him.

Harry picked out his first name because he knew I hated that book. Elizabeth softened it by picking a middle name after me, but…she always called him Charlie. I think she knew, even then.

A couple years after I became part of the Web, the Desolation took Harry, probably to spite me, but…Harry was never the one I cared about. Elizabeth, at least, died as peacefully as anybody can. It may not have been pleasant, or timely, but at least it wasn’t to serve a power. Just bad luck.

…

Get him away from that grandmother of his if you can, will you?

JON

One of us will.

ANNABELLE

That’s all I ask.

JON

Well, I—I suppose, in light of all that’s happened…it’s the least I can do.

ANNABELLE

You believe me, then?

JON

It happened. It’s over.

Whether once or a hundred times…it happened the way you said at least once. And we won. That’s enough for me.

…Yes, Annabelle Cane, I believe you.

ANNABELLE

For what it’s worth, Jon, you did all the hard work on your own. You and Martin, and…the others. In your time and this. All I did was get you here.

JON

The others…

(sharp intake of breath) Oh, God. The Unknowing. Has it—have they—I-I can’t, even if we were in the Panopticon, I couldn’t See it. But you—there, there were tapes.

Are they…?

ANNABELLE

That one. I think.

JON

You think?

ANNABELLE

It added itself to the web just before you got here. It’s either theirs or yours.

[BRIEF PAUSE, THEN THE SQUEAL OF TAPE BEFORE A RECORDING PICKS UP - FAINT CIRCUS MUSIC, THUMPS AND TAPS THAT MIGHT BE SOME KIND OF FOOTSTEP, FLOORBOARDS CREAKING, SHALLOW BREATHING, FABRIC RUSTLES]

PRESENT ARCHIVIST ON TAPE

I love you.

PRESENT MARTIN ON TAPE

I love you.

TIM ON TAPE

I love you.

Tell me when.

[DEEP BREATH]

PRESENT ARCHIVIST ON TAPE

Three…two…one…

[MORE FABRIC RUSTLES, DETONATOR CLICKS, EXPLOSION BEGINS BEFORE ABRUPTLY CUTTING OFF]

JON

Oh, God.

ANNABELLE

And to think I thought you had a terrible sense of timing.

JON

At least they said something before—

O-oh, God, Tim. Tim—you know as well as I do that in my time, he—and I—were they all in the middle of that?

ANNABELLE

More or less.

They didn’t walk into the Unknowing, at least. Martin listened to what you told him and wouldn’t let them open any doors. But it had to be blown up from the inside to be sure of getting all the charges. Your counterpart and Martin’s wouldn’t leave Tim behind, however much he tried to make them.

JON

What happened after that?

ANNABELLE

I don’t know if there is an after that yet.

JON

And we’re back to the cryptic bullshit.

ANNABELLE

On the contrary. I said exactly what I meant.

We aren’t exactly anywhere right now, or any when. This…place…I wouldn’t call it a domain, but it exists outside of both time and space. The rules are different here. Time, if it passes at all, passes differently.

They might have just pressed the detonator. They might have pressed it hours ago, or days ago.

JON

(dismayed) Days?

ANNABELLE

All I can say is that wherever, whenever they are, they are out of reach of my tapes. And your sight.

Fortunately…I know someone who can give us those answers, even from here. Maybe especially from here.

JON

Who else is here, for God’s sake?

[ANNABELLE SINGS THE NEXT LINE IN THE SAME SLOW, MEASURED VOICE AS BEFORE]

ANNABELLE

Two elephants went out to play Upon a spider’s web one day They had such enormous fun They called for another elephant to come…

[STICKY FOOTSTEPS APPROACH OVER THE TAPE WEB]

OLIVER

Hello, Jon. It is all right if I call you Jon?

JON

…Oliver? Oliver Banks?

OLIVER

In the…well. In the manifestation, I suppose. I don’t know if any of us is here in the flesh.

JON

(disbelieving laugh) You’re…not quite what I expected.

OLIVER

Is that an invitation for me to comment about how Death so rarely is what we expect, or a manifestation of you wondering why Martin would possibly be jealous of someone like me?

ANNABELLE

If you knew either of them a little better, you’d know Martin’s reasons for being jealous are almost entirely in his head.

Also, he’s never met you.

OLIVER

Mm, true. We always seemed to miss one another.

JON

You—hold on. You’re from the future as well?

OLIVER

Like you and Annabelle. Well, more like Annabelle, I suppose. You had to be the Pupil of the Eye before you were tangled enough to get dragged back with the Fears. Me? Without Terminus, I’m just…dead. And we’ve already established that that’s not where I want to be.

JON

…Did you know? When you came to the hospital?

OLIVER

That we’d done this before? Of course. I long ago stopped being surprised at what you would choose.

JON

Then for God’s sake, why—

OLIVER

Because you had to choose, Jon. It was always your choice.

Think of it as a crossroads. You stood at a fork in the road, where one path would take you back to life and the other would take you on to, well, whatever came next. The trouble was that the signposts were covered.

You could have chosen without knowing which path was which, but that’s not your way. Not when you know enough to know that one was…mm, wrong, shall we say? One would have led you where you wanted to be, one where you didn’t.

JON

I didn’t want to die.

OLIVER

There’s a difference between not wanting to die and having something to live for.

JON

(deep breath) Right, well, I definitely have something to live for, so I’ll be going now.

Uh, how do I get out of here?

OLIVER

Ordinarily? You don’t.

JON

What?!

OLIVER

This is Terminus’s realm. Well, sort of. A little pocket on the outside edge of it.

JON

Another crossroads.

OLIVER

Mm, not so much. More that you’re standing in the middle of the path.

JON

So which way is back?

OLIVER

Life is a journey traveled in one direction only.

JON

(tartly) Yes, well, so is time, but here we all are.

I’ve already chosen to live, Oliver. (with slight malice) Can I call you Oliver?

OLIVER

(not rising to the bait) This isn’t a place where you get to choose.

JON

…So you’re saying that’s it.

After all that, after everything I—everything we did…this is the end. There’s nowhere else for me to go.

ANNABELLE

How many times have you walked out of another entity’s domain? Not counting the Apocalypse. We’ve already talked about how that doesn’t count.

JON

I…twice. The Buried and the Lonely.

Three, I suppose, if that crossroads counts.

OLIVER

That was a metaphor. You were close to Death, but not its realm. If that makes sense.

JON

Not really.

ANNABELLE

The Buried and the Lonely, then.

What brought you out?

JON

From the Buried, it was the—the tapes…it was Martin putting those tapes on top of the coffin. W-weaving me a rope…or a ladder.

The Lonely was simple enough to leave. The way out was together.

ANNABELLE

With Martin.

JON

…Yes.

ANNABELLE

Exactly.

Not all strands of a spider’s web are to capture or to control, you know. Sometimes, they are simply…to anchor.

JON

…

…That’s why you offered to bind me to Martin. It wasn’t about—it wasn’t for strength or power at all.

ANNABELLE

Not to defeat Jonah Magnus, no. There’s more than one kind of strength, more than one kind of power. I did tell you that you would need it to survive what was coming.

JON

It brought Martin back when Peter Lukas visited the Archives and he almost got swallowed by the Lonely again. It—it grounded me, kept me from losing control while I was taking down Jonah.

And now…

ANNABELLE

It can guide you home.

[OLIVER LAUGHS]

OLIVER

You know, people always talk about some legendary “red string of fate”, but I’ve never actually seen a real one before.

Let alone one woven from cassette tape.

JON

You knew I had that tether from the beginning.

OLIVER

Truthfully, I didn’t think it would work. Plenty of people have things they think are tying them to life, but they aren’t strong enough to resist the pull. Most threads snap.

JON

Not this one.

I made Martin a promise. And I never break my word.

OLIVER

A good thing, when your tether is almost literally made out of your words.

JON

Ha, ha.

…Wait. B-before I go…the Unknowing. Are they—she said you would know.

OLIVER

It’s over. It worked. They brought the house down.

A lot of tormented souls set free, all at once. Quite the rush, really.

JON

The three of them—my counterpart and Martin’s and Tim. What happened to them?

[OLIVER SIGHS]

OLIVER

Two of them will be fine. Some cuts and bruises, but they’ll be up and about sooner rather than later. They might already be up and about. Time’s difficult to discern here.

The other…I suspect I’m going to need to pay a visit at some point. Clean off those signposts.

JON

Don’t wait six months.

OLIVER

I shouldn’t be more than a couple weeks behind you.

JON

…That’s less comforting than you think it is.

OLIVER

Then it must be terrifying, because I was definitely going for ominous.

[JON SIGHS…AND LAUGHS RELUCTANTLY; ANNABELLE AND OLIVER LAUGH TOO]

JON

I suppose we’ll meet again, Annabelle.

ANNABELLE

…No. No, I don’t think we will.

JON

Tired of me already?

ANNABELLE

I was watching them for you. Not just through the tapes. I was lurking in a corner of that room.

I don’t know that I made it out.

OLIVER

(gently) You didn’t, I’m afraid.

Your choices are more limited. Stay here with your web…or see what comes next.

[A SHORT PAUSE]

JON

We’ll keep the recorders going.

In case you’re still listening.

ANNABELLE

…Tell Charlie his aunt loves him very much.

JON

I will.

Oliver…don’t take this the wrong way, but if I ever see you again, it will be too soon.

OLIVER

Death always comes too soon.

JON

That was definitely not meant for that aspect of you.

OLIVER

Fair.

ANNABELLE

Have a good life, Jon.

You and Martin deserve it.

JON

If I may borrow from another…may you find your rest where no shadows are cast, and no eyes may see you slumber.

ANNABELLE

(audibly smiling) From you, Jon, that is a true blessing.

[DEEP BREATH]

JON

Right. Hold on, Martin.

I’m coming home.

[CLICK]

[thevoidcannotbefilled]

Martin, Phones, and Spiders

A lot of people have brought up Jon saying "I need you" in the Lonely as a counter to Annabelle putting that doubt in otherwise. And I agree, at the end of the day, Annabelle's point wasn't to put doubt. Which begs the question... why?

Recall this isn’t the first time Jon or Martin have said "I need you" to one other. The first time was Martin in the season 4 trailer. Remember what else was in that trailer?

A phone call.

It's been theorized before that the call was actually from Annabelle Cane. There are two real options, Peter and Annabelle, but Peter says something really specific later on.

"Martin, this is what we agreed. After the Flesh attacked, you came to me." -Peter Lukas from MAG 134, Time of Relevation

Martin went to Peter. Peter didn't call Martin to join him. Plus, Peter has always been the type to woosh in and jumpscare, not make a phone call. But you know who does make phone calls, especially of the well-timed nature like the one in the hospital- Annabelle Cane.

Of course, if the Web wanted the end of the world, it would be in their best interest to bring back Jon anyways but what the Web wanted was a deal, a beginning connection to get close to the Archivist.

To be honest, I found the way Martin answered in MAG 166 to be a tad too familiar. Look at this:

MARTIN: Hello?

ANNABELLE CANE: Hello. Is that Martin?

MARTIN: Don’t do that.

ANNABELLE: What, no stomach for games?

MARTIN: Well, your games aren’t exactly fun for everyone, are they?

-MAG 166, The Worms

I find his reaction here similar to his sassing of Peter. Further, he didn’t react this way to Simon. There was a bit of caution with Simon, both that he was afraid of him doing something, and being unsure of who he’s talking to.Plus even when it was clear that he could yell at Simon and not have negative consequences for it, he was cautious enough to respond neutrally to the roller coaster question. And while for Annabelle, Jon is here to protect him, so that may bring confidence, Jon wasn’t there at the moment, and Martin easily could have been hurt. But he wasn’t. Because he knew the call wasn’t going to hurt him. 

Martin isn’t playing Annabelle’s game.. because I feel like he’s played it before, and from his perspective, playing her game led to the mess they’re in now. If he did in fact make a deal with the Web to bring Jon back, no wonder he’s not willing to play her games anymore. 

Hold on, you may ask, didn’t he ask if he was talking to Annabelle Cane? He would know if he had talked to her before.

There is another theory we're combining here. The theory that Annabelle can change her voice. If she can which leads to a whole load of drama (including Annabelle potentially faking Basira's voice so Martin thought he was talking to her when she sent in the statements), then Martin asking if that was Annabelle makes sense.

This is not to say this is Web!Martin, far from it. He is useful to the Web and has a lot of traits the Web likes but ultimately Martin isn’t the type to be part of the powers. He doesn’t want to hurt innocents especially for his own gain. He definitely isn’t going to betray Jon on purpose for Web shenanigans. However, the Web is still trying to use Martin and he's very useful at that. After all, Martin is probably the only person in the world who can LIE to Jon because they trust and love each other so much.

And that may be used against them, even if Martin is 100% doing so with Jon's best interests in mind and isn’t intending to hurt him at all. 

TLDR:

What are the chances that Martin made a deal with the Web that he would join the Lonely in exchange for bringing Jon back?

What if the call was a reminder to Martin of the deal he made?

And lastly, what if the Web made the call in order to remind Martin that he's made a deal before in order to plant a seed later when he feels like he NEEDS to make a deal?

Jon is a very important part of the Eye, and if the Web wants them to burn down the Archives, it might make Jon weak. Perhaps another deal may need to be struck.

What if that call was meant to tell Martin: "Jon may not need you, but he may need us."

[altedi]

MAG 134

PETER: What does – puzzle me though, and I mean that genuinely, is – why you were piling tape recorders onto the coffin while John was in there. It’s a question, Martin, it’s – it’s not an accusation.

MARTIN: I don’t know. And I just – felt like it might help. He’s always recording, and I thought it – it might help him… find his way out.

PETER: Interesting. Were you compelled?

MARTIN: I don’t know. Maybe? I-I, I definitely wanted to do it.

PETER: But?

MARTIN: I’m – I’m not sure where the idea came from.

PETER: You should watch out for that. Could be something dangerous.

MAG 197

BASIRA: John, it’s that stupid lighter of yours.

ARCHIVIST: My what? Oh? Oh.

ANNABELLE: A little anchor of our power, so that we, and our tapes, may follow wherever you go.

I’m going to scream is2g

I originally thought it was because of some... weird Archivist & Assistant connection but if the tapes are web...

Of course, it could be both due to the connection between the lighter and the tapes, AND how the tapes are like a record of Jon himself, which I’m pretty sure other people have pointed out before

[thewritingstar]

Ah well were all at home better ask all 200 questions g, don't really know much about u

200 QUESTIONS???? ALRIGHT HERE YA GO. 

hope you enjoy me spending an hour answering all of these :) 

200: My crush’s name is: N/A 199: I was born in: 2000 198: I am really: nice 197: My cellphone company is: idk 196: My eye color is: Hazel, can turn dark brown or light green sometimes 195: My shoe size is: 8 194: My ring size is: 7 I think 193: My height is: 5′3 192: I am allergic to: penicillin  191: My 1st car was: Toyota  190: My 1st job was: Baskin Robbins  189: Last book you read: Suicide Notes (highly recommend)  188: My bed is: galaxy bedding and is currently on the floor in my bed fram cause my friends broke it... 187: My pet: Black cockapoo and a white cockapoo named Abby and Molly 186: My best friend: is a hoe 185: My favorite shampoo is: herbal essence color me happy  184: Xbox or ps3: I perfer Wii, Wii U or Nintendo switch  183: Piggy banks are: cute, Mine is a ducktales cup  182: In my pockets: nothing rn 181: On my calendar: nothing rn 180: Marriage is: a good thing but not a necessity for a happy life 179: Spongebob can: get it  178: My mom: is a queen  177: The last three songs I bought were? i only buy cds for my car so: Lover, Hozier, Blink 182 176: Last YouTube video watched: The Office deleted scenes 175: How many cousins do you have? 8 but I only see four of them and two of them are adults with kids so i consider them more of aunt and uncle figures 174: Do you have any siblings? One older sister  173: Are your parents divorced? Nope  172: Are you taller than your mom? Nope 171: Do you play an instrument? Nope 170: What did you do yesterday? Sat on ass and watched youtube 

[ I Believe In ] 169: Love at first sight: ye why not 168: Luck: yes  167: Fate: yes 166: Yourself: kinda 165: Aliens: yes 164: Heaven: mmmm yes i guess 163: Hell: yes 162: God: uhhhhh yes and no, kinda indifferent 161: Horoscopes: yep 160: Soul mates: yesss 159: Ghosts: ye 158: Gay Marriage: WHO THE FUCK DOESNT BELIEVE IN THISS?? ITS REAL  157: War: think it does more harm than good 156: Orbs: ye 155: Magic: ye i wanna be a wizard 

[ This or That ] 154: Hugs or Kisses: hugs 153: Drunk or High: drunk, i dont do drugs and i dont drink yet but ill prob get drunk  152: Phone or Online: oo i use both but Online i guess 151: Red heads or Black haired: Black hair 150: Blondes or Brunettes: Brunettes 149: Hot or cold: HOT 148: Summer or winter: Summer 147: Autumn or Spring: Both 146: Chocolate or vanilla: Vanilla  145: Night or Day: Day 144: Oranges or Apples: Oranges 143: Curly or Straight hair: I have straight hair but curly hair is also beautiful 142: McDonalds or Burger King: BURGER KING..I HATE MCDONALDS 141: White Chocolate or Milk Chocolate: MILK 140: Mac or PC: Pc 139: Flip flops or high heals:...High heels prob 138: Ugly and rich OR sweet and poor: SWEET AND POOR, IM ALREADY UGLY 137: Coke or Pepsi: NEITHER 136: Hillary or Obama: obama  135: Burried or cremated: cremated 134: Singing or Dancing: love both but maybe dancing rn 133: Coach or Chanel: Coach  132: Kat McPhee or Taylor Hicks: idk who they are 131: Small town or Big city: Big city, i grew up in a small town 130: Wal-Mart or Target: TARGET 129: Ben Stiller or Adam Sandler: Adam 128: Manicure or Pedicure: Mani 127: East Coast or West Coast: West Coast 126: Your Birthday or Christmas: Christmas  125: Chocolate or Flowers: Chocolate 124: Disney or Six Flags: DISNEY  123: Yankees or Red Sox: eww sports 

[ Here’s What I Think About ] 122: War:....does more harm than good  121: George Bush:....dont know enough to say but im pretty sure he was an awful human  120: Gay Marriage: It should just be called marriage, just because you’re gay doesnt make it any less or any more, its equal to other marriages  119: The presidential election: 118: Abortion: Pro Choice, no one has the right to tell someone what to do with their body 117: MySpace: i never used it cause i was too young but i bet it was lit 116: Reality TV: its funny af  115: Parents: are nice if they care about their child but if they are abusive or horrible then they dont deserve respect  114: Back stabbers: should be stabbed  113: Ebay: its nice  112: Facebook: full of idiots and boomers  111: Work: a scam  110: My Neighbors: they fine 109: Gas Prices: A SCAM 108: Designer Clothes: a nice but really $200 for socks, no mama 107: College: SHOULD BE FREE 106: Sports: fun but no one needs to make that much money for throwing a ball 105: My family: i like them 104: The future: is wild and idk at this point 

[ Last time I ] 103: Hugged someone: my mom like a few days ago 102: Last time you ate: at 11 today! 101: Saw someone I haven’t seen in awhile:  100: Cried in front of someone: my mom after i yelled at her 99: Went to a movie theater: i saw Onward when we were allowed outside 98: Took a vacation: went to disneyland last October  97: Swam in a pool: like almost two years sadly  96: Changed a diaper: when i was like 8  95: Got my nails done: never got them done because my mom wouldnt take me cause i was a ‘tom boy’  94: Went to a wedding: never  93: Broke a bone: when i was three, my big toe 92: Got a piercing: my nose in January  91: Broke the law: i guess i sped the other day  90: Texted: literally as im doing this 

[ MISC ] 89: Who makes you laugh the most: my friend 88: Something I will really miss when I leave home is: the silence of being alone 87: The last movie I saw: Princess and the Frog 86: The thing that I’m looking forward to the most: Moving for college 85: The thing im not looking forward to:  84: People call me: Deanna (real name), Dean, Star (what yall call me) ton of others 83: The most difficult thing to do is: idk  82: I have gotten a speeding ticket: never 81: My zodiac sign is: Aries 80: The first person i talked to today was:  79: First time you had a crush: Ive had  78: The one person who i can’t hide things from: my best friends 77: Last time someone said something you were thinking: my friends over ft  76: Right now I am talking to: no one 75: What are you going to do when you grow up: hopefully being an animator  74: I have/will get a job: at disney  73: Tomorrow: doing nothing 72: Today: doing nothing  71: Next Summer: hopefully not on quarantine  70: Next Weekend: nothing special  69: I have these pets: 2 doggos 68: The worst sound in the world: ICE SCRAPING OR MOUTH BREATHING 67: The person that makes me cry the most is:  66: People that make you happy: my friends 65: Last time I cried: few days ago  64: My friends are: my world 63: My computer is: a Dell  62: My School: is a community college  61: My Car: it goes 60: I lose all respect for people who: are bigots, dehumanize people, republicans  59: The movie I cried at was: Onward had me sobbing  58: Your hair color is: Brown rn 57: TV shows you watch: theres too many 56: Favorite web site: tumblr or youtube 55: Your dream vacation: every disney park  54: The worst pain I was ever in was: i think when i cut my finger or when i went to the hospital for my chest  53: How do you like your steak cooked: Medium rare  52: My room is: disney themed and my safe zone 51: My favorite celebrity is: Tara Strong  50: Where would you like to be: Disneyland 49: Do you want children: ehh maybe  48: Ever been in love: nope 47: Who’s your best friend: my neighbor that ive known since i was 4 46: More guy friends or girl friends: more girl 45: One thing that makes you feel great is: making cake  44: One person that you wish you could see right now: my cousin 43: Do you have a 5 year plan: not really  42: Have you made a list of things to do before you die: ye 41: Have you pre-named your children: kinda 40: Last person I got mad at: my mom 39: I would like to move to: La 38: I wish I was a professional: animator

[ My Favorites ] 37: Candy: Kitkat 36: Vehicle: Cars 35: President: 34: State visited: California, Nevada, Texas, Hawaii,  33: Cellphone provider: 32: Athlete: n/a 31: Actor: Colin O'Donoghue 30: Actress: Lana Parrilla 29: Singer: Joe Jonas, Taylor Swift  28: Band: Big Time Rush 27: Clothing store: Hot topic, Ross,  26: Grocery store: Safeway  25: TV show: Once Upon A Time or PPG  24: Movie: Princess and the Frog and Ratatouille  23: Website: tumblr  22: Animal: elephant  21: Theme park: disneyland  20: Holiday: Halloween  19: Sport to watch: hockey  18: Sport to play:..i do not play  17: Magazine: i dont read mags  16: Book: Kingdom Keepers  15: Day of the week: Friday  14: Beach: one i went to in Hawaii  13: Concert attended: Jonas Brothers  12: Thing to cook: chowmein and strawberry shortcake  11: Food: Chowmein  10: Restaurant: my fav Chinese restaurant  9: Radio station: I don’t listen to the radio  8: Yankee candle scent: Vanilla  7: Perfume: Vanilla  6: Flower: Rose or Larkspur  5: Color: Black or blue  4: Talk show host: umm i dont watch many but i guess Jimmy Fallon  3: Comedian: Jaboukie Young-White or John Mulaney  2: Dog breed: Pomeranian  1: Did you answer all these truthfully? ye 

[madmaudlingoes]

MAG 134 meta

Aka “finish this post before my battery dies because I forgot my charger at home” challenge.

Okay, the Extinction. Not the 15th power I was predicting, but who the fuck cares, it’s awesome. The dread not of everything ending, but everything changing -- of a paradigm shift that leaves you and everything you care about behind. It casts new light on Dekker’s “man-made” allusion from “Breathing Room:” this is absolutely a monster of our own creation.

(Rejected long-form name for Extinction: Stop-Hitting-Yourself.)

But I’m still caught on gap between what Martin thinks Peter is doing, and what Peter is actually planning. Peter says in this episode that someone touched by the Beholding, specifically, is needed for his proposed ritual; in 126 he claimed Martin was uniquely able to “balance between the two,” which I think is now pretty clearly meant to be Beholding and Lonely. Why would that combination of powers be helpful against the Extinction, though? 

Gertrude’s counter-rituals, when not involving C4, worked on the principle of oppositions. Counter Buried with Vast, because the two are mutually exclusive. Pin down the Throat of Lies with a definite name and its power collapses. This wouldn’t work for the Unknowing precisely because the Stranger devours all meaning: you can’t have contradiction when nothing is defined in the first place.

The opposite of death would seem to be fecundity, in the Annie Dillard sense: the profusion of little squirming things that seems to be trademark Corruption. The difference between the End and the Extinction, however, is that the End is simultaneously individual and universal: I am afraid to die, and everything dies someday, eventually. Extinction is crucially neither of these things, because what makes it scary is that we will be gone but something else will not be.

If the Beholding has an opposition comparable to Vast-Buried, it’s probably the Dark or the Stranger: the fear of being seen and known versus the fear of the unknown or the unknowable. That sort of tracks with the Extinction as presenting in this statement, since part of what makes it scary is being unable to comprehend what the world after us is like, to the point where Bernadette couldn’t articulate a description of the Inheritors.

But the other potential Extinction statements were “Binary” (Sergei Ushanka eats his keyboard), “Breathing Room” (Justin Gogh initially seemed like an avatar of death-by-pollution rather than just death) and possibly “Zombie” (Lorell St. John is the last human being on earth). And those don’t involve such a strong unknown element -- well, Sergei probably didn’t think uploading his mind to the Internet would hurt so much, but the horror of that statement is that we do know he’s suffering in his post-human existence, and the video makes us know it. Lorell is scare because she recognizes the zombies for what they are. As for pollution ... climate change has been a thing for over a century. It’s not that we don’t know what horrors it will cause, it’s our inability as a society to take meaningful action on that knowledge it that makes it apocalyptic.

And the Lonely is even less of an opposition, since a key element of fear-of-the-apocalypse is imagining the world forsaken, and perhaps imagining yourself as the Last Human On Earth. “Lost in the Crowd” and “Monologue” (and “Zombie,” if you count that one as Lonely) don’t have the apocalyptic flavor of this statement, but they both hinge on, not being alone per se, but being the only person among a whole bunch of not-people.

So, yeah. If anything, a Lonely-Beholding hybrid avatar might be close to the Extinction rather than its opposition. So is Peter hoping to use Martin as a proxy for an actual Extinction avatar? Because, if so, that’s not going to bode anything good for our poor boy.

On the other hand, @backofthebookshelf had an interesting theory: the Extinction is a meta-Power, the thing the Powers themselves fear. While there have been plenty of statements on the fringes of one Power or another (eg “Zombie” could be Extinction, Lonely, Stranger...) so far we’ve only seen avatars of the specific named entities listed by Smirke. Martin becoming a servant to two gods would be unprecedented, and might be a stepping stone to some kind of Voltron team-up of multiple Powers versus the New Bastard.

(Third thought: Peter’s concern about where Martin got the idea to use tape recorders as anchors seems to indicate that he’s not on the side of the Web, whatever the fuck they’re doing. Is it because he knows the Web wants to swipe Martin for itself? Is the Web also pursuing this Hybrid Avatar thing?)

[thevideogameartarchive]

Very close to August! That means a look into the future of our blogs!

Our blogs are @GameArtArchive , @OldGameMags,  @Sonic_Hedgeblog, @nintendometro & @Sega_City, and you should follow them all!

For Game Art Archive I work hard to extract the art at the best quality, and bringing all sorts of weird, rare artwork to the limelight.

This month we’ve got some great games - including:

Alien Soldier (Megadrive)

Honoo no Doukyuuji Dodge Danpei (SNES)

Ready 2 Rumble (Dreamcast)

Chameleon Twist (N64)

Albert Odyssey (Saturn)

Kirby Canvas Curse (DS)

Sonic Book: Activity Book (Book)

Pop'n Pop (PSOne)

TMNT II: The Arcade Game(NES)

And over on Old Game Mags, we rummage through all the great 80’s and 90’s magazines to find fascinating articles, cover artwork and advertisements for the games of yesteryear, posting several times a day!

We’ll be going through:

Nintendo Spaceworld 99 Guide Book

Saturn Power #8, December 97

Official Dreamcast Magazine #11, Feb 2001 

Nintendo Power #134, July 2000 

Sega Visions #21, Oct 94

Sonic The Hedgeblog has post posts about long lost artwork, GIFs, secrets and more from the blue rodent.

Sega City and Nintendo Metro are a mixture of them all - reblogging magazine ads and artwork from either platforms, with a mixture of new GIFs or secrets thrown in for good measure.

All blogs are maintained by me - Ryan Langley, aka Rlan . It’s a lot of work maintaining, extracting and posting everything. If you like what I’m doing, you can support us on Patreon , where you can get updates on both blogs, as well as the original high resolution extracted art from VGAA! Every dollar helps!

Join the Patreon and Help me do even more!

[thelazyhero-ttums]

I posted 2,691 times in 2021

17 posts created (1%)

2674 posts reblogged (99%)

For every post I created, I reblogged 157.3 posts.

I added 134 tags in 2021

#teen wolf - 27 posts

#jim - 20 posts

#mags - 19 posts

#asks - 13 posts

#ask - 12 posts

#incorrect teen wolf - 11 posts

#art - 9 posts

#incorrect quotes - 9 posts

#theo raeken - 7 posts

#ask game - 7 posts

Longest Tag: 88 characters

#shout out to my family and thinking i said ‘wh*re’ instead of ‘horror’ when i was like 7

My Top Posts in 2021

#5

24, 32 and 37 for the asks???

24: What is/are/were your best subject(s)?

My best subjects (in school) are probably Math or Science, they’re both things I’m passionate about and enjoy

32: What is your favourite color?

My favorite color is pink!!!

37: Is it easier to forgive or forget?

I feel it truly depends on the situation, but it’s probably easier to forget than forgive, but the doesn’t necessarily mean you should do that???

1 notes • Posted 2021-01-12 18:42:06 GMT

#4

38 and 40 from the ask list?

38. post a picture of the outfit you would choose if you could have any outfit you wanted

See the full post

4 notes • Posted 2021-01-31 23:31:54 GMT

#3

hi bestie it just hit me it's been like six years or some shit oh my god ilysm king

BESTIE WHAT-

ITS BEEN SO LONG ALSKDHDHAGAG!!!

I love you with my whole heart, and honestly I’m so glad to have you in my life, I’m legit about to start crying. I’m not even sure how to put in words how much I love you, I’m just so glad you’re in my life, I’d have it no other way!!!!

See the full post

6 notes • Posted 2021-06-09 17:48:10 GMT

#2

Wanna know something I’ve noticed:

Out of every single fandom I have posted a fic on AO3 for, that being SPN, Star Wars, Newsies, and Heathers, the Newsies fandom seems to be really good at commenting on fics. The other fandoms need to step up their comment game, whether it’s just a quick generic “oh that was really sweet” or “I loved it!!!” It doesn’t matter, just please, comment on author’s fics. It’s so discouraging when you have a fic with 52 kudos, but zero comments. Sure you’ll be able to tell that it was liked by some people, but you have no idea what they liked. Honestly you could just be like “‘quote from the fic’ I loved that line.”

7 notes • Posted 2021-06-20 22:35:32 GMT

#1

Pairing: Destiel (Dean Winchester/Castiel)

Warnings: None

A/N: I this idea and wanted to write some so here it is, very soft, pure fluff. It’s 195 so just a quick Oneshot, hope you enjoy!

x x x x x x

Cas laid his head down, enjoying the slow rise and fall of Dean’s chest. Cas let his eyes slowly close as Dean’s arm wrapped around his shoulder, and their legs intertwined. The heat radiating between their bodies was perfect for the cool atmosphere of the bunker, Cas knew he wasn’t going to want to leave the bed when morning came.

They had just come back to the bunker after a week and a half long hunt and Cas very much despised the motel they had stayed in. He was glad to be back in the comfort of the bunker, as opposed to the rock solid bed they had slept in for the past week and a half. The bed here was molded to his shape, perfectly fitted for him and Dean.

He felt his head rise up quickly as Dean yawned, he could hear Dean’s heart speed up slightly, which he found odd, wasn’t it more typical for a heart to slow down? Cas didn’t ponder on it too much, listening to it as it slowly sped up and steadied itself.

“Cas…?” Dean’s voice slowly trailed off.

“Hmm?” Cas responded, half asleep.

“I love you.”

24 notes • Posted 2021-04-26 21:26:34 GMT

Get your Tumblr 2021 Year in Review →

[definitelyarkto]

Ah boy that took quite a while! I’m starting to see the appeal on Hyoh now. Too bad I never got one :’). I possibly could’ve succeeded in that final mission if I remembered Eiko had banish on her, but ah well. Hopefully, that ability won’t be super important in the future!

Strat for The Scorn of the 2-Headed Dragon:

This incarnation of the 2-Headed Dragon (TH Drag) can take a very long time depending on your setup. Like before, he will counter you if you use any abilities or magic with a 120% full break or a snort respectively. He also has 300% resist to all elements and 150 million HP... ouch. However, there’s a catch. Whenever you hit him with a damage dealing esper, he reduces all of his resists by 330% for the first time, 360% for the second time, 390% for the third time, and won’t counter your abilities or magic for 2 turns (it also gives you a free turn since he won’t do anything right after getting hit by the esper). The fourth time he is imperiled, he resets the counter back to 330% and continues the pattern. To get there, you’re going to want an evoker to fill your esper gauge, a fantastic tank to soak up all of the incoming damage, decent buffs and elemental resists, and a way to get rid of breaks and status ailments.

The Team:

MS Nichol- My buffer, again :’). Nichol’s incredible buffs can outlast his initial 70% AoE full break long enough for you to get a good defense up. He also has 70% buffs to your Ice, Light, and Dark resists, 3 out of the 4 elements TH Drag hits you with. And, just in case, his Limit heals your HP/MP by 20%, removes all of the nasty breaks on your team, and buffs everyone by 134%, good to use as a last resort.

Eiko- My evoker/healer of choice and, in my opinion, the MVP of this battle. Eiko is incredible for this fight, being able to heal and fill your esper gauge in the same turn. She can also remove breaks, increase your LB fill rate (a good edition for many of the units on this team), and dispel the boss’s ATK/MAG buffs. To top it off, her limit fills the esper gauge by a lot, gives a massive heal, and removes all breaks. This allows you to spam espers more readily if you have it up and can get rid of the TH Drag’s annoying breaks.

Wilhelm- My tank of choice. Aside from being super tanky (especially with that TMR ability), Wilhelm’s counters can fill the esper gauge much faster than just having Eiko do it. His limit also helps survive the boss’s huge AoE magic nuke under the 60% threshold.

Yan- Elemental support and break resist. Yan, one of the few units with AoE break resistance will completely negate his Dragon’s Voice, making the battle MUCH easier. She has Bushido - Freedom for the beginning of the fight and Rikku’s Pouch for Panacea. Yan’s limit also has 64% all elemental resist on it coupled with an AoE reraise. Perfect for surviving the multitude of elements he throws at you.

Raegen and Hyoh- Damage dealers, both with fire elemental weapons. Honestly, you could go with anyone here, but Raegen has side elemental support and side healing and I really wanted to try out Hyoh.

The Battle:

The TH Drag gets the first turn and he AoE 70% full breaks you right at the start. Fun, I know. Use Bushido - Freedom on yourself if you would rather not stress about that, get your tank ready, get buffs up, and start filling your esper gauge. Remember, don’t damage him with any abilities or magic until you summon an esper. Until then, he will break you again every 4 turns, hit you with a lightning/dark magic attack or an ice/light magic attack, heavy ST and AoE physical attacks, and will attempt to dispel one of your units every two turns (most likely your tank). Prepare for all of this through elemental buffs, break resist, and timing your esper summon to ignore the dispel. In addition to these attacks, he will use Save Up every 3 turns. Its a small ATK/MAG buff (you’ll want to dispel it anyways) but, after 3 uses of this move, he will use Big Release, an AoE physical nuke that will inflict a plethora of status ailments. Hopefully, you brought a way to get rid of those (i.e. Rikku’s Pouch). After you hit the boss with an esper, you get one turn to recuperate and hit him as hard as you can (his imperil only lasts for 1 turn). He won’t retaliate during that turn. Things play relatively simply until he reaches 60% HP. After that threshold, the TH Drag will use his Save Up ability every two turns, upgrades Big Release to Release ALL, will use Dragon’s Voice every 3 turns instead of every 4, and will use both his lightning/dark magic and his ice/light magic in one turn, every turn. Keep your resists up as best as you can and keep track of the amount of times he used Save Up. You don't want to get hit with Release All without any mitigation since he follows up with his normal attack rotation right after. Keep up the esper spam through all of this and you should be good!

And that’s it! This trial can take a long time, even when you’re spark chaining. Just don’t lose track of Save Up or your buffs; if you get caught without your tank tanking (I’m guilty of this ;-;) you’re going to get wiped. To be frank, this fight is very RNG heavy because of the esper orbs and Eiko herself. Sometimes, you’ll get the bar you need to save yourself from death, other times you won’t and you get wiped. Get past that, though, and you should be fine! Good luck!

[gearupairsoftonlinestore]

Clues, Tips And Maintenance For Gas Airsoft Guns

When another Airsoft specialist gets some information about gas guns on different discussions, they for the most part get alarming reactions about the measure of care important to keep a GBB pistol running. We underscore the significance of support intensely also, in light of the fact that we would prefer not to have clients to run into issues with anything they purchase from us.

The manuals are sadly in Japanese more often than not, and individuals get some distance from them regardless of the amazing outlines gave. In spite of being written in an odd language with odd images, the representations are exceptionally helpful when you sort out different highlights of the weapon.

We ask considerably more experienced players to peruse the manual in any event once. For instance, did you know it's simpler to fill Tokyo Marui magazines from underneath rather than through the feed lips?

One could say GBB upkeep is somewhat of a misrepresented boogie man. At the end of the day, it's truly not so muddled or basic, but rather gas worked weapons are not as low support as AEGs are. 

For an AEG – particularly a stock Tokyo Marui – cleaning the barrel sometimes is prudent to keep up the precision, however other than that they can approach and more than 30 000 rounds without overlooking anything.

Not at all like with a genuine gun, firing a GBB implies you're putting two things through the framework: Gas and BBs. The two of them are spotless (hell, HFC 134 an is likewise utilized for tidying PCs and different machines!), so there is no buildup like from lighting gunpowder. 

The form materials being plastic and aluminum generally with the inward barrel of metal, rust and oxidation isn't a worry. Any gunk in the weapon is a limited quantity of earth from having the parts rub against one another, and unfamiliar items in the size range between a molecule and a squirrel. Individuals who utilize their handguns for skirmishing may once in a while need to hit the ground and get messy.

What you need for cleaning a pistol is a short rundown:

Cleaning pole

Silicone

Non-linting tissues

Q-tips are now and then convenient also

A cleaning bar is incorporated with Tokyo Marui guns naturally, yet you can get one from a neighborhood guns buy now too. The type of Airsoft guns is 6 mm (.236), so you can just purchase a bar for a 5.56 mm (.223) AR-15 or .22 LR and you're all set. Note that the metal brushes ought not be utilized for a metal barrel, however the tip with an eyelet for a cleaning patch is ideal for Airsoft use.

It's constantly encouraged to begin a spotless work area with every one of the necessities spread out. As a first safeguard you eliminate the magazine and check to go through the chamber. An extra-protected routine is to check both the chamber yet in addition glance through the magazine well, in light of the fact that a reasonable chamber would be stacked when you let the slide forward, in the event that you left a magazine inside.

The field-strip shifts from one model to another a piece, however is adequately simple to sort out for any model we can consider. On the off chance that you have issues, ask prior to utilizing power or the Force.

It's great to make an everyday practice for the cleaning so you don't miss any parts. On the video we show the barrel being cleaned first, in light of the fact that the barrel is the main part to clean. Silicone shouldn't be showered inside, however you simply continue to clean it. There ought to be nothing in there that would take a dissolvable to release, and assuming there is, you should clean internal barrel separate from some other parts. A dissolvable that extricates tight earth will most likely assault the bounce up elastic.

The thought is to clean and delicately lube every single moving part, until the whole activity runs as smooth as new. In the event that the activity is abrasive or you feel mechanical stops in the manner, check for worn or broken parts. Grease is just useful for parts that all around fit together well.

There are two schools to whether you should leave gas in the magazine, or void them after use. There is no center ground: A touch of gas in the mag has similar pressing factor as a completely energized gas. Our inclination by and large is to store the magazines charged, to keep the O-rings situated better. Do take note of that the magazine ought to be put away in a cool spot away from daylight! A portion of our gas pistols have had gas ceaselessly in them for as long as two years, and we are as yet sitting tight for them to show any issues…

In the event that you need to store the magazines vacant, never under any circumstance dump the gas by squeezing the fundamental valve. All things considered, utilize a ballpoint pen to press the fill valve and drain the gas out gradually. Or then again the great technique: Shoot! Terminating without BBs is most normally no more so destructive to a GBB than shooting with BBs, and a few models like the KWC Mini UZI and the WA M4A1 have highlights that explicitly assist you with doing this by deactivating the bolt plugs.

[wanderingandfound]

Here’s a thread from the day before the finale I think more people should see.

[Image description: Twitter thread from user ATOMIC ANDROGYNOUS @ medeawasright dated March 24th. #MagnusPod alright. in anticipation of tomorrow. quotes that are going to keep me up tonight.   "The Mother of Puppets has always suffered at [the Desolation’s] hand; all the manipulation and subtle venom in the world means nothing against a pure and unrestrained force of destruction and ruin." -Eugene Vanderstock, 139 - Chosen as annabelle explicitly encourages arson? k    "I went to clean that house on April the 23rd, 2009 which, according to all of you, is tomorrow. But it can’t be. That was two weeks ago." -Anya Villette, 114 - Cracked Foundation the alt-reality nurse who travelled here through Hilltop Road's portal?? also moved back in time???   "What about the basement?" "Can’t see one."* [*Music cues tend not to be noted in transcripts. However, the cue of high, tremulous violin that comes in the moment Daisy finishes speaking is both surprising and, subsequently, chilling enough that I felt it ought to be mentioned.] -Jon and Daisy, 147 - Weaver WHY DOESN'T IT HAVE A BASEMENT. RAYMOND FIELDING COCOONED PEOPLE IN THE BASEMENT. THE ALT-REALITY NURSE GOT DRAWN INTO THE BASEMENT BY THE WEB. WHERE IS THE BASEMENT. "Honestly, I’m still not exactly sure why I’m here. But you know better than anyone how the spiders can get into your head. Easier to just do what she asks." -Oliver Banks, 121 - Far Away as he gives Jon his End mark. Annabelle went on about how the Web claiming Jon was just a Web contingency for the inevitable success of a ritual - but the Web also arranged for a bunch of the marks that allowed it? -cobwebs present at the Unknowing -sent Jared to attack the Institute, causing Melanie to embrace the Slaughter (allowing both to mark Jon)  -left him the tape in 130 - Flesh that gave him the idea to use his own flesh as an anchor, which led to his mark by the Flesh and his ability to become marked by the Buried -sent the table & lighter to the Institute, allowing Jon to release not!Them "I tried to kill [the spider]... the shelf collapsed... [QUIET, BUILDING SOUND OF WET WRIGGLING]" -Jon, 038 - Lost and Found "I think [the worms] weren’t ready to attack when you found the tunnels." -Tim, 040 - Human Remains SO NOT ONLY DID THE WEB ARRANGE FOR JON'S CORRUPTION MARKS, SHE ALSO MADE SURE HE'D SURVIVE TO THE WATCHER'S CROWN. OKAY. "I even held out some small hope you had been sent by the Spider as some sort of implicit blessing on the whole project, and, do you know what, I think it was." -Jonah Magnus, 161 - The Eye Opens ok ok ok ok ok ok ok ok. "Getting closer I realised that there was a person sitting at that desk and it was them that all of this scarlet light was flowing into." -Oliver Banks, 011 - Dreamer gertrude has a shitload of death veins and they have red lights in them. this has not been explained in 188 eps "We marked him young, guided his path as best we could. And then, we took his voice." -Annabelle Cane, 197 - Connected so jon was web before he was ever eye. so the only word they have that their plan will work is from annabelle herself. ok. what's a better manipulation than catching the LITERAL embodiments of fear in your web of tapes! okay! what better satisfaction for the Web than arranging another entity's apocalypse for your own purposes! "The Web, I’ve never really been sure about. If I were to guess, I would say it actually prefers the world as is: playing everyone against each other." -Peter Lukas, 134 - Time of Revelation SO SHE CAN HAVE 1 NORMAL WORLD TO MANIPULATE OR 1000? SOUNDS LIKE A FUCKING RITUAL TO ME "Nice lighter." "Hmm?" [FAINT STATIC RISES AND FALLS] ... "Then you won’t mind if I hang onto this?" "Mm." [FAINT STATIC RISES AND FALLS] -Georgie and Jon, 199 - Seeing It Through okay. okay. having a smoke with a Web artifact. when Jonny's talked multiple times about addiction as a vector of the Web. when the Spider brought the Watcher's Crown to fruition. when she's just nudged Jon into capturing all the entities in tape form and then releasing them on the multiverse. this is cool i feel sane and normal. End image description.]

Link to the thread.

And then the follow up thread after the release of MAG 200.

[Image description: A twitter thread starting with a quote retweet of previous thread, also by user ATOMIC ANDROGYNOUS @ medeawasright.  (#MagnusPod #tmaspoilers itt) V. VINDICATION. MAYBE?

okay. okay. i think i was right about the ritual. the Web uses Jon to bring about the eyepocalypse in the effort to apotheosize by spreading into alt universes.  "It played and twisted and through The Eye brought about a new world, a wide and unending vista of terror and agony, and the place from which it might spread, and spin another web far grander than anything conceived of in the minds that birthed it." yeah? yeah.  jon figures this out, goes to take jonahlias's place and end what's left of the world instead. HOWEVER. the Web brings the lighter to Georgie in 199 so they don't need Jon's blessing to blow up the gas main & thus move the entities through Hilltop Road.  (beyond the fact that it's A Web Artifact, he's always had a hard time keeping track of it, and loss of control over your actions is peak Web) the tapes pull both Jon and Martin through. the eyepocalypse ends. web ritual succeeds. all the fears are gone from tmaworld. okay.  why. was. there. a. tape. recorder. End description.]

[elizabetulk]

Avenue south residence price list3

Having grown up on the Lower East Side of Manhattan, I've always been fascinated by my neighborhood's history. I spent the first years of my life living in Brooklyn, but when I was six, my parents moved to 134 White Street, the corner of Baxter, about 50 feet from the city prison called The Tombs. I spent the years before I went into the military service hanging out in Columbus Park (originally Mulberry Park), which was built in the late 1890s. Before Columbus Park existed, the area and the streets surrounding it were the site of the notorious Five Points, which was formed by the intersection of Cross (first Park, now Mosco), Anthony (now Worth), Little Water (no longer exists), Orange (now Baxter) and Mulberry streets.

In 1825, the Five Points is where the first known street gang was formed. It was called the Forty Thieves, named after "Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves." The Forty Thieves originated at Rosanna Peers' produce store on Centre Street, just south of Anthony. Rotting vegetables were sold out in front of the store and there was an illegal speakeasy in the back, where Ms. Peers sold rotgut liquor at discount prices. Soon the store, under the rule of Edward Coleman, became a haven for pickpockets, murderers, burglars and thieves.

After the Forty Thieves, other gangs sprung up in the Five Points area like weeds sticking out from a rotted landfill. Gangs with names like the Bowery Boys, the Dead Rabbits and the Roach Guards plundered, robbed, and sometimes even murdered. Avenue south residence price list  Not only did these gangs accost unsuspecting sailors, or people from other areas who just happened to wind up in a Five Points dive, but these thugs committed crimes against their own neighbors. No one, and nothing was sacred to the Five Point Gangs. If you had something of value, they wanted it and they took it by force. Their reign of terror ended after the Civil War, mainly because most of the gang members were drafted into the army. Some died miserably on the battle fields of the south, and others came home wounded and maimed, and hardly in any condition to resume committing their previous crimes.

Starting in the late 1860s, new gangs, the most prominent of which was called the Whyos, started cropping up again in the Five Points Area. In the late 1880's, the most prestigious gang in the area was the Five Pointers led by Paul Kelly, real name Paulo Vaccarelli. Kelly's chief nemesis was a crude, guerrilla-like individual named Monk Eastman, who ran a mob called the Eastman Gang. Kelly was a former boxer, who changed his name so that he could get more fights (Being Italian was not very popular in those days). One day, Kelly, at the urging of Tammany Hall, challenged the hulking Eastman, to a fist fight to determine who controlled the rackets in the Five Points area. Even though Eastman was 50 pounds heavier than Kelly, the two men fought to a brutal draw. When the fight was over, both bosses returned to their gangs and continued doing exactly what they were doing before, as if the fight had never taken place.

The New York gangs were not confined to the Five Points Area. To the south of the Five Points, was the Fourth Ward (where I lived for 32 years - in Knickerbocker Village, the same place where the Rosenbergs lived and were arrested). In the 1840s - 1850s, the notorious Daybreak Boys prowled the streets of the Fourth Ward and the nearby piers on the East River, killing people with the utmost viciousness and enthusiasm. Approximately one mile to the north, a gang called the Gophers fought with the Hudson Dusters for control of the West Side docks on the Hudson River, and the area called Hell's Kitchen, which runs north from 23rd St. to 57th St, and west from 8th Avenue to 12th Ave.

Not all the crimes were committed by gangs, but also by individual gangsters, some of whom formed organized crime syndicates. Men like Lucky Luciano, Joe "The Boss" Masseria, and Salvatore Maranzano, fought for control of the Italian mobs. They were joined by such notorious Jewish gangsters like Meyer Lansky, Bugsy Siegel and Louis "Lepke" Buchalter. Then there were the brutal Morello brothers, who along with Ciro Terranova and Ignazio "Lupo the Wolf" Saietta, formed the vicious Black Hand, which robbed, tortured, and killed other Italian immigrants, who did not pay the extortion money the Black Handers demanded.

New York City was dominated by male gangsters, but there were a few females who were just as vicious as the men. Take Gallus Mag for instance. This hulking 6-foot British woman was a bouncer in the notorious Hole-In-the-Wall Tavern, which was located on Dover Street, near the docks of the East River in the Fourth Ward. Mag patrolled the inside of the bar with a pistol in her belt, and a small bat attached to her wrist. She dispatched unruly patrons by dragging them to the door, then throwing them out by the scruff of their necks. If a rowdy drunk resisted, Mag bit off their ear and put it in a jar filled with alcohol, which she kept behind the bar. Patrons called this display "Gallus Mag's Trophy Case."

One day, a female thief named Sadie the Goat made the bad mistake of getting drunk in Mag's establishment. Mag asked Sadie to leave nicely, but Sadie refused. Miffed, Mag dragged Sadie to the door and when Sadie resisted being flung outside, Mag bit off her ear and threw Sadie out onto the pavement. Mag immediately placed Sadie's ear in a jar behind the bar to join her other trophies. Years later, Sadie returned and apologized to Mag. Her heart suddenly warmed, Mag went behind the bar, retrieved Sadie's ear and returned it to its rightful owner. Rumor has it that Sadie wore her ear in a locket around the neck for the rest of the life.

In "Mobsters, Gangs, Crooks, and Other Creeps," I also describe several riots and natural disasters that occurred in New York City. In 1835, The Great New York City Fire took place, decimating the entire financial center in downtown Manhattan. It remains the worse fire in New York City's history. When the three-day conflagration ended, 17 blocks and 693 buildings were entirely destroyed. Amazingly, only two people died, but the damage was estimated at $20 million dollars, almost $1 billion in today's money. A year later, the area was rebuilt with stone buildings, much more resistant to fires. Some of these buildings exist to this very day.