#tma roleswap au

[envihellbender]

Buried avatar Gerry

Rating: General Audience

Fandom: The Magnus Archives

Characters: Gerard Keay, Michael Shelley

Content: buried alive, rodents, abuse reference

Summary: Buried!Gerard goes the Magnus Institute to give his statement, but he’ll only talk to Michael.

—

[WE ARE GREETED BY THE CLICK OF A TAPE RECORDER]

MICHAEL

Statement of Gerard Keay regarding his experience with Hezekiah Wakeley. Recording by researcher Michael Shelley. Statement Begins. [A PAUSE.] So, in your own time, Gerard. Whenever your ready.

GERARD

Oh erm. Okay. So. Yeah. This one isn’t really about mum like the others but I guess that’s the easiest way to explain it, you know? I’ve already told you about the tattoos and mum’s experiments, so next step is how I escaped it. It was her own fault really, she introduced me to my home. I just curled up in the Mother Earth’s arms and never let go. So she messed up, really. Anyway. I was supposed to be getting my buried tattoo, and just like the others it was supposed to be torture… but it didn’t work? Like, okay, so back then I didn’t have mud everywhere and didn’t have the rodent thing.

[THERE IS AN INDIGNANT SQUEAK FOLLOWED BY THE NOISE OF SHUFFLING.]

[GERARD WHISPERS INTO HIS COAT] Hey, y’alright, mate? [HIS VOICE IS LOUDER AS HE TURNS BACK TO MICHAEL.] Sorry, is it alright if Corpsegrinder has a wander around? He’s getting fussy.

MICHAEL

[A SMALL GASP OF SURPRISE, HIS VOICE IS NERVOUS.] Oh! I- yes, of course. By all means. Oh, he’s cute. My boss might not be quite so amenable if he gets out though.

GERARD

It’s alright, he won’t go far. Anyway, where was I? Oh, right. So, mum originally did the usual sort of thing. This time she drugged me whilst I slept and had me moved into a coffin. So I woke up, and… it was nice. It was comforting. I was surrounded by all sides and held tight. It was like I was a kid again, swaddled against mum’s chest in a way I can’t imagine mum ever actually doing. It was pure black, my eyes could rest for the first time. The only thing that would’ve improved it was music, otherwise it just seemed like… Comfortable. Pure. Not remotely terrifying. And maybe that was a sign that the thing already had started to grow inside me. Which is definitely possible because I used to climb into the empty graves at the cemetery down the road when I was a kid, I’d be like, 13, and sneak out after lights out and go to just lay in the soft warm earth. I had my cheap MP3 player playing some music and I was completely safe. I fell asleep there sometimes. I was at peace. It was like that but I wasn’t rudely awakened at six by the gravedigger.

But no, right, so I always liked coffins, being wrapped up in small spaces but I figured I was just a goth or something. I used to get my duvet, my teddies, and curl up under my bed with a book, like one of them Artemis Fowl or Animorphs or something like that. So when mum had me locked into a coffin I just curled up happily and fell back to sleep. Didn’t even realise I was locked in. Mum got mad. She had to go further. So next she started dropping dirt on the coffin to make me feel like I was being buried alive, nothing. The only thing that sort of started to work was when she pinned me to the floor, sat on my chest so I could barely breath. She brought Hezekiah round, that was her big mistake I guess? Because he didn’t really scare me. Didn’t want to either. The opposite really. He was- so he told mum he needed privacy to terrify me properly, instead he edged forward, brushed my hair out of my eyes and talked to me for a little while. He put one hand on my shoulder, he told me that he’d be waiting for me by Saint Columba’s Church if I wanted. When he left he told my mum he could help her. I think she thought that meant he’d do what all the others did. But she couldn’t have been more wrong.

So I snuck out that night to the Church, it was a Catholic one I’d not seen before. I saw Wakeley stood by the doors, he had two rodents on one shoulder curled up together looking at me with tiny beady little eyes. And honestly? That night showed me how fucking liberating fear was. Mum only ever turned me into a shaking crying mess but Hezekiah showed me true actual terror and it was … I don’t know. Pure. Without ill intent. He saw how happy I was curled up in the coffin, he whispered to me about how he’d never let Mum hurt me again. He even let me listen to my MP3 player and hold a teddy close to my chest. I was surrounded by darkness and music. I felt every pound of earth that was piled on top of me. I stayed there in absolute bliss for I don’t know how long, all I know is when Hezekiah dug me back up again the cold early signs of Spring had turned to warm sunlight and flowers blooming over the old cemetery. Hezekiah was so happy. Mate, you have no idea. That weird guy had a smile from ear to ear and he fucking hugged me. I knew then what the Earth wanted. I knew my Mum wasn’t really my Mum, you know? She was… Something else. Someone who was trying to drag me from my real purpose. You know?

I did end up going back home, Mum was furious but she saw something different in me then. Saw I was protected. So the experiments on me stopped. That was when she started forcing me to hurt others. Like. Her. But. A lot of the time I refused. Only took those to the earth that I knew deserved it. It’s a privilege not a punishment. Mum’s ideas weren’t pure, not at all. [THERE IS A SMALL CLATTERING] Hey, Corpsegrinder, what’ve you got- Oh. Erm, mate, he says you dropped this?

MICHAEL

[HE IS NERVOUS, DELIGHTED, AND SURPRISED.] Oh! Yes! Thank you! Thank you erm… Corpsegrinder? Erm. And you, Gerard. Erm, so I guess we’ll leave that one there? Statement ends.

[CLICK]

[leincendiaire]

more doodles for the roleswap au

[notsosmallbean]

the only thing more tiring than doing drawing challenges is posting the results. I'll start trickling the buildup onto tumblr now. also I'm so peeved because I SPECIFICALLY chose a tma prompt list like "I'll want to work on this because this is my current hyperfixation!" and then on like October second It’s Always Sunny snuck into the archive and kidnapped my brain. so once again I'm dragging myself across glass shards to want to do this

I still very much like the ideas here, though I hate the results. Jon was also a bit taken by the lonely in season 4, and I could see him being an avatar for it. and of course the only natural progression was to allow Martin the smiting power he so deserved

(image ids in alt text and under cut)

[First image: A sheet with two monochrome drawings. The first is of Jonathan Sims and the second is of Martin Blackwood. Jon is a thin South-Asian with dark skin and dark curly hair that billows out into mist, dressed in a button up and tie. His glasses are fogged up and you cannot see his eyes. This drawing is labeled "Lonely Jon AU". An arrow from this drawing to the second reads "And a roleswap!" Martin is depicted as a fat white man with curly hair blowing in the wind, wearing a hoodie. His eyes are entirely black and he holds up a hand, harnessing some power. Behind him are many simplified glowing eyes.

Second image: A list of Magnus Archives themed drawing prompt list for all the days of October. Day three is "AU/Canon Divergence" and day four is "Roleswap".

End image IDs.]

[hummingbirdspark]

Feel free to use these ideas if you want! You do not need to credit me, but just let me know you did so I can read it.

Details for the story ideas under the cut

Kidnapped and forced to do maths

Pretty self-explanatory, they get locked in cells equipped with digital blackboards and stuff and can’t leave until they answer enough questions right. Penalties for wrong answers is death. Perhaps opportunities for teamwork?

Kipo and the age of Wonderbeasts au

Might not make sense if you haven’t seen Kipo but Carmilla uses megamute dna to try and make humans able to live on the surface, but after getting kicked out of her burrow, she has to wander the surface, looking for humans desperate enough to accept her ‘help’. I already have a bulletfic for how each of them gets found and mutated

Steven Universe au

Mechanisms as the Off-Colors. Gems thst either rebelled against or were thrown out by the diamonds. They wander the galaxy, and sometimes assist gem rebellions. The moon war was fought over earth’s moon base, between the crystal gems and those loyal to the Diamonds.

Doctor who TMA au

Jon and Jonny were brothers on Gallifrey, and while Jon excelled in timelord school and became The Archivist, Jonny was distracted by paying off his father’s debts and failed, never to receive the title of “the Captain” or 12 regenerations. He didn’t stay mortal for long, as Carmilla found him like in cannon and mechanized both of his hearts. They stole a TARDIS called Aurora and fled to the stars. Many many years later, The Archivist finds his long lost brother when taking his companions, Martin, Tim, and Sasha to the Steamworld Intergalactic Music Festival

False domestic psychological prison

An enterprising young member of an intergalactic authority comes up with a new idea for these immortal criminals’ containment: the only prison the Mechanisms can’t escape is the one they don’t know they’re in. They capture the mechanisms and through a combination of the sedative effects of the Lotus, and some memory altering microchips, they get the Mechanisms to think they are just (mostly) normal people on a normal planet. To make them less likely to escape, they gave them something they never could have had before. Jonny gets respect as the owner of a tailor shop, with workers who call him sir, and trust and obey his judgement. Brian, as a priest is listened to in all his advice and praised for his wise moral decisions. Will they realize it’s a trick? Or stay living this lie forever?

Spaceteam fic

The Aurora gets stuck in a strange wormhole (bifrost?) and she can’t operate anything but basic piloting. Suddenly strange new controls are on the bridge, as well as whole other consoles of controls. Instructions for what to do are provided on screens, but they don’t match the control each mechanism sees on their console. Luckily they’re all within shouting distance, but they will have to learn to work together… as a spaceteam. Set Sigmaclapper to 5! Soak Ferrous Holospectrum! Baste the Emergency Whittler!

Summer Camp Councilors

Human au where the mechanisms are councilors at Camp Cosmo, with wacky hijinks, camp names, and songs. Several units of cabins inspired by the 4 story albums, a great spot on a canal with sea kayaking, regular kayaking, sailing, and canoeing. A high ropes and low ropes course, an archery range, and an arts and crafts area are also present for those who aren’t water crazy. Pack up your sense of adventure and extra flashlight batteries! Hopefully the campers won’t get into any drama…

Kofi rat from Small Saga meets Marius

This is for the KofiAssam fans out there! Our very own rat-tailed rover finds themself on a massive metal god dwelling and encounters The Metal Armed God!

Or

Marius Von Raum finds a rat wearing clothing that seems to be able to play the mandolin. Good thing he learned to speak rat when he and Toy Soldier went to that candy planet where Toy Soldier somehow became a prince…

Steam Powered Giraffe roleswap

What if Doctor Carmilla lived on earth and created nine singing automatons that could self repair?

What if Colonel P. A. Walter mechanized 6 humans with blue matter to create a force of galactic heroes, that then forgot their original names?

1920s American speakeasy

Probably heavily based on Lackadaisy. Carmilla’s Speakeasy is a great place to get illegal alcohol, and its secret entrance is inside the Cafe Aurora. The owner, Carmilla herself is illusive at best, and her seeming to only show her face at night has lead to rumors of her being a vampire or witch. Rumors that are only worsened when she gave each of her employees a strange new gift: pins, that she insists are a new part of their uniform to be worn at all times. The purpose of the pins is made clear when Jonny is shot by a rival rumrunner while on a job and comes back from the dead.

SCP contains Brian and Toy Soldier

Brian was on MJE and Toy Soldier was under direct orders from a researcher to not escape. The only question is would Doctor Bright be an expert on immortality, or would letting him know about The Mechanisms be a terrible idea?

Marius backstory oneshot based on the christmas armistice

There are many things Byron Marius expected to hear in the middle of a war. The pound of bullets, the screams of other soldiers, and crash of giant robot mechas overhead. What he didn’t expect to hear was singing.

Stille Nacht, heilige Nacht

That’s all, folks

I have way too many ideas.

[pansyfilia]

welcome to my blog!!

COMMS ARE NOW... OPEN!

you can call me pansy or rina (she/her)

fandom list

greek mythology/epic the musical (save me penelope save me)

the marauders

dungeon meshi my beloveds

tma (currently on s2 so NO SPOILERS)

X MEN i love you jean and ororo and rogue and mystique pls marry me + jubilee can tag along too

i have like one thg post so yk... it was for an au who am i kidding

ON A NOTE!!!! PLEASE DO TALK TO ME, MESSAGE ME, @ ME IF YOU WANT. WE DON'T NEED TO BE MOOTS TO INTERACT OR ANYTHING its bc i need friends :((

my ao3 is @green_starss, where i have a few odypen fics brewing

and ive got a bit of an organising system which is pretty ridiculous soooo

"the little white maggot tag" is just generally rosier twins/ pandora/ evan, whatever really

"the wild hyena at the door tag" is all things barty crouch jr, gay twink and mcr enjoyer

"the scarlet fox tag" is the woman, the MILF, the legend lily evans (she ate btw)

"the magician's rabbit tag" is mary macdonald <333333

"my weaver wife" is PENELOPE OF SPARTA yes i do know she is ody's wife and i would never dream of taking her from him (im stealing her from him respectfully as we speak)

"the green mamba that bites" is dorcas meadowes (we love a mean queen)

"the black cat that haunts" is regulus black, wet dog man and also brother's best friend survivor

"the lovegood moths tag" is essentially the lovegood family, pandora, xeno and luna

"the island and his freshwater pearl" is just odypen, pretty much the only straight pairing on here

" the two rabid beasts" is bartylily (essentially emo/preppy at core)

"the rotting hyena tag" is rosekiller (tee hee)

"the bunny corpse" is my marydora stuff

"pansy's aus" is what it says on the can

"ask pansy anything" basic comprehension skills yall

"pansy rambles" essentially the same vein, see above, etc

I think???? i have an au list somewhere in here so ill put it on here as well

odyssey thg au, where ody and polites go into a war-torn arena and only one returns home (alr a wip)

odyssey modern au, where ody is enlisted in the war and needs to get OUT. dio actually pops in and checks in on him from time to time and calypso is just a super weird flight attendant

odyssey lotr au, following the whole arawen/odypen parallels that have me gripped atm (and also penelopes half divine side as well because the POTENTIAL aghh) jsyk legolas and gimli are perimedes and elpenor :))))))

idk why but like odyssey roleswap au, where eury and ody stay at home while their wives are away on pilgrimage or wtv the equiv is in ancient greece and circe and calypso r just super hot evil minor gods. OMG WAIT tiresias is the same but its his cursed-by-hera woman form (long story, will explain in a later post)

iliad/odyssey college au where theyre all just here and there and also everyone who dies either gets sent away or yk runs away from the shitty ass ilium university (helen is the art major queen and calypso stalks ody which we love/hate)

THE ILIAD/ODYSSEY RENAISSANCE COURT AU which isnt realy plot,,, its just fluff and fake dating and secret dating and also lady thetis who hates her sons prince consort patroclus and theres rlly just a lot of love and drama

[self-indulgent one comin in hot] single parent ody with calypso's kids nausithous and nausinous who has penelope as his kids' babysitter (not canon timeline-complicit bc who needs that shitfaced angst blast)

and ofc a hogwarts au just for funzies

just tag me on either ao3 or on here if u use these!

anyways,,, have fun! pls enjoy my half-asleep crazes

[noodlesewp]

doest thou perhaps have more content of the tma roleswap au i love it so much, o wise one

Some timsasha down yonder dear anon

Yet be wary young traveler for there is some freaky not!Tim in there

[6-and-7]

For the fic title - "me and the wolf who's eaten my heart"

Ooh. Option one, some kind of 9/Rose Dr. Nyarlathotep-esque roleswap au, where Nine is a companion (acolyte? sacrifice?) to the Bad Wolf, an eldritch god of time and destruction. Probably some strong Zagreus vibes.

Option two, TMA fic in which Daisy meditates on her relationship to the Hunt. Post-coffin, she's trying so hard to listen to the quiet, but knows that she can't resist forever.

[ask-base-crew]

Are your woes gone yet?

Minors, please block the tags "#S.MA" and "#do not propagate" before interacting with this blog.

This blog is a sideblog for @ty-bayonet-betteridge, made for the purpose of organizing and presenting information on our various WOE.BEGONE aus (of which we have a few.) Actual fics are uploaded under the tag "#our writing". This also serves as an askblog, both for questions addressed to us and to our AU versions of the characters. Out-of-character asks will be tagged "#plausible methodology" and in-character asks will be tagged "#retrocausal informatics"; both will also be tagged #asks. This blog contains untagged spoilers for WOE.BEGONE and The Magnus Archives. (Block the tags "#fear.begone" and "#the flinch archives" if you want to avoid TMA spoilers, as those are the TMA crossovers.) The AUs are as follows (under cut:)

Slut Mike Walters AU

Tag is #S.MA

The central conceit is just that Mike is a slutty little bisexual trans man and choosing to make it everyone else's problem

Originally conceived as a mostly silly AU with occasional smut but has been, so far, mostly a serious examination of how these characters would interact with each other when viewed through the lens of sexuality, intimacy, and sexual trauma. With occasional smut.

Other character details: Chance, Shadow and Edgar are ace. Charlie and Hunter are acespec. Marissa and Charlie are online sex workers.

Take content warnings seriously.

Warning Shots Across Time

Tag is #warning shots

Currently on hiatus. Unclear if it will ever be resumed.

Pre-canon AU revolving around the first iteration of events, the one Michael is from.

Honestly in our opinion pretty bad but if you want you can read the fic and judge for yourself

Roleswap AU

Tag is #wbgswap

Needs a better name. And better tag. I need to think about it skdjfsdjdkf

Characters shuffled to various roles; Marissa is the new protagonist, Anne takes Ty's place in the compound, etc.

I do not have all the placements worked out yet, but if you scroll through the tag you can see our musings on what those placements might be.

FEAR.BEGONE

Tag is #fear.begone

Crossover fic with The Magnus Archives.

The time travel tech is implied to be at least partially powered by TMA's Powers

Various characters are fully-realized avatars, or in the process of becoming them.

THE |=|_1/\/(|-| ARCHIVES

Tag is #the flinch archives

Crossover fic with The Magnus Archives, but in the other direction - instead of WBG characters interacting with the powers, its TMA characters interacting with the tech.

The Magnus Institute still exists and its purpose is to study and apply the tech. Jonah Magnus is its head, and he uses iteration and time travel to avoid his own death.

Melanie starts playing WOE.BEGONE and Georgie is her prize. Melanie ends up being assigned to work at the Institute in the same way Mike got assigned to work at OVER.

Daisy and Basira work for a government-run time travel organization, a la OVER but for the British government instead.

[emerald2bro]

for some reason this made me think of a TMA roleswap AU where Ford and Mcgucket are John and Martin...

hes trying not to out the both of them on live television

[thisonesnek]

Day 3 inktober TMA edition! "Roleswap". If Jon had been cutthroat like Gertrude, then Martin likely would have been the Michael Shelley of the group.

[envihellbender]

Michael being psychologically abused perhaps

Rating: Mature

Fandom: The Magnus Archives

Characters: Michael Shelley, Elias Bouchard

Content: Archivist Michael Shelley & The Distortion John Sims AU, psychological abuse, gaslighting, role swap

Summary: Archivist Michael Shelley wishes to discuss his encounter with the Distortion Jonathon Sims with his boss Elias Bouchard, Elias however has other plans.

—

Michael swallowed as he stood outside of Elias’s door, he took a moment to toy with the red cat’s cradle he used to calm himself around his fingers for a moment before slipping it back into his pocket. He’d been fidgeting with it the whole walk to Elias’s office but knew he’d be scolded for his lack of professionalism if he did so in front of him. It was baffling to him, because he could see everywhere and he didn’t seem to care when it happened without him in the room. Michael tried not to think about, instead preparing himself for what he and his researcher Gerry talked about. There was a strange being living beneath Michael’s office, a distorted man with what looked like twisted broken bones and black type writer text all over his skin. Michael hadn’t stopped being able to think about what John said regarding him and Elias, Gerry didn’t think there was any point in discussing it with Elias but Michael felt like they ought to try. Finally, after a deep breath and Michael bending so he didn’t hang his head against the frame, he knocked on the boss’s door, he almost stumbled as he heard the amused voice is tell him to come in.

“Good afternoon, Mister Bouchard,” Michael said with a shaking voice, he was always nervous around Elias but not usually this much. He didn’t take a seat opposite the large man who took up the entirety of gigantic green velvet armchair.

“Michael. Can I help you?” Elias asked, so smoothly that if a fly sat on the tip of his tongue it would barely move.

“Yes. Yes, you see. Sir, I have- I have a question to ask, if that’s- if that’s alright,” Michael stammered, he swallowed and tried to straighten his back. He pulled at the string of his jumper absently, anxiety building up as he did. He didn’t look directly at Elias, instead his eyes drifted to just behind his head at the strange green wallpaper that adorned the walls.

“Mm? Of course, Michael, do sit down,” Elias said, not looking up from his work. When Michael’s tall body awkwardly folded into the comfortable chair, he muttered a word of thanks but he stared at the table instead. He saw Gerard’s name on a piece of paper, he craned his neck only for it to be pulled away and slipped into a folder. It was a sudden snatching motion, one that felt deliberate. “So what would you-”

“Hang on, what was that?” Michael interrupted, his eyes fixated on Elias’s fingers. They were wrapped in brown adipose, knitted together and held on top of the offending folder.

“What was what?” Elias asked cordially. He slowly began to edge the file closer to him keeping out of reach of his new archivist.

“That statement. It had Gerry’s name on it.”’ Michael narrowed his eyes and stared at the green folder, he could feel there was something odd about it.

“What statement?” When Elias asked this question yet again Michael wanted to pull out his hair and yell until his throat grew raw.

“The one that you-” Michael was starting to wondered, there were a lot of names similar to Gerard he supposed. He could have misread it but…why put it back into the folder? Why hide it?

“You said you had a question for me, Michael?” Elias’ tone had become little sharp and impatient.

“I- right. Yes. I wanted to ask you if you knew anything about Jonathan Sims?” When Michael spoke the name there was a change in the atmosphere, Elias stared with narrowed eyes and there was something heavy and unspoken filling tue room. Everything in that moment told Michael that whilst John might not be trustworthy, neither was Elias.

“Is that name supposed to mean something to me?” The boss said slowly, his tone and words heavier, it was so thick with unspoken subtext it sounded as if he would choke.

“Well, he used to work here-” Michael began, he spoke slowly, he was prepared to be interrupted. Sure enough a sharp snap of Elias’s plump lips was thrown towards Michael.

“I don’t remember all of the employees of the institute-”

“No. No, in the Archivesl

“Michael, are you alright?”

“I- of course.” Michael was thrown by the question, he stared at Elias. It was such a caring, unexpected comment that he began to wonder if he actually was okay, on the one hand he was terrified but because of Elias. Outside of him, and the wound he’d received from Jonathan Sims, he felt… okay? He thought?

“Are you sleeping well? Elias pressed, clearly not letting the matter drop.

“Yes- Yes. I don’t see how this is-”

“Michael. Your stuttering,” Elias interrupted. Michael swallowed and began to curl in on himself as his entire body felt watched, eyes grew inside of his body ensuring that every small corner of his inside and outside was under observation. “Look at you.” Elias’s voice had become a sneering and snide, a weapon used to keep Michael submissive.

“I- Why are you- stop-”

“You’re shaking, a shaking whimpering mess. Are you going to wet yourself, Michael? Are you crying? How pathetic. You are positively deranged, aren’t you? A pathetic psychotic little freak. Just like your mother. Perhaps you’ll share a room with her when your madness finally catches up with you. Do you want to know how she feels when she’s alone in her room Michael? Do you want to know how she feels about you? Do you want her to see whats happening in your mind?”

“No- no. I-“ Michael let out an anguished cry and fell to his knees, his hands tangled in his blond curls and tugging. Suddenly, it stopped. The room felt less threatening and the paintings no longer moved, the eyes that were watching him had grown static and his body was his own again. When he shakily got to his feet, he looked up to see Elias looking through paperwork as if nothing had happened.

“Well is there anything else, Michael?” Elias said with a warm smile. All of the sadism that radiated from him before, the power, it had dissipated. Michael almost began to doubt it had happened at all.

“I- you- what we were- what you said before-” Michael spluttered nervously taking a step back before the door.

“I believe you asked to book in some days off in the next couple of weeks and I allowed it, I appreciate you coming to me and not going through Rosie she has been forgetful lately,” Elias continued as if nothing had happened, if anything he looked a little confused.

“I- okay, yeah, I’ll- I better get back to work,” Michael said with his voice shaking and his still feeling weak and fragile. What Elias told him rang through his head, thoughts of his mother gripping his body far too tightly imagining being exposed to his mother and her decaying mental health every day. He took a deep breath and turned away, he walked away awkwardly, trying to get his bearings and remembering he said he would see Gerry in the break room. Why? He thought. Was he planning on doing something with him during the time off he asked for? He tried to think of what had happened before he’d entered Elias’ office but all he received was a jabbing pain in his temples.

[leincendiaire]

I AM a basic bitch. I WILL make roleswap aus

[exx-bee]

me getting ready to open docs and start a new one shot in favor of the actual multichap i have planned

[glimmerpearl]

Archivist Sasha AU. The original main four’s roles have been swapped. Yes, this means Jon gets replaced by the Not Them (Please excuse my bad hand writing)

[yellowocaballero]

Monday morning, two hours into their brainstorming session into how to rescue Daisy from administrative labor, the Archives received a coffin.

Peter Lukas has taken over the Institute, and Melanie has two months to bully him out. Normally Melanie's the world expert in bullying, but this time it may be easier said than done. With Martin gone insane from bloodlust, Daisy isolated as Peter Lukas' administrative assistant, and Basira pining like a useless wreck, Melanie can't rely on her friends. And when she fishes up an old nemesis from the bottom of a coffin, Melanie finds herself fighting single-handedly against loneliness, nihilism, and smarmy old men.

In which the Archives discover the power of love, friendship, and incredible violence. And in which Melanie discovers the value of trying.