#tma the lookout

[brevityisnotmywit]

Statement [REDACTED]: Struck Down

[The recorder clicks on]

JON

[Partially cut off]-Alright?

THE LOOKOUT

Of course. Whatever works best, eh?

JON

[Sarcastic] ‘Best’ isn’t exactly the term I’d use.

THE LOOKOUT

When you’re in my profession, ‘best’ and ‘functional’ are one and the same. [Leans forward in the chair, it audibly creaks] I actually used to have one of these.

[A loud tap briefly messes with the audio]

JON

[Sternly] I’d appreciate it if you didn’t touch that.

THE LOOKOUT

[They snort, clearly amused] Gotcha, mate. 

JON

[Takes a breath] Now then, shall we get started?

THE LOOKOUT

Sure, uh…is it like an interview, or…?

JON

Just- [He grumbles irritably. He pulls out a sheet of paper and a pen.] Let's start with you. Your name, occupation, that sort of thing.

[There’s a crackle of static, followed by a faint sound of wind.]

THE LOOKOUT

Ah, I’m afraid I can’t give you my name.

JON

Why not? [Tapping his pen]

THE LOOKOUT

It’s personal. [The sound of wind grows slightly louder, though it doesn’t seem to be affecting anything in the room] I’d hope you of all people understand.

JON

[Pauses, clearly more focused] What do you mean by that?

THE LOOKOUT

Surely you’ve dealt with people that value their privacy. Especially when it involves…hard to believe situations, to put it nicely.

JON

That’s true…[Sighs] Fine. Whatever you’re willing to share then.

[The sound of wind fades, barely audible, but still there]

THE LOOKOUT

Deal. [Sits back in chair] Guess you can call me The Lookout. It’s what I do after all. I’m part of a few firewatch crews. Mostly in the States, but right now I’m stationed in the Białowieża Forest, in Poland. The thing is, it doesn’t seem to matter -where- I am. There’s always some sort of spooky nonsense.

JON

Can you recall when this…’spooky nonsense’ started?

THE LOOKOUT

Back in…I think it was early May, 2009? Pretty sure that’s when it was. I was living near the Northern Rim of the Grand Canyon, in Arizona. I was 18, and my gran’ was pushing me to [Sarcastically mimicking an elderly woman’s voice] ‘do something with my life.’ I’d always liked to hike into the Kaibab. It’s a national forest out there, real pretty. 

I’d always been picked on since we moved to the States in 2001. With all that happened that year, our new neighbors weren’t exactly…open to foreigners. So I was keen on a job where I didn’t have to deal with people. [Stutters] W-well, other than the odd lost tourist. 

My boss at the time was called…Nate? Anyways, Nate took me aside after our ‘tour’ and told me something. Looking back, I really should have taken the old bastard more seriously. He said to me, “I need to tell ya’ somethin’ kid. You’re gonna see some things out here.”

I laughed at him. I know it was stupid, but I was a cocky teenager. Comes with the territory. 

Nate scowled at me, and shook my shoulder. He almost -snarled- the rest. “You’re giggling now, but you’ll learn ya’ little shit. You treat the Forest nicely. She ain’t the sort to take mercy on her crew. She won’t keep ya’ safe from anythin’, natural or…otherwise.”

JON

Did he clarify what he meant?

THE LOOKOUT

[Mirthless laugh, the wind faintly increases] Nah, but he didn’t have to. It started after my first major fire. It was August of ‘09. Still dunno what started it, but I caught it out to the northwest of my tower. When we spot a fire, we mark it on our windows and call it in. But this one was -strange-.

Typically, we see these things long before they become an issue. This one was just [they snap their fingers] and there it was. Showed up a half mile from my post, looking like it had been going for a week. I thought maybe I was dehydrated. Arizona isn’t the most pleasant place to live. I tried to get a glass of water, but something was wrong with my tap. Not a drop would come out.

So I decide to check the pump-

JON

[Cuts in] Hold on, was this during the fire?

THE LOOKOUT

Uh…hm. Yes, I guess it was.

JON

You weren’t concerned for your safety?

THE LOOKOUT

I guess it does seem strange when you put it like that. I can’t precisely put it into words, but I knew it wasn’t an issue.

JON

…If you say so. Forgive me for interrupting. Continue, please.

THE LOOKOUT

Where was I?

JON

You were checking the pump.

THE LOOKOUT

Right, right. So I go out to see if the pump is clogged. It was a few meters away from the base of my tower. I’m walking towards the fire, essentially when my hair starts to stand up. If you didn’t know, that’s a sign of lightning. I dropped everything and tried to get to my tower.

The Forest Service always puts a bench inside. They’re sort of obsolete now. More of a lucky charm than anything. But I was terrified and thought, ‘If I can just reach the bench, I’ll be fine.’ [They trail off, looking into the distance]

JON

[After a long pause] I assume you made it?

THE LOOKOUT

No. [The sound of wind is much louder, a subtle crackle starting up] I was about 2 meters from the stairs when I was struck.

JON

[Tone is uncomfortable] Oh.

THE LOOKOUT

I woke up because I was cold.

JON

Cold? I thought there was a fire.

THE LOOKOUT

-Was- being the key word. After I’d passed out, this cloud opened up and dumped rain for several hours. The blaze was taken care of by the time I came to. Lucky break, right?

JON

You wouldn’t be here for a fluke.

THE LOOKOUT

[Laughs] No, I wouldn’t. I was struck by lightning three more times that season. Nate sent me home after the fourth one. He seemed convinced I was cursed. 

JON

A reasonable assumption.

THE LOOKOUT

I don’t see it that way. Every time it happened, there was a flash fire. By the time I’m up again, it’s been flooded out.

JON

…If that’s how you want to look at it.

THE LOOKOUT

That’s how it’s gone everywhere I’m stationed. The forests aren’t the key, it happens where -I- am.

JON

What makes you say that?

THE LOOKOUT

Because I’ve had it happen in 12 American parks, and now it’s started again at my post in Poland.

JON

Ah.

THE LOOKOUT

The real reason I came is because of that most recent incident. I know it’s a bit…absurd to drive 16 hours, but I’ve had worse in the States.

JON

 You -drove-?

[There’s an audible pop of electricity, JON is able to hear this one, making a startled sound]

THE LOOKOUT

With all that’s happened, I feel like I’m a bit of a risky fellow to put on a plane. Wouldn’t you agree?

JON

…Right. So what was different about the latest strike?

THE LOOKOUT

Well it’s two thing’s really. To start, I don’t pass out after I’m struck. I don’t know if my body is just used to it or what. Beyond that, and I know this sounds like I’m having a laugh but please know I’m telling you the truth.

JON

[After a moment, he speaks up] I’m not here to judge you. Keep going.

THE LOOKOUT

I’m able to control where they hit. [They stammer] W-within reason, of course…as reasonable as this can be.The Białowieża Forest can be…claustrophobic at times. My tower was in an exceptionally dense section…I just wanted-...no. I -needed- to see more of the sky. Like I had back in Arizona.

I -wanted- a fire to start. But I’d be arrested if I manually set it. After a few weeks I felt like I was being suffocated by the canopy. Most fire lookouts have moments of…losing themselves, but this was the first time for me.

It was last Monday, around two in the morning. I woke up with this unshakable need to get above the treeline. I don’t recall how, but I wound up on the roof of my tower, trying to climb the antenna. It wasn’t enough. I needed a permanent solution. That’s when I had the most odd urge.

Something in the back of my mind told me to will a bolt of lightning into existence. [They pause, sounding dejected when they speak again]

See, I knew you guys wouldn’t take me seriously.

JON

I didn’t say anything?

THE LOOKOUT

You didn’t have to. It’s clear from your expression. You think I’m a nutter. 

[The wind begins to howl and seems to finally be affecting the room. Papers start blowing off the desk]

JON

[His voice is tense, tone carefully measured] I do not. I’m taking you very seriously. I want you to finish your story, but I need you to calm yourself. Can you try and do that for me?

[Both go quiet for a few minutes. The only sound is the wind and electrical crackle. Gradually, both fade into a whisper of their former strength.]

JON

[A relieved sigh. He gathers his scattered notes.] Good. Now, you were telling me about wanting a strike to happen.

THE LOOKOUT

Yes. I didn’t care what happened, I just needed space to breathe. So I glared at the treetops for what seemed like an eternity. I was about to give up when my hair stood on end again. I’ve never seen a bolt this strong. It felt like I…I dunno, -channeled- it. Like I was some kind of conduit. It passed through me and- have you ever seen what lightning does when it hits trees?

JON

I haven’t.

THE LOOKOUT

It makes the bark pop off. Almost like an explosion, and it kills the core of it. If you’re lucky, that’s all. But I wanted it to start a fire. I needed to clear the area so badly, and I don’t understand -why-. [They shift in their seat] I let it burn. Everything in a five meter radius of me had to go. I don’t know how I’m not dead, and that scares me terribly…

I don’t know what to do, Archivist. I came here because I feel like I’m becoming a danger to those around me, and I heard your organization handles things of this nature.

Can you help me?

JON

[Stands with a heavy sigh] Well, I need to make some calls, but I can most certainly try. Let me get someone to stay with you.

THE LOOKOUT

Would it be alright if you find me a room with a window?

JON

…I’ll see what I can do.

[The recorder clicks off]

((look, idk what to tell you, i got possessed by the idea of a vast!fire lookout and this is the result))

[hotdrinks]

[ID: A grayscale drawing of Jon and Martin from The Magnus Archives lounging in beach chairs. Martin is a fat white man with a receding hairline and light stubble on his face. He is shirtless, wearing sunglasses and swim shorts. He is asleep in his beach chair with his mouth hanging slightly open. His cheeks and shoulders are darkened to suggest he is beginning to get sun burn. In the foreground, next to Martin, is a cooler with a water bottle and a tube of sun screen that reads SPF 500 set on it. Jon is a thin Indian man with long greying hair tied in a braid. He is also shirtless and wearing swim shorts. His body is covered in clusters of round scars, and a few larger scars on his stomach, shoulders, neck, and hairline. He is sitting next to Martin under an umbrella, holding a book. He is sneakily peaking over at Martin as he sleeps. End ID]

His ass is NOT reading!!!!

Jmart beach vacay ko-fi commission from @shinyopals :3

[wouldtheybecomeafearavatar]

Would the Lookout from Monaco: What's Yours Is Mine be an avatar of the Eye?

[travalerray]

Gertrude Robinson.....*sighs dreamily*

[gayformlessblob]

[stumbles in after 14 months with a coffee] oh hey didn't see you there. oh yeah my tim lives au? yeah it was updated. yeah there's a failed run away with me scene now, whatevs. and a tiny bit from the panopticon before i disappear again. no biggie

[forestgranted]

here's another one of my old tiktoks :)

[bluenoisen]

Category Analysis 1

i'd like to point out that episodes 6 (Needles ep), 10 (first Bonzo appearance) and 12 (second Bonzo appearance) are all placed in category 1-B.

obviously, episode 10 and 12 share a primary subject: Mascot (kids). Besides the category designation, episode 6 shares nothing in the score with episode 10 and 12. Here's a summary:

Episode 6 "Introductions" - Injury (needles) -/- intimidation [999 call]

CAT1RB4824-09022024-12022024

Episode 10 "Saturday Night" - Mascot (kids) -/- murder [TV interview]

CAT1RB2275-06082021-009032024

Episode 12 "Getting Off" - Mascot (kids) -/- frenzy [insurance claim]

CAT1RB4728-09032024-13032024

my running theory is that category 1-B (or 1RB in full scores) will pertain to Externals. i think knowing what we know about Bonzo, Needles may be an External that will appear at least one more time.

Episode 6 "Introductions" is when Celia is introduced to the OIAR staff, but the title could also have the double meaning of introducing the staff and the audience to the Externals before we knew what those were.

(( this theory does raise the problem of ink5oul not being categorized as an External, as their episode is scored as category 3-BC if i'm reading the scores correctly. this could mean that my theory is nonsense, or it means ink5oul is some other sort of entity in the universe. maybe the Externals are more inhuman, while other things like ink5oul are more like TMA avatars. this also assumes that a lot of thought went into categories, which could be completely untrue lol ))

every week i keep track of score details and am on the lookout for matches or discrepancies, so i look forward to this week's episode to see what else we get! more data is good :)

[urlocalsupermarketofendocrinosis]

random personal tma headcanonsssssssss

tim really likes tetris and used to play it on shift but still can't beat jon's highscore so is pissy about it

sasha was an artist and after the not!them is exposed the archives crew is always on the lookout because she left little sketches all throughout the archives, you can always tell if she worked on a statement because there are drawings left in the file

martin knew gerard in passing when he worked in the library

the cot martin stayed on was where jon used to sleep when he worked too late and after giving up the cot jon would sleep on the floor

before the prentiss attack when they both couldn't sleep martin and jon sat on tim's desk and talked at three am almost every night

pre unknowing everyone got really drunk cause tim wanted to and everyone was terrified

basira organized kareoke night once because she didn't know how to help everyone and felt guilty, daisy ended up being the first to sing and martin forced jon to sing a duet with him.

about the latter, melanie cannot sing

Georgie and melanie spend more time preparing the admirals food then their own

throughout season one jon realizes its really easy to fluster martin by getting close to him and teasing so he does a lot

tim kept a polaroid camera on him after the not!them was exposed no one else would be forgotten

Laverne (melanie's therapist) is a great baker (important i swear)

The admiral is the best hunt avatar ever

basira kept one of daisy's fangs after shootinjg her. Its on a chain in her pocket and she is terrified of losing it

martin was sitting next to the doorframe when jon pulled himself out of the coffin, and he quickly went away. It was not the tape recorders that were that gay bitches anachor lmao.

in the coffin daisy sang thinking she was alone. She didn't know it was raining and couldnt hear the other voices

[sometimes-rendog]

Have you listened to / read Hermit Archives / From the Archives? It's so so cool literally two of my biggest hyperfixations combined !! I'm a so normal. So so normal about chapter 41 (i think it was 41). I bet you would love it too (chapter 41 is called The Red King's Tragedy (literally omg it left me shaking))

I HAVE NOT 💔 i was really into TMA a few years ago, but i never got around to finishing it and have subsequently been skiddish about starting From the Archives.... BUT. i have seen some SICK fanart recently, i think that & yr ask have given me reason to start it!

be on the lookout for some red king in the future!!!

[babie-novah]

Hello!!

Welcome to my little corner of age regression tumblr <3

Before we start, here’s a DNI list

DNI:

NSFW accounts, people under 14 or over 25, transphobes, homophobes, terfs or transcum, racists, conservatives, ED/SH blogs, other general DNI guidelines

Now that we have that out of the way, heres a bit about me:

I go by a bunch of names, primarily Novah/Magnus

I use all pronouns, but just for reference: he/she/they/it/neos/void/eye

I’m alexigender, mainly masc-presenting and use the umbrella term nonbinary usually

I am a sex-indifferent asexual, romance-favoring quoiromantic, and omniromantic oriented

I’m polyamorous, taken romantically by my lovely boyfriend, and am on the lookout for queerplatonic partners

I’m diagnosed autistic, I use tone tags, and my current hyperfixations are TMA and The Mechanisms, with my special interest being psychoanalysis

I have diagnosed BPD and PTSD, these are two of the more major reasons that I age regress

On the topic: I’m an age regressor!! This is an age regression blog!! My little age is usually between 3-5, but I do go lower and occasionally higher, I also pet regress (usually puppy regression or kitten regression) and I do not currently have a solid CG

I plan to go to college for creative writing and am in the process of writing a podcast which will be put on Spotify

My favorite color is purple

I love horror movies and silly cryptids (I’m from Appalachia, we have quite a few <3)

Uhhhh yeah that’s about it!!

[a-mag-a-day]

Sending this a bit early because I'm about to go to bed and I'm going on a trip tomorrow and won't be able to check this page (the switch between days for a-mag-a-day happens right at midnight at my timezone!) I'm excited to see if there's any Raymond Fielding fanart for this episode because I've literally never seen fanart of him before. I'm not a huge fan of his but my tma sideblog is sorta named after him because my name is Raymond too lol. Anyways I love the title for this episode its such a clever little double meaning hee hoo And I liked the way that kids being stuck in the system works so well with The Web. I hadn't really noticed or thought about it before, but this time I was thinking about how Ronald was talking about his life being out of his own control and stuff. I just like when I realize the deeper level a statement works for a certain entity beyond surface level Spooky Spider Events lmfao

Yeah this episode feels deeper than it presents on a number of levels

I'll be on the lookout for episode art as usual! 👍

[radiomogai]

The Spiral thanks you for the kind words ^_^ Its been very fun to make the TMA related ones.

we absolutely love them!!! we're always on the lookout for more TMA-related terms. we've got several in the queue right now {though gods knows when they'll post, the queue is like.. at 1000 posts right now i think?}, and we've been going spelunking in our drafts recently specifically to find TMA-related things to queue

[palesmokeisinthevoid]

Insert Rain World and TMA references

7. Rotten: Alabaster the Martyr, Saffron the Messenger, Indigo the Lookout

I remembered I had Rain World oc’s and that a few of them had rot so I drew The Martyr and their family!

They’re going to die soon and they know it. But atleast they get to spend their last cycles with their mate and pup…

Warning for anyone with Scopophobia, next one has a lot of eyes

7 Eyes: Edward Hess

Instantly knew who I was putting here. This guy is based a off of Jon Sims from TMA, particularly her powers. She’s very much in denial about no longer being completely human and uses her mask to conceal her lower set of eyes, and consequently keeps away her other eyes…but for how long? After all, his transformation isn’t complete just yet.

[not-yet-usernamed]

(Vague mind control(?) my beloved. Speaking of I'm throwing a fanfic I talked about yesterday at you again, go read No Way Out by wordsablaze it has eye bullshit and jonmartin) (I'm fine to be an Eye avatar lmao) (.... . .-.. .-.. --- / .--- --- -. / .- .--. --- .-.. --- --. .. . ... / ..-. --- .-. / - .... . / -.. . -.-. . .--. - .. --- -. (I am so sorry /j)) -[𝟺𝟹𝟸]

(So true!)

(OOOOHH will def read. i am always on the lookout for tma fics)

(If that’s hello jon or a rickroll ill fucki ng kill you ollie /lhj)

(FUCK YOU /lh)

[m0thmachine]

Now, I don’t think the solution to this kind of transmisogyny is to treat being TME and TMA as entirely incompatible categories of trans people who can’t come to a common consensus or share common experiences. Especially when other things also impact the ✨trans experience✨ in similar ways of compounding oppression and anti-trans propaganda—namely, schizoautistic trans people have a lot in common regardless of nuances of gender, and a lot of anti-trans tactics, stereotypes, and legislation specifically targets the trans schizoautistic.

I honestly think a big part of the problem, aside from just plain ol’ transmisogyny, is that a lot of transmascs are less willing to be blatantly schizoautistic and will try to conform into either being “inoffensive uwu bean autism” or just try to distance themselves from it entirely, and be very very judgemental of The Crazy Transes.

Basically, trans men and transmascs have got to

Check our transmisogyny, be on the lookout for it

Stop going “well actually I’m AFAB so I’ve got all this oppression that AMABs don’t” or otherwise try to cling to being Woman 2

Be more unhinged. Be less focused on being smol and innocent or totally normal, just fully lean into the weirdness if you’re schizoautistic

But I don’t think mutual understanding is impossible or unreasonable

I don’t think “trans women and transfems go through specific forms of marginalization (transmisogyny) that we should be cognizant of and it’s important to call out transmisogyny and make spaces safe for TMA people” and “we shouldn’t try to use AFAB/AMAB as concrete categories and be focused on them as The Most Important Component of Gender” are mutually exclusive statements.

Actually, most people I see clinging to AFAB/AMAB are TME. A lot do so in an attempt to absolve themselves of transmisogyny by trying to go “but you see, I still face Woman-Type Oppression because I’m AFAB,” either explicitly to deny their own transmisogyny, or in an implicit way of misgendering or belittling trans women and nonbinary transfems.

[trustworthy-liar]

So....Fanshawe....is probably quite buff from digging up graves, huh?