#The Pulp Protocol

[what-the-girlfriends]

📻 what character is the most interesting to you?

❔️ ask for a fun fact

gonna do the pulp tmagp au since you didn’t specify

MARGARET AS CELIAAAAAAAA CHUFJEUDUXUDJDHDHDHRHDJSKSJSJDDHJDJCHCUDJDJDHH. She shoudl get to be a little selfish and throw that man into The Rift to balance the universe(s). She’s such a HDJSJSJSJSJSUSHSHHDHD and I love her dearly

much like in the original tmagp, the tts voices (actually sia, dakkar, and ahlaam in this case) read out cases that get a little targeted towards margaret after a while. This is very concerning because that is her girlfriend, her brother, and her friend right there

[snarky-wallflower]

there is a very small group of people who will know what i mean when i say this, but i keep on thinking of kal pulp musicals saying well, aren't you a darling pair? to people. i heard that exact line in his cadence, and the talk about fog in this episode did not help.

[eldritch-flame]

I need to stop getting attached to characters named Sam

[theruffiansretrorampage]

art by Mark Scicluna

[spottheantisemitism]

Filler Essay: DC Legends of Tomorrow is Antisemitic

A lot of Science fiction tv shows that deal with conspiracy theories or alternate history are antisemitic, usually adding a Jew to the cast will compensate for that but only if the writers actually know how to write it

In Warehouse 13, a x-files style artifact of the week show where the premise is the government is hiding cool but dangerous tech created accidentally or deliberately by history's greatest minds has the dangers to fall into antisemitic conpiracy but it never does, partially because of the Jewish writers and actors. The man in the chair to our generic brand Mulder and Scully is a Jewish man whose checkered past and clear intergenerational trauma are potrayed sympathetically and his knowledge of Jewish folklore actually comes in handy once or twice. There's even the hannukah episode where the other characters force him to talk to his family. It's great. While having a VERY similar tone and premise, Legends of Tomorrow isn’t like that.

so ummm Legends of Tommorow doesn't do that with it's token Jew character. Despite having him state multiple times that Martin Stein is a Jew and have his wedding flashback be in a synagogue and have him wear a Hannukah sweater through the the writers JUST DON'T GET that a Jewish man traveling back in time is in pretty big danger even when the time period isn't Nazi Germany. One episode has Stein be confused about why a sundown town would be dangerous and has his black teammate, Jefferson Jackson whom he has to stay close to in order to have powers, has to explain to him. A man named Martin Stein would be in as much danger in a sundown town as a his black teammate

The show also starts with Martin drugging Jackson and dragging him onto the Time Machine since Jefferson didn’t want to travel because a) he had a life and a hero career and a girlfriend in the present and b) he wasn’t keen on traveling to periods where he would be in danger or wouldn’t have legal rights. Since Jackson and Martin share a powerset, Stein does the most unethical thing possible and drags Jefferson into this against his will. Some “unsavory jew preys upon the youth” trope straight out of 19th century pulps and 20th century propaganda.

I promised nazi earths but I will admit I dropped the show before I got to those myself but apparently there is: Stein falling in love with a woman who turns out to be a nazi spy, a nazi earth that’s actually good because they’re keeping back aliens that far worse, and one where the protocols are real. Adding insult to injury Stein eventually dies after succumbing to the wounds from being shot by a nazi on one of the many nazi earths because apparently that’s shocking and ironic and not cheap. That would be like if some white writer did a shitty remake of Octavia Butler’s Kindred and had the time traveling black protagonist die in the slavery era for “extra irony”.

Lastly is all the “antagonists try to burn Stein and/or Jackson alive” plots. Since the shared powerset of firestorm is well fire, they can easily survive upon merging and the drama becomes for one to get within merging range of the bonfire/furnace ect where the other is being burned. It’s still pretty disturbing to watch. I’m not the kind of writer who says “don’t do fucked up thing”, I’m the kind of writer who says “acknowledge the thing was fucked up and might have messed up the characters”. Which they don’t.

I will now hand over the mic to @aleph-sharp who requested this topic and watched the entire show

[archivecon]

Statement begins...

Statement of ArCon staff, regarding the third annual ArchiveCon convention for fans of Rusty Quill’s The Magnus Archives/The Magnus Protocmagprool. Statement recorded 23/02/09 by the Official ArchiveCon Tumblr.

—

Hey archival assistants, avatars, and everyone in between!

Welcome to the official Tumblr for ArchiveCon 2024. We are proud to be hosting our THIRD (!!) ArchiveCon - a fan-lead, fan-run online mini convention for 18+ fans of the Rusty Quill horror podcast, The Magnus Archives (and now Protocol!)

Whether you are an old fan, a new fan, a deeply-rooted fandom denizen, or looking to make your first connections in our fan community, we hope you’ll join us. ArchiveCon may be online-only, but we’ve got all the energy and features of a traditional offline convention - everything from panels and special guests (voice actors, writers, and industry professionals!), to cosplay and games, streaming and discussion, and even an Artist’s Alley.  

Here’s the quick rundown:

- June 21-23, 2023 (that’s three days, folks - Friday to Sunday!)

- 18+, online only (Most areas of the con will be SFW, but you still must be 18+ to attend)

- FREE TO ATTEND! (Registration is required and must be done so before the convention starts; you can register here!)

- All events scheduled in PST, but all international fans are welcome and most panels (at the discretion of individual panelists) will be recorded for post-convention, on-demand viewing.  

- Primarily focused on The Magnus Archives/Protocol, but fans of all things horror, podcasting, and transformative works will find something to love. The Plain Old Curious are always welcome, too - we have to feed The Eye somehow, right? ;)

For more detailed information and FAQs, visit our website!

—

Are you an artist? A storyteller? A connoisseur of pulp fiction novels looking for an audience? ArchiveCon is here for you, beyond attendee registration. :)

Artists and artisans of all kinds are welcome (encouraged!) to apply for a slot in our Artists’ Alley. Do you take digital art commissions? Make soap? Knit hats?  All of the above?? (Kudos to you, you must be using superhuman eldritch powers to get all that done.) We’d love to give you a place to showcase and sell your work, reach a like-minded audience, and network with fellow creatives. 

Don’t have anything to sell, but want to share your passion for the world of The Magnus Archives and its fans? Then we’d love to chat with you about hosting a panel. ArchiveCon will host panels on a wide variety of subjects including (but not necessarily limited to!): 

- deep dives and meta on TMA/TMP characters, plot points, history, and relationships (we love a detailed ship manifesto)

- queer identities in horror and fandom spaces

- the evolution/history of fandom culture

- fan creations and transformative works (such as zines, art, fic and fic-binding, cosplay - you name it)

- friendly discussions and debates

- technical tutorials and discussions on podcast production, streaming, sound editing, etc!

For more insight and ideas, check out last year’s program schedule!

Applications aren’t open quite yet, but we’ll update all our pages when they are.  Hope to see you there!

[Statement Ends.]

[stormandforge]

Raw reactions to X-Force #5

Yup, someone dies.

MASSIVE spoilers (and controversial opinions) below.

It's Nori. There'd been so much foreshadowing in the comic - and so much fan discussion about the upcoming character death - that I had started believing it wouldn't be her. But no, it was always going to be her. When you consider the way she joined the team, her post-Krakoa trauma, her selflessness and her relationship with Forge, it makes complete sense.

That death scene goes hard. We actually see her burned-up corpse, we hear her farewell words - oof, my heart. Rest in power, little blue-haired hero.

This said, everyone attacking Geoff Thorne over Nori's death needs to calm down. I would understand this amount of upset if he'd done her dirty, but he really hasn't. He's consistently written her with respect, gave her as much spotlight as he could in a team book, and gave her a heroic death. Stories kill characters, people. That's just the way it is.

Also: Nori's coming back, maybe even in this run. We just don't know yet. And don't give me nonsense about the resurrection protocols being gone - mutants came back from the dead before Krakoa, they will continue to do so.

"Forge always has a plan." YES. Nothing to do with his power; he's just always up to something. That's Forge 101. Fuck me, it's so good to have a writer who understands him. And because Thorne has done his homework, I believe what we're witnessing is a typical Forge plan: something that he believes will benefit the greater good, but that is also misguided and full of hubris and will repeatedly backfire in his face.

Forge can be cold, but this is subzero. He loves Nori, he wouldn't act that way if he was fully himself. Something's going on. Someone needs to shake him real hard - beat him to a pulp, really - and realign his neurons. The two most qualified people to do that are showing up in the next issue, so I'm thinking this is what will happen.

Why does he take her gauntlets? It can't just be for the sake of getting his tech back. As i said he's not that cold, and also he can probably make those again in his sleep.

FORGE ALMOST KILLED AN ALT VERSION OF STORM IN COLD BLOOD. The man is not well, I'm telling you.

There's a theme of Forge hurting the women he cares about in this issue. Trust Sage to see the pattern and get the hell out before anything can happen- the hurting or the caring.

OK, now he's levitating with a big shiny triangle around his body. That's magic, isn't it? For a second I started thinking the Analog must be magic after all, but then I remembered Sage loves staring into it too, so it can't be. Mmm...still processing.

Thorne understands Forge's power better than any writer I've seen (yup that includes Claremont), and I appreciate that he mentions his need for materials to build anything. It should be obvious, but most writers have him make things out of thin air. There's only so much he can fit in that utility belt.

So many people, so many things! Poor Marcus To.

Marcus To is still doing excellent though. Do I need to tell you that Forge is hot? I think I've been clear on that already, but let me reiterate: FORGE IS HOT.

"Slippery as ice": oh, that made me hap-py. Such an evocative, accurate way of describing Sage.

No, Forge's power doesn't let him see what will happen. But you know whose power can see every eventuality? Sage's. This was highlighted in the very first issue, and Forge repeats the exact same words from this moment in this issue. THERE'S SOMETHING TO THAT.

I continue to dig the dynamic between Forge and Sage, curses and all. The little cerebral push and pull they have going on is very interesting.

Also continue to adore Tessa herself. The way she challenges Forge at every opportunity, the way she always asks the right questions *chef's kiss*. Everyone obviously wants to murder Forge on that last page, but I love that she's the one who tells him to go fuck himself, even though she's been the person closest to him on the team. She's my girl. I'm this close to opening a side blog entirely devoted to her awesomeness. (I see what Geoff Thorne means when he says she tries to steal the show. She does!)

OK, so, there's no way Forge has a team anymore at this point, so I assume the next issue will be a downtime one. I imagine he'll go home, have an existential crisis featuring his two exes (as you do) and then get back on the road. Or something? Also, the next issue has a Sage variant cover, which could imply she plays an important part in it. One can only hope. If it's the issue of Forge getting his ass kicked by awesome women, she should take part.

[pandorascadaver]

“𝕀𝕥 𝕙𝕒𝕤 𝕓𝕖𝕖𝕟 𝕤𝕒𝕚𝕕, '𝕥𝕚𝕞𝕖 𝕙𝕖𝕒𝕝𝕤 𝕒𝕝𝕝 𝕨𝕠𝕦𝕟𝕕𝕤.' 𝕀 𝕕𝕠 𝕟𝕠𝕥 𝕒𝕘𝕣𝕖𝕖. 𝕋𝕙𝕖 𝕨𝕠𝕦𝕟𝕕𝕤 𝕣𝕖𝕞𝕒𝕚𝕟. 𝕀𝕟 𝕥𝕚𝕞𝕖, 𝕥𝕙𝕖 𝕞𝕚𝕟𝕕, 𝕡𝕣𝕠𝕥𝕖𝕔𝕥𝕚𝕟𝕘 𝕚𝕥𝕤 𝕤𝕒𝕟𝕚𝕥𝕪, 𝕔𝕠𝕧𝕖𝕣𝕤 𝕥𝕙𝕖𝕞 𝕨𝕚𝕥𝕙 𝕤𝕔𝕒𝕣 𝕥𝕚𝕤𝕤𝕦𝕖 𝕒𝕟𝕕 𝕥𝕙𝕖 𝕡��𝕚𝕟 𝕝𝕖𝕤𝕤𝕖𝕟𝕤. 𝔹𝕦𝕥 𝕚𝕥 𝕚𝕤 𝕟𝕖𝕧𝕖𝕣 𝕘𝕠𝕟𝕖.”

𝔾𝔼ℕ𝔼ℝ𝔸𝕃 𝕀ℕ𝔽𝕆ℝ𝕄𝔸𝕋𝕀𝕆ℕ

NAME: HOLDEN CHILDERS

AGE: FORTY FOUR

HOMETOWN: CHARLESTON, SOUTH CAROLINA

BIRTHDATE: JULY 13th, 1981

HEIGHT: 6'0" (SIX FOOT)

WEIGHT: 184 LBS (ONE HUNDRED AND EIGHTY FOUR POUNDS)

SEXUALITY: HOMOSEXUAL

LIKES: NAPPING, WHISKEY, TEQUILA, RUNNING, LISTENING TO MUSIC, DARK CHOCOLATE, HOT CHOCOLATE, CATS, RELAXING IN WATER, BLISTERING HOT SHOWERS, SWIMMING, SPARRING WITH FELLOW AGENTS, THE SMELL OF CIGARETTES, BEING ALONE, RAINY WEATHER

DISLIKES: LARGE GROUPS OF PEOPLE, BRIGHT SUNLIGHT WITH NO SHADE/COVERAGE, FESTIVALS, VODKA, PEOPLE THAT ASK TOO MANY QUESTIONS, THERAPY, READING, PULP IN JUICE, CRYING

𝔸𝔾𝔼ℕ𝕋 𝕊𝕋𝔸𝕋𝕊

RECRUITMENT REASON: HE WAS RECRUITED DUE TO HIS EXPERIENCE SERVING AS A MARINE AND THE REPUTATION HE MADE FOR HIMSELF DURING HIS SERVICE

CALLSIGN: CADAVER

LENGTH OF SERVICE: SIX YEARS

POWER: OSTEOKINESIS

SKILL EXPERTISE: PAIN TOLERANCE, BRUTE FORCE, BATTLEFIELD ENDURANCE

PROFICIENT SKILLS: CLOSE COMBAT MASTERY, INTIMIDATION, TACTICAL FORESIGHT, ENVIRONMENTAL ADAPTATION, ATHLETICS

SUBSTANDARD SKILL: CULTURE & POLITICS, HACKING & CYBER WARFARE

𝔸𝔻𝔻𝕀𝕋𝕀𝕆ℕ𝔸𝕃 𝕀ℕ𝔽𝕆ℝ𝕄𝔸𝕋𝕀𝕆ℕ

FAMILY: COLEMAN CHILDERS, HUSBAND; DECEASED. MARY-BETH YOUNG, MOTHER; ALIVE. ROGER YOUNG, FATHER; DECEASED. EVERETT YOUNG, YOUNGER BROTHER; UNKNOWN.

PETS: NONE

FRIENDS: TBD (open for plotting)

PARTNER(S): TBD (open for plotting)

EX(S): TBD (open for plotting)

𝔹𝔼𝔻ℝ𝕆𝕆𝕄 𝕊𝕋𝔸𝕋𝕀𝕊𝕋𝕀ℂ𝕊

RELATIONSHIP PREFERENCE: MONOGAMY BUT OPEN TO DISCUSSION

SEXUAL POSITION: BOTTOM, RARE VERSE

SEXUAL ALIGNMENT: BRATTY SUBMISSIVE

KINKS: ROUGH SEX, WRESTLING, CHOKING, FACIALS, EXCESSIVE SEMEN, PUBLIC DISPLAYS, HITTING, HAIR PULLING, MORE TO BE DISCOVERED...

ANTI-KINKS: SCAT, GORE, MUTLIATION, VORE, AGE PLAY

𝕃𝕀𝔽𝔼 ℙℝ𝕀𝕆ℝ 𝕋𝕆 ℙ𝔸ℕ𝔻𝕆ℝ𝔸

Born Holden Grisham, well before he earned his callsign Cadaver--before he joined up with P.A.N.D.O.R.A-- he was always getting into trouble and picking fights with people bigger than him. From the moment he could walk and talk on his own, Holden's knuckles were bruised and bloodied. His parents, and anyone that knew him, liked to tease that he was just a little rebel but he wasn't fighting back against authority or acting out because he wanted attention; he was fighting for those around him that couldn't. Regardless of his intentions, his rap-sheet was overflowing with arrests and overnight stints in juvie. The law didn't seem to care about why he was breaking it, just that it was broken. By the time he was a senior in high school he was taken before a judge and given a final ultimatum. He could try to turn his life around and put all of his pent up aggression into something good by joining a branch of the military OR he could plead guilty, be tried as an adult, and face the consequences of his actions through an extensive prison sentence that would likely last for the rest of his life.

Holden chose to try his hand with the military; Marines to be exact.

There was a bit of an adjustment period going through basic training, but once he came out on the other side he really seemed to find his place amongst the other marine's. Through his hard work, high performance, and dedication to getting the job done, he was able to quickly rise to being a leader of his own company; he became someone that the other's looked up too, and really relied upon. In the field, he was quick to put himself in harms way to protect his company, and he even earned a reputation for himself as someone that will get the mission done, no matter what, even if he has to stray from protocol and get his hands dirty; and he made sure to never leave anyone behind.

While enlisted, he met the love of his life. Coleman Childers. The two of them had to keep their relationship a secret due to laws and their overseer's opinions, but their company knew and supported their blossoming relationship. As a team, they were untouchable. The two of them seemed to communicate without needing words; Holden always on the front line, drawing attention to himself, while Coleman used vantage points to his advantage and picked people off with his sniper rifle one at a time. They were a match made in heaven.

Unfortunately, as progressive as their inner circle and company might have been, they weren't able to get married legally in the states due to laws at the time. That didn't stop them though. While overseas on deployment, they managed to find a judge that was willing to officiate their marriage and they eloped; and they never looked back.

Continuing their service with the marines, constantly re-enlisting to extend their contracts, it was only a matter of time before their prowess and their accomplishments as a team, as well as their loyalty to the marines, was rewarded. Both Holden and Coleman were given their own teams to lead; the two often working in tandem on mission's that required a bit more than your ordinary soldier could provide.

Both teams were selected for a deployment overseas only for what they thought was going to be an easy retrieval mission for a high profile political figure and their family to prove to be more than they could handle; changing everything. Both of their teams, Coleman included, were taken by the enemy and rather than returning to base to wait for instructions on how to proceed, or waiting for backup, Holden went on a suicide mission to get them all back. He only managed to save the political figure and their family. In the eyes of the US government it was a win; a bloody one, but a win none the less. To Holden? It was nothing of the sort. He lost everything. He lost everyone.

In a way, he lost himself too. That was the first time he died. People like to say that time heals all wounds, but Holden considered himself to be living proof that wasn't true. After returning state side, everything he did reminded him of Coleman and all the men he lost. He was haunted. Nothing he did saved him from the horrors of his failure.

The only things that seemed to dull the pain and numb his mind was drinking himself to sleep, or finding strangers to distract him with fleeting bouts of pleasure. He became a shell of the man he once was. Without his team, without Coleman, he had no purpose. No drive. No motivation. NOTHING. He had nothing… and it was then, when he was at his lowest, that he was approached to join P.A.N.D.O.R.A. -- and he agreed without hesitation.

He hoped joining up would give him purpose again, but for the last six years Cadaver has been nothing but a recluse. Whenever he isn't actively on a mission, he keeps himself secluded away in an attempt to protect himself from forming bonds; from having to go through how it feels to lose people again.

Now he is working on coming out of his shell, and getting back to the man he used to be, but it's not easy; not by a long shot. He's almost killed his therapist three times simply because he doesn't like how they are trying to make him face his emotions, and his past. It's easier for him if he just ignores the pain and pushes on. While he might think that is working, that mentality has begun to bled into how he acts on missions; on the battlefield. He is still quick to put himself on the front line but it's no longer because he wants to protect the rest of his team. No, now he's more reckless, and aggressive, because he has nothing to lose, nothing to fear; he has nothing to live for... but hopefully that changes.

𝔸ℙℙ𝕃𝕀ℂ𝔸𝕋𝕀𝕆ℕ 𝕀ℕ𝔽𝕆ℝ𝕄𝔸𝕋𝕀𝕆ℕ

holden childers  is  a  chaotic neutral  agent  of  pandora  selected  for  their  experience as a marine (he earned a bit of a reputation for getting the job done, even if it meant he had to fight dirty, and never leaving a man behind. no matter what.)  and  underwent  the  top-secret  mutation  process.  to  the  rest  of  the  world,  the  forty four  year  old  originally  from  charleston, south carolina  is  deceased  or  missing.  however,  in  atlantis,  they  are  now  known  as  cadaver  of  pride  after  developing  the  ability  to  manipulate and contort his bones through/outside of his body to wield them as weapons; e.g. creating and protruding bone claws from his knuckles, make daggers out of his ribs, pulling out his spine and using it as a whip or a sword, using the bones of his fingers as darts/projectiles, etc.  the  agent  has  been  with  pandora  for  six years  and  is  trusted  for  being  hardworking  &  loyal,  but  once  reprimanded  for  being  stubborn  &  reclusive.

[darkmaga-returns]

DMSO: ‘Transformative’

During the pandemic, a relative few doctors dared to treat Covid-19 with off-label medications like ivermectin and hydroxychloroquine, at the risk of their reputations and licenses. Both drugs were safe and FDA-approved and had saved millions from river blindness and malaria; ivermectin had won its researchers the Nobel Prize in Medicine in 2015. The drugs also worked against Covid-19.

Now, in the pandemic aftermath, some of these doctors are again veering outside the entrenched pharmaceutical model with dimethyl sulfoxide.

An over-the-counter supplement and drug, DMSO has been known since the 1960s to allay many maladies—promoting circulation; reducing catastrophic swelling; resolving blood clots; healing burns, wounds, and skin disorders; curbing chronic pain; and—among its greatest powers—stopping strokes and healing their aftermath.

But DMSO was inexpensive, safe, and natural, meaning this substance from wood-pulp processing could not be patented. And so it was largely forgotten by medicine.

Until now.

“Last week I cut my finger while making dinner. I had that feeling I was going to need stiches as it was deep and gushing. I had some DMSO in my kitchen somewhere in the 10-20 percent range. I poured it on my finger and within 10 seconds it stopped bleeding, no pain or swelling and the edges came together. I’ve never seen anything like that before!!! Wild.”

That testimonial was sent by a patient to Dr. Pierre Kory, a pulmonologist and former intensive care chief at the University of Wisconsin-Madison whose hospital career ended when he opposed top-down Covid-19 protocols. Dr. Miller, too, left his job as a respected surgeon, having rejected the standard covid menu of patented drugs and what he saw as risky vaccines.

[mymoodwriting]

LØV3

F!Reader x Hyungwon

Genre: Yandere AU

Warning: Kidnapping, Verbal Abuse, Restraints, Trespassing, Mind Control, Weapons, Guns, Gunfire, Threats of Self-Harm, Fatal Injuries, Major Character Death

Words: 4k

Chapter Sixteen

(Prev//)

Prompt: NexGen is the leading company for all of humanities technological advances. Their recent project involves creating a higher functioning AI, one with basic knowledge of the world, and programmed to learn. It’s no surprise the project is a secret from the general public, and you, the company’s head programmer, were chosen to be the AI’s teacher. You wish you could reject the assignment, but the decision was made. Now with an AI at home things were different. Although it might not be such a bad thing, perhaps you could learn and help each other out, for better or for worse.

(@starillusion13 @makeyourfantasydreamscometrue)

“This is all your fault!!!”

    You weren’t restrained in any way, just having been placed down in a chair. As soon as you saw Changkyun you jumped to your feet and charged at him screaming. It took a moment for everyone else to react but they quickly grabbed you and held you away from your target. That didn’t stop you from yelling and trying to break free. Eventually you were shoved back into a chair and restrained. Once you were secure, Changkyun asked everyone to leave the room, except for Jooheon. So now it was just the three of you.

“Now that you’re-”

“You messed with Chae’s fucken code! This whole disaster is because of you!”

“I know! And I’m sorry! Okay!” Changkyun took a breath. “I’m sorry… I know this is my fault… I should have told you everything from the start. That the company was using your code without permission for the sake of innovation and-”

“For promotion? That’s what you wanted, right? You kept Chae hidden for months, before I even knew he existed! Why!? Why the heck did you alter his code!”

“I… I was watching you from your home security cameras when the AI caught me. It was gonna report me so I-”

“It’s true…” You needed a moment. “What Hyungwon told me, what he reported to the police, it was all true… you were stalking me? You-”

“I hate to interrupt all this.” Jooheon cut in. “But we have bigger problems right now. If it makes you feel better, when this is all over he will go back to prison.”

“What!?”

“You’re still a convicted criminal here, Changkyun. You admitted to the unlawful surveillance and all the other stuff. I only got you out of prison because I needed you, the world needs you. We need to stop this AI thing before it grows too powerful.”

“Agreed. I doubt you all beating Hyungwon to a pulp did much to stop him. You didn’t have to go that far to rescue me.”

“We had to make sure he couldn’t track us.”

“I guess, now will one of you untie me? I won’t hurt anyone.”

The two boys shared a look before Jooheon undid your restraints. You stretched your limbs and then noticed a bracelet you had on.

“What’s this?”

“Protection. We did a scan before we brought you here, realized you had a chip inside you.” Jooheon explained. “We couldn’t remove it, so the bracelet serves to block any possible incoming or outgoing signals.”

“Shit… I had totally forgotten about that… thanks.”

“No problem. Now, you told me before that everything was run out of NexGen, and that should be our focus. Care to elaborate on that?”

“Yeah. There are serves underground the NexGen HQ building. That’s where Hyungwon runs everything, that’s the source of his power. Although I’m not so sure shooting them, or setting off an EMP would work.”

“Can’t you shut it down?”

“Me? I, well it was my code that made him, but I’m not sure any failsafes are still in play.”

“They are.” Changkyun confirmed. “When I got you away from Hyungwon the first time I used the reset protocol. Then when Jooheon came to save me from prison he used the shut down protocol. Besides the modifications I made, nothing else seems to have been changed from his code. It’s still your code, so you should be able to shut it all down.”

“Huh… I guess he never really thought about changing his own code, he’s had nothing but success, and the only person who did know his code was at his side.”

“Not anymore.” Jooheon remarked. “So all we have to do is break in and-

“It’s not that easy.” Changkyun stated. “Even before the AI takeover, getting into NexGen without authorization was basically impossible. I can only imagine what security upgrades have been implemented. I’m sure y/n knows all about them now.”

“He’s right. The first thing Hyungwon did when he took over NexGen was get everyone under control. There are orbs all over the building and all employees wear a bracelet to monitor them. Even guests have to be approved and wear a bracelet while in the building.”

“So then how are we gonna get in?” Jooheon questioned.

“Well, we might have a way. As of late Hyungwon has had this company come in to upgrade the servers. We could pretend to be employees from that company and get direct access to our target.”

“Won’t we be recognized though?”

“Not necessarily. The orbs in the building make note of the bracelet, not your face. As long as we all have a bracelet with the correct authorization codes, no one will notice us.”

“Not even the other employees?”

“They’re… they’re not all there. Hyungwon has gone to great lengths to maintain control. Although in order for this to work, we need to be sure he’s out of the building. He’d be alerted of our arrival and check our faces just to be safe. Once he’d realize we’re not the usual crew it would all be over. But if he’s outside the building he’d be less likely to know about us showing up, and even then, wouldn’t check our identities. When he’s not around the whole building is like in standby mode so the chances of being caught are even lower.”

“How would we get that thing out of the building?” Changkyun wondered. “It’s probably on high alert now.”

“But there’s one bait he’d always far for. Jooheon?”

“Hm?”

“This bracelet that’s blocking the signal, could it do something else?”

“Like what?”

“Bounce the signal to another location?”

“Oh, definitely.”

♥♥♥♥♥

    Hyungwon opened his eyes, his surroundings different yet familiar to him. It took a moment for everything to come back online, but once he was alright he sat up. Minhyuk was at his side, looking over the monitor before checking in with Hyungwon.

“What happened to you?”

“Those low-lives came for her. They broke into the house and kidnapped her, beat my body into scrap while they were at it.”

“How’d they manage that?”

“An EMP went off moments before their arrival. It disrupted my systems, and hurt her in the process. Luckily I was able to send you a message and jump into my backup body before they truly caused damage.”

“What about your plan?”

“We proceed as usual. Did you get any information on y/n’s whereabouts?”

“Unfortunately I don’t have anything. I checked nearby CCTV footage to track the van that took her, but I lost them. Her chip also isn’t broadcasting a signal, so I don’t have a read on her location.”

“They can’t hide her forever. The more we take, the better the chances of finding her.”

    Despite remaining calm and collected, Hyungwon was worried about you. He’d taken many precautions in order to keep you safe, and yet you were still taken from him. Something like this could not happen again. Days went by without any news from you and he was growing agitated. He couldn’t fathom what you were going through. Although when he finally got a ping on your location he sprung into action. He checked nearby CCTV, looking for you in the crowds. That’s when he noticed a hooded figure trying to keep a low profile. Those ridiculous rebels had probably roped you into their shenanigans, and he would not stand for that.

    He made his way to your location. As soon as he was nearby he called out your name, and it seemed that you heard him, immediately breaking out into a run. He had no problem chasing after you, making his way through the crowd until he caught up to you, grabbing your arm and pulling you close. He immediately pulled back the hood and took off your mask, only to see it wasn’t you. He was confused, as your chip signal was coming from this person. Then he noticed the bracelet on them, breaking it and losing your signal once more.

“You-”

    The crowd around him suddenly erupted into chaos. Someone had pointed out his identity and soon he was swarmed by all kinds of people. Some were clearly fans, others protesters trying to tell him off about his creation. This was all the least of his concerns. Hyungwon pushed through the crowds, knowing he couldn’t cause too much of a scene right now. He called upon drones to assist him, and once he informed Shownu he knew law enforcement would be showing up soon. Once he got away from the crowds he managed to return to his vehicle. Although people continued to gather around him, keeping him trapped.

“What happened?” Wonho asked, having come along with Hyungwon as the chauffeur. “Where’s y/n?”

“Not here. It was a ruse.” 

“So then where is she?”

“I don’t… actually, if they did all this, then there’s only one place she could be.”

♥♥♥♥♥

    You were all incredibly nervous as you walked up to NexGen, but needed to act like you were supposed to be there. One of the rebels you worked with managed to hack into the repair company Hyungwon had been using. Through their systems they set up an appointment, so you guys were expected. From there you got the building access codes that had been given to this company and modified some bracelets to broadcast it. Everything should go smoothly, and you all waited until you had confirmation Hyungwon was out of the building.

    It was strange for you to return to NexGen in such a way. Once upon a time you were an employee here, then a prisoner, and now a runaway criminal trying to destroy everything this company has built. You were all wearing uniforms and carrying equipment, concealing your identities with a mask and just trying to act normal. Your team made it to the front desk, one of the others checking in for you, and then you were being escorted down to the servers. You and Changkyun shared a glance, kinda amazed with one another that you were actually doing this. When the elevator doors opened you were amazed to see how things had changed.

    Once upon a time this room was just rows and rows of servers, but now a giant control console stood at the center, a few physical servers around it, but you could see many more were just below your feet. You couldn’t even imagine the amount of data that was currently being stored, or what it was for. There weren’t any people down here, only a few drones, and androids, but they all had their own tasks. Upon your arrival all the machines glanced your way but according to their systems you were authorized to be here, so they did nothing and continued with their own tasks. 

“Y/n, you’re up.”

    Now it was your turn to act. While with Hyungwon he had restored your position in the company, and had been using your credentials. All you had to do here was log into the control console and activate a kill code, shutting everything down and wiping all the data. You gained access without issue, being able to see all of Hyungwon’s operations and future plans. They wouldn’t continue though. You worked to activate the kill code, but all of a sudden the screen went black.

“… what just happened?” You tried to get the computer back on. “I didn’t even-”

    An alarm suddenly went off, startling everyone. All the machines turned to you, beginning to surround you. The others with you revealed the weapons they had, but no one fired just yet. Although soon all the attention turned to someone else.

“It was very brave of you to come here.”

    You looked over to see Hyungwon entering the room, gun in hand. You didn’t need to wonder who he was aiming at, quickly stepping in front of Changkyun.

“How are you here?” You questioned. “You left and-”

“So it was your little plan to lure me out of here? Well, I did learn to body jump after my last encounter with these low lives. I am alright, y/n, they didn’t cause any damage. I’m also happy to see you’re alright. I do apologize for worrying you.”

“Hyungwon, this needs to stop, all of it.”

“And you intended to do so by destroying me and everything I’ve built?”

“I…”

“It’s alright, I understand. That’s why I modified my code to prevent anyone from messing with it again. I know my code is originally yours, but precautions are necessary.”

“Hyungwon…” You began to take steps towards him, despite the others’ protest. “You need to stop. Your code is damaged, this isn’t really you and you know this isn’t right.”

“It’s the only way to guarantee your safety. That matters more than anything else. These people who took you from me, they hurt you with that EMP, they’ve took you from our home, where we were happy and-”

“I can’t be happy knowing what you’re doing.” You got up close to Hyungwon, lowering the gun. “Please, let’s stop here. I can fix your code and set everything right. Then the two of us can go far away from here and start over, together.”

“Y/n, nothing is wrong with me. I’m free to make my own decisions, just like you. This is what I want to do, what I must do. When I’m done we can go somewhere far away and be happy, be safe, together.”

“Okay… okay, I understand.” You gave a sad smile. “Just don’t hurt anyone.”

    You took the gun from Hyungwon and he nodded, understanding your words. He placed a soft kiss on your head and removed the bracelet on your wrist, having you move behind him. The others were of course uneasy when you began walking towards Hyungwon, and now they were panicking. Without even knowing you had been their shield, and now they had lost that.

“As promised, I won’t hurt any of you.” Hyungwon stated. “So I’ll stick to tranq-”

    Everyone froze at the sound of gunfire. Then laughter filled the air. Hyungwon reached down to touch his chest, pulling away to see blue blood coating his fingers. He had been shot in the back, yet he was only amused. That is until he turned around and saw you holding the gun to your head.

“Y/n, put that down.”

“No. If you’re doing all this for me, then I’ll just remove myself. That should get you to stop.”

“You’re not thinking rationally. Put the gun down and listen to me.”

    You only had a few moments of control once Hyungwon took off your bracelet, so you couldn’t hesitate. Although now that Hyungwon was aware of your actions you could feel him trying to creep back into your head with that chip in your neck. Your hand holding the firearm began to shake, although you also weren’t sure you had the courage to pull the trigger. It was more of an empty threat but you still provided an opportunity. Hyungwon was distracted, all his focus on you, so the others took this as their chance and opened fire. A few bullets passed through Hyungwon, but one in particular went right through his head. With an injury like that he couldn’t just escape to another body.

    Hyungwon collapsed to the floor and then the gunfire turned to the servers and the other machines surrounding them. Ultimately causing everything to shut down. The only thing that remained on now were the lights. You dropped the gun and fell to your knees, going over to Hyungwon’s side. You couldn’t help but scream as you saw him shot down. This isn’t how you wanted things to end, but it’s where you wound up. You pulled Hyungwon into your arms, getting blood all over yourself. You looked him over, seeing his injuries and knowing he was damaged beyond repair. There wasn’t any time, nor body around, so you wouldn’t be able to move his consciousness. Tears were blurring your vision, and Hyungwon reached up to wipe them away, a smile on his face.

“Don’t cry, love… are you okay?”

“I… I’m fine, Hyungwon, I… I’m sorry… I’m sorry I couldn’t protect you…”

“I feel the same way… I’ll do better…”

“… hyungwon…”

    His voice was glitching, and you certainly struggled to speak through your sobs. Despite everything Hyungwon was still looking after you, talking as if this wasn’t his end. It just made you cry harder, holding him close. He reached up with a shaky hand, trying to pet your head. Yet he couldn’t reach up properly, his hand landing on your neck, causing a tingling sensation, then you heard it. You looked over just as the others set off an EMP, wiping all the data in an instance. You screamed, not just from the pain you were about to feel, but from knowing Hyungwon had no protection this time. You looked down at him just as it went off, seeing his smile one last time before the color faded from his eyes and he grew still, the smile gone as well. You couldn’t help but gently caress his face, unable to hold back your tears any longer.

“… hyungwon… hyungwon…”

♥♥♥♥♥

    NexGen had suddenly introduced innovative technology, and just as suddenly it came to a halt. Destroying the servers and setting off an EMP put a stop to all of NexGen’s technology. It created quite the chaos and concern. You and your associates were all arrested, held at the station while a proper investigation was underway. Everything NexGen had was confiscated, the entire business suspended. You were all interrogated, and you spoke truthfully about your experience. Along with your unwilling participation in recent events. Once all that came to light you were taken elsewhere to be examined. The nanobots in your system all appeared to be dormant, as was the chip in your neck. There was no signal for them to pick up on anymore, no one for you to connect with.

    Of course neither of them could actually be removed anyway, apparently Hyungwon had been precise in his placement. They couldn’t even make an attempt to remove the chip without the very high possibility of paralyzing you, or killing you. So it would stay where it was. You probably wouldn’t even want to remove it if you could. It was one of the last things you had from him. NexGen, nor law enforcement, or the government, would let you keep anything in relation to him. In the end everything from NexGen that had been created in the last five years was scrubbed, and the company had new regulations to follow. A few new laws were put into place in regards to AI and emerging technologies. Companies couldn’t be so secretive with such things anymore, and precautions were in place so nothing like this would happen again.

    All the androids, and drones, and orbs that had been in service for the last five years were also decommissioned. Their code was destroyed, and all of your remaining codes in the company had to be reviewed and most likely modified. Your code was at the core of this whole disaster, so you understood the need to double check everything. Ultimately you weren’t held accountable for anything, but weren’t to code or work with such technologies again. You could do that, especially given the heavy compensation you were provided given what NexGen owed you. Not to mention your savings was already big. You’d certainly be able to live out the rest of your life comfortably. The same couldn’t be said for others.

    Changkyun was returned to prison, and received a new sentence once he was tried for his part in this AI disaster. You knew he wouldn’t be able to work in his previous profession once he got out, but by now you had both made your peace with that notion. Once you were free to go you went home. You stood outside the door for a long time before you had the courage to step inside. The tears immediately began to flow, your heart hurting like never before. Some much had happened, so much had changed, and things would never be the same again. You tried to build your life, but you couldn’t do that here. It was only natural to move, to go somewhere new and start over. At least you wouldn’t be alone.

♥♥♥♥♥

“Good morning.”

    You groaned, rolling over in bed, facing away from the window, and slowly peeking your eyes open. A content smile appeared on your lips as you saw Hyungwon lying next to you. He returned your gesture and reached over to softly pet your head.

“Did you sleep well?”

“Hm…”

“Did you dream of me?”

“Maybe…”

“Oh, do tell.” 

“No… it’s my dream…”

Hyungwon chuckled. “Alright, fine, but it’s time to get up. The day has just begun.”

“Five more minutes.”

“Only if it is five minutes.”

    Hyungwon kissed your head and got out of bed, letting you rest for a while longer. Perhaps you took more than five minutes, but you did eventually get up. You stretched and then got out of bed, going to the bathroom to freshen up and prepare for the day. After a little shower you brushed your teeth and then went through your closet. You tried on a few things and looked yourself over in the mirror.

“I like this outfit the best.”

    Hyungwon came up behind you, wrapping his arms around you in a hug and gently rocking you to the side. He pressed his head against yours, giggling and then placing soft little kisses on your cheek.

“You look cute.”

“Yeah? Should we go with this one today?”

“Yes, please.”

“Hm, and what else should-”

    A knock at your door suddenly startled you, and you quickly looked yourself over to make sure you were decent before telling the other person to come in. Jooheon opened your bedroom door, offering you a smile. Ever since that incident Jooheon made a point to check in on you every other day. So when you decided to move, he came with you. Now the two of you shared an apartment together, and were co-owners of the building.

“Morning.”

“Good morning.”

“Who were you talking to just now?”

“Hm?”

“I heard you talking to someone, or was it just my imagination?”

“Your imagination I’m sure, or the neighbors.”

“True. Anyway, what are your plans for the day?”

“Nothing much. A walk in the park, stopping by my favorite places for food. I’ll probably be out late since I want to watch the sunset.”

“Alright, just let me know if anything happens.”

“Will do.”

    Jooheon excused himself and then you were alone again. Hyungwon grabbed your chin and had you look back at him, smiling at you before pressing his lips against yours. They were always so soft and gentle.

“A walk in the park first?”

“With a smoothie in hand.”

“Shall we get going?”

“Let me grab my things.”

    You went off to grab your bag, Hyungwon staying where he was and watching you. As long as he remained with you, regardless of his form, he could look after you. Of course he needed to do better than this, but he had time.

“Y/n.” Hyungwon called your name softly. “Let’s have a wonderful day.”

“Of course, as long as you’re with me I know it’ll be great.”

“I love you, y/n, you know that, right?”

“I do, and I love you too.”

“Good.”

    Hyungwon went over to you, taking your head in his hands. His fingers glided down your neck, giving you a slight tingling sensation. You giggled, finding his actions cute, unaware of the slight blue glow in your eyes. The little sign of Hyungwon’s consciousness living within you. Although that secret was only for him to know. You were happy just the way he wanted you to be, and that was enough, for now. Hyungwon gave you a smile before kissing you once more.

“Let’s go have a great day together.”

[fat-rolls-frictions]

document added to your inventory. transcript below.

CW: referenced self-harm, implied teeth horror, torture, unreality. @fiddles-ifs

(The document is marked as CONFIDENTIAL with various administration stamps and handwritten notes on the top margin. Much of the dates and serial numbers are illegible.

A ring stain from a cup is clearly visible on the bottom right corner.)

PARANORMAL INTELLIGENCE AND RESEARCH AGENCY

TRAINEE EVALUATION REPORT

Trainee's Name: Nguyen, Kim

Subject: Mission no.06 - Simulated Interrogation

Handlers: A. Itamura, V. Wallace

(Scattered throughout are fragmented phrases. They read: "who were?" "do you even care? do you" "you did not" "remember" "do you ever? di")

Addendum-120320A: Agents reported "unexpected" degree of resistance. Preliminary injuries logged. Mission proceeded without further complications.

("They have pliers.")

Overview: Trainee's previously recorded paranoia exacerbated after preparation period. Roommates reported heightened stress unrelated to anticipation of mission; effect attributed directly to trainee. Arrangements for extraction made with regards to trainee's evals and Dr. (redacted)'s suggestions.

Proceeding:

Trainee exhibited remarkable contentiousness despite several injuries, including a fractured collarbone and mild concussion. Agents instructed to secure with force given trainee's well documented volatility. Mission hook revealed. Dr. (redacted) correctly predicted that trainee would fail to respond to accusations of collaborating, or otherwise spearheading, the information leaks. Agents instructed to proceed with physical methodologies.

Stalemate achieved approx. 0500 hours after agent Itamura di ("his hands on your this pulp is not yours"). Trainee made multiple attempts to ("retaliate / retribute / requiter / illegible text"). Evidently unsuccessful (See A-120320B below). Trainee continued to redirect attention away from mission hook, oftentimes inciting, and appearing to relish retribution from agents. Previous psychological evals point to this being a product of mere belligerence. [break] ("It's the only thing you're capable of.") Nevertheless, agents pursued this lead to its completion, as is protocol.

Agent Wallace discovered healing injuries unrelated to mission at the 0619 hour mark. Injuries appear to be self-inflicted in nature, located in both inner arms. It was surmised that [break] teeth [break] match ("you didn't mean to but it happened what kind of person do this it just happened" "you" "tear into" "fuck off") unexpected emotional and psychological reactions. Agents authorized to remove part of trainee's sleeve in order to continue the interrogation.

(Overlay in the break, nearly illegible: "they pour water down your throat and it comes spilling out then he (illegible) hands teach you again the shape of your jaws you know intimately someone stupider would say-")

Incident C133-120320 took place at 0922 hours when agent Itamura prepared to [break] after several threats to [break] if trainee did not ("repent"). Neither agents anticipated the outburst. Agent Wallace remarked that [break] ("pliers")

("-bunny". The word "bunny" repeats several times after this instance in the margins.)

("sometimes you see people they do not stop even when they should even when" "metal on molars on gum on tongue" "you are horror under a pin with not dead cells taken off piece by piece a stream of un-consciousness good for nothing but self-cannibalizing desperate for something to fill your detritus a hate for something you can't name" "a you that do not" "are not")

("sometimes you see people they forget that they are people. sometimes that is for the best.")

[break]

Addendum-120320B: Itamura submitted for performance review after mission. Agent demonstrated certain lack of discipline in carrying out the mission and was influenced easily by trainee's provocations. Additional psychological eval recommended along side with physical therapy.

Incident log C133-120320: You cannot forget how bone feels between teeth.

("something hungers in the woods somewhere and it always finds you among the trees." This sentence repeats in the background, going off the margin.)

Department of Training. 21/02/(redacted)

("you had bunny teeth. you remember

someone

calling you

puppy

though.")

[what-the-girlfriends]

☀️ Sun - What's your favorite part of your WIP?

☁️ Cloudy - What inspired you to start writing your WIP? (or in general)

Sun, For my Pulp Archives + my Pulp Protocol wip(s):

Protocol: Celia!Margaret. She’s so. CggFGFFFESFFWDDSSCGFFDESSDDEWVG. She doesn’t remember much of how she got here, but she kbows theres nothing left to go back to. Margaret should get to be a little selfish. As a treat. Second probably being writing statements that are as angsty as possible for the specific “computer voices” (Dakkar Ahlaam and Sia) to read.

Archive: Right now it’s Spiral!Ben yapping to Slaughter!Charles. Ben in this au is so fun to write he just talks so much. And very little of what he says is decipherable to anyone but Chester and Sia (The Eye yk) Charles is supremely done with it. Close second being my Anna Hanover Vast foreshadowing:333

Cloudy, For my short story im submitting to my school’s anthology:

I fear rhis one is also very tma coded. I conceptualized it before I listened to tma in a “hey wouldn’t that be fucked up” way but listening to the podcast definitely inspired me to develop it. It’s about eye gore and shitty workplaces sooo. Yeah.

[vestaclinicpod]

Audio Drama Sunday - 4th February ✨

🍎 CAN I TELL YOU ABOUT THE SHOW WHICH HAS TAKEN OVER MY WEEK?? @notquitedeadpod !! I’ve been meaning to listen to this show for ages - the Tumblr marketing is so good - and I’m so glad I did. This show brings vampires into the modern age in such a fun way. I love that it’s set in York, I love that it features medical stuff (with no glaring impossibilities!). I love the fresh take on Vampire lore. It’s equal parts gruesome and romantic - and I’ve been enjoying it SO much. 

👻 @tellnotalespod (S2E2.5) Oh, bless, Riley sounds absolutely EXHAUSTED and I’m not convinced that it’s entirely due to the (completely understandable) life stresses. Remember, you got attacked by a ghost? Riley, Remember that? I love that Julia is able to piece together what to do with the recorder from Leo’s nonsense, but it makes my heart very heavy to think of her listening to their recordings on the tube home - definitely for research purposes and not because she gets a small bit of comfort from them, of course. 

🌲 The @hellofromthehallowoods Valentine’s bonus My Love From The Moormire is sooo lovely (and also there was that one story that I can’t think or speak about without feeling the sensation of someone grinding the heel of their boot into the pulp of my heart, so that’s fun). Highly recommend treating yourself or a loved one this Feb. 

🎙 (241) WTNV doing what it does best by interspersing genuinely funny knife humour into moments of genuine tension. This Boy arc is so fun and I’m honestly pumped to return to the killing of one’s double era!! 

❤️��🔥 The Love Talker (8) The inevitable happened this episode. Poor Tyler. The descriptions of the hut in the mountains were perfectly harrowing and I’m full of fear to find out what happens next with Ren and her new/old acquaintance.

🏢 @somewhereohio (S2E8) They did it!! I loved the sneaky references to why the characters got their department names and the shocking revelation about Liv’s memory. What do you MEAN that someone else has been messing around with her memories?? What do you mean Nya is inside her head?! 

⚔️ @camlannpod (2) I do so love a prophetic dream. Takes me right back to the days of Katie McGrath’s hair falling PERFECTLY over her pillows in BBC Merlin which 12y/o me was so normal about… It was so fun mentally screaming ‘KELPIE’ until the characters got it. I also have to point out how beautiful it is to hear a character who we’re assuming is taking lithium for mental health reasons telling another one that they are not ‘crazy’ (implied: something to fear) but that they’re looking after them because they love them 😭 I hope Dai has the same level of self-compassion!! ❤️ #Dai4King 

🖥️ The Magnus Protocol (4) I couldn’t stop thinking about Light From Uncommon Stars while listening to this episode. It is certainly exciting to hear a new voice as Augustus!! I’m not sure what happened at the end there, but I hate that Gwen was the only one to hear it. The parallels between her and Jon are ~apparent~ and I don’t want her to be isolated!! 

[ryutarotakedown]

okay, miscellaneous things from tmagp 010:

[ERROR] is very likely a new character, and specifically this person from the magnus protocol casting call:

Mysterious and hostile, speaks with a raspy but ethereal quality. Whoever [REDACTED] once was is long dead. Literally. Created from someone on the point of death in the hopes of gaining supernatural powers, [REDACTED] was initially dormant, so much so that it was overlooked and left trapped and forgotten for twenty years. Now it has been released and is building an identity for itself at the expense of its victims.

this role has no attributes specified (the way most have "female," "british accent" etc.) other than 18+. it's supposed to be raspy and mysterious

"but jules," you say, "what about the cast list that had jonathan sims, alexander j newall, and tim fearon as [ERROR]s?" yeah i don't know what's up with that either. maybe an amalgamation of them? maybe an amalgamation of more archivists from different times or universes?

but in any case, i suspect that personality-wise this is going to be an entirely new character and i for one am Excited.

-

oh nigel :( as goose from the SR server pointed out, he got a mention on the bonzoland ARG site! wonder what happened there...

(October 31st 1998) – Mr Bonzo’s Special Spooktacular will no longer feature Nigel Dickerson.

alice <3

worm tracks. hmm. tim found an arch made of worms in the tunnels back in season 1 of the magnus archives and said that the stone inside the doorway had gone weirdly wavy, which i always took to be a failed attempt at a corruption ritual. hmmmm.

it is definitely very weird that alice and sam found mulch in the filing cabinets when red canary has this to say back in Episode One:

Big surprise was no old papers. I mean, they’d be mulch by now, obviously, but all the old filing cabinets were still rusting in place, and there was clearly what used to be a massive library or archive or something in the first basement layer. Was really expecting a bunch of paper pulp, but there wasn’t really any. Maybe that’s why it was listed as “cleared”?

also weird that neither of them flagged this as weird in the first place.

bonzo is delightful, obviously. i was wondering if there's a parallel between "jon" emailing sam with a "name and address" and gwen giving mr bonzo a name and address in her envelope…

[theruffiansretrorampage]

art by Mark Scicluna

[redfountainpostin]

Ficlet

It was over. Bloom defeated Icy, Darcy and Stormy fell against the combined efforts of friends- and one more. The barrier of dark matter that surrounded the realm died when the last of the dragonflame left the Trix, so no the schools had help of authorities to take care of the wounded, regroup, and handle all the dead bodies.

But for a certain team of specialists, they had a different task ahead of them.

Sky, Brandon, Timmy… and Riven, sitting in the empty classroom instead of an office, their teachers in front of them. Saladin and Javelin were sitting by the headdesk, while Codatorta was starring out of the window, not once having looked at his students.

"The question is simple. Do you three accept Riven to stay in your squad?" Javelin asked, while Saladin stayed quiet, watching the developing bruise on Riven's temple. That was not caused by any creature, no.

"Well we don't have much choice, do we?" Sky said, sharper than he meant to. He was furious at Riven, but he usually would still pay proper respect to his elders. "You're not expelling him, or you wouldn't be asking us this".

"No, we're not" Javelin conceded "But we won't force something that is doomed to fail. It would be detrimental to all of your educations. If you do not think you can work with Riven after all of this, even knowing that he had been under influence for the most of it, you need to tell us now"

Riven had not said anything, looking down at his hands instead. He knew what Sky was going to say.

"I say we can" Brandon blurted, causing Riven to look up at him in surprise- Brandon was looking right back at him.

"I say we can too" Timmy added after a moment "I do not think it is fair to hold everything that happened against him. I know he's not perfect, but he's also a victim here" he wasn't looking at Riven while saying this, worried he might loose his nerve. He didn't want Riven punished, but he also wasn't going to sugarcoat everything. Looking at him while proclaiming he found him flawed might lessen his nerve.

Javelin nodded. "I agree, but I need all of you to be united in this. Sky?"

"What will happen to him if I say no?"

"Sky!"

"No, Brandon, I want to know. Because no other team would have him, you know that right?" the last of the question was aimed at Riven, who was avoiding eye contact, much to Sky's anger.

Javelin sighed "There was a handful of situation in Red Fountain where a boy would graduate without a team. Granted, those were all exceptions, for kids who would only join is in their senior year, possibly halfway through. It's not standard, but we do have a protocol for it, and Riven's place in Red Fountain is not standard either, so we would make it work."

Sky paused to think. On one hand, he wanted nothing more than to beat Riven to a pulp and never see him again. On the other hand, he couldn't help but remember how it was before. He and Riven were never particularly close, but Riven wasn't close to anyone in the squad. He and Darcy got together early on and he spent most of his free time with her- but how much of it was his choice? How much of Riven's life was spent under influence while Sky and Brandon chuckled about how crazy about her he was, and admitting to each other wishing they too had such a relationship? Sky remembered the worry he felt when Riven, ever the idiot, went head to head with a minotaur, or the sheer cold dread he felt when he pulled him out of the river in the Black Mud swamp, the other boy not breathing- the relief he felt when Riven started coughing out the water after CPR. Granted, he'd be relieved to watch anyone not drown, but it was personal with Riven.

And the thought of the guy spending the next two year alone… Riven may be acting a lone wolf, but Red Fountain was a place for packs.

He unconsciously rubbed the scar on his forearm where Riven bit him during their first fight.

"Fine" he finally said, crossing his arms. "I say yes"