#does jonny have any control over it? and if he does is he even actively trying to get his head back on?

[rocksanddeadflowers]

Does anyone else picture Jonny's headless body running around trying to find his head during Teatime With The Kaiser or is that just me because personally I think it's hilarious

[gothic-safari-clown]

The Mind’s Power Over the Body

Part 19: Hands Off

Story summary: They only ever had each other. It had been that way since high school, ever since Elianna transferred to dreary Arlen and took Jonathan under her wing. They go separate ways for college, and when they're reunited at Arkham Asylum professionally, Elianna comes to find that they've both changed during their time separated. Can she look past the promise of danger and stay by Jonathan's side as they slide further and further into the darkness while she grapples to come to terms with the truth about herself? Can she accept what needs to be done in order to hold onto the only person who holds any meaning in her life? This is a very self-indulgent AU that draws from several different canons of the DCU and ignoring others, starting in the Batman Begins Nolanverse. This will follow the plot of the movie, although the timeline has been very slightly tweaked.

Part 1 / Part 2 / Part 3 / Part 4 / Part 5 / Part 6 / Part 7 / Part 8 / Part 9 / Part 10 / Part 11 / Part 12 / Part 13 / Part 14 / Part 15 / Part 16 / Part 17 / Part 18

Word count: 2587

TW for self harm

"So you're tellin' me absolutely nothin' is goin' on between you two?" Between sessions, Harley had come to visit Elianna in her office for a chat. "Aren't you still staying at his place?" It seemed that the blonde still had yet to give up on the idea of El and Jonathan together; the only difference now was that she had ended up being right (a fact that the redhead had made sure to remind him of as they laid in bed catching their breath the day before. He hadn't found it quite as funny as she did).

"Yeah—wait, how did you know that?"

"I was pullin' into the parking lot behind you guys this mornin'."

"Uh-huh, we drove separately, stalker." El quirked an eyebrow with an expectant smile.

"Right, so you just happened to arrive at the same time? Just 'cause you didn't take the same car doesn't you're not comin' from the same place."

"Alright, alright," El laughed. "He's got some errands to run after work, so I promised to make dinner."

"Aww," Harley exaggerated the syllable, knowing it would get under her friend's skin.

"Oh, cut it out." El rolled her eyes and scoffed. "I already told you, nothing is going on." The blonde just laughed in response. "Hey, how's your big case coming along?"

As Harley enthusiastically began to tell whatever she could about her sessions with the self-named Poison Ivy, El used the distraction as an opportunity to recall the day before smugly to herself.

Already, the recent change in their relationships had its ups and downs. On the one hand, it almost seemed like a dam had burst; their dynamic flowed more smoothly, and for her part, she felt as though a weight had lifted from her shoulders. On the other, when he had told her that morning that he had to oversee the handling of that night's delivery personally (since Batman had effectively put Falcone out of commission), her usual worry for his safety had doubled.

Something that Elianna and Jonathan had in common was a lack of experience with real relationships. As such, they shared a sense of profound importance in regards to the new arrangement. It would take some work to balance the now heightened concern they held for each other.

Meanwhile, Jonathan was in his office trying in vain to occupy his mind by shuffling through the stack of administrative paperwork that the warden's office couldn't be bothered to sort through before sending it to him. Between the unexpected hitch in the master plan and trying as hard as he could to not think about El (on that count, Scarecrow was actively working against), he was struggling to make it through even the very basics of his job.

At that moment, for example, he was grappling with his schedule for the day. Falcone had been taken to Blackgate and apparently had been asking to see him for a few days. Jonathan had been putting off visiting the mobster since he had found out; he had been caught by a civilian in a cape and a mask; what could he possibly have to discuss with such a disappointment to the underworld? Today, however, he had received word that the older man had cut his wrists, and the administration at Blackgate had sent for him specifically.

As if that weren't enough, he had already had to clear his schedule for that night to oversee the shipment, given that Falcone was now indisposed.

There was no getting around it, though, he supposed, and found himself back in the car en route to Blackgate. However, the drive wasn't nearly long enough for Jonathan to quell his frustration in Falcone's incompetence, and before too long was meeting with the mobster's caseworker.

"Doctor Crane, thanks for coming." There was a thinly disguised urgency in her voice as she greeted him.

"Not at all," he replied, barely remembering to keep his tone patient. "He cut his wrists?" How irritating it was to fake concern.

"Probably looking for the insanity plea," well, at least the woman was pragmatic, "but if anything should happen..."

"Of course, better safe than sorry." He nodded as they approached the door to the private room that Falcone had been brought to. With that, the caseworker unlocked the door to let Jonathan in and let the door swing closed behind him.

Falcone didn't skip a beat. "Hey, Doctor Crane, I can't take it anymore. It's all too much; the walls are closing in, blah blah blah," the old man rambled dryly. "Couple more days of this food, it'll be true." Jonathan found himself steeling himself against the urge to let Scarecrow come out as he settled into his chair.

"What do you want?"

"I want to know how you're gonna convince me to keep my mouth shut." The ego of a powerful man is truly something indigestible, isn't it?

"About what? You don't know anything about the operation."

"Maybe not specifics, sure, but I know you don't want the cops to take a closer look at the drugs they seized. I know about your experiments with the inmates of your nuthouse." Jonathan listened and watched as patiently as he could as the tiresome man continued to talk. "See, I don't go into business with a guy without finding out his dirty secrets." At this point, Scarecrow was banging against the proverbial walls of their brain, desperate to retaliate. "Those goons you used. I own the muscle in this town. Now I've been bringing your stuff in for months. So whatever he's planning, it's big. And I want in."

Can you believe the balls on this guy? Let me out, Jonny.

Not yet; he still doesn't have a leg to stand on.

"Well, I already know what he'll say. That we should kill you." Just because we haven't yet doesn't mean that we won't, old man.

"Even he can't get me in here. Not in my town." Jonathan was growing tired of this conversation very quickly.

"Your town." The psychiatrist repeated, not a question—a mockery. The older man's eyes narrowed dangerously.

"Oh, did I forget to ask? How rude of me, I forgot the most important part. How is your little lady friend from the asylum?" here the mobster leaned in threateningly, "Does she know what you're doing? What's gonna happen to her once you go down, I wonder. Maybe I'll send some people to make sure she's not alone, huh?"

Now that caught Jonathan's attention. The rest of Falcone's little threats were easily avoided; even he didn't have the power to endanger Ra's Al Gul's plans. He did, however, have the power to have unspeakable things done to Elianna. That would not stand.

Jonathan made his decision from there quickly. Scarecrow was overjoyed that El had been brought into the discussion, knowing that Jon would have to take it seriously, and was raring to be in control.

Jonathan sighed and removed his glasses, hearing the straw man begin to cheer in the back of his mind. "Would you like to see my mask?" He asked, opened his briefcase without waiting for an answer, popped open the false bottom, and reached for the mask, ignoring the several full syringes waiting to be used. He had added a new rig to the case, and it was as good a time as any to test it out. "I use it in my experiments. Now, I'm probably not very threatening to a guy like you," he continued, holding up the mask for emphasis, "but these crazies? They can't stand it."

With that, he made to put the mask on and let Scarecrow take over.

He could barely hear Falcone's quip about the nut taking over the nuthouse over the ever surreal feeling of taking the backseat in his own brain.

Once his face was secured, Scarecrow took great pleasure in pressing the button to release the cloud of toxin. The screams of terror began almost instantaneously, much to his delight, and he rose from his chair to loom over the mafioso.

"They scream, and they cry," he teased with menacing glee. "Much as you're doing now." Jonathan allowed Scarecrow a few more seconds of enjoyment before regaining control. They still had to leave undetected, and Scarecrow couldn't be trusted to be professional. As much as Jonathan enjoyed hearing the man who had dared to threaten El scream, he was more trustworthy when it came to subterfuge.

"Well, he's not faking," Jonathan cleared his throat as he reentered the hallway, greeted by the caseworker's concerned face. "Not that one." He was still a bit flustered by the rush of inflicting such horror upon someone. Move on, Jonathan, act normal. It was a bit of a blur after that, promising to talk to the judge and get Falcone transferred to Arkham before making his way back to the Asylum himself. He still had a few patients to see before he could punch out to oversee the shipment that evening.

However, once the rush wore off, Jonathan found his mind wandering back to what Falcone had said about El. Who knew what he could have told his people already? He stopped by El's office before returning to his own and was surprised to find her no longer there. A quick phone call to the secretary at the front desk told him that she had already left for the day—another phone call to find that her cell phone was dead.

Shit.

Jonathan forced himself back to the matter at hand, telling himself that she was fine, but the lingering worry stayed in the back of his mind.

For about an hour and a half at least, when he decided that he was done with work for the day. The sooner he could take care of business, the sooner he could rush home to make sure she was there.

In the car on his way to the meeting site, Jonathan tried calling her again to no avail.

I really need to get a home phone for the apartment; he cursed to himself.

He found himself unable to focus on the task at hand as he parked his car and got into the one being driven by the goons provided by Falcone. Any of them could have received orders at any point to take El, hurt her, anything. He had no way of knowing if instructions had already been given or what liberties were allowed should anything happen to her.

Behind his impassive expression, Jonathan was operating almost solely on autopilot, getting out of the car and entering the old apartment that served as a drop point. This one had already been used twice before, and given how close the end date was, he had already decided to eradicate any and all evidence once the job was done.

He looked disinterestedly over the pile of stuffed bunnies, appraising the shipment's size, doing quick calculations in his head to the best of his ability. After concluding that it was, in fact, the correct amount, he gestured to the goons to retrieve the substance from inside of the toys. "Get rid of all traces."

Jonathan couldn't help the disgusted look around the dilapidated apartment. He couldn't think of anywhere he wanted to be less at that moment. Distracted by the sheer quantity of distasteful thoughts swirling in his mind, he was almost startled when Scarecrow spoke suddenly.

There's someone else here.

That statement froze all other concerns as he tuned in to his environment. He barely registered one of the thugs telling the others to torch the apartment as he noticed a prickling on the back of his neck, as well as the open window.

Jonathan remained calm and in control as the other men began to douse the furniture in gasoline while he moved to examine the window.

Are you sure?

Before the straw man could answer, the sound of shattering glass from the other room stole Jonathan's attention from the window.

Yes, came the smug response. Wasting no more time, Jonathan let the other goon move to investigate and instead moved into the shadows to retrieve his mask.

You're up again, Scarecrow. Do it fast; we have to get home.

Yeah, yeah, you've been annoying me for hours; she's fine. Would you shut up about it? Retaliated Scarecrow as he forced Jonathan out of the driver's seat and took over, relishing in the drama of wearing his face again.

That moment didn't last for very long before his suspicions were confirmed, and the Batman himself burst into the room, swiftly incapacitating the leftover thug. Luckily, Scarecrow's reflexes were just as fast, and he released a cloud of toxin from their sleeve rig, which hit the caped crusader squarely in the face.

The effects were almost instantaneous, judging by the wide eyes behind the cowl and the erratic, flailing movements. Scarecrow stifled a laugh as the armored man toppled backward away from him.

"Take a seat," he taunted, thoroughly enjoying his playtime, "have a drink." Here he seized a bottle of vodka abandoned by his now useless goons. The staw man snarled mentally, understanding Jonathan's intolerance of incompetence. They would be eradicated along with the evidence of their crimes. Splashing the booze on the caped man in delight, he continued to tease him.

"You look like a man who takes himself too seriously." Scarecrow abandoned the now empty bottle and replaced it in his hand with a zippo lighter that El had left in their pocket.

Wait, she loves that thing-

We'll buy her a new one, pipe down.

He had corraled Batman in front of the window and sparked the lighter, extending it in front of him menacingly. "Do you want my opinion? You need to lighten up." With that, he tossed the lighter, which ignited the caped crusader and the old rug in seconds.

This allowed them a swift escape, as Batman threw himself out the window and plummeted with the rain onto the pavement several stories below. Wasting no time, Scarecrow had them outside and in the getaway car. Luckily, there was a spare key in the visor, and they sped down the street in the direction of where they had left their car.

Slow down! We're attracting attention; we don't need that.

You're the one who's been bitching about getting home for the past few hours.

Not letting up for a second, Scarecrow turned a fifteen-minute drive back to Jonathan's car into a five-minute one before finally retreating to his place in the back of their mind. Of course, on principle, Jonathan was still irritated with Scarecrow for behaving so recklessly, then leaving him to deal with any potential consequences. Still, he was glad for the saved time.

By this point, Jonathan was so frenzied with panic about El's wellbeing that he couldn't even think about their own run-in with the Batman. Still ten minutes away from home, he tried to call her cell once again. Still no answer.

Why the fuck won't she pick up?

Scarecrow didn't respond, finally picking up just how agitated the whole situation had made his counterpart. Best not to rile him up further.

Jonathan nudged the car faster. Only a few minutes away, but it felt like forever. He was so frantic to get home and see Elianna safe that he couldn't even think of what he would do if she weren't. No game plan, not even a shadow of one because she's okay. Or so he kept telling himself.

[ashes-in-a-jar]

Tma relisten Episodes 11-15

So this round already has two other posts out of it about Oliver because he Bae.

These have alot of ideas regarding entities changing around reality, controlling non victims to set the stage, and turning around what people love most to their worst fear. Also insane abilities of the crew to obtain hard to access info and evidence! And some more Jon sass. Enjoy!

11 dreamer

Wow this episode had alot. I made a separate post with a theory about Oliver's statement here and a realization regarding him and Jane Prentiss here. They are alot to unpack

Oliver is so. Freaking. Relatable! Learned economics and hated it. Nearly had a breakdown like him because of it. "going to stay with some of the few friends that had survived my year of stress-fuelled outbursts and constantly cancelled plans." yep. That.

Boyfriend Graham ey? You notebook eating Graham?? Wow that guy is full of surprises.

I love the dream sequences and their descriptions it's a really beautiful thing to try and picture.

Its interesting how he went from passive to desparate to passive again about death. He tries but can't help. I wonder when the dreams started to bother him so much he sought after the silence of point Nemo. Was it when they became so full of red because of the apocalypse coming closer? Hmmm

Another person named John. I guess that makes sense it's a common name. But I forgot how many people are fully named in this podcast. Hundreds of names to come up with! Jonny I'm quite impressed!

He worked with Jane Prentiss in the magic shop! I can't believe I forgot about that! Wow small avatar world indeed.

"It led me to a room, the label of which was still visible, and read “Archive”. I entered to see walls covered with shelves and cabinets stretching off into the distance. These shelves were coated in a sticky black tar, which I knew at that moment was the thickened, pulpy blood that pumped through each and every one of those veins." everything that has to do with the Fears I bet. Full of death and destruction and stolen from the veins to be out on display for the Eye's pleasure.

Yo Jon is scared of this he's seriously considering going to Elias for advice

" I had Tim look into it, as I don’t entirely trust the others not to have written it as a practical joke" wait. He trusts TIM? Not to do a practical joke? How. Why. Eh?

"died in the line of duty" fuck you Jonah.

Now Jon will get every new statement immediately when it's made. Perhaps this was Elias' intention all along. To scare him into making sure he does not miss any paranormal activity recorded by the institute.

12 first aid

I'm not immune to more Gerry badassery, hell yeah

And we get polish Martin which hell yeah! Even if Jon doesn't believe it. I'm sure he's repressing the fact that he's thoroughly impressed.

I think it's really interesting the effect entities have on people who are decidedly not their victims. Everyone leaving no questions so the entity can set the scene for the scare. Like with Gillespie how no one lived in the apartment building he was in etc. Alot of work into a handful of people being genuinely scared.

Gerry's burns stopped at the neck? How did he manage that. Also it's hilarious to imagine that he's like "yes burn all of me but please. not my goth makeup"

Zippo lighter with eye design!! And Jon has web design! They are brothers (joke but still really interesting)

Liquids were boiling around her and she didn't feel the heat. Also an interesting effect just for the scare.

Gerry got eye superpowers like Jon if he can function while injure and filled with painkillers.

“Yes. For you, better beholding than the lightless flame.” Gerry knew she'd be haunted by a Fear from that day on and realised that perhaps being watched would be easier for her specifically to deal with than the Desolation. I guess that's a way of assessing people. Which fear would least bother you.

Jon is already enamoured with Gerry you can tell. He can't wait to hear more from him. Just you wait Jon.

They really can access alot of information huh. CCTV Interviews files. Pretty impressive for a non-research team. They're so good at it they'd rather do that than actual archiving.

13 alone

The sound editing in this episode is not that great it was a bit to get used to.

We get a glimpse at the Lukases which is... Ugh

Jon is actually trying to be nice. Granted it's not working and she is a bit of a standoffish person herself who just went through a bad time but alot of her reactions are not his fault. He was trying to be considerate giving her space to record but he did stay when she asked.

She had already leaned into the Lonely before the incident it's interesting to see how some of these statements start with a person actually liking the aspect that later turns to fear. Same happens in lost johns' cave.

Evan Lukas sounds like an avatar of the exact opposite of the Lonely. At least to her. That's a really interesting effect from someone, especially a Lukas.

But maybe dying wasn't his family killing him but him not feeding his patron which he tried to leave. Really tragic.

She was in Martin's domain eyyy!

It's got a bit of buried aspects to it with the grave stuff and all.

"My fingers dug into the soft cemetery dirt as I looked around desperately for anything I could use to save myself, and my hand closed upon that heavy piece of headstone. It took all my self-control to keep a grip on that anchor, as I slowly dragged myself away from the edge of my lonely grave." The headstone was her anchor? But it said forgotten. I wonder how it helped her pull away. It probably had to go together with Evan's voice. Like the rib and the tape recorders having to work together! I just wonder what meaning the stone had for her.

"I’d be tempted to chalk this one up to a hallucination from stress and trauma, if it wasn’t for the fact... " God he does believe her heavens. He's not a skeptic!

This is when Jon's dreams start which... Good luck Jon.

14 piecemeal

Rentoul is terrifying sonofabitch and I would never want to meet him irl

I remembered them talking about how he was supposed to be a person who cursed alot and they couldn't do it because of sensor and I have to agree this could have been much better for the story. I tried imagining curses in some places.

LOL Jon reading this is funny. Trying to voice act the bad boy. Doesn't sound right on his voice.

With these kinds of statements happening alot where the person does something bad, the institute has to be in touch with police over them. The nda has to include that.

Hello Angela! I really wonder what her deal is. She scared the bid bully so she gotta have creepy vibes to the extreme.

Another lighter! Hmm do I have to start following the lighter motiff in this podcast. This one has a topless woman on it. Flesh lighter?

Salesa's also appearing that's cool! Noriega was probably looking for an artifact to reverse the curse. Didn't work tho since they left with the crate. The buried crate perhaps?

I'm wondering. Was this written? Because the statement sounds like he's talking. If so, Where's the recording?

Oh Jon your attitude towards Martin is so bad. He works so hard and it's not even in what he's good at, sorting and filing like he knows how to do from the library. God.

What's the deal with all the furniture gone? Did he think it'll help not get injured? He's not that smart if he thought that would help him.

15 lost Johns' cave

Ack a bad statement she was not a good person all around

Another example of the entities setting the stage by controlling others not to interfere with the victim's experience.

Also another example of the person liking the subject (cave exploration in this case. And the dark for that matter) only for it to turn against them.

Not much to say about this one other than its one of the scarier ones for sure. And her recording in the end is really the cherry on top. There is alot of discrepancy between what she believed happened and what actually did which shows how much the fear plays with and changes around reality. That's also how she manages to lie in a statement to Beholding. It wasn't a lie. It was her version of reality and she did not remember saying those awful words.

Taught me alot about cave diving and how much I will never do it in my life.

The Dark was mixed into this as well so it wasn't purely Buried.

Btw Where did she get the candles she was found with?

It feels like she made a choice. Didn't want to spend her last moments with her sister and then didn't want to die. She chose her sister to be taken over her. Her sister called for help and the candle coming closer might have been her! But she just shut her eyes.

How did Tim gain access to the recording?? Wow that's some prime evidence.

Martin is claustrophobic amongst other things huh? Live how Jon just dismisses this as an excuse not to work. At least he didn't push it.

[writerwaage]

Entry Two 1:56 pm 10/22

It took a lot of convincing, but Jonnie finally agreed to write down their experience with The Creature. I’m taking them out for dinner tonight as a thank you. 

general content warning for horror. warning for images of a school burning down, but not graphic. if you think there needs to be a content warning for something not listed, please let me know!

Let me be clear about this. I DO NOT believe in this “Creature” Adelaide is so certain exists. I’m not trying to be a bad partner or unsupportive, it’s not like that. I just think that everything she’s told me chalks up to be nothing more than a boogeyman, a shadow children get spooked by when they know that they haven't been behaving. Hell, when I first even told Addy about this, it was during a camping trip with our other friends. I didn’t think she’d take it any more seriously than she would take a kid crying about their shadow. 

I was a kid myself when I had my “experience.” Ten years old. I was walking home from school - my house was just down the road, so don’t think it was that big of a deal. It was the dead of winter, so the sky was already starting to darken. The branches filtered the low light and casted twisting shadows along the sidewalk, covering all the drawings made by the other kids who doodled over the weekend. I enjoyed looking at all the pictures when it was earlier in the year, but the lighting and shadows made them look off, somehow. 

One drawing in particular seemed to be highlighted, or rather framed by the dark. It was a lot more sinister than the others. Below my feet was a kind of shit drawing of the school on fire. You know how young kids don’t really have the finest of control over their hands, so lines never appear straight and colors bleed out of the lines drawn for them. The oddest bit, looking back on it, was that I never could cast a shadow on the picture. The branches above me did, but not me. Just two feet away, there was a dark halo on the sidewalk where my hair would be, but the drawing was just as lit as the rest of the sidewalk. As a kid I never paid that much attention, and I hesitate bringing it up here because Addy will make it a bigger deal than it actually is. It was just a weird moment, and it could have totally been from light reflecting off something metal and showing up on the sidewalk in that particular spot.

I went straight home and didn’t give it too much thought after that. I was a kid, and it was cold. I was just happy to be home and watch cartoons while mom fixed dinner. When dad got home, we put some logs into the fireplace and I curled up against his chest as he read me part of my newest favorite book. I remember being the most comfortable there, reading by the fire. The warmth of the flame and comfort of being held by my dad is still something I look back on and remember as the best moments of my childhood. 

The next morning, I got up and it was freezing cold. Colder than most days. I was practically shivering all morning as I got ready for school, even though the heating was on and I was bundled up warm. Mom almost kept me home, thinking I was sick. But I insisted I felt fine, that I was just cold. I wish I had listened to her.

Mom walked me to school, just like she always did, taking me down the same path I took to go home. Although I wasn’t actively looking for it, the picture of the school burning down had completely disappeared. It hadn’t rained overnight, and all the others were still perfectly intact. Maybe someone had come by to wash that one off, I don’t know. People, grown-ups, probably would have found it just as creepy as I had. And with it being so close to the school… It wasn’t the best look. 

Most of the day went by without a problem. Completely average. Once it was time for my math lessons, though, I felt strangely warm. It wasn’t like it was coming from having a fever. Instead, it felt more like heat radiating toward me. I was far from the vents, and it was cold only moments earlier. I looked around, to see if anyone had felt the same things I had felt, but no one seemed anything more than just frustrated that it was time to switch to math. I tried to shrug it off, but it was distracting.

I placed the heat as the same sort that I felt when I was extra close to the fireplace, and that was what bothered me the most. I looked up from my worksheet and glanced around the room, even to my own backpack to see if something, if anything, had suddenly caught fire. Some kid even asked if the heating could go any higher. The longer I went, the more the heat became unbearable. I pushed up my sleeves, pulled my hair up off my neck, and sweat dripped down the side of my forehead.

The fire alarm began to ring, and the room went icy. I looked to my teacher, who seemed completely thrown off. This wasn’t a planned drill, apparently. He was good at keeping calm though, and had us line up, just like it was part of the day. I grabbed my coat off the back of my chair and hugged it close. It smelled like smoke.

Outside, the rest of the teachers looked just as confused and concerned as mine did. Us students kept looking back at the building, wondering what we would see, wondering if it was scheduled and no one told us, or if it were a genuine one. Smoke began to billow up from the building, filling the pale blue sky with ashy grey. My stomach sank as I remembered the drawing I had seen the afternoon before. Did someone try to attack the school? Could I have stopped it if I told someone about the picture? 

My mind was thrusted back into the moment when the sound of fire trucks came wailing in. After everything was said and done, only a few classrooms had gotten severe damage. What was odd, they said, was that a strange, goopy black had been seen down the halls, connecting the burnt rooms and the entrance, even where there wasn’t any sign of damage. My mom kept me home from school for a while, even after I was sure I was fine. The entire ordeal was ruled an accident. No one could find the source of the fire, though. No fuel, either. 

I never said anything about the drawing to anyone, excepting those friends at the campsite when we were sharing our creepy stories. I hadn’t even expected them to take it seriously, and they didn’t, though Addy could see right through it. She brought it up again that night when we were about to go to sleep, then she told her own story about the growling in her closet. I thought it was stupid to connect those two things as anything more than young people imagining things and altering the past, and I told her that. But clearly, she doesn’t agree with me here. She’s convinced that she’s on to something, something more probable than the loch ness monster or whatever monster it is people freak out about.

I never knew the full extent of Jonnie’s experience. They’ve never given this much detail when talking about it before, and I feel more certain now that these two events are connected. They mentioned something about a “black goop” that sounds similar to how I remember The Creature looking in my own experience.

 Does it leave behind parts of itself often? Or did it get injured somehow in the fire? Whatever it is, I think it wanted to warn Jonnie, or someone, about the fire. Why? And what capabilities does it have to cause physical damage? 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Thank you for reading! if you feel so inclined, please leave me a message, ask, or reply with any sort of feedback!

table of contents

Want to be added or removed from the taglist? Let me know! I’ll check tags from your reblogs, my messages, asks, and replies, so whatever works best for you!

Tags: @howdy-writes @ezrathings @pigeon-hold @writerofthecosmos

[ahostandaghost]

All for whoever you want

All then :eyes:

☾ - sleep headcanon

Bane:

Sleeps like a rock some nights, too restless to sleep others. This is especially so if he can’t get any physical activity in, in a day. He needs to move a lot during the day to get all that energy out bc well. He’s a very active person

Zsasz:

Has NO trouble getting sleep, but can also choose to not and he’d be fine? He’s kinda alien like that way. He can also survive on 4 hours a night. Lucky bastard

Lonnie:

Can’t sleep without being held once in a relationship. He’s very independent as a person, but like. Hold him

Jason:

Tosses and turns a lot. Talks in his sleep. He snores but not too bad, it’s very soft

Jonnie:

Lots of nightmares, like Jason, and may get up in the middle of the night if he can’t sleep. He’ll get up and start reading or studying, either with coffee or tea. Might bake, so that’s always nice to wake up to

★ - sad headcanon

Bane:

He has a mix of clausterphobia and loving cramped spaces. If he doesn’t think about being trapped, he’s fine. It stems from the years spent in a prison cell as a child, so he can’t think he’s being contained for too long.

Zsasz:

Locked in a closet frequently as a child for misbehaving, isolated too. His parents had a strict idea of what “misbehaving” was. He’s autistic as well so this happened quite a bit. Being alone so much made him put on this act because he had to learn to entertain himself. Never learned to keep some comments to himself also due to isolation.

Lonnie:

Being the Joker’s son is sad enough tbh, but I headcanon that his mom didn’t want him due to him being an unwanted pregnancy and was cruel to him. She doesn’t think her actions are abusive so he ran from home as soon as he was 18.

Jason:

I don’t think any headcanon I have for him can be any more sad than what happened to him in canon I mean christ

Jonnie:

Lost a patient once to suicide and sometimes pays for a bouquet to be sent to their grave when he can’t stop thinking about them

☆ - happy headcanon

Bane:

He loves those huge ass plushies. He likes it when they’re as big as he is. Idk he just likes big things. He’s like those guys who visit the tiny town to be bigger than everything else, except also for things that are as big as he is bc he’s huge

Zsasz:

WILL dance with you in a vaguely “I’m going to kill you” threatening way and laugh after. Won’t kill you, just wants your reaction and to tease. Loves especially doing the dip thing. It’s rly cute and he only does this when he’s feeling really happy

Lonnie:

Hands deep in a Spencer’s button bin and running out, stealing as many as he can. Need I say more

Jason:

He likes being given outfits to wear by someone who knows him well enough to pick out something he’d love. He’s not hard to please, but you gotta get that aesthetic just right. He WILL immediately put it on. If he loves it he will pick you up and spin you like a doll. Especially if it comes with a really nice pair of boots and jacket

Jonnie:

Whip cream nose boop while baking oh I yearn. He likes to have music playing while he bakes. Will sing softly along if he knows the song well enough. If he knows you’re there and he trusts you he won’t stop. He might be a bit embarrassed but he likes the intimacy. It’s a very quiet joy but !!

☠ - angry/violent headcanon

Bane:

Well we all already know he can break just about anything. He’s slow to actually anger, but like. Expect broken bones at least. If he’s angry at someone he cares about, he will either try to talk it out or leave to go workout and then come back when he feels better to resolve whatever happened.

Zsasz:

Even harder to make truly angry. He’s very flat on emotions. He likes to be silly yeah, but he’s just not intensely emotional. If he’s REALLY angry for any reason, he will distract himself. Work or shooting range, researching targets. Whatever it takes to smooth it over inside before facing it

Lonnie:

Maltov cocktail. Arson. Vaguely threatening wall tags along that person’s daily route. Like. He can be a little petty. As a treat.

Jason:

Explosive temper. Not afraid to throw a punch. He doesn’t like to feel disrespected. Especially if that disrespect is towards his partner or prized possessions.

Jonnie:

Self control. Self control. Self control. He may have outbursts if he has to face someone who’s wronged him in the past or recently. Or if he’s triggered by something. But for the most part, very calm !

✿ - Sex headcanon

Bane:

Likes to feel big and strong with his partner, loves to pick them up during. Doesn’t matter how or in what position. Praise him and he will work extra hard to make you cum multiple times. Force orgasm kink, likes his partner loud, stuck kink (either person). So much foreplay you’d think he enjoys the foreplay more than the actual sex. Medium sex drive imo

Zsasz:

The gloves stay on during sex. Knife kink, hostage kink, blood kink, bondage, roleplay, clothed, threatening, hair pulling. Likes to hear how well he’s doing so like. Tell him it feel good. Also public sex. So much. HIGH sex drive if you tease him enough

Lonnie:

Love and threesomes. Very vanilla. a switch but he leans toward bottoming. LOVES being pegged, especially while he’s on his stomach. The heat and weight on his back makes him feel safe and comfortable. Low/medium sex drive

Jason:

Top. Like, power top when it’s casual. If it’s making love or for comfort he will bottom and probably cry a lil. His neck is extra sensitive. Give him a little bite, lick, or suck and he’s immediately ready. Also loves his ear being bitten. Dry humping. Tell him you love him during and he may go from power top to like. Gentle dom. Very weak for emotional reassurance. HIGH sex drive

Jonnie:

He and scarecrow have different kinks. Scarecrow is much more exploring, Jonathan prefers to keep it safe for the most part. Scarecrow’s kinks include costume sex, roleplay, somniphilia, breeding, praise, begging, light bondage. Jonathan’s are dry humping, praise, nipple play, begging, orgasm denial (for himself). Hypersexual due to trauma

■ -  Bedroom/house/living quarters headcanon

Bane:

Immaculate. He hires a cleaning service every once in a while. He likes a clear space because he doesn’t want to feel cluttered

Zsasz:

Also immaculate. Practically sterile. You’d think it’s staged. No he lives there

Lonnie:

He keeps forgetting his drinks everywhere and then getting more. He has taco bell wrappers in his bedroom. He never cleans out his car. He is a mess. Please help him.

Jason:

Like Lonnie, but less. It’s presentable but you can tell cleaning isn’t his #1 priority

Jonnie:

Jonathan cleans, Scarecrow makes a mess. This is how they function lmfao

♡ - romantic headcanon

Bane:

BIG romantic. Softy to his partner(s). Wants to buy them nice outfits and take them out on dates. Tries to keep the love young and happy.

Zsasz:

Not naturally romantic. For him, the romance is in the hands. Leading you places, kissing your hand, interlocking fingers, kissing fingertips. Wow that’s cute I’m gay

Lonnie:

Young love. He’s a bit misguided at times. Probably sensitive. BUT also a very soft lover, wants you to rest your head on his chest while you both lie on the couch. Tries really hard to make you laugh, it’s his favourite thing

Jason:

Handholding while driving, not needing to talk but he’ll say something goofy and stupid to make you smile and call him dumb. The kind of guy that texts you asking where you are and telling you how much he loves and misses you while drunk, while you’re in the same room as him clearly visible lmfao

Jonnie:

Old love, wants a life partner if he falls in love. He’s all in when he gets there, he doesn’t want to go life without and he almost never has romantic feelings. When he does he wants it to stay

♥ - family headcanon

Bane:

Doesn’t care, his family isn’t apart of his life so it’s not worth thinking about

Zsasz:

Hates his parents, but doesn’t kill them. He doesn’t think they’re worth it if he’s not getting paid

Lonnie:

Loves his mom even if she was cruel to him, but he ignores the letters she sends

Jason:

Love-hate with Batman. Will go to family dinners on holidays, but may make comments that he knows would make everyone argue while smiling at Bruce. It was on purpose

Jonnie:

Reconnects with his mom. Not completely, but he does feel bad for the incident and sees how he wasn’t showing self control at all. Sends her money and helps his half sister go into a good school. He talks to her more regularly than his mother, just checking in to see she has everything she needs

☮ - friendship headcanon

Bane:

Honestly, such a good friend. He will genuinely support you. He will join a social media just to give whatever project you’re working on a social boost. I mean, he’s BANE. He WILL help make your project amazing

Zsasz:

He’s distant but hilarious. You never fully know what’s going on with him, but that’s alright. You don’t think you want to just in case he goes on trial again

Lonnie:

“Have you heard of Karl Marx, the manifesto?”

Jason:

Dramatic friend, but he will side hug you and pat your back. Asks who pissed in your cereal that morning if you give him attitude

Jonnie:

Free therapy ! JK Halloween buds most like. He reaches out on Halloween and asks if you’d like to cause a ruckus with him

♦ - quirks/hobbies headcanon

Bane:

Weightlifting, tactician study (bombs, weapons)

Zsasz:

Gun range, knife throwing. I think he’d like doing an ax throwing competition.

Lonnie:

Tries to make other people see his ACAB point of view. He’s very successful c: Joins protests and leads riots where necessary. He is white so I see him taking the front in initiative. Rock climbing

Jason:

Gun maintenance, motorcycle rides through the outskirts of Gotham, cardio and gymnastics training

Jonnie:

Designing new scarecrow outfits, sewing, baking, reading in the morning outside 

☯ - likes/dislikes headcanon

Bane:

Spicy foods. I feel like he’d have a soft spot for elephants. Fave colour is green imo. Wants to pull a tree out of the ground in front of people all the time to freak them out, but respects the planet too much. Doesn’t like cold food all that much

Zsasz:

He unironically loves parody songs and ones that are like.............. silly covers. Fave colour is anything funky. He prefers take out.

Lonnie:

His fave colour is red, he likes more mild, savory foods, neon signs and the city at night when it’s quiet

Jason:

Bar hopping, lying in the grass after because he’s too drunk to keep walking. Staring at the stars. Oversharing. Fave colour is red.

Jonnie:

Sweets, carnivals, small plush dolls, nail polish. Fave colour is orange. Loves abandoned buildings

▼ - childhood headcanon

Bane:

Used to read the dictionary to be well-spoken. Sometimes he uses that to annoy people

Zsasz:

Had the tendency to light stuff on fire. Forced himself to learn to be okay looking into people’s eyes to avoid punishment

Lonnie:

Grew up poor and had bad shoes and a backpack full of holes. He’s very thankful for all that he has now

Jason:

Lil pickpocket even as a Robin

Jonnie:

Had comfort items and if he felt they may be taken away by his grandmother he would his them in the walls

∇ -. old age/aging headcanon

Bane:

Hates it because he knows he’s on the decline in strength. He also knows his body can’t handle venom anymore

Zsasz:

Graceful about it. Still killing for money let’s be real. Probably helps Anarky take out political figures to make him feel better

Lonnie:

Frustrated because there is much more to be done in the world to help others and he’s not as physically capable to fight

Jason:

Loves being a silver fox, he feels kinda sexy

Jonnie:

Afraid of the time now missing from his life, but accepting that this is life

♒ - cooking/food headcanon

Bane:

He likes to make traditional Mexican food. Specifically searching for recipes that are authentic

Zsasz:

He doesn’t usually cook, but when he does it’s cooked in wine and super healthy surprisingly

Lonnie:

Frozen foods lmfao

Jason:

Burger. Sanwhich. Ingredients............. beetroot

Jonnie:

THE cook of the polycule tbh. His cooking is amazing and he almost always gets it perfect. What a gift to us all

☼ - appearance headcanon

Bane:

Mostly cares about his hair, has a lot of product to keep it looking nice c: He’s very fuzzy, but if he has the time he will have his bodyhair waxed

Zsasz:

Dresses up because the clothes make the man and he wants to look classy af. Always wearing gloves.

Lonnie:

Hoodie man........... hides in baggy clothes, it’s just more comfortable that way.

Jason:

Military aesthetic with leather jackets and boots is his regular, but sometimes if he has no time it’s just a tank top and black jeans

Jonnie:

Only really cares about shaving and dressing nice. Scarecrow very specifically prefers having red hair so he will dye it as needed

ൠ - random headcanon

Bane:

Insanely good at puzzle games, do not hope to beat him at scrabble. Challenge at own risk

Zsasz:

Autistic, wears gloves because he doesn’t like skin contact unless it’s on his terms. Especially likes those half gloves that don’t cover your wrist

Lonnie:

Autistic transman ! Very aware of the flawed social structure due to experiences dealing with this

Jason:

He got a booty that won’t quit due to all of his cardio

Jonnie:

Takes painkillers sometimes for switch headaches, both Scarecrow and Jonathan get mad at eachother for it when it’s especially rough

[ncfan-1]

ncfan listens to The Magnus Archives: S4 EP121, ‘Far Away’

And we’re back with Season 4! The first episode was not what I expected in some respects, but in retrospect, I suppose I probably should have been expecting Jonny Sims to cover this as quickly as possible after the opening. Namely, what exactly it means to be entangled with the Powers—a very relevant concern for Jonathan Sims, who is currently only still alive because he is so badly entangled with one of those Powers. We have the return of one of the themes that has been recurring and central to the show ever since we found out that normal humans can become agents and avatars for the Powers, presented from a new perspective, and we have an interesting moment from Georgie. Onwards to my rambling thoughts!

- I was hoping we’d hear from Oliver (alias ‘Antonio Blake,’ the statement giver of MAG 11 ‘Dreamer,’ and whose presence is all but outright stated in ‘Hive’ and strongly implied in ‘Grifter’s Bone’) again, since his experiences seemed like a rather unique insight into the way the supernatural works here. I’m a little sad he’s been corrupted into becoming as inhuman as he seems to be (he’s only superficially human, now), but that is how the story goes, isn’t it? The more exposure you have to the Powers, the more you interact with them, the more you get wrapped up in the world of the supernatural, the less human you become. Another parallel/potential foil for Jon.

- And I could tell, judging from the sheer amount of interference on the tape recorder when he came in, that there was something seriously up with Oliver. Him being one of the undead, perhaps similar to Justin Gough or the gamesters, was interesting.

Related to that, though, is Oliver still associated with the End? Because he makes mention of spiders in his head, and the strands that held him in England, kept him from leaving, that he wouldn’t look at, seemed more reminiscent of the Web than the tentacles Oliver sees that are associated with the End. Because it sounds like there was a bit of a tug of war between the End and the Web for control of Oliver Banks, and to me, it’s not entirely clear as to whether he was fully claimed by one of them, or if he still has them both fighting over him.

The Web seems like a force in the world that would have the ability to stick its feelers into a lot of different situations. Beyond arachnophobia being a pretty common phobia, there are a lot of situations you can find yourself in where the fear of losing control, the need to keep control, or the fear that someone might exert control over you and abuse it. Children in abusive situations, either at home or at school or church or elsewhere—hell, it doesn’t necessarily have to be abusive; I suspect a child with overly strict and controlling parents would, even without abuse entering into the picture, be a potential target for the Web. (And no, I don’t think it’s a coincidence that most of the child statements—statements where the statement giver was a child when all hell was breaking loose—we have involve the Web, somehow.) Toxic work situations that involve an abusive, controlling boss, and you can’t easily get away from that job to find another. And if you yourself happen to be a person who needs a lot of control in your life, that might get the attention of the Web, too. If I had to guess at which of the Powers has the most victims, currently, I would guess it’s the Web.

- It is possible that Oliver escaped the End’s grasp by embracing the Web, instead. Last season, we saw Julia Montork describe finally being able to shake the influence of the Dark by embracing the Hunt. This may be an issue for Jon. He was initially marked by the Web, and seems to have escaped being claimed by it by rushing into the arms of the Beholding, instead, but he’s just as terrified of the Beholding, and even if he’s much freer about using the powers it grants him than Gertrude was, he doesn’t want it, doesn’t want to be claimed by it, doesn’t want to be anything but a human being. He’s an addict—the way he gets the shakes whenever he goes too long without a statement has all the hallmarks of withdrawal, and I don’t think it’s a coincidence that Jon took up smoking again during his conversation with Jurgen Leitner, just after he was first made aware of what was happening to him—but he doesn’t actually want it. So what’s a man to do?

Make choices, as it happens. And in this world, nothing is for free.

- Oliver’s story provides a good example of how things inevitably deteriorate when you’re too deeply entangled with the Powers. I can’t remember who said it, but someone on Tumblr said that the Powers run on nightmare logic, and I’m inclined to agree. If you’re someone who is more fed upon than feeding, if you’re who gives a Power satisfaction more by being something it feeds on than something that spreads fear of it to others, then your life is a living nightmare, now and forever (Not that I think the people who feed it constantly, the way Jude Perry is implied to, are having a uniformly wonderful time, either; the adoration must be mingled with fear—but that’s a topic for another post). You never reach the point where things are as bad as they’ll ever get, and can’t get any worse; it can always get worse, and it will get worse if it drags on long enough. And there is no escape. Case in point: Oliver.

It used to be that Oliver only saw the veins/tentacles when he was dreaming, but eventually—and I actually predicted this back in my recap of ‘Grifter’s Bone’—it started to get to where he could see them when he was awake. Perhaps the terror of seeing people’s deaths predicted in his dreams was starting to grow a bit stale, and the End felt the need to pick up momentum again, escalate things so that it could juice Oliver’s fear a bit more efficiently.

And it worked; the fear certainly wasn’t stale anymore. Oliver was desperate to escape seeing the veins in his waking life, and he went to great lengths to try to find a place where there were fewer people dying—only to find that, once out in the country, he could see the future deaths of animals, as well. The more afraid he became, the stronger his foresight became. The more he desired to escape it, the greater the lengths he would go to to escape. The more he tried to escape, the more deeply entangled he became. And the more deeply entangled with the End (and, it seems, the Web) Oliver Banks became, the more divorced from humanity he became, the more inhuman he became, until he was willing to steal a dead man’s identity to get a good night’s sleep, until he was completely willing to doom a ship full of innocent people to make it all stop.

- My favorite background music cue from S1 is back; I’m happy.

- “Under all that awful fear, it felt like… home.” This is what it means to be an Avatar. To be as terrified as you are fascinated, and as fascinated as you are terrified.

- Point Nemo is potentially a convergence point for a few different Powers. The great, terrible creature Oliver sees swimming deep under the water may be the Vast creature Antonia Hayley saw in ‘High Pressure,’ and water stretching on forever, the sky stretching on forever, is classic Vast territory. At the same time, this point of the open ocean, so far from land that the satellites in orbit overhead are closer than the nearest human settlements, is definitely something I associate with the Lonely—and until mention was made of Captain Maccabee, I swear to you I thought the ship was going to turn out to be the Tundra. And of course, I imagine the End must have at least a low-level presence everywhere on the planet, because everywhere on this planet there is, if only on a bacterial level, things that can die.

Point Nemo can’t be the only convergence point on the planet, and I wonder about those others. Are they places where the veil between our plane of reality and the plane the Powers inhabit are a bit thinner? Do the convergence points themselves act as interstices, places where reality is more fluid than in other areas? Or is it something else?

- Georgie immediately twigging to there being something very wrong with Oliver was an interesting moment, because they have both been marked—and, arguably, claimed—by the End, though only one of them actually actively serves any Power. Is it a moment of like recognizing like? I am, at least, half-convinced that when Georgie says that Oliver reminds her of someone, she was referring to the corpse woman she talked about back in Season Three.

- There’s an interesting moment where Oliver refers to the End and the Web as ‘he’ and ‘she’ respectively. I wonder if this is a personal conceit of his, or if he started assigning genders to different Powers after specific experiences.

- Oliver tells Jon that, like him, he has a choice. He’s no longer human enough for the End to claim him—he’s already long since crossed that line—but he’s too human to survive as he is now. As far as Oliver is concerned, the horrors of Jon’s new life will tear him apart if he doesn’t shed his humanity. Jon is at a transition point, and it’s very uncomfortable to be at that transition point, to be inhuman, and yet still human.

- And at the very end, Jon takes his first unaided breath in roughly six months, and the tape recorder goes haywire… which does not signal good things.

As Oliver said, Jon has to make a choice, has to choose, one or the other. And as I said, in this world, nothing is for free. Nothing comes without a price.

I’m not sure what Jon has done, if he’s finally firmly chosen the Beholding, or if he found some other, equally damning way to come out of the coma. What I don’t think is that he’ll wake up being instantly as inhuman as Elias had become by the time we met him. It doesn’t make sense for his character for him to go directly to that place after where we last left him in S3. Just remember, the very last thing we listened to Jon do before going off to stop the Unknowing was burn Gerry’s page. However difficult it was for him, he managed it, managed to take this stand against being fully subsumed into the Beholding and becoming fully inhuman, and that means something.

But I do think he had to barter another piece of his soul away to wake up—nothing without a price. And I think he’ll be struggling even harder against the tide, when he comes back. He might, perhaps, be not unlike Beric Dondarrion from A Song of Ice and Fire, who was brought back to life so many times, and was less himself every time.

- I have a speculation that may be blown completely out of the water come next week. As I mentioned earlier this episode, there’s roughly six months between the last episode and this one. What I suspect is that we’re starting out Season 4 in medias res, and that the teaser that was dropped probably takes place, chronologically, not long before this episode. That teaser did have an air of mid-season terror to it.

[centaurianthropology]

The Magnus Archives ‘Tucked In’ (S03E06) Analysis

The newest episode of ‘The Magnus Archives’ comes with a new perspective, a new narrator, and a new variation on an old entity.  The combination of a nicely disquieting story and some good information about two of our characters rounds out a solid entry.  Come on in to hear what I think about ‘Tucked In’.

First off, let’s talk about the story.  Melanie took over the heavy lifting this week for a very nicely narrated, spooky story.  I have to give Jonny Sims some kudos on his description of the body in the blankets, as that is pretty much what a 2-week-old body wrapped in blankets does look like.  As for what it smells like … yeah, I could tell you that too, if you were interested.  But for the sake of readers who don’t want to know what two weeks of hard decomposition smells like, I’ll give it a pass for now.  Suffice to say, research for this show continues to be top-notch.  

I have to wonder if the monster this week is related to Mr Pitch, the being that was worshipped by the People’s Church of the Divine Host.  Certainly it seems related to the dark and to fear, both of which were the focuses of the People’s Church.  If it wasn’t Mr Pitch itself, I imagine it to be another aspect to the Darkness.  One that won’t actually strike until the fear fades, and it’s done having its fun.

It’s interesting that so far most of the aspects of the Darkness tend to speak.  There’s chanting, and words, and whispers.  The Darkness, despite being vast and hollow, isn’t silent.  It’s alive with noises and movement.  I don’t know if that fact is relevant to anything, but I did find it interesting.

As well as elaborating on the aspects of the Darkness, we got some good information about both Melanie and Tim.  Tim continues to dodge actually doing narration duty.  At this point, I have to wonder if this is some sort of instinctual fight against the influence of the Archive.  After all, those who have narrated seem far more deeply enmeshed in the Archivist than he does.  Could it be that some part of him knows that actually narrating a statement and giving the Archivist that foothold in him would be to truly give up the fight against where he is and what he’s becoming? 

Tim is falling apart now as badly as Sims did last season. His despair and his anger are preventing him from doing … anything apparently.  He’s choked by it, trapped by it, and utterly defeated by it. Everything we hear from him points to a man who can’t see a way out of his situation and hates it more and more.

If Sims’ character arc last season was all about how his paranoia was detonating his life, I get the feeling we’re going to be seeing a parallel story this season about Tim’s anger. The problem is that both the paranoia and the anger were rooted in totally justifiable places, but both rapidly spiraled out of control and into something that was indiscriminately destructive.   So Tim is managing to both keep himself free of the tangles of the Archive by sheer force of will, while also potentially hurting those around him.  

I think a big part of this stems from Tim’s background, and how it shapes how he views his situation.  We certainly don’t have a lot of information about Tim prior to the Institute, but we do know that he came out of a good job that had a lot of professional promise.  His only apparent prior connection to the supernatural was a fascination with Robert Smirke, but we don’t know if it was that which prompted his move out of publishing and into research.   So unless there was some spectacular failure on his part that forced him out, he chose to move to the Magnus Institute to follow another interest.  Out of all of them, really, he had the most choice when it came to working there.  He’s the only one with consistent outside connections, and potential for a ton of other jobs, wheras both Melanie and Martin were more or less railroaded by the Beholding and circumstance into their current employment.  But Tim had friends.  Tim had opportunities.  Tim had an active social life throughout season 1, though it’s unclear if he’s up to dating right now.  But he was clearly a guy a lot of people got on well with.  He was a good guy with a dorky sense of humor, and life was fairly excellent for Tim.

So imagine going from that to realizing you’re in a job that will likely kill you, and you can’t quit. Imaging being a guy who has defined himself by his independence, suddenly being very effectively caged.  Imagine mourning a friend (while your coworker is stubbornly clinging to the idea that she’s still alive) you can’t even properly remember.  

Tim fell hard and fast, and he hates it.  He hates the helplessness of it, the fact that his ability to leave was taken from him, and because of that, he hates everything and everyone associated with the Institute.  For a while I thought it was just Sims he was mad at, but hearing him talk about Martin? It’s everyone there, no matter if they deserve his anger or not.  

Contrast this to Melanie, who is rapidly becoming a pragmatic highlight of the team.  It turns out that, yeah, Martin did try to belatedly warn her about the Archives (Tim instantly jumped to him omitting that, pointing to yet more resentment from Tim regarding everyone around him), and she doesn’t particularly care.  And you know what?  I completely understand her perspective. Their world is dangerous for anyone who stumbles into the dark.  Melanie got shot by a ghost in India, and bankrupted herself doing it.  She only had this one way out.  One job that would dig her out of being broke and friendless, and you know what?  Being weirdly protected by an otherworldly horror as she does exactly what she had been doing before isn’t the worst thing in the world.  It’s certainly no more dangerous than what she had been doing when she was independent. It’s steady, it’s a job, and she’s investigating the supernatural with way more resources at her disposal than she ever has before.

I that, I actually think Melanie and Martin have a lot in common.  They both came from places of desperation when the Institute took them in. This job is, in many ways, exactly what they want.  Martin understands it’s not for everyone, which was why I think he did try to warn Melanie.  After all, Tim loathes being trapped in the Archives, and the last thing Martin needs is another miserable soul moping around the stacks when he’s barely holding the department together as is.  And even though he doesn’t know her, he doesn’t want Melanie killed by some otherworldly horror, either.  All the rest of the Archival staff is trying to protect her, and I don’t know if she hasn’t really understood how dangerous the Archives can be yet, or if she genuinely thinks that this is about equal to what she was facing before.  I suppose the info-dump she’s about to receive from Sims might clarify that a bit for her.

But I think, even with the new information, she’s not going to shrink from this.  Melanie isn’t miserable, and she isn’t helpless, and she needed this job.  In spite of her new coworkers fearing for her safety, she’s actually handling integration into what the Archives does and what it is surprisingly well.  She reacted to the statement in a similar manner to early-season-1 Sims: disbelief, but instinctual caution.  And she might be far more practical and far less blustery than he was.  

If she and Martin ever seriously talk, I think they’ll find that their attitudes regarding their situation are quite similar.  The job isn’t the best, but then what is?  Yes, they may well die doing it, but they could die for any reason at any time. Martin’s found something almost like a family in the Archival staff (or at least something close enough to a family that he’s willing to drag them the rest of the way to that concept), and Melanie can pursue a sense of purpose.  Even assisting Sims gives her more information, and more direction for her own investigations into war ghosts.

The funny thing is, thinking about it, Sims is this odd bridge between Martin and Melanie on the one hand, and Tim on the other.  Sims didn’t come from anywhere to miss.  His life is marked by a lack of connection, and researching the paranormal was his only goal since the Mr Spider incident.  So he came into the job like Melanie or like Martin.  But he also resents and wants to quit the job, like Tim, since he’s seen how bad it can get.  

But the thing is that, unlike Tim, that passion for research is still there, twisted into the addiction of the Archivist.  He has to search and find information, yes, but he also loves it, even as he’s terrified by it.  Of all of them, Jon has the most complicated relationship with his role and with the Institute, and if all of them were to ever really sit down and hash some things out, he might well be the best bridge between all their goals and desires.  

By the end of the episode, of course, he did start reaching out.  He was even practical about it.  Reaching out to Melanie really does make the most sense.  Tim loathes Sims enough to tell Daisy about him, Elias is pretty much 100% a murderer, and Martin ‘the closest one to Jonathan Sims’ Blackwood is definitely being surveilled by Daisy in hopes of finding Sims. I hope Melanie fills Martin in at least, and gets his cooperation.  Sims is going to need more than one person on his side in the Institute, and Martin could be a great help.  If Melanie could convince him it wasn’t safe to go and see Sims himself.

Conclusions

A solid horror story couched in getting to know Melanie a little better, and also getting a closer look into Tim’s mental state.  Melanie continues to be acerbic and pragmatic, which makes me continue to really like her. Tim’s anger and frustration run very deep, and both are currently paralyzing him.  I both look forward to and dread what happens when he finally finds an outlet for that anger.  If it’s some sort of research in trying to find a way out of his contract, that might be hugely useful, but I worry that it’s going to be Daisy Tonner instead.  I worry that, by the end of the season, Tim’s anger is going to get A LOT of people hurt.  He and Sims really need to have a chat about unhealthy coping mechanisms. Melanie and Martin need to bond over still sort of enjoying their jobs.  And Martin at least needs to know Sims is okay, if nothing more.  Let him send Melanie with a sandwich or something.

[occupyvenus]

I know this topic has been talked about enough, but after reading one comment on this post by @jonsasnow​ I had to put some of my thoughts out there.

Here’s the comment:

The reason I didn't like her trying to crack down on those families is that she seems to have forgotten a couple seasons ago she was part of the treasonous house and she was loosing everything for the "sins of the father" I was hoping to see her show compassion and realize that the situation those two young people were in wasn't different from the situation she herself had been in and remember how she had suffered.

I don’t understand where people get the idea that Sansa wanted to treat those children like she was treated in Kings Landing. THERE IS ABSOLUTELY NO INDICATION THAT SHE WANTED TO PUT THEM IN THE SAME OR A SIMILAR SITUATION. THERE SIMPLY ISN’T.

Alys and Ned would have probably been put in a similar position as Theon, not Sansa. So let’s look at those two examples of taking the enemies childrens as wards, shall we?

Sansa and Theon were both “hostages”, they were both put under the control of the enemy. But that’s were the similarites between their expiriences end.

Theon was treated kindly, generously and with respect. Of course there’s his line “Yes, my captors were so very kind to me. You love reminding me of that. Everyone in this frozen pile of shit has always loved reminding me of that. You know what it's like to be told how lucky you are to be someone's prisoner? To be told how much you owe them?” and this contradiction is one of the themes that make Theon such an interesting character, but it’s a fact that his life in winterfell was pretty good, no matter how cruel and unfair the circumstances that put him there were. He grew up next to the stark children, was educated and treated with decency. Let’s take a look:

Getting a new haircut together with Jon and Ned Starks heir, Robb. Before attending a feast, sitting next to all of Ned Starks true born children (sorry Jon). Probably the best possible outcome for being a hostage. 

Sansa on the other hand was beaten, isolated, humiliated and forced into a child-marriage. She wasn’t just hold a hostage, she directly was physically and mentally punished for her brothers war. Here’s what Sansas life in Kings Landing looked like:

Being threatend with a crossbow, just before having her clothes ripped of and being beaten by a kingsguard. Probably the worst possible outcome for being a hostage. 

DO YOU SEE THE DIFFERENCE? As similar as their positions were, the consequences they faced were vastly different. So why is everyone assuming the Ned and Alys would suffer the same fate as Sansa did? WHY?

Of course it’s fucked up to take children as wards == hostages and to punish them for their fathers crimes, no matter how they are treated afterwards. But it was a common practice to ensure someone’s loyalty and establish control over potential traitors. It’s cruel, but there are sound reasons behind doing it. I mean, Arya just killed of all adult male freys (I know she didn’t butcher innocent children), but what was the line she used? “Keep one wolf alive and the sheeps are never save” I don’t think this is going to happen since the starks and Jon are our heroes, but theoretically, what would stop Ned or Alys from taking revenge on the starks one day for killing their family members in battle? Taking away a houses means to rebel again in the forseeable future simply is a good way to ensure stability and prevent blood feuds. That’s the ugly reality of living in a feudal society. Let’s be happy we don’t have to deal with that anymore (at least in most parts of the world). 

Jon even does something similar in the books himself with a bunch of wildling children, for fucks sake. Yes - in the books - kind, merciful Jon takes like a hundred children as hostages. He does so to make sure the wildlings stay in line. There is the ugly reality of acutally using the leverage, when necessary and this is something Jon has to deal with in the books. Another night’s watch brother (or was it some northern lord? or Stannis? or one of stannis’s men? I don’t remember...) questions wether Jon could go through with hurting or killing those children if the free folk “broke their contract”. Jon assures him that he’s willing to kill them if he has to. Yes, that happened. It didn’t make it in the show, but still. Words are wind, but still.

I get that the show has to simplify things, like not having our hero take children as hostages, saying that he’s ready to kill them, and it’s actually really nice to have a mercyful action depicted as wise instead of  “stupid” and “naive”. (The way they normally like it on their nihilistic, blood-loving show.) I agree with Jons decision, if only for the grander themes it represents. I like him being a progressive force who challenges unjust westerosi conventions. I really do. I like people fighting against the fucked up society that the seven kingdoms are. I’m for everything that shakes up the feudal system. Punishing explicitly the ones responsible for crimes and treason, without it falling back onto their remaining familiy members is an humaniatirian ideal I can get behind. Go, Jonny, go!

Good job, Jonny. Show them a better way. 

But what I don’t get is that Sansa is again treated like an evil bitch who “doesn’t show any compassion towards children who are in the same position she was in”. I’m honestly too lazy to look up book quotes, but lords were expected to treat “child hostages” well, when put in charge of them. They weren’t supposed to mistreat them like Sansa was by the Lannisters. You weren’t supposed to hurt them without a “justified” reason. (Justified as in the moral code of westeros, not modern standards. Feudalism is fucked up.) There always is the risk of people abusing their position of power, but taking away their casltes and lands isn’t synonymous with Ned and Alys being treated like shit by ~evil queen~ Sansa.

There is no real proof to back this neither, but who says that she wouldn’t have kept those two in winterfell as wards and made sure they are treated as good as possible? Who says she didn’t see taking their lands as a “necessary evil”, but looking back at her own experiences, would have still made sure they weren’t abused and mistreated as she was? Who says she wouldn’t have ensured their personal well-being and safety after punishing their houses for treason? It’s entirely possible and isn’t contradicted by anything she said in the episode. Jon is the one who brought up death as the punishement for treason, not her. I repeat, I’m with Jon on this one. Giving those kids a chance to prove their loyalty was kind and mercyful. It’s a decision that inspires people in a way, a good king should.

But acting like Sansa was being a stone-cold, compassionless bitch who forget what happened to her, wants other people to suffer like she did and is about to turn into Cersei 2.0 because of it, has no textual evidence and is rooted in the good old tradition of shiting all over her character just because. Wether you actively hate her or disguise it as being “disappointed” with her for not learning from her experiences.

I’M SO TIRED OF SANSA’S CHARACTER BEING CONSTANTLY PUT DOWN TO ELEVATE JON AS WOKE WESTEROS-SUPER-JESUS! THEY ARE BOTH GOOD PEOPLE, EVEN WHEN THEY DISAGREE. GET THAT IN YOUR STUPID HEADS!

[book-o-scams]

Ed Weekend Analysis Challenge

eene-fangirl said to book-o-scams:

Either 1. Do an analysis on Ed's dream in Rock a Bye Ed Or if you don't want to do an analysis just answer this question. 2. What does Ed's dream in Rock a Bye Ed entail about his home life? *Read the post on my page of you have any questions

‘Rock-a-Bye Ed’ is probably my favorite Ed episode and it is credited to Big Jim Miller:

I’ll try and be brief because my “a” and “w” keys are sticking and I want to hold out hope that I will do a shot by shot analysis in the future.  I will probably fail to be brief and fail to fulfill the full analysis. :p

Ed begins the nightmare by characterizing his sister as someone who is similar to himself. She is staring blankly at the TV (it’s subtle, but in the shot above she’s actually going wonky eyed from a previous expression that was more focused).  I get the impression that this situation, Sarah getting annoyed at him for playing with a paddleball, was a recent real incident, and I think it’s interesting how Ed seems to empathize with Sarah at this point.  She endures his thoughtlessness for a good 26 seconds before stealing his toy.

I love how this first sequence of the nightmare plays out like a “slice of life” moment, yet is littered with stray details that, placed in the same scene, create the feeling that this is off from reality.

1.  The scene opens on Sarah.   This creates the initial feeling that we are seeing a Sarah story for once. If I were watching this for the first time, I would assume Sarah was dreaming, if anyone.

2.  Ed is completely checked out, barely moving yet creating a disturbance.  There is a sense of physical and emotional distance from the main character that is mildly discomforting.

3.  This is the only time Ed’s living room has a TV.  It is not unusual for new appliances, furniture or architecture to appear or disappear episode-to-episode, but it does retrospectively add to the sense that this is not the canon world.  I mean, a later dream sequence in the episode also includes this section of Ed’s living room, and even that omits the TV:

So a few episodes have had Sarah threatening Ed’s toys, but now we finally get to see Sarah at her worst, in private.  The tone of the scene changes immediately. It turns out, Ed isn’t sitting this episode out, this episode is showing Ed being forced to act for himself, separated from his friends, and it’s showing the part of Sarah that Ed openly describes as a demon.  But most importantly, we will see who Ed considers the devil behind it all, Ed’s mom.

Ed actually defends what’s his.

What’s with all these Sarah expressions with no bottom lip?

Sarah stifles two tantrums in a row, first opting to demand it calmly, then pretends to respect Ed’s space.

“I’M TELLING MOM!”

Similar to her “fake crying” bit Ed demonstrated in ‘It Came From Outer Ed’, ain’t it?

This next shot also has a good combo of unsettling details that are otherwise completely normal to the series:

1. The hallway colors are a little darker than usual, and it seems to be at a completely different angle than the kitchen.

2.  Ed’s kitchen floor is always a flat pattern like that (except for one close-up shot of a spoon in ‘A Twist of Ed’) but it goes a long way to making this room feel alarming.  Perhaps Ed sees it that way because he associates it with his mom’s scoldings.

3. The colors are really DELIBERATELY far from the outlines on that potted plant.

4.  Although Ed’s size seems normal in this, this is most likely the first shot in the show of a character looking at an off-screen adult, which becomes one of the main devices of the digital era.  It’s cool seeing it appear in cel animation, and I just noticed an odd trend.  The next episode includes a scene with Eddy looking at and speaking to his off-screen mom.  The episode after that includes the scene with the Eds speaking to a fake-out Bro.  The episode after that, part A of the season 3 finale, includes Ed standing at the counter of the candy store, inches away from an adult.  Seems like they got into sort of a proto-season 5 kick, huh?

We now present to you, a brief moment in Ed’s private life.  When this episode came out, I freaked out the second someone outside the main cast was on-screen.  Even though, we are probably all aware they will turn out to cheat this with Jonny’s head on Ed’s Mom’s body, but I still feel like this is true to Ed’s mom design, except with skin coloring like the real Ed’s Mom hand we see at he end of ‘Mission Ed-Possible’ in season 5.

I always love the silent moment between Sarah and Ed as he begs her not to get Mom’s attention, it takes advantage of this unusually personal moment for suspense.  Ed’s Mom hums to herself throughout the scene-- I can’t tell if that’s Jonny’s voice, one of the female voice actors, or a sound effect (but that’s less likely, because there’s also a scene-specific “hm?” at the end of the humming clip).

We finally get to see how Sarah manipulates their mother-- Sarah takes the high road by claiming to hate tattling, moments before tattling.

Of course she ends with a baby pout.  I feel like, in my old fanart, pouts like this were my go-to Sarah expression for the longest time, I just love the mouth shapes Sarah makes.

Ed’s mom from the front.  The camera shrinks Ed.

Her gloves come off with a whiplash that makes Ed flinch.  Do you think Ed has been belted before?  I suspect Eddy’s dad of giving Eddy paddlings.

Ed realizes he dare not even dream the face of his secret abuser.

I dunno, I think she’s cute.

I always really love the composition of this shot in particular.

I feel like Big Jim was using Ed’s Mom to practice silhouettes.  I hope she doesn’t really force herself to wear heels all day, she’s just in her own house, doing chores...

Does anyone else watch Legion on FX?  I’m gonna bring it up again later, so to explain it a little, it’s a very arty show that spends an intentionally disorienting amount of time in characters’ imaginations and memories.  It involves a lot of the same sort “unreliable narrator” visual cues as EEnE, such as “ambiguous time period” or  “faceless traumatic figures.”  I always assume the Eds ignore adults’ faces because it’s traumatic, but this nightmare really makes it hard to question that in regards to Ed’s mom.

This nightmare is littered with perfect sound design, stray evil laughs and unsettling echoes all over the place.

I always eat these shots up, they’re so cinematic and convey the feeling that Ed thinks his life is an inescapable hell.

Ed’s wallpaper ends in the flames of hell.

100% normal height difference between Ed and the EEnE adults.

“I see we’ll have to wipe that silly grin off your face, won’t we?”

Seems like Ed’s mom has a habit of misreading his expressions in order to further guilt him and render him speechless and afraid to defend himself.

Now things get really symbolic.  Ed seems to be haunted by Plank’s visage, and I think that’s the real reason Jonny’s dragged into this.  Many lesser-iterations of Plank litter this court room, as well as a gigantic “Lady Justice”-inspired blindfolded Plank who holds scales from fragile branches (a callback to Plank mysteriously growing a branch in ‘Scrambled Ed’?). Is Plank judging the cul-de-sac?  Plank sees things, after all.

I suppose this is a fine time to drag Legion back into things. In that show, a war over mutants with mind-bending powers is interrupted by a parasitic “devil with yellow eyes” who is attempting to cooperate with the most powerful mutant, who has no idea how to use his abilities.  The main reason I bring Legion up is because I think Plank is that kind of paranormal parasite, that he has ties to Evil Tim, and that he wants to control the active imaginations in Peach Creek, with Ed and Jonny as the most powerful.  Furthermore, I’d like to suggest that this episode’s unclear structure, beginning as Ed’s meaningful dream, then posing as reality, and then turning into Jonny’s meaningless nightmare, is part of Plank’s hold on Peach Creek’s dreamscape, blending it seamlessly into their reality.

Ed can’t defend himself so Mom calls out to the jury.

I like Mom’s eyeshadow.

AAAHH

I bet the animators weren’t happy about having to animate a crowd of 12 Sarahs...

Those off-model Planks are so perfectly creepy.

All those eyes on the wall watching Ed, hellfire painted all around him.

I finally get to say it: these boobs are so weird

I wonder if Ed keeps dreaming about this spoon for a reason?  Like, more of a reason than his mom doing dishes.  Is this the spoon that sees May attack Ed in season 4′s ‘A Twist of Ed’?

This show does such beautiful horror...

Now for the scariest Plank of all...

GET IN PLANK’S BELLY

Ed hears Sarah echo “SERVES YOU RIGHT.”

Ed’s personal hell contains shark versions of his physical tormenters, suggesting that Ed connects all the different types of abuse in his life.  They are having a deeper impact on Ed than he lets on.

“This hurts me more than it does you silence....”

In the end, it is suggested that Ed’s mom used the classic parenting line “this hurts me more than it does you” during his last punishment.  I think his nightmare is suggesting that, by acting like the martyr during his punishment, she has forced him into silence again, just as she did when she pretended not to hear Ed offering his side of the story.

And so ends Ed’s nightmare...

Whether or not this is a dream, at least Edd and Eddy are there for Ed at the end of his nightmare.

WELL, I finally did this post!  That’s it!  See ya!