#anyways: live laugh love georgie barker

[oaxleaf]

The whole thing about Georgie is that her arc was fully completed long before the story began. She lost something/someone significant, she learned her lesson, she started living again. While the others have extensive knowledge of the Powers' terminology, she enters the story with a deep understanding of loss, entropy and fear that the others are yet to learn. She is never exactly unattended on screen. The tapes can't follow her and are hardly there for her so so does the narrative.

sorry this took me a couple days to answer. i was sick and my brain felt like the titan submersible moments before exploding to the pressure.

anyways. people aren't ever really finished though, you know? you have periods of your life when you are changing less or more, but you'll never reach a point where you will remain as such for the rest of your life. so whilst an arc can be fully completed in the sense of a certain, contained segment of a characters development, be it for better or worse, can reach a satisfying conclusion. and some stories tie it up there and let things lie, and that's fine, but others - especially those tragic or bittersweet endings - leave a lot to be developed on, or potential new themes to be explored.

georgie enters the story from a different position than the other characters, sure, but honestly i wouldn't claim that what marks her out is her being particulary good at dealing with loss, rather just that she does it differently. she is most definitely the best at letting go of things or setting boundaries where most of the other characters struggle to let go enough of their pain, curiosity, or emotional investment to do so. since she is not a part of the institute and as such not stuck there it makes good contrast to other characters, in particular to jon who, even before his life was dependent on the statements to stay alive, was unable to let obviously harmful situations be. it's also why georgie and melanie make such a good match - melanie is (along with tim) one of the few that really do want out.

and yeah, i guess you could call that an arc already completed by the time she's introduced. or you could just call it characterization or backstory. you're right about her not being interesting to the purpose of the tapes, and she is relatively sure of herself and is typically better at handling the horrors than others, but also don't feel like that's the point? she acts as a contrast, but not as, like, a mentor figure or something like that, and it's less important that she has overcome this stuff and more important that jon, in comparison, has not. so yes, georgie is relatively static in her development during most of the show. not at all a bad thing when placed next to characters experiencing such drastic changes.

but what i aim at when i talk about her arc just starts at the end of the show if the doubts she starts expressing about this position she has held in the narrative around the last ten episodes of the show. she clearly feels guilt about the state of the world, about not being there enough for jon, about being too passive and not intervening enough - which is why it's pretty characteristic for her to be the only one even considering not actually doing anything about the change in mag 199 - and she struggles with the idea that maybe she is partially responsible for it all too, simply because she was too good about handling the horrors when others very much were not. all these things that put her in a position of safety, sanity, and relative comfort, are now things she doubts because she worries that it makes her an accomplice through means of complicity

really it's just a seed. it only appears very late in the story, but i found it very potent. what makes me call it the start of an arc, though, are the very obvious opportunities for this all being exacerbated after the fall of the panopticon. there is so much potential for struggle and guilt there, and i just find the whole idea fascinating. to me, there isn't a world where georgie doesn't eventually have a breakdown over it all, but that's stuff that can only really be kicked into full gear after the absolutely chatastrophic personal loss and failure that was mag 200. that in combination with melanie's clear wish to just be rid of it all... all i'm saying is that there's some good potential in this

[ao3feed-jonmartin]

acta non verba

read it on AO3 at https://ift.tt/gf3zyEi by catastrophiccats Can I tell you a secret? I know when you die. I’ve seen it, over and over. I’m no Archive. I can’t claim to understand everything. But I can still See. And I See you. I’ve left my number below. Call Me. I’ll help you. We’ll help you. Have a safe week, Jonathan Sims. It may be your last.   —   Or, Oliver Callahan has had a rough time of it. They like traveling with their girlfriend, yes, but the dreams come nightly. They can’t get them to leave. So, they decide to do the next best thing. They Help. Words: 2618, Chapters: 1/?, Language: English Series: Part 2 of The Usher Foundation: Traveling Research Department Fandoms: The Magnus Archives (Podcast) Rating: Teen And Up Audiences Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings Categories: F/F, F/M, Gen, M/M, Other Characters: Original Statement Giver(s) (The Magnus Archives), Original Fear Entity Avatars (The Magnus Archives), Original Archivist Character(s) (The Magnus Archives), Original Characters, Jonathan "Jon" Sims | The Archivist, Elias Bouchard | Jonah Magnus, Martin Blackwood, Tim Stoker (The Magnus Archives), Melanie King, Alice "Daisy" Tonner, Basira Hussain, Sasha James, Not-Them (The Magnus Archives), Original Cat Character(s), Danny Stoker, Michael | The Distortion (The Magnus Archives), Helen | The Distortion (The Magnus Archives) Relationships: Jonathan "Jon" Sims | The Archivist & Original Character(s), Original Statement Giver(s) (The Magnus Archives)/Other(s), Martin Blackwood/Jonathan "Jon" Sims | The Archivist, Sasha James/Tim Stoker, Georgie Barker/Melanie King, Basira Hussain/Alice "Daisy" Tonner, Jonathan "Jon" Sims | The Archivist & Tim Stoker, Jonathan "Jon" Sims | The Archivist & Alice "Daisy" Tonner, Melanie King & Jonathan "Jon" Sims | The Archivist, Martin Blackwood & Jonathan "Jon" Sims | The Archivist, Melanie King & Tim Stoker Additional Tags: Prophetic Dreams, Prophetic Visions, Sleep Deprivation, Author Is Sleep Deprived, Statement Hunger (The Magnus Archives), Statement Fic (The Magnus Archives), Time Travel Fix-It, they/them pronouns, No beta we kayak like Tim, Danny Stoker Lives, Tim Stoker Lives (The Magnus Archives), Sasha James Lives, Trans Character, Canon-Typical The Beholding Content (The Magnus Archives), Canon-Typical The Slaughter Content (The Magnus Archives), Slaughter Avatar Melanie King, Spiral Avatar Sasha James, Desolation Avatar Tim Stoker (The Magnus Archives), Major Original Character(s), Canon-Typical The Web Content (The Magnus Archives), Canon-Typical Worms (The Magnus Archives), Alternate Universe - Everyone Lives/Nobody Dies, live laugh oliver callahan, fuck not seeing the future, I SAY THE FUTURE HAS EYES, The Beholding Fear Entity (The Magnus Archives), CAT AVATARS, The Usher Foundation (The Magnus Archives), Siblings Helen | The Distortion & Michael | The Distortion (The Magnus Archives), but not rly, im sorry as much as I love Basira with a hijab I don’t trust myself to write it well, and I’ve seen people complain about the stereotype, anyways! read it on AO3 at https://ift.tt/gf3zyEi

[hyperfixationspam]

post-finale stream highlights

Lyd doing an impression of S1 Tim: I'M THE HOT ONE

Mike playing Among Us as S3 Tim: I'm not doing my tasks. It doesn't matter anymore.

Jane Prentiss after a body was discovered: WASN'T ME. NO HOLES

Jane: I... LIKE... FANFIC! Helen: Yeah, me too!

Alex: Jon can't be the impostor because we would all just hear "CEASELESS WATCHER" from the other side of the ship.

Playing Among Us with all Tims and they all just complimented each other

(after Martin gets ejected) "Well, he was a fire hazard anyway." "Why?? Was he just carrying ignition sources around??" "Yes."

Martyn, playing as Robin from MAG100: I'm a geologist! Alex: HOW DO YOU REMEMBER THAT?

Autumn: The questions were submitted by fans but I had to edit them because no one spelled John's name with an H. They're very stubborn.

Alex: The J in Alexander J Newall stands for K and the K in Martin K Blackwood stands for J.

Sasha Sienna: I'm Sasha, I played Georgie Barker. Not Sasha. And not Not Sasha. But I'm Sasha. And I'm Georgie.

Jonny: Alex, didn't we cut out the cheese domain episode? Alex: It wasn't cut, but there was a bug where everyone who listened to it forgot about it.

Annie saying Martin has a sweater that says "twink" and the entire chat yelling at her for it

Alex: MARTYN, STOP TRYING TO MAKE ROBIN LENNOX RELEVANT!

There's nothing Sasha loves more than... being herself.

Jonny: I almost took the "good cows" line out because I knew I'd never hear the end of it.

Alex: Hi, I'm Alex. I was Martin Blackwood. Until. Ya know.

Alex: Jon and Martin aren't going kayaking, they're going canoeing.

Everyone arguing about what a cannoli is

"John's secret hobby is... compliments or regrets?" Sasha: I'm going with compliments because the regrets aren't a secret.

Jonny: I find Tiktok alienating and alarming. (long beat of silence)

Alex: I've managed to avoid "big boy man" up to this point. Alisdair: Oh, we'll fix that.

Title of Annabelle's cancelled show: The Muppets (dead)

"THIS EPISODE OF THE MAGNUS ARCHIVES IS SPONSORED BY RAID SHADOW LEGENDS"

Mike: What did Jon say Martin would contribute to their work in episode 1? Annie: THICC THIGHS

Mike: What familiar object do Daisy and Jon share recurring nightmares of? Martyn: Tim. Mike: Minus one point

Mike: What is the name of the barista that became romantically involved with Agnes Montague? Martyn: Uhhh... Bobby Bobertson.

Annie: I'm making a spinoff with love entities. Gerry said there's only fear entities and I said fuck you.

Mike: The answer is Fuckhands McMi- I mean Michael

Frank: My gender is spider (nonbinary)

Mike: Which character was hiding that they were Jonah Magnus through the previous seasons? Frank: Tim? Annie: The shiba in the control room.

Annie: I just know that if there was a live action adaptation of Magnus, Idris Elba would play Adelard Dekker.

Nico: I'm not allowed on AO3, but they specifically told me not to search Jon ribs Marilyn Manson. (various noises of disgust from everyone) Mike: MINUS TEN POINTS

Everyone saying "mahhhhhtin" over and over

Tim Meredith being revealed as the voice of the laughs in 189

Mike: How did it feel to have the last line of the show? Frank: VINDICATIONNNNNNN

Rhys: Stay tuned for my Magnus AU romcom podcast, "Fuck You Gerard Keay."

[haberdashing]

No Puppet Strings Can Hold Me Down (17/17)

The Magnus Archives fanfic. An AU that diverges from canon between episodes 159 and 160, in which Peter Lukas’ statement that “he got you” takes on a different meaning.

on AO3

Jon hadn’t seen it coming.

In hindsight, it made sense that he wouldn’t have--if there had been any warning, any way of him knowing what was about to happen, then Jonah would have known of it as well, and the plan would thus have been ruined before it could even begin.

That didn’t make it any easier, though, when Jon woke up in the middle of the night to a sharp pain in his left eye.

It was difficult to see in the dark, and not just because, as Jon quickly realized, his field of vision wasn’t quite what it normally was, his sight on his left side now entirely gone. It took a few seconds for the darkness and silhouettes to coalesce into a clearer image, but once it did, Jon could feel his heart racing.

Martin was standing over him with a knife, a knife that was dripping blood onto the couch below.

The pieces fit together in Jon’s mind quickly enough after that.

Unfortunately, it seemed that the same was true for Jonah as Jon’s body began to move of its own accord, throwing off the blankets that had been on top of him and reaching up for Martin, trying to wrestle the knife away from him.

(Jon was glad, now, that he had was now in such poor physical shape. It would help Martin’s odds in the fight, after all.)

His nails scratched against flesh, his elbows jabbed and blocked Martin’s moves, the sting of his eye was matched by aches across his body, and Jon could do nothing but watch the fight unfold...

Wait.

That wasn’t entirely true, was it? Jon knew one thing he could do, at least, something that had incapacitated Jonah once before...

Jon had spent so long keeping the door in his mind shut, doing everything he could to prevent the Eye from seeping through.

It was all too easy to let it open wide.

(If Martin achieved his goal with the other eye, Jon figured he’d be freed soon enough, and his giving in to the Eye would become a non-issue. If Martin didn’t... well, Jon hadn’t been able to do much anyway, so how much would really be lost in the end?)

The information poured into Jon’s mind, a tidal wave of knowledge that overwhelmed his mind and his senses.

It has been eleven days since Georgie Barker last ate Hungarian food. Less than fifty people have contracted full-blown rabies and lived to tell the tale. The true identity of Dan Cooper, popularly but incorrectly known as D.B. Cooper, was a member of the Fairchild family. Michael Malloy had multiple murder attempts on his life fail in part because his heavy drinking prevented damage from methanol and ethylene glycol poisoning.

Jon felt a stabbing pain in his arm, looked to see that both Martin’s hands and his own were on the knife, struggling to gain control over its trajectory.

This is the fifth time that this couch has been stained by liquid damage and the third time that it has had blood on it. The bacteria that cause staph infections are commonly present on the skin, only causing infection upon entering the interior of the body. Mike Crew’s great-uncle, Jeremiah Crew, died in a flash flood. The singular form of the word data is datum.  

Jon could see the soft gleam of the metal as it approached his face.

Holding your breath before diving underwater can cause drowning by shallow water blackout. Manuela Dominguez is still trapped within Helen’s corridors. Clefairy, not Pikachu, was originally meant to be Pokemon’s mascot. Blind spots are caused by the lack of light-detecting cells in the area where the optic nerve passes through the optic disc. The Admiral is currently-

The rush of information suddenly stopped, and Jon’s senses rose up to fill the void of stimulation--all senses, that is, except for one. Jon’s vision was entirely gone now, leaving him with nothing but a field of darkness and burning pain where his eyes had been.

At least he could hear himself think now, even if it was difficult to keep up a coherent stream of thought when he was in such agony.

And, as Jon focused on his own breathing, which was fast and heavy now, he found that he could control it, slowly but surely calming his breathing down.

There was blood trickling down his face, but Jon didn’t dare try to wipe it away for fear of touching his fresh wounds and making the pain that much worse.

“...Martin?”

A rustle of movement behind him, a few footsteps, then: “Jon? Is that you?”

Jon let out a laugh, shaky and hysterical, not caring that it made his chest ache. “Yes, it’s me. You- you did it.”

Martin hesitated for a moment. “...can you prove it?”

“...probably not.” Another shaky laugh, not quite as boisterous as the first. “I didn’t- we’ve barely talked since I- since the Unknowing, and so much has changed since then. I don’t know if I was human before it, but now... well, now I might be human again, I suppose, but I’m not sure if that helps either. You haven’t known me when I was- was fully human, after all, have you, you’ve only ever known me as the Archivist, and now... now I’m not sure what I am, really...”

“Yeah, alright, good enough. Now just sit still, Jon, I’ve got some towels to help with the bleeding-”

“Wh- that didn’t prove anything! That was the whole point!”

“Nobody can pull off an existential crisis quite like you can, Jon. Especially not Jonah Magnus.” Jon could feel the warm air as Martin let out a soft snort. “Now just- here, does that help?”

Soft fabric was pressed against his face, and pressure pushing it down, pressure that made the pain go from bad to worse at first before it died down.

“It does, yes. Thank you, Martin.”

“Least I could do.” Another huff of warm air. “Seriously, when I- I’m the one who-”

“You don’t have to say it.”

“I’m so sorry, Jon. I didn’t want to hurt you, especially since you couldn’t do anything about it, but it- it seemed like the only way out-”

“You don’t need to apologize.” Jon started to shake his head, stopped with a wince when it made the pain flare up again.

“I said stay still.”

“I get that now...” Jon sighed softly. “But I- I did tell you it was okay, before, when I could. Whatever the price for taking down Jonah Magnus, I knew it’d be worth it. You have nothing to apologize for.”

“Still, I...” A pause. “...you can’t see my gesturing, can you?”

“Not even slightly. Which is, I believe, rather the point?”

“Right, yeah. I have some supplies, but we should- I know hospitals are probably a no-go at the moment, but you need medical help, and I know this woman in the village who’s a nurse, she can help you better than I can.”

Jon suddenly knew, then--lower-case knew, but with no less certainty--that Martin had befriended the village’s nurse with a scenario like this one, or perhaps even worse ones, in mind. He’d planned ahead, made sure he wouldn’t risk the worst happening, even after having to take drastic measures to free Jon from his imprisonment.

God, Jon loved him.

“Sounds like a plan.” Jon hesitated. “...I just hope the worst is over now.”

“I mean, isn’t it? It’s over now, it’s ended, right?”

“Even if we got rid of Jonah Magnus for good, which I’m not sure of-”

“His bloody eyes are on the ground, there’s not much more proof you can get than that-”

“There’s more out there. Daisy, the other hunters, the mess back at the Institute... not all of it can end here.”

“...maybe you’re right. Maybe this isn’t the end. But you know what?” Martin squeezed Jon’s arm, gently, and Jon noticed that Martin’s hand was warmer than it had been for some time now. “It doesn’t have to be. We can turn it into a new beginning, the start of a better life than the one we had back in London.”

“Not a high bar, that one.”

“Agreed.” Martin let out a low whistle. “Can you stand up? I’d really rather not just carry you all the way to the car-”

“What, you don’t fancy a bridal carry? Carrying me over the threshold?” Jon’s voice was teasing, but he felt Martin sway slightly, and he wished he could see the look on Martin’s face.

“I mean, I can do it if I have to, I suppose, but-”

“No, no, let me at least try.” Jon moved one arm to keep his towels pressed against his eye sockets, brushing against Martin’s arm in the process, and used the other to push himself off of the couch. It was slow and shaky and probably not a pretty sight, but he got up and stayed up, and that was what mattered.

“Alright, now, the front door isn’t too far, just over there-”

“Still can’t see your gesturing.”

“Right. Of course. It’s, it’s on your right, after you cross the room--do you think you can make it to the car alright?”

Despite the pain that still plagued him, Jon broke out into a wide smile. “Only if you lead the way.”

Martin took Jon’s hand, and side by side, the two made their way forward.

[somuchbetterthanthat]

Anyway. I finally wrote a hug, though, really, this is merely season 3 slight-awkwardness-but-we’re-trying-to-bond mood. Also, he wasn’t hurt physically, but he was still hurt. It was a month. A month. i’m emotional. 

Martin finds Jon in the Archive’s kitchen, broken glass all over his feet; he’s standing very still, staring at his hands like they’re a very complicated mystery he’s trying to solve, brows furrow and mouth pinched in a concentrated way. 

“Jon?” he asks, a bit unsettled. “Are you alright?”

“What?” Jon startles, hard, and then blinks up at him. His shoulders relax at his sight, and some tiny part of Martin is pleased, though he’s mostly worried about why Jon was so tense to start with. 

“Are you alright?” he repeats. “Do you need - help? with the glass?”

“I, ah - right. Yes I - I mean, I’m fine,” Jon mutters, looking down at the floor. His cheeks colour slightly. “I’m fine, Martin, sorry -”

He is, Martin decides, definitely not fine. He doesn’t know what’s going on, but that doesn’t mean he can’t do something.

“Sit down,” he tells Jon, putting on his firm voice, the one he knows has worked before, few months back, when Jon was being particularly - difficult. Jon doesn’t even put a show of resistance today, which is... well, it’s worrying; he sways on his feet for a few seconds, and then goes to sit quietly, awkwardly. Martin watches him, worried. 

“Are you hurt?” he asks. “You don’t - Please tell me, if you’re hurt.”

“I’m fine,” Jon repeats, and then, his lips twist in a odd little smile: “Never looked better, probably.”

You always look good, Martin absolutely does not say, because it’s a creepy thing to say to your boss-maybe-friend-maybe-not-who-knows-with-jon. He’s pretty sure it’s one of those jokes that apparently Jon makes, but since he’s not sure, he goes the safe road and says: 

“I’m going to clean that up, and then I’ll make you a cup of tea, alright?”

“Alright,” says Jon, still much too compliant. He does look somewhat embarassed, though, when Martin gets the small broom out. “I - I should help you. I’m the one who - I should do that.”

“It’s fine,” Martin reassures him. “It’s already done, really, I don’t mind. Besides, you really look -” he hesitates, scratching idly the back of his ear, and then asks: “Is this, uh - you know, a, a world-saving problem? Or a... um. An archivist one?”

Did you just read a statement, is the implicit question, because now that he’s read a few, he knows how exhausted they make you feel afterwards, and he can’t believe Jon - well, Jon does so many. All the time. 

“No,” says Jon. “No, I don’t think it’s an Archivist problem. Certainly nothing that concerns the world either I -” he’s staring down at his hands again. “I’m just tired,” he says at last. He’s lying. Martin tries not to be hurt about it.

“Right,” he says. He puts the shards of glasses in the bin, puts away the broom, and goes to the kettle. “Right, well; i’ll fix you that cup of tea, and then you can go home, alright? How’s - How’s the new flat?”

“It’s fine,” Jon says. “It’s, uh. It’s quiet.” he adds, a bit awkwardly. “I - Georgie likes... well, obviously, she - she listens to all sort of podcasts, you see?”

“Yes,” Martin says. “Of course.” 

His tone is too bright; he tries not to think of Georgie Barker, if he can; he guiltily went on her facebook page, and on the What the Ghost fan page, and he’s listened to all the episodes and, god damnit, it’s a good podcast, and she sounds fun, and Jon lived with her for months, and Martin’s not jealous, he’s not but she could stand to be just a little bit less cool, maybe, he thinks pettily while grabbing Jon’s favourite tea. He hopes she’s bad at this. She’s too cool to be good at making tea.

“I miss the Admiral,” Jon says behind him, a bit wistful. 

“You could get a pet?” Martin suggests. 

When he turns to look back at him, cup of tea in hand, Jon still looks a bit sick, his shoulders hunched, his fingers curling and uncurling on his lap. Martin idly thinks of running a hand through his hair, perhaps kissing him, just a bit, and then sending him home (with him, if Jon’s lonely; they could go home together, nothing - nothing ontward just - just both of them, cuddling on the couch, perhaps -). He flushes a bit, clears his throat, and almost misses Jon’s snort:

“I can’t take responsability for an animal; i don’t even know if i’ll be alive for much longer.”

“Don’t say that,” Martin says sharply. 

Jon looks disconcerted, blinking up at him. Then he frowns slightly: “Sorry.”

“We’re going to make it,” Martin affirms, putting the cup of tea right next to Jon, on the table, before sitting as well. “We’re going to save the world, and then, everything will be - well, probably still not that good, but better.” 

That, incredibly, manages to make Jon smile; one of his true smiles, too; small but fond and warm. Martin’s stomach twists pleasantly. It’s enough to make him bold, and he lets himself put a hand on Jon’s shoulder, squeezing it gently.

Which, of course, is a mistake, because Jon makes a sharp, abrupt noise, and recoils instinctively. Martin flushes bright with embarassement and moves away, an apology already on his lips, but then, just as quickly, Jon grabs his hand. 

“Wha -” 

“I -” Jon is blushing too now, but there’s something fragile and uncertain in his eyes. “I don’t - I’m sorry,” he says. “I just -” he squeezes Martin’s fingers with upmost carefulness and gentleness, and Martin’s heart is beating wildly in his ears, it’s so loud Jon has to be hearing it - “You feel real,” Jon admits, very, very quietly, without looking at him.

Martin opens his mouth; closes it; “....What?”

“Ever since I spent that month in the museum,” Jon tells him, looking like every word is excessively painful to say. “There are some days where my - my body doesn’t... feel. Real. It -” he lets out a small, painful laugh. “It feels like I’m inside the body of a stranger.”

“Oh,” Martin says; it hits him, almost violently. The way Jon was staring at his hands, earlier - “Oh, Jon -”

“i didn’t mean to react so poorly,” Jon continues. “Only you’re... Well, you’re the first person I - Well, it’s only, since I don’t live with Georgie anymore I haven’t really -”

“Jon,” Martin cuts him off - Jon looks impossibly relieved by the intervention - “Can I hug you?”

“I don’t - I mean, you obviously don’t have - I’ll be fine, I just meant to explain -”

“Jon,” he repeats. Firmer tone. That works like magic. Jon’s shoulders fall a bit, and he nods, quickly. 

Martin breathes out slowly, and then, he leans forwards, and pulls his arms around Jon, holding him tightly. Jon tenses first, but Martin tightens his grip, just a bit, because he may not know when Jon makes a joke, or he may not be Georgie Barker, but that - that he knows; there are times when Jonathan Sims looks like he’s pushing you away when he is, in fact, yearning for you to stay. 

And Jon nodded; Jon needs this; it takes a few very awkward seconds, but then Jon sighs against his shoulder, and his own arms move shakily around Martin. They stay like that for a long time in complete silence; Jon doesn’t protest, when Martin starts to gently rub his back. In fact, he leans deeper against him, and Martin is so stupidely in love with him it hurts. 

“Thank you,” Jon murmurs, eventually, still without moving;

“You don’t need to thank me, Jon,” he says. “We’re - we’re friends. It’s what friends do.”

He feels Jon smile against his skin and helplessly smiles to the wall in return, wishing foolishly for the moment to never end. 

[ao3feed-jonmartin]

acta non verba

read it on AO3 at https://ift.tt/yzX5fQu by catastrophiccats Can I tell you a secret? I know when you die. I’ve seen it, over and over. I’m no Archive. I can’t claim to understand everything. But I can still See. And I See you. I’ve left my number below. Call Me. I’ll help you. We’ll help you. Have a safe week, Jonathan Sims. It may be your last.   —   Or, Oliver Callahan has had a rough time of it. They like traveling with their girlfriend, yes, but the dreams come nightly. They can’t get them to leave. So, they decide to do the next best thing. They Help. Words: 2618, Chapters: 1/?, Language: English Series: Part 2 of The Usher Foundation: Traveling Research Department Fandoms: The Magnus Archives (Podcast) Rating: Teen And Up Audiences Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings Categories: F/F, F/M, Gen, M/M, Other Characters: Original Statement Giver(s) (The Magnus Archives), Original Fear Entity Avatars (The Magnus Archives), Original Archivist Character(s) (The Magnus Archives), Original Characters, Jonathan "Jon" Sims | The Archivist, Elias Bouchard | Jonah Magnus, Martin Blackwood, Tim Stoker (The Magnus Archives), Melanie King, Alice "Daisy" Tonner, Basira Hussain, Sasha James, Not-Them (The Magnus Archives), Original Cat Character(s), Danny Stoker, Michael | The Distortion (The Magnus Archives), Helen | The Distortion (The Magnus Archives) Relationships: Jonathan "Jon" Sims | The Archivist & Original Character(s), Original Statement Giver(s) (The Magnus Archives)/Other(s), Martin Blackwood/Jonathan "Jon" Sims | The Archivist, Sasha James/Tim Stoker, Georgie Barker/Melanie King, Basira Hussain/Alice "Daisy" Tonner, Jonathan "Jon" Sims | The Archivist & Tim Stoker, Jonathan "Jon" Sims | The Archivist & Alice "Daisy" Tonner, Melanie King & Jonathan "Jon" Sims | The Archivist, Martin Blackwood & Jonathan "Jon" Sims | The Archivist, Melanie King & Tim Stoker Additional Tags: Prophetic Dreams, Prophetic Visions, Sleep Deprivation, Author Is Sleep Deprived, Statement Hunger (The Magnus Archives), Statement Fic (The Magnus Archives), Time Travel Fix-It, they/them pronouns, No beta we kayak like Tim, Danny Stoker Lives, Tim Stoker Lives (The Magnus Archives), Sasha James Lives, Trans Character, Canon-Typical The Beholding Content (The Magnus Archives), Canon-Typical The Slaughter Content (The Magnus Archives), Slaughter Avatar Melanie King, Spiral Avatar Sasha James, Desolation Avatar Tim Stoker (The Magnus Archives), Major Original Character(s), Canon-Typical The Web Content (The Magnus Archives), Canon-Typical Worms (The Magnus Archives), Alternate Universe - Everyone Lives/Nobody Dies, live laugh oliver callahan, fuck not seeing the future, I SAY THE FUTURE HAS EYES, The Beholding Fear Entity (The Magnus Archives), CAT AVATARS, The Usher Foundation (The Magnus Archives), Siblings Helen | The Distortion & Michael | The Distortion (The Magnus Archives), but not rly, im sorry as much as I love Basira with a hijab I don’t trust myself to write it well, and I’ve seen people complain about the stereotype, anyways! read it on AO3 at https://ift.tt/yzX5fQu

[somuchbetterthanthat]

You spoke so beautifully about Jon and Georgie earlier, but I would LOVE to hear your thoughts on Martin and Georgie friendship. Obviously them striking up a friendship while both watching over Jon during his coma. But also, imagine Georgie is the only person Martin talks to during his self imposed isolation. She's not involved, so he can talk to her. She's not afraid, so she doesn't want to stop talking to him. She worries about Jon, and he can tell her at least a little about how he's doing.

Mmmh, gosh. This is so hard, because while I love to gush about Jon and Georgie, and Jon and Martin, I feel like…. I’ve got a really hard time with Martin and Georgie? Probably because…deep down… i have to admit… that i’m Bad At MartinTM. He’s too good and complex for my poor mind. 

BUT. Here are a few thoughts anyway; I think Martin is painfully jealous of Georgie Barker for - the whole of season 3, really; but it’s not exactly in the same way he gets petty and protective of Jon like Basira and Melanie discuss in their office gossip; it’s more of a this woman is absurdely cool, and Jon live(d) with her, and he obviously loves her a lot and I am not cool like that, and could she TUNE IT DOWN A NOTCH PLEASE, some of us had still vague hope to ever get Jonathan Sims’ love and appreciation without being reminded of what people they might actually fall for and little chances they have considering it. 

Except, after everything - after the Unknowing, Jon is still in an hospital bed, dead-except-not, and Martin comes in feeling weak and numb and hopeful, still, he’s got to be hopeful, because Tim’s dead but Jon’s special, so Jon’s got to wake up - and there is Georgina Barker there, not even holding Jon’s hand, just, staring with such deep sadness, and Martin’s heart falls into his stomach somewhere and he starts to stammer weak apologies but Georgie looks up, stares at him for a moment and then she goes: “Oh. You’re Martin, right?”

And that small little sentence stops Martin to ever feel jealous of Georgie Barker ever again, even after the first emotional tearful night, or anything; because Georgie is like “I mean, there’s only one person Jon rarely shuts up about, so -” 

(Me: “i don’t know about Martin and Georgie” Me, several endless paragraphs later: ……um. Under the cut i guess.)

I don’t know how their friendship go though; I think it stands from the fact there the only two people who regularly come to see Jon; Martin can’t speak at all of his grief and his longing at work, and Georgie - Georgie loves Jon. She sees Jon like Martin does - yes, he can be an ass, but he’s also… there’s a kindness to him, such warmth and deep care, underneath the prickeness and stiffness, and Martin got a bit better, during season 3, understanding Jon’s jokes, and he’s so knowledgeable and he’s so bad at caring for himself, and when he likes you it feels like you’ve earnt something special and precious and - point is, it feels good, to talk to Georgie. 

And yes, first, their conversations are mostly about Jon; but Martin is very good at paying attention to people and small talk, so they start to stray to Georgie’s podcast, and her family, and her favourite foods (”hungarian food is great” says martin earnestly, and georgie goes “oh my god, of course i find the ideal man and he’s gay for my best friend” and martin blushes adorably and sputters and laughs). They most certainly bond over the Admiral. And Georgie is a good judge of character, too, and she’s got definite social skills; she gets Martin to open up a bit about his job, grumbling about his colleagues, admitting that it’s so hard to just - be hopeful when everybody else is always so - so ready to dive into unhealthy patterns without talking to each other. At some point, Martin makes an idle remark about his struggles with money when he was younger, with his mum, and Georgie goes ‘god, that’s a mood’ and opens up a bit with her own childhood and the lack of money. 

They also always sort of meet up at the hospital, at first, but one night a nurse comes to tell them it’s time to leave, and Georgie stares at Martin and she says: “wanna come eat at mine’s? it seems silly to just stop chatting, i’m having fun. and i’ve got good food at home, promise.” and Martin is so baffled but also so - pleased? and he goes “yeah. Yeah, that’d be nice, uh - thank you?” and eventually that becomes an habit, too; Martin coming to spend a few evenings at Georgie’s; he cooks sometimes (”god, i got better because - well, there were worms you see -”), and he and georgie even work together on a What The Ghost’s episode one day;

Those moments at Georgie’s they’re - they’re sort of the only good things going for Martin, at this point; back at the Institute, Melanie is constantly angry, and Basira is constantly away - even when she’s physically present - and the corridors seem filled with the ghosts of a grinning Sasha, a laughing Tim, and a pricky but amused Jon. Every day, Peter Lukas comes, sits on his desk like he belongs there, and chats for a bit; then his eyes get serious and he’ll always lean in and go: “Have you considered my offer, Martin?”

(Martin does not talk to Georgie about that)

Then the Flesh attacks, and Martin has to put a plan in action, he’s done waiting, he’s done running, he’s done - he’s done expecting Jon to wake up and make it all better. Jon is probably not going to wake up. It’s. He doesn’t think about that. It takes two weeks for Georgie to call and say “I haven’t seen you at the hospital in a while” in a careful, worried, stern voice. “I’m going to get very busy, Georgie, I’m - probably not going to have much time anymore to visit Jon.” he says, and his voice cracks a bit) (”Come by tonight,” she tells him. he looks at his hand, eyes blurry, and he doesn’t want to give up that, he doesn’t want to give up Georgie and her warm smiles and her cool stories and her underlying, deep understanding of what he feels but - “Maybe, maybe next week” he tells her weakly. “Sorry, Georgie”)

(Georgie doesn’t say how much that hurts, really. She likes Martin; she likes the way Martin is genuinely interested in her life, not just through Jon; she likes how Martin loves Jon; she likes Martin’s little jokes and his determination for things to get better, always) (she does tell Jon, softly: “well i hope you never have to live that. Easy to get attached to that boy, uh?” and jon, of course, doesn’t answer. she sighs and kisses his forehead and leaves, and mopes that night with the admiral. The next day, she thinks “no, i’m not falling into that pattern” and goes back to her life, and her other friends; She’s not as hopeful as Martin, but she’s definitely as stubborn)

(Martin calls though; he calls again, because he doesn’t know who to tell, when his mum dies) (he’s back at her place that night and he feels numb, and he doesn’t cry; he looks deathly pale, and Georgie helps him through the following days, and vaguely remembers helping Jon with his grandmother’s funeral, the way he hadn’t cried either, for a long time, just got very snippy and distant; god, it was towards the end of their relationship - she’d argued with him, at some point, that he needed to cry, and he’d said he didn’t NEED to do anything, and he was sorry if she didn’t like how he handled his grief - and she’d been like “i’m just worried about you jon” and jon’s shoulders had slumped and he’d gone “there’s no point to it”) 

(Martin doesn’t cry, he doesn’t, right until all those people talk about his mum and he realizes he doesn’t know the woman they speak of; he’ll never know this woman) (Georgie takes his hand when he starts weeping, and lets Martin’s distant family tell her that they’re really rather relieved, that Martin found ‘a nice girl’, that they thought - that Martin was, well, you know - because she wants to snap at them but it’s not drama that Martin needs right now, just comfort)

After that, Martin thinks he can’t let go of Georgie; she’s done too much for him, at this point? So, he tries to be as honest as he can; he tells her he’s got a plan, to protect the Archives (”it shouldn’t be your role” georgie tells him with a deep concerned frown, and Martin shrugs and says: “But Jon’s not here and - someone ought to. Someone ought to protect them. I - I’m not special, Georgie, but that’s - that’s something I can do, and I don’t want to be a coward.”)

He says “I can’t come by anymore” and “thank you” and, hopefully “we can still chat on the phone?” and Georgie says “… sure.”

And they do that! They keep chatting! when Martin starts to get wary of Peter listening in, he switches to texting only. 

then jon wakes up

and. ugh. Ugh. I’m sorry, I’m going to keep making this sad, but Georgie and Martin have their first argument; because Martin can’t be there for Jon right now, but it’s because he’s - he’s protecting him, saving him. He’d give ANYTHING to be able to be there for Jon. and Georgie could. Georgie has not made a supernatural deal with a dangerous man serving a Eldrich God, and Jon needs someone, and Georgie gets fed up; she’s been supporting Jon. She’s been supporting Martin; she’s supported them both through their idiotic decisions and Jon woke up, yes, but he’s fine and unblinking and his aura’s all - different and she can’t do this. She can’t. She can’t let herself be involved anymore, she’s tired and who can she talk to? Who’s supporting her? (”it’s admirable,” she says, sadly, to Martin, “how selfless you both are. It’s terrible too, you know? You could both have stood to be a little bit more selfish. Perhaps you could have both - I love you both, Martin, but I’m ready to be a little selfish now; I need to get out, because otherwise, I’m gonna drown with both of you.”) 

(”Georgie -” he begins and she sighs and says. “Goodbye, Martin. Take care. Text me, if you need to.” and she hangs up)