#hermit archives meta?

[xelidonia]

Here it is: The Venn diagram of the comparison that made me get into TMA!

Spoilers for ALL of the Magnus Archives:

I tried to stick to canon facts, but it's hard for a character as based in fanon as Watcher Grian. Originally, I assumed the reason they were so similar was that the Archivist was just so popular on Tumblr that bits of his storyline made their way into Watcher Grian fanon... but actually, the EVO finale took place nearly a year before MAG 160, though 3rd Life began after TMA ended. It really does seem to be parallel evolution (no pun intended.)

[sloth-sloth-sloth]

i find it really interesting that from the archives!zedaph is a scientist and an avatar of the spiral. a scientist's purpose is to make sense of the world (though their success ain't always guranteed because even the real world is weird as heck man), but here he is, feeding and being fed off of by an entity of confusion, deceit, madness. this does fit in the nature of avatars feeding their entities with other people and their own fear. he could've been an eye avatar (a scientist/academic staple), but he's spiral-aligned. i just think it's NEAT.

anyway go read mouse hole/black hole it's a great character study of from the archives!zedaph!

[enderteegs]

i’ve been busy all day but i finally got to read the new from the archives statement and HOLY FUCKING SHIT

[sixteenth-days]

hey if you enjoy my hermit archives work you might also like my other silly little fics

tempering - 3,800 words - twoshot about Grian, Jimmy, Martyn, and Watchers, which eat what they love.

“You’re not actually Grian, are you?” Jimmy asks, suddenly, while they’re sitting side by side on a bench in Tumble Town.

getting possessed by your minecraft base: tips and tricks for dummies - 5,900 words - two-fic series (so far) centered on Tango.

Decked Out is a game for everyone. To keep it that way in the midst of a war, Tango negotiates treaties, agreements, truces, and backroom deals. Also he gets a little possessed, but that’s normal.

teeth on a string - 11,000 words - three-fic series about cannibalism. fundamentally lighthearted but RATED M FOR GRAPHIC VIOLENCE.

People eat Bdubs. That's just natural, because he's delicious.

grianmc - 1,000 words - oneshot, COMPLETELY unrelated take on the Watchers from the above one, very meta.

“You know,” Grian says again. “Your- Watchers.” Techno squints for a moment before understanding visibly dawns behind his eyes. “Ohhh, you mean Chat?”

cmon mumbo don't tell me you've never heard of a stable time loop - 3,000 words - oneshot about Grian and Mumbo resolving Mumbo's season 8 soul problem in the dumbest possible way

"Grian," says Mumbo, "your soul sucks."

no hat, head empty - 4,900 words - threeshot, comedy/slice of life. Scar can't find his hat.

Scar! That was his name! Okay, okay, good. He was getting somewhere. “So, this is a tiny bit embarrassing,” he confessed, rubbing the back of his neck. “Can you tell me where I am?”

the game plays us for fools - 5,600 words - two fic series. when your life is bound to someone else, sometimes things get a little strange!

"Grian was looking a bit disoriented?" tries Tango, which doesn't seem to help. He shifts Jimmy's grip to his hands. "What I mean is, I think being soulmates is like, a trait sharificator."

oh well, whatever, either way - 1,000 words - oneshot, Martyn post-Limited Life encounters Witchcraft SMP Cleo.

"Oh, it's you," says a voice Martyn can't place, won't place, until the ghost of a string wraps itself around his heart and pulls. He wrenches his eyes open against the searing not-color, and looks back at Cleo.

a matter of time - 5,500 words - oneshot, character study of Witchcraft Cleo.

Cleo’s very expansive definition of Time includes such disparate things as alternate universes (pretty much a synonym of alternate timelines), space (basically the same thing as time), explosions (energy, light, time, same difference), hexcasting (a pattern of meaningless shapes, ascribed meaning), and the fabric of narrative itself.

[els-notebook]

Hermit Alignment: Zedaph (Archival AU)

Okay so I've been working on planning, and I just??? Can't stop thinking about this? Because I have Very Strong Opinions about the alignments of a few hermits in this setting and Zedaph is one of them. I think it could technically be considered a spoiler, which is why I'm holding back on a complete alignment list, but gosh I want to talk about this one. Reasoning (potential spoilers and all) beneath the cut.

Okay so. I mostly see Zedaph written as Spiral-aligned, sometimes a version of the Distortion and sometimes not. And this is great! I love this! But my Zedaph is not Spiral-aligned.

My Zedaph is Eye-aligned.

"But why isn't he Spiral? He fits it so well!" And he does! Like I said, I love those interpretations. But he also fits the Eye, in my opinion, because the Eye isn't just dry academics and dusty old books.

The Eye is about discovering and experiencing, and while that may not quite fit s7 Zedaph and the Cave of Contraptions (can't say for sure, I'm a bit fuzzy on that one since it's been a while), I do think it's a good fit for s8's experiment theme. I also think it applies to s9's "bizarre challenges" theme, since when it comes down to it, most of those are about the experience.

Also just. The observation chamber stuff. There is No Way that isn't just the most Eye-coded thing in existence. Sticking your peers behind a glass wall and observing their stress responses while you throw random challenges and questions at them? They are being Known and Perceived and that has Eye written all over it.

This does not mean he would make a good Archivist, however ^^; he just doesn't care enough about the big picture and connecting the dots. He wants to learn and experience as much as he can with no real direction behind it, where an Archivist is meant to be pursuing a specific goal even if they have no idea what it is.

[felassan]

MJ’s Meta Masterpost

Finally got around to putting this together, off the back of this Anon ask (thanks Nonnie!). This list is a mix of resources, lore, meta, speculation/theories, analysis, headcanon etc. It includes both very old meta/theories (so pls don’t be surprised if some of it reads like stating the obvious hh; check the dates!) and more recent posts. Many other posts pertaining to specific media or events are compiled elsewhere. The list is kinda scrappy and disorganized but it’ll do!

NOTE: This post isn’t exhaustive, there are some posts that slipped my mind to include here over time. You can also browse my [Dragon Age: The Veilguard tag] and my [meta tag]

General

BioWare Brandbassador information (20% off discount codes for the BioWare Gear Store)

This blog in the online text-based news

This blog in YouTube videos and podcasts

BioWare Calendar

BioWare in Press Reset: Ruin and Recovery in the Video Game Industry by Jason Schreier

Dragon Age

Solas as the Hermit in Tarot (written pre-release)

The OG Solas Theorypost (written just after release)

Pride, 2

What Was Lost

The Skyhold Frescoes: Explained

The Ardent Blossom Faerie

The Emergent Compendium

Eleni Zinovia

Flemythal’s plans

Fen’Harel and the Slow Arrow fable

The Slightest Ones bard song

The Evanuris Were [all] Dragons[haped sometimes] Part 1

The Balrog Theory: 1, 2, 3, 4

Arlathan and the Black City

Ancient interactions between elves, humans and dwarves + What Mythal Did

Will the banished gods return?

New Dalish lore tidbits + commentary (TN spoilers at link)

Obscure elven heroes

Dalish clan name meanings, 2

Dalish headcanons

Instances where elves gain noble titles or similar

The Elves in the Tirashan

Elfyness in The Last Court, 2

Airships

The Warden-Commander’s Journey West (TN spoilers at link)

The Hero Came Back

After The Blight: a timeline of the Hero’s post-Blight life (TN spoilers at link)

What Tamlen Saw

Healing magic in DA

How lyrium potions work

Blood magic

The Dark Ritual and Kieran, 2

Food and drink lore from The Last Court

Non-Andrastian religions in Thedas, past and present

Transcriptions of the info given in the ‘World Lore’ section in the Keep + commentary

Cliffnotes of the DAI development chapter in Blood, Sweat and Pixels by Jason Schreier

DA dev insights from David Gaider Part 1 (Twitch stream transcript)

DA dev insights from David Gaider Part 2 (Twitch stream transcript)

DA dev insights from David Gaider Part 3 (Twitch stream transcript)

DA dev insights from David Gaider Part 4 (Twitch stream transcript)

DA dev insights from David Gaider Part 5 (Twitch stream transcript)

DA dev insights from David Gaider Part 6 (Twitch stream transcript)

DA dev insights from various devs (Twitch stream transcript)

Official additional DA media that’s available for free (as in officially free)

Dragon Age: The Last Court game screenshot archive

How the different ‘canons’ work

Speculative post: on the origins of the halla

Guide to the “post-DAI” comics, stories and books (good DA4 prep)

On the Whispers Written in Red Lyrium

Notes from Matt Rhodes’ 2016 presentation “The World of Concept Art” Part 1

Notes from Matt Rhodes’ 2016 presentation “The World of Concept Art” Part 2

Dragon Age Library Edition Volume 1 annotations & additional pages/art compilation

The rough chronological / timeline order of all canon DA media

Notes from DA4 Lead Producer’s BIG Festival talk on the challenges of DA4 production during the pandemic

April 2021: DA trivia & commentary from Twitter compilation

Assorted DA trivia from David Gaider’s Pax Australia keynote

Notes from the Zero to Play podcast interview on Narrative Direction with John Epler

Dragon Age: Hard in Hightown novel illustrations Part 1

Dragon Age: Hard in Hightown novel illustrations Part 2

Dragon Age: Hard in Hightown novel illustrations Part 3

Collection of small random headcanons

Faces of Thedas highlights & commentary Part 1

Faces of Thedas highlights & commentary Part 2

Some thoughts on the DA Day 2021 short stories

Dragon Age: Absolution episodes thoughts: [one], [two], [three], [four], [five], [six]

Dragon Age: The Official Cookbook: Tastes of Thedas lore compilation & notes Part 1

Dragon Age: The Official Cookbook: Tastes of Thedas lore compilation & notes Part 2

Dragon Age Day 2022: thoughts and speculation on the in-game cinematic, two

Dragon Age Day 2023: Thedas calls teaser & other new info info compilation and speculation

Mass Effect

Old Man Drack

Perspective

Highlights and insights from the MELE launch cast & crew reunion panel

[threewaysdivided]

Author Meme

Tagged by @pi-cat000​. Hello to you too!  I'm also something of a lurking digital hermit, but more than happy to interact so feel free to tag me in stuff, send asks or just poke my blog with a stick if you want to chat.

Author Name:  Three Ways Divided across Tumblr, Archive of Our Own and  Fanfiction.net.  Occasionally I do art-stuff and post the High-Res versions to DeviantArt as RedMoonWhiteTiger.

Fandoms You Write For:  Pretty much just Young Justice and Danny Phantom.  I’m involved in other fandoms too but I don’t produce fic-content for them (maybe one day).

Where You Post: For Fanfic:  Started on FFN then began crossposting to Ao3 when I noticed people migrating across to the archive.  Now I simulpost to both, and drop a linked preview here when new content comes out.

For Art:  Any proper finished pieces go to DeviantArt for full res viewing, as well as under #my art here.  Sillier art stuff and WIPS are Tumblr-only.

Other stuff:  Tumblr.  Outside of fic and art the main things I do are long analytical meta-pieces under the #scattered thoughts tag, discussions of writing for the #writing advice tag, and food stuff under #3WD Cooks. 

Most Popular One-Shot:   I only have one official one-shot right now and it’s my DP piece Defining Moment, so I guess it wins by default.

Most Popular Multi-Chapter Story: There’s something to be said for limited choices - my one and only is, of course, Young Justice: Deathly Weapons.

Favourite Story You Wrote: I have a love-hate relationship with YJ:DW but I’m very happy with how the plan’s coming out so far.

Story You Were Nervous to Post:  I have exactly 2 stories and I wasn’t particularly nervous about posting either - either they’d work or they’d vanish and I’d let them go when my interest ran out.  There are some more out-there concepts that maybe one day might develop into fics, but if they survive workshopping then I’ll at least be confident that they’re not completely devoid of value.  

Right now I’m mostly nervous about ensuring that new YJ:DW chapters live up to the existing material.

How Do You Choose Your Titles:  Typically Wordplay.  If I can find a pun or phrase with double-meanings then I might use that.  Callbacks or references to the source material also work in a pinch. 

For example, “Young Justice: Deathly Weapons” is a reference to YJ’s canon titling style and a play on the phrase “Deadly Weapons” (i.e. lethal weapons) and the word “Deathly” (adj.: resembling or suggestive of death), because dangerous plot involving ghosts.  Several of the chapters and planned chapters have titles that are chemistry references, puns or nods to other series.

Do You Outline:  Do I outline?

You tell me.

Complete:

Unless it’s a one-shot, not for a very long time.  

I do plan my stories with the end in mind but I’m also a compulsively overambitious, overachieving, perfectionist gremlin so there’s a whole lot of content and drafting between here and there.  By a lot I mean an entire half-season of the show.  This one puts the long in long-fic.

In-Progress: 

I have one fic that’s not a one-shot, and I promise I’m still working on it.

Coming Soon: YJ:DW Chapter 17 “Assessment” is 1k from draft completion and getting closer each week.

Do You Accept Prompts: Not really, no.  My writing style typically involves a lot of planning and drafting so I find spontaneous flash-fic hard unless I’m especially inspired.

BUT!  Analysis is my bread and butter so if anyone ever wanted some fic-meta, or analysis of storytelling/ characters or even to pitch a story/scene/trope idea for feedback/suggestions, I can spin out a decent essay-style or research piece quite fast.  My brain is naturally geared towards analytical writing over narrative prose.

“My mind," he said, "rebels at stagnation. Give me problems, give me work, give me the most abstruse cryptogram or the most intricate analysis, and I am in my own proper atmosphere.” - Sherlock Holmes

Upcoming Story You Are Most Excited to Write:  Young Justice: Deathly Weapons is actually 12 semi-self-contained story-episodes, at least 2 significant character arcs, a long-running mystery and a bunch of short character essays stacked inside a trench coat and masquerading as a single sane fanfiction, so mostly I’d just like keep on with that.  I also have a few tie-in one-shots, so I’ll be prioritising this series before moving on to any other big projects.

Ideas I’ve been kicking around and may one day write when YJ:DW is closer to done and assuming they survive workshopping:

DP x YJS1 Danny-Dick Brother AU, of which there are three variant ideas for execution

DP x YJS1 dissection-fic in the vein of Unfair Justice

DP x YJS1 literal crossover in which Danny has to leave his universe behind and ends up on Earth 16

DP AU fic - in which the Fenton parents are much worse at parenting, Danny gets his powers a different way and we explore depression, isolation, self-perception, self-hatred and neglect

BNHA fic in which Izuku never gets One For All, tones down the fanboy after realising just how serious the issues with the status quo are and chooses to go into Support instead to change the system from within

Dark Souls one-shot mood piece

Yeah, YJ:DW is more light-hearted than all but two of these, my brain is just a barrel of laughs.

-

Tagging: @lunagalemaster @batmanisagatewaydrug @ao3commentoftheday I would be curious to hear from you if you’re interested and have the time.

If anyone else would like to participate but haven’t been tagged, please consider this your open invitation.

[alynnl]

Lynn’s Avatar Meta 2019 + Summaries

Here is a list of my Avatar theories that I will eventually write longer posts about!

Archives of History (Pre-Series Era)

All the Possibilities - Bumi’s backstory meta that goes into his childhood, his position in the Omashu royal family, and how he became king of the city-state. He is the last surviving founder of the Order of the White Lotus, and has fond, if not sad memories of his friend Aang and Monk Gyatso. Royal Portraits of Ba Sing Se - The in-depth story of Kuei’s parents, King Jingyi and Princess Shufen, and their reign over the Earth Kingdom. Jingyi was one of the first Earth Monarchs to take leadership back into his own hands, and he fought many battles against Fire Lord Azulon’s troops. (Leads into “Within These Walls”) Over the Edge - Jeong Jeong’s backstory meta that gives some details of his life in the military, and the incident that pushed him to desert. He remained a lonely hermit until a chance encounter with Bumi, whose creative mind opened up new possibilities, and a path to the White Lotus. Iroh’s Journey Book 3: Secret Society - Part 3 of Iroh’s story before the animated series took place. Iroh goes on a two year journey around the world drawing wisdom and knowledge from people of other nations. He regains his inner fire and returns home to the Fire Nation, only to find out his brother Ozai has replaced their father as Fire Lord. Iroh’s Journey Book 4: Homecoming - Part 4 of Iroh’s story before his role in the animated series. Iroh returns to the palace, resigns from the army, but finds his birthplace to be much colder than before he left. Because of Ozai’s actions, their family was broken apart, but he still felt a connection with Zuko. Iroh stepped in to teach Zuko firebending and other important lessons, when Ozai refused to keep up his training in favor of Azula. During the time they spent together, Iroh and Zuko were healing each other from the pain of losing someone they love. One day, they would attend a fateful meeting, and the consequences would change their lives forever. (Continued with “Together in Exile”)

Lost Adventures (During-Series Era)

Unrest - Post-Crossroads of Destiny meta, possible one shot fic. Zuko’s return to the Fire Nation wasn’t all about lazy afternoons with Mai and trips to the beach on Ember Island. While he wanders the palace halls, he’s restless, and the thoughts of betraying his uncle, and the civilians of the Earth Kingdom weigh heavily on his mind. Zuko is tormented by nightmares and guilt. His metamorphosis is not complete, and this time he has to take care of himself. Separate Paths, One Goal - A few days before the invasion on the Day of Black Sun, Jeong Jeong, Piandao and Pakku meet at a secret location in the earth kingdom. They discuss their plans to rescue Iroh and Bumi from their prison cells, when the firebenders will be powerless. Jeong Jeong says that he will go to Caldera, and refuses to take no for an answer. Piandao plans to sabotage as many Fire Navy ships as possible, to help the invasion forces. Pakku reluctantly agrees to help Bumi, although he could never stand his personality. (Side by side with “A Greater Cause”)

New Horizons (After-Series Era)

A Heart of Steel - Just after Ba Sing Se is liberated by the White Lotus, King Kuei calls a ceasefire. Shortly after, he declares a holiday for his citizens, and takes his time releasing his loyal subjects who were imprisoned during Azula’s coup. After confirming the location of his former adviser, Long Feng, Kuei speaks his mind and turns his back on the man who used to control him and the city that was rightfully his. Finding Our Way - Six months after the war has ended, Fire Lord Zuko and Earth King Kuei have officially signed a peace treaty. When the formal atmosphere feels too stiff and Kuei appears to have something else on his mind, Zuko let’s down his hair and invites him to a more informal meeting over afternoon tea. Kuei accepts Zuko’s offer, and they begin the start of a lifelong friendship and strong alliance between nations. Family Reunions - A year after the war has ended, Azula has been released from the hospital and has moved back into her room in the palace. Her and Zuko have taken steps to repair their fractured sibling bond, and it has been hard fought. One day, Zuko receives a letter from Iroh that he might have found their missing mother. After reading the letter out loud to Azula, she agrees to come with Zuko to Ba Sing Se. The siblings learned that their mother had been caught and brainwashed by the Dai Li, after a failed plan to get them back from Ozai’s grasp. While there were many mixed feelings, Ursa ultimately embraced her children and promised to be with them always. Acceptance - On a quiet day at the tea shop, Jeong Jeong stopped by and commented how well Iroh was doing in peacetime. He also agonized over his element, and how many lives were on both their hands. Whole Iroh knew he couldn’t erase his past, he accepted it. He wanted to help his old friend find peace, one step at a time. Elements of Change - To help rebuild the Southern Water Tribe and bring back the waterbending culture, Katara travels with Master Pakku and healing master Yugoda in search of new water benders, who might have hid from the Fire Nation during the war. The three of them also uncover old scrolls and oral history of the Southern waterbenders, giving Katara clues on how they lived before the war. Wherever Duty Calls - Together with his animal friends Appa and Momo, Aang travels the world to keep balance after the end of the Hundred Year War with the Fire Nation. He keeps close contact with his friends and allies, and has grown especially close to Katara over the years. One of his most notable contributions was helping Zuko discover some of the Fire Nation’s more spiritual past, so they can truly begin to honor life. The Master Plan - After returning home and spending some much needed time with his family, Sokka begins to work side by side with his father, Hakoda to rebuild the Southern Water Tribe. They plan on making the South Pole’s village into a fully functioning city similar to their sister Tribe in the North, as a big welcome home present to the warriors returning from the battlefield. Over time, Sokka is needed less for the planning and and construction of the new South Pole, and he was free to do what he wanted. He began his own world travels, making it a point to stop by Kyoshi Island. Made of Metal - When Toph returned to her hometown, she was hailed as a hero for saving the Earth Kingdom from the airships. Even her parents had to admit she definitely wasn’t the helpless blind girl they thought she was. She was ready to have dinner and tea with them, when her old tutor pushed through the crowd and claimed that his methods led to her amazing abilities. Toph challenges him to an earthbending duel and easily defeated him. A few days later, many of the kids who witnessed her duel wanted to learn from Toph. She decided to take them under her wing, and was pleased to find out some of them could also bend metal. What Drives Us Forward - Fic plan. Earth King Kuei and Fire Lord Zuko have made great strides in smoothing out the differences between their two nations. All is going well until Kuei goes missing: and there are signs of fowl play, and a nefarious plot. To rescue his ally, Lord Zuko teams up with Mai and Toph, as well as Long Feng, who might hold the only clues to Kuei’s whereabouts. What Ties Us Together - Fic plan. Direct sequel to “What Drives Us Forward.” King Kuei and his trusted guard Zhen navigate Long Feng’s chamber in the earth kingdom palace, unsealing it for the first time in two years. As they look for a special keepsake, Kuei navigates both the good and bad memories he shared with his former adviser. (Shortly after this exploration of memories, Kuei finds his family, as described in this post about his aunt, cousin, and bodyguards.) New Beginnings - Fic plan, connected to “What Drives Us Forward,” It’s the Lunar New Year, and everyone has been invited to a celebration in Ba Sing Se. The Avatar, the Fire Lord, and all their trusted friends and family are present for a night of music, dance, tea, and merriment. As the night approaches, King Kuei slips away to the middle ring, to have a more personal view of the fireworks show. To Control the Flame - Having accepted her family, friends, servants and others back into her life, Azula thought she had more than enough drive for her inner fire. When her blasts aren’t nearly as strong, Iroh suggests she train under Jeong Jeong, since his more disciplined approach suits her style better than anyone in the capital city. Azula and Jeong Jeong begin a little rocky at first, but grow to have a mutual respect for each other. A Bright Star - King Kuei met and married Lady Mingyu, a fun-loving, outspoken noblewoman from Omashu. Their marriage formed a solid alliance between Omashu and Ba Sing Se, and was celebrated throughout the Earth Kingdom. Almost a year later, a new heir was born to the Earth Kingdom throne, Princess Mei-Xing. Kuei chose her name for its meaning, with high hopes that his daughter would be the new bright star of Ba Sing Se. Returned to the Earth - Four Years after the war was over, Long Feng passed away quietly in the night. There were mixed feelings on the day of his funeral, especially from Kuei. Long Feng was encased in an earthly coffin and laid to rest by King Jingyi and Princess Shufen in the Royal Catacombs, right where he would have wanted to be. After grappling with his inner feelings, Kuei decided he’d take the time to honor Long Feng’s memory, and speak to him the way he did his mother and father. The Blue Dragon - Having honed her skills in swordsmanship, as well as regaining her inner fire, Azula became the youngest member of the White Lotus. She was not quite a Grand Lotus just yet, but her fighting spirit and sharp mind mad her the perfect addition to the Order, who went into the shadows again. Azula thwarted a few plots to overthrow Zuko, allowing him to be the Fire Lord out in the open, while she quietly dealt with anyone who threatened him, their mother, or the sense of order in the Fire Nation. A New Spark - A new heir is born to Fire Lord Zuko and Lady Mai. Princess Izumi is healthy and strong, and she had the spark in her eye that showed she’d become a firebender. Ursa, Iroh and many of Zuko’s friends show up (Even King Kuei, Princess Mingyu and a four year old Mei-Xing) - Azula shows up fashionably late, and promises to at least send her niece gifts from wherever she is in the world.

[els-notebook]

"Archival" Series Masterpost

Archival (AO3) is a self-contained series based on the Hermit Archives AU by @chrisrin.

As per the source material, this series is horror (and definitely check the CWs on each piece), but to paraphrase from the notes on the first piece: I firmly believe in allowing my characters to survive their horrifying experiences and find a relatively happy ending, so permanent major character death is not and never will be part of anything I write.

Series summary and currently published stories are below the cut.

Series Summary

Pearl E. Moon is a librarian with a keen interest in the supernatural. Or rather, she was a librarian—that “keen interest in the supernatural” had her bosses squinting, and when funding fell through Pearl was the first employee pushed out the door. Now she’s an archivist at the Void Institute—the Head Archivist, even, working with a trio of bizarre assistants. On the one hand, it’s a blessing: all her favorite parts of her former job, with a work environment where her coworkers won’t look at her sideways because she believes there are things lurking in the dark. On the other, it’s a curse: she’s not qualified for the job and she knows it, the supervisor looks at her with self-satisfied amusement, and the specter of her past haunts her in the form of her second assistant. Something isn’t right with the institute—but something isn’t right with Pearl, either, so she fits right in.

Stories

A Graceless Epigraph: Pearl familiarizes herself with her new work environment and meets her coworkers.

Terminal Velocity: #0192109 - Statement of Bdubs [Surname Unknown], regarding a very long fall.

Off With His Head: #0180712 - Statement of False Symmetry, regarding a scavenger hunt in her neighborhood. (cover)

False Face: #0183012 - Statement of Tango Tek, regarding a secondhand Halloween mask.

Liar's Dice: #0211902 - Statement of Cleo [surname withheld], regarding a game of dice with a stranger.

You're It: #0182011 - Statement of Zedaph P., research assistant at the Void Institute, regarding a game of tag with friends.

Cleansing Flame: #0202212 - Statement of Scar Goodtimes, Archive Supervisor at the Void Institute, regarding a stubborn mycelium network.

Alien Purgatory: #0211007 - Statement of Evil Notion, regarding a series of bad dreams.

Red Winter: #0211006 - Statement of Skizz M., regarding a very strange axe. (cover)

Senseless Soldier: #0190106 - Statement of Xisuma Void, Head of the Void Institute, regarding a visit to the home of Archival Assistant Grian, surname unknown.

Achromatic: #0193012 - Statement of Tango Tek, regarding a brief episode of color blindness.

Switching Curtains: #0213103 - Statement of XB Crafted, Administrative Assistant at the Void Institute, regarding a brief stay in Joe Hills' library.

Doppelganger: #0201806 - Statement of W. Knight, regarding a stalker with his own face.

Tourist Trap: #0190708 - Statement of False Symmetry, regarding a ghost town encountered on a road trip.

Entry Condition: #0091710 - Statement of Impulse [surname unknown], Senior Archival Assistant at the Void Institute, regarding the hiring of Archival Assistant Grian.

[els-notebook]

Writing the next statement for Archival has me thinking about metaplots, because I love writing them but they're such a pain. Like, I don't have enough to do with pacing my individual statements? Now I have to pay attention to how fast the plot of the framing narrative is progressing as well???

Is it going too fast? Who knows! That depends on how long the series is (questionable at the moment) and where each major event falls on the timeline (even more questionable). If you start hinting at things too soon it starts to drag out, but if you leave it too late it's all rushed and messy.

What I'm getting from this is that I need to reorganize and flesh out my timeline, spreadsheets, and "mystery board with string" for the seventeenth time to make sure I'm on track. (... Okay the mystery board part was a joke but now I might actually make one. Seems handy.)