#mag150 cul-de-sac (from the magnus archives)

[silhouettecrow]

365 Days of Writing Prompts: Day 343

Adjective: Modern

Noun: Street

Definitions for those who need/want them:

Modern: relating to the present or recent times as opposed to the remote past; characterized by or using the most up-to-date techniques, ideas, or equipment; denoting the form of a language that is currently used, as opposed to any earlier form; denoting a current or recent style or trend in art, architecture, or other cultural activity marked by a significant departure from traditional styles and values

Street: a public road in a city or town, typically with houses and buildings on one or both sides; (US) used to refer to the financial markets and activities on Wall Street; the roads or public areas of a city or town; relating to the outlook, values, or lifestyle of those young people who are perceived as composing a fashionable urban subculture; denoting someone who is homeless; performing or being performed on the street

[fricklefracklefloof]

love in the face of horror.

[image description: a three page comic about the magnus archives done in a limited pallette of reds and lime greens.

the first page consists of three panels. the first panel is of a bird's eye view of a suburban neighborhood. text on top of it is a snippet from the transcript of mag150 cul-de-sac, and it says, "I was going to die. I knew that now. / And that was when I heard it - the sound of my phone's ringtone. It was Alberto. He was calling me. / I don't know how, but the tears came even faster now as I answered, sobbing with relief to hear him yelling at me for taking so long. I tried to reply to explain but all I could manage to say to get through the shaking sobs was, 'I love you.'" beneath this panel depicts jon and martin embracing within the lonely. jon is a thin brown-skinned pakistani person and martin is a fat light-skinned mixed white and filipino man. text on top of them says, "I really loved you, you know." underneath them is more text that reads, "Gertrude needed both the purpose her mission gave her and the control her position allowed. To be here, like us, without a - a reason, without someone to ground her? She - she'd have power, but - no control. No real purpose." underneath the text are three panels. the first panel is a closeup of martin's face as he says, "So. If you say Gertrude wouldn't have been able to go on without a reason -", to which jon replies in the second panel that pictures both of them, "Yes, martin, you are my reason." martin says, "Just wanted to make you say it!" in a smaller, less detailed panel, he says, "Cool."

the second page pictures two images fading into each other. the first image is of jon reaching out to cup martin's face within a tunnel. there are three eyes half closed behind them. text around them says, "Martin, when the time comes, I need you to promise me that you won't try to stop me." "I promise." "I love you, Jon." "I love you, too." "But I'm not going to doom the world over it." "Thank you." this image fades into silhouettes of annabelle and martin inside a house. text above them says, "I was going to snatch you away. Lure you both into this web, and then take you. Drive him to despair, so that when you returned to him, bulging, and talking in a thousand tiny voices, it would drive him to a final push," to which martin replies, "And now?" annabelle says, "[Sighs] Your bond is too complicated. I couldn't drive that kind of rift between you now."

the third page has two panels layered onto a third final image. the first panel is a closeup of martin's face, tears rolling down his cheeks as jon's hand reaches out to him. text beside him says, "[Sobbing] Are you sure about this?" jon looks up at him smiling in the second panel, and he says, "No. But I love you." in the image below them martin stabs jon in his back, jon's head resting limp on his shoulder. tape and eyes can be seen spewing out of them. text above them says, "I love you too." end id.]

[sazandorable]

random but im bored rn and have been full of light from the casual rep since last magnus and it’s super easy to miss (i know i miss the gender of a statement-giver on first listen most of the time) so!

Shout-out to the casual background LGBTQ rep amongst characters of the day in The Magnus Archives!

MAG150 Cul-de-Sac: the statement-giver (Herman Gorgoli) is a man who just separated from his husband (Alberto) (and they’re working on getting back together)

MAG148 Extended Surveillance: though nothing is explicitly stated about their gender, the statement-giver (Sunil Maraj) is only ever referred to with the pronoun “they” (thanks @backofthebookshelf!)

MAG126 Sculptor’s Tool: though nothing is explicitly stated about their relationship, the statement-giver (Deborah Madaki) mentions “Rosa” and “George” in ways that sound like they might be her wife and son respectively (thanks @flo-nelja!)

MAG110 Creature Feature: the statement-giver (Alexia Crawley) is a trans woman

MAG089 Twice As Bright: the statement-giver is, of course, Jude Perry, who has had a girlfriend (Gretchen) and seems to be exclusively into women afawk

MAG063 The End of the Tunnel: the statement-giver (Erin Gallagher-Nelson) is a woman with a very supportive wife (Stephanie)

MAG38 Lost and Found: the statement-giver (Andre Ramao) is a man who... is still married to his husband (David)

MAG013 Dreamer: the statement-giver (‘Antonio Blake’) is a man who had a long relationship with a boyfriend (Graham, possibly the same one as from MAG003)

MAG003 Across the Street: the victim (Graham Folger) is a gay man

(and that’s all the ones i remember/noticed /o/)