#marcus baldwin

[kevinvoncrastenburg]

Uberhood (161) - Baldwin, Benjamin

Joint activities. ✨

Isabel met Wanda Tinker at Sue's Secret Kitchen. They aren't friends yet but slowly getting there.

I don't know why my community lot interiors look so dark sometimes but in case you can't quite see it, Isabel won the cooking contest. 😅

While Isabel and Benjamin were out, Marcus and Elijah Baldwin spent their sunday playing video games. 🎮

[platinumaspiration]

Georgia immediately regretted kissing Marcus. Blame it on the juice bar, Georgia. She didn't even wave goodbye as she walked out. I'm sure there was relief.

This time at Uni wasn't as entertaining as previous rounds. Beau and Xander started dating and Beau was chosen as MVS. Penny Broke enjoyed karaoke, enough to convince her to think about uni.

[lodgersims]

For some reason, I really dropped the ball when taking screenshots for the Baldwins. To be fair to myself I was in the throes of illness this week (a cold) but all I managed to take were a few measly screenshots of their backs. I am not yet an expert in Sim Screenshotting...

Anyway, I've never been super familiar with these guys... does anyone else think it's kinda weird that Carlos Contender's entire character seems to be "freaky pervert whose horndoggery is ruining his family"? Like, I'll see how it goes when I play him, but yikes.

Anyway, the first thing I did upon playing the Baldwin family (aside from BatBox that man a degree) was get the family a pet. Sofia really wanted one, and I also can't just have every family have babies all the time forever. Isabel is pretty swamped as it is.

Meet Ace! (Yes, I'm alphabetizing both the children and pet names with minimal exceptions.)

I really want to get Sofia into Private School, but I think she'll be best suited for it next round, when Marcus is also a child. Then it's a two-for-one deal, but that leaves me with little intriguing to accomplish in the three Sim days I'm spending with them here.

As a person unfamiliar with this family, I don't want to make it seem like I'm playing favorites, but I also want gameplay to be enjoyable... so if I lack on my screenshot game, that's just how the cookie crumbles. This is my first experience really trying to log premades, but I don't want to get bored with the storytelling here.

Anyway, I was very intrigued by this randomly generated apartment Sim (I've got a townie body type mod!)

If anyone has advice for taking screenshots in apartments, let me know.

That night, when Isabel and Sofia were asleep, Benjamin finally came home. He works late and it makes it hard to spend time with the kids, but luckily he was able to get some quality time with Marcus, who has successfully begun to walk.

I don't know about you guys, but I never worry about Toddler skills that much. Your sims will emotionally recover from growing up badly once and potty training is such a frustrating task. But I try to get them walking and talking anyway...

Man, I'm a terrible Sim parent.

[white-cat-of-doom]

They look intimidating, but are all very nice.

International Tour in Düsseldorf, 10 April 2025.

Marco Venturini as Admetus, Daniel Timoney as Alonzo, Theo Reece as Bill Bailey, Olivia Barnett-Legh as Bombalurina, Emily Layden-Fritz as Cassandra, Gabrielle Parker as Jemima, Hazel Baldwin as Jennyanydots, Samuel Bateson as Mistoffelees, Marcus May as Mungojerrie, Lauren Bronwyn-Wood as Rumpleteazer, and Isabel Moore as Victoria.

[holb32]

Does anyone know any good Gallowglass de Clermont fics, Balwin Montclair, and any others? I'm trying to find some, but there's barely any...

[marwp]

ODIO LA FALTA DE ATENCIÓN QUE RECIBEN MIS PERSONAJES FAVORITOS.

Interesarse en un personaje ficticio para darse cuenta de la falta de contenido "x lector " es honestamente desgarrador. 💔

Pero bueno, solamente es mi pequeño desahogo.

[apinchofm]

Prompt idea: Baldwin and Miriam go on a date, but someone crashes it.

My brain just went to Marcus crashing a date - the chaotic de Clermont, of course.

Miriam would never admit to being nervous, certainly not for a date. She smoothed out the teal blue dress she was wearing and resisted the urge to check her reflection in the side of the car as she waited outside of the resturant. But then she felt him and turned around to see Baldwin in a dark suit. He stopped and stared at her, and Miriam walked the short distance to meet him. "Hello." Baldwin said. "It's good to see you." She said with a soft smile. Baldwin's eyes were light as his lips quirked upwards ever so slightly, "As it is to see you. You look lovely." They went inside, sitting at table. They ordered a bottle of red, 1879 Bordeaux. "How fares my brother?" Baldwin wondered, conversationally as he arranged the napkin on his lap. "He's well. But I'd rather we do not speak of Matthew." Miriam requested, leaning forward. It felt like buisness and this certainly was not buisness. "How is your work? The research study at UCL?" Baldwin asked and Miriam grinned, making him smile, "I am asking aboout work again." He knew how to charm a woman, but with Miriam, she disarmed him. Miriam huffed a laugh, her eyes shining, "You may be worse at this than I." Baldwin chuckled, "You may be right. Just, tell me about your day. Anything really." It was the main course when they both seemed to relax. But then Baldwin frowned, sensing someone rather familiar. Miriam removed her hand from his and turned to see Marcus, walking towards them. Ah, she had forgotten who reccomended this resturant to her. "Baldwin. Miriam," Marcus greeted, a grin on his face, "What are you two doing here? Together?" "Just catching up." Miriam excused, clearing her throat. "Join us. I insist." Baldwin said, waving a waiter over. Marcus looked rather sheepish, "I am hiding." "What have you done now?" Miriam asked, rolling his eyes "Grandmother is rather upset. Accidentally slept with the newest maid." "Accidentally. Did you trip over something?" Baldwin asked, annoyed. "Okay, so, I didn't know she worked for grandmother..." As Marcus launched into why this definitly was not his fault and his grandmother should forgive him sometime in the next six months, Miriam met Baldwin's eyes as he sipped his wine and he winked. Sure, it wasn't a perfect evening and pretty typical of their lives, but they tried.

[butternuggets-blog]

Go-at Peacefully Into The New Year

A Discovery of Witches, Fluff/Humor

New Year's Eve, 1966

Gallowglass stepped into the room with an emphatically nonchalant air. He shut the door behind him as Marcus, Jack and Martin looked up from their card game.

'If anybody asks, I was with you all night.'

'What did you do?' Martin frowned.

'Nothing. I was here with you all night.'

-weewoo-weewoo-weewoo-

A firetruck zipped by, lights flashing. Martin stared at the window after it, alarmed.

-weewoo-weewoo-weewoo-weewoo-

Three more fire engines raced by in quick succession.

'What did you do?!' Jack and Marcus chorused.

'The roof.' Martin threw his hand down and brushed past a protesting Gallowglass. 'Come on!'

****

The roof of the hotel gave a panoramic view of the park in the middle of the square. A towering inferno, some thirteen foot high, was blazing in the middle of it, firemen scrambling to unroll hoses and set up a corden to keep curious onlookers at a safe distance.

Martin gaped. He turned slowly to look at Gallowglass; his face was the same colour as his hair and he looked like he was trying to melt into the floor.

'..Eric-'

Gallowglass winced.

'-is that the goat?!'

'I didn't mean to!' Gallowglass protested, throwing his hands up defensively. 'I was just having a cigarette!'

Martin sighed. 'How?!'

Gallowglass looked sheepish. 'I..may have let the butt roll away from me.'

'You're supposed to stub out cigarettes,' Marcus commented helpfully. Jack was sketching the burning statue, capturing the essence of the moment in, ironically, charcoal.

'I did!' Gallowglass whined.

'Not successfully,' Martin glowered.

________________________________________________________________

'-and that's why we're here,' Gallowglass explained, glancing through his binoculars at the town stretched out before him. The square was still there, prettily decked-out in Christmas lights. The Gävle Goat stood tall and proud above the trees, icicles hanging from its horns.

'So we're going to burn down the goat,' Phoebe lowered her binoculars to stare at the side of Gallowglass' head. 'Commiting international arson, all to spite Baldwin who insists that this "tradition" be put to rest?'

'Exactly!' Martin army-crawled up beside them and pulled a map out of his lapel pocket. 'Right. Baldwin's hunkered down in the hotel with his usual command centre of walkie-talkies. Gallowglass?'

'I see them,' Gallowglass was scanning the square. 'Groups of three patrolling each corner of the park; four snipers on the rooftops and-'

He switched the binoculars to nightvision. '-one holding the fort on the manhole cover, east side.'

'Wow..' Phoebe's jaw dropped. 'You guys really take it that seriously?'

'Not always,' Martin was fishing a round, small stone out of his jacket pocket. 'But times changed and it just wasn't feasible to keep using flaming arrows and the like so we've both had to step up our game.'

'Time.' Gallowglass muttered, checking his watch.

Martin pulled a glove off and placed the stone in the palm of his hand. He squeezed it tight until the warmth from his skin leached into the stone, his other hand gripping his binoculars.

All three watched as the poor bastard holding fort at the manhole was suddenly yanked into it, Diana popping up from below.

'Contact!' Martin grinned.

Diana wove a knot and fog began to pour from the vent, rapidly obscuring the route around the park. As it hit each security team, they began swaying on their feet before delicately crumpling to the ground.

'Sleeping like babes' Gallowglass grinned.

Next, the wind picked up. The fog started to dissipate as Diana rose into the air. Without warning a barrage of gunfire hit her, engulfing her in a hail of bullets from four different directions at once.

Phoebe hissed in shock. Martin grabbed her hand.

'It's alright.. they're rubber bullets, remember?' he soothed. 'Baldwin wants her disarmed, not dead.'

'Besides-' Gallowglass was fiddling with a black controller covered in switches and knobs. '-Matthew would kill him if he actually hurt her.'

There was a gentle hum no human ears would be able to detect and a sleek, see-through drone rose from the opposite embankment. Gallowglass piloted it carefully through the snowy topography as Martin watched the monitor app on his phone, spouting directions.

'Through the grate..right...left...left again..okay, now straight up-'

The drone climbed stealthily up above the grate Diana had previously occupied. Taking advantage of the distraction the shielded witch was providing, Gallowglass kept the drone as low to the ground as possible until he had manoeuvred it behind one of the massive goat legs.

'Climb and fire! Climb and fire!'

The drone sped up the leg. Coming level with the goat's chest, it released a great gout of flame from the flamethrower attached to its undercarriage which caught quickly, eating through the statue's front in seconds.

Martin, Phoebe and Gallowglass cheered, whooping and laughing as the goat quickly became engulfed. Through her binoculars, Phoebe spotted a dejected-looking Baldwin holding his head in his hands as Diana alighted on the windowsill beside him. She couldn't hear what Diana said next, but Baldwin gave her a nasty glare and shoved the cackling witch off the ledge.

Bursts of colour suddenly filled the sky elsewhere in the city. Great whirls of blue, green, red and gold rocketed up, the pop of the fireworks mingling with the distant cheers and singing of the city's inhabitants.

Phoebe linked arms with Martin and Gallowglass. She smiled.

'Happy New Year!'

[mrs-declermont]

Currently working in Philippe's library at Sept Tours, someone please entertain me, and I might spill some old de Clermont secrets--if you play nice 😏😉

[kevinvoncrastenburg]

Uberhood (167) - Contender

Pictures from Carlos' Sports Party. ⚽

Carlos (tipsy): "If beauty were a crime, you’d be serving a life sentence. 😏" Bartender (exhausted): "I hate my job."

BHimbo summit? 🤔😅

[platinumaspiration]

The toddlers are headed to University! And Xander Roth. Amazing stuff.

[lodgersims]

Another household finished, and another birthday done. I'm really sad how few screenshots I've taken for them! Hopefully I'll get better at that in the future. Especially since the next household is something of a favorite...

[white-cat-of-doom]

Another fun Thursday in the International Tour.

The aftermath of the Jellicle Ball, with Isabel Moore as Victoria, Marco Venturini as Admetus, Marcus May as Mungojerrie, and other recovering Kitties.

A friendly Bailey Johnson as Coricopat and Isabel Moore as Victoria.

Sam Bateson as Mistoffelees stretches out.

Hazel Baldwin's Gumbie station, and Grace Chan after her Rumpleteazer cover debut Jellicle Ball.

An alternate view of backstage Green Eyes last week.

With Marco Venturini as Admetus, Daniel Timoney as Alonzo, Theo Reece as Bill Bailey, Olivia Barnett-Legh as Bombalurina, Emily Layden-Fritz as Cassandra, Hazel Baldwin as Jennyanydots, Samuel Bateson as Mistoffelees, and Isabel Moore as Victoria.

Time to collection myself, with Daniel Timoney as Alonzo.

Mainly 17 April 2025.

[historicallyaccuratecheese]

Well, I guess I’m continuing to make these now! Here’s the next part of my thoughts on every Magnus Archives episode! Now, last time I said that I was planning to write about episodes 21-40 in the next post, but as it turns out, the hyperfixation has set in and my thoughts are a LOT longer (so buckle up if you want to read this), and I also reached the tag limit. So, I’m only going to be covering episodes 21-30 here, and then I’ll write about episodes 31-40, and this 10 episode trend will probably continue for the rest of the posts, but that just means I’ll be able to put them out faster.

Also, unlike my first post, where I wrote all of my thoughts after finishing episode 20, all of these ones were written right after I finished the specific episode I talked about, so my thoughts are a lot more clearly documented. Finally, there’s a link to my masterpost, which will contain all the post’s detailing my thoughts on every episode before and after these ones.

Once again, no spoilers for future episodes please, and for anyone who hasn’t watched up to episode 30, spoilers are under the cut, so I recommend turning away until you’ve caught up. :)

- Episode 21, Freefall 🪂

Statement of Moira Kelly, regarding the disappearance of her son Robert.

WHAT THE FUCK??!! MARTIN??!! DAMN, I guess the horrors did get to him! Well, it’s nice to finally meet him, even if his first line was dropping shit on the ground. Either way, I get the vibe I’m in for a wild ride for this second half. ….What was I talking about? Oh yeah, the actual statement. Anyways this one upset me. Not only did it bring out my fear of heights pretty well, but the portrayal of a grieving mother who can’t comprehend what happened to her son was really heartbreaking. The line “The sky ate him” was kind of comedic at first, especially with Jon’s following reaction (love this guy btw, he’s such a loser), but then it became really horrific when I realized how it was just Moira desperately trying to make sense of the impossible horrors she just witnessed. The plot thread set up with Simon and Harriet Fairchild is also very interesting, and the whole sky thing kind of reminded me of Dominic’s visions in Ep. 4. Overall another one of many fantastic episodes, but HOLY SHIT I’M SCARED.

- Episode 22, Colony 🔦

Statement of Martin Blackwood, archival assistant at the Magnus Institute, London, regarding a close encounter with something he believes to have once been Jane Prentiss. Statement taken direct from subject.

….aaaaaAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!! Ok let’s start from the top. Firstly, I’m really happy we finally got to meet Martin in this episode, and he’s great! Honestly he comes off as more dorky than stupid, and just comes off as a real sweetheart, so Jon’s distaste for him (outside of very different personalities), gets more mysterious. Though all things considered, after what he experienced, I don’t think that the bullying is his biggest worry anymore… Alexander J. Newall does a fantastic delivery, as much as I love Jon’s readings, you can really feel how terrified Martin is here (also “Blackwood” is a sick as fuck last name, and I related to him trailing off about spiders…) Outside of Martin himself, we have Jane Prentiss (or what remains of her) and…well, let’s just say that I don’t find the sex worms nearly as funny anymore. Jane and the worms inside her are absolutely terrifying, and while I would say I’m excited to learn more about her, I wouldn’t be complaining if the institute staff never had to deal with her again. Also the text episode made me, if you’ll excuse my language…squirm. Honestly, this might just be my favorite episode so far. The way that the plot threads from previous episodes connected here was extremely satisfying, and needless to say, I’m very excited and horrified to see where the show goes from here.

- Episode 23, Schwartzwald 🇩🇪

Statement of Albrecht von Closen, regarding a discovered tomb near his estate in the Black Forest.

Worst episode ever because Jon didn’t do a German accent, smh. Ok but in all seriousness, I really liked this one! It wasn’t the strongest in terms of complex themes in my opinion, but it had a great vibe, and was still very interesting, entertaining, and decently creepy. Having a “statement” written before the archives was founded is a really cool idea that’s executed perfectly here, and while we didn’t learn that much about Jonah Magnus, I still found it cool to get a first glimpse of the archives’ history. (Also, given the eye imagery that appears both in here and in other episodes, I can’t help but feel like Albrecht’s wording of Jonah having “good eyes” or something like that is a little weird…) And…now that we have the instance of something that isn’t a statement, but is important being in the archives, I absolutely agree with the idea that Gertrude Robinson organized these poorly on purpose, so that Jon would get the knowledge he needed to have. Regardless, this whole episode had the vibes of a classic ghost story, which while not as weird and off-putting as some of the other horror here, was still a nice change of pace overall. The descriptions of The Schwartzwald were really well done and added to the atmosphere, and I just like the fact that we have another historical episode, that’s also set outside of The UK. Also, the way that they played with the time period at the end was amazing, I already had my suspicions due to the eye imagery, but the reveal of Mary Keay (and therefore Gerard Wa- I mean Keay) being a descendant of Albrecht was still really cool. I also do wonder if the Arabic book was eventually found by Jurgen Leitner in the future…eh, food for thought. Lastly, I loved Martin jumping in out of nowhere, it was both funny, and a grim reminder about how fucked the archives supposedly are, yippee!

Wow, these are a lot longer than my previous thoughts. This, my sweet children, is a phenomenon called “brain rot”.

- Episode 24, Strange Music 🪆

Statement of Leanne Denikin, regarding an antique calliope organ she possessed briefly in August 2004.

Jon, honey, are we not going to elaborate on the fact that one of ✨the horrors✨is literally inside the institute? Like, HELLO? That’s not terrifying at all! Anwyays, this episode continues the trend of making me scared of things I’m not initially scared of, yippee! It had great vibes as well, the weird shit in the attic was made to be as creepy as possible. Initially, I didn’t find this one to be too scary, and figured it was going to go in the direction of “music makes people feel kind of weird”. AND THEN JOSHUA GETS KILLED AND TURNED INTO A DOLL HELLO??!!! Like, I know he was kind of a toxic boyfriend, but DAMN, whatever was behind the calliope and the dolls did NOT have to go that far. (Also until the end I thought he might be Joshua Gillepsie, and like, I don’t care how toxic he is, but you do not dump a guy who bested an evil coffin with his freezer.) Outside of that, It was really cool to meet Sasha! I like her voice, and the introduction was quite funny. (Also, even as someone who has lived in England for over two years, and has a family that is 90% British, nothing hurt more that Jon’s “Americans”.) Lastly, I have a theory, which I like to call “Ringmaster? More like cult leader.” Because I’M SORRY, but you cannot convince me that a CIRCUS, called THE CIRCUS OF THE OTHER, which possessed a HAUNTED CALLIOPE ORGAN, is anything but a cult. (Watch me when I’m inevitably wrong lmao.)

I guess now is a better time than any to say that I’m kind of wondering if there’s an in-universe reason for the music in the background? I mean, considering that the whole framing device is Jon recording these statements, I have to wonder if there’s a reason for the noise we hear, especially with the worms in Ep. 22 and the music in Ep. 24.

- Episode 25, Growing Dark ⛪️

Statement of Mark Bilham, regarding events culminating in his visit to Hither Green Chapel.

HAHAHAHAHAHA!!! I LOVE BEING RIGHT!!! I saw the episode title and immediately assumed this would continue the lore of Episode 9, and I WAS SO RIGHT!!! (Also, I now just noticed that the PCOTDH’s symbol is a closed eye, while The Keay Family’s symbol is an open eye…my cult theory thickens…) Anyways, this was another very enjoyable episode! Firstly, even though it’s far from the first piece of media to do so, I though the way they portrayed a cult brainwashing someone when they’re most vulnerable was very well handled and pretty depressing. I also really enjoyed how the episode isn’t the most weird and paranormal on it’s own, but the knowledge of the connections to Ep. 9 makes us know that it DEFINITELY is, even when the characters in the story don’t. The episode was certainly very spooky, the description of the spinach and the dark church definitely got me. (Also my mom came into my room briefly and when she left she accidentally turned off the light and I nearly screamed.) There were also some really interesting plot threads set up here, like the chanting of the northern most human settlement in the world, the mention of “three hundred years waiting”, and I also wonder if “Mr. Pitch” is an alias for “Detective Rayner.” then…the ending. Holy shit. You know, maybe I DON’T need to know what happened to Gertrude….

Episode 26, A Distortion ☕️

Statement of Sasha James, assistant archivist at the Magnus Institute, London, regarding a series of paranormal sightings. Statement taken direct from subject.

I…what…I don’t even…we are so fucked. Ok, there’s a LOT going on here, but I’ll try my best to formulate my thoughts as clearly as possible. Firstly, this episode easily scared me the most so far, I agree with Jon when he says that the horrors being somewhat friendly is scarier than them being antagonistic, like HOLY SHIT this one was unnerving. But with that out of the way…uh…let’s talk about Sasha! She’s really cool, I like how her character gives us a lot more insight into what working in the archives is like for a fairly regular person (i say this because Jon is weird as fuck and Martin is too nice to be normal, and I mean that as kindly as possible). But…while I don’t necessarily doubt her status as the most level-headed person in the archives, I don’t think that’s saying much. Like, she saw a creepy guy with weird-ass hands who spoke in riddles and knew too much about her and her coworkers, and followed him into a dilapidated building, also she works at the council of ghost stories despite not liking horror. Like, no offense, I’m sure she’s overall an intelligent person, as are most people in the archives, but none of them are beating Joshua Gillepsie anytime soon (yes I’m still thinking about him.) But mentioning the guy with fucked up hands, WHO OR WHAT EVEN WAS THAT??!! I have very little ideas as to how this “Micheal” even connects to the greater picture. I know some people connected him to the mentions of the man with bones in his hands in Episode 8, but that honestly reminds me more of the Leitner in Episode 17. Outside of that, his name is quite interesting, I initially thought that he might be Micheal Crew, but given that Sasha doubts it being his real name, I have my suspicions (although it would give us a connection between this, the words in Episode 8, and The Boneturner’s Tale….hm….) However, I could absolutely see him being Micheal Keay, as he gives off enough ghost vibes to pass as him (and I’m assuming that if Gerard’s dead, Micheal is as well.) Also he is not described as having a Lichtenburg figure on him so…yeah. Lastly, we have the return of THE SEX WORMS. And as happy(?) as I am to see that The Magnus Archives, a podcast developed by RustyQuill.com, that is also licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License, is continuing it’s message of staying abstinent, all things considered, that was absolutely terrifying. I just LOVE the knowledge that the worms are a hive-mind and that Jane might not be the source, I LOVE THAT SO MUCH. In conclusion, I am probably going to sleep with a fire extinguisher tonight, and I am very scared for what the next 14 episodes have in store for me.

Also I guess I’ll mention Tim (the archival assistant, not the dead guy) here because why not. So far I’m getting major bastard energy from people’s descriptions of him, which means I will either love or hate him. Also I found it very funny but also kind of sad that Jon said he only trusts Tim to not prank him in Episode 11, and then he pulled a prank shortly before this statement took place.

- Episode 27, A Sturdy Lock 🔑

Statement of Paul McKenzie, regarding repeated nocturnal intrusions into his home.

Ok, after everything that happened in the last episode, it was nice to get a short and sweet one here. Well, as sweet as an episode of a horror podcast can be. Overall, this one isn’t my favorite, I thought it was a little bit under the standards of creativity for the show as a whole, but that’s obviously not saying much, as it was still pretty damn good in its own right. I think it was definitely very effective with its storytelling, and credit where credit is due, it certainly brought out my fear of weird noises in the middle of the night. And even if I can’t personally resonate with this aspect of it, I do really appreciate how it tackled the idea of mental illness at old age, and while I’d be surprised if the statement wasn’t real, considering where the show seems to be going, it did a very good job at planting seeds of doubt in my mind. But still, it was genuinely pretty crushing how Paul had no proof throughout the entire thing, along with how the cops treated him. It really did make me thing about what would have happened if he hadn’t washed the blood off his hands. It still had a creepy atmosphere, and the reveals at the end were pretty interesting, I hope they show us Marcus’ statement soon enough. Also, the aspect of loneliness in this one did remind me a lot of what happened in Episode 13, so I wonder if there’s some connection there. (Also, I love how I’m 27 episodes in and Jon is STILL roasting Gertrude’s organizational skills.) So while this one isn’t the most interesting for me, I still enjoyed it, and it was nice to have a slightly lighter one after Episode 26. I hope Sasha had a good few days off, she deserves it.

- Episode 28, Skintight 📷

Statement of Melanie King, regarding events at the abandoned Cambridge Military Hospital during filming in January 2015. Statement taken direct from subject.

WHOA THAT WAS SO GOOD!!! Ok, I feel like I should start off with my thoughts on the basic premise, as while those episode is certainly…not the most humorous in its execution, the premise itself kind of is. I don’t know why, but I just thought the idea of there being an in-universe competitor was a really fun concept that was executed perfectly here. It kind of reminds me of something like Hatchetfield and Clivesdale (I don’t know how many people reading this will understand that, but there seems to be overlap between TMA fans and Hatchetfield fans, and also like, shut up, let me indulge in my hyperfixations.) The bickering between Melanie and Jon was great, as was Melanie herself, I’d love to see her again as I think she oddly brought a lot to the world of the series. Although I will say that, while it doesn’t make me like him any less, Jon’s reluctance to buy into statements is a lot more frustrating when there’s another person in the room. I also absolutely love the fact that there’s an in-universe spooky podcast mentioned by name, like, come one, that’s genuinely hilarious. But comedic value aside, this one was definitely pretty creepy. In a similar vain to what Episode 23 was doing, the whole “young people enter creepy abandoned building to film stuff and then get genuinely scared” concept felt evocative of other classic horror stories, and the way they spun it into the context of the show was great. The atmosphere was definitely very creepy as well, as I have mentioned, hospitals creep me the fuck out. And lastly…oh my god, THE CONNECTIONS. So, I’ll start off by saying that all of the skin shit reminded me of what happened in Episode 18 (which I hope is true because I think some connections to other things would make me like that episode more). But that pales in comparison to the fact that we have stuff on THE ANGLERFISH, HOLY FUCK THE ANGLERFISH. I’m SO glad that they didn’t throw it away just because it was in the pilot episode. In retrospect, I think that the story of Episode 1 isn’t quite my favorite. It doesn’t really have to be, as I think the main draw of the episode is getting a first look at the framing device and general vibe of the entire podcast, but the stories didn’t really grab me until Episode 2, which is still one of my favorites. But MAN, this episode really made me appreciate the setup at the beginning so much more, and the knowledge that the people who walked into the alley didn’t necessarily die, meaning that all of those names could potentially come back, is SO exciting to me. In fact, when you consider that Sarah was kind of going through what looked like a possession, I wonder if The Anglerfish is a figure of worship in a cult, if that theory is to be true. (Also I have relatives that live in the same area as Sarah so…maybe I should tell them to watch out for their neighbor lmao.) So yeah, this…this show is just really freaking good.

Note: I have discovered the Leitner rant, and therefore I have achieved true enlightenment.

- Episode 29, Cheating Death ♟️

Statement of Nathaniel Thorp, regarding his own mortality.

I should start off by saying that I love the episode title for this, like, it’s not even metaphorical, the guy literally cheated in a game against death. Well, anyways, the main thing that caught me about the episode was how it absolutely blindsided me. While I was right about the soldier being the same as the statement giver, which I think was supposed to be obvious, everything else in those last six or so minutes left me with a wide-open jaw. (Also, can I just say that I love how poetic this guy just…decided to be? Like, I just love it when the statements really show of personalities with the way they’re written, and it comes with a cool framing device.) Regardless, I initially assumed that it was going in a very traditional line. Nathaniel cheats death, becomes immortal, and regrets it in modern day because he’s lived longer that he really should have. That, combined with the fact that “Death” didn’t seem like the one of the more creative horror monsters in the show so far, had me so prepared to just write this one off as one of my least favorites (once again, not like that’s saying much.) And then the twist comes and HOLY SHIT I WAS WRONG. The idea of there basically being multiple grim reapers at the hands of some unknowable power, who have to gain successors to finally die themselves is absolutely terrifying and extremely clever. I tip my hat to you Rusty Quill, you did a great job at fooling me. Kind of funny considering how this is a story about being punished for your hubris (which seems to be a recurring theme???) I have a few other small thoughts as well. Firstly, I can’t help but shake the feeling that Nathaniel Thorp was an actual revolutionary war soldier, but I can’t find anything online other than the character from this episode. Also, the fact that his fate remains unknown makes me think he’ll show up again, as it seems weird to NOT end the story with confirmation of his death, given the themes. Secondly, a lot of the…less than pleasant imagery here definitely reminded me of Piecemeal and The Boneturner’s Tale. I don’t remember the story inside that Leitner very well, but I might check just in case there’s any parallels between it and this statement. (Update: Not really.) And finally, I was just a little bit intrigued by the fact that we learn no one who was working at the institute in 1972 works there anymore. It’s probably nothing, but given the mysteries surrounding Gertrude’s death, I’m just a little suspicious, both in general, and of Elias because he’s still around. Overall this episode went hard, I’m still kind of stunned by what it pulled off.

Jane Prentiss statement…save me…save me Jane Prentiss statement…

- Episode 30, Killing Floor 🍖

Statement of David Laylow, regarding his time working at an industrial abattoir near Dalton.

You know what, Jon is right, there’s a lot of meat in this show. Not that I’m complaining, I mean, it does fuel my obsession with connecting the dots between statements. Regardless, while this isn’t among my favorite episodes so far, I still had a good time with it. The reason it’s not one of my favorites is purely personal, as I don’t do too well with animal violence. Like, as much as I do really appreciate how viscerally Jonny Sims can describe the statements, I will admit that the opening minutes describing the slaughter house made me more uneasy than the actual horror, and not in a particularly fun way, but it was overall fine. Speaking of the actual horror, that was actually pretty good. The endless hallways lined with doors that lead to precarious situations also kind of tapped into a personal fear of mine, but in a more fun and digestible way. And while the idea of “imagine humans being slaughtered like animals” is something I’ve seen many a time before, it was still much more well executed than many other interpretations of the idea (*cough cough*, peta) and there were also plenty of other interesting themes and ideas, like how the episode touched on the inherent horror of working in a job as gruesome as the killing floor, being enslaved to said job, and the idea that maybe we’re all just walking sacks of meat in the end, and nothing more. As for some other thoughts, I was definitely creeped out by Tom Han, I’m not sure whether or not he’s someone who spreads ✨the horrors✨or someone affected by ✨the horrors✨, and his sudden disappearance was certainly…odd. On top of that, it’s admittedly haunting to know that there’s still creepy stuff going on at the slaughter house, and that this isn’t something that happened to David, and only David. Overall, a pretty good episode, I don’t have much to say about it, but it was a fun time overall.

Tim…save me…save me Tim…

Well, if you’ve made it this far, thank you so much for reading! Genuinely means the world to me when there are people willing to listen to me ramble about my horrible (affectionate) interests lmao. I should have my thoughts on the final episodes of Season 1 out in due time, and while I’m sure it’s obvious, I’m absolutely hooked on this podcast. It absolutely has the potential to become one of my favorite things ever if the overarching plot becomes more involved and this is coming from someone who up until now, wasn’t all that gripped by podcasts. While I’m a little sad that I’m as late to the party as I am, then I remembered “oh yeah, I was in elementary school when this horrifying series came out”, and I’m also hopeful that I’ll be able to be around for The Magnus Protocol while it’s airing (I know it premieres in like a week but still.) Anyways, thanks for reading and hopefully you’ll be around for my thoughts on the next batch :)

[kennymcmann]

My fanfic, Alchemical, based on the world and characters of the All Souls Trilogy is up on AO3!

If you have the time and interest, please check it out!

[adarafaelbarba]

What would happen if their mate died/was killed:

Not including Ysabeau, Miriam and Fernando as they’ve already lost their mate ❤️ but I’m including ocs for Baldwin, Gallowglass and Hancock 🥰

Matthew: He would let the world burn to find whoever killed Diana. And he’d make it hurt, getting his revenge. There’s nowhere her killer can hide. Even if the death was accidental. Matthew wouldn’t care, all he’d care about would be to find and end the person, his blood rage taking over his entire mind, fogging any sort of consciousness or better judgement. And at the end he might want to join her.

Diana: If Matthew was killed, you’d better pray you can fight Diana. Seeing what she did to Benjamin, she wouldn’t spare you, whether or not she’ll make it hurt depends though. You might get lucky and she’ll just kill you, like with Benjamin—or she’ll drag it out.

Baldwin: There’s no place on heaven or earth in which you’ll be saved. This man is skilled in killing, and in strategizing said killing. He will kill first and grieve second. 

Nora (oc): If you wonder how Philippe suffered, you should stay away from Baldwin as long as Nora is in his life. Should he die, you’d wish your own end would come swiftly. She will make it hurt, but wouldn’t kill you, just break you, bit by bit, until there’s nothing left.

Delphie (oc): She will call on Zeus, Hades and any God or Goddess who would listen, begging for Baldwin to be returned. When that doesn’t work, she’ll want revenge. And it will be painful for the ones at fault. At the end they would want it to just be over with.

Minerva (oc): She’s lost a husband before. But loosing Baldwin might be what actually kills her. She wouldn’t be able to go through the loss again. Whether it was back in their own time, or during present times, she would follow him into death without a second thought.

Gallowglass: This man might be a big teddy bear, but should you cross him, you’d better be good at hiding. And if you kill his mate — Oh BOI! This man never really gets mad, but he will quickly let his anger take control, and kill you in an instant, no hesitation.

Lyra (Julie’s oc): She wouldn’t be able to process it, the grief hitting her harder than either of her parent’s death (might have to do with her parents death being self-inflicted, even if they were accidental). If Gallowglass gets killed, she would never recover, bringing the grief with her to the grave. No flowers will ever grow again from her magic, depending on her strength, she might even stop practicing magic all together.

Catriona (oc): She would be inconsolable, turning to her dad and Fernando for support and guidance, unsure what to do, wishing she could get him back. She’ll hit the depressed part of grief pretty fast, and has to get help doing the most basic things.

Marcus: Our token healer would switch to a cold blooded killer should his mate get killed. He definitely protects those he loves, to the very end. Don’t cross him. He knows ways to kill and make it look like an accident, a suicide or in some cases, the body will never be found, just a note stating said person had run away to be with someone. 

Phoebe: If it’s human!Phoebe, she’d bargain, trying to sacrifice herself so he could live. If it’s vampire!Phoebe, specifically newly turned Phoebe, you should be careful, she’ll drain you before you can stop to think. 

Hancock: Like Gallowglass, Davy is a gentle giant, but cross him and it would be the last thing you do. If you kill his mate he’ll let you bleed, feeding, stopping, feeding again, to drag it out until you die from blood loss.

Annie (kinda oc): She’ll go through all five stages of grief. Not sure what to do to change the outcome. She wants justice, sure, but doesn’t think it’s right to sink to the killer’s level by killing them. Someone else would probably do the killing in her honor.

Valeria (oc): She’s not nicknamed the Bloody Mary of Barbados for no reason. Wrong her and you’ll be dead within hours, and that’s a promise. You think her maker was bad, Val learnt from the worst, watching the ways Louisa made others suffer. She’ll make it painful, and dragged out.

Patience (kinda oc): Patience definitely does not live up to her name. If you cross her she will not be patience with you. She’ll have your head and/or blood before you have a second to think. She might not have blood rage, but she does have some underlying anger issues that would have come both from her father’s years of abuse while they was human, and from watching her family suffer after Matthew and Juliette killed most of her nieces and nephews. Kill her mate, and you’ll be 6ft below in no time.

Ransome: This man might look calm, and scarily so. He’s already lost so much from his grandfather and Juliette paying New Orleans a visit. So should you take out his mate/life partner, you better write your will and get your affairs in order, because judgement day is close.

Jaqueline (kinda oc): She’s a kind, soft spirit. That being said, she’s got a unique gift only a limited amount of vampires have, that and a very close friendship to some of the strongest witches and vampires in New Orleans. Jackie might not be the one to kill the ones who killed her mate, but if you cross her, you’d wish she was the one delivering the blow.

Benoit (Julie’s oc): Ben is very much his father’s son. Born, raised and reborn a soldier, he’s a skilled fighter and killer. Should you have the misfortune of killing his mate, you might find yourself in an old, abandoned castle real fast, with some medieval torture methods waiting for you. Like Baldwin, Benoit will kill you first and then grieve second, heck, even join her in death if he can.

Amelia (Julie’s oc): Amelia has a heart of gold, she would never hurt anyone. She’d go through the five stages of grief, but instead of acceptance, she’d join her mate in the afterlife, knowing without him there’s no sense in going on with life. He’s her whole world, and as she can’t avenge his death, she’ll join him instead. That being said though, if she looses her mate you better run—Miyako is not as forgiving as her sister-in-law.

Verin: It’s inevitable that he will die. Ernst isn’t exactly getting younger. But should his death be unexpected, or rushed…if Ernst is robbed of his end, Verin will tear the person who did it into pieces. 

Ernst: He thinks the world of his never aging wife. Should she meet the end, especially in his old age, he wouldn’t be far behind in joining her. The grief would be too hard on his heart, after all he’s loved her for years. 

Pierre: His heart would simply break, shattering into a milion pieces. In simple terms, his life would be over, he’d leave Sept Tours, and the de Clermont family, unsure of what to do with himself. Pierre loves with his entire being. He thinks the world of his mate, and without her, to him life has no more meaning. He wouldn’t get revenge though, that would be all Gallowglass and Jack’s doing. His «sons» would do it for him knowing he wouldn’t hurt anyone (unless for feeding) because it’s not what his wife would’ve wanted.

Hyacinth (oc): Being a somewhat «public» figure, Hyacinth know’s she can’t kill his killer, not that she would’ve know how to. She would lock herself away, grieving until she had no more tears to spill, and then she would just lay there, wasting away until she can be with her love again. Like with Pierre, someone else would get revenge for her, but would make sure it wouldn’t come back to hurt her or her family’s reputation. It would either be Jack and Gallowglass or Matthew, heck even Francoise, the older woman adores Hyacinth.

~~~

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