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douglysium · 1 year

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What would Avatars of the Extinction be like?: A TMA Speculation

Intro

Extreme spoilers for the Magnus Archives. If you haven’t heard it and want to hear it, it’s a horror podcast that can be listened to on Youtube(https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AdiUHYacaRI&list=PLSbuB1AyaJk-GJV4d3AdvBMJHYiXUEDfI&ab_channel=RustyQuillPodcasts). If you want to read this article in the form of a google docs you can do so here(What would Avatars of the Extinction be like?: A TMA Speculation).

I’m going to be honest. I’m a little late to the Magnus Archives party, and I’m about to be even later because of how long it usually takes for me to write these articles. However, I desperately need more people to talk with in regards to my thoughts and speculations about TMA and none of my friends listen to the podcast, so this is the closest thing to a healthy outlet I’m going to get for that. It also just so happens that the Magnus Protocol was announced for next year during the writing of this article.

Anyways, One topic that has basically every TMA fan’s brain gears turning is the titular “entities” or the “dread powers.” Especially, when it comes to the emerging of a new entity known as the Extinction, or Great Change. Part of the reason it sticks so deep into every TMA fan’s subconscious is because the audience sees so little of it due to the fact that it never fully emerged by the time the podcast ended, and even then it’s still questionable how much of it we actually saw. We know very little about it and it’s possible that it didn’t yet have enough power to create any avatars or monsters that could hint at, or potentially explain(well explain as much as you can with entities beyond human comprehension born from our collective conscious and unconscious fears) any aspects of its nature. However, we do see a domain aligned with the Extinction in the post-apocalyptic fear hellscape that was created after the Great Change. Which confirms that it at the very least existed in some capacity. But we still don’t know for sure if it was on the same level as the other fears or would even have gotten there if given enough time. As we all know, these domains are meant to feed their respective fears, so this domain does give us some insight into the Extinction(even if it’s not very much). This leaves a lot of how the Extinction could manifest up to the imagination of the viewers, something that has inspired me to make this article. So in this article, I will theorize about what the Extinction’s avatars and monsters might look and act like if it ever fully emerged and talk about some of the symbology and traits I think might be associated with it. But first, we need to get a couple of things out of the way.

Defining the Extinction

Like with all the dread powers, there’s not really a way for me to create a definition that cleanly defines everything said entity embodies. All the fears have so much overlap and endless amounts of nuances and tangents regarding the fear they embody. However, there is still a rough idea for each fear, what they relate to, and some commonly recurring themes in what they embody. Plus, I kind of NEED to define the Extinction or else everyone is going to be asking stuff like “Um, this sounds like it would just be under the domain of the End” or something. Which, don’t get me wrong, it’s a good question. I just need to make sure I address it, or else this article isn’t going to go anywhere.

So what does the Extinction probably feed on and embody? Well, it's kind of on the tin for the most part. The fear of going extinct. Google defines an extinction as ”(of a species, family, or other group of animals or plants) having no living members; no longer in existence, and the process of a particular thing ceasing to exist.” I’ve seen some people argue that this sounds like it would just be an aspect of the End, which is a reasonable point but I have several thoughts on that matter. First, as Gerard Keay pointed out in statement 111, the fears are like colors in the sense that sometimes they are divided somewhat arbitrarily due to the fact that the human mind and our respective fears and emotions can also be arbitrary. We treat light red as pink but if something is sky blue or baby blue we just refer to it as some form of blue instead. Even though we probably should refer to pink as “baby red” or “light red” or something more often. Still, this isn’t the most satisfactory answer for a lot of people, so here are some other perspectives. Sure dying is one thing but I would argue the fear of extinction is a distinct enough fear. It’s one thing if you die, or even 100 people die, but imagine all of humanity goes extinct. Imagine honey bees going extinct or apples being wiped off the face of the Earth. One could argue that since it still involves dying it should fall under the purview of the End. However, this applies to a lot of the fears and it is even stated that none of fears can be completely separated from each other because they are inextricably linked to each other, and also blend together a lot. Couldn’t the fear of what’s in the Dark often just be grouped in with the fear of the unknown with the Stranger? The Eye is stated to feed off the fear of being followed but doesn’t the very act of being hunted and chased typically involve the fear of being followed even if it’s supposed to feed the Hunt? Doesn’t the pain, destruction, and suffering caused by the Desolation almost completely overlap with the pain, violence, and suffering the Slaughter feeds on. Meanwhile, the Web and Buried both have themes of being trapped. Yes, the Buried tends to revolve around being trapped physically and the Web also revolves around manipulation but both entities also have themes of being metaphorically trapped. Not to mention so many of the powers threaten to kill you as a form of creating fear anyway. For example, being bloodily murdered could easily embody the Slaughter, Desolation, Hunt, Flesh, and End all at the same time while the fear of being crushed to death could sustain the Buried and the End, the fear of catching a fatal disease could feed both the Corruption and End, the fear of falling to your death could be attributed to both the Vast and the End, the fear of war could feed the Slaughter, Desolation and End, and so on and so forth. I mean the Flesh is literally feeding off the fear of being slaughtered and consumed, and not just body horror and dysphoria, but I haven’t seen anyone argue that because it involves killing it shouldn’t be its own entity. It is even pointed out by Jurgen Leitner in MAG 80 that it's not usually about what imagery, action, or object specifically is being used by an entity to gather fear but rather how it’s being used. Don’t get caught up in the what but the why. If supernatural bones are being used it could be to remind you of your death and mortality and/OR your flesh being harvested and devoured. Sure, maybe the entities use death a lot as a way to create fear but it's important to look out at how they use it. A bloody violent death is probably attempting to feed the Slaughter, while someone threatening to maim and devour you is probably trying to feed the Flesh. In this regard, I would argue that the Extinction is potentially distinct enough, while also having enough of a widespread fear in its own right to have an argument made for standing on its own. And simply overlapping with other existing fears doesn’t discount its credibility or concept immediately. Trying to think of the fears as completely and utterly distinct and separate beings that have little to no overlap is a losing battle and will only warp what little understanding we as the audience may have of them. It is also possible for certain kinds of human fears to feed both the End and the Extinction. The idea that every human on Earth might be wiped out in a devastating nuclear catastrophe could easily be right up the alley of the End, Extinction, and Slaughter.

But before we go on, what are some of the other fears the Extinction may embody? I mean yeah the Flesh feeds off the fear of being killed for meat but also body dysphoria and body horror. The Eye is the fear of being watched but also being followed, etc. We already defined one fear as “(of a species, family, or other group of animals or plants) having no living members” but I think there are a couple of other kinds of fears that could contribute to the Extinction. One is the fear of just things in general no longer existing. Maybe that old technology you were so attached to is all destroyed or thrown out, maybe a technique your family spent years perfecting is forgotten, or maybe that language with deep roots to your history and land is in danger of being forgotten forever or wiped out. Here we can see potential fears relating to the Extinction that don’t just involve the death of an entire species or the fear of global warming killing all of humanity. These kinds of fears also more clearly set it apart from the other entities, such as the End. Another potential fear that could theoretically feed the Extinction can be interpreted from one of its other names, “The Terrible Change.” This could just refer to extinctions themselves being massive changes but also points to a potential connection to a fear of(an often catastrophic) change. Something that actually goes pretty well with some of my previous examples of things falling out of fashion, becoming obsolete, replaced, or going extinct. This theme of change is actually pretty explicit in TMA itself. First, the Extinction has a couple other names, those being “The Future Without Us,” and “The World Is Always Ending” which further reinforce its themes of negative change. Where the End tends to focus on just dying or y’know the end of a life, the Extinction has more of a focus on what comes after something has been removed or added to the picture and what the future may look like because of that. The world will still be around but will be fucked up or be worse off, maybe even irreparably so. In MAG 134, “Time of Revelation,” Adelard Dekker says this in regards to his theory about the power “But now the fear is not of a rapture or a revelation. It is of catastrophic change. Mankind will warp the world so much it kills us all, and leaves only a thousand years of plastic behind. Technology will strip us of what it means to be human, and leave us something alien and cold. We will press a button that in a moment will destroy everything we have ever been. Animals are witnessing the end of their entire species within a single generation.” This makes it pretty clear to me that similar to say the Flesh, Slaughter, and Desolation, the Extinction has more aspects to it than just death or dying. Another of the more obvious Extinction themes is the end of the world or an apocalypse of some sort. This can be seen in MAG 144 where the strange numbers Gary Boylan receives on his phone can apparently be deciphered using a Polybius square to mean “THE WORLD IS ALWAYS ENDING.”

Thinking about Some of the Similarities and Differences Between the Other Entities

As mentioned earlier, I’ve seen a lot of people just assume the Extinction has to fall under one of the other dread powers. It is also important that I draw attention to some of the noticeable similarities and differences from the types of fear and symbolism the Extinction might feed on and use in order to better understand how a theoretical Extinction avatar, artifact, or creature might work.

The Buried, The Dark, The Eye, The Hunt, The Flesh, The Spiral, and The Web- These are all in the same category because, honestly, I can’t think of that many massive similarities they did or could have outside of very specific types of world-ending or extinction event apocalypse imagery. I guess in fairness to the Hunt there have been plenty of creatures that have been hunted to extinction and since the Flesh is the fear of being butchered and/or consumed it could also overlap with a similar theme of being eaten or hunted to extinction, and maybe there’s an argument for overlap in being trapped or destined for a seemingly unavoidable and terrible future/fate that cannot be avoided with the Buried or even the Web. If you want to lean into the Extinction’s theme of change you could also focus on many different dystopias. For example, the Extinction and the Eye may overlap in imagery regarding a dystopian future society/world where people are under constant surveillance or uncover some sort of cursed/forbidden knowledge.

The Corruption- This is one of the entities that had its influence directly compared to that of the Extinction and was held up as an explanation for possible Extinction related events that may have actually just been the Corruption. I think things like plagues, rotting corpses, and zombies are all well-known apocalyptic scenarios that could probably fall pretty evenly in the imagery of both entities given the Corruption’s connection to rot and disease. As for differences, the Corruption is basically the fear of things we find disgusting and would probably lean more into that aspect(i.e. rot, decay, pandemics, diseases, parasites, etc.) while the Extinction could lean more into the raw destructive aspects of the things that harm or destroy various species or the entire world. Such as how pollution and disease can destroy or permanently alter the environment. how they can change people and things into something else(like zombies or mutants) or focus more on killing people on a mass scale. In essence, it could focus more on the raw destruction or paradigm shift brought about by those things. It would also probably usually lack the whole “toxic love” and unhealthy relationships the Corruption often has, and have less focus on just being disgusting. On top of that, disease and rot are not the only things that can cause extinctions or massive change and thus the Extinction could probably also manifest as other less traditionally disgusting things, and would honestly probably do so more often. I would argue that the Corruption’s overlap simply comes down to specific forms of extinctions or apocalyptic events overall. The Extinction also tends to have more technology-based imagery than the more organic(such as disease and worms) imagery the Corruption is more prone to use. This makes sense when you consider the fact that things like diseases, bacteria, and parasites are all alive as well as the fact that if something is rotting things like bacteria and mold(which are living things) often accompany it.

The Desolation- I feel like the Extinction and Desolation would have a lot of overlapping imagery because things like being driven to extinction or the world ending often go hand and hand with destruction, loss, and pain. Think of things like nuclear wars, super volcano eruptions, or maybe even meteorites destroying the lives and well-being of everyone on the planet. The Desolation seems to often influence things in the form of heat and sometimes fire, as it is even described as being like "blackened earth, the destructive agonizing heat of burning flesh and land scoured of life, the light with the comfort of fire stripped from it, leaving nothing but the terror of its approach." by Jude Perry in MAG 89. I think the main difference would be that the Extinction is going to more often be focused on the idea of things being completely wiped out or rendered redundant or unneeded and that doesn’t always need to manifest as raw destruction. It could simply be something going out of fashion or being lost to time. As I said, Extinction could potentially also have themes of change and replacement or becoming obsolete since it isn’t necessarily just about destruction.

The End- I don’t think the similarities here need much explanation since the End and the Extinction are compared by fans all the time and are directly compared to each other in the podcast itself, and it goes without saying that in order for living things to go extinct they usually need to all die. It is even speculated within TMA by Adelard Dekker that the Extinction may have been an aspect of the End and/or Corruption originally but split off when enough people generated the corresponding fears for the Extinction. This ties in with how we know that the dread powers are known to split off or emerge from other entities when the fear of something reaches a certain level or becomes distinct enough. Which in turn ties into the fact that all the entities are sort of connected and are actually just parts of a much bigger entity. While both the End and Extinction probably overlap heavily and often with themes and imagery regarding death, the Extinction has more of what comes after something dies and a more technological and artificial component to it. Something that makes sense when you consider that while death can and does often occur artificially it is ultimately a natural force that can never really be truly avoided. Even if someone isn’t shot or drowned they will still eventually die. When it comes to the End, the fear is more on just dying or the inevitability of death and the end of your life, but the Extinction focuses on the death of an entire species and often what comes after the fact on top of that. You’re not just dying, all of humanity is going to die or maybe even get replaced by something. Even if humanity is driven extinct the world continues to turn. As mentioned earlier the Extinction could also have more fear and imagery regarding change and replacement in general and not just death. So the extinction could easily extend more so to non-living things than the End tends to. Also, the Extinction tends to use symbols of the end of the world or the apocalypse with things like Apophis and Jörmungandr while the End tends to use things like the grim reaper, and psychopomps(the spiritual guide of a living person's soul) and it has a habit of granting people forms of immortality so they can continue to fear death for as long as possible, and I feel like the Extinction is less likely to do that. Interesting note, Apophis would later have an asteroid named after it(asteroid 99942 Apophis). This is because said asteroid is a near-Earth asteroid that could really fuck things up if it ever manages to hit our planet. However, there is no need to start bringing in the newest dread power into full fruition just yet because that asteroid still has an extraordinarily low chance of hitting anything and I’m not an avatar of the Extinction who gains sustenance from giving people heart attacks. Well… not yet anyway. I could also maybe see an overlap in the emphasis on bones with the End and the Flesh due to an association with fossils, bones, death, and extinct creatures. I think in the Extinction’s case it would probably tend to be more fossil-based as a way to remind you of long bygone eras.

The Lonely- I think this is another one of those fears that has an obvious connection because of the imagery the Extinction likes to use. A good way to show something going extinct is by showing places where that thing is no longer around to inhabit or hang out in. So if you are a human being touched by the Extinction and you get pulled into a place where the rest of humanity has apparently ceased to exist then it would give off the vibe of being completely and utterly alone. However, I imagine the Extinction would use way less fog, rain, and mist imagery than the Lonely unless it was tied to some sort of apocalypse or great change. The Extinction would probably have more smog, and pollution just to remind us how badly humanity managed to fuck both itself and an entire planet over. The dread power would probably still make use of more monsters or creatures being present than the Lonely typically does since there are plenty of apocalypses or extinction events that have weird mutants, robots, animals. aliens, etc. Plus, it would probably tend to have way more dead bodies lying around than the Lonely, as the Lonely doesn’t use as much death imagery as the End, Slaughter, or Desolation unless it wants to let you know you’re probably going to die alone.

The Slaughter- I ended up giving the Slaughter here its own section because I feel like a massive bloody conflict or war is a common enough form of apocalyptic imagery to warrant at least mentioning some of the potential overlap here in its own section. Outside of how violence, pain, and war may signify the end of the world or an extinction level conflict I really don’t see a lot of overlap outside of that. Nuclear weapons could easily work as imagery for both the Extinction and Slaughter. Since it is a weapon that was first used during a World War to inflict violence on a previously unimaginable scale, many fear the power of nukes as something that could easily end the world or wipe out humanity.

The Stranger- The Stranger is another one of the entities that has been directly compared to the Extinction. Specifically with how both powers often use man made or artificial imagery and themes of being replaced and/or changed(as mentioned in “MAG 149: Concrete Jungle”). I think there are some key differences even with this major overlap. The Stranger deals specifically with the fear of the unknown. So when something aligned with the Stranger larps as your grandpa by wearing his skin the fear more so comes from not only the fact that this person has been replaced but you have no idea who the new person is or what they want. The Stranger also has a strong connection to artificial objects and creations due to the fact that it also embodies the fear of the uncanny valley(which according to google is “a phenomenon whereby a computer-generated figure or humanoid robot bearing a near-identical resemblance to a human being arouses a sense of unease or revulsion in the person viewing it”). Which I assume relates to the idea that you can’t quite tell if something is human or not and that uncertainty leads into the unknown, i.e. your brain does not know what it’s looking at. In this regard I feel like the Extinction could be somewhat differentiated due to the fear being more focused on the act of changing itself or the end of something in particular. So you might be more likely to recognize whatever has been changed or replaced by the Extinction or at least the fear created would be more related to your time/era coming to an end and the like. The Extinction would also of course have more apocalyptic imagery and probably rely less on the uncanny valley.

The Vast- I feel like the Vast is actually one of the entities that could have a more “positive” or symbiotic relationship with Extinction, kind of like how the Lonely and the Eye or the Lonely and the Vast can often supplement each other because according to John in “MAG 159: The Last”- “The Lonely and the Eye aren’t too far apart, are they? Not really. What good’s being alone if you don’t know how alone you truly are?”. In regards to the second example, Peter Lukas points out that it is easier to feel utterly alone in a large place. Where does the connection between the Vast and Extinction come in? Well, the Vast ultimately embodies the fear of insignificance or really big things. This can be literal in the form of great heights or massive entities beyond human comprehension but it can also be metaphorical. The idea that you mean nothing and having your entire species or group wiped off the Earth could be even less than a fucking speck on the cosmic scale could definitely feed into that insignificance. Simon Fairchild, an avatar of the Vast, doesn’t seem that concerned with what the Extinction will or won’t do precisely because he views everything as insignificant anyway. To him, whether or not humanity lives or dies is ultimately a meaningless blip in the grand scheme of things that changes very little. I think the Vast would still lean way more into the imagery of falling, massive oceans, and the sky a lot more than the Extinction would though.

Abilities, Powers and Attributes

With some of the differences between the other fear entities narrowed down we can begin to discuss some of the powers, abilities, attributes, symbols, etc. that the Extinction either has manifested as or could manifest as. Before I continue it’s important to remember that when it comes to symbols and powers all the entities can really manifest as just about anything as long as it helps produce the fear they feed on. Now the entities tend to rely on certain symbols more than others to get the job done(like the Desolation with fire and heat and the Web with strings, addiction, and spiders) but no entity has a monopoly on any given symbol. Thinking of the End as “the bone one” and the Vast as “the sky one” misunderstands how the entities work and limits one’s understanding of their true horror and scope. When it comes to avatars and monsters, while each Avatar can have any number of abilities and powers based on all kinds of factors their powers usually symbolically connect to their entity. For example, if one is an avatar of the Eye/Beholding their abilities will typically revolve around eyes, espionage, knowing things, forcing other people to know things, or having ways of gaining information and/or knowledge. Meanwhile, the powers of say the Dark will often revolve around… well darkness, shadows and things that may lurk within them. So we can at least get a general sense for what kind of abilities being aligned with the Extinction may grant even if two avatars for even the same dread power can have wildly different powers. I’m making a list to give a general vibe of a hypothetical Extinction aligned creature or person’s abilities and not some hard rule like “These are exactly the only 15 different powers an Extinction avatar could have.” Also, there’s going to be an obvious limitation in that I really doubt that even an Avatar of the Extinction could single handedly end the world with nothing but their own powers without some sort of weird ritual or the most insane teamwork known to man.

We haven’t seen much of the Extinction but we do know based on what we have seen of it that it tended to manifest as man made objects, typically things like pollution, debris, trash and other things that can remind humans of the damage we are dealing to the planet, creatures we are wiping out, and the potential doom we may face in a future where we don’t exist. Out of all the powers the Extinction seemed to use technology symbolism the most as it has manifested as numbers being sent from a strange signal. The entity was also seen manifesting as mutants in a postapocalyptic domain after the change. It also tends to use any imagery that can be used to get across the destruction or wiping out of humanity or the destruction/breakdown of nature and the natural order. It has also manifested with imagery relating to world ending creatures from mythology(such as Apophis and Jörmungandr from Egyptian and Scandinavian mythology respectively). I think this imagery could theoretically extend to things like metamorphosis and shed skin. While yes there are the previously mentioned world ending snakes one of the most notable features of snakes is their ability to shed their skin. Shedding skin can and has been used as imagery for change or growth which I feel could work really well with the Extinction. Metamorphosis also fulfills a similar role and could rope in imagery like that of butterflies and moths.

As for even more hypothetical or fan-theory based ways I personally think the Extinction might have manifested if it was a fully fledged entity is through clocks and ticking/tocking noises. Now this may seem like a weird and confusing hypothesis but let me introduce you to the concept of the Doomsday Clock. What is the Doomsday Clock? Well as the wikipedia article states “The Doomsday Clock is a symbol that represents the likelihood of a man-made global catastrophe, in the opinion of the members of the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists. Maintained since 1947, the clock is a metaphor for threats to humanity from unchecked scientific and technological advances. A hypothetical global catastrophe is represented by midnight on the clock, with the Bulletin's opinion on how close the world is to one represented by a certain number of minutes or seconds to midnight, assessed in January of each year. The main factors influencing the clock are nuclear risk and climate change.” If that doesn’t scream potential Extinction imagery I don’t know what does. I think the clock also ties in very well with the Extinction’s theme of change and being the “The Terrible Change.” What better way is there to remind people of an incoming change than something that measures the passage of time? It could also be used to represent the inevitable end of humanity approaching. I’m sure everyone can relate to the anxiety of an upcoming event and just watching the clock in anticipation and fear.

I would also argue that for a similar reason this symbolism would extend to hour-glasses. Also, apparently an hour glass is also used as a symbol to represent the threat of a mass extinction event caused by humanity. So there is definitely a lot of potential time imagery there.

With those symbols nailed down we can use them to guess what kind of broad categories the abilities the Extinction grants would usually fall under.

The first is abilities regarding various forms of technology. I imagine this would often take the form of being able to incorporate technology into their bodies in various ways to lean into the Extinction’s themes of change and replacing humanity both metaphorically and/or literally. This could also extend to even being able to understand and maybe even potentially control various forms of technology to a degree. It is also not out of the question that some might even be able to change one or more parts of their body into machinery. Imagine cutting someone open only to find that their “weak and outdated fleshy organs” were being replaced with new strange technology. I feel like these ideas could apply to any technology to a degree but would probably most often relate to aspects of weapons of mass destruction(think of radiation from nuclear bombs or a nuclear holocaust). It would be unsurprising to see avatars of the Extinction who have become more machine or metal than human, or what was once human anyway. Replacing limbs with things like metal cables, eyes with camera, and skin with leather. You could also lean into a Mad Max style vibe if you really wanted to as a way to really hammer in the apocalypse energy.

The second hypothetical ability relates to mutations and change or being replaced. I imagine that when these abilities relate to organic things they often have to do with mutations. Either inflicting some sort of mutation on the user or a victim that causes the affected to undergo monstrous physical changes that are usually supposed to “improve” or change them in horrific ways. These mutations would usually cause the person with them to become less and less human and more like a monster straight out of a post apocalyptic story. Some avatars could probably return to a form that resembles their human selves in order to hide in plain sight, even if a lot of them probably could have a lot of off putting inhuman features even when in human form. I could also see some sort of mutation-esque ability revolving around extinct lifeforms in some way. For example, maybe trapping someone in the body of an extinct lifeform being killed or just unleashing the “wrath and fear” of creatures that are about to go extinct or have gone extinct(such as a wooly mammoth or dinosaur). I can also see weird change or mutation abilities relating to technology. I already pitched being able to do things like incorporate technology into one’s body but maybe there exist avatars who could impart pieces of themselves onto certain forms of technology in order to either control the technology or transform it into something else entirely. Maybe sometimes it would be an odd assortment of flesh and metal and at other times it would transform into a piece of technology that seemingly shouldn’t exist. I could also see some having the ability to simply treat technology like it's alive. As if they can talk to it and occasionally one could see things like computers thrashing about in an attempt to come to life or phones calling out with distorted voices reading out numbers and messages. This also ties into the fear a lot of people have about being replaced by technology. Whether that be the more fantastical robot uprising or the more grounded idea of automation rendering your job unnecessary or obsolete.

As alluded to earlier with the whole clock and hour-glass theme, I could also see a sort of passage of time theme. Now since the Extinction is all about things changing I really doubt it could say rewind time, time travel back through time, or anything of the sort but I could see it accelerating how time flows around specific targets to make things age and wither away as they become obsolete in seconds. It could even have ways to slow down time in order to force someone to experience the world changing and moving on without them as they and their knowledge becomes obsolete. Or maybe they are just forced to watch the world they know and love die in various ways around them. I could also potentially see this extending to some sort of ability to speed up time to make things erode or age to rubble and/or dust in order to show the inevitability of change and how time continues to march on. Likewise, I think there would also be cases where the Extinction or one of its avatars/monsters can mess with one’s perception of time by either slowing it down and/or speeding it up to mess with how they experience change. A neat aesthetic for this could be the tick tocking of a supposed doomsday clock that fills some with dread and/or a feeling of inevitability and maybe even simply drives them mad as they are constantly reminded of each second passing. Imagine a book/Leitner that as you read it time around you seems to move faster and faster until before you know it the entire world around you has completely and utterly changed into something alien and scary.

I think fossils are also associated with extinction heavily enough for there to be an argument for abilities and symbology regarding fossils to be present in the Extinction’s influences. There might be books that once read slowly reduce you to a fossilized husk or Avatars with the ability to turn organic material into fossils within seconds via touch. Imagine creatures composed of fossilized remains of all the bones of each species humanity had a hand in driving to extinction.

Finally, another more obvious ability the Extinction could bestow are those revolving around common factors that cause extinction events. I did a tiny bit of research(so feel free to add to this list) and some of the most common ones are overharvesting of natural resources, pollution, habitat destruction, the introduction of invasive species, overhunting, etc. I feel like messing around with themes of invasive species and overhunting can get really interesting when you involve humans. I mean think about what kind of weird fucked up shit an invasive species would need to be to threaten driving humans to extinction. Such beings could easily seem alien or maybe even godlike. The pollution could manifest as living globs of oil, sludge, smog and other things deadly to almost every lifeform and one could see avatars that leak disgusting cancerous oil from the pores of their body or cry polluted water that is more potent and destructive than any sort of acid rain. Overharvesting could be represented via a form of endless hunger. Like an avatar who feels the burning desire to devour almost any resource they come across or with the ability to constantly absorb things into their body as a way of feeding themselves. Imagine that weird friend crashing at your house who seems normal at first but begins to not only eat all your food with a never ending hunger but all your pet’s food, your air conditioner, and maybe even your neighbor's stuff. Like are you really about to try to tell him to leave? Representing habitat destruction is kind of difficult without coming off as being almost exactly like the Desolation. I guess you could lean away from fire and heat and more towards specifically man-made disasters like acid rain that eats away at everything or radiation slowly killing all the organic life.

What would Avatars of Extinction be like?

Now, this symbolism and power set theming is cool and all but we can go even deeper and ask another interesting question. What would Avatars of the Extinction tend to be like? This is an odd question but it's important to remember that certain entities tend to attract, or reach out to, certain kinds of people. We also know that to one degree or another it is possible to have a potential affinity for certain entities(like how Annabelle pointed out Martin had an affinity for the Web). Plus, we know that certain personality traits tend to be encouraged or attracted to the idea of becoming Avatars for certain entities. Avatars of the Web tend to be good at manipulating others, Avatars of the Eye tend to be those who are obsessed with seeking out knowledge and observing people, Avatars of the Buried often loved cramped and claustrophobic spaces, Avatars of the Lonely often prefer to be… well alone, etc. So what kind of people could we expect to see among Avatars of the Extinction? As always this isn’t supposed to be a hard definitive list and I imagine that like with all people who serve the powers there can be plenty of exceptions and most people would probably fall under multiple categories.

The Eco-terrorists- The first category isn’t just eco-terrorists but a broader category of people who basically despise humanity because they see humanity as either unnatural or a parasite/blight on the earth. Thus, they see all the terrible things humans do and believe that they should be wiped off the Earth, and potentially replaced with something that could do better than humanity. This can possibly be seen with Garland Hillier in TMA and his essay titled L'Avenir("The Future") that was detailed a speculation about the human race’s end in a future where a corrupt humanity was completely wiped out by a new category of beings he called "Les héritiers" I imagine a noticeable amount of people within this category would see the Extinction as a manifestation of Earth’s wrath or nature’s vengeance and the like.

Doomsday Preppers- Another one that’s simple to explain. This category is basically for doomsday prepper-style folk and those who revel in preparing for the end of the world or the apocalypse. Probably often hoping to have some sort of power fantasy in an apocalyptic/post-apocalyptic world. I imagine doomsday preppers fall into a very weird category because I feel like a lot of them are actually really afraid of the world ending, hence the preparing, and thus may actually be very common targets for the Extinction and its ilk but at the same time I think there are plenty of doomsday preppers who sort of look forward to the end of the world as a way to feel validated in their preparation or live out a fantasy. Some may even see it as a chance to give humanity a clean slate.

Apocalypticism- My apocalypticism category is what it says on the tin. It refers to those who have a religious belief that the world will end at some point in their lifetime, usually accompanied by the fall of civilization and the like. Imagine an Extinction avatar awaiting something like rapture. I would also say this category of people who associate themselves with the Extinction has already been seen in The Magnus Archives series itself with Garland Hillier, who(along with the Millerite Movement) believed that the world would end on October 22, 1844. Of course, the apocalypse did not occur but they are still a good example of what I mean. I imagine many would see the Extinction as some sort of god or divine will. People seeing the entities as gods has already happened in TMA with people like Peter Lukas referring to their respective entities as some sort of god.

Ascension- This is a category I made for people who believe in the world ending but more in the sense that it’s changing. Think of a rapture-style situation where the world ends and the worthy ascend to something higher while the unworthy die or are sent somewhere else, or maybe a being comes bearing enlightenment or truth that changes everything. The Extinction has themes of change and replacement so from the perspective of avatars in this category if they prove themselves they might be seen as worthy enough to become one of these “new” or “future” beings and live in the Extinction’s new world. Similar to the previous category, I imagine many in this category might see the Extinction as some sort of god or divine entity.

Acceptance- Not really much to say about this category. This is just for people who see Extinction as an inevitable part of the universe and that there is often little point in fighting against it. They may see humans as doomed or fuck ups that are beyond saving so see no point in struggling against the end of humanity or other creatures.

Power Hungry- A type of person we see serving all the entities are those that turn to them in order to obtain power or to extend their life with the supernatural abilities the dread powers grant. There is not much to say beyond that because what the entities offer these people is very basic and self-explanatory. Jonah Magnus himself is a good example as he turned to the eye in an attempt to prolong his life and potentially make himself immortal by fully bringing into the physical world.

As mentioned earlier, I’m sure there would be plenty of exceptions but here’s the majority of the types of people I think the Extinction would attract.

But what are some of the common side-effects being influenced by the Extinction may cause? It is well documented that the dread powers are known to have some sort of influence on those who serve them and may exaggerate or emphasize certain aspects of people and/or their personality. For example, the Slaughter made Melanie King more rageful by playing up her existing frustrations and rage at her situation and the Hunt can make you more animalistic or obsessed with chasing and catching others in general. I think a lot of the side-effects can probably be guessed based on the type of people the Extinction would attract to serve it in the first place. Such as starting to find humans disgusting, parasitic, inherently corrupt or evil, becoming obsessed with changing the world in some sort of weird and often apocalyptic way, being obsessed with the future, or seeing Extinction as inevitable in the same way that an Avatar of the End could see death as inevitable or an avatar of the Vast may see life as insignificant.

Designing Avatars

Okay, I have basically finished the core meat and potatoes of this speculation. So here comes the fun part. Designing and writing concepts for one or more Extinction avatars in order to help get my points across.

After scouring some of the statements given to me I came across one by the name of Drogo Apotha. Odd name I must say. But what’s interesting is how he first appears in these records in 1864. Apparently, a boat somehow became trapped beneath the waters of Cuyahoga River in Ohio the day before the river caught on fire from the almost inhuman amount of pollution that had built up in the body of water. The boat didn’t sink into the water and oil though and some claim the captain had rocks in the place of teeth and a tongue made of mud. But Buried aside, someone traveling along the river about 1 year and two months ago saw what they thought was a dead body. In a panic the police were called and the body was taken for testing. I had to pull a lot of strings and all kinds of favors to get the autopsy report but most agree that there was some sort of error. The body was severely burnt. The official documentation doesn’t know what caused this and assume it was some sort of murder or failed attempt to discard the body before throwing it into the river. But I believe these burns may be connected to the fire of the Cuyahoga River. Tears constantly leaked from the eyes of… Drago? I will call him “Drago” for now. But it could easily be something that took his place or body. Anyway, these tears were incredibly acidic. With a ph low enough to burn through some of the gloves worn by the people operating on the body. They were immediately taken for proper treatment. As the body was cut open the insides seemed… fresh? Despite the age and burning of the outside of the body, all the internal fluids of the body had been replaced with oil, as in the fossil fuel. And the heart seemed to be beating, albeit really slowly. Baffled by this and not knowing what to do, the body was simply preserved and stored. However, one of the people who had been burned by Drago’s acid came to me asking to perform an investigation and/or exorcism(whichever could make the problem go away). After they had been burned by the acid the pain caused by it never faded. Also, whenever they dreamed they would have the same dream every night since they got the wound. A disgusting polluted river that was more garbage than water up in flames. The river would slowly rise as a loudspeaker played a bunch of numbers… 59375630583928464749162830165049564846474827. I don’t know their meaning but they remind me of the numbers played in a statement #0090310 that Dekker had provided me. The body of Drago has since gone missing and with its disappearance there have been reports of a rancid smell on some parts of the Cuyahoga River along with the appearance of drowning victims. All bodies found have been afflicted with acid damage and have had several of their organs replaced with nearby trash. They also had signs of being force fed oil. The authorities believe it to be a serial killer but that doesn’t completely add up to me. Personally, I believe our mysterious “Drago” is the culprit and he may have even become the first avatar of this “Future without Us.”

To be frank, I’m not 100% sure where I should even begin with this one. These recordings are supposed to be a short compilation of evidence and signs regarding the Extinction for Dekker as opposed to full length statements. Despite the fact that this case isn’t even finished there is so much for me to say, but I will save most of that for its respective statement. Anyway, I have received reports from yet another client. I was hesitant to believe them at first but if the sound in my hearing aids and the activation of some of those tapes I snagged from the Usher Foundation is to be any indication then they are probably telling the truth. Which could mean we now have the existence of the first Extinction avatar on our hands. The description of their appearance by each client seemed different each time(so I originally believed each report to be a separate incident). However, there were some key features they always had. They always wore a hat, sunglasses and a face mask of a certain design and made to obscure their face. The weird thing was of course, when they sweated they smelled like gasoline and whenever they spoke it sounded like it was coming from a radio filled with static. The few times they were seen without a mask dark gray vehicle exhaust poured out of their mouth. Several clients have made complaints about them, potentially stalking and assaulting themselves or other people. Each person who was assaulted harbored strange wounds. Limbs that had been mutated into something hairy or reptilian. Some victims refused to leave their house due to how horrid they found their mutated appearance and others attempted to chop their mutated body parts off. That is not even the weirdest part… There have been at least several reports of this assailant being killed, but they continue to show up. The first death account involved the, being found burned alive in their own home after it had caught fire. According to the autopsy report this person was identified as a woman. But this very same autopsy report is strange because it keeps mentioning how she embraced the “Terrible Change”. At first, I assumed this might just be the work of the Illusion, or the Spiral as Dekker called it, attempting to confuse me again. Upon further evidence and reflection however, I ended up coming to the conclusion that the attacker might be connected to the Extinction. Me and Nancy even decided to perform a stake out to gather some more information on this person. We ended up bringing Bridget just in case we had to “exorcize” something by force. I even pulled that old Eye-aligned camera out of storage just in case. The artifact is surprisingly agreeable as long as you are okay with being recorded while you are using it. Tame as far as artifacts go but it should still be handled with caution. It is extremely useful for recording the truly supernatural, I have even caught invisible things on camera by using it. But, anything that doesn’t have to do with a person who doesn’t want to be recorded or the supernatural will be deleted after about 24 hours. Outside of that the camera seems to have an infinite amount of memory space. During our escapade the camera managed to catch something… unexpected. We witnessed our target walk into the street without flinching and get hit by a car. The person who hit them of course freaked out and began to panic. When they got too close to the body the target reached out and grabbed them, causing the driver to scream and panic as they hit the target and backed away. I could not get a good glimpse of it but it appeared that there was a patch of fur on the victim’s arm. In utter shock they ran down the street screaming and crying while our target simply stood up and straightened her clothes. Something appeared to be wriggling. At first I thought it was something under her clothes but I realized it was something bulging and whirring from under her skin. As it did all the bleeding coming from her body stopped. They looked like a completely different person. This time a tan teenage boy of some sort. He eventually walked for several miles towards a different street. Getting purposefully hit once again, sending him flying several feet through the air. This time he got back up immediately. No broken bones, no blood, no nothing. The driver looked horrified of course but drove away. Probably to avoid being accused of a crime. Our target would wander the streets and come across someone burning a pile of leaves and branches. Much to their horror he walked onto their property and into the burning pile only to come out unscathed. He then began talking about promises of evolution and change as the person ran away. It is this obsession with change and evolution that seems to be unlike the other dread powers and forces me to acknowledge that the Extinction may be at play. I speculate that the power of this specific person revolves around some sort of idea of accelerated evolution. If they would die they simply evolve into something else and they can force other people to evolve, but more research is needed.

I have received several reports in regards to medical malpractice performed by a doctor who went by the name Dr. Dagny. Of course, when people call me it’s either because no one else will listen or something supernatural is happening. This one happens to be the latter. Their clothes were stained with black oil in every report. Not perfume oil mind you, but the fossil fuel. An obvious biohazard in any medical facility worth its salt. However, Dagny seemed to prey on those who were extremely desperate emotionally or monetarily. Dagny would offer potential patients “true and everlasting change” and would promise to permanently fix all kinds of problems by making them “cyborgs” or showing them the “future of medical technology.” I’m not really sure what many of these listed fixes were supposed to do. One time she replaced someone’s entire nervous system with copper wiring, another time she replaced someone’s eyes with camera lenses. I even had one report of a person having their lower half replaced with that of some disgusting mutant or monster so that they could apparently walk again. By some ungodly miracle it worked but the pain was too unbearable for the patient. That’s another thing, while some of these procedures work about as well as you would expect, some of the procedures sort of actually worked. Well, if you consider being in either terrible agony or being described by all friends and family as coming back inhuman or robotic in their mannerisms while not displaying an ounce of emotion as “working.” One Jane Doe states that when her father returned he would move from place to place like a program. Not even acknowledging anyone or anything as he did so. He would just wake up, move downstairs to eat breakfast at exactly 7:15, go to work at 9:05, etc. on the dot daily without missing a beat. I managed to put together some of the reports by clients and statements from the archives to compile a description of Dr. Dagny and track them down. Their face and head did not actually move all that much and mostly just hung limply to the side. When the doctor spoke the sound was electronic and clearly did not originate from their mouth and/or vocal cords. They wore sunglasses that obscured their eyes no matter how dark the room was. Taking these glasses off only revealed lifeless eyes that remained stuck open as black oil stained near their tear ducts. Almost, as if they had been crying. Some clients even caught glimpses of a bright electronic light, like that of a computer screen, flashing from underneath the doctor’s clothes. Some, what I guess you could describe as unlucky souls, managed to see what was under those clothes. It was a computer embedded into their stomach. While Dagny’s head seemed almost dead, the faces on this screen more clearly displayed their emotional state. Flashing horrifically distorted pictures of whatever emotion they were feeling. Whenever they talked this face’s mouth would just rhythmically open and close in a poor mockery of speech. Of course, the computer itself seemed like a fusion of flesh and technology. Some parts of its screen seemed like glass while others seemed like some sort of translucent flesh. Countless wires emerged from the screen and violently connected the machine with the rest of the body. I suspect this doctor may yet be another person aligned with the Extinction. I admit that I am well aware that this might simply be the work of the Stranger given the presence of the uncanny valley. But I also cannot rule out the possibility that this may yet be another person or entity aligned with Extinction. The obsession with change and technology is quite out of the ordinary for the likes of the Strange and its ilk in my humble opinion. But only time will tell. If only Mr. Dekker was still here to look over my findings… but alas.

This case is most interesting. A police officer themselves came to me asking for aid in regards to a murder. It was a case involving the murder of one Darwin Herslac. A murder that occurred several times within the past month, one involved a car crash, another a knife stabbing, another a gun, etc. There have been several confessions to the murder and several bystanders claiming he had died in each murder. There are even medical records confirming it, but Darwin himself claims to have no memory of these murders occurring. I suppose it's not impossible that this person is simply one of the luckiest people I have seen in my life but more recent information I have gathered points to one or more of the dread powers at work. After some searching I have found ominous piles of skin and hair that were shed like a snake. However, the skin and hair of these sheddings were definitely human. These piles of skin were also all relatively close to the scene of all the murders that were reported. Other than that my investigations brought me dead end after dead end. Eventually, I was forced to take matters into my own hands and ran an experiment. With the help of my glass eye I was able to confirm without a shadow of a doubt that something was going on with Darwin and I had Bridget light their house on fire. Darwin made no attempt to put out the fire or even run from it and just stared at it as it consumed his body and the entire house. Upon returning to the scene I saw nothing but a blackened charred corpse where he had been. After a few minutes I heard what I thought was a car exhaust from the body before it transitioned to gasps of air. Then, like a caterpillar emerging from a chrysalis, Darwin crawled out of his own charred remains wet but fully formed, leaving nothing but a pile of shed skin behind. He had a wide grin on their face and started explaining to me that change was inevitable and I would have to turn to serve the “Terrible Change” if I wanted to survive the new era that was to come. Bridget managed to restrain Darwin for the time being. There is not a lot of information to work with here but thanks to my glass eye I have concluded 2 things. 1. It appears that whenever Darwin dies they are revived with no unseen adaptations rendering them all but immune to what killed them previously. 2. The Terrible Change probably refers to the Extinction or something adjacent to it. I believe the Extinction to be tied strongly to themes of change and I cannot find any matches with a name like “the Terrible Change” and any other of the dread powers. I can’t say for sure if Darwin is a fully fledged avatar of the Extinction or if that is even possible but something is definitely afoot, especially as the Extinction continues to emerge. Which I suppose could play a factor but I don’t know enough of the specifics. More research is needed…

Designing Creatures

Similar to the avatars I figured I would design and write a few concepts for Extinction aligned monsters.

Simply known as “The Smog” by most who have encountered it, it is a monster that is most definitely aligned to the newly emerged Extinction Adelard Dekker was so adamant in warning me about. In appearance it takes the form of a thick smog. However, upon walking into it any victims will quickly realize the acidic nature of the cloud as it burns away at their flesh, lungs, and eyes. Blinding them and leaving them screaming and flailing through the cloud as factory soot pelts them. No matter how many people they entered the cloud with, no one would respond to their pleas and wails. Eventually, after what seems like an eternity, the burning subsides and the victim will be left to gaze upon their neighborhood or city. But it will be empty and desolate. Every person gone and every house worn away by an unholy cacophony of radiation and acid from centuries ago. Every person I’ve talked to in regards to this “creature” says that years passed as they wandered the wastelands. While I might have found this preposterous upon seeing what one of my clients looked like just two days ago when compared to now… well let’s just say it speaks for itself. Some people mention, and even have tape recordings, of strange mutated creatures wandering the waste. About 1/4th of the people that came to me mentioned something about there being other actual living people in these lands. However, they either take the form of bleached skeletons from days long gone or marauders and doomsday enthusiasts, of which have seemingly gone mad or just embraced the new world they have found themselves in. Despite many of the smog’s more supernatural elements hunger still persists when in it. Forcing those trapped within the smog to scrounge for oddly placed rations and cans of expired food or resorting to feasting upon the flesh of whatever they can find. Whether that be the “animals” or… humans… All victims who have survived the smog are covered in chemical burns and various DNA tests clearly show that they have all aged one year or more. Some are left blind by the acid. I shudder to think about this Smog as the survivors I have encountered are probably the minority. So who knows the amount of people that either died to the acid, died to the hellish landscape, or still wander those wastes. I have set about attempting to track the smog as best as I can. There has been very little success as it does not move as one cloud but instead dissipates into mere vapor and pollutants before forming somewhere else. It has the ability to change its color to match the surrounding and tends to show up in cities that are victims of pollution. Most of the statements that the Magnus Archives have provided me mention Hong Kong as an area it often appears in.

As the Extinction continues to swell and emerge I have gotten more and more clients coming to me with strange reports. Well… stranger than usual anyway. There have been people and events that fail to show any signs of the presence of any other powers despite their supernatural nature. Which leads me to conclude that they might be in fact tied to the Extinction. Someone who will remain anonymous came in reporting about a strange cloud hanging over their house. It was a sickly yellowish gray and held the exact same shape without ever moving with the wind. It completely blocked off sunlight from reaching the area around the house, leading to the death of all the plants in their carefully tended garden. Whenever it rained the cloud would “mimic” the rain around it by pouring acid rain onto the area below. I managed to get a sample of some of the water and soil in the area and took it to a lab. The ph was frighteningly low and acidic. Whenever the cloud “rained” any attempt to use wi-fi, tv, radios, or phone calls would just lead to a constant stream of “the world is always ending” accompanied by the ticking sound of a clock to play from the device in question at fall blast with no way to turn it off. When it wasn’t raining all the tvs and radios would become stuck on a news channel that only talked about global warming, pollution, and man-made natural disasters, nothing else. The voices of the news anchors were robotic and parts of their body were replaced with plastic(but they did not seem to notice or react). Each time the client saw them more and more of their bodies would be replaced with plastic and/or trash but this did not seem to affect their ability to speak. The client was forced to leave after the constant barrages of acid rain rendered the structure of their house unstable. The final night they slept in their own home they were awoken by the sound of a loud vacuum sucking up water. They looked out their window and saw hundreds of tubes all surrounding the house and lapping up the water and biomass from around their home. When they left that day their yard was now a completely blank square of sickly dirt. None of the neighbors seem to recall any sort of strange cloud, only that it rained slightly more than usual. Like the smog mentioned in my previous interview it would appear that this cloud can also dissipate and reappear but more research is needed.

This report baffles me and has me pondering the reach of the dread powers. It is yet another… artifact???... entity??? And seems to parallel some of the theories about the Extinction provided by Adelard Dekker. I have received a couple of cases from clients talking about a red star. In all these cases the clients were either stargazing or looking up at the sky only to notice what appeared to be a red star. Said star in question did not appear in any sort of records. Whenever they tried to tell someone else about it the star would seemingly wink out and nobody else in the area except for a select handful of people and… things that I can only assume were once people seem to recall seeing such a body in the sky. Interestingly, all these witnesses had been targeted or aligned with either the Eye, the Vast, or a third entity that I believe to be the Extinction because these people were definitely aligned with A power of some sort. But one that did not match any of the other entities. All those who witness this “star” first assume it to be a planet, such as Mars, only to find that sometimes it actively moves through the sky like an airplane. But it never blinks like one nor makes any sort of sound. One client found radio signals coming from the star. All the signals did was play a bunch of news reports from all across the world in all different kinds of languages. The one thing they all had in common though is they all talked about the end of the world, pollution, climate change, or a doomsday clock. I went to go check up on those who had seen this star only to find that almost all of them had either gone mad or become unhealthily obsessed with space travel and/or the future. Attempting to build rockets or freeze themselves so that they could escape our supposedly doomed Earth. Ironically, their attempts created a lot of the pollution and destruction they claimed to be so afraid of around their residence or operation. As for my speculation… well, my current hypothesis is that the thing in the sky is not in fact a planet or star but a satellite or space station. Perhaps akin to that of the Daedalus put together the Rayner along with the Fairchilds and Lukas families. Heck, it might even be the Daedalus itself considering how hard it is to find information on the space station. But there are some contradictions with this theory and I have yet to find a reason why these people would want to ally or accelerate the emergence of the Extinction. Doing so sounds like it would only further complicate the power plays between all the dread powers. It could always be a separate satellite altogether though. Only time will tell I suppose.

I believe these 4 creatures might be connected. So while it may come off as disorganized to mention them all in the same case file there is a method to my madness. Each of these creatures appears to take inspiration from the 4 horsemen of the apocalypse that the Bible says will arrive to herald the end of days. Thusly, I have referred to them as “Pestilence,” “War,” “Death” and “Famine,”I am slightly embarrassed to admit that I didn’t immediately realize the connection. There are plenty of cults or groups that worship or follow each of the powers but in hindsight all these cults seem to have formed relatively recently and surprisingly close to each other. While I originally assumed three of these “horsemen” to belong to the Corruption, Slaughter, and the End respectively, the appearance of Famine has me suspect that all of these creatures might actually be connected to the Extinction. Furthermore, Pestilence, War and Death show that the Extinction might be trying to metaphorically piggyback off of the following of other dread powers to further its own agenda. Which is not completely unheard of, especially with regards to the Web and its ilk.

Pestilence had followers of the Corruption worshiping it as some sort of god or herald of a new age. What remained of the creature after Bridget Gudet was hired to deal with it resembled a horse. But it was rotting like a corpse despite being freshly dead. Its entire body had not a single muscle despite the fact that it could apparently move. It looked beyond stick thin with the exception of its stomach. Which was bloated in a manner that resembled pregnancy. However, while the embryo appeared organic everything was shaped like a machine. It almost resembled a computer or radio and I don’t want to imagine what its purpose may have been. But the members of the cult that worshiped this thing seemed convinced that it was to be the first “new human.” However, I consider them very… shall we say biased though, to say the least. Accounts detailing this creature mention that all those who touched it or even breathed while too close to it turned into zombie-like creatures straight out of a horror film. When in the presence of others they had a pretty convincing imitation of their former selves. But the smell of human blood would cause them to fly into a frenzy and attempt to infect the source of the smell. They also smelled rancid despite their appearance. I managed to come across one of these remaining zombies and, at least the one I came across, didn’t seem to feel pain. If someone was bitten by one of these “zombies” they would turn into one of them. Then, after a period of about 25 hours they would make their way towards Pestilence before physically fusing with the creature. I believe this biomass is what the embryo was composed of. Like the other 3 horsemen cults, this one seemed obsessed with some form of apocalypse. In this case they were fanatics about zombie apocalypses and fantasized about starting one so they could live out some odd idealized dream.

“War” doesn’t seem to actually be alive. It is composed purely of what looked like scrap and shrapnel that had been fused together by some sort of superheated blast to resemble a horse. A cult formed around it composed of followers of the Slaughter. However, this cult seemed obsessed with a nuclear war leading to the end of civilization. I found evidence that they were trying, and horribly failing, to get their hands on nuclear weapons. War rarely moved, often sitting around like a statue. I even saw some unfortunate bystanders mistaking it for some sort of art piece. But when it did it would launch shrapnel and bullets in every direction, making it very dangerous. Anybody who managed to survive being hit by this debris would begin to dream of a nuclear holocaust ending the world every time they slept. Supposedly they could feel the slow agonizing death of every irradiated creature. They also began to sweat profusely and become more and more aggressive and violent, attempting to start fights or harm people. Most concerning however, is that some of them would begin to produce some amount of radiation. First, it is virtually unnoticeable but it eventually reaches dangerous levels. Despite this the one afflicted with the condition doesn’t die from the radiation like one would think. They continue to function until randomly collapsing into a pile of irradiated cancerous and mutated mush. This is an obvious biohazard and local officials chalked it up to some sort of leak in a nearby power plant or something. Which sent the city into a panic. Unfortunately, Neither me or Bridget have been able to catch or kill this creature due to how dangerous it is. But rest assured we are keeping our eyes on it.

The horseman of Death was worshiped by a cult that followed the End. They would kidnap anyone they saw as potential initiates, or enemies, to this creature and force them to gaze upon it. When they did one of two things would happen. Most of the time the person would simply fall over dead. However, occasionally someone would be found “worthy” and would find themselves plagued by dreams of all the life on our planet being snuffed out in some way. Whether it be through food shortage, asteroids, war, so on and so forth. They also found themselves obsessed with extinct species and sought desperately to harvest DNA and body parts from remains of mammoths, dodo birds, dinosaurs, etc. Somehow, they were able to… mutate themselves. I saw one with a disgusting disproportionate jaw full of teeth that were as big as their own hand. After Bridget managed to “nab” a tooth I did some research and took it to a local museum. It appears to be a fossil of a Tyrannosaurus Rex. One of my clients managed to get a picture of the horseman before dying and it appears to look like a bunch of human corpses forced into the shape of a horse. Unfortunately, I have yet to find a way to trap or kill but I have my eye on it. Adelard Dekker has responded to the few inquiries that made it to him. Currently the solution I am cooking up for both War and Famine involves a lot of concrete. Unfortunately, I am going to need to rent a cement truck.

Finally there is Famine. This “horsemen” is what finally made me realize that these creatures may not be what they seem. Well, besides being manifestations of entities that are born from and feed off human fear. Famine doesn’t seem to relate to any of the other powers. Leading me to presume that while there are arguments for the other horsemen belonging to different powers, this one must be aligned with the emerging Extinction. It resembles a bone thin human that has been twisted into the shape of a horse. It seems mostly organic except its neck is made up of plastic pipes and oil slowly drips from its nostrils and it has misshapen horseshoes on. The creature has a supernatural appetite. It can eat seemingly anything and I even caught it eating bricks from buildings and tree trunks until the plants fell over. It can also drink literal gallons of water. However, once it is completely full and bloated it will vomit them up as a disgusting downpour of rancid smoke, plastic, and pollution. Its followers would often feed it and then attempt to consume this byproduct. I was made privy to its existence when I was called to investigate what was assumed to be an illegal lumber operation that was leading to the deforestation of the land. However, I found no equipment. Only disgusting amounts of trash, plastic, and this thing eating a tree. I have heard stories in the area of a haunted lumber machine and I may have to look into those for a possible connection. Most frighteningly, I have received a couple testimonies and witnesses saying that they saw a horse that matches this description seemingly communicating with the other horsemen. It didn’t neigh but let out a strange static radio noise whenever it came across one of the others. Furthermore, they refuse to attack each other and their cults never came into conflict even when they came into contact with each other. Despite supposedly serving different entities. Leading me to believe that they could all even be the same creature or manifestations of the Extinction given that they all seem to connect to apocalypses and the end times.

Leitners

Today someone submitted a book to me from the library for exorcism. It is a copy of “Man After Man” by Philip Hood but the cover is almost completely eroded except for the title and the author credit is typed out in binary. I interviewed my client about the book and they said their child read the book and they fell in love with some of the speculative creatures in the book and would pretend to be them. However, overtime the child began to go through physical… changes and the client refused to elaborate any further. After locating some tapes I found that the original book contains numerous hypothetical evolutionary paths for humanity in a possible future. But all the victims of the book I was able to find gained traits that resemble the creatures in the book. Supposedly, “evolving” them into one of humanity's future forms. I suspect this to be a Leitner having to do with the Extinction given its themes of the future and mutation but more research is required.

This book has piqued my curiosity even more than usual as it was given to my client by a strange librarian with webs in her hair. While I was expecting a Web related Leitner this book appears to have nothing to do with the Web. In fact it has more in common with the creatures, and avatars of the Extinction. What the Web and its ilk seek to do with this dread power is beyond me. But it’s not the first time that the Web, and all the other dread powers for that matter, have sought to manipulate, ally or just take advantage of each other. Some powers seem to usually get along as well as fire and water, see my last report on the Buried and Vast in the respective section. However, some dread powers seem to almost supplement each other, like the Vast and the Lonely and maybe even the Web and the Eye. The feeling of manipulation and being watched or having information about yourself being revealed often go hand in hand. The Eye cares only about gathering information and fear and the more information you have on someone the easier it becomes to manipulate them. But I will save further speculation between the Web and the Eye or Extinction for another time. Most likely, this is a one off coincidence or situation. It could also be that this particular person just so happened to care about the Extinction. However, the book they are in possession of is an odd one. The cover art implies that it has to do with pollution and global warming but it is so faded that I cannot make out any other details. It was most likely a textbook. I managed to find a report of someone reading it from the Usher Foundation’s more recent records. According to that record and my client reading it does odd things to one’s perception of time. Both victims report that as they began to read it time seemed to flow around them faster and faster, even though they aged normally. It wasn’t obvious at first but they began to notice the world moving like a blur out of the corner of their eye. This process would not stop until they finished reading the book in its entirety. After they closed the book they were forced to reckon with the fact that about 20 years had passed and virtually everything and everyone they had known or loved was gone. Understandably, a lot of their knowledge seemed out of date but I’m not sure 100% if that was because of the leitner or not, because the book itself was reported to seem several decades out of date in terms of information. According to all the reports from the era these people who I suspect to have read the book simply vanished and were presumed dead. I managed to find the “librarian” and was able to find out that if the book is read within buildings built by Robert Smirke it allows one to control their own perception of time and/or that of others. Which is interesting since I wonder if Smirke’s architecture was built with the Extinction in mind. This investigation has yet to come to a full close so any new information I find will be reported immediately.

I have come across yet another leitner that I postulate is connected to the Extinction, considering its themes of evolution and the fact that it seems to be related to the fear of change. I suppose it is not impossible that it is related to the Stranger but I must remain extra vigilant and wary of this Extinction entity. The book I came across seems to be a copy of “On the Origin of Species” by Charles Darwin. According to the clients I’ve interviewed, there is a date on the first page of the book that is supposed to mark when it was written. Strangely this date is always a future date. Once someone reads the book this date will be set about a year in the future and will remain so for said person even if the date changes for others. It would appear that as the respective date draws closer and closer the reader will slowly begin to mutate into… something. On the date they see the transformation will be complete. What that thing is seems to vary depending on various factors but seems to help them overcome, or beat, their biggest fear(s) at the cost of becoming something monstrous and inhuman. Some are completely organic while others have had machinery merged with their form. Most will also lash out at anyone who knew them before their transformation. According to the statements I managed to gather before each client’s untimely transformation the book alternates between pictures and typed pages. With each writing corresponding to a picture of a species that has gone extinct or a speculative path of evolution for various currently existing species. I have yet to hear any mention of entries regarding lifeforms that currently exist but this book has only recently cropped up and more information is of course needed…

Upon further reflection, I have to wonder where one can precisely draws the line between what is and isn’t leitner. I mean books are an obvious but if there was some weird supernatural writing on a brick would that count? I am getting off topic, the stress must be getting to me. There has been another leitner discovered but in the form of a worn out newspaper. I have only managed to gather one statement from a single client in regards to it. The newspaper is made from a sort of yellowish paper that signifies it as something printed long ago. It is discolored by some sort of water damage but the words on the newspapers are perfectly legible despite some of the ink being smudged. The newspaper showed up on this client’s front porch and they mistakenly assumed it was that day's newspaper. They are old fashioned and in their 97s so they much prefer to read the newspaper over watching the news channels. However, it was quickly made apparent that the newspaper they received was several decades out of date. The headline had mention of the fire of Cuyahoga River in Ohio that was caused by the sheer amount of pollution in the river on June 22, 1969(Something that the client had apparently witnessed first hand) as well as the creation of the doomsday clock on another page. After reading it they also quickly realized that the newspaper had been delivered on the wrong day to begin with. They eventually threw it away but it appears the damage had already been done. Whenever someone turned on a radio or tv this client would suffer a piercing headache accompanied by the sound of static and what sounded like a radio beaming straight into their brain. It seemed no one else around them could hear it but it would always continue to play reports and announcements having to do with pollution, global warming, the doomsday clock, and the possible extinction of mankind. Overtime they even began to hear this broadcast in their dreams. This has obviously taken a toll on their mental state and they eventually came to me for an exorcism. Unfortunately, I am afraid fixing the problem isn’t that simple. Especially, since some would argue that the Extinction doesn’t even exist.

Other Artifacts

Yet another cursed object was brought to me for exorcism. But this one is of great interest to me because I believe it may be aligned with the Extinction. It is a big and old grandfather clock with rotten wood that should have crumpled to pieces under its weight centuries ago. I would advise wearing earbuds when dealing with this artifact as the clients I managed to find report that upon hearing the clocks ticking they would enter a panic, realizing that the clock was apparently counting down to the end of humanity. Likewise, the clock’s hands do not correspond to any particular time zone but rather the doomsday clock used to gauge how close the world is to a man-made global ecological disaster, with the clocks ticking getting louder and louder the closer it gets to midnight(and it has been very loud lately). Those who have heard the clock are plagued with dreams of skies choked with smoke and oceans of oil and plastic. However, more research will be needed if I wish to determine any other side effects and potential transformations/physical alterations to any of the inflicted. I have offered to act as an exorcist for several of the victims in order to keep a close eye on them.

My observations show that the Extinction seems to have an affinity for more modern and advanced technology than the other powers. That is not to say the other powers don’t often take advantage of the new worries and fears created by advancing technology, just a half week ago I dealt with a computer camera aligned with the Beholding. However, the Extinction seems to take this to another level. I imagine because it is related so closely to fears having to do with the future and artificial disasters that have been created and cultivated by mankind. In my eyes this is further reinforced by the most recent of those cursed artifacts I have come across. An odd computer given to me by a client for exorcism. Upon physically opening up the computer it quickly became apparent that there was something “living” within it. A disgusting burnt mound of flesh strewn about and fused with the computer’s innards. This fits with their report mentioning how the computer smelled burnt whenever it was turned on, and sometimes smoke would leak out of it. But of course, as you can guess traditional repairmen couldn’t seem to find the source of the issue. When this client attempted to use the computer it would bombard them with strange ads not belonging to any existing company or scam that I could find. These ads would detail global warming, pollution, and the extinction of man. It also constantly showed videos relating to all the things that could destroy Earth and/or the life that resided on it. Supernovas, asteroids, etc. The computer itself seems extraordinarily out of date and my client bought it because it was hilariously cheap. The client also reported that the computer would turn itself on at night and play distressing sounds. I found out that these sounds were numbers and binary that when properly translated detail extinct species and man-made disasters as well as the position of the hands of the doomsday clock. The client also began to have gruesome dreams in which the computer merged with his body. A fear that wasn’t helped by the bugs, animals, and plants in and near his house seeming to have had bits of machinery shoved into them by someone. Most of the animals were dead but some seemed to live in a painful existence. At one point while using the computer the client received a mysterious call from an unknown source despite not having Skype or Discord. Then, despite not having accepted the call, someone or something attempted to talk to him. The client of course refused to answer and attempted to destroy the computer but, considering he gave it to me, I can only imagine how that went.

Closing

Well there you have it, I hope you enjoyed my TMA speculations/predictions/hypothesis/fanfiction. Do you think the Extinction will show up in the Magnus Protocol, and if so how do you think it will usually manifest? If you have any ideas for any sort of Extinction avatar, creature, or artifact feel free to comment below.

#tma #the magnus archives #the extinction #dread powers #the magnus institute #speculation

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melodyofthevoid · 8 months

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Spotify Discovery Review

So I wanted to try something new and figured I'd dive into more music thoughts, and since I've been actually listening to my Spotify Discovery (I needed new music lol) so yeah.

Overall Rating: 13/30 that I really like and even sort of like, so not bad. Probably won't be saving a ton of these for later listening, a few might go into some character playlists at least so that's good. We'll see if any grow on me. Below are some of the standouts good, bad, and indifferent. A few songs I didn't include bc they're instrumentals that I didn't really have any thoughts on. Not even neutral thoughts.

Good

Dear Alice (rainy days)

Slow and dreamlike, it's not really a surprise that there's heavy Alice in Wonderland theming but even though there's not a ton of singing, I found myself enjoying the ride.

Femme Fatale

A fantastic beat, a combination of western and tango aesthetics, a fast paced ride that makes me want to groove. Love the flirty danger that drips off of every word, it's got a solid identity and doesn't feel like it's trying too hard to be "edgy" or anything.

YOUR HEAD'S ON FIRE

Louie Zhong is always a bop and his lyrical style is always a joy. Unconventional metaphors and fun little bits, a very groovy guitar line that makes you want to wiggle.

Blink of an eye

Halfy and Winks make DSMP songs, I'm aware of this, however I love their musical style and lyrics. Gives me heavy inspiration for my own story just with how vivid and story based their stuff is. The revolutionary spark in here is nice.

Invisible Dan Avidan has popped into my feeds and I’m not really complaining? I love the rock style/retro vibe that this one has going on, his vocals really sell it. A little bit chase scene a little bit breakdown but overall a good time.

The Moon and Stars

Good folk vibes, gets close to scratching the same itch that The Crane Wives do but not quite, which is still a good time for me. We'll see if this fits a character in future.

The Manic

A great character song, will be applying to my blorbos soon. The pushing away from someone you love because you know you'll hurt them eventually and can't take it. Very good stuff.

Dance While the Sky Crashes Down

Eyyy Jason Webly, I remember you from WTNV. A tango for the end of the world and honestly isn't that a mood? I love the lyrics, although it drags a smidge at the end. Maybe because of TMA I'm a little more inclined towards this.

A song whose title is in Japanese. It's from land of the lustrous and I cannot copy paste the title.

Very eerie, very atmospheric. I haven't watched the show in its entirety myself, but I know that it has horror and suspense interwoven in some of the back half, and the clanking bells and echoes really give the sensation of being watched. Of being on edge. Good stuff.

Break Your Cranck

An altogether inexplicable piece. It’s done on a hurdy gurdy which is already a plus but. It. It sounds like electronica crafted by pirate bees. With some Indian influence thrown in for flavor. Like a space punk pirate bazaar. Very atmospheric but also so so confusing. I love it.

Dance of the blood drunk

A balance of wild carnival and orchestral splendor, feels like an epic batter on a grand scale. The unsteady thrill of never knowing if you’re winning or not.

Neutral

Absence

I kinda forgot what this sounded like tbh.

How Dare You

Pretty good? No real feelings on it.

I was an island

Again with the good lyrics, but the instrumentation and singing are on the verge of being unlistenable? Like I can listen, and I could see myself putting this on a character playlist or two for sure.

Tavern crawl

A fun little bawdy medieval style song, Annapantsu kills it as expected, but bar songs/drinking songs aren’t really my vibe? But I could see myself grooving to this generally.

Brand new city

Mitski, which is good, but some of her stuff doesn't hit me as much as it does others, and this is one of those times. Not bad by any means, just not something I can see myself going back to.

Cold, cold, cold

Has a story to it, the grandiosity is nice especially near the end but the whole song together doesn’t quite capture me in the way that other artists in this space do. I could listen to it if I was in a particular mood but otherwise it’s not a stand out.

Bitch, Bitch, Bitch

I do like the Jekyll and Hyde musical don't get me wrong but I'm not a huge fan of this one? It's mostly a song meant to establish the upper crust as mindless gossips and twits, the combination of the old Disney-musical style instrumentals and the rather vulgar (by Victorian standards) lyrics is funny but that's all its got.

Timekeeper's Heartbeat

An interesting case where I like the instrumentals and most of the lyrics but it fails to really coalesce into a song? There's bits that don't rhyme for no reason, it comes across like one of those English vocaloid covers that doesn't adjust for the context. If it is, I wouldn't be surprised.

Nah

Whiplash (Black Math) Don’t like listening to it, not much else to really say here.

Wish you were gay I’m aware this one is a bit of a darling in some of the animation meme circles but I don’t really care for the instrumentation or the lyrics. Unpleasant to listen to.

Two's a party Jazz/cabaret but there’s not really a depth to it imo. I find it a bit hard to listen to despite the singer being pretty good if a bit... too whispery. A combination of the lyrics and sudden trumpet jump scares ig.

Judas An interesting concept and premise, the dichotomy of a queer relationship contrasted with the religious imagery is layered but the vocal performance doesn’t really do it for me. Seems to want to be mountain goats but it’s a little too raw?

I DONT TRUST U ANYMORE Person with a guitar genre, valid feelings but vocal performance is a bit flat. Reminds me of blink 182 but with none of the energy.

#melody rambles #spotify discovery review #might also open up my inbox to song recommendations if y'all feel like throwing something in there

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dearestaeneas · 2 years

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a mini-series of short horror stories, inspired by the fears my friends have shared with me. [SPECIAL!]

I’ve debated uploading this one for a while now, and if it even counts under the categorization I’ve created for myself with this mini-series. This one is for me! The conflict I feel with it is that it isn’t necessarily a fear, but it falls in line with a lot of the themes I like to add to my horror! So who can really say. (Me. And I can only say “I’m conflicted” so many times before one of you comes and beats me to death with a hammer. So here we are).

My other issue here is the fact that in my duties as a real life freelance archivist (every day I appreciate how funny my title is) I’ve been relistening to/finally properly finishing Magnus, and I hit MAG 74: Fatigue and went, “oh, fuck, @jonnywaistcoat wrote about my own thing better than me” and had that all-too-human experience of remembering You Have Never Had An Original Thought. [I say, as if being Jonny Sims when I grow up isn’t the goal. Why else would I take the chance of bothering that cool guy like this. Get REAL]

But anyway! Here’s my own thing! Maybe eventually I’ll do an actual fear of mine! Something else is coming on Halloween, so take this now! Consider it a way to celebrate TMA 2! Wheeee!

---

The man downstairs isn’t my friend. I feel that I should start with that, above all else. What we have isn’t friendship.

I don’t remember when I first met him, although I do remember the first time I saw him downstairs. It was late, a time of day popular for stories such as this. Everyone was asleep. To be the only person awake in a slumbering house is a different kind of loneliness. A safety net exists, but utilizing it feels worse. You respect tiredness, you feel it yourself.

Tip-toe down the stairs, listen to their screaming protests despite your care. The lights in the living room are off, the hallway is black, and yet the pin-prick of light from the oven acts as a beacon. We glide through the hall towards that heavenly yellow-stained circle, thinking of the treats that await us: a full water bottle, maybe even a snack depending on our need for adventure at that moment. So enveloped in this walking dream, I almost didn’t see him. He sat at the kitchen table, between me and the light that was no longer warm and inviting. He was handsome, I think. A crisp black suit, a hauntingly white dress shirt. Dark hair. Forgettable.

Forgettable, and yet, I know him. Why do I know him? He watches. Are his eyes dark? They look like mine, I think. I think. He’s hard to ignore, but you do. Filling a water bottle, checking that the oven is OFF. You forgot once. You all forgot. Is the oven OFF? We go upstairs. He stays.

Every night. The house is quiet. Dead. You aren’t. I never talk to him. I think about it, though. Every night. I wonder what his voice sounds like. He always looks the same. Dark suit, perfect snow-white dress shirt, dark hair, familiar eyes. Blank face.

“What did you do today?” He asks. Our conversations are always mundane. “How did it go for us?” A smile. I don’t know his smile. I imagine it’s like the Cheshire Cat. “Not great,” I reply. “Good!” I replied. “I can’t do this,” I will reply.

I don’t think he wants to do this. I don’t think he wants this. I can’t let myself believe this is what he wants. I don’t know what our relationship is.

I no longer have a downstairs. He still sits at the kitchen table. What do I call him now? He sits. He watches. He whispers. We still don’t speak, and yet: “Are you sure?” “Tell me.” “Speak.”

Do I hate him? Do I need him?

He sits comfortably. If I were to sit and share a dinner, would I be comfortable? Most likely not. He is perfect. He is too at ease. This is not his home. I do not know this familiar man who has my eyes.

I would kill to be rid of him. The question of “who?” changes with the wind. Spite would say him. Justice would say him. Anger and despair and embarrassment would say him. He would say me. Self preservation is a concept he does not know. He only knows me. A kind of sadness fills your chest. The sadness of seeing a child lost in a grocery store- we pity helplessness. And yet, this child does not need me. This child does not care if I live or die. This child is simply using me, making me its vessel.

I do not know my relationship to the man downstairs.

#personal #horror #horror fiction #original writing #original story #short story #series #perspective change #mental health #tma

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nanodevil · 9 months

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Creation of my TMA ttrpg oneshot #1

I'd been feeling the urge to DM a game for a while, particularly after listening to some of the games hosted by Jonathan Sims on the The Magnus Archives. They occasionally run short horror themed one shots during episode hiatuses- and while listening to the Duskhollow run (episode 3), it dawned on me. I want to do this. I want to do this type of thing for a Magnus Archives setting.

So, as the hyperfixation goes, my brain went to work to figure out the bits. Now, I'm writing this halfway through the process, so the earlier details are fuzzy to me.

My main inspiration was the Duskhollow run, which ran on an adapted version of the Cthulhu hack mixed with elements of the Cthulhu hack 2e. I spent about a day researching different engines to run the game on, mostly from recommendations from friends. Most notably was Candela Obscura by Darrington Press. In the end though, I returned to what inspired me in the first place - the cthulhu hack. It's a rules-light engine, that does away with overly complicated rolls and systems present in D&D that to this day i cant always get my head around. I decided to splurge a little (seriously, like, 3 pounds) on a quick start guide to the cthulhu hack. It was mildly interesting, and gave light to the rules of the system (as well as Jonny's explanation in Duskhollow episode 1).

Now I had a system. I needed players.

The process of recruiting players and adapting the system kind of ran side by side. Of course, I knew exactly who would be interested in this sort of thing. My TMA friend, Circus, who finished the entire series before I even started it, was a big fan of the idea, and was on board immediately. My other friend, Biscuits, got wind of the idea on a group chat we share, and despite only watching up until season 3, was hooked. Lastly was Cap, who also expressed interest. Despite only having consumed a couple canon episodes, he knew a lot about certain spoilers due to online fandom osmosis. I was lucky that these 3 people were already familiar with each other enough that I wasn't too worried about any awkward chemistry - these 3 chronically online weirdos were exactly who I needed as 1. players, and 2. dedicated hypemen.

The players also affected the worldbuilding route I chose. From what I saw, I had several options.

Canon universe, with canon characters, set during the time of the podcast

Canon universe, set in the past or future (I liked the idea of new assistants working for Gertrude)

AU universe, with all new characters, villains, and statements, built in the vague shape of the TMA template

I opted for number 3 - it involved the most work, but I liked the potential and possibilities it opened up. Plus, anything set in canon would contain spoilers for players like Cap, who hadn't finished season 1, who hadnt experienced the emotional plot beats that I'd be relying on the most. Option 2 sounded interesting, but with a story set in the past, any futures of the characters would be set in some sort of stone that I didn't feel would be interesting. Option 3 allowed the most openness for the players to grow and explore, with opportunities for ME to make cool new shit. This would keep the concept fresh for players who HAD listened, such as Circus and Biscuits, and off-canon enough to not spoil anything for players like Cap (and also Biscuits).

I adapted the system itself in small ways. I changed the "sanity" stat to a "fear" stat to keep more in line with the canon. I fuddled with the flashlights stat, went back and forth between calling it the eye stat or the curiosity stat. In the end, I kept it as flashlights, and smokes as smokes. The quickstart guide I purchased didn't help a lot with character building, so I had to fudge things myself from the pre-set sheets. I ended up making my own character sheet for the players to start filling out, and this kickstarted me talking to my players about character creation.

And create they did. I genuinely cannot stress how much I love the characters they created. Before I go on to them though, I want to comment on the character sheets I made.

I didn't like the character sheets that came with the quickstart guide. It didn't appeal to my personal tastes, so I tried to adapt it myself. I loved the idea of the character sheet being a "staff profile" for their employment. I initially was going to fill the character sheets out for my players, to instill the worldbuilding idea that it was the CEO filling it out rather than the employees themselves (to foreshadow the CEO's plans for them). However, I didn't go that route. To be totally honest, I thought it was helicopter-DMing to fill out the sheets for them. Especially so since I know a big reason everyone joined is the joys of character creation and making a lil blorbo to play around with. So I made an example sheet for them to reference and left them to it. 2/3 of my players are artists too, so I was happy for them to draw their characters as THEY saw fit.

My own critique notes: I feel like this template is a little too difficult for those without editing software to reference and edit - ideally these would be printed. The benefit of the quickstart guides character template was that it was an editable pdf. I didn't know how to make this like, well, THAT. I liked the "lofi charm" of the drawn version, but it's not as good for that kind of player interaction.

I did like adding my own adaption things, such as the skills, inventory list, background, and ??? squares, as well as a space for an "employee ID photo". However, my excitement got away from me and I forgot to add a particularly important block to the sheet which was "fears". This was a system I wanted to add to the game, to be able to roll disadvantage fear rolls to those who were predisposed to certain things on a character level. If I redo this template, the fears section will definitely be added. Currently, I have to keep it in my own little template box, and make sure the players are aware of what they chose.

Returning to the players, I was beyond excited with the characters they created. They were fun, interesting, and varied enough to not have any repeated concepts. All of my players ran with their ideas, and we had fully fledged characters in less than 4 hours after messaging them.

Those 4 hours began when I completed my homebrewed class system. The original cthulhu hack class system I found didn't really pertain to the worldbuilding of TMA - namely, a lot of them involved combat. While combat in ttrpgs is kind of classic, I didn't feel like it would be a big part of the game as my intention was to make it a mystery. Besides, the archives is an academic institution. There's no way a "ruffian" or a "bruiser" were getting jobs as archive assistants. The point is that theyre all different varieties of NERD. SO, I changed the system. The old system included the aforementioned bruiser and ruffian, as well as the philanthropist, the scholar, and the adventurer.

My classes were based on the given resources of the cthulhu hack, as well as inspired by Duskhollow. The resources, that being flashlights, smokes, sanity, and items, all have ingame uses and systems that I wanted to affect. For flashlights, I added the librarian - they had a background in the archive libraries and would have more knowledge on doing nerd-type research. For smokes, I added the rookie, a new hire to the archives who still had to get to know everybody around. Sanity had the skeptic, my personal favourite class, that had an advantage with fear rolls because of their preset disbelief in the occult. The last was the artfefactor, which is a word i absolutely just made up, who had a background in artefact storage and allowed the player to have access to more interesting items. I was very happy with the list I'd made. Unfortunately, nobody ended up choosing the skeptic, which was fine (im fine. im fine). I also ended up brewing a fifth class for one of the players circus, that was the same as the librarian in all but name (introducing the handyman). By introducing these classes, the characters chose their class and created their character around it.

Cap, as the rookie, made a new hire who was desparate to please everyone. Biscuits, as the artefactor, had a mysterious and absolutely traumatized artefact storage employee. Circus, as the handyman, made a southern country MAN who worked as a book restorationist in the institute library.

The kind of excitement and planning and love that went into these characters all bled into the hype created between these 4 people, and I began to wonder whether this one shot would STAY a oneshot. I love the idea of longer campaigns, but knowing me and my short lived passions, I had gone into this project with the mindset to start something small. The coming session is still a playtest, but plans for a longer campaign started to influence my further world building.

Because next was the writing.

The writing itself was it's own project that I was very looking forward to. The benefits of the cthulhu hack system is that it favours mystery, cosmic horror, and investigations and clue-collecting. That sounded perfect for what I was going for. However, the idea of investigations was beginning to weigh on me. Duskhollow was based around a police precinct that involved solving cases. Now a notable thing about the Magnus Archives is that not every case gets solved. In fact, most cases were just stepping stones to a greater mystery. The question of how to make this an engaging and satisfying mystery while still leaving threads open for a possible larger mystery began to form in my mind. What was the larger mystery going to be? What was the SMALLER mystery going to be?

The idea was to give them a case, a statement, with leads they all had to follow up on. That alone left me scratching my head for an entire weekend (as i procrastinated by making npcs over actual storylines). There are 15 fears in TMA, all with their own preset lore and trends and amalgamous interactions (hows that for a made up word?). The vast scope (lol) mixed with the unending pressure (lol) to make something different to established canon kind of left me stumped for a while. I made villains, but they all had an air of finality to them, something that had to be built up to rather than dealt with in a single investigation (on the players first week no less). I put a pin in this, putting the question to simmer in the back of my bind as I started other missions.

Next was the discord server. The discord server is to host the game itself, and to allow for player interactions and questions. I started off with 3 channels, a "system" channel for info on the game, an "out of character" channel for general talk, and an "in character" channel for players to roleplay in. I wasn't really sure about the last one, I was unsure if it would be used at all. I was inspired by other DM friend Louis, who is big in the LARP scene. His own servers had places for characters to talk in character, and I thought it was neat! I invited the players to chat around about the game, before introducing the purpose of the in character chat. I was not expecting them to take to it so well. I was honestly shocked at the response. The roleplay was funny, engaging, and let the characters practice their voices as they roleplayed on the "Magnus Institute Microsoft Teams Equivalent". The work group chat, essentially. It was amazing. I was beyond overjoyed to witness the players having such fun with an idea i didnt think would take very well. It was a lovely surprise.

I'll continue more of my process in post 2, as this is getting exceptionally long (and i need a break of writing lol). Important points I want to add on is: the homebrew worldbuilding how my archive and the canon archive differ the investigation the marks and encounters system the minecraft thing

#personal #my tma oneshot process #my dad told me to record my process #so here we areeee

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cdfreak · 10 months

Note

3&8?

3.) any recurring images/elements?

well so in my Mind theres a recurring image of eyes like naturally forming in landscapes and trees and such but i never really pointed it out and the nature of a ttrpg campaign does not allow for it to be shown visually in the background really. general theme though like letting go... ghost town was about holding onto things too tightly and dragging a corpse behind you

8.) what inspired your world building, if anything?

i cant think of any specific inspos but i was big into all kinds of horror especially tma when i was running/writing that campaign and im sure some elements made their way in.. generally was just supposed to be kind of Haunted feeling everything had a history. also heres my playlist for writing/brainstorming

#asks #ghost town #she needs a new tag i feel bad neglecting her

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bluejayblueskies · 2 years

Note

1, 12, and 18 (for either mal or TMA, your choice!)

ask me some random writer questions!

1 - Who’s your favorite character to write?

For Malevolent, I love writing both Arthur and John, but I think I like writing Arthur just a little bit more because I do love a regular human who is Going Through The Horrors TM and struggling with his own humanity <3 plus, from a more practical standpoint, writing a blind character has made me consider different ways to convey situations, focusing on the other senses (like, telling what somebody is feeling based on their tone of voice rather than their body language), which i've enjoyed.

For TMA, Jon Jon Jon Jon my beloved Jonathan <3 <3 for very similar reasons as Arthur in that he is a man Going Through The Horrors TM and struggling with his own humanity. i love him as a character AND he's very fun to write, which is a combination that has driven my (checks Ao3) 84 published TMA fics.

(the rest under the readmore as it got long)

12 - What is one character you love but rarely/never write?

For Malevolent, it's the KIY, which can be attributed entirely to Croik's Now That's What I Call Entangled! series which are some of my absolute favorite Malevolent fics and really endeared me to the Arthur/KIY dynamic. TFW ur an eldritch god who spends all ur time hunting down and tormenting the same human and,,,, maybe,,,, you fall in love with him 🥺

For TMA, it's a bit of a complicated answer bc I don't particularly love Peter as a character and don't necessarily feel compelled to write more of him but i also crave more jonpeter fic in my life so. idk. also daisy <3

18 - What is one theme/storyline/idea you wish to write but never have?

Hold on lemme dig into my big list of prompts

For Malevolent, I have a Bartimaus trilogy AU rattling around in my brain that i am 👀👀👀 wanting to write while simultaneously knowing it will turn into a Big Long Project and not having the energy for that rn 😔 i may do it as a series like my selkie au so I can publish specific scenes as they come to me/i feel inspired to do them.

oh, I also have this that i forgot about (copy pasted from my prompt doc):

arthur does actually die in ep. 20, and john gets stuck in a time loop by the kiy a la that one supernatural episode where he can't keep arthur from dying in increasingly horrible ways. the way he gets out of it is by finally giving in and going willingly to the kiy, giving up his autonomy and agreeing to live peacefully and without argument.

For TMA, I have,,,, so many lol. here's a non-comprehensive list:

leitner bodyswap au

hell's kitchen au

jon realizes in s4 that his invulnerability to injury extends to mundane death and becomes. quite careless.

au where martin goes with to great yarmouth and basira stays behind in london, and he gets out before the building explodes and goes searching once the dust has settled and finds jon

inkheart au

#ask #organchordsandlightning #had to put a readmore bc i can't shut up lol #*rubs my hands together* angst.....#ask game

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thegoldenavenger · 4 years

Note

Stony librarian au(I love adorable librarian tony)

So! This turned into semi-horror instead of the domestic library shenanigans you probably wanted! Sorry! Warnings: horror/surreal themes. Unbeta’d.

The library is mostly dark, just the lamp as Tony sorts through things at the check in desk. It’s after hours and while Tony loves his job, he can admit that he enjoys these dark, quiet moments quite a bit.

This library used to be one of the old townside houses his father used to own, but Tony gutted it, renovated it, filled it with books and movies and loanable equipment, and opened it to the public and though he’s wise enough to let Pepper run the thing it is still his. It’d been the one cathartic thing he’d allowed himself, after his father’s death.

So during the day he’s running around making calls and writing emails and chasing down people who don’t want to listen to reason as he tries to wrestle his father’s company into something resembling an ethically sound forefront of innovation and during the night he runs his hand over the spines of well loved, well treated books.

When he was small his father would chase him out of the study library nook, as if Tony were too stupid to know how to treat things with respect or like Tony was better suited somewhere else then in his father’s line of sight. When Tony did manage to sneak his way in, he was always terrified of lifting the heavy books off their shelves as if he’d disturb some great relic.

Walls of classic literature were for show, Tony had learned growing up. You spent money or rare editions and then stored them so the embossed spine could be seen but you didn’t touch them. It was so, so different when he went to his friend’s house and Tony was treated to homely shelves of pulp fiction, and sci-fi, and kid books all stacked together. Rhodey’s mother dog-eared a harlequin as she stood from her arm chair to greet Tony.

Rhodey had given Tony his copy of the Lord of the Rings, and after that The Twin Tower and it’s Rhodey’s precise hand that has underlined and highlighted the passage that makes Tony always, always remember that even darkness must pass. That when the sun shines, it will shine clearer.

So yes, Tony builds a library out of the bones of his past and yes it means something. It means something to walk the aisles after dark and smile at the full book carts. It fills Tony with a sense that he’s done this thing right, at least.

After hours doesn’t mean the library is empty, there’s a cleaning staff Tony keeps well-paid and happy, so he’s not terrible surprised when he hears footsteps echoing in the foyer of the library. It’s a bit late, maybe, but nothing unusual. The library still feels like safety, and it continues to do so for all the time it takes for Tony to turn a corner to see a shadow bent over the books at the front desk.

It’s not any of his employees, he makes a note to memorize them and their names, not any of his friends, or anyone else he recognizes.

The person at the desk is rifling through the books, flipping to the spines and then placing them back on the pile. They are broad shouldered and tall, and Tony’s hands flit to his pockets like he might summon a weapon to confront this... Tony doesn’t know. Robber?

“I’m not finding it!” The man says and Tony jumps.

“Can’t see anything here either--maybe it’s in the drop box?” Another voice joins in, and Tony blinks a couple times as another person pops up from behind the counter. This one is illuminated by Tony’s small desk lamp instead of silhouetted. He’s thin, sharp jawed, with a flop of dark blonde hair and blue, blue eyes that widen as they meet Tony’s.

“Who are you?” The man asks, standing straight up.

The other man whips around, just as startled.

Tony raises his hands, placating, then scoffs at himself because he’s the one who is supposed to be here.

“I can ask the same thing! What are you doing in my library? We’re closed, lights off, no visitors.” He flicks his hands as he talks, claps them as a statement and watches as the two intruders jump.

“We’re looking for a book.” Says the dark haired man. “This is a library.”

The blond puts his face in his hands.

“We haven’t had anyone return anything like that.” Tony says, affronted. “We don’t even have anything like that in our system.” He looks, affronted, at Steve who had found a moment to introduce himself and his friend.

“Someone could have slipped it into your library without you knowing, it’s slippery like that.”

“It’s a book,” Tony says, “Books aren’t sentient creatures with willpower.

Bucky, Steve’s tall, dark, and intimidating friend, scoffs.

“Well, maybe someone turned it in as a trick then, but it definitely should be somewhere on this property.” Steve says, giving Bucky a look.

“I’ve already checked through all the returns today, unless someone dropped it through the drop-box the last couple of hours.”

Steve looks at Tony, with his wide, wide eyes, and Tony huffs.

“Look, let’s go check I’ve got the keys for it, and if it’s not there you can get me some coffee and tell me more about why you’re looking for a haunted book like some Youtube Ghost Hunters.” Tony says and heads for the door. Steve and Bucky follow.

“We’re Seekers, not Ghost Hunters.”

“Bucky!”

“Well, he should get it right, not--” There’s a muffled thump and Steve hissing “Shut up!”

Tony lets a smile spread over his face, comfortable in the fact that they can’t see him. Maybe they’re misguided idiots looking for views for their blog or whatever the kids are into these days, Tony doesn’t know, but it was a fun anomaly while it lasted.

The drop boxes are located outside the building, conveniently located so people can drive up and drop their books if they don’t want to stop in. Tony puts his key into the closest one and unlocks it, pulling the flap open.

Tony pulls three books out, all children’s books. He raises an eyebrow at Steve and Bucky as he hands them the books to look over. Locking that box he turns to the next and opens it to find it empty.

“Right, so where is this haunted book?” He asks, gesturing dramatically at the empty darkness inside the drop box. Bucky actually sticks his head into the thing before accepting Tony’s verdict.

Tony shuts the drop box, locks it and then puts his hands on his hips. “Alright, you owe me some coffee and an explanation.”

The explanation is better than the coffee but only because the coffee is tepid and stale. Tony isn’t sure he believes Steve and Bucky’s account of a book that, what, eats people? Disappears them? But it’s an amusing tale and seeing Steve’s face get all worked up when Tony teases him is definitely reason enough to be here.

In fact, Steve is much more entertaining than the tale he’s trying to weave. The shiny dullness to his hair, the freckles Tony can see now that they’re being illuminated by ugly florescent lighting, his big blue eyes and the thick eyebrows scowling at him.

“Are you even paying attention?” Steve hisses.

“What, yes, yes. Hundred years of murder history. Secret shadowy nightmares. Very believable.” Tony nods just to watch Steve’s cheeks heat up with red.

Steve’s hands are lithe and his knuckles strong as he sets his coffee mug down on the table with a clack! He pushes himself up, bending over the table to get in Tony’s face and yell. He’s pretty short, Tony notices. If Tony wasn’t resting his chin in his hands Steve might still be looking up at him instead of down.

Bucky sets his fork down long enough to yank Steve back into his seat and say, “He’s goading you.” Before he goes back to shoveling greasy diner eggs into his mouth.

Steve crosses his arms and huffs, sitting back into the booth.

“If you weren’t gonna listen, why’d ya wanna come out for coffee?” Steve mutters, and it takes Tony’s brain a whole second to reboot because that was an accent oh yes it was.

Blinking to clear his head, Tony replies with the same steadiness he’s been showing in the face of Steve’s tall tales. “I’m a librarian, I’m pretty much obligated to check you out.”

“If you weren’t so--” Steve starts but Tony doesn’t hear him because Bucky just snorts coffee all over his empty plate.

It takes that interruption for Steve to actually process Tony’s (lame) line and his cheeks erupt from pissed off pink to really embarrassed red.

Bucky coughs into his napkin, the coughs resolving into loud, husky laughter, enough for waitress to come by all concerned and glass of water in hand. Bucky waves her off and looks at Tony with the most amused expression on his face, a total deviation from the stone wall Tony has seen most of the night.

“Good luck with this one, pal,” he says, patting Steve heavily on the shoulder.

Tony ends up paying for the coffee and Bucky’s eggs, because Tony doesn’t think internet sleuths actually have much income, and because the story was worth the bill.

“Make sure you return those books, or you’ll miss our due date,” he calls after Steve and Bucky’s receding backs. He can hear Bucky start laughing again, under the noise of exasperation Steve makes.

Tony actually hopes they do come back, and not just because he wants the kids books he left with Steve returned.

This was a fun night, he thinks as he returns to his home. It was definitely going to be The story at lunch time gossip with Pepper and Rhodey. Tony locks the door behind him, flipping on the lights and slipping out of his shoes. He shrugs off his coat and hangs it, then loosens the tied around his neck.

He thinks they might have words about him not calling the cops on a couple of B&Eers, which reminds him, he should have asked how they got in the library in the first place. The doors were still locked when they’d left to see the drop boxes and he hadn’t heard any windows breaking.

Tony resolves to ask when--if he sees them again.

He continues with his nightly routine, showering, brushing his teeth, dressing for bed, cleaning his nails. He grabs his briefcase and drags it to the couch, where he turns on the flat screen for some background noise. He pours the rest of the green smoothie he’d made that morning into a glass and takes it with him to the couch where he opens his briefcase.

He always spends a couple of hours catching up on emails before bed, and he reaches into the case to grab his laptop but his hand rests on something else.

He pulls his hand out, and he’s holding a heavy, perfect bound book.

That had definitely not been there this morning, he thinks before he puts it on the coffee table.

The books stays in his briefcase. Tony does not read it, he’s not stupid.

Okay, Rhodey isn’t stupid, and Tony’s smart enough to call him the moment he stopped internally freaking out about the book.

“Don’t read it man, don’t be that guy.”

“Yeah, yeah, of course not.”

“You’re reading it right now aren’t you?”

“Of course not, I’m not stupid.”

“Really?”

“Really. But, like, I might in the next fifteen minutes. It’s just right there! You know I have poor impulse control, honey bear!”

“Control yourself man!”

Tony controls himself long enough that Rhodey can slap the book out of his hands when he bursts into Tony’s apartment like the cool-aid man. Rhodey’s mom didn’t raise a fool, so the books gets wrapped in Rhodey’s sweater, wrapped in a bag, put into another bag, then locked back in Tony’s briefcase. He’d have thrown it into a fire too, if Tony hadn’t insisted they save it for Steve and Bucky. Mostly Steve.

“Who are they?” Rhodey asks, and though Tony wanted to save this story for Gossip time he relents and fills Rhodey in on the hours of Tony’s life he missed.

“You are. The worst.” Rhodey says. “This shit never used to happen to me before I met you.”

“Yeah, but you love me anyways.”

Rhodey makes a frustrated noise but doesn’t deny it.

Tony and Rhodey wait at the library all day for Steve and Bucky to show up. Tony keeps making Rhodey guess which vaguely suspicious duos are the Monster Hunters in question, just to laugh behind his hand when Rhodey inevitably guesses wrong.

The briefcase is heavy in Tony’s hand, and he thinks if he stops talking he’ll want to rip the book out and read it.

“Oh wait, no I know exactly who you were talking about,” Rhodey says, his flat voice resigned. Tony looks up and sees Steve and Bucky beelining towards the library’s entry way.

Tony stand from the bench and waves invitingly towards the two men.

“Hey! No late fees for you!” Tony calls out as they get closer. Bucky doesn’t laugh this time, but Steve’s face still gets red so Tony chalks it up to a win.

“Tony, what’s that?” Steve asks, pointing at Tony’s hand.

Tony and Rhodey both look down to see Tony’s hand gripping the bag Rhodey had stuffed the book into.

“Jesus, Tony!”

“What, I didn’t? I don’t remember opening the case! It was locked! You’d have noticed me unlocking it!”

“Wait, what’s going on?” Steve interrupts.

“I’m the best librarian, I found your book!” Tony says brightly, lifting up the bag. He’s already trying to unwrap it, but Bucky’s hand shoots out, closing over his with a surprising amount of strength.

“Not here.” He says, gruffly.

“Holy shit,” Rhodey says under his breath.

“I know, right?” Tony says, grinning widely at his friend.

Steve ends up dropping the children’s books back into the drop box and they all hop into an old car and drive to a motel a few minutes away. Tony complains about the vehicle the whole time, from the rust patches in the paint job, to the air pressure in the tires that he can feel is just too low, to the sound the car makes as Steve shifts gears.

“Get a hold of your guy,” Bucky orders, eyes on Tony’s drifting hand through the sun visor’s mirror.

“He ain’t my guy,” Rhodey insists fervently, as he grabs Tony’s hands and yanks them away from the book. “I don’t got a guy, why does everyone think you’re my guy, Tony?”

“Maybe ‘cause you’re always holding my hand?” Tony turns his grip so he’s clutching Rhodey’s fingers instead of shaking.

He hates being out of control. It’s why he stopped drinking.

“Yeah, yeah, it’s all your fault.” Rhodey says, but he keeps Tony’s hands steady for him, like he always does.

The motel is cheap, and Tony thinks he might actually break out in hives just walking into the rented room, but he keeps quiet because he’s finally allowed to bring out the book.

He blinks and Steve has snatched it out of his hands.

“This is definitely it,” Steve says and Bucky nods as they both look over the black cover. There are no words embossed on it, front or back or spine. It’s just black leather, and cream pages.

“So what is it?” Rhodey asks.

So Steve and Bucky tell Rhodey what they told Tony last night, and this time Tony actually listens.

“The last time someone had this one, they disappeared.” Bucky says.

Rhodey’s hands fist, and Tony gives in and sits on the bed, even if the comforter is tacky.

“Finding these things are so hard,” Steve complains, “If we can locate one, usually it’s already in the hands of someone who is dumb enough to try and keep it.” He looks approvingly at Tony.

“Trust me,” Tony says, raising his hands, “I’m done with the disappearing acts.”

“These things have a way of getting their hooks in you,” Bucky says, his arm reaching up to rub at the empty sleeve at his side. “You shouldn’t be alone for a bit.”

“Thanks for coming to us,” Steve says, and he reaches out to touch Tony’s wrist.

Tony thinks that might be a better reward than not disappearing.

“Here’s my number.” Bucky says, handing Rhodey a sticky note. “Call if anything weird happens.

Rhodey nods, all cool like, but Tony knows if he were to put a hand to Rhodey’s cheek it’d be heated.

Tony, despite thinking Steve is kind of cute, is ready to put the incident behind him, but he doesn’t complain when Rhodey decides to stick around. To observe him.

Tony is glad of it, when strange shit keeps happening around him.

He’s swipes toothpaste onto his toothbrush and runs the head of it under the faucet then starts to brush his teeth.

And then Rhodey asks him what’s taking him so long and he blinks and his mouth his foamy, and his gums hurt, and so does his hand where he was gripping the brush. Did he lose time? He’s probably tired.

But then, he gets up from watching TV with Rhodey and goes to the kitchen. He asks if Rhodey wants anything, grabs a second beer even before Rhodey asks for one and head back to the living room, but Rhodey already has a beer and the channel has changed. “I got thirsty waiting for you to finish.” Rhodey says offhand, as if Tony had gone anywhere but straight to and from the kitchen.

It’s at his day job that it gets really weird, though. Tony finishes an email then stands to head to the employee break room. He doesn’t need to, but he likes getting coffee there. It’s a nice way to say hi, to stay connected to those who work under him.

The halls are empty as he makes his way to the break room. He can’t even hear people working behind the office doors. There’s no one in the meeting rooms he walks by, no one by the water coolers. He pushes the door to the break room but there’s no one there, either. He tries to focus on getting his coffee, but his hands are already shaking so he skips it and goes for water instead.

On the way back he peaks his head opens a door leading into marketing but there’s no one there. All the desks are empty. He takes a turn into accounting, but it’s just florescent lights. He pushes open another door, then another, and it’s all just empty desks and harsh lights. It’s several twists before he even realises that this isn’t how he had the offices decorated. He always stressed the importance of natural lighting and comfortable spaces but the decor has turned into colorless carpet, narrow plastered walls and yellow flickering lights. Endless doors opening to vacant cubicles and abandoned office equipment.

Tony has never been one to call out when in trouble, so it’s just his thudding heart and rasping breaths to accompany his footfalls as he runs through the building trying to find his way out of the labyrinthine office and damn, that thought really makes him want to laugh out loud, even though he knows it’d be strangled.

He fumbles in his pocket for his phone, types in the number he’d already memorised by the time Rhodey had slipped it into his pocket, and hopes that somehow it connects.

There’s a dial tone, and then-- “Rhodey?”

“Hah, yes! I mean, no, I’m not Rhodey, but I’ll set you up on, like, a coffee date with him if you can get me out of here!”

“Tony?”

“Yes, ding ding ding! It only took you two guesses! Amazing--” His breath hitches in the middle and he stops running in order to stop himself from making any more weird, vulnerable noises.

“Tony, is that you, what’s going on?” And that’s Steve’s voice, oh good!

“Yeah, I’m--does this thing have face time or? No, listen I lost in an office building. My office building? But it’s not, I did not authorise this floorplan! I’m a madman but I’m not malevolent I would never pair--” He makes a strangled noise, “Emotionally void and tasteless paintings with god! damn! fluorescent! lighting!”

The yellow lights flicker obstinately at him. “Yeah fuck you, too!” He yells.

“Tony, calm down, take a breath what did you say? A void?”

“A labyrinth. No one’s here. Haven’t even seen a Minotaur.” He laughs again and he knows it’s shading hysterical.

“Oh, shit,” The phone pulls away from Steve’s mouth and his voice goes fuzzy as he talks to presumably Bucky, and Tony heart flies to his throat.

“Hey, hey, what do you mean ‘oh shit’ come on. Steve? Steve?!”

“I’m here, keep walking.” Steve demands. Tony listens. He walks. He listens as Steve talks to him about what he’s doing, he walks past empty water coolers and dead plants. When the connection hisses Steve tells him to turn and Tony does.

“Bucky is pissed you called his car a heartbreaker, that’s his baby.” Steve says and Tony forces a laugh. “I only said it because it’s true. The paint job was breaking my heart!”

“Yeah, yeah,” Tony hears Bucky in the background.

“I’ll show you a real ride once--” He breaks off as he opens another door to another empty room. Steve makes a choking noise that has Tony smiling despite everything. “I’ve got cars,” He says instead. “Like a hobby.”

“Sounds like a rich man’s hobby.” Steve offers.

“Sure,” Tony agrees. “But I’ll take it if it means I don’t have to worry about your friend’s death trap breaking down.”

“I like bikes better,” Steve admits.

“You ride?” Tony asks.

“Here and there,”

Tony gives silent thanks for the image of Steve in motorcycle leathers.

“I like bikes, too. You know Fujikawa?”

“Know ‘em? Those are the best damn bikes--”

“Well, I’ve got a couple--”

“Of course you do!”

Tony laughs, delighted. “I can do better than that, too.”

“What, you’ve got a flying car hiding somewhere?”

“Not yet,” Tony says, “But I can introduce you to Rumiko.”

“Ru--Rumiko? That’s-- She’s, but!” She’s the lead designer at Fujikawa Industries is what she is, and Tony is so, so glad to have met her in this moment.

“Yeah, she’s great. We’ll have lunch, it’ll be a ball.”

“I’m holding you to that,” Steve says, “I won’t have coffee with you again if you’re just making this up.”

“You were planning on having coffee with me again?” The thought warms Tony’s chest straight through his heart. He can feel the grin on his face.

“Well. I gotta check you ... out, or---”

Tony laughs, startled, then laughs harder because he can hear Bucky hacking up a lung in the background.

“Shut up! Never mind, offer rescinded.”

“Too late!” Tony crows, “You can’t take that back! You said it! I’m holding it right here, by my index card. I’m signing it out, it’s set in stone, buddy, you’ve got yourself a date.”

“You have a date?” Pepper asks.

Tony whips his head around so fast he almost gives himself whiplash. The phone drops and Pepper rises from her seat at Tony’s desk. “Tony?”

“Holy shit, I’m out!”

Steve’s voice comes out tinny through the phone.

“Tony, are you okay?” Pepper’s smile has taken on a shade of concern.

“You’re real, right?” Tony asks, before bending down to pick up his phone. “Steve, I found Pepper, I think I’m out!”

“Okay, I’m going to call for an ambulance,” Pepper says, frowning.

“No, I’m fine! I’m great!”

Steve’s voice sounds generally approving, though Tony isn’t really listening to him right now.

“You’re delirious, I think.”

“No, I have a date!” He exclaims, and Pepper just shakes her head.

Steve and Bucky investigate ever corner of the spaces Tony inhabits, and they find a folded page in his night stand that Tony doesn’t remember. The paper is think, and the only thing printed on it is an old looking wood cut of a silhouette. Looking at it sends chills up Tony’s spine, but after Steve and Bucky take possession of it the weirdness stops, so that’s fine. Tony is good to put the incident behind him and focuses instead on figuring out how to get Steve to follow him on a plane trip to Japan.

“What is it, Tony?” Steve’s voice is groggy, but Tony doesn’t feel bad for waking him.

“Thought I saw a shadow outside my window.”

“You did not.” Steve says, matter of factly.

“You don’t know that.” Tony says, smile quirking around his mouth.

“You’re the worst.”

“That’s true.” Tony grins, because he can hear Steve shifting around, getting up.

“Fine, I’ll be there soon.”

“Actually, it’s gonna take you about eight hours.”

“What?”

“Yeah, you see, I’m kind of in Japan.”

“I’m not going to Japan, Tony!”

“Aren’t you, though?” Tony says, and yes! He’d timed it right because he can hear the knocking at Steve’s door.

“Tony, what did you do?” Steve whines.

Tony grins and takes a sip of the tea Rumiko had brought out for him. On the table between them is a crumpled napkin with a spider imprinted on it, something slipped into Rumiko’s things without her noticing.

“We’re going to Japan,” Bucky says, his voice muffled through the connection.

“Tony, what did you do!” Steve’s whining takes a panicked edge to it.

“It’s fine, Steve.” He says, then addresses Rumiko, pointing at his phone. “I told you, Rumiko, I know Weird Stuff experts. Everything’s gonna be fine!”

“Seekers!” He hears Bucky yell.

“RUMIKO?” Steve yells.

Rumiko puts her head in her hands, but she’s laughing. “You’re lucky I like you,” she says.

Tony smiles, winningly and turns back to the phone, “You can buy me coffee when you get here.”

#kamaeteWRITES #tony stark #steve rogers #stony #(implied... im sorry)#the horror themes are tma inspired #sorry it just happened!!#Anonymous

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gammija · 4 years

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do yall think podcast merch is ugly 'cause if podcasters were visual artists theyd have made a webcomic

#tma #yes this is about the new merch #no offense to the artist some of those pieces are legit p cool art on its own #it just... has so little to do with tma #i have a feeling the person in charge of merch just thought. 'horror podcast merch obvs needs a horror author'#also they look as if there was no consideration at all for whether theyd be t-shirts or posters or whatever #im mostly joking btw i dont know what most podcast merch looks like #i was just thinking how homestuck merch is a lot better in general despite having some similarities #(vague character designs and a lil over 10 themes)#i dont think they should make merch with any recognizable characters but they could make other things #which i wont elaborate on cause others have already made plenty of suggestions #its just. the purpose of horror art and the purpose of merch art you want people to wear is not the same #horror art exists to inspire horror #and people - especially in the merch buying demographic of this fandom - dont want to inspire horror in #random strangers they cross on the street #*i meant horror ARTIST in that 5th tag

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artherra · 5 years

Text

Lines and lines of ivy grow,

on scraps of metal down below,

Oh, humankind, what have you done?

This sacred land under the sun,

Is filthy, rusted, pure no more,

The mother nature now at war.

Foolish men, don’t you hear it’s call?

You summoned it, now watch it crawl,

You summoned it and fed it meat,

You prepared the table, now take a seat.

The Extinction now among us walks,

And all of us are the prey it stalks,

Born from your greed and endless lies...

So, watch out for birds with bleeding eyes.

#artherra draws #theme: horror #ravens #art #poems #poetry #artists on tumblr #birds #i’ve listened to 4 TMA episodes in a row and Y e ah i was Inspired #arsgang lore

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attystark · 1 year

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I posted 7,448 times in 2022

That's 4,995 more posts than 2021!

47 posts created (1%)

7,401 posts reblogged (99%)

Blogs I reblogged the most:

@three-magpies-in-a-trenchcoat

@they-thespian666

@the-ghost-in-your-attic

@ashes-in-a-jar

@derinthescarletpescatarian

I tagged 1,175 of my posts in 2022

#tma - 14 posts

#awww - 12 posts

#pfft - 11 posts

#rqg - 11 posts

#ts patton - 10 posts

#i love this - 10 posts

#yes - 9 posts

#rqg spoilers - 9 posts

#prev tags - 8 posts

#ouch - 8 posts

Longest Tag: 139 characters

#and i learnt that i’m the only one who appreciated the energy of getting the whole crowd to yell “pussy” at one of the most internationally

My Top Posts in 2022:

Friend and I reached an agreement in physics class

@spiritousfiend

21 notes - Posted March 30, 2022

Did I literally start crying when I realised Barnes (and probably Carter??) was dead? Yes. Did I cry harder when I realised how little time he had with Cel? Yes. But do I think that in the end he probably had the life he wanted, with people he wanted to spend it with? Yes, and honestly at least Alex let him be okay.

22 notes - Posted January 12, 2022

Trice Forgotten has already proven itself soooo worth the wait!!

24 notes - Posted August 2, 2022

Jonny loves Cannibalism, huh?

32 notes - Posted January 3, 2022

My #1 post of 2022

OK but, TMA entity inspired theme park divided into different sections based on the entities.

If you enter from the main guests, you’ll first see the Eye, which has a dark ride inspired by Jonah Magnus’s house, and a museum of oddities where visitors can give statements.

The Lonely has a forest garden, so big that you could walk for hours and see only your reflection on the lake.

On the opposite side of the lake, every night, the Desolation hosts a firework show that ends in an illusion of setting the lake on fire, and a coaster through the forest as you flee a blaze.

Cutting through the middle of the park, split into two halves, is the Food Corridor.

The front half is both a parent’s dream and their nightmare, themed to the corruption, it’s all unhealthy sweets, doughnuts and the kind of dubious cafe food that makes you wonder if it’s made of plastic, but there’s also loads of stuff about learning about bugs, like a butterfly garden, and a kids coaster called “Moths Flight.”

The second is themed to the Flesh. It sells a lot of meat products (obviously) and is probably sponsored by KFC. There’s probably a few carnival games themed to the bone gardens and stuff, as well as a dark ride about the human body and a shop offering piercings, those plastic body halloween props and bone flower models.

The Hunt and Slaughter share a section, and it definitely attracts a lot of thrill seekers. There’s loads of coasters including one of those duel ones so you’re trying to catch/escape the other track called “beasts” and a kid’s playground with mass games of laser tag, hide and seek and manhunt overseen by staff members.

The Dark and End’s section tends to blend together, featuring a space mountain style ride for the dark, a graveyard dance 4D experience that sells fake death certificates from the End, and special shows on Eclipses. The Dark also has a shooter where you ‘turn off’ the stars.

The Stranger’s section is split across the food corridor, with the small section being more adult. There’s a coaster where the idea is you’re running from a killer clown, and year round 16+ horror maze with a similar premise. The other section is for kids. There’s a two story carousel, a massive circus, a wax museum and a few kid’s coasters. It probably also has a bounce house.

The Vast and Buried are next to each other. On the overlap between the two opposed entities is a dive coaster similar to Alton Towers’ Oblivion, where riders plunge from a vertical drop into an underground section, though both sections last longer than AT’s one.

The Vast has a massive aquarium, one of those spinning swing rides, a log flume and a drop tower.

The Buried has a mine train that really goes underground, a massive sandpit just called ‘DIG’ and a zoo exhibit with mongoose or meerkats where you can walk through the underground part of the exhibit and see the tunnels they did in a large, clear tunnel.

The Web is one of the smaller sections, with only a puppet show that runs twice an hour for twenty minutes, hosted in a theatre that looks like a run down old house on the top of a hill. In the same building is ARACHNID ENCOUNTER, a shooter ride where you shoot spiders.

The Spiral has a maze and hall of mirrors, as well as a downward corkscrew coaster just called ‘spiral’ and some other carnival rides designed to be just vomit inducing.

The smallest section of the park is fenced off, but promises to ‘TORMENT YOU SOON’ and is rumoured to be extinction themed. No one knows much about planned attractions, just the titles: one called meteor people think will be a family coaster and an experience called ‘After Us’ sponsored by the Lukas Corporation.

At the center of the park, flanked by a hotel, is Smirke Square. It hosts a market, impermanent carnival rides, and a large stage. On this stage, every morning at 6 hotel guests can watch the park be opened to a ritual, and every evening at 10 anyone can watch the closing ceremony of a counter ritual that shuts the park down for another day.

417 notes - Posted June 9, 2022

Get your Tumblr 2022 Year in Review →

#tumblr2022 #year in review #my 2022 tumblr year in review #your tumblr year in review

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stellarish · 3 years

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I couldn’t stop thinking about the hs kids in the TMA universe, so uhh

Rose Lalonde, Avatar of the Eye

Fun details about this au under the cut:

I imagine that, as an Avatar of the Eye, Rose would lean much more heavily towards the “knows your secrets” side of the theming, as opposed to the general thirst for knowledge that drove Jon. He needed to see the answer, but Rose is much more interested in picking apart the question itself, if that makes sense, and she’s also a bit of a gossip.

I imagine all that means that she’s quite interested in trying to learn about the Fears themselves, trying to unravel how they really work, and what end all the horror is moving toward. She’s curious, and perhaps a bit too willing to let others come to harm to fuel her curiosity. She’s an avatar, after all.

As far as powers go, I think she’d be a bit less visual-focused than Elias’s whole “see out of any eye” shtick, and I also doubt she’d ever reach Jon’s level of casual omnipotence. Rather, at peak power, she’d just be very good at answering her own questions. (I’m thinking of her whole thing in canon with the 8 ball here, for inspiration). She doesn’t tend to passively Know things the way Jon does, but if she puts in the effort to “look” for an answer to something, it’s almost always there for her. This is less powerful than the Archivist, of course, but also far easier to control. There’s less risk of being overwhelmed by the sheer volume of information available to her.

And of course, for work, she’d be a psychic! The Eye can’t see the future, but quite a lot of accurate fortune telling and general seer-ing can be done with just a good view of the present, which she absolutely has. I think it’d be quite fun if she had two tiers of business: regular and deluxe. For regular, you’d pay with regular old cash, and aside from a quick Look at you to help her cold read, she’d mostly do what any scam psychic could tell you. For deluxe, though, there’s one extra form of payment she’d require: your darkest secret (or for repeat customers, perhaps just any new secret each time). You endure that awful moment, spilling the one thing you thought you’d never tell to this odd, haunting woman with the strange eyes, and in return, you get to find out for sure whether your crush loves you back, or if your missing friend is alive, or if your boss is going to give you that big promotion. It’s definitely worth the feeling of someone staring into your soul, and the way her eyes seem to follow you long after you leave her shop, the feeling of a gaze on your neck reminding you that somewhere out there, somebody knows what you did. Definitely worth the price.

#i'm reposting some old art onto this account rn #tma #the magnus archives #homestuck #rose lalonde #the homestuck archives #stellart #art #stellar original

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theillusionofsafetypod · 3 years

Note

do you have any inspiratiions or recomendations? i want more podcasts like this!

Do I ever!!!

Inspirations:

@mabelpodcast: A horror/mystery podcast featuring queer women of color, magic (though theirs is of the fae variety-even better, in my opinion, and so well done!!) and absolutely gorgeous writing! This one doesn't have much dialouge at first, and focuses mostly on monologues instead as Anna narrates her life to the mysterious Mabel Martin, granddaughter of the woman she cares for who she finds herself unable to reach. I can't recommend it enough!

@iriscasefiles: One of my all time favorites. Found family (which is likely something you enjoy if you listen to us) and gays in space-my favorite genre of podcast! Told to us through the case files of an investigation into the case of the starship iris, the mystery deepens in every episode, and will definitely have you hooked. Also, you'll never get "fear for the storm" out of your head

@thebrightsessions: Queer, found family (sensing a theme?) and placing a huge importance on mental health, we're told this story through the audio logs of sessions with Doctor Bright, therapist for the strange and unusual. But what is she hiding? (Be sure to mind the trigger warnings in this one!)

@kaleidotropepodcast: Where can I even begin? This one is just the queer romcom I've needed all my life. It takes place on a college radio show, hosted by a cynical, jaded writer and a bubbly, upbeat optimist. Their beliefs differ radically in most things, but especially on the existence of magic in their school-of the true love variety, of course. Everybody gets a trope at sidlesmith, right?

And a few other like The Penumbra Podcast, TAZ, TMA, Wolf 359, but if I listed every podcast that inspired me I would have to list them all. These are just a couple I would love to see more people listen to and talk about, and some of my biggest influences!

#the bright sessions #kaleidotrope #mabel podcast #the strange case of starship iris

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pensivetense · 3 years

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A List Of (Mostly TMA) Fic Recs Sorted By Vibe

Not an exhaustive list by any means, just a few favourites that caught my fancy. I shortened many of the summaries for space.

I’m going to pin this here and update it as I go.

Also, I’m pensivetense on ao3

MELANCHOLY VIBES

for when you want to feel comfortably muted

(sad but not utterly bleak endings here)

Hope, Etc. (Dickenson, et al.) by yellow_caballero

Jonathan Sims, six months after the Unknowing, wakes to find himself without a daemon - without humanity, without a soul. It’s a cursed half-life, but existence as a shell without a heart isn’t so bad: between solving the mystery of a persistent illusion cast over his friends and some light pseudo-cannibalism, a life as a monster is better than no life at all. At least, it would be, if it wasn’t for the fucking Owl.

A freaking. Amazing. Daemon au. Ties the lore of Dust with TMA lore very satisfyingly, but is mostly about Jon navigating what it means to be human, or, in the absence of that, a person, and doesn’t require prior knowledge of His Dark Materials. Cannot recommend highly enough.

after one long season of waiting by nuinuijiaojiao

Annabelle is not used to having nice things. or, Annabelle heads to Upton House, muses a little, and gets some well-deserved rest

I love survivalist Annabelle and also the concept of the Web as kind of a horrible Patron, actually.

i love you. I want us both to eat well. by SmallishWormMasterOfTheUniverse

At the safehouse with Martin, Jon decides it's time to quit statements once and for all. The Eye disagrees. Martin just needs Jon to be okay. It's quite possible that nobody is going to get what they want.

Scottish Safehouse Era, Jon and Martin coping with their respective Entities... really, really good.

the friend by doomcountry

He always greets a new spider when he meets it. It’s instinct, born in childhood, the same way he instinctively counts magpies, or flicks salt over his left shoulder. A little harmless superstition. A bit of politesse.

A great Martin character study with eldritch spider horror included. The imagery regularly haunts me (in a good way).

autumn’s rare gift by bee_bro

Annually, the two meet, renewing the binding ritual where it had all started. The procedure simple: a waltz.

Singlehandedly made me ship Gertrude/Agnes so there’s that. It’s so bittersweet and bee_bro’s writing is, as always, incredibly poetic. (I’d recommend everything they write, actually.)

smile, you’re trending by Goodluckdetective

During an encounter with another Avatar of the Eye, Jon faces his past, Martin takes a turn at playing Kill Bill and Basira has a second look at the monster she’s determined to see. For three people associated with the Eye, they could all use some perspective.

Features an original Eye Avatar character who’s a YouTube personality; she is infuriating and inspired and genuinely frightening and I cannot say enough good things.

Humility by The_Lionheart

have you no idea that you're in deep?/i've dreamt about you nearly every night this week,/how many secrets can you keep?

An OC centric story but don’t let that put you off, it’s amazing. Very heavily focused around Jonah Magnus and the other Avatars as they change through the years. Also, I’d die for the OC.

oh, for one sweet second without the eye series by faedemon

Beholding does not like in the way humans do, but it likes its Archivist all the same.

I’m just so fond of the way this is done stylistically. I have a great weakness for dialogue only/dialogue heavy writing, not to mention all of the wonderful character beats and interplay of humanity/inhumanity for Jon and Melanie.

Rewind by WhyNotFly

It takes eight days of forced confinement for Jon to start hallucinating. [...] It’s Martin, though, that his exhausted brain conjures, because of course it’s Martin. After all this time, of course it’s Martin.

Jon willingly allows himself to be confined rather than hunting for statements, and examines his relationship with Martin.

for a firmament series by supaslim

There is beauty in destruction. There is art in becoming. In which Jon becomes the Archive, and the Archive becomes Jon.

Part two posted this morning and uhhh. Good. Also if you’re here for weird eldritch body horror (I am), this one’s for you.

ONES THAT JUST HURT

for when you want to feel sad

(somewhat bleaker endings here/everyone is NOT okay)

Feste by yellow_caballero

If asked, Martin would say that he became the shadow director of the Magnus Institute by accident. But nobody ever asked, and nobody ever cared, and it was in this way that Martin stopped lying to himself. Or: break free, Martin. All you have to lose are your chains. And your sanity.

Oh, this one totally didn’t go the way I expected it to. A study in isolation. Could go into the category above, as the ending is not bleak, but the tone of the whole is somewhat more depressing than most there.

Ghosts of Love by RavenXavier

Nothing made Martin more grounded in the world than yearning for Jonathan Sims.

Lonely!Martin that really captures a sort of visceral ache. Hurts me and yet I keep rereading.

i do desire (we may be better strangers) by godbewithyouihavedone

For ages, it only knew how to worship, taking human bodies and living off the fear of those who remembered. It never knew love until it became Jonathan Sims. Now it must fight against every instinct to save Martin Blackwood. Archivist Sasha, Not!Jon/Martin, and the worst kind of Fake Dating AU.

Oh, this one just made me sad. The poor not!them, which is something I never thought I’d say.

Apple Of Your Eye by fakeCRfan

In which the Eye is fond of Martin. Perhaps a little too fond for comfort.

Somehow manages to be both sweet and horrifying—the characterisation of the Eye is incredible. ‘The Eye loves Martin’ is a scenario that’s so utterly doomed to failure and yet the writing is packed with so much pathos that I just want them all to be happy. A fantastic use of themes of agency and choice, and the single best use of Beholding as a source of horror I’ve read.

The Last Press by copperbadge

Jon Sims is awake, and has begun preparations for the Rite of the Watcher's Crown. Peter Lukas, who woke him, would be content to rule at his side. Martin is very upset about all of this, and the Lukases aren't thrilled with it either.

I really can’t say anything without spoiling the end and it’s so good. An alternate take on the Watcher’s Crown. Not a pairing that I ever thought would work for me, but this made it work.

watch the blood evaporate by 75hearts

It starts, like so many things in Jon’s life have started, with a nagging itch of curiosity. Jonathan Sims uses his healing abilities throughout s4. Read the tags.

Dear God please read the tags. But this is some high quality pain if it’s for you.

the lighthouse series by low_fi

Peter Lukas is a lighthouse keeper. One evening, he gets a call from a cryptic overseer tasked with monitoring his work.

This is such a vivid and yet subtle story—from the setting to the emotions portrayed, it creeps up on you slowly. The ending was like the gentlest possible gut-punch. The sequel just completed, and yeah, just as wonderful. This one is very much LonelyEyes but I listed it here because it is just exquisitely painful.

SATISFYINGLY HOPEFUL VIBES

for when you want to feel cozy

Clutching Daffodils by Gemi

Martin has always liked the idea of love at first sight. It’s such a romantic idea, the whole thing of it. Seeing someone and instantly feeling that strange, twisting feeling deep inside that every single media likes to obsess over. Of knowing you are in love within the day, petals falling from your mouth and warmth filling your chest as love burrows deep, vines twisting through your lungs. He always liked the idea of it. And then Jonathan Sims starts working at the Magnus Institute.

Somehow manages to be lighter and fluffier than most hanahaki fare, despite the setting. I’ve reread this one a lot.

the least he could do by Prim_the_Amazing

Martin should in fact not pick this man, specifically because of how attracted he is to him. It would be the responsible thing to do. Except he’s already following him. And he’s hungry.

Fluffy vampire au which everyone’s probably already read, but was too good not to mention.

rather interesting by bee_bro

Jonah Magnus realizes that, for some reason, when he comes in contact with weed, Elias Bouchard's consciousness will come into his life banging pots and pans.

Oh boy. So these are all favourite fics but this one is a favourite amongst favourites. The way Jonah is characterised (i.e. incredibly sensitive to scrutiny) is my favourite depiction of him, and the slow-burn between him and Elias is far sweeter than it has any right to be. Also, it’s hilarious.

The Magnus Records series by ErinsWorks

In a world parallel to that of the Archives and the Institute, a supernatural sanctuary stands against a cruel and uncaring world: A world of bureaucracy and tyranny, of murder and carnage, of loneliness and surveillence, of plague and death. But in this world of fear and misery, 14 entities born of the hopes of the world have emerged. And one of them has made their home here, at The Magnus Sanctuary. Perhaps, the employees within may lead happier lives than their counterparts did in the Archives.

This is just so goddamn pure. The author writes a really imaginative, fleshed-out alternate world and alternate Entities with engaging, well-written short statements. All of the character voices are absolutely on point, and it’s overall absurdly hopeful without ever feeling overly saccharine. I love this series so much, you guys, you don’t even know. I want to print it out and paste it on my wall. I love it.

HARD APOCALYPSE

for when you want to feel dark and angsty (and eldritch)

Most of these are shorts/oneshots because it’s just that kind of genre, y’know?

Ashes to Ashes by marrowbones

A conversation at the end of the world.

Oliver Banks is one of those minor characters that I am overly attached to. Love him here.

Employee Benefits by equals_eleven_thirds

The Magnus Institute offered some normal employee benefits: a pension plan, holidays, travel subsidies, free lunch on the last Friday of each month. Rosie makes it work.

This manages to hit that perfect sweet spot of satisfying and hilarious. Rosie gets to torment Elias, as she well deserves.

a rose by any other name by Duck_Life

Part of Jon blooms in Jared Hopworth’s garden.

This one was sad and honestly too gentle to really belong in this category, but I love it.

Eye to Eye by Dribbledscribbles

In which Jonah Magnus attempts a post-apocalyptic pep talk.

Unreliable narrator at its finest, and the implications are suitably horrific.

commensalis by doomcountry

The tower is endlessly, impossibly tall, but Jon’s work is taller.

If you’re here for the eldritch imagery, then this has some of the best.

SOFT APOCALYPSE

for when you want to feel gently triumphant

apocalypse how series by sunshine_states

Humanity adjusts. The Entities have Regrets.

Some nice vignettes set in a kinder apocalypse.

ceylon series by Sciosa

The one in which Jonathan Sims decides that no, actually, he isn't going to let the world just end.

I include this only for the sake on completeness, as everyone has no doubt already read it.

rituals by doomcountry

Martin is the first person to knock on the Archivist's door since it arrived, fully, into its little waiting temple. The Archivist saw him coming from down the hall, but decides to feign interest when the knob turns, and Martin—still a little bit smaller, a little more translucent than before—stands uncertainly just outside the room.

This one’s a little less focused on the world at large and more on JonMartin specifically.

we raise it up by savrenim

Jonathan Sims reads a book and saves the world; although maybe the real salvation is the friends he makes along the way; (although perhaps the world itself and the darkness that exists behind it isn't quite as out to get everyone as it seems).

More ‘soft revolution’ than ‘soft apocalypse’, but has the same vibe. A time travel fix-it. Incomplete but worth it if this is a mood that appeals to you.

Scarred Ground by DictionaryWrites

“You see," Elias said softly, "people always have this idea that only living things can be scarred - and they're right, of course. But a building is a living thing, Martin. And the ground can be scarred, too." "I don't have any scars," Martin said. "Yes, you do," Elias said. "You just need the right light to see them.”

Falls somewhere between ‘Apocalypse’ and ‘Soft Apocalyse’ but I’m putting it here because I feel like it. Also technically a LonelyEyes fic. I found it hard to follow at first but it’s worth sticking with; things will eventually begin to make sense and come together.

LONELYEYES

for when you want to feel lonelyeyes

marrying anguish with one last wish by procrastinatingbookworm

In which Elias isn't Orpheus, and Peter isn't Eurydice, but Elias brings Peter home anyway.

Lives in my head rent free forever. My favourite lonelyeyes fic.

ouroboros by Wildehack

“You know,” Jonah says, a muscle in his calf quivering agreeably where it’s slung over Mordechai’s shoulder, “it’s really quite--fortunate--that I don’t care for you at all.”

Oh, this one hurts in the best possible way. The endless cycle of their relationship, the way it comes full-circle... yeah, good. Actually, no, this one might be my favourite. It’s a tie.

Breaking all the Rules by Thedupshadove

Elias proposes a somewhat...unusual wager.

Soft lonelyeyes? In my recs? It’s more likely than you think. Short, sweet, and... sweet.

Threefold by Sprinkledeath

Peter Lukas breaks three rules.

I’m just a slut for mythology allusions I guess.

Luck Be A Lady Tonight by prodigy

In 2014, Elias Bouchard takes a rare trip outside of his comfort zone. Peter Lukas wastes a bunch of money. You'd be surprised how many things can go wrong for two beings of cosmic power.

I love the sense of the history of them you get while reading this.

love is just a word (the idea seems absurd) by kaneklutz

"Something's wrong. It's stopped hurting" An avatar of the Lonely and an avatar of the Beholding walk into a bar relationship. It was bound to blow up in their faces.

Short, sweet, painful. Excellent exploration of their priorities.

Victor by penguistifical

elias tries something with his powers that he hasn't attempted before

The one where Elias tries to raise the dead. Not incredibly LonelyEyes centric but that’s still the pairing.

Simon Says by penguistifical

“Peter asked me to drop by and have a word with you, and, so, here I am.” Simon chuckles at Elias’s disbelieving stare. “Well, he asked in his own way. He’s not a complicated man, you know. He either comes from your arms looking like a stroked cat that’s been given a dish of cream or looking like he’s been in that toy boat of his out in an unexpected storm. He was far angrier than normal, so I daresay you weren’t cream today.”

I mean personally I’d just go ahead and rec all of penguistifical’s LonelyEyes fics but this is a standout for me.

AROMANTIC AND ASPEC MOODS

for when you want to feel Seen

The Aro Archives series by WhyNotFly

These are all just really really good. From Aro!Peter to two different aro-spec versions of the Scottish Safehouse to a long and beautiful aro hanahaki fic, this series is uniformly wonderful. The two Scottish Safehouse ones (Torn Edges and Murky Water) are my comfort fics.

and now all fear gives way by j_quadrifons

Before he can think it through, he murmurs, "Is that what it feels like? Being in love?" Martin's hand stills in his hair and Jon's stomach drops.

This one just. Wow yeah this is how it be. Another absolute comfort fic of mine.

Sweet As Roses by Prim_the_Amazing

Jon takes Martin by the shoulders, leans up on the tips of his toes, and kisses him.

I’m going to be honest—I didn’t know where to put this one. But it ended up here because the real standout of this fic for me is the portrayal of Sasha, and especially her portrayal as an aro character. So I’m putting it here. Mind the content warnings with this one!

HUMOUR

for when you want to feel delight

The Torment of Sebastian Skinner by Urbenmyth

After the Eye's victory, the statement givers are trapped in their horror stories, living them over and over again. Naturally, this works out better for some then for others.

Premise? Delightful. Execution? Fantastic. I read this one to cheer myself up when I’m sad.

Unlucky by VolxdoSioda

Jon’s dice betray him

Short, sweet DnD au, and the reason I cannot get DM!Elias out of my head now.

Voracious by beetl

A bird hits the window. Jon experiences The Flesh's thrall.

“Dead Dove: Do Not Eat” but make it literal.

The Stupid Endings by Urbenmyth

There are a lot of very deeply thought out and creative AUs on this site. These aren't among them. These ones are how the story could have ended, if Jonny Sims was a dumbass.

These are just uniformly hilarious, I cannot recommend them highly enough.

PODCAST CROSSOVERS

for when you want to make one of those “if I had a nickel for every time...” posts

The Sabbatical by morelikeassassin

Nicholas Waters is in need of an all-knowing eldritch entity beyond the confines of human imagining to help with his latest ritual. He'll have to settle for Jonathan Sims, who happens to have nothing better to do.

Crossover with Archive 81 (s3, specifically). Both fun and bittersweet.

The City And Its Sorrows by cuttooth

“What makes you think your friend is in Eskew?” David asks. He feels he can risk the scrutiny of the city that far. “I read that this is a place people end up when they get lost,” says the man. “This is a place people end up,” David agrees./The Archivist comes to Eskew.

Contemplative piece, and I love the way it presents David’s relationship with Eskew, the way he finds it horrible and hates it and yet belongs to it, is almost proud in the way he shows to to Jon. Great little vignette of two people oppressed by eldritch powers, intersecting.

Hiatus by bibliocratic

My name is Jonathan Sims, and I am in Eskew. (Jon gets lost in a Spiral city. It is not as easy as escaping.)

This one is far more focused on Jon than David, and is honestly more Eskew-weird than Spiral-weird. In the best way. Told in Eskew episode style, and is very good.

Sweet Music by Shella688

Eskew has a music to it, if you know how to listen. The percussion beat of thousands of footsteps, the melody in the squealing of the trains overhead. Today, the music of Eskew comes in the form of nine musicians, playing outside my office. My name is David Ward, and I am in Eskew.

Not TMA, but since a lot of Mechs fans go here—this one’s a Mechs/Eskew crossover. Short and simple, mostly David Ward centric, just a little well-written one shot I had to mention because I enjoyed it but it doesn’t have much traffic. Nice portrayal of the Mechs from an outsider’s perspective, and how genuinely strange and frightening they’d come across (especially if you’re already being haunted by and eldritch city). If you like Eskew-style storytelling, check it out!

NOT TMA

...but good enough that I physically cannot make a recs list without including them. Here!

#tma #the magnus archives #fic recs #long post #i'm not kidding you guys it's long #so be warned before you click read more #pinned on my blog

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