#(incoherent screaming)

[deeversuswords]

[madbard]

So. I just finished The Magnus Archives.

You’re telling me that Jonathan Sims, Head Archivist of the Magnus Institute, began his journey from such a place of uncertainty and desperation to prove himself worthy of the title, and ended as the embodiment of everything that tormented him?

You’re telling me that Martin Blackwood, who held so much love for the people around him, unintentionally paved the way for his lover’s desperate martyrdom?

You’re telling me Jon was marked for this from childhood, manipulated by forces older and greater than civilization to bring such harm upon the world that the only solution he could see was to end it?

You’re telling me there was no escape for them?

You’re telling me they could have lived happily together, but they could never have taken that path because it lies contrary to who they are?

You’re telling me Jon and Martin had everything and everyone slowly and agonizingly ripped away from them until they had nothing left but each other, until neither one could fathom surviving without the other?

You’re telling me that Martin and Jon kissed at the center of a collapsing reality, then Martin felt the life leave Jon’s body as he stabbed the only living person he loved?

You’re telling me there is a chance they are Somewhere Else, but that would mean they never escaped the Fears and never will?

You’RE TELLING ME-

[vicarofhobbiton]

Brothers in Arms

Just finished Brothers in Arms and AHHHHHHH IT'S SO GOOD. An incomplete (due to So Many Things) and disordered (due to excited flailing) list of things I love about this book:

-- that LMB is the kind of writer who uses words like wight and swive in a sci-fi novel

-- that Himbo Cousin Ivan is the hostage! Himbo Cousin Ivan makes an excellent damsel tied to the railroad tracks. so good.

-- Duv Galeni coping with grief through nigh-superhuman violence (I wanna see him again asap)

-- the fact that one of Miles' most far-fetched lies yet turns out to be an actual far-fetched plot that is occurring

-- the fact that said far-fetched lie throws otherwise perceptive people off the scent of the actual plot (Miles losing at winning again, womp womp)

-- Miles and Mark reading one another for filth over and over again from grand plans to the minutest gestures and both being salty about it for different reasons

-- the part where Miles manically recites all of Richard III to thwart truth drugs (choice of play is on the nose annnd I love it sooo much... also it's a minor miracle that this is Miles' first go with fast penta)

-- Miles' continued preference for tall stronk women (well done, short king.)

-- Elli Quinn's "Gods, I've fallen in love with a man who thinks he's an onion."

-- Elli Quinn's summary refusal of Miles' proposal of marriage

-- Elli Quinn's enthusiastic consent immediately thereafter to be Miles' Bodyguard with Benefits

-- Elli Quinn's saving evvverybody's asses and possibly averting millions of deaths by being extremely competent at what was supposed to be a mundane task, that Miles forgot he even told her to do

-- Elli Quinn's whole deal tbh

-- the fact that even though Cordelia is physically worlds away she is present in this book in a Deep Spiritual Sense: "My mother's theology actually... persons before principles."

-- "Yeah, invisible, like air. If it disappeared you'd hardly miss it. Till the next time you came to inhale." (!!!!!!!!!)

-- "He yields to logic. My mother is one of the few people I know who has almost completely conquered the will to be stupid."

-- "MILES, WHAT HAVE YOU DONE WITH YOUR BABY BROTHER??" (I neeeeeeed to see Cordelia and Mark meet! aaaaghghgh)

-- the fact that Commodore Tung spends the entire novel in Brazil eating Mu Shu pork, having amorous adventures, and presumably drinking fancy little drinks with umbrellas in them

[kingelend2022]

It has been a month since I fell to the BloodMary autism

I fear they may execute me at dawn (vsilly)

[raguleader]

What do you mean all this ongoing discussion about history vs myth and Skinner repeatedly telling Adam to stop bullshitting her during her investigation was in fact foreshadowing that Adam has not been 100% honest with his historical account of events? What do you mean the degree in History should have taught me that every primary source carries bias with it depending on the perspective, background, and motives of the author?

Gabriel Urbina, consistent with my entire experience with him as a storyteller, has delivered a plot twist that should have been entirely predictable based on the information he gave earlier in the story, had I kept myself distant enough not to get emotionally ensnared in the narrative.

Beeteedubs, if you aren't listening to The Harbingers, you should. It's great. I'm totally normal about it.

[tortor-sauce]

[dianxiacantastemolecules]

Rewatching me and thee cuz well my life is absorbed by it completely now. And I notice how thee never imagines peach in an intimate way during all his soap opera style fantasies that he slips into (intimate as in there's a marked lack of physical intimacy or peach doing anything outside of his otherwise normal behaviour, it's almost like peach simply reciprocating his affection is enough. Peach is enough. He is everything. His presence is everything to him-)

I wonder if that is because soap operas never talk about sex (no clue how Thai soap operas work but Indian ones will never get physically explicit - there's not a kiss or sex scene in pretty much any soapie here so far, explicit that is) or if thee doesn't really view sex as romantic as such, in the sense it is something he can buy, a need to fulfill - just like he thought he could buy the night with aran in the beginning (it also makes me wonder if thee has ever had intimate relations, cuz rome did mention that both brothers tried to break the "rule" many times). All in all, thee very likely doesn't have a positive experience or attitude with sex (I think).

His growing attachment with peach, the way his affection has grown into love is very emotionally heavy for thee. Being seen and treated like a real person for the first time, being heard and cared for, in all your supposed idiosyncracies. Sure he is very much mesmerized by peach physically, but it's got very less to do with his feelings. Every time he has confessed it to peach he has had the energy of a full blown down bad teenager crush 🥹. Man wants to spend his life with peach, wants peach all to himself. There's never any seductive heat in his affection. Which, I'm not saying is a good or bad thing mind you. But it's a very thee thing.

I feel like the kiss happened in ep5 because of how oblivious peach has been every single time. Thee has made himself clear so many times and this idiot will not reply 😭😭. He wants to be as clear as he can. And he ASKS (I'm sorry I'm still a little heady over this one on god do I love this). It's his ultimate declaration of love.

Point is, im very curious how they deal with this. I just know ponds expressions are gonna kill me when it happens 😭😭😭. SKFKEHCYWHSJDOAKKABDHWJ

[trekkiepirate]