Not in a romantic way, not even in a remotely normal way. He's in love with him the way a creator is in love with his masterpiece. He so carefully and lovingly shaped him, pushed him to his boundaries, built him into the key to achieve his vision. And he's fascinated by how perfect Jon turned out to be. He's obsessed with him. He needed him to rule the world beside him. Jon is the only one Jonah wouldn't have tried to step over or get rid off, he wants him there.
Jon is precious and perfect and he wants to put him in a glass box and just stare at him for eternity where there's only the two of them in a world of suffering.
I know a few people have drawn this before, but I wanted to do my own version of it also because I don't know if I'll have the time to do a whole pride month drawing this year ;-;
(Based on that one stupid Breaking Bad pride month drawing lol)
Based on the "it is pride month" drawing. My roommate wanted me to draw on the spot and this is what I got. And even though Tim bisexual, I think Jon would call him a "gay ass" lol
Like, sure, that person you are fated to meet could be your true love, but they could also be just some dude you hang out with every Friday and helped you through a rough time in your life. You can't imagine kissing them, but your life would never be the same without them in it.
I am thinking about what choices would be available if TMA was a choice based game, so here's batch from each season. (I hyperfixated on this and it got long. Whoops. I think my ending ideas are cool though.)
Season 1:
Flirt with Martin, Sasha, or Tim. I made a post about this, actually!
Believe Naomi in "Alone", or be skeptical of her story. This plays into how skeptical you'd want Jon's mask to be. If you believe Naomi Jon will let his mask break a bit and say strange stuff is out there, if you are skeptical of her story Jon will keep his mask and act how he does in canon. (Believing Naomi raises entity points, being skeptical of her story raises humanity points, because remember, Jon is acting so skeptical because he feels like he's being watched.)
Admit to Martin that you believe in the "paranormal", or don't admit to Martin that you believe in the "paranormal". In the safe room during the worm attack, you can either answer Martin's question about Jon's skepticism honestly or refuse. If you answer honestly the canon events of TMA will happen where Jon opens up to Martin about his paranoia, if you don't, Jon will shut Martin down and say he's just like that and there's nothing more to it. Being honest gives you a major relationship increase with Martin, shutting him down causes a major relationship decrees.
Go with Sasha, Tim, or Martin during the worm situation. If you with Martin, Jon will be there to find Gertrude's body, you will also raise relationship points with Martin. If you go with Tim you will raises your relationship with him, and Tim (High on fire extinguisher) will help Jon walk on his leg. if you go with Sasha you will raise your relationship with her, and then Sasha and Jon will be separated and Sasha will become Not! Sasha! On this route Jon will noticeably be off put by Not! Sasha's presence because he was JUST with her and now she's acting...odd.
Let Tim go home, or make him give a statement. At the end of the episode, Tim will refuse to talk about what just happened, and say that he wants to go home. If you let him go home he'll walk away, and the player never gets to learn his POV of events. However, Jon and Tim won't loose relationship. If you do make him give a statement, you will get to learn about the events through Tim's POV, however, the downside is that Tim and Jon's relationship looses points and becomes more strained. (If you make Tim stay you get entity points, if you let him leave you get humanity points.)
Season 2:
I'm imagining like a scene with a big board with a red string on it, and for a choice Jon has to pick who he finds the most suspicious: Martin, Tim, Sasha, or Elias. Depending on your choice, Jon will treat whoever you choose with more suspicion when they talk. (If you choose Martin or Tim, your entity score will go up. If you choose Not! Sasha or Elias, your humanity score will go up.)
More Under The Cut!
Attack the figure in the tunnel, call out to the figure in the tunnel, or hide from the figure in the Tunnel. When Jon runs into "Sasha" in the tunnels early in the season, you'll have a choice on how to handle a strange figure approaching you in the tunnel. This is really just to let the players "flavor" their Jon a bit, and play into what part of his personality they want to lean into.
Agree to let Melanie into the library or not. If you agree to let Melanie into the library you can be on better terms with Melanie when she gets back from her trip, and Georgie will thank Jon for helping. If you refuse to let Melanie into the library, she'll cuss you out and her and Jon will be on worse terms when she gets back, Georgie will also be annoyed by Jon's refusal and will make a comment about him being snooty.
Tell Tim and Martin about your suspicions about Not! Sasha, or don't. If you don't tell Tim and Martin, Jon will say that he is "sick," like in canon, and Martin and Tim will follow behind Jon later. If you do tell them, Martin will be horrified and Tim will go into denial but INSIST that they go with Jon to figure it out and "prove that nothing's wrong with Sasha." This choice will give you more Martin and Tim content, and Jon will give them a little more context about the whole situation.
Tell Leitner, or don't. I like the idea of this choice being vague, and the player is left wondering "Tell Leitner what???" If you choose to tell Leitner Jon will allude to "A Guest For Mr. Spider," and tell Leitner that his life was ruined by one of his books. But you don't actually the specifics of that until Season 3. If you don't tell Leitner than Jon will ask if he felt guilt for letting the books get into the hands of the public.
Season 3:
Tell Georgie the truth or protect her from it. When you're staying with Georgie in Season 3, you can either tell her the truth or try to protect her from it. If you tell her the truth she tells you about the dead women walking and her fear. However, she distance herself from Jon because she just can't be involved in that. If you protect her from the truth, she'll stay close with Jon but be annoyed at him for not confiding in her, and when she finds out what's happening later, she gets very upset that Jon was risking dragging her into it and not even saying anything.
Tell Basira not to sign the form or stay silent. When Elias hands Basira the form, you can either tell her it's not worth it, or just stay silent. If you stay silent nothing will happen. If you tell Basira not to sign the form, Elias will be more attentive of you, however, you will get the option later to reconcile with Basira at the end of the game. (If you stay silent you get entity points, if you say something you get humanity points.)
Go through Michael's door or refuse. When Jon is kidnapped, Michael will offer him a way out. Jon can agree to go through the door or refuse. If you agree, Michael will tell Jon his story first like in canon, and you get learn more about Michael Shelley. If you refuse, Michael snaps and goes on a rant about Archivists thinking they're so above him. Instead of getting his human backstory, he'll tell you what the first few years of his life were like as The Distortion, and his few failed attempts to go after Gertrude Robinson.
Burn Gerry's page or refuse. If you burn Gerry's page canon will happen. If you refuse to burn Gerry's page, Jon will call upon him later and Gerry will be PISSED and refuse to tell him anymore. He'll say that Jon is just as bad as Gertrude and his Mother, and he wouldn't help him even if could save the world just out of the principal. Gerry will then get so upset that he'll accidentally reveal some lore about Gertrude, or Mary, or the fears, or just something that makes his knowledge real. So Jon will learn something new, but the very real of cost of that is loosing his newfound friendship with Gerry. (If you burn the page you get multiple humanity points, you don't burn the page you get multiple entity points.)
Take Tim to The Unknowing, or don't. Before The Unknowing, Tim insists that he's going to go, and as Jon you can either accept or refuse. If you accept canon will play out and Tim will die thanking Jon for this. However, if you refuse Tim will follow you to The Unknowing instead, and be significantly more hostile when he reveals himself in the theater. This will have ruined their relationship for good, and Tim will die telling Jon to go fuck himself.
Season 4:
After waking up in the hospitalyou can tell Georgie that you're still the same or tell Georgie you've changed. If you tell Georgie you've changed she'll gently say she knows, and give Jon a quick pat on the back before leaving. If you tell Georgie you haven't changed, she and Jon will get into an argument about whether that's true or not, then Georgie will angrily storm out. (Saying you haven't changed is plus one to the humanity counter, saying you have changed is plus one to the entity counter.)
In regards to Melanie's bullet you'll have two choices. You can either tell Melanie about the bullet, or do surgery on Melanie when she's unconscious. (Like canon) If you do the surgery canon happens and Melanie will become more distrustful of Jon. If you tell Melanie about the bullet she'll argue and try to fight Jon (Because of the bullets effects) which will leave Jon's character model with a new scar. Basira and Jon will end up having to force it out anyways. However, Melanie will trust Jon a bit more on this route.
Go into the coffin or don't go into the coffin. Since choice based games are notorious for having choices that change the flavor of the story but don't change the actual story, Daisy will be spit out of the coffin if Jon chooses not to rescue her. Since she'd give up in this route, she wouldn't be feeding The Buried fear anymore so it would release her. If you don't rescue Daisy she'll distance herself from everyone and you'll be locked out of seeing how her relationship with Jon could have developed. if you go into the coffin to save Daisy, you'll get Jon and Daisy's canon mutual understanding after The Buried, and they'll get closer. (Not going in the coffin raises your entity score, going into the coffin raises your humanity score.)
Hug or kiss Martin in the lonely. In true choice based game fashion, you get a friendzone or romance option with Martin.
Keep reading or stop reading during the final statement of Season 4. This choice changes nothing in the main plot, I am just mean. (Keep reading raises your entity score, stop reading raises your humanity score.)
Season 5:
Use Martin as bait or don't. During the Trever Herbert confrontation, you can either use Martin as bait, or tell Martin to stay close. If you use Martin as bait canon will play out. If you tell Martin to stay close Jon will be the one who gets grabbed. This is another humanity vs entity choice. You get humanity points for telling Martin to stay close, and you get entity points for using Martin as bait.
Make Jordan an avatar or leave him to his suffering. When you run into Jordan in "Like Ants," you can decide to free him from the domain through avatarism, or decide that's a fate worth than bug suffering. If you leave him Jordan will call out in agony and Jon will be upset about his choice despite knowing why he made it. If you turn Jordan, Jordan will be distraught to be an avatar, and Jon will feel less guilt about the choice because he "saved" him the best he could. (Turning Joran into an avatar makes your entity points higher, leaving Jordan makes your humanity points higher.)
Kill Simon Fairchild and continue the vengeance streak, or stop. If you kill Simon, Martin will happy with you and Jon will feel more affirmed that his vengeance spree has been well-deserved. This choice makes him very self-righteous. If you don't kill Simon, Martin will be disappointed like in canon, and like canon Jon will admit that the vengeance spree hasn't been all that it lived up to be, and he's uncomfortable with some of the choices he's made. (If you kill Simon, you get entity points, if you let him go, you get humanity points.)
Stay with Salesa or leave. When you get to Salesa's house, you can either agree to stay the night or confess to not feeling well and you and Martin will leave. If you stay you get two different scenes depending on if you romanced Martin. if you romanced you get a cuddling scene, and if you friend zoned him you get a scene where him a Jon sit and drink tea together. If you don't stay you get a scene where Jon and Martin talk about just how bad Jon's eye dependence has become. (Staying raises humanity points, leaving raises entity points.)
End the world or end yourself. This is the ending choice, and I think you could get four endings depending on whether you have more humanity or entity points. If you have mostly humanity points and decide to end yourself, Jon will be able to lapse free of The Eye's power and stab himself to try and doom himself alone. Martin will find him before that happens and Jon will encourage him to just go back and live his life. Maybe whether Martin agrees or decides to die with Jon would depend on how high your relationship points with him were. With a high relationship Martin will choose to die with Jon, while with a lower relationship, Martin will very hesitantly agree to Jon's wishes and say goodbye before going back downstairs.
If you have mostly entity points and decide to end yourself, The Eye will have enough power to revolt against Jon's choice. Martin will be struck down by The Eye's power, and Jon will be forced against his will to be the king of a doomed world.
If you have mostly entity points and decide to end the world, Jon will decide to let the world die out to keep the fears contained to his universe. Martin will be angry with him, but Jon will be resigned and promise to keep him and their friends safe and as happy as he can until the end. The status of their relationship is left ambiguous.
If you have more humanity points and decide to end the world, then the episode 200 ending will happen where Jon will try to keep the fears contained, but be swayed by Martin's emotions to send them away and stay together with the hopes that they can be sent somewhere better.
I'd also think it would be cool if there was a relationship sheet at the end, that showed if you managed to reconcile with the main cast. I think Jon could reconcile with: Georgie, Melanie, and Basira if you picked enough correct choices, dialogue options, and had more humanity points than entity points. If you managed to reconcile with them, they'd have kinder and more affectionate things to say about Jon in the epilogue.
I have a headcanon that the victims of the Lonely have their eyes covered over (?overgrown?), because there's nothing more lonely than blindness
Plus that's why Lucas was willing to cooperate with Elias — the Eye had less power
OBVIOUSLY i’m going to tell you if i see any good cows
i’ve got a KNIFE
daisy’s a rabid dog, melanie’s a potential killer, tim’s a ROGUE ELEMENT, but martin’s just “acting out” !! he’ll have a CRY and a LIE DOWN and feel MUCH BETTER
i don’t want that to be my last message, the thing that defines me: martin blackwood, he was always scared, then he died, the end.
i think our experience of the universe has value. even if it disappears forever.
honorable mentions: “what you gotta gouge your eyes out or something? ……fuck off,” and also “i’m not going to kill a man just because you’re jealous.” “why not?”
I think it wuld be very funny if in s1 elias was dressed as ur normal stuck up boss but after the prentiss incident he just started putting on more style but he does it so little no one points out the fact that he's dressed like Tumblr Sexyman™
Martin Blackwood was ABSOLUTELY going to be the next person Jonah Magnus wore if the ritual didn't pop off and he had to wait until the next Archivist.
We can infer from his choice of Elias Bouchard (Eric Delano and Gertrude Robinson, both of them former coworkers with the real Elias, were SHOCKED he was head of the Institute) that Jonah got some delight out of picking a "failure" with no close family ties and hauling them up the ladder. And NO ONE would have seen "Martin" getting hand selected.
With the way Simon and Peter treated Martin? Yeah, they knew it, too. They KNEW Jonah's taste.
Almost all character animation is done (for some reason I forgot to animate Narrator...), now what is left is all the fire.... GOSH THERE WILL BE SO MUCH FIRE.....
So you know how in EP 179 Basira says to Jon, "You apologize too much", to which he replies, "Martin says the same thing", and then Basira says, "Like he's any better"?
So yeah, this little interaction inspired me to crunch some numbers. And believe it or not, but Martin is, in fact, better!
Statistically speaking.
Over 5 seasons, Jon apologizes 122 times, while Martin apologizes 91 times.
The main difference between these two is that Jon apologizes more frequently and for everything (especially in S5), whereas Martin piles up multiple 'sorry's per apology.
Nothing illustrates that better than this little tidbit, which coincidentally comes from EP 179, as well!
EP 179 is *also* The Most Sorry Episode™: it sits at 9-4 with Martin in the lead!
Impressive work all around! (I'm incredibly concerned. These two need help.)
[ID: the first image is a line graph titled "It's Always 2 Insecure Bitches Telling Each Other 'I'm sorry. - It's fine.'" It shows the number of times Martin or Jon has said "sorry" in each season. The data is
S1: Martin 9, Jon 5
S2: Martin 4, Jon 16
S3: Martin 27, Jon 15
S4: Martin 6, Jon 25
S5: Martin 45, Jon 61
The second image is a transcript screenshot reading, "Martin: Sorry! Sorry! I'm sorry! I'm sorry! I'm sorry!" /end ID]
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