tma fandom for the past year and a half: the ambiguity of the ending was so beautiful, I love that we just Don’t Know what happened to them. Horror tragedy is a heart-wrenching but also amazing genre.
tma fans today: mARTIN? Martin my beloved bby boy?? Is here???? Is aliVe??? THANK FUCK THIS IS WHAT I WANTED ALL ALONG now where is my jarchivist whom I love so dearly rusty quill if you keep him from me I will never forgive you
THE MAGNUS ARCHIVES SPOILERS. Ok my Magnus feelings ok. First of all I want to roll up a newspaper and bat Alex on the nose for not letting Johnny do the first half of season 5 as an office romance. I know it would have ruined the pacing I know BUT I DON’T CARE. Don’t get me wrong the bits of fluff they did include were so cute and sweet and good and I’m glad they’re in there but i want more *grabby hands*.
I was so blown away and impressed that the spider had been behind the tapes. I did sort of guess it around the beginning of season 4 but it was still so impressive that there were so many layers of meta over the top of each other and that they folded down so neatly in the end. Elias’s scheme. The web’s scheme. The fact that love was what was the lynchpin that brought it all down but in a very sort of brutal and tragic way. Not in a love conquers all way. I don’t know if I’ve ever seen love used in that way. I was sad to see Martin and John’s relationship kind of struggle so hard at the end there and have their story ‘finish’ in that way (protocol bring my bebs back to meeeeee).
I don’t feel as upset about the ending as I thought I would. I think because I thought John would die and this wasn’t exactly dying. I feel like John’s choice was disappointing but also made 100% sense with what we knew about his character. I feel like season 4s end was way, way more powerful. An absolute gut punch. Staggering reveal. 'Ending’ a horror podcast has to be so difficult. How do you finish a scary but nuanced and complicated story? Most horrors end tragically. I think this was maybe the best way to wrap it up. Our precious John and Martin 'loose’ the world 'wins’ but in a way that feels sad.
I feel really conflicted because as a follow creative and as a narrative lover I’m supremely impressed and happy and feel like everything was somehow done incredibly right and well. As a listener I just feel kind of oh we lost John, Martin and the buck was passed to some other unsuspecting universe at the end. There’s a cosmic tragedy in that. WHICH IS SO PERFECT FOR HORROR THO UGHHHH.
I also have to say I adore that 'blow things up’ is the go to solution on Magnus. So many supernatural stories are like 'theres this dagger and it was dipped in the blood of a mysterious antichrist, lost for centuries but now hidden in a tomb-’ Magnus is like 'Gertrude says C4’. As a solution it’s so elegant and makes so much sense as a response to fear as an adversary. It’s so grounded and real and non-supernatural. It feels like a continuation of the way Basira handles things.
I’m so happy Basira made it. It makes so much sense to me that she’d be one of the ones. God Gang I’m starting to listen to the many q and as and breakdowns now but I am supremely pleased protocol is coming this year. While I’m sad I wasn’t listening along when it was first coming out I’m glad I have protocol to look forward to.
I may still do a bit more art (I honestly have so many thumbnails of ideas for these characters drawn up). Thanks to anyone who has been liking my little reacts. It’s been a pleasure to not be alone. Having said that bombarding my brother with messages about it has been fun. We listened to most of the season finales together and I almost listened to one without him once and this is how that went down haha
more of them being happy for once: cue my craving to make soul crushing angst art, maybe just maybe… soon
I think I gotta call it a day on this one. I feel like I didn’t start off with a clear enough aim of where I wanted it to finish so I’ve just been wandering around on it for the last few days.
As you know from all the wips I just want these two to have peaceful snoozes together.
✨John and Martin hours over here ✨
This might be a wip or I might leave it here. I’ll see what happens.
SPOILERS FOR MAG 159
Originally I imagined after John finds Martin in the lonely and they both escaped that they would go somewhere and crash. I thought it was possible that they would go to Martin’s apartment and being absolutely exhausted as they were that they would both agree to get a few hours sleep before figuring out what the next move would be.
John would offer to sleep on the couch but Martin would already be falling into bed and telling him not to worry about it and to help himself to some of his clothes to sleep in.
“Besides” John would hear Martin say so quietly he isn’t entirely sure if he meant John to hear “I don’t really want to sleep alone”
John would then return flopping onto the bed with a hint of dramatic flair that makes Martin snicker. They fall sleep almost instantly and deeply.
When John wakes up the next morning he is surrounded by a warm, loving embrace. The experience is at once uncommon and exactly right.
He pushes back the thoughts of all that needs to be done and instead turns over to watch Martin’s peaceful slumber.
****
Image ID: there are three images making up a loose comic configuration. The first image is John and Martin sleeping peacefully, Martin spooning John. John is wearing an oversized T-shirt and tracksuit pants. Martin is wearing a t-shirt and plain pyjama pants. There is a striped doona cover half covering their sleeping form. On their arms scars from the many encounters they’ve had can be seen.
The second image is a close up of John’s face as he blearily begins to wake up. The third is a bird’s eye view of Martin’s double bed with John and Martin lying in it, John having turned over to look at Martin. He’s brought a hand up to rest on Martins arm. The other is resting on his own stomach. His expression is a gentle loving smile.
Sometimes the first time you say you love someone you don’t use those exact words. Sometimes it’s “can I get you a tea?’. Sometimes it’s ‘let me help with that’. And sometimes it’s a whispered “don’t worry, I know the way”.
Up to episode 168 gang and oof. Ooooooof. Magnus continues to be incredible. More and more I find myself resisting listening, not wanting it to end or get to a point where something happens to Martin or John. Gonna try to fit in a few more fanarts pieces before the end of the show. I always have way more ideas then I have time/capacity.
Image ID: Martin and John are standing side by side, hands clasped together. John is leaning over and down so he’s close enough to whisper to Martin. He is smiling softly, tired but happy as he reassures Martin. Martin is leaning into John, following him as he begins to lead them out of the lonely.
I decided to do a lil animating on this. Just the tiniest bit.
kokorocala
gilliverse
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ALTTONY DALTON as LALO SALAMANCA
in BETTER CALL SAUL 6x05 - BLACK AND BLUE
