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autismprotocol · 2 months

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TMAGP Theory Board (Episode 8-9)

Hi guys sorry about the missed week of theory crafting my schoolwork has been extra demanding and I haven't been able to get around to updating the board until now so here's the updated board

Episode 8 especially was insane so I'm gonna break the episode breakdown into two sections.

What Happened in Episode 8: Running On Empty

New Norris Statement! it's been a while since we heard from our buddy and he did not disappoint. though there's not much to say story-wise this was just a cool incident report I loved the way they described the Lonely as a constantly hungry entity. I also noticed that the pattern of Norris's statements having to do with lost love continues to be true. it's much more subtle than his previous two incidents but the statement giver does mention losing his wife because of divorce. which I believe still follows the pattern I've theorized is taking place.

Something up with Alice. She seems more depressed and serious than she usually is in this episode. (through episode 9 I think I know why but I'll get to that later. I don't believe she is completely in the dark like some of the newer employees and after hearing about Gwen's promotion she is getting suspicious. we have yet to know if Alice knows what's happening. but her behavior in this episode might give us a hint about how naive she actually is.

Colin is Absent. After his freakout in EP 7, Colin is MIA. according to Lena, he's on a mental health break but I would not be surprised if that is a lie.

Gerry and Gertrude are Alive!! Probably the most exciting development in this episode was meeting an alive Gerry Keay and Gertrude Robison. Sam is on the hunt for info about the Magnus Institute after the emails Jon has been sending him and he and Celia end up meeting Gerry who in this universe is considerably more happy and lives with Gertrude. I'm interested to know what role Gertrude plays in this universe is she at all connected to the Institute? I definitely think something is up with her because of the way she tries to deflect Sam's question to Gerry.

Celia Lore. after the meeting with Gerry leads to a dead end for Sam, Celia asks him to help her with her mystery. "I'm trying to look into... Weird physics stuff: time travel, other dimensions, teleportation" More proof for this Celia being from from Archives. why else would she be looking into other dimensions specifically if she wasn't trying to figure out what happened at the Panopticon. (Remember as far as we know Celia before the change in Archives was just a normal person she had no connection to the entities or the Institute.) when Sam asks, she says it's for her friend's podcast but I think she's lying. or not telling the full truth.

Georgie Barker Perhaps? speaking of the friend. our last reveal of the episode is Georgie in protocol. I don't think she is from Archives because Georgie appears after Jons's sacrifice in MAG 200.

And thats it for episode 8 so im gonna move on to Episode 9

What happened in Episode 9: Rolling With It

Sam is back to filling out onboarding paperwork but the questions on it are strange. asking about past traumas, how many dead things you've seen recently, and the infamous question why? similar types of questions that appear in TMA job interviews.

A Magnus Statement!?! After Celia tells Sam she can't find anything at the Magnus Institute Sam considers cutting his losses and letting it go. But then Chester without any prompting begins reading a Magnus statement incident to Sam. I still believe Chester is Jon and he acts as a mentor to Sam trying to keep him safe by providing him with bits of the answers he's looking for. (this way Sam won't be in danger of looking for answers elsewhere and maybe he won't be targeted by this unknown force that had killed RedCanary and driven Colin to extreme paranoia.) the statement reveals that the institute collected and stored artifacts much like the Institute in Archives.

What's the deal with the Institute? the statement Chester shares this episode is pretty standard Magnus stuff, magic fear dice is just another Thursday for TMAG enjoyers. but what I found most interesting was the pre-statement info. What does this viability survey mean? viable for what? I and my roommate have a kind of joke theory that the Institute in this universe is a hub for training and creating new avatars but now I'm starting to think this might actually be the case. I think they are looking for people who have the potential to become avatars as subjects. for the agents, they might be employing avatars to work for the institute and the catalyst has to be finding an avatar that can complete the ritual and bring the Change. The unknown statement giver in this episode can't be a subject because they are already claimed by a power from the dice (still unsure what power it is ) they have low potential to become an agent because based on the end of the statement they now want nothing to do with the dice stepping away from their identity as a fear avatar and then dying. and for some reason, the institute must see some potential that this individual can serve as a catalyst for the ritual. I'm hopeful we'll get another avatar statement and maybe we can revisit this Viability survey again

Gwen's First assignment. Gwen gets her first Liason assignment and it has brought up a major player from the protocol ARG. Mr Bonzo is this weird mascot character that showed up multiple times in the ARG that was launched back in the fall of 2023. Gwen is tasked with delivering an envelope with a name and address to Nigel Dickerson someone who according to Gwen is known for Mr. Bonzo. Basically, I have no idea where this is going but I definitely think it must be important.

Poor Alice. Alice meets with Teddy to catch up. Nothing story significant happens here but we do learn that maybe Alice still harbors some romantic feelings towards Sam.

The Ruins. After her conversation with Teddy Alice is approached by Sam with a request. He wants to go to the old Magnus Institute ruins and wants Alice to come with him. This is definitely a bad idea but she agrees and that's where we leave off

and thats it for now. The story is getting so good and I'm already attached to all the characters so im terrified to see what Sam and alice dig up at the ruins (Sam clearly didn't heed the warning of the RedCanary)

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vestaclinicpod · 8 days

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Audio Drama Sunday - 12th May ✨

👻 @tellnotalespod (S2E9.5) Riley 😭 Leo 😭 There was the PERFECT amount of anger and sadness and pining in this episode. I know these two can work it out!!!! I laughed at Riley’s admission that he wasn’t planning on telling Julia either. Leo, how does it feel to be a dirty little secret? I’m so excited to see how Riley is going to act on Leo’s advice 🥺

🌲 @hellofromthehallowoods (151) OOOH this episode! If Shank considers himself to be a righteous killer then . . . what did Shelby’s parents do????? And oh my god, Irene Mend is out there which means!! Diggory?!! Please?! The scene with Vincent at the end hit me like a tonne of emotionally weighty bricks. I’m taking Voltaire as an animation of Vincent’s mental health issues and, my god: the toxic co-dependence, the fear of stepping forwards into a life without it, the fear of never being free. Help me, I’m sad about puppet man.

🧳 Travelling Light @monstrousproductions (21) waah this episode was so cute and definitely made me miss my grandparents 🥹

🤴InCo by @itmeblog (S3E35-37) two thousand ambassadors???? TWO THOUSAND.

⚔️ @camlannpod season one finale!! I could cry! I have *adored* this show for the way it makes me feel seen now but also for the nostalgia of the kid who loved BBC Merlin so much 🥲 I think the team did an amazing job of tying up this first season whilst leaving enough strands loose to weave into a second!!

🖥️ The Magnus Protocol (15) Let’s not forget the real horror of this episode…. The British aristocracy.

🌞 Small Victories by @wgc-productions (2.2/2.3) Girl, DON’T do it!! I’m definitely coming at this from my own married, monogamous POV but think what makes this affair even worse is the fact that Summer is also using Marisol to process her grief. Like, she has NOT processed anything there. I don’t think there is a desire for anything stable or long term (which would be GOOD for Marisol). They are using each other and Marisol is going to lose something good in the process. Man, this is stressful.

🧋 @hinaypod (5-8) LISTEN gorgeous, gorgeous girls have GOT to stop going to antiques shops!! You’re too precious to melt into a portrait!! I’m loving the additions to the cast and listening to the spooks get spookier and the interpersonal relationships get messier is everything I could want in a show.

I hope everyone has a lovely week 💫

#audio drama sunday #podcast recs #tell no tales #hfth spoilers #travelling light #inco #camlann #tmagp spoilers #small victories #hi nay

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douglysium · 2 months

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Episode 5 TMP Quick Thoughts

Housekeeping and Prologue

Hello, this is Douglysium and you might not know me as that guy who wrote over 100 pages of analysis on the Eye (which can be read on Tumblr here (https://douglysium.tumblr.com/post/735599414228484097/the-relationships-between-the-dread-powers-the) or Google Docs here (The Relationships Between the Dread Powers: The Eye- Knowledge is Fear and Ignorance is Bliss)) or as that guy who wrote an article on the Extinction (which can be read on Tumblr here(https://douglysium.tumblr.com/post/717929126195003392/what-would-avatars-of-the-extinction-be-like-a) and Google Docs here(What would Avatars of the Extinction be like?: A TMA Speculation)). Suffice to say I might be a bit of a TMA fan. Also, spoilers for TMP up until episode 4. You can read my ramblings on the last episode here (TMP Quick Thoughts 4).

However, Protocol offers a very unique opportunity and experience for me because I didn’t actually get into TMA until after it was over and I binged all of it. So this is my first time experiencing something even remotely similar to what the original TMA fans probably experienced when waiting for each episode week by week and slowly having to put everything together with the limited information they had. So I decided to throw my hat into the ring since this might be my only chance to do something similar. However, I’m working on some longer form TMA content so I can’t spend as much time on these articles giving a bunch of super detailed thoughts. I will try to keep these short and that inevitably might mean some could have questions about why I think or predict certain things and in those cases I would probably recommend you read at least some of the two articles I mentioned above to get a better idea of where I’m coming from. This also means I won’t be giving you a play-by-play of every single thing that happens in the episode so I encourage you to listen to or read them yourselves and feel free to comment if you feel something is important.

These reviews are probably going to end up focusing mostly on the Entities and their manifestations as they are what I have thought about the most and spent the most time interpreting and there’s been a lot of… interesting theories floating around about how the Entities are manifesting that I want to go over.

Finally, I’m just going to say it right now, spoiler warning for all of The Magnus Archives. I know that Jon and co said one could start with Protocol and be fine, and while that’s probably true, media like this tends to be made in conversation with or take into consideration what came before it in the irl chronology in order to connect them. While I’m sure you could skip The Magnus Archives, I don't really see the point of skipping over it when we are already getting characters from TMA showing up in TMP in Protocol. So to me it’s pretty clear that if we want to understand the full picture of TMP and all the things it is trying to say then we can’t just try to pretend TMA doesn’t exist or scrub it away. Just because you could understand what’s happening without the context in broad strokes doesn’t mean you're getting all the nuances.

These articles are meant to be quick and short so sorry if there’s typos and if I don’t address every possible question or possibility. I don’t want to repeat myself too much in this series outside of the prologue so be sure to skim some of my other articles.

Episode 5 “Personal Screening”

If you ask me, the statement in this episode is almost definitely Eye aligned and it’s one of the most Eye flavored statements I’ve seen in a while. But let’s try to slow down and walk through some bits of the episode. Like always it may be an act of hubris to view TMP through the lens of Smirke’s 14 (and potentially The Extinction if I feel it comes to it) but even if I’m wrong I still find this to be fun and the parallels interesting.

Like always, we are hearing the story of TMP from the perspective of something / someone listening in via device and the transcripts clarify that this time we are listening through a landline.

Sam enters Lena’s office to express his worry about Colin’s paranoia and says “Well, today I found him crawling along the corridor, yanking out wires and muttering to himself.” and points out that Colin has “added all those locks to his office door and he refuses to even go near a camera now…” I feel like this mirrors TMA in how we see a coworker becoming worried about another coworker's increasing paranoia. And, similar to Jon, Colin’s paranoia in part seems to be coming from the feeling that he is being watched or monitored by something. I maintain that if the Entities are present then the O.I.A.R. is at least partially connected to the Eye and we see Colin is even becoming afraid of being seen by cameras and the like.

I think it’s also interesting that Lena says this “Right. Well firstly, thank you for raising this with me Sam. It’s important we don’t keep secrets here.” which feels a lot like some ominous foreshadowing we don’t yet understand. The Eye is all about having no privacy and exposing secrets and Colin seems to indeed be keeping some sort of secret. Not only that, but considering what Gwen saw last episode Lena is also keeping at least one secret.

There actually seem to be a lot of parallels or allusions to TMA structurally or thematically. Many of the statements sure but also the roles certain characters play. Sam is too curious for his own good like Jon and may be here to look into a previous encounter with the supernatural, some have pointed out that Alice and Tim both seem to cope with jokes, and Lena is a shady boss like Elias / Jonah. Just to be clear I’m not saying these are 1-to-1 or are meant to be alternate versions of each other or something. Rather that either The Eye tends to attract certain people, that this is meant to be a reference (Sort of like how how Part 7 and onwards in JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure have many direct references and parallels to other characters even though they aren’t always the exact same person / personality or one-to-one), or we are going to end up with some extrapolation, divergence, and / or commentaries on these similarities (either directly or indirectly).

However, long story short, Lena dismisses these claims and basically tells Sam not to worry, schedule a meeting next time, and mind his own business before we cut to one of the computers Sam and / or Alice work at to catch the rest of the story. Alice mentions “Ah. Yeah, Lena isn’t exactly known for her diplomacy.” which points to the idea that Lena probably isn’t the nicest person, or at the very least doesn’t sugarcoat things. Sam finds that Alice left some papers on his desk and she explains “I had a nosey while you were in Lena’s office. Looks like it’s for your Response Department one to one.” One thing I mention a lot about The Eye is that it tends to attract people who are very curious and / or want to know things, such as “Nosy Rosie,” Jonah, Jon, etc.. This scene shows us that Alice might be more curious or nosy than she lets on in some aspects. Of course, in typical Alice fashion when Sam expresses worry about the paper and the Response Department she tells him to basically just ignore it and throw it away but Sam decides to fill start filling it out anyway.

I wonder if this is similar to the magically binding contract from TMA and if Sam just accidentally tied himself to something. Alice does also say “Just chuck it. I told you, I’m pretty sure the Response Department doesn't even exist anymore. It's just the system spitting out dead paperwork. Happens all the time.” so we can’t even be sure that this is coming from the Response Department. In fact the paperwork coming from the Response Department could be The Eye or some other Entity and / or supernatural occurrence. We also continue to have Sam’s curiosity hammered into us when he says “And I’m going to fill it in any way. See what happens.” Sam notes that the paperwork asks strange questions when he says “Uh huh… They want my last seven addresses. I don’t know if I’ve even had-” This could point to the idea of the paper wanting a suspicious amount of information since it not only wants to know where you currently live but the last seven places someone has lived.

(Probably rather luckily) Sam gets interrupted by a statement as Alice manages to convince him to stop as CHESTER gives us our statement for the episode.

This statement is about Tom and the blog he is running. On it he reviews horror movies and even says “Hey all you sick freaks out there, Tom here, your gruesome guide to the most twisted horror films of the world wide web!” He also says “I can’t believe this blog’s still up. Was looking for somewhere slightly less confrontational than social media to post my film thoughts, and I remembered starting this back in, what, 2009?” As I’ve mentioned before The Eye is the fear of being perceived and known which also involves the fear of being judged for things. To put it even more broadly, The Eye seems to be about the fear of knowledge in general. Not just the fear that someone / something might know too much about you (or a specific secret) or is just gathering information by watching you but also the fear that you yourself might know too much or have seen something you wish you hadn’t. In MAG 200 we are told in what order the Powers emerged and what led to their birth and for The Eye we are told it came from the fear of one’s eyes “showing them too much.” In essence, that they saw something they didn’t want to. A more direct example of this is Jonah being able to force information into the minds of other people like Martin and Melanie. Jonah mentions that this information has to be true and it points to the idea of forcing someone to know something against their will.

We also get “That first post... Fourteen years old and convinced I was the edgiest writer on the web. Might keep it up for posterity, god knows the kid went through enough” which implies a rough childhood. Considering what happens with the movie I would also like to point out that tying into The Eye’s whole “seeing too much” thing is the idea of being forced to remember or relive certain things you don’t want to. The most obvious form this took in TMA was the statements (as they were people recounting what happened to them) but Jon could also force people to give statements (forcing them to recall things against their will) and when Jon takes live statements both Jonah and Daisy point out that when this is done the victim will be forced to relive said statement every night via a dream in which Jon is watching. Sometimes, if there’s a monster involved, the victim sees things from the perspective of the monster (forcing them to watch their own suffering in a way).

Tom explains “I remember I was pretty lonely in those days. Ever since I was a child, making friends has always been kind of a struggle. My interests have always been seen as a little strange... While other kids my age at the time were looking up to football players and other celebrities, I was looking up to Pinhead and Freddy Krueger... It wasn’t in a psychopath kind of way or anything, I’ve just always been fascinated by horror. I can thank my dad for that, he showed me Puppet Master when I was six. ‘oh don’t worry, buddy! It’s just like Toy Story”... He had kind of a dark sense of humour like that.” before continuing to describe how he was really into horror and continues to have a fixation on it. This also implies that it’s possible the young Tom wasn’t always aware of what he was about to see and was tricked or lied to about what it was. Which could tie into the idea of seeing something you didn’t want to if we assume that this poor kid was expecting Toy Story only to get a scary movie. Funnily enough, someone judging and critiquing films on something like a blog could draw a connection to The Eye via the idea of judgment and the like.

Strangely, the next 3 reviews have been deleted. I wonder if they reminded Tom of something or if he just wanted to forget about it? But that would be kind of weird since he still leaves up the announcement that make mention of the terrifying film he watches later, “Voyeur.” It might also be a much weirder reasoning like someone or something wanting people to find this movie and / or post and making sure the post is preserved for a statement. It’s pretty clear Tom has at least some of the trademark Eye curiosity when it comes to horror movies since he seems to put in a lot of effort into finding this specific horror movie in order to watch it despite searches mostly just revealing what is presumably porn. However, in his search he comes across one thing- “The only thing I could find was another old blog with what must have been the shortest film review I have ever read. You can check the link, but I’ll save you some time: all it says is “Voyeur needs to be seen to be believed. The Scariest movie I have ever seen”.”

Of course, if you’ve gotten this far you can probably guess what I’m probably going to say. This is so obviously The Eye or some similar overlapping Entity trying to bait curious people into seeing something they will probably regret. In TMA Gertrude did mention that The Eye is also the drive to know and understand even if what you find might hurt you and we can see this in action. The drive to know and understand even if this movie could mentally scar you. Unfortunately, Tom doesn’t realize he’s in a horror podcast and this just makes him want to see it even more.

In the next blog post Tom mentions “Oh my God. I can’t believe one of you found it! Thank you SO MUCH Cinephobia12220 for the link!” Based on a quick google search I don’t think “cinephobia” is a real word (and if it is it’s super obscure). However, I can take a wild guess at what the username “cinephobia” means by looking at the root words involved. Cinephile basically means “movie lover” and phobia has to do with fear, so we can assume that the term cinephobia would probably mean something like “fear of movies”, “movie fear”, “phobia of movies”, etc.

After doing a bit more digging I found the term “cinephobia” which according to a wikipedia page means “The fear or hatred of films and the cinema.” Whether or not you want to see this as credible is up to you and I’m proud of the logic I used originally so I’m keeping the previous paragraph since it was at least in the ballpark. Either way, this username is foreshadowing since their name literally means “fear / hatred of movies” (ie the fear of a media you would watch).

Tom manages to find a link and a contest that only asks for his name and he somehow wins said contest despite noting that the site hasn’t been updated in years. At this point it’s clear that all the blog posts not relating or leading up to the “Voyeur” have been deleted. What does voyeur even mean? According to google voyeur is defined as “a person who gains sexual pleasure from watching others when they are naked or engaged in sexual activity”... okaayyyyyy wait there’s a second definition “a person who enjoys seeing the pain or distress of others.” Okay, I’m going to assume the second definition is what’s applicable here since this ties very heavily into The Eye and the idea of a sort of sadism or someone watching you suffer. Of course, this can also tie into statements as people like Jon gain power and strength from literally hearing about and or watching people suffer. So the movie’s title is yet more foreshadowing. The title might also have a double meaning since depending on why someone likes horror and to what extent you could describe them as a “voyeur” in the sense that they like seeing people suffer in movies. Tom is so desperate for horror he might be somewhat close to a voyeur in this sense but maybe I’m reading too much into that.

When Tom wins the contest he explains “I WON THE CONTEST! I can’t believe it! The invitation was waiting when I got home today, in a small black envelope. I don’t even remember giving them my address. The website must have logged my IP and looked it up or something... I’m really not sure how any of that works.” This is another red flag because The Eye is known to randomly give or find information it otherwise shouldn’t know. We see people like Jon had the ability to know things that they shouldn’t and Jonah was borderline omniscient and could know almost anything he actively put his mind towards.

The cinema “Voyeur” is being filmed at is a theater that Tom actually went to when he was a kid. “And I’ve actually been to this cinema before... I used to go all the time with my dad... they would play classic horror films midday every Saturday.” Considering that Tom probably had a rough childhood this could be The Eye setting up a situation where Tom is forced to remember his past (I mean besides watching the movie of course) and I wonder if this is the theater where his dad tricked him into watching a horror movie. We know that the movie seems to actually be about Tom himself and it’s being played in a place he remembers as a child. Also, Tom mentioning how he wants to give his thoughts on this movie could be likened to a statement and someone giving their accounts about various horrific encounters.

Tom of course is apparently live blogging the event and I think that usually The Eye wouldn’t have it any other way. The more people can witness the horrors another person is facing in real time the “better.” The outside of the theater seems like it’s in a sorry state but the inside is beautiful and clean. Tom asks about this while buying food from an employee and we get “I asked about the mess outside, trying not to be rude about it, but he just said “It’s what on the inside that matters”.” This could be foreshadowing to the idea that the movie is about Tom himself. So the “inside” that matters would be Tom’s own memory and / or experiences. Also, this employee is noted to be old and probably doing all the jobs around this theater. He is at least the one running the concession stand, and usher along with the other stuff. But Tom says that the man is in high spirits which makes me wonder if we’ll see him as a recurring character in TMP’s statements and / or in person (sort of like Simon Fairchild and the like).

Then the movie starts and based on Tom’s reaction he clearly recognizes what's being shown “ I can hear what sounds like... beeping. It sounds so familiar but I can’t quite place it. Medical equipment maybe? There’s something [UNINTELLIGIBLE] the screen... Looks like it might be a flashback or something, handheld… looks like it was filmed on an old camcorder... Wait. Is that...? I know that room…. How... How did they get [UNINTELLIGIBLE] This was after the accident. Mum wanted to to film it for my brothers... Dad... I... [UNINTELLIGIBLE] Wait. Who is that? In the corner of the screen, there’s... WHO THE HELL IS THAT?” and the final thing we hear from the blog is

BLOG POST: FILM REVIEW: VOYEUR

Voyeur needs to be seen to be believed. The scariest movie I have ever seen.

It seems like what happened is the movie was a video Tom’s mom had taken of a tragic even but there was something that shouldn’t have been there. This wouldn’t be the first time something like this happened with The Eye. In TMA MAG 193 (A Stern Look) we get an account from the original Elias that details how a friend named Allan Schrieber died from presumably reading some sort of book. Upon reading it Allan started to mentally break down and sob while saying things like “It has no eyes”, “so it has to feel its way towards me. But it knows. It knows!” before eventually dying with his eyes mysteriously missing. A lot of people immediately assume this means The Dark was at play but there are statements where someone / something aligned with The Beholding seems to be missing eyes or taking The Eyes of others. Sometimes the idea is that it’s scary that something can somehow still know where you are or see you and sometimes this is the whole “seeing too much thing.” It’s also mentioned “But he remembers so clearly what he was thinking as he looked at the what was left of Allan Schrieber: where are his eyes? What did they do with his eyes?”

If you want a clearer example of seeing something you shouldn't, there's the hand mirror that appears in MAG 060 (Observer Effect). Upon looking into this mirror Rosa Meyers notices a dark figure in the night that only has its eyes visible and she feels like she is being watched / stalked even after dropping the mirror and breaking the glass. So The Eye definitely plays around with the idea of seeing something, noticing a figure that shouldn’t be there, and then things follow you before something happens. It wouldn’t completely surprise me if Tom was even replaced or had his mind and / or body taken over somehow (something that has a precedent with people like Jonah) which could explain why his review is eerily similar to the original one. Maybe the old man is body hopping like Jonah? That might explain the old man’s excitement and maybe the old man is in fact “Cinephobia12220.” Hmmm, such an assertion about body hopping with so little information is a bit of a stretch though since the man could just be happy to have a victim and it would be an oddly specific ability for some random new character (merely one iff background or otherwise) to have.

Obviously, Tom also expresses surprise at this theater having the footage and wonders how they could’ve gotten it which ties into The Eye and someone getting information they shouldn’t. Being forced to relive something like this is also comparable to a statement.

Some Entities that overlap with some of the stuff happening in this statement are ones like The Spiral. I could see an argument for some of its themes with the idea of noticing something you missed before or thought wasn’t there as a sign of your senses being wrong. Maybe also The Stranger since Tom doesn’t seem to know what he’s seeing.

We then cut to CCTV audio and Alice talking on the phone before this conversation happens

GWEN

“Do you remember the IT manager before Colin?”

ALICE

“Who? Amelia? What about her?”

GWEN

“No, before Amelia, before I joined. German guy. Lots of tattoos.”

ALICE

“I mean, I think Amelia mentioned him once or twice maybe? Mostly I remember her complaining about his work, but he’d have been here well before my time. What’s this about?”

GWEN

“Nothing. None of your business.”

ALICE

“What? Seriously?”

GWEN

“(walking off). Yes.”

Once again, Gwen being cagey and weird but this time we have a better idea of why. There’s a chance that this German IT manager may in fact be Klaus. I wonder if being the O.I.A.R. IT manager comes with some sort of drawback or “curse?” Maybe even some weird agreement between whoever has the position and Lena? Who knows

Conclusion

Idk having a blast. Feel free to leave corrections and / or thoughts and I may respond to them and explain if I agree or disagree, or consider why it is or isn’t likely, etc.

#tma #the magnus archives #tmp #the magnus protocol #theory

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bytheangell · 5 years

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There’s been a lot of chatter about my boy Underhill after this last episode, and I have some thoughts and feelings on it that I haven’t been able to sit down and write about until now. I’m going to start off with the basic disclaimers: yes, the way he started that scene with Magnus was shady AF and yes, I think it could’ve been executed better. But it served its purpose and I don’t think it was out of character at all. I think the way he reacted this past week reflects his values as Head of Security as well as his priorities as Alec’s friend. And here’s why:

Underhill cares about Alec Lightwood. This isn’t up for debate. He wouldn’t sneak him out of the back of the bar and into a cab if he didn’t. He wouldn’t have gone out of his way to stand up for allowing Maryse Lightwood into the Institute that day if he didn’t. He wouldn’t have gone out of his way to thank Alec for just being true to himself if he didn’t. Which is why he bristled at the fact that Alec was acting in a way that was, if he kept it up, going to dig his own grave in that Institute.

I’m sure Alec didn’t exactly run it by him to get his opinion on the matter before bringing Magnus in and telling Underhill to arrange for him to have keys for himself. There was shock there, and confusion, because this isn’t standard procedure. This is a personal decision, made without thinking of the repercussions. Of course there’s no immediate harm done by having Magnus stay, but would Alec have decided differently if there was? Probably not. And that’s where the problem is. Alec is acting without hesitation in whatever is best for Magnus. For a warlock. Clary and Isabelle would obviously go out of their way to risk things for Simon, and Maia. He finds out Isabelle let Raphael go after catching him red-handed breaking the Accords. And in a moment when they aren’t sure if a war is going to start between the werewolves and the vampires, in a moment when Alec is setting out to make a direct enemy out of the High Warlock of Brooklyn, he and everyone close to him are making personal calls that will have serious repercussions on the Shadowhunters as a whole if things turn south.

And that’s what Underhill sees. He sees Alec bringing in Magnus, and setting himself farther apart from the people he’s supposed to represent and serve. He sees Alec bending rules for Magnus, and if he’s bending rules for one Downworlder, where does the line get drawn? What rules are worth breaking, and how are they expected to blindly follow Alec’s orders if they can’t trust that they’re for the good of the Shadowhunters when he’s clearly showing so many biases? He doesn’t want to see everyone turn against Alec, but that’s exactly where Alec is headed if he keeps this up.

I don’t imagine Alec pulled Underhill aside and went “hey, as head of security, what do you think of Magnus moving in for a while because he has nowhere to go and the Shadowhunters sure as hell owe him right now”, but probably just told him to get keys ready. An order. And if Underhill did try to discuss it, to question in, I’m sure given what we’ve seen of Alec lately that wouldn’t have gone over very well. I know this bit is just speculation - and this is what I wish we saw more of. The why behind these moments, what happened leading up to it before Magnus and Underhill ended up in that room together. Underhill admits he doesn’t think it’s a good idea to Magnus like he’s getting it off his chest for the first time, which would make the rest of his reactions line up perfectly. He’s frustrated that the person who should be hearing this hasn’t yet. Because Alec isn’t listening - he’s in defense mode with everything going wrong around him, and he’s just doing, grasping onto anything he feels is still within his control. But the way I read how Underhill admits to Magnus that he doesn’t think this is a good idea, how he didn’t even know it’s only meant to be temporary, implies to me that Alec didn’t tell him any of this. That he didn’t fill his Head of Security in on his plans involving something that breaks normal standing procedure outside of just telling Underhill what he was doing, and that’s that. Underhill has a job to do too, after all, and the safety of an entire Institute rests on his ability to do it without clear breaches in protocol, no matter how inherently harmless. His ability to do his job to standard is being compromised without him having much of a say, if any, and that’d be enough to get under anyone’s skin.

The jab about following the rules came from a place of frustration - if anyone else got to pick and choose when to do things ‘by the book’, there would be hell to pay. And how often has Alec and his friends bending the rules backfired in the past? They have a track record, and it isn’t unfair for people to start to get bitter about seeing it happen over and over again, and this time a lot more publicly. And I think the fact that it’s Alec’s friend, and not some random stranger or someone who already dislikes Alec, who is the one showing these moments of frustration makes it that much more meaningful: Underhill cares about Alec, and he supports him, but even he can see that maybe it’s time to stop and reevaluate where things are instead of just plowing forward without a second thought, doing whatever feels necessary in the moment. What good is a friend who is just going to agree with you 24/7 when they feel like you’re making potentially risky or questionable decisions?

I really, truly believe Underhill’s reaction to Magnus getting those keys has nothing to do with Magnus himself, and everything to do with the slippery slope Alec is falling down lately when it comes to his ability to remain impartial. I think the scene with Alec and Lorenzo at the loft was a clear sign of that on our end of things, and no one else is even aware of it in canon. Like Underhill said himself, he doesn’t have a problem with Magnus, or with him being there, personally. Underhill is glad he and Alec are fine. (And in regards to the ‘he told me you two were having differences’ line, I don’t think he meant for that to be shade, either. Friends talk to each other about relationships, it’s what they do. I don’t think it’s entirely out there for him to assume Magnus knows Alec talks to him about things, especially not if it’s happened more than once. He probably assumes Magnus spent that night whining about his and Alec’s problems to one of his own friends. That wasn’t an attempt to stir jealousy or ruffle Magnus’ feathers, he was just trying to be nice and smooth things over a bit in a ‘hey, I’m on your side, I was rooting for you the whole time’ comment to prove it isn’t personal, that he likes Magnus, and likes him with Alec. Just maybe not at the Institute after an overnight whim decision with a full set of keys, is all.)

I am obviously, from a fan standpoint, very on the side of Malec stopping at nothing to do whatever the other wants or needs, because they love each other, because it’s what they deserve, and of course they’re going to protect one another first and foremost. Malec forever and all that jazz. I’m just saying that from a character standpoint, I don’t think Underhill’s put-off attitude in 3x15 was out of character or even uncalled for.

#underhill #alec lightwood #magnus bane #shadowhunters #sh meta #sh spoilers #elle metas too much #I just have a LOT of Underhill feelings #and I genuinely don't know how much of this is rational and how much is my desire to justify his stand-offish behavior because I love him #but I'm curious to hear responses or reactions or things I probably missed

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darkdarkmydesire · 7 years

Text

I really hope it wasn't (just an experiment)

Chapter 3:

Magnus woke to the scent of coffee and an empty bed, rolling over he came face to face with a cup of the offending beverage and doughnuts on his bed side table. Tucked underneath the cup was a note, which he snatched out scowling. Magnus didn't know why he felt such strong irritation. Had Alec left in the night? That by no means explained the lukewarm coffee, or fluffy doughnuts, because as far as he was concerned, sustenance didn't just keep it self warm. Deciding to pursue the actions of a mature individual, Magnus flung the paper with tremendous disdain, despite there being no one other than the furniture to witness the action and stalked toward his bathroom. Ignoring the paper and his surging irritation. Magnus's eyes clung to the clock as he passed, 6:18. Despite the seemingly nice gesture, Magnus couldn't help but feel like a hooker. Who woke up before six on a sunday anyway? Alec had disappeared and left a note, all that was missing was the cash on his dresser. Granted Magnus hadn't been looking forward to the awkward morning, but he would've thought Alec would have some tact. Huffing in indignation at his tumultuous thoughts, Magnus made his way to the bathroom with renewed purpose. He'd deal with this after a shower.

Fifteen minutes later Magnus sat on his bed with damp hair and the crumpled remains of his fury. He read over Alec's note for the second time, guilt pricking fine holes in his demeanor.

Sorry I had to leave. I swear this isn't the walk of shame. I have work at 6, so I went home to change. Plus, I got you donougts to make up for it. They're from Nightgale, if you dont like them anymore I'll be sure to pay you back for the bad taste ;)

After the thorough examination, Magnus set down the note, feeling slightly wrecked. He reached for a doughnut. It was his favourite, a glazed wholewheat doughnut. Heart fluttering Magnus bit into the delectable treat. The memory that accompanied only succeeded in tearing down the rest of Magnus. He remembered the first time Alec had took him to the cozy diner, they had been dating. Magnus had taken one bite of the doughnut and declared it his usual haunt, since then him and Alec frequented the place everyday after school. Nightingale was at least a 25 minute walk from his place and Magnus firmly closed the door to the sect of his mind that whispered tantalizing notions: He woke up before 5 for you He did it for you. Alec still cares, still remembers. Still knows you despite the years and silences and changes. Barricading such thoughts, Magnus finished the first doughnut, started the second and drank the coffee till the last drop, despite it going cold. All the while ignoring bubbles of joy in his heart.

-------------------------------+

It had been three days since Magnus and Alec had rendezvoused for the lack of a better word, however both went on with their lives tactically avoiding any mention of the night. There was not a wisp of ungainliness, nor any action to build up their friendship on it's dilapidated foundation. Though, regardless of recent events Alec couldn't help but feel a thrum of disappointment. Magnus, Raphael and Simon had gotten close with an exchange student called Ragnor Fell, especially Magnus. Alec tried to snuff out the envy as he saw them laughing in the corridors and conspiring in class. He had trouble shirking of the petulant chorus of: it should be me. Alec had his own acquaintances and friends. He also had no reservations of kindling their romance, but had thought Magnus would at least try to make up for three years of silence. Had thought that night would have meant more than just a release for Magnus. Had thought -

Swearing Alec yanked open his locker. He was acting imbecilic moron, standing here reminiscing of different outcomes and what if's. About how Magnus wouldn't give him the time of day. Disgusted at his own wallowing, Alec flung books into his bag with a vicious ferocity and a scowl to match.

"Someone's in a mood.", whistled Jace, leaning against the subsequent locker with a clanging thump.

" I'm fine.", Alec blew out, running a hand through his hair. He really was oozing an aura of pathetic, if Jace, who was as thick as his textbooks conjoined, could sense something amiss.

"I'm sure the abuse victim would disagree.", Jace snorted, arms crossed, a skeptical expression on his face.

Confused, Alec raised an eyebrow. He wasn't in the mood for Jace's unamusing jibes.

" The locker. Jjust because it has no nerves, doesn't make it acceptable to pummel the thing.", Jace mocked effectively cutting into Alec's irritation. The words echoed of a previous lecture Alec himself had given him. Breathing out a laugh, Alec felt the vice of strain loosen its grip.

"Jace, I caught you pulverising a postbox with a metal pole., just because you were aggravated. This situation is immensely different.", Alec reasoned closing his locker, although he used a noticeably lower amount of force.

"Right, whatever. Thank fuck you didn't see the five around the corner.", Jace muttered, uninterested in his own failings.

" What?", Alec asked, snapping his head towards Jace, " I swear to God, you better be joking.", he said, pinching the bridge of his nose. With Jace you never really could tell which hypothetical incident was a joke and which an anectode. All Alec knew was that each scenario was as outrageous as the next, if not more so.

"Of course I am.", Jace reassured, " Anyway, Izzy said to tell you, family dinner tonight. Don't forget.", he chirped. Jace never chirped, that was more of Simon's forte, so naturally Alec became suspicious. Adding more fuel to the fire, he couldn't help but think Jace's stride contained an additional vigor. Still unsure and somewhat defeated Alec made his way to AP calculus, perhaps he was overreacting, but in Jace's case even evacuation procedures would be basic protocol. Although, It was not as if he could do anything about the postboxes at this moment. He could offer to pay for them, however even Alec saw little merit in admitting vandalism to a government official's assistant. Hence, Alec simply went to class, turning his back on the memories that hung like ghastly cobwebs in the harsh lighting of the college corridor. Memories that would leave remnants of silk too fine, to perhaps ever remove.

-------------------------------+

Only after Alec had sat down did he take note of the minority of students in attendance. Besides a curly haired girl who's fashion sense could rival Isabel's, Alec happened to be the only other individual present. She seemed to radiate a cloud of hostility, yet Alec found her to be intriguing, if not pleasant. The girl had been been a sagacious partner, the few times Alec had been paired with her. An intelligent figure who could hold an interesting conversation. "Staring at Maia? I though you were past the finding an efficacious beard phase", came Magnus's teasing voice, drawing Maia's attention as well as Alec's. Despite his easy tone Alec felt a twinge of shame, as he recalled how adamant he had been in hiding their previous relationship.

Unable to decide if it was truly a jab, Alec played it safe and brushed off Magnus, addressing Maia in his stead, " Sorry long day. I was just thinking that regardless of your intelligence and pleasant fashion sense, my sister and you are two humans best not acquainted. ". This compliment was delivered in the form of an observation, as if he was merely cataloging the number of lexis in his assignment. The lopsided grin and unassuming tenor of his comment, earned a soft laugh from Maia. Alec could be quiet charming without the pomp and swagger of the usual stereotypes encompassing the male population.

"You know, if anyone other than you said that, gay, or not. I would have shown him just how extended my vocabulary can be, but seeing as its you. Thanks.", she responded, her brown eyes shining with amusement. It seems Alec's comment had indirectly insulted Maia, because he recognised that particular brand of humour from Isabel's own reactions to varying "helpful" comments Alec had bestowed upon her.;

" I dont know if I should be honoured, or offended. The boys in this school aren't exactly...", he waved his hand in an elaborate gesture, as he trailed off.

Scoffing, Magnus cut in, " First of all darling, I am deeply offended, as I seem to be grouped with the 'boys in this school' category. ", as he took out his notebook. " Secondly, this.", he encompassed, waving his hand in a fashion similar to Alec's, "Is not an adjective.", he deadpanned reminding Alec of another time he had used that tone. A time he did not want to remember in a classroom, in front of other anthropoids generally.

Clearing his throat and willing his cheeks to cool, Alec answered, " Yeah, I know.", his voice coming out scratchier than he intended.

Magnus seemed to have caught the link and looked over with a sly grin, "I - ", he began.

" Okay class, seeing as you're always complaining about how tedious solving exercises are, I devised an activity away from the conventional teaching style for math.", announced Mr. Beamer, successfully cutting of Magnus and looking all too pleased with himself.

Alec, once again, wasn't sure if he was disappointed.

"I would like you to work with your desk partners and create a 3 - d model representing the following topics: Limits and Continuity, Derivatives and Rates of Change, or Integrals and Area, depending on which I assign you. I expect this handed in four weeks from now, with an oral presentation. This will be done in lieu of home work, with the exception of the daily practice questions, of course.", explained the teacher.

" Of course.", mumbled Magnus in annoyance.

"What?", questioned Alec perplexed, under his breath. Eyes still on the board, as to erase any chances of a repeat of the last lesson.

Magnus faced the younger man trying to discern his tone, only to find genuine anticipation on his face. " Of course.", Magnus whispered again, however this time he was significantly amused.

"It'll be an invigorating challenge.", shrugged Alec, noticing a strange expression flit across Magnus's face, before he covered it up with a haughty look.

" Invigorating.", he scoffed, "Who says that?", his tenor seem almost... endearing? But before Alec could question it, Magnus faced forward, concentrating intensely on Mr. Beamer's words.

-------------------------------+

" So, after school, your place?", Magnus asked, as the students piled out. "Oh.", replied Alec surprised, " Um, it'll have to be after work, so 7:30?", he queried, expecting a refusal, as he packed away his supplies.

"Sure, I'll text you when I get there.", the older man answered, unfazed, " Number?". Taking in Alec's mildly shocked expression, he frowned. "What? You thought I was going to dump it on you?"

"Well no, I thought... because - you just, I mean. I assumed.", Alec struggled, unable to form a coherent sentence.

" Wow, Alec.", Magnus snapped, "Way to paint me the jerk.", swinging his bag over his shoulder violently.

" What do you expect me to think?", Alec asked vehemently, "You hook up with me, then dont even look my way twice.".

" Don't make this about that, Alec. Dont be so clingy.", Magnus spat.

Ignoring the way his heart clenched at those words, the younger man seethed, " I'm not making it about anything, Magnus. What is wrong with you? We were friends way before this bullshit. If anything, you're the one projecting.", gaining momentum, Alec plundered ahead.

"This isn't even about sex, its about how you seem to think 15 years of friendship isn't reason enough to even try to be civil. You dont want yo speak to me? Fine. But dont get offended, when I assume that's what you're going to keep doing.", Alec finished breathing heavily and pushed past Magnus. He had not felt fury like this in along time. So completely obliterating and wholly directed at one person, rage seemed to crackle from his very being, as Alec none to pointedly ignored the general school populous. Not looking back once, he stormed his way out of the building. Alec was sick of second guessing himself and around Magnus that's all he seemed to do.

-------------------------------+

After work, Alec had come home to boxes of takeaway and bickering. Currently, sitting here, even as Izzy smacked Jace once again and as Jace exaggerated in his reaction, once again, Alec felt calm. This is what family dinners are supposed to be like, spending time with the ones who understood you, even if they weren't blood related, like Jace.

" If you ask me", said Jace out if the blue, " You give that Magnus guy too much leniency. ", he observed, leaning against the front if the sofa, as he sat on the floor with Alec sitting crossed leg, opposite him. Izzy mirroring his posture had token over the couch, " He was just a kid when Alec got kicked out. There's no need to blame him for what Dad did. ", reasoned Isabel. " And for the love of God, speak after you finish. Nobody needs to see that.", she exclaimed, nose wrinkling in disgust.

"I'm not blaming him, even though he is a jerk. I'm Just saying Alec should be careful.", pointed out Jace, purposefully chewing as loud as he could, baiting Isabel. Alec wondered at his audaciousness, no man would cross Isabel, not with the constant threat of sterility hanging above his head.

" That's rich coming from you.", Alec muttered, he was getting imensely annoyed at being the subject of the conversation, as if he was not present. "Also, I am perfectly capable of taking care of myself. The way you two are going, I'm surprised you don't suit me up in protective gear each time I step out.", Alec replied blandly.

"Exactly Jace and if they do find each other under the sheets, it'll be the matter of two consenting adults.", Isabel quipped, cackling at the glare Alec through in her direction.

" Isabel.", he warned.

"Oh no, Alexander Gideon Lightwood, dont try and deny it. Clary and I saw you dancing with him on Friday night,before you vanished.", taunted Jace from his spot on the floor, " Where, pray tell, did you go?".

"Home.", Alec deadpanned, " We took a cab together.". Beginning to collect the mess he carried on coolly, "Being over him, doesn't mean I'm blind Jace. He was a hot guy who asked me to dance and so I did."

Choosing to sideline Alec's condescending tone Jace rolled his eyes."Looky who grew up.", munched Jace around his food, causing Isabel to finally snap. It was an audible brittle crack.

"Jace, if you don't quit chewing like that. I will rip out your balls and stuff them down your throat.", she sniped sweetly, with all the venom of a mamba. The sugar coating on the words was overtly saturated, hence not the most enticing of delights. It was the tone Isabel reserved for those on death parole and Jace's reflecting expression conveyed as much, this was only to end in casualties and excessive bloodshed.

Stacking the boxes and blatantly ignoring the two, Alec addressed the only responsible one of the pair. " Izzy could you - ", he paused as the bell cut him off. Distractedly, he made his way to the door adjusting the various containers, so he wouldn't drop them. Arms full, but in no danger of dropping the cartons, he opened the door and came face to face with an uncertain looking Magnus. To say it shocked him was a highly exaggerated understatement.

" Um hey. I.. err. I came to apologize, for earlier that is ", admitted Magnus, his eyes seemed to search Alec's for any scraps on how to proceed.

" Oh.", Alec blinked dumbfounded, jarred into action by sound of Magnus's voice. Churlish as it may seem, Alec had not truly believed it to be Magnus, perhaps his obsessive thoughts had conjured up the illusion. "Okay, come inside.", he said gaining control, suddenly closed off.

The way Magnus had acted, had hurt. There was no way Alec would let him swindle his way through an apology. Needing a moment to collect himself, Alex left Magnus standing in the doorway, as he strode in. Throwing away the load in his arms acted as the perfect guise of being in control, he needed to be after his earlier outburst. No matter how deserved, Alec did not lose control like that. Although in conclusion of recent events, he had come to realise, nothing went the way it usually did when Magnus was involved. Try as he might Alec always gave into the urge of bickering back, flirting back. He wanted to push the thing that was Magnus and Alec, Alec and Magnus. He felt an inexplicable need to test the bond, tug at its tether.

" Sorry to cut this short, Izzy, Jace, but I need to get started on a project with Magnus.", Alec spoke nonchalantly, as if they hadn't been talking about him mere seconds ago. Alec didnt know exactly what he was doing, however he certainly appeared self assured, so it was not all in vain.

Jace opened his mouth, no doubt about to retort something witty and disastrous, but Alec's pointed look and Isabel's not so subtle jab had him keeping quiet.

"See you later, brother.", Isabel said, kissing Alec's cheek and ushering Jace out, paying no heed to his disgruntled protests. His best friend was admittedly not apt in making the best life choices. As the door clicked shut and a heavy silence threatened to smother Alec where he stood. Alec abandoned his vigil of the peeling wall paper in the right most corner of his living, turning to face the inevitable. Did he really think he could ignore Magnus after inviting him in? Common sense had indeed learned the procedure in case of an attack of Magnus's presence. Abandon all tasks and abort. Knowing he could delay no longer, Alec shifted, folding his arms in front of his chest, caging his emotions in, or Magnus's out. He wasn't sure of the difference anymore. Not knowing how to proceed, Alec simply waited, holding the gaze an abundantly tense Magnus.

" Look", he said, inhaling sharpy, as if their very friendship rested on his next words, which for all he knew it did, had it not been for Alec's incongruous need for all that was Magnus. "I was a shitcase, I shouldn't have called you clingy. You aren't. Even before that I shouldn't have ignored you.".

His words tumbled over one and another, a desperate apology, an intoxicating plea. Magnus breathed shakily, as Alec continued staring, face absent of any emotion. " After the club, I assumed things would be awkward. I was even prepared for it. But then it wasn't and I thought I was either extremely dense, or you we're ignoring that night.", Magnus continued, a bit hesitant at revealing his vulnerabilities, though he rapidly brushed away Alec's potential objections that crept in the furrow of his brow, the pursing of his lip, the tightening of his stance. "I know you weren't. I had just overthought the situation so much, it seemed like the logical outcome.".

" So there I was consumed by you, while you seemingly went on unaffected.", Magnus conceded, vulnerability creeping into his eyes.

This time Alec did interrupt, " I wasn't unaffected.", he said, frown deepening.

"Clearly", Magnus scoffed, recalling Alec's outburst earlier. Justified, but an outburst all the same.

" All I'm saying is, I'm not trying to make excuses. I didn't set out to hurt you.", he said , frustration present through the shaky hand he ran over his hair and down his face, as if he could wipe away the emotions he was feeling. He would do anything not to lose Alec, but as Magnus poured his heart out, Alec had stood there stoic. Giving no sign if he was succeeding in his efforts. Magnus was incredibly selfish, he had realised even after years of separation, he still wanted Alec as a friend. No matter how much, or how often he told himself that Alec was just another person he had come into contact with, ordinary, he could not believe that lie. There was nothing ordinary about Alexander Lightwood. Magnus's every sense was crowded with Alexander, from his hazel eyes, to raven black hair and pale throat. He had become an obsession, compulsion, Magnus's destuction.

"I know an apology isn't enough, but I'm sorry Alec.", he croaked, voice tainted with shame and a sliver of hope. Hope Alec could snuff with nothing more than a breath.

" Fine, I forgive you.", Alec relented.

"I'll make it up to you.", Magnus said softly, " I'll - . Wait, what?", he wheeled back back confused.

"You didn't think I was going to end our friendship based on one fight, did you?", smirked Alec. "Though you did deserve it.", he said honestly, dropping down on the sofa and flicking on the t.v. As much as Magnus's actions had severed Alec's heart, he knew that whatever pain they caused each other would be forgiven, if they could wield it to forge something stronger. However, never forgotten because an perpetual cycle of repetitive mistakes was not what Alec wanted, not what they both needed, but forgiven they could be.

It was Magnus's turn to stare nonplussed. If he hadn't been so relieved, he would have been furious. "I know.", he laughed quietly, after what seemed like an age, running his hands through his hair. " You are evil darling. My heart felt like it was going to give out, for all the hints you gave me.", he chuckled easing down next to Alec. Though the movement was tender and if you looked close enough, you could see past the veil of nonchalance. Underneath was a river of gratification and disbelief, running through Magnus minutely tense posture, as he inclined back. Through the tenuous upward curl of his lips. Through the flickers his amber orbs.

Clicking on a movie, Alec raised an eyebrow in question. "What about the project?", Magnus frowned, after all that was how this conflict came to be. Magnus was by no means the most dedicated individual, however he gave an adequate amount of significance to his educational pursuits.

Alec shrugged in response, " We have time.", he muttered, whilst burrowing deeper into the couch, causing an involuntary grin to sketch across Magnus's face. And, as the light flickered across Alec's features, illuminating his laughs and frowns, while he criticised the plot, Magnus blamed the speeding of his heart on the earlier fright. Convincing himself it had nothing to do with Alec's easy smiles and casual touches.

#Malec #fan fiction #i hope you enjoy #classandra claire

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