Dean Really Got Impaled By The World’s Largest Nail, Fucking Size Queen

probs bc he represents the writers

when you realize CHUCK got a better ending then ANY of your lead characters

oh yeah, it's allllllll coming together now......

Ominous.

MAG 101 has the Spiral asking "am I evil" and while that's a very Spiral™️ question, I feel like TMAGP is genuinely exploring this. Fear can be fun, when it's a story. It's not innately "evil"- and here's all these stories, scavenged ephemera more than Official Statements, where the fear wasn't really the point.

TMAGP has me thinking about the sublime. The idea of beauty and terror sharing a space in your brain, and the exultation of artistry - a painter like Daria or the virtuoso with the demon violin - to the point of destruction. The joy and horror at seeing a loved one return from the dead. The excitement and fascination of becoming something not quite human, the distress and panic as your body is changed. The shiver of fear as a pleasurable sample of terror.

I wonder where they're going with this.

Feb. 5. 2024

why did Lena even hire Gwen??

Lena seems to like Alice supposedly cause she (seemingly) doesn't care whatsoever about the horrific stuff going on, and likes her enough to pretty much ignore her and consider Sam based on Alice's recommendation. Even if Sam was just hired because they were scrambling for a replacement and needed someone traumatized by The Horrors, Lena likes Alice enough to not be immediately worried about the possibility that Sam may end up being Alice#2.

Sam, Alice, and Colin don't at all seem like they may one day want her position, and all are not particularly interested in challenging Lena (directly at least. Sam's snooping and Colin's IT rage aside).

Gwen on the other hand has so far presented herself as nothing but focused and uptight. She's always been gunning for the top and to have that respect. Why would Lena hire anyone that might threaten her position? Maybe Gwen just changed a lot (like people being surprised that Elias became head of the institute lol) and she just wasn't like that before.

Running theory though is nepotism (as per ep. 1) and Lena didn't have much of a choice. In which case, who has the connections to be overriding Lena, how does it connect to the horrible stuff going on, and why this job specifically? (I'm sure if Gwen has those sorts of connections she could get a more "respectable" job elsewhere) What stakes does Gwen (and supposed nepotism connection) have in all of this.

I guess we'll get some more insight on their dynamic when we find out what Gwen does with her young lena blackmail. Will be interesting to see if Gwen can actually force something from Lena using the video and/or potential connections

Refusing to be a cute girl. Gargoyle autumn approacheth

my new aesthetic is

STUPIDITY

and I cannot be stopped

TMAGP 7 SPOILERS

FUCK YEAH FUCK YEAH FUCK YEAH

Celia:

- wants to search by "meat"/etc.

- recognizes Chester's voice

Colin:

- says there's "real stuff" outside the emails/etc.

- violently refuses to allow external electronics onsite

- discusses a weird email from "John"/"Jon" with Sam

Gwen:

- shows the Klaus video to Lena

- believes someone paid Lena to attempt his murder

- confirms with Lena that there's "real work"

- becomes the "externals liaison"

Statement:

- HILL TOP, HILL TOP, HILL TOP

Theory:

This feels like almost complete confirmation for all of the following:

1. Hill Top Road allowed MAG's powers in (does not confirm if they remained in their old forms i.e. Smirke's 14),

2. Celia is "that" Celia,

3. "Chester" has the voice of Jonathan Sims, not just the man but the character, and the same for "Norris" having the voice of Martin,

4. "Augustus" also has the voice of a significant character,

5. The "Response" part of OIAR will become more important.

I know these are basic conclusions, but I'm just laying it out to process. I think with the computer voices' sources confirmed, that removes a lot of uncertainty regarding how much TMAGP will engage with MAG's immediate consequences and characters.

I hope it leads to "grumpy computer archivist archly assists with casework" but you never know.

Based on Mary Shelley’s post apocalyptic novel The Last Man. It’s very interesting, before I’ve read it I’ve seen it described as Mary’s expression of loneliness after most of her friends and family passed away, but interestingly, up until the last chapter the novel is filled with the feeling of community and affection. I liked it very much.

"Hunt Bowman" what an egregiously masc name. Just ferociously bro. I can smell the Axe body spray from here.

Description below cut.

Image ID: a comic book cover in a warm, even hot, palette of reds. At top in large font: Planet Comics. Smaller font: No. 63, Winter. 10 cents. Circular icon: Fiction House Magazines. In the foreground, the cover depicts a blonde woman in a white dress with a bright red belt and green helmet with wires coming off it. She climbs a rope ladder to the top of a metal ship, but at the top, what appears to be a man-ant hybrid has shot the ladder with some kind of gun. The woman drops her revolver and stares in shock at the man-ant. Through a window in the side of the ship, we see a uniformed man at the controls, firing the ship's guns at a giant lizard stalking them through a lava field. Outside, a man in the same uniform swings from the ladder and shoots with his own revolver at the same giant lizard. In the background, a massive blue drill bursts from the lava, while hazy reddish clouds obscure the ruins of a city. A text block over the right of the image reads: "Paradise or Inferno? Hunt Bowman battles to preserve his citadel of freedom from Voltan vengeance in Lost World! Also other top features." End image ID.

Judging by the lava field, it's not going so well.