rusty_kink | Prompt Post: The Magnus Archives #1

Rules

1. All comments to the meme must be anonymous. Linking to fills on AO3/Tumblr/website of your choice is allowed, but comments here must still be posted anon.
2. Concrit is welcome if the author requests it, but character bashing, kink shaming, and hijacking threads by derailing prompts with contrary comments or asking for additions to the prompt are not allowed.
3. Warning for spoilers and subjects such as non-con, incest, underage, character death and worms is highly recommended, but not mandatory.
4. Crossover prompts between Rusty Quill Gaming and The Magnus Archives may be posted to both posts.
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7. While it should go without saying (kink meme and all) please be advised that much of the content here may not be appropriate for individuals under 18.
8. Update: All prompts can be filled by more than one person. Two cakes (or three, or four) are always appreciated.

While spoiler warnings are not required, if you would like to spoiler cut anything, you can use the following code:

<div tabindex="-1"><b>spoiler title</b><div>Some spoilery content.</div></div>

Prompting Guidelines

1. The prompt should begin with "Prompt:"
2. The fill should begin with "Fill:". Otherwise there should be no change to the title.
2. Include the names of the character(s) or pairing(s) in the title, followed by the kink or trope if applicable. Pairings should be formatted A/B(/C/D).
3. If you would like to provide warnings, please put them in the first line of the comment to prevent the titles from getting too long.

And example title: Prompt: Jon/Plant monster, sex pollen

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From: (Anonymous)

OP here and oh my god that would be the absolute worst time for this to happen, by which I mean I love it. For the second part, I'm a bit torn but I think I want to avoid a past corrective rape incident, if only because I enjoy the thought of this being an entirely novel experience for our poor archivist.But if that's what anyone wants to add it in I certainly won't complain! My only DNW would be scat, so the sky's the limit.

Also I just got a mental image of the end, either when Martin's senses are finally his own or this being what finally pulls him back when he finishes: A repeat of Jon's "Look at me and tell me what you see" except it's the absolute worst callback because it's Martin finally seeing what he did.

From: (Anonymous)

Thanks for sharing your thoughts, yess that would absolutely be the worst timing and the worst callback. Honestly this idea stuck in my head today so managing a fill is a bit more likely than I first thought. If first time noncon would be the more fun option then the plotbunny can basically work as well for that; if inspiration holds out for a second cake then I might try the other option as an alternate version since it wouldn't be an outright DNW.

'The fallout' as a bonus point has got me imagining the next few months' worth of fallout, in a way that maximises the 'accidental but irrevocable breach of trust' whumpy potential. And since it goes beyond anything specifically outlined in the prompt, I thought I'd better share the outline to see if that sounds fun too, or not quite what you wanted for a main fill and also best reserved for a theoretical 2nd cake:

- Starts at the safehouse. Martin thinks Jon's talking about how much he needs him and wants to play rough, how he's been working up the nerve to ask, and he's looking forward to it because "I'm safe with you, aren't I?"

- But really, after apparently getting an answer on sex not being an issue, Jon's talking about how 'Even if the world is against us, I can hold out hope, so long as we have each other'. How he went a long time thinking he didn't want a relationship (after Georgie, without necessarily any other relationship attempts), giving the MAG150 list of reasons for focusing on his career instead (Time to himself. Self-care. Putting himself first. Not being a burden on anyone). And the way becoming the Archivist made it harder to trust, and he didn't think it'd ever come naturally to him again (as he mentioned in 118), but then he realised how much Martin means to him, and these last few months, when he told him that he missed him and trusted him, he was trying to express himself as meaningfully as he could, but communication was difficult too. He asks Martin to tell him that they're safe, hiding out here. 'I know I was the one reassuring you earlier, but I could really stand to hear it from you.'

- Martin's reply, fitting both conversations, is "Yeah. You're safe with me."

- Afterwards, when they're both kinda falling apart, Jon asks Martin to go find a place to stay in the nearest town for a while, to give him some space, and says Martin should visit the safehouse the next day to talk about everything they need to talk about. Martin leaves, too guilty to argue, after Jon makes him promise to take a taxi if he's missed the last bus and stay safe; they *will* deal with this, but not now.

- Jon agonises over everything and makes a failed suicide attempt. He tries to See one last time, writes down what he found out to help Basira find Daisy and Jonah, and writes Martin a note (along the lines of 'I'm too far gone, I was lost before we even tried to run, but you can still escape. Please forgive yourself and make a fresh start, far from all this evil, seriously you'd better not ignore my last request'). He blinds himself (to get rid of the healing factor), and gets found in time to survive.

- They have some heartfelt talks while Jon's in hospital (and Martin makes it clear that he couldn't have lived with Jon's death on his conscience, what the hell was that note). Jon's still worried about Martin's wellbeing, but struggles to talk about what happened, until Martin asks him to be honest. ("There's a difference between forgiveness, and saying things'll be okay just to spare someone's feelings. One's accepting reality, and the other's denial. And I think denying reality would make me more vulnerable to the Spiral, in the future. So. If you don't want to talk to me, that's understandable. I can leave, for now, or for good. But if you're holding back to try to salvage things between us, then. Don't. I don't deserve it, and it won't work. I've lived with a loved one's unspoken resentment for most of my life, and that's not what I want for either of us. So - so please talk to someone. A therapist, if the hospital's put you in touch with one. And then, if you want to spend time with me, please be honest. Let me know how bad it is, what makes it worse, a-and what to expect." )

- Jon asks for time to think it through, and realises that as a romantic relationship, it's over. ("I don't want a relationship anymore. With you, or anyone else. Even kissing... I don't think I could let anyone in that way. Not again. I can't imagine trusting enough to... I, I'm sorry, that's not what I wanted to tell you. I wanted to move on from this. But honestly, I don't think I can. I still care about you, though. We've both survived terrible things, and I - I think we could offer each other someone to talk to. Someone who understands. I hope we can salvage a friendship.")

- At Jon's request, Martin goes back to London to help Basira with crisis management. They find Daisy, and kill Jonah by fulfilling Gertrude's last plan. Martin spends a while in hospital, and he and Jon keep in touch over the phone.

- Martin says he wants to move back up to Scotland as soon as he can arrange it. (Being unemployed and newly blind makes it a bit difficult, even though he didn't end up arrested for any of the many, many things he was questioned over). Jon talks about how he's been getting enough support that he might be able to move into a place of his own soon, and asks that once Martin's made his own arrangements, they find a cafe to meet up at, and make it their regular spot. Martin gets the message that Jon doesn't want to invite him over or be alone with him again, feels heartbroken on several levels, and tries to focus on being grateful that they're still part of each other's lives at all.
- (If most of that would work for you but you'd prefer they have a closer bond by the end, they could take longer to reconcile more thoroughly.)

From: (Anonymous)

OP again, and honestly you are speaking my language with regard to maximizing the whumpy aftermath potential. That outline sound absolutely amazing and horrendously painful and I am all about it! I thiiiink that I might like that offer of it going on a little further to have at least a marginally closer bond (by no means do I mean fixed, just a little extra catharsis after all the hurt) but oh man I DO like a good bittersweet ending that's more on the bitter end. You've got me so torn here.

From: (Anonymous)

Hmm, could have a bit more positive catharsis in an overall bitter side of bittersweet ending. Like...
- Martin stays with Georgie and Melanie for a little while once he gets out of hospital, having lost his apartment while his disability benefits claim is being assessed. (He's surprised to be welcome, but Melanie appreciates that he's made a lot of the same sacrifices, and warns him that he can't stay forever. He refuses to explain why he and Jon broke up, besides saying it didn't work out and it's personal and it's not his place to go into it. They're not actually surprised, and he can tell they're assuming it's mainly Jon's fault, which sets him on edge.)
- The three of them take a trip to visit Jon, and once they've all awkwardly caught up at a cafe, Melanie and Georgie go grab a table for themselves so the boys can talk. Martin shares the news that he might be able to stay with some friends of Georgie's in Edinburgh, but it's not certain yet, and he doesn't know how or when he might be able to get his own place.
- Jon gives him some advice on support in the area, and tentatively asks whether he's given some thought to meeting someone new, once things are more settled. Martin admits that he doesn't know how he could trust himself around anyone again, and Jon gives him some encouraging advice about how to know if he's under the Spiral's influence long term (it exists to invoke terror, so if he takes things very, very slowly while socialising, and doesn't feel scared or get a weird reaction from anyone, then it's not involved. Back when the two of them were on the run, they were terrified for their future. The less he fears, the less he has to fear. Georgie would be a good role model.) Martin says he appreciates the talk, but he still wants to prioritise their friendship for the forseeable future.
- Jon also offers him financial help with finding a new place, if a one-off gift towards a deposit would ever make the difference. (He's always been frugal, taking after his grandmother, and he gave up his s4 apartment after living in the archives for a while, so he's still got a decent amount of savings set aside, and he's hoping to find some sort of work again soon.) At the same time, he makes it clear that he won't ever want to visit Martin at home, or invite him over. Precautions like meeting here are a good idea for both of them, to cut the risk of anything going wrong. Even if they stay free of the entities, they've both got trauma to deal with.
- Jon admits that he panics at the thought of any kind of touch between them, but he feels a similar bone-deep dread at the idea of a world without Martin in it. He wants to know that he didn't fail him through his own mistakes, that he didn't drag him out of the Lonely for nothing. Martin tries to agree that even if life is tough, they should perservere. Each of them is aware that if they made another attempt to die, they'd leave the other all the more devastated. They try to turn the conversation back to lighter topics like audiobook recommendations. Martin leaves feeling simultaneously slightly better and all the more broken up over the way this is still the most loving interpersonal relationship in his life, and he's ruined their chance to make each other truly happy.

From: (Anonymous)

OP- I love everything about this! You have no idea how excited I am that someone's putting this much consideration into my prompt. That's exactly the sort of tone I had in mind.