martin blackwood || the magnus archives (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
corkscrewed) wrote2019-02-10 07:36 pm
corkscrewed) wrote2019-02-10 07:36 pm
(no subject)
User Name/Nick: AJ
User DW:charlatan
E-mail: havendance @ gmail
Other Characters: Juno Steel
Character Name: Martin Blackwood
Series: The Magnus Archives
Age: Early 30s.
From When?: Episode 181.
Inmate/Warden: Warden. Martin is an eager young man who Tries Very Hard. He sincerely tries to see the good in people, and has a lot of patience for frustration - both his own, and when it's being directed his way. He will absolutely do his best to try to both assist other wardens and to make sure that any Inmates in his care are given the proper chance at redemption that they deserve.
Item: A small book.
Abilities/Powers: After the apocalypse happens, Martin is technically an eye-touched avatar of the Lonely. Mechanically, it doesn't mean much, other than that he's immune to the effects of the apocalypse in-universe (either you are an avatar or you are a victim, and he is the former.) So far this hasn't manifested as any further types of powers.
Personality: Martin is a genuinely friendly, earnest young man who cared sincerely about his colleagues. For most of his life he had enjoyed his job (usually, at least, when it’s not actively threatening his life) and tended to get along well with the people that he met. Martin is a mediator: he spends much of season two trying to gently smooth over the tensions between Jon and the rest of the employees at the Institute. His concern manifests clearly in the way that he is shown frequently checking up on Jon, bringing him tea, bullying him out to the deli for a sandwich.
It’s also a bit of a running joke that Martin is slightly bad at his job, though it simply seems to be part of his personality rather than any malice on his part. He has on at least one occasion brought a dog into this highly-private, tightly-controlled institute; he also mistakenly reported a client as dead because he heard gossip in the office that the guy was dead, “or maybe looked dead.” It’s bad enough that in the height of Jon’s paranoia at the beginning of season two, Martin’s surprising competence is actually a cause of alarm for him.
Part of Martin’s supposed ‘incompetence’ likely stems from the fact that he is grossly underqualified for this job. With his father out of the picture, he left school at seventeen to support a severely ailing mother, and after that spent a lot of time caring for her physically. He lied about his credentials on his CV, claiming to have a Masters in paranormal studies, and managed to swing a job at the Institute. He does a lot of winging it, but he does it without complaint. He may make a lot of earnest, borderline silly mistakes, but as I mentioned before: they’re not out of malice. He does want to do a good job, because he takes a lot of pride in the work.
Martin is a sweet guy who doesn’t enjoy confrontation, but that doesn’t mean he shies away from it when necessary. At the end of season one he bluntly calls Jon out for his aggravating skepticism in the face of all of the weird shit they face day in and day out. Near the end of season two, he’s the one dragging his friend and colleague Tim into the tunnels beneath the archives to look for Jon, despite the fact that heading down that way is downright terrifying. I believe the thing most indicative of his character is his response to Tim, when they’re lost and clamoring around in the dark and dangerous tunnels. Tim asks Martin what he hopes to get out of this, what his end goal for things are- and tells him “and don’t say ‘everyone happy,’ because that’s not possible.” Instead of shying away, Martin doubles down, and in the face of all of the stressful insanity that’s been happening at the institute over the course of the year – both supernatural and mundane – demands to know what’s so wrong with everyone being happy.
Martin pivots pretty hard around season three. He stubbornly maintains Jon's innocence and does the work that needs to be done despite how goddamn exhausting it is. He knows at this point that he is trapped in this job, that he's prevented from quitting by supernatural means, but he still does his best to keep things running, to weather out the problems and to keep the Archives crew in some semblance of functioning order until Jon's name is cleared and he returns to be the archivist again. It doesn't go well. Things go poorly, but Martin perseveres because lonely self-sacrifice is etched into his bones.
Barge Reactions: Martin will be returning to the Barge and is going to be beyond ecstatic about it. He's already ready to do nearly anything required to reverse the end of the world back in canon, and his Barge wish has been updated to reflect that.
Deal: To reverse the end of the world.
History: History.
Sample Journal Entry: Does anyone else ever forget where they are when they wake up? I mean - [ the amendment here is hasty. ] - I don't mean like, amnesia, or anything really dramatic like that. Not that being here isn't dramatic, 'cos it definitely is. I mean- [ and this is where he takes a breath, half-embarrassed by himself. ] This is just a pretty big change in scenery. I'm lucky to be here, I'm not complaining, but sometimes - I wake up and wonder where all the traffic sounds have gone.
Sample RP: When Martin arrives back on the barge, he can feel echoes of the same hunger and exhaustion that had hit him like a truck full of bricks back in Salesa's safe little haven. He's still conscious, so it's not nearly as bad. Maybe he's still slightly rested up - or maybe, more likely, the ship he's on and the Admiral piloting it provide the kind of buffer that Salesa and his friend couldn't. Either way, he's thankful.
He takes a few minutes to inspect his cabin before he goes anywhere else. He's testing it, more than anything else - testing the sink to make sure the water runs clean, testing the tea to make sure spiders don't come crawling from the cup, and when he's finally settled - finally convinced himself that this isn't a trick - he sits at the table and savors a cup.
"You better be able to do this," he says to no one in particular, or at least no one who's currently in the room with him. It's addressed toward the ceiling, to the Admiral, but the sleepiness is settling in too heavily for the words to pack much of a punch. "I've got a lot riding on this wish, you know." It's not as exciting as that embarrassing fantasy he has of sweeping into the Panopticon with Jon, killing Elias where he stands and smashing the Back to Normal button, but he'll take whatever real chance he can get.
User DW:
charlatanE-mail: havendance @ gmail
Other Characters: Juno Steel
Character Name: Martin Blackwood
Series: The Magnus Archives
Age: Early 30s.
From When?: Episode 181.
Inmate/Warden: Warden. Martin is an eager young man who Tries Very Hard. He sincerely tries to see the good in people, and has a lot of patience for frustration - both his own, and when it's being directed his way. He will absolutely do his best to try to both assist other wardens and to make sure that any Inmates in his care are given the proper chance at redemption that they deserve.
Item: A small book.
Abilities/Powers: After the apocalypse happens, Martin is technically an eye-touched avatar of the Lonely. Mechanically, it doesn't mean much, other than that he's immune to the effects of the apocalypse in-universe (either you are an avatar or you are a victim, and he is the former.) So far this hasn't manifested as any further types of powers.
Personality: Martin is a genuinely friendly, earnest young man who cared sincerely about his colleagues. For most of his life he had enjoyed his job (usually, at least, when it’s not actively threatening his life) and tended to get along well with the people that he met. Martin is a mediator: he spends much of season two trying to gently smooth over the tensions between Jon and the rest of the employees at the Institute. His concern manifests clearly in the way that he is shown frequently checking up on Jon, bringing him tea, bullying him out to the deli for a sandwich.
It’s also a bit of a running joke that Martin is slightly bad at his job, though it simply seems to be part of his personality rather than any malice on his part. He has on at least one occasion brought a dog into this highly-private, tightly-controlled institute; he also mistakenly reported a client as dead because he heard gossip in the office that the guy was dead, “or maybe looked dead.” It’s bad enough that in the height of Jon’s paranoia at the beginning of season two, Martin’s surprising competence is actually a cause of alarm for him.
Part of Martin’s supposed ‘incompetence’ likely stems from the fact that he is grossly underqualified for this job. With his father out of the picture, he left school at seventeen to support a severely ailing mother, and after that spent a lot of time caring for her physically. He lied about his credentials on his CV, claiming to have a Masters in paranormal studies, and managed to swing a job at the Institute. He does a lot of winging it, but he does it without complaint. He may make a lot of earnest, borderline silly mistakes, but as I mentioned before: they’re not out of malice. He does want to do a good job, because he takes a lot of pride in the work.
Martin is a sweet guy who doesn’t enjoy confrontation, but that doesn’t mean he shies away from it when necessary. At the end of season one he bluntly calls Jon out for his aggravating skepticism in the face of all of the weird shit they face day in and day out. Near the end of season two, he’s the one dragging his friend and colleague Tim into the tunnels beneath the archives to look for Jon, despite the fact that heading down that way is downright terrifying. I believe the thing most indicative of his character is his response to Tim, when they’re lost and clamoring around in the dark and dangerous tunnels. Tim asks Martin what he hopes to get out of this, what his end goal for things are- and tells him “and don’t say ‘everyone happy,’ because that’s not possible.” Instead of shying away, Martin doubles down, and in the face of all of the stressful insanity that’s been happening at the institute over the course of the year – both supernatural and mundane – demands to know what’s so wrong with everyone being happy.
Martin pivots pretty hard around season three. He stubbornly maintains Jon's innocence and does the work that needs to be done despite how goddamn exhausting it is. He knows at this point that he is trapped in this job, that he's prevented from quitting by supernatural means, but he still does his best to keep things running, to weather out the problems and to keep the Archives crew in some semblance of functioning order until Jon's name is cleared and he returns to be the archivist again. It doesn't go well. Things go poorly, but Martin perseveres because lonely self-sacrifice is etched into his bones.
Barge Reactions: Martin will be returning to the Barge and is going to be beyond ecstatic about it. He's already ready to do nearly anything required to reverse the end of the world back in canon, and his Barge wish has been updated to reflect that.
Deal: To reverse the end of the world.
History: History.
Sample Journal Entry: Does anyone else ever forget where they are when they wake up? I mean - [ the amendment here is hasty. ] - I don't mean like, amnesia, or anything really dramatic like that. Not that being here isn't dramatic, 'cos it definitely is. I mean- [ and this is where he takes a breath, half-embarrassed by himself. ] This is just a pretty big change in scenery. I'm lucky to be here, I'm not complaining, but sometimes - I wake up and wonder where all the traffic sounds have gone.
Sample RP: When Martin arrives back on the barge, he can feel echoes of the same hunger and exhaustion that had hit him like a truck full of bricks back in Salesa's safe little haven. He's still conscious, so it's not nearly as bad. Maybe he's still slightly rested up - or maybe, more likely, the ship he's on and the Admiral piloting it provide the kind of buffer that Salesa and his friend couldn't. Either way, he's thankful.
He takes a few minutes to inspect his cabin before he goes anywhere else. He's testing it, more than anything else - testing the sink to make sure the water runs clean, testing the tea to make sure spiders don't come crawling from the cup, and when he's finally settled - finally convinced himself that this isn't a trick - he sits at the table and savors a cup.
"You better be able to do this," he says to no one in particular, or at least no one who's currently in the room with him. It's addressed toward the ceiling, to the Admiral, but the sleepiness is settling in too heavily for the words to pack much of a punch. "I've got a lot riding on this wish, you know." It's not as exciting as that embarrassing fantasy he has of sweeping into the Panopticon with Jon, killing Elias where he stands and smashing the Back to Normal button, but he'll take whatever real chance he can get.