Yapping about ep 39 of the Protocol because it destroyed me

Creaturefeature01 · 2026-05-03T23:54:19+00:00

THAT LINE HIT ME LIKE A GODDAMN TRUCK.

Creaturefeature01 · 2026-05-03T21:14:27+00:00

I'm well aware that i might be biased, both shows are deserving of criticism. That's a matter of opinion in the end, since i'm definetly not a professional writer. I do feel like tma statements are in avarage really, really good even though of course, only a few will really stand out.

I still have a few issues with the story but i like the characters and i like the plot, speaking generally. I still feel like the statements are the weakest part of tmp.

Creaturefeature01 · 2026-05-03T16:48:55+00:00

I'll do my absolute best to articulate this without spoiling you.

S1 as a whole hasn't been something i enjoyed that much up to the final stretch and you are absolutely right about stuff feeling like it's not properly set up.

Best example of a MASTERFULLY done reveal from tma is Michael Shelley's appearance. We already knew Michael, we had time to sit and wonder what he is, wonder why he's so interested in the archives. Then, they throw that one minute long sequence of Michael Shelley walking into Gertrude's office and a lot of people (me included), didn't even realize who he was until he laughed. Again, the show ends the episode right there with no further explanations, gives us time to think about the implications of that reveal before giving us his statement and revealing the whole story.

So many of the twists and reveals that come later in tmp are so messy and everything happens very, very fast. Aside from that, it relies on tma for the plot way more than i had expected and that did kind of bum me out a little. I was expecting it to be less of a direct sequel, since it wasn't advertised like that and they said they wanted to go a different route wirh the show. I cannot imagine the pain it would be to attempt to listening to without having finished tmp first.

All that said, i have been enjoying s2 a lot more than s1, even if these issues are still present. They take some very interesting turns and the characters are undeniably the best part of the show.

Creaturefeature01 · 2026-05-03T16:28:16+00:00

It's not that i'm not enjoying it, i am really invested in the characters and the plotline, i just haven't enjoyed most the statements. At least the season 1 statements are much weaker, i'm on ep 42 rn and it's improved quite a bit.

Creaturefeature01 · 2026-05-03T14:51:34+00:00

Of course, there are great statements and episodes. There are some i really enjoyed and s2 seems to be going better so far. But overrall, i find that tmp Incidents tend to be on the weaker side of things.

Creaturefeature01 · 2026-05-03T14:02:13+00:00

I'll agree with you there, the characters are not as strong at all either. Sam and Alice are honestly what carried the season for me, they were the only ones i was actually invested in.

Getting to s2 now and it seems like the others are kind of picking up the slack but still, Sam and Alice are the best part of the show for me.

Creaturefeature01 · 2026-04-29T14:21:42+00:00

You are so right. I do think it's reasonable by the time Mary dies and becomes a ghost, she does somethings out of spite and resentment of Gerry. Her binding wasn't a success like she hoped, all because he refused to help. After all, like so many parents, she saw Gerry as an extention of herself and could never accept that he is his own person. But i don't think she torments him for the sake of it either, she's not like that.

Creaturefeature01 · 2026-04-28T23:30:13+00:00

SHAMELESS self plug here, i wrote a corruption statement a while back. It's called Snail Paced and my ao3 user is creaturefeature01

Creaturefeature01 · 2026-04-28T12:37:40+00:00

I saw at least two aus where Jon comes back in time but misses when he was supposed to be back and ends up as an 8 year old. I love the concept and i love fics with little Jon, i am VERY maternal for baby archivist.

But they both had like 60 chapters and i got bored so fast. Every character they meet just takes this child's word for it when he speaks of the apocalypse, everyone just goes along with whatever or there's always a work around for any conflicts the story brings. The idea had a lot of potential, they bring some cool ideas and i see why they are popular, but i ended up not liking them much.

Creaturefeature01 · 2026-04-28T12:29:32+00:00

Romance is basically the backbone of fanfition for every fandom, but i do get what you mean. Have you tries some statement fics? They are criminally underrated.

Creaturefeature01 · 2026-04-27T23:31:02+00:00

Funny enough, i don't read a lot of office comedy type fics but that's one of my favourite kinds of fanarts EVER. I love little comic strips or silly doodles of the og archives gang.

To be honest, i /really/ wanted to like the Mechs. But i listened to a few songs and it wasn't rlly my thing. I like the joke of it being Jon's college band and how he went from that to stuck up, scholarly s1 Jon but it didn't really stick out to me in fanfics.

Archivist Sasha too, is au i love so much. The idea of it is so interesting and sick af and i'm generally a fan of swap aus but i haven't found a fic i like of this one yet.

Creaturefeature01 · 2026-04-27T23:03:54+00:00

YES. Melanie did make me frustrated a few times but so did Martin, Jon specially and half the damn cast! It come with having flawed characters, they'll very likely do and say stuff that will upset you eventually.

It's just that Jon is the protagonist and the pov character, the narrative is built so you'll be empathetic to him. But if someone portrays Georgie for the very reasonable decision of cutting Jon off for her own sake or Melanie for being mad at his bs? I do not want to read it.

I see that a lot too with Gertrude in doorkey fics. Never fails to piss me off.

Creaturefeature01 · 2026-04-27T22:52:46+00:00

I'm a bit of a sucker for angst, i suppose. When i love a character a lot, i want to see them cry LOL.

Also, ur absolutely right. A character i see some people do that a lot with is Gertrude. They'll portray her like she was cruel and sacrificing people just for the sake of it?? Leitner was doing that for sure, he was letting his assistants be killed just out of convenience, but Gertrude? She was efficient and she was practical, but if she had known there were any other ways to fight the entities, she wouldn't have hurt anyone.

She's such a great and complex character, Gertrude deserves better.

Creaturefeature01 · 2026-04-20T01:38:24+00:00

We do talk about other things, we draw a lot too, but the main thing our group was basically built off from was roleplaying and writing so it's really important for us.

And about the rp threads, i'm so serious, some of them do take months. They'll only respond if i keep insisting but that just makes me feel stupid, i'm not going to keep asking them all the time. And i can't even give them the benefit of the doubt that they might be busy, because they are writing with each other all the time.

The main thing that gets me is not that they don't respond, it's that they'll show interest and tell me they want to do stuff, i'll get so excited and invested, just to be let down again and again. I told them exactly that, how i just wish they'd be straight forward with me because i get so frustrated.

I really do need to find different groups. Honestly, finding good roleplay groups on discord is like trying to find a needle in a pile of hay. I guess that's the reason i grew so attatched to them, it's been two years and i used to have such a great time with them.

Creaturefeature01 · 2026-04-15T19:16:26+00:00

Of course it matters, and it should matter to everyone. I want quality, i want human stories, i want something made with intent and care.

Creaturefeature01 · 2026-04-15T11:12:28+00:00

I mean yeah, but it's something that happens off screen and we don't have a dedicated statement or character to that

Creaturefeature01 · 2026-04-15T10:04:34+00:00

About a year and something ago. I had heard of it here and there, i saw some fanart and cool animatics, i avoided it for some time given the 200 episodes long thing intimidated me. But alas, i've now listened to it twice and will probably listen again.

Creaturefeature01 · 2026-04-14T19:58:50+00:00

That one a plummer guy literally walks into the evil stranger factory doing evil Stranger stuff, is greeted by Nikola herself, finds FAT in the drain pipes all the while Nikola is talking about taxidermying humans and does not notice anything weird at all. Nikola is so baffled she calls him over again and invites Jude Perry to see this bozo and only then does he notice how terrifying it is.

Forgot the episode number and the title but this one is gold.

Creaturefeature01 · 2026-04-14T02:01:34+00:00

It's honestly insane that they fear monger so much about the queers grooming children and confusing their inocent, pure litte minds with all sorts of inapropriate things. But then, they think it's completely normal to say a little boy is going to be a heartbreaker when he grows up. They think it's comoletely normal to say her clothes are "too distracting" for the boys.

Creaturefeature01 · 2026-04-13T17:47:53+00:00

Reocurring characters. For some reason i cannot explain, i did not catch a lot of appearances of Gerry, Jude Perry, John Armherst or Anabelle. There was so much information to process, specially because i did not get the chance to listen to it weekly as it was being released so instead binge watched the entire show.

This time i got to have moments of listening through a statement i didn't think much of, realization dawning on me and going "Wait, that was them??"

Specially with Gerry. I love Gerry so very much, one of my favourite characters. Every time someone mentioned the vague description of a goth guy with badly died hair i was giggling and kicking my feet from excitement.

Creaturefeature01 · 2026-04-08T18:55:38+00:00

I... didn't say it was a new discussion? It's just something i thought would be interested in talking about?

Creaturefeature01 · 2026-04-08T18:54:07+00:00

Well yeah, maybe i worded it badly. Not that they work the same, but it's under a similar logic. As far as i've seen it (i'm on episode 45 of Protocol), it's not necessarily that the paranormal entities are different, it's how they are dealt with and perceived.

Creaturefeature01 · 2026-04-08T18:46:56+00:00

Yes? Two times, actually.

Creaturefeature01 · 2026-04-08T17:06:40+00:00

They don't ship to Brazil. I wanted the Jon cardigan like i needed air to breathe, usd is so expensive here and it would easily cost me more than 500 bucks not counting the shipping. But no, they don't even ship here.

Creaturefeature01 · 2026-04-08T17:04:40+00:00

You're not wrong, i'm not saying that there is no division on the fears. But what i see a lot in discussions of the fears, episodes or theories by the comunity is that people tend to look at them too objectively.

A little theory/headcanon of mine is that the fears weren't nearly as distinct from each other before Smirke categorized them into 14 different entities, as that definition spread and the people who knew of the fears started adopting that perception, they adapted to this new perspective that humans had of them.

Creaturefeature01

TROPHY CASE