Originally published at: https://ackerlygreen.com/2018/02/08/a-quick-check-in/
It’s been a while. Sorry. But don’t worry, I’ve been keeping tabs on you. Nice to see the Mountaineers are still intact. We have that thing we did and we’re connected by it, pretty much forever I imagine. @Saberlane gave me access to the Ackerly Green blog so, no promises, but I’ll check in more often, if I can, and if there’s cause. (Trivia: I spoke to Saberlane a couple times way back in the 90’s when he was just a kid. I doubt he remembers, given what happened, but I thought the handful of you magiq-wonks out there might appreciate that connected thread.)
So the quick check-in: Aether, Port, and Alison are safe, healthy, and as far as I know, happy. I haven’t been back in a few months, but when I left, they were pretty much a family unit. Port’s in therapy, and school. And doing really well. Aether’s been scouring what’s left of the Low as we knew it (get to that in a second) to find a way to reverse the memory effects of the Storm. I wouldn’t hang my hat on that prospect, but it keeps Aether busy, and at the end of the day I think he just wants hope that maybe his mom and Constance, and everybody affected, will be okay.
And Alison, well Alison is Alison. She’s keeping everything that happened at KS locked up. I get it. She doesn’t owe anybody anything in my book.
She met up with her mom but I wasn’t there, and frankly it’s none of my business how that went down, despite my nosiness. (mainly because I’d really like to know what’s happening with Monarch’s Mountain, post Ascender’s “forced reorganization.”) She did tell me Endri says hi to us all. Yeah, she met Endri. To me, that’s like casually saying you met Vishnu.
The trio is finding it harder to use their powers. Whether it’s trauma, decompression, or the fact that whatever we did last year used up most of what’s left of magiq here, I don’t know. If adepts really do eat magiq to use their power, makes sense. But what the hell do I know? I’m just a well (according to the not-all-that reliable Teddy Fallon.)
Truth is, I think I needed them more than they needed me, which is good. So I’ve been keeping myself out of their hair and busy by digging back into the Low, which went to ground (even moreso) after they found out Monarch’s Mountain had seeded their whole “secret” cell and basically used them as pawns to distract The Silver. I mean, I’m sure it’s deeper than that, but that’s the gist, according to Deirdre’s bird informant at least.
So the Low is even harder to find than it was before.
But-- it turns out, I have an informant too.
It’s a very new flirtation and we’re taking it slow. I don’t know who they are, but I know why they’re helping me. It’s because of you. Seems like you’ve got a pretty devoted fan club out there in the new Low. From what I hear, there’s even a blog about you that dissects everything you did, and are currently doing. The hilarious best part? You have fans and detractors in equal measure, because despite everything they’ve seen to the contrary, some people still don’t fully believe that this magiq thing is real, and they pretty much call bullshit on everything you/we did. They say it was a lie, or a game or some alternate-reality-puzzle. Whoever’s tipping me reached out because everybody was saying I was fake. As in not a real person. I’ve spent the past two weeks proving I am who I say I am to someone I don’t know, to get information I don’t know for sure they have.
You haven’t made it until you have crackpots shooting holes in your actual existence. So thanks for that, and congrats. We’re (magical) internet famous.
Other than that, I’m… I don’t know… Waiting? Wondering? The one thing I know is that there seems to be a kind of calm, post Stormslaying. Like a weight’s been lifted off the world, or our little corner of it anyway. But there’s uncertainty too.
We did this thing and now what? It’s just… done?
I don’t like feeling like that. The limbo of it all. Maybe I’m barking at an empty dark (or maybe I just don’t know what to do with myself without some menace or mystery) but I’m wondering what happens when someone breaks an all-powerful shadow-society’s favorite toy. You think they go home and pout? Or you think they retaliate? Is this the post-Storm world, or the calm before the next one? Or am I just an old man looking for a problem because I don’t know what to do with myself otherwise?
Everybody’s off wondering what-now and I’m stuck here worrying what-next.
I met THE Martin Rank and don’t remember it. Tears I tell you, tears. Glad you finally got around to using the login, Marty. (I can call him Marty because we’ve known each other for decades. Apparently.)
Marty, I’m so glad to hear it, all of it. Tell little Portencia I say hi if you have the chance, and Alison that we are all so proud of her.
Tell Aether his fellow Gossmere are rooting for him, and to never give up hope.
Thank you for relaying Endri’s message, she was the heart and soul of this place, and her family misses her so much. Ill admit, its funny to think of our magiq-fan club, somewhere in The Low there are people cheering us on. Its a sweet reminder of what we have done, and how much more this is left to do.
Love and Luck,
OracleSage
Woah, Marty! Long time no see!
I’m glad to hear the gang’s all doing well. Really happy Aether hasn’t given up on the memory thread… I still think about Constance from time to time… her messages still show up on my Tumblr. 
I hope they’re getting by at least, I really worry about the folks who were wiped by Wanderer…
And Cags, I keep thinking about him too… I guess that group probably is up on what we did, since everything is out in the open now, and I’m sure they hate us for our meddling. I definitely didn’t think about that, but I’m game for helping Lauren in any way I can, I’m sure many of us feel similarly. She did a big solid for us, helping share those documents in frag nine, and telling us about our fair Stormslayer… Plus, she’s awesome and I wanna see her take down that evil shadow society regardless. 
Then we have our other menacing society… The Silver (or is that one in the same with the Cags group?) I can’t imagine they’re too happy they don’t have their Storm anymore. We just have a penchant for breaking the bad guys’ toys, don’t we? I’m more than a bit afraid to wonder what they’re planning, and what other tricks they have up their sleeves.
Also, this fan club thing cracks me up. I want to believe there’s some rando on the internet that’s like, dissecting all of our memes for hidden meaning. Hacker cat, time donut, dogs wearing people clothes… (If anyone of you guys are reading this, y’all need a Mountie meme expert in your midst. 
) Man, I hope they aren’t bored by us now, though. We’re just over here chilling, writing and painting and casually tin-foiling. Guess we should ramp up the exploits a bit. Hope y’all are enjoying our journals at least? 
Hah! I’m guessing these are not the social circles you expected a journalism career to open up for you, huh @Marty.60 ?
And an alternate reality puzzle? snorts Yep. That was it. Better let Viv from September know that locking herself in a bathroom for an hour on a Saturday, inviting a malevolent entity to possess herself and her friends, trying to control that entity, and then sleeping through most of the next 36 hours was totally just to solve a puzzle. (Although to be fair, when I first showed up here I was definitely looking for puzzles, not actual magic.) Gotta say, though, I’m a little weirded out about the fan club thing. Y’all really think we’re that interesting?
If what’s left of the Silver does come looking for us, though…what would we do? There’s not much magic left here for them to threaten us with, and they (thankfully) can’t get into Neithernor, but that doesn’t mean they couldn’t be dangerous. On the one hand, I’m hoping not to have to face that particular group again any time soon. On the other…I don’t know. It’s not like everything just stopped when we unlocked the Book, right? There’s still weird stuff going on: the AGSS pins, Sabes’ mystery Instagram hacker. Other unfinished business, I’m sure. Anyway, it couldn’t hurt to keep an eye out for old enemies cropping up.
Oh my word Marty!!!
I am BEYOND relieved that you all are doing so well. This is so much to process, where to begin?
I’m so glad Port is doing well and able to go to school like a normal child should be doing. I can’t imagine what Aether must be feeling, escaping only to not have anyone waiting for you to come back because they were all brainwashed to believe you ran away? You should give him plenty of Mountie love for me 
All of them, really.
Allison is a big girl and more than capable of handling herself, I think she’s earned some privacy so try not to worry too much about her.
A fan club in the Low? Even though we’re a fan club for the Low? What a turn of events. Unsure how to unpack that one if I’m being honest. Although it’s quite funny that you had to prove your own existence, Marty 
It doesn’t matter if there’s disbelievers, we know what we went through and what we witnessed. That’s what matters.
You know what else matters? That Marty here has got game. Flirting it up for information? What a guy.
Don’t feel too bad about worrying of what’s coming next, because lots of us have been feeling something of that sort as well … recent Magiq Instagram posts about Peter Rabbit has at least me praying King Rabbit is not making a come back.
I’m just so glad you’re all okay! It’s great to hear from you. About time! Way to leave us hanging! I’m really just super emotional that you’ve finally made your way back to us.
A game? Pffft. I’m no gamer. I wonder what they’re saying though. We’ve been in the thick of it all, and I wonder what someone on the “outside” would see that we don’t. With how deeply involved in this we are, we almost can’t see the forest for the trees and I envy them the luxury of their Big Picture view.
Oh my goodness, it’s so good to hear from you. I was beginning to doubt I would ever hear from you again. I’m so relieved to hear that you and the others are doing well.
I am with you. What’s coming next, this can’t be it.
Peace, cheyyyy
Good to see you Marty.
We appreciate the updates. Truly.
I’m excited to hear more from you, and I wish you all the best in your new endeavors.
Thank you again. for real.
-Grim
Marty! Thanks for the update. Gotta add some notes to my notebook I guess. Hilarious and creepy we’ve got a fan club. I can’t imagine what kind of shenanigans they get up to. Hope to hear from you more in the future. Glad everyone seems to be doing alright. Keep us updated. Stay safe. Let us know if we can help. This definitely ain’t over.
-Raven
Thanks for the update Marty! Please keep us updated! Stay safe and may the Great Chaos bring you cookies when you’re feeling down.