Jacobs’ Blog

Step 2, Part 9: Jacobs Journal

-Tape #1: Jacobs implies that if anyone is listening to these tapes, it means he's likely dead, and these are the tapes he's leaving behind. We learn that we're in Site 19. Introduction to Site Director Lambert, who Jacobs is supposed to assess (instructed by the O-5 council due to his administrative skills and espionage history).

Jacobs notes that personnel in the site avoid Lambert, and don't like him. He's unpleasant to work with, and looks down on Jacobs. Jacobs notes that Lambert shouldn't have been in the area of containment that he was showing him, which implies a few things. First, site directors shouldn't be near containment areas, likely due to the fact that if they die they have to be replaced and competent people are hard to find. Also, this is a set-up for later, when they send Jacobs down to 049's containment; even if all other factors to that situation weren't in place, the fact they sent him to do the interview is already a bad sign, since it means they were prepping to replace him sooner rather than later.

Lambert believes in keeping order, wants to join the O-5 council, and isn't afraid to talk about his family, even though Jacobs is pretty sure he's cheating on his wife because he keeps asking a certain woman to clean his office.

They stop at 527 (Mr. Fish, one of Dr. Wondertainment's creations), and Jacobs notes relating to that feeling of being trapped, forced to observe. Jacobs notes that the O-5 council likely stuck him here for another reason, that being wanting him out of the way. Considering what we already know of Jacobs from Sedition, this is probably the O-5 council noticing that he has a rebellious streak and talks back a bit too much for their comfort. He confirms this idea as he speaks about the changes he wants to make to how SCPs are treated by the Foundation, implying that the O-5 council do not agree with this plans, and even want to remove him from decision-making in that regard. I have to wonder why the O-5 don't just get rid of him, considering their immense power to do so, but perhaps he's more useful alive than dead right now (up until that one point in Sedition, at least).

Jacobs thinks that the SCPs, especially the more harmless ones, can be utilized by the Foundation for the good of humanity, rather than simply be studied and discarded in a cell to be useless displays. He knows the future of the Foundation is shaky, that they can't always be there to keep humanity safe, and that they're already on thin ice having to use SCPs to keep other SCPs contained. He worries about an XK scenario, about the inevitability that we either make ourselves too big a target for something to pass up, or can't contain something beyond our control. He thinks making use of the SCPs they currently have could better that. I have to agree that many of the SCPs would be better served being used in the wider world (and it isn't like there's no precedent for that, there are many SCPs that can't be moved and are doing great as assimilation), and if there's a reason they can't be, studies should be done to allow them to, rather than just to find out more info that ends up being useless.

Jacobs also has goals to join the council, but his own are rooted in getting to a level of power where they are forced to listen to him, or where he will be capable of making them do so through other means.

Jacobs, at this point, holds the title of Class B Administrative Oversight.

Already we've learned quite a bit about Jacobs' character, and I admit I agree with his goals. It's interesting to me that Amnesty wants him out of the way when their goals are so similar (although I guess there was a chance she didn't know). If I remember right, things get intense from here on out.

-Tape #2: YEP. This poor guy. Tape #1 was day 1, and now we're on days 4 through 11. There's a break, where presumably he recorded the first part, realized he was in no state to speak yet, and took a break before recording the second half. It's day 12 when he comes back on, after sleeping for a long time. These tapes are acting, in a way, as journal entries for Jacobs to speak about his experiences even if no one will hear them yet. He already has to hide them, as well, which makes sense because dang.

Jacobs had told Lambert he would be reporting any wrong-doing (already off to a bad start if you want to stay on someone's good side and keep yourself alive, but I get why he does it). He was prepared for pushback, for retaliation, but he didn't expect Lambert to utilize the SCPs rather than any other traditional method. The way Lambert tried to throw Jacobs off the trail of what he's done wrong was exactly what clued Jacobs in that there was something to find, which I like. Jacobs has been set up as an observant person, and he notices these patterns and latches on to them to aid him in whatever he's doing at any time. He's so familiar with the way people lie, manipulate, and attempt to mislead him that he's used to working around them.

Jacobs began with financials, paper trails, and found various forms of fraud, which Lambert was using to cheat on his wife (and multiple other partners). Jacobs implying he doesn't make money from the Foundation is interesting; I do wonder how much the Foundation pays when they're a government entity that spends so much money on containment procedures. Lambert uses these small offenses as cover-ups to hide the fact that the cooked books aren't even reflecting all the money he has taken, which Jacobs theorizes is going to other entities besides the Foundation.

Jacobs implies that if he could prove this was happening, he wouldn't be alive, so other than his accounting skills allowing him to notice the difference in monetary values, he can't bring the O-5 into the issue.

Jacobs was- so far as I can theorize- drugged in his sleep and then taken to the antechamber he wakes up in. I'm unsure how Lambert knew what Jacobs had found at this point (it's been a bit since I watched these tapes), but he found out that Jacobs was on to something, clearly.

The way Jacobs speaks about Lambert's methods is very telling about his past. He says that Lambert doesn't consider torture a worse fate than death, indicating he hasn't faced either. I don't know if this truly refers to Jacobs' past, and to times when he has faced torture or death before, or if this is just from this particular experience (I doubt it, with a history in espionage). It does position Jacobs as being wiser than Lambert about these matters. I don't know if Lambert is actually older than Jacobs or just calls him kid to be condescending, but damn. That's cold.

It's clear why Jacobs' clothes were taken; other than humiliation, it was likely also to make him even more vulnerable to the cold. Changes in temperature like that often affect our eyes, making us need to blink more because they're getting too dry or swollen. Lambert is fully prepared to leave him there, and would probably get away with it. The Foundation in general is one of those places where authority seems bound to be abused, because when you set up a system that is used to people disappearing off the face of the Earth, they aren't going to question it so much as they would if that were a rarity.

So, we know contextually that the reason why Jacobs is currently stuck with 173 is because Lambert knows he can get away with Jacobs being gone for a bit because he just sent his weekly report, and the O-5 council aren't going to expect anything else for a while. This means that he either expected Jacobs to die here, and could pass it off as an accident that few would look into, or he expects Jacobs to survive, but isn't afraid he'll tell the O-5 because it'll be his word against Lambert's, and that may not go well for Jacobs. I'm inclined to believe it's the latter, though, since people like the D-Class were instructed to wake him up when he fell asleep rather than just leave him there to be snapped.

Also, first meeting with McCrimmon! I love that character so much because this is one of the only characters who has just consistently been unafraid to break the rules, conspire to break them, or outwardly offer to. Where Jacobs and Watch are desperate not to lose their positions and can't allow themselves to rebel much, McCrimmon seems determined to do right by the people he has access to. Observant, making full use of his security expertise, and being one awesome guy (I think he's coming back for Crime's new project and I am so excited).

I like how organically we learn about these two characters as well. McCrimmon being unafraid to talk about his family, to comfort this guy he barely knows with stories, while Jacobs can't find it within himself to do the same out of fear of retaliation (the fact that he doesn't bring family in just in case they get lost, rather than just saying he has no family, is an interesting implication here, because now we're wondering who Jacobs has on the outside of all this).

"He's a good ki-" I think Jacobs was about to say "kid" here? In which case, I believe he stopped himself and corrected to 'person' because kid has become a loaded word; Lambert uses it to condescend, and to a degree, so did Jacobs previously when talking about Lambert, so that word is now more antagonistically coded than Jacobs wanted it to be for McCrimmon. I could be wrong, but I feel like I'm moving in the right direction, there.

Lambert being displeased with Jacobs' progress tells me he was probably hoping to break Jacobs' psyche with this, referring to the fact that when he got back expecting a man who would obey him, he was surprised to find one that was still doing decently and retained his temper. I'm willing to bet that this was the point where he suspected Jacobs was being helped from the outside, and since he couldn't pinpoint who did it, he just rotates the roster entirely.

Confirmed, both parties know Lambert doesn't want Jacobs dead, but rather confined for now until he becomes more obedient to Lambert's wishes. The point is the terror and fear of death, rather than actually being executed, which is where Lambert failed to break Jacobs due to experience. The fact that it's implied Lambert is fine with torturing Jacobs, but not seeing the immediate result of that torture is interesting in what it reveals about Lambert's character, although we have to be careful with that becasue this is Jacobs narrating, and him hating Lambert means we aren't exactly getting an objective view of these events (understandably so).

48 hours, dang. That's a long time without food, water, and sleep, especially when the body is in a state of heightened adrenaline. The fact that Jacobs begins to anthromorphize 173 is interesting as well, because we know that 173 is at least sentient, but I don't think Jacobs often thinks of it that way. It's a sign of a tortured mind, essentially, which is such a good detail. This passive suicidal ideation of "what if I just close my eyes", mixed with a man who knows he isn't going to do it, because he wants to get through this alive. Also, the winking thing? Really hard for people to pull off, which is why there's supposed to be multiple people doing this at a time. The fact that Jacobs manages it shows he has incredible control over his body.

The connection between 173 and Lambert, with them both being someone Jacobs can't yet fight, and has to survive against whilst coping with the humiliation involved is so interesting. You can't really tell which one you would prefer; the one who is doing this intentionally to hurt you, or the one doing it based on animal instinct. Either way there's very little mercy to be found. The implication of "this can happen again, and you are powerless to stop it" is also chilling. Jacobs being paranoid after this is to be expected.

We do find a flaw in Lambert's reasoning, though, becasue it's clear he's still worried about Jacobs being a threat, and he was trying to find something with equivalent power to be used to remove Jacobs from his position. Jacobs' fear of bringing family into the Foundation, of having something to use against him, is proven valid again and again, and so he's learned to do it so well that he becomes hard to trust later (as Amnesty notes, he has 'no past').

Crime, your voice acting, oh my lord. But this really is the nature of the human condition; your goals can be well-intentioned, your ambitions can be aimed at making the world, or a small section of it, a better place, but when push comes to shove, you would leave those behind for self-preservation. Not to say that Jacobs is wrong for doing so, he's not. If his goal is to gain more power and change things, taking out a site director that is clearly corrupted isn't a bad place to start. But even he is aware enough to realize he's setting aside his goals for change to focus on revenge, here, even if that revenge happens to align somewhat. Here comes that history in espionage.

-Tape #3: Screw the dates, indeed! Jacobs is already revealing key aspects of his character here. First, he hates following authority that isn't also working just as hard as him (which. same.). If he's going to risk his life on a job or perform steady work, he wants to see those in power above him do the same. As well, Jacobs isn't one for the direct approach, showing a clear ability to act and react under pressure and supervision. He'll go to great lengths and take his time in making sure he has his target pinned down before he strikes. Effeciency, but not at the cost of anything he can't stand to lose. I also love how Jacobs isn't one of those lone wolf "I can do it myself" characters. He isn't unwilling to find help, to recruit others to his cause. He's just very careful about who he trusts, and even when they're in his inner circle, that doesn't mean they're given all the answers.

He notes the state of the playing field. People don't like Lambert in Site 19, and they aren't likely to miss his absence if he dies by mysterious circumstances, but he also runs a tight ship, particularly in security, which I would bet he uses to keep everyone else in line, and thus focuses all his attention on. We get the name Colonel Hillard as the leader of the security personnel, and as a person to watch out for since she has similar goals in mind to Lambert in keeping order. She manages to keep people in line and submissive simply by punishing them for even the slightest perceived offenses, meaning any ally Jacobs finds is going to have to be brave enough to act against both her and Lambert without giving away the plan out of fear, or flailing under pressure. The consideration already going towards McCrimmon makes sense because he's proven that he'll stack the deck in Jacobs' favor, even if it puts him at risk.

Jacobs is also worried that the O-5 council will reveal his position to Lambert, including the "skeletons in his closet". I wonder if the O-5 council blackmails Jacobs with the information they seem to have on him, considering he's already considering the potential of their betrayal. It's interesting, too, because they are the ones who sent him here, assumedly because they suspected Lambert of something. It's like they're all trying to play each other in different ways, navigating a political mindfield, getting the most out of the people they send out before they're sacrificed to the next explosion. Jacobs is very concerned about the possibility of information being found out in the wild, anything reporting on him and what he has done. I think whatever career he had in espionage before this wasn't one that ended particularly well. At the very least he did some things he either regrets, or knows are unsavory to look upon; things that could ruin him if they came to light, and that he's sure the O-5 council are ready to use against him.

It's clear Jacobs is used to working alone, either by choice or by circumstance, and it's also clear that those situations have pushed him into the undesired position of having very little connections anywhere to help him when things go wrong. There is, at this point, no one to cover his back if something aims at him, and nobody to warn him if he's in trouble in a way he can't perceive. He's in a concerning position, so the fact that he pursues this idea of revenge anyway shows some impressive levels of determination.

Jacobs also is self-aware of the fact that he isn't great at forming genuine connections or friendships with people due to his personality and history. He can't help but hide from others, keep his secrets close to the chest, and generally push people away from him out of fear that they'll turn on him. He projects his own capacity for betrayal on to others, and doesn't have a positive outlook on his own prospects. The fact that he goes through so much character development in Sedition is astonishing, because he really does change towards the end there. He goes from his longest relationship ending in almost dying, to trusting Watch to save him when he's flung into time and space.

Ugh, my heart. The self-doubt and imposter syndrome is insane. "Am I even…human anymore?" yes, yes you are, and the fact that you even ask that question shows it. Jacobs is a human driven to the edge in the name of survival. Reminds me a little bit of the rearing of the Black Widow in the Red Room; this sort of, "I've never been anything else, been allowed to be anything else, but this" energy that could break a lot of people's minds after a while. It's clear Jacobs struggles with his sense of self outside of his job, which is probably why he's still here rather than cutting ties and running. This sort of work, these sorts of plays, and world-changing data gathering are what he is good at, more so than living outside of the Foundation as a regular man.

The worst part: he's the best person for this job, not just because he's good at what he does, but because he isn't good at any of the other things that could make him falter. Ouch. Pain.

I do like, though, that even in the midst of self-doubt, he knows he's not too far gone when he looks at the kinds of things others around him do. He knows the kind of man he doesn't want to be, and he definitely still has a moral code he sticks to, even if it's slightly grayer than not. He asks the questions of himself that need to be asked to keep him accountable; he recognizes when he's going too far, and allows himself to reflect on it. Both him and Lambert are men with more power than those below them on the totem pole, and they both have issues with trust and with anger in differing ways, but you judge a man by how he treats his lessers, and in that regard, they are very different men.

Gosh, I love this tape for how much self-reflection is in it. Jacobs wants to learn who he is so badly, and feels he can't do so, that he's far too constrained by the Fouundation to even try. He wonders constantly at his own actions, he is such a flawed individual, and yet he tries so damn hard, which makes him someone we root for due to that relatibility. We don't have to be wholly good, we just have to be willing to reflect on ourselves and change when necessary, and boy does he have that ability.

-Tape #4: Weeks have passed, and already we've got more of Jacobs' character. He's literally trying to the find the most likely people to follow his lead, not care too much about their own lives to hesitate, and who won't betray him when push comes to shove. His process is insane, I would not want to be this man right now. I love how he calls them contestants as if this is a game show, probably to lift his own spirits.

McCrimmon being the first option is so right, though, and I love how Jacobs isn't quite sure about his name so he calls him Mr. Mystery Guard. Jacobs is also concerned about his current condition because he can't find him anywhere, and is worried Lambert reassigned him or killed him (if I remember right, he was reassigned to a different part of the building, but it' been a bit). Jacobs thinks about McCrimmon with practicality in mind, because he's already seen McCrimmon be willing to risk his life for Jacobs, and he knows McCrimmon has deeper motivations for getting Lambert out of power, which Jacobs can utilize to recruit him. It's not like Jacobs is being super cruel here, either; the points he makes are very valid, and for manipulation, it's more, "I know you see it too" than it is any form of changing a mind that might be made up.

We learn about engineer Penjani Rowe, who is responsible for keeping containment procedures up to par with the SCPs, and who seems to be in the perfect mental position to aid Jacobs with his plans without getting cold feet. Combine that with the fact that her work is drying up thanks to Lambert's machinations, and she has plenty motivation to want him gone in order to proceed with doing what she wants to do. Jacobs theorizes that the reason she's there is because Lambert is all too aware of his own shortcomings, and fears a containment breach if he doesn't have somebody around to help keep the more difficult SCPs in check.

Jacobs knows he needs someone on the tech side to get through the encrypted files he needs data from, because whatever is in them is likely the thing he needs to get Lambert removed from his position; he needs the people who would code that encryption in, and his idea is Wilson Miles. Miles is apparently impressively sneaky in Jacobs' eyes (no small feat there), and Jacobs implies he has some of what the worst of humanity has to offer, that he's so unethical and immoral that getting him on Jacobs' side is as simple as threatening him with consequences he should already be facing. Jacobs knows there's something to find on him (and if I'm right about who this guy is, there definitely is), and his closeness to Lambert and skill with coding makes him an asset, especially since Jacobs clearly doesn't have knowledge in the coding area.

(I wonder if Jacobs has the kind of "old spy" mindset that comes with being left behind by the times, because coding and hacking are huge things now with espionage operations, so him not knowing how to do those (at least not the point that Miles does) implies he either has never needed to, or hasn't had the chance to learn. It's such an interesting and odd detail that I wonder about.)

He then groups Leslie Manning, Jacques Swindle, Nikolai Alswell, and Trevor P. Denton together under D-Class. Chosen for their skillsets and potential to be allies, with Jacques and Nikolai pulling off heists, Manning's past in the C.I.A., and Denton's previous leadership and smuggling skills. Jacobs puts less stock in them due to their positions of power outside of the Foundation, as well as their current positions as D-Class who have far less reasons to trust than any other. He's hoping to dicsover secrets involving their lives (and seems to have already) in order to let them know that he has the power to make their lives much worse if they don't cooperate with his plans.

Jacobs needs a soldier, someone with strength and tactical skills, and also someone close to the chain of command. He's considering Hillard's second, Major Aaron Chen. Jacobs recognizes this is one of the most unlikely alliances he has, because Chen has committed every bit of himself to his life and work at the Foundation, and he's only being considered because he might be slightly easier to manipulate than Hillard herself. The best way to appeal to men like him is probably to promise them more power, and Jacobs seems along that line of thought with telling Chen that getting rid of Lambert puts him in a higher position than Hillard.

I do like that Jacobs dosn't have full confidence in his plans, and that he's being realistic about his goals. He knows this is going to be difficult, and he doesn't shy away from honest work. It adds so much to his character that he doesn't allow himself to get too cocky, and that he uses the skills of self-reflection we saw in the last tape to assess possibilities before he tries them rather than rushing right in all willy-nilly. (Can you tell I'm getting tired of the incompetent protagonists I usually have to watch in the media nowadays? XD).

-Tape #5: 682's arrival, whoop! Finally some work for Rowe, who is the only one really qualified to make 682's chamber secure enough to prevent constant breakouts. Jacobs is clearly gathering more intel on her, and notes that Lambert limiting the vision she had for 682's chamber shows potential as yet another way Jacobs can use her frusturation to set her on the path against Lambert remaining site director.

Jacobs knowing so many secret passages and how to lose his supervision is awesome. I wonder if that was supposed to come up later as something to be used in Sedition, because this is probably how Amnesty moves around as well.

Jacobs knows that the best way to approach Rowe is to be open enough about his frustrations to incite her own; become relatable to the target, and they're more likely to listen to you on the grounds of you having the same goal. I love that Rowe can keep her expressions entirely neutral to the point of scaring people. She's blunt, but that doesn't mean she can't be sneaky. Also, I love Rowe so much?? The fact that she understands the SCPs and doesn't underestimate their abilities makes her such an asset even in the aftermath of all this, and while I don't remember what happens, I really hope she makes it through to help Jacobs with some of his future plans, because damn, that is a mindset you want.

Chen finds Jacobs without an escort and cuffs him, but doesn't report him to Hillard, which Jacobs theorizes is because he wanted her honest reaction to seeing her own incompentece (not that finding Jacobs when he wasn't trying to hide really makes Chen any smarter). Jacobs tries to direct the conversation as organically as possible to where he wants it to go, inquiring about Chen's future prospects and how he'd react to potential removal of Lambert. The fact that he says he'd act against the whisteblower means Jacobs was definitely right to approach it this way instead of being as straightforward as he was with Rowe.

Jacobs using Hillard's deplatforming as a temptation for Chen is exactly what we expected, and I do like that Jacobs notices the change in Chen's attitude here, from prisoner to person. That sort of, "we were against each other, but we don't have to be". He admits that he is part of the operation they'd be revealing, but Jacobs tells him that part won't be found if Chen works with him.

Essentially, if Chen doesn't work with Jacobs, there's a chance Jacobs' plan will work, implicating everyone involved, including Chen, and thereby losing him the career he's worked so hard for. However, if Chen decides to work with Jacobs, he gets to remove all the people he doesn't like, and he gets to keep his career untarnished. Chen doesn't break here, likely because he doesn't want to turn their hypotheticals into real moves yet, but the fact that he lets Jacobs go rather than reporting him to Hillard means he's letting go of a chance to look pretty good in her eyes, which is nothing to scoff at considering his motivations.

I love how Jacobs is settling into himself here. He truly thrives in situations of political intrigue, where he's forming a plan and getting to push pieces around to where they need to be in order to perform at their best. It doesn't surprise me how good he ends up being as Site Director, considering the leadership skills he's got, and his ability to mobilize and recognize the people around him. I notice that he does do a bit of dehumanization when he manipulates, but not a lot; he never forgets that these are people with their own motivations and unpredictability. He doesn't assign them one role in his head and operate off of that. He works on the fly.

-Tape #6: His tamed excitement at finally finding McCrimmon is such a good set-up to how close those two become later, because damn, this dude is your friend, Jacobs. You like this guy, you'd be going out to drink with him in another life. I'm also glad that I know that McCrimmon sticks around, because Jacobs really deserves at least one friend that he can trust to manuever where he needs, but also engage with the "human side" of Jacobs as well.

Jacobs rekindling his passion for SCPs and research is a wonderful touch, especially when it sets up motivations we know he has later; working with SCPs, meeting them where they are at, utilizing them to be of the most help to humanity and to be allies is something Jacobs wants, and we can clearly see his fascination at them. But also, I'm taken out by, "why did we skimp costs on the beans?". Jacobs, you madlad, glad to see you're feeling hopeful after this encounter.

294 being transferred to Site 19 for 'research purposes' when everyone knows it's to order the drinks they want is hilarious. Apparently Bright drank his coffee?? Calling 294's coffee excrement has me wheezing. His admiration for the coffee. Just. Crime, I love the way you wrote this one, because it would be so easy to have this series be depressing all the way through, and yet you managed to make me relax into this calmer vibe without issue.

The fact that both of them want to talk to each other, but can't figure out a way to get each other's attention or even look at each other without revealing they know one another (and thus, McCrimmon's part in Jacobs' safety) is such a good set-up to making use of an SCP and showing Jacobs' ability to work on the fly, as well as why he believes so firmly in his future goals. The voice crack as he describes allowing the staff to drink alcohol to celebrate the holidays! You can practically hear the restrained laughter.

Stationed in Russia, in Stalingrad, is such a drop of lore, jesus. Also, using russian to literally order a glass of 'distraction/diversion' is insane. First, because it's such a smart move to set up the entire ploy that way. Second because it doesn't specify what the distraction had to be, meaning in some way, the vending machine had to decide itself what that meant, and did so beautifully. Thank you, 294. Also, keeping to the language change to order a cup of 'secret message'. 294 doing its best to manage to produce a liquid version of what was asked for is insane. The SCP article confirms that 294 can skim the user's mind for intention, but to actually manage to dispense a liquid that causes each of these things is so cool. I love them too, Jacobs.

-Tape #7: Jacobs' good mood wasn't going to last long, I get that. I also understand why it went this way, because it really does feel wrong to see a large amount of cheer in a building with this much corruption and misplaced morality. Calling his alcohol Jack is hilarious, and speaking of it like a person is too. He is clearly drunk and HOLY SHIT I WAS NOT EXPECTING THAT. I get it, though, Jacobs really doesn't like people pretending to be something they're not; he sees his manipulations as extensions of the behavior he already exhibits, and he doens't put on any sort of false happiness, so seeing it in others makes him incredibly upset. Especially when- in his eyes- happy is the last thing they deserve to be.

We start to learn more about Jacobs' past. His parents were addicts that tried to sell him to afford their vices, and he was taken in by fosters who used the money they got from it to afford luxuries that he didn't get access to while their children made his life hell. He always held hope he could escape the things that caused him trauma. I really don't like the combo of "religious summer camps where the volunteers inadvertently numbed me to pain" followed by "copulation was never an interest of mine". Maybe I'm just projecting due to what happened to me, but if my interpretation is right, then thank you, Crime, for not romanticizing it. For writing a character that reflects some of the conflicts so well. It's darkly hilarious how much the human psyche isn't prepped to handle other humans, to the point that we can develop conplex feelings about otherwise ordinary functions due to being pushed too far.

Sorry, that got dark. I'm glad Jacobs got out of that (him studying law is so intriguing, because yeah, he has the motivations for it). So sad it just continued to get worse for him (him struggling with money, and still insulting the Foundation for their lackluster pay now; him being drugged to be robbed v. drugged to be put into mortal peril; he's never really left his struggles, has he?).

Jacobs following the pipeline from army to C.I.A. to noticed by the Foundation (an insurgent, damn). Him looking for an honorable way to die, going out with a fight, hits so hard after the 049 interview, where he tells McCrimmon he never was partial to a bullet, and then stands there resigned to death as 049 approaches. Insane parallels here.

Jacobs being captured by this Viscount in Costa Rica makes some of the fanart I've been seeing make sense. I understand now why he was so confident about his knowledge of torture earlier with 173.

I want to ask Jacobs if he needs a hug so bad, because ouch. He just described 2 years of being friends with these people, of having some of his hope and will to live return with their care, only to learn at least one of them, if not more, sold him out. That explains why he's so hesitant to trust anyone, why he even keeps people like Watch and McCrimmon an arms-length away for fear of betrayal. He literally can't bring himself to be open with others because he can't let himself fall into that position of being in danger with nobody to call- not because he never had anyone, but because the ones he could have called were the ones he needed saving from.

Marta and him in the hole, her a farmer who seems completely innocent of any wrong-doings that should have landed her here, and yet Jacobs can't allow himself to trust her or even open conversation to her because look where that has gotten him. He has so little self-esteem, and I think he truly believes he deserves to die, and uses that self-hatred to remove the fear of death others might have. Also, electroshock, good lord, Jacobs. Marta trying to help him…that care being enough for him to try connection again. He does this with McCrimmon, he does this with Watch. He tries to separate, he gets attached, and then he connects so deeply that it hurts him. This man is a creature of habit, even when he keeps thinking that last time was the last time.

Jacobs and Marta escaping, and Jacobs being ready to pull rank to get her across the border, them being so close, just for Marta to get struck by a blood clot in her leg is so cruel ugh. I remember the warnings they gave me when I had surgery, that you have to keep walking and keep yourself up and active to prevent getting one of those because they are so dangerous without medical treatment. Jacobs carrying her, despite his own exhaustion, while knowing that she was dying, being able to see her condition get worse and worse before she passed away. I know he was so agonized by this moment, of losing her, but I'm so glad he was there. I'm so glad she didn't die alone.

But ugh, the fact that it took three hours, just three more, and maybe she could have made it. Based on this tape, we know he thinks about it often, that this day brings it all up again. God, his crying. The closure he somewhat managed to find with Marta's brother, who sat with him through that pain, and helped him feel more like a person…

Him thinking about how his trust has been betrayed, or led to someone being killed, and then him recognizing that he's going to have to open himself up to both of those potentials to make this plan work is heartbreaking. I wonder if these tapes bring him any sort of cold comfort at being able to talk about what is going on inside his head.

-Tape #8: Here is where we get into the part where Jacobs speaks about the actual murder part of the plan, which, since we've watched Sedition, we know was supposed to involve 049. We see more of Chen subtly helping Jacobs with his plans, and of Rowe positioning herself to allow Jacobs the access he needed.

I love the interaction between 049 and Jacobs here. Jacobs getting defensive about his status, 049 pointing out that it is considered a subject, Jacobs saying that if he were making the decisions, the doctor would be treated better (interesting, considering what we see in Sedition). Then again, Jacobs could very well be applying some manipulation here; tell the doctor that if it's right, it will be helped, and then spend all your time after proving it is wrong and that you shouldn't need to help it. It's a solid play.

Jacobs' pestilence is miniscule at this point, but 049 can sense so much of it in Lambert that it has a premonition of where Lambert is. It also am so interested in how 049 approaches agreeing. It doesn't want Jacobs to be mistaken into thinking it will give up trying to cure him too, and it also doesn't want to be perceived as vulnerable or in need of assistance. It's a somewhat subtle power play hidden under a far less subtle one. He does agree, though, which I think makes sense, since he's looking to study the extremes of the pestilenc, and since he can't find someone without it entirely, finding someone with more of it could help instead.

Rowe is going to control the door to 049's cell, and Chen is going to get in contact with Miles, and McCrimmon is offering to open communications. It sounds like he's almost dubious at well this is working out, while also trying not to be too hopeful, and still considering how everything could go wrong.

-Tape #9: Jacobs is worried that he has been discovered, because both Lambert and Hillard returned from their holidays earlier than expected, and Lambert has requested to see Jacobs. Jacobs has a pocket recorder, apparently, that he uses to record the conversations he has outside his office (pretty sure he used it for 049 as well). Of course, now that he thinks he's been discovered, this might be one of his only methods of gathering information.

Lambert starts off pretty casual, as if he's trying to get Jacobs to just come in for a chat and loosen up a bit, but when Jacobs implies he's feeling interrogated, Lambert gets straight to the point that knows Jacobs has something to hide, losing a lot of his calm demeanor. Lambert acknowledges that they could have made a great team (no doubt about that, considering Jacobs' skillset is almost exactly what Lambert lacks), but that he can't trust Jacobs. He isn't at 173 levels of needing to torture him again; right now he's just gathering information that makes Jacobs untrustworthy. It's clear he's trying to assess Jacobs' motives now that he's picking up on an actual threat coming from his corner.

Jacobs knows Lambert is aware of that initial bit of research, and so he brings it up again, which Lambert laughs off. It's interesting, because Jacobs sees Lambert as an incompetent person, and to a degree he definitely can be, but he isn't completely lacking in intelligence (I doubt he'd be a Site Director if he was), and the fact that he picks up on the potential of Jacobs recording his voice, and stays quiet about his motives is a fairly impressive exhibition of that knowledge.

Jacobs brings up the council, and Lambert points out Jacobs' loyalty, which he keeps despite disagreeing with their motives. Lambert doesn't believe any of his actions get close to the level the O-5 tends to go to, and he calls out Jacobs for knowing better than to position the Foundation as the morally upright party between them and him.

Jacobs gets irritated by these insinuations, which makes sense, because even if he doesn't agree with the Foundation, he maintains a different view of it than Lambert does. Lambert seems to view the Foundation as a questionable entity, whose motives are dubious. He mentions that they could wipe out the SCPs if they wanted to, but that they don't because the Foundation finds them better utilized as a way to get more government money. Even if it sounds like a conspiracy theory, Lambert isn't technically wrong for thinking it, especially when he comes from a financially-focused mindset.

Lambert sees that the Foundation aren't truly protecting humanity, and he doesn't believe their methods are for study alone. In his eyes, the Foundation is just as much a money laundering front as he is. Jacobs says the lesser evil argument doesn't work, and he's right, but Lambert is also right that he and the Foundation are two sides of the same coin, and that the only people he's stealing from are people who stole themselves. Both of them come from different viewpoints on how the world ought to be, and further, how the Foundation should be.

They branch of deeper, though, to even more selfish levels when Lambert implies that his stealing is a reward for him alone, and that- in the face of Jacobs' suggestion of using that money to help the public- he deserves the money he steals. Jacobs stands firm in not being a part of it, but also that after the events of last year (damn, 173 was a year ago?), Jacobs knows better than to tell anyone.

Lambert affirms that he'd act against Jacobs again if he found out Jacobs was leaking information, but he also brings up the pretty good point that Jacobs has probably stumbled on things that the O-5 doesn't want him to know, and that even if Jacobs reports Lambert, that doesn't mean Jacobs will be safe from all reprecussions. He also directly confronts Jacobs about being the one to cover up a potential conspiracy (clearly trying to figure out if Jacobs is plotting against him), which Jacobs denies, and then leaves without answering Lambert's threat.

Jacobs is at least not underestimating Lambert, and he's being careful about his next moves by disguising himself as a scientist leaving the building. He has to be careful not to get caught or give himself away in case Lambert notices, which makes things a bit more difficult, but Mr. Espionage here is used to that.

We learn a bit more about McCrimmon. A skilled hunter from when he was young, so definitely sneakier than he is given credit for. It's clear he was worried about Jacobs after he got rotated out, and he was probably pretty relieved to see that he was alive and well. I also like that McCrimmon isn't a vengeful person; he doesn't want to take an eye for an eye, doesn't do payback if possible. He's also got a healthy dose of fear of Lambert and what he might do if McCrimmon's disloyalty is discovered, especially to McCrimmon's family. Small acts of rebellion are done to help those he sees need help, but that's the most he feels he can do.

Jacobs assures McCrimmon that he isn't going to be that deep involved, and that he's only another ally of Jacobs', someone to trust and be trusted. Jacobs knows McCrimmon is capable of both because that rebellion with 173 didn't turn up consequences, meaning McCrimmon told nobody, and neither did Jacobs. All McCrimmon wants if for Jacobs to be in charge, which is amazing, really.

Dr. Bright helping Jacobs get out of the building is insane, actually. I wonder if he asked any questions or if he took one look at Jacobs and went, "yeah, you do you". It's clear that rather than being a firm ally of Jacobs', he's an impassive observer who wants to take in the chaos that's going to be caused by Jacobs' actions.

Chen has a way for Jacobs to get in and communicate with Miles, which is the final piece of their puzzle at this point. Whatever this updated network is, both Lambert and the O-5 agreed to it despite Jacobs thinking it's foolish.

-Tape #10: The D-Class plan did not go well, jesus. Chen got Jacobs to Miles, while letting Jacobs know that he's there on Lambert's orders to keep Jacobs from noting anything he shouldn't about operations. Which I guess means that even though the O-5 council approved of the network, they haven't approved of everything Lambert is also doing.

The fact that Jacobs was prepared to go into this interaction without a plan for leverage, just for Chen to give him one, is a pretty awesome exhibtion of their teamwork. We really went from "hypothetically" to this.

Jacobs puts on a bad cop persona when he interacts with Miles, which is interesting because this is what I was expecting of a bad cop during 343's tape. The casual insults and put-on arrogance is exactly the kind of thing to get someone nervous about being near you, especially when they're hiding things. Dropping the fact that he knows just as Miles gets the phone going is hilarious.

The subject matter is less so. The implications of what Jacobs is saying are extremely clear, probably so Miles can't call out any vagueness. I do love that Jacobs doesn't come at it from a "I'll tell Lambert", because Mr. Two Affairs defintiely doesn't care about propriety. Instead, he threatens to ruin Miles' life outside the Foundation, which could put him in a position of losing his current status and perks as well. It's such a good play. It's also a great way for Jacobs to get Miles out of the playing field. Work with him so long as he's needed in the coup, promise him to clear his record, and then when Lambert is gone, and there's nobody to protect him, Jacobs can do what he likes, whether that means following through on his promise (doubt it) or getting rid of Miles the way he promised to in his threats here (more likely).

Jacobs' and Chen's conversation here is so intriguing, because Jacobs doesn't want people like Miles to get away with wrongdoing while he is in charge, but he also can't promise right now that it won't happen. Chen, I think, knows better than to get optimistic, especially since he has admitted to being part of a conspiracy or at least covering it up earlier, and Jacobs has given a similar promise of record-clearing to him.

Which, now that I think about it, implying Jacobs was lying about clearing Miles' record does not look good for the alliance he currently has where one of the benefits is Chen's record being clear. He's going to have to step lightly.

Jacobs grows a beard while faking an appendix removal, and is then escorted by Chen into the D-Class, alongside the picks that Jacobs made for potential allies. Chen gave a particular medical examiner as a recommendation and REYES?? So Reyes is in on it, and helped Jacobs get where he wanted to go, which I bet is why he was given a better position in Sedition. Even if he didn't help willingly, Jacobs could give him a better deal.

Manning is Ex-C.I.A., which is how she identified Jacobs' intentions and position so fast. She's pretty impressive, and it's clear the others in the room have at least a passing respect for her. I think it's fun how Jacobs is literally locked up, in the same position as them currently, and still manages to intimidate them enough with his knowledge that they begin to listen to what he's saying.

This is the team that Jacobs wants to smuggle the doctor, which makes sense. We have someone experienced in espionage to keep them hidden from detection, we have two people experienced with heists, including how they can go wrong, and how to steal a target from where it needs to be, and we have one person who is used to smuggling, and probably used to smuggling people. All four have the skillset needed to get 049 where it needs to be to deliver the kill on Lambert, if they cooperate, and if the plan goes off without a hitch.

Jacobs manages to convince them that the consequences of turning on him would be far less to their benefit than what he was promising when they succeeded.

The fact that the plan goes wrong here makes me wonder. Is this a series of unfortunate events? Or did Hillard notice Jacobs when he was first processed and create a plan to get him killed before he could return to a position with enough power to escape her grasp? Them chucking him into 939's containment chamber, where they all started overlapping and overwhelming him with their voices. Thank you, Chen, for being able to improv on the fly. But damn, Jacobs is not doing well mentally at that point.

Hillard finding them and Jacobs being too stressed to make up a better excuse on the fly and just snapping on her is such a nice touch, because there's no way he can be infalliable all the time, and there's no way a plan can always go the way he wants it to. The fact that she calls him out for not being cooperative here and wanting to catch him makes me wonder if she really didn't know he was that D-Class. Or maybe she did, but she can't do anything to him now that he's returned to his prior positioning. I'm still going with the series of unfortunate events as the most likely scenario, but I really do wonder.

That was the last tape, nooooo.

-Arc Summary Part 1: More about the Lambert saga. We learn that Jacobs works as a go-between for the Ethics Committee and O-5 council, which explains some of his assignments and why he is so adament to secure change (he's seen the worst of what the Foundation has to offer).

*Tape #11: Jacobs' recording room is where the team would have met up, with Penjani and Chen revealing their backstories (one escaping militia, the other following his generational military legacy). Chen works so similarly to Jacobs, gathering information on his superiors before moving to depose them, which makes me wonder if that behavior will continue even when Jacobs is in charge. Him being kicked out by his family makes sense, in light of his actions, though. Not as ethical as the rest of his family, it seems.

The plan: Miles sets off a false containment breach to lure Lambert out, Penjani would engineer a way to release 049 and get it to meet with Lambert, Chen would escort Lambert, and the D-Class would escort the doctor. Unfortuantely, both McCrimmon and the D-Class have been moved, so the plan is already failing a bit. Jacobs decides he needs to be the one to escort 049 instead.

I think Jacobs and Penjani forming an even closer inner alliance makes so much sense when we look at his options. Miles is only complying because he's being blackmailed, and if he decides silence isn't worth it anymore, Jacobs is screwed. Similarly, Chen is only on this project to get his own record cleared and to reach a higher position, and who is to say he won't target Jacobs as the next person to take over? Jacobs and Penjani, however, have started off their alliance with mutual trust. They were both honest with each other, their goals are both to truly get rid of Lambert so they can do better work in Site 19, and they both appreciate the other's efforts. This allows Jacobs to plan for more contingencies, giving him an edge over any of his other allies that might betray him.

*Tape #12: Jacobs and Chen defeat Hillard before she can report him, but Jacobs is captured by Lambert, who has found his tapes and knows about his plans. Lambert's plan here, to use Jacobs as a middleman to get rid of the ethics committee is bonkers, but also not an impossible potential if Jacobs is found out by the O-5, since they seem to be itching for the ability to act without the little voice in their ear that tells them they're going too far.

Chen does indeed betray Jacobs, holy crap. I'm glad Jacobs and Penjani planned for contingencies. The breach starts anyway, and 049 is set free to kill Chen and distract fire. Jacobs escapes, with Lambert chasing him, and before Lambert can act, 173 is behind him, putting him in a chokehold. The only thing keeping him alive is Jacobs watching 173.

Jacobs tells Lambert he knew about Chen, that the tapes were a diversion to allow Penjani to act (which makes sense, since she is by far the ally we hear less about, and so her role is less clear to Lambert). The doctor was just a distraction for 173 to be brought by the D-Class to where it needed to be. Then Jacobs lets Lambert die, and stands to watch 173 in a much better position than he was the last time he did this.

Penjani gets her wish to move on to bigger things out of Site 19, with her goal to develop more humane containment methods. Jacobs executes Miles by putting him in SCP 939's containment chamber, so he can listen to the voices of the children as they kill him. Which. Damn, Jacobs, I love the way your mind works.

*Series 2: Jacobs is still in his administrative oversight position, not yet Site Director. He's tasked with investigating the failures of the MTF agents in Team Uniform Nightstalker, who were supposed to detonate a nuclear warhead. Isaac Watchthorne is the only survivor of the incident. Watch went through a lot of trauma in that site, including from the SCPs, from the deaths of his teammates that he couldn't save, and from seeing visions of his sister. Jacobs sees potential in Watch and moves him from MTF to I-Class, where Watch's job is to find and secure SCPs while making the locals cooperate and gathering information to give to the Foundation. Jacobs suspects that Watch's escape has more to it, and this helps him keep an eye on Watch. It makes sense, and I think Jacobs' motives continue to be like this into Sedition, where he puts Watch up against SCPs constantly because he wants to see what Watch can survive and get through.

In MAINE. The victim and his friends went to an old firehouse that was willed to him, and found hidden within 4 adult-sized porcelain puppets with masks depicting different emotional states. They moved the puppets into a basement for storage, only to find the puppets kept moving, with two of them disappearing, and the other two seeming to fight. The two remaining puppets seemed to realize they were about to be killed, with anger trying to hurt the victims, while ambivalence tried to protect them.

The house set on fire, the victim's friend died, and he returned home to his girlfriend, unaware that the puppet known as mania was living in his house, disguised as his girlfriend, waiting to engage in…human activities.

The victim's last friend was trying to comfort the last puppet, terror. Ambivalence arrives, taking terror and escaping with it. Watch gathers the necessary data, makes everyone forget it happened, and then sets off to find the missing puppets.

We would have seen moral and ethical conflicts, as well as how the Foundation chafes with local authorities and influences. Anger and mania are both more dangerous than ambivalence and terror, but the Foundation manages to track down all of them and try to contain them. Anger and mania escape the first attempt, and Watch sabotages the containment of ambivalence and terror.

This is so interesting to me. First because we get to see what Watch's job was like before he came under fire from Jacobs, but also because we see the extent of Watch's empathy. We know he cares about the SCPs, and it's clear Watch falls more into the idea that an SCP not doing any harm shouldn't be treated like a prisoner. He cares for them, in a way he expresses later on in Sedition, and I like seeing that his rebellion started fairly early. Jacobs noticing doesn't surprise me, since he's used to sniffing out insuboordination, but I'm so glad we get to see him being a quiet supporter of Watch's efforts, and that we would have had a setup for these two being allies from the start, something that makes their later trust feel well-earned and inevitable.

The puppets are unlisted! No wonder I couldn't find them XD.

-Arc Summary Part 2: Years have passed, and Jacobs learns that one of his friends in the Bridge Facility is acting strange, and is sent to investigate. It's interesting that- when faced with the chance he might not be able to be objective about this- he pulls Watch out to come help him. The trust really did start early, didn't it?

Watch is sent undercover as a scientist, while Jacobs confronts the site director directly. Watch finds a conspiracy that points to Jacobs' friend being similar to Lambert in his financial goals; something that only gets more obviously suspicious when Watch disappears.

Hillard, despite being a D-Class, is revealed to be the mastermind, using an anomalous object to connect their anatomy, thereby providing the site director with motivation to keep her taken care of. The site director has to obey her, and she tells Jacobs that he can either let her escape or watch his friend die.

Watch survives an SCP experiement he was put in and comes to help Jacobs, helping him fend off Hillard's allies while Jacobs shoots the director with a stun gun to take out Hillard. Unfortunately, this kills the site director while Hillard lives, and Jacobs decides to release her, except she's going with nothing but the clothes on her back.

The O-5 council places Jacobs as bridge site director, rewarding and punishing him in equal measure, something I think is interesting for them to do, since they are giving more power to someone they know is poised against them.

Now Jacobs' decisions make so much more sense. If he let Watch go back, then someone was sure to notice Watch's abilities, and they might not treat him so well. If he tries to get Watch to stay, he draws the eye of the Foundation. Pretending to punish Watch is basically all he has the ability to do at this point, and unfortunately, he doesn't have the ability to tell Watch why he's doing this, breaking their trust. In the meantime, Jacobs loses most of his influence, and can't do much but obey the Foundation. His mental state gets darker as a result.

-Sedition Arc Part 1: We cover the Sedition events up to where Crime left off, which, wow, maybe I should have started here just to make sure I had the intentions down, but I guess we're here now!

*682: An exploration of whether or not a friendship with 079 would help 682 change perspective on life, since 682 has only been exposed to the negatives of life so far.

*079: Touching on technology manipulation, Watch's anomalous properties, and exploring how the Foundation keeps SCPs in line by removing their hope of escape.

*035: Audience manipulation, trying to make the audience wonder at 035's words, and whether they are true or false. 035 tries to manipulate Watch, and when it doesn't work, its selfish nature takes control and reveals its true intentions. Unable to recall narratives accurately, or unwilling to.

*053: Helps Watch bounce backstories off of, revealing both of them more. Watch puts his passion for others into fostering those who were suffering, and he eventually enters the army, getting made into an MTF. 053's parents suffered her powers to take care of her. Evelyn unites them, with it being her new name, and him seeing her in 053. Watch's survival makes his abilities obvious here.

*Commune: Introduces Amnesty (not her real name), who wants to free the SCPs and work together with them to remove fear around them. She wants to frame Watch, gather more information about the Foundation (the tablet was to get FINGERPRINTS?? CRIME), and use it to enact her future plans. Jacobs, in line with what we know from Jacobs Journal, sees his actions and character development as proof that he is no better than the O-5 council, and deserves the death that is waiting for him, especially since he still can't seem to make a positive change in the world like he's wanted to do.

*049: The two are more alike than they think, thinking they come from different viewpoints, while following very similar paths. They are twisted mirrors of each other, something Jacobs realizes thoughout the interview. 049 giving Jacobs a second chance revitalizes Jacobs' hope in a better future.

*The Video Game: We would have seen Watch arrive at C-2 (with Reyes and others), and learn that C-2 is potentially the same site Watch lost the rest of his team in, something that causes him to riot. Eventually, Watch and one of his former teammates, McKenny, who believes it was Watch who got the others killed, go to 079. They want Watch to speak to 079, with Maynard and Pascal setting it up.

Watch speaks to 079, who tells Watch a breakout is going to happen. It starts shortly after, and 106 attacks and starts to try to kill Watch. Before it can, a new SCP that looks like Evelyn appears and prevents it. Behind Evelyn is a dark shadow that looks like it's controlling her actions.

Watch is found and caputred by McKenny. Reyes breaks him out, and they enter a safe zone. Epsilon 11 comes in to retrieve survivors, and McKenny looks to use this as a chance to kill Watch. Watch rescues anyone he can, avoids conflict as possible, and tries to figure out why C-2 was remade. Reyes dies, and Watch uses his phone to keep contact with Jacobs.

Jacobs says C-2 was made to lure Chaos inside, alongside other suspicious peoples, putting them in one place to let them die. Any surviving would show SCP properties, and be taken in to be studied.

The site director flees with the data, Watch defeats McKenny, and then he prevents the nuke from detonating while Jacobs makes his way there. Watch is traumatized, doesn't trust Jacobs, and is losing hope for escape. 343 asks for an interview with Watch, and that is why he needs to be off his meds.

*343: Jacobs wants to prove he can be trusted, but is forced to keep putting Watch in harms way. Watch is struggling with his will to live. We ask ourselves why 343 is here now, and the three manipulate each other, circling around each other, until it comes to a head. Watch faces his choice, and it makes him realize he still has good in him, with his first choice being to save Jacobs. Jacobs makes Watch the deputy site director in his absence, letting him have more freedom.

-Sedition Arc Part 2: Crime, I love your intro here. "Get rid of the mood music and the JPEG" XD.

*Cain and Abel were meant to be interviewed, providing backstory on them and how they relate to both the Scarlet King and Mekhane. They would become important parts of the plot.

*Desire camera, which you did cover with me earlier, and would use it to unite Jacobs and Amnesty (finally. Those two are not as different as they think).

*Parental relationship with 053 developing more, with him trying to help her more.

*Fake containment breach at the bridge facility is staged so 035 and 079 had an interaction too? 079 is comfortable hiding in the Foundation, while 035 uses 079 as a connection to "the brother's death". Does that refer to Cain and Abel, or to something else?

*Crossover between Sedition and Confinement, where Bright, Connor, and THE QUAD SQUAD break into an abandoned facility and discover that the Foundation has been trying to create their own SCPs. A diary that predicts the future and alters to anticipate it is insane, wow.

*Amnesty has been leaking the Sedition tapes to YouTube, hence why we get to watch them, as she's trying to get the word out to the public without getting herself censured.

*More SCPs are interviewed and become allies. More staff are recruited, including Clef.

*Watch's abilities are connected to the created SCPs in that facility, a guardian angel preventing Watch from taking lethal harm. It found him as an MTF, and has continued to protect him.

*The ethics committee investigates the bridge facility, examining Watch and Jacobs closely.

*Jacobs distracts the investigation while Watch and Amnesty reach out to more organizations to investigate further.

*Jacobs frames himself as an SCP to save Watch, and is captured and taken away.

*The O-5 council uses the diary to predict the end of life on Earth caused by the Scarlet King, who they declare war on.

*Watch loses control of the bridge facility to the ethics committee, who is the SAME PERSON CLONED?? Him and Amnesty join outer groups to wrestle control.

*Clef transforms himself to mimic Watch, luring people away from Jacobs. Watch loses 053 to the ethics committee, who is also trying to contain the Scarlet King's power to prevent Earth's destruction. They want that power.

*Bright's father is the reason the amulet incident happened, to make Bright immortal.

*Watch uses the SCP attached to him to destroy the power channeler that was containing the Scarlet King's power. The Scarlet King keeps his power while being in our dimension, but 343 takes action at last to send the Scarlet King away.

*Jacobs is killed, and his soul is taken to the afterlife by the death brothers. Watch gets to see his sister again for the last time.

Holy crap, that is a lot, and I can see why it'd be confusing to write it all down. The brothers being mentioned in different forms means I think I've been confused about who they are at any given time, but I think the other plans were pretty clear. 343 finally taking on a task and pushing back the Scarlet King as he semi-promised to do is a nice payoff to his particular arc.

Which, wow, they really got off script, didn't they? I wonder if they're going to culminate the plot in some way, or if that 001 video is going to be them saying goodbye to Sedition.