The Magnus Archives s1 & s2
Sep. 1st, 2020 01:04 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
dhampyresaHave a bunch of my thoughts about The Magnus Archives (TMA) seasons 1 and 2. Fair warning it is a bit...
My first TMA Theory was that Jon was a creepy house. Based on the many creepy houses in TMA and how we had never seen Jon move. Then we saw Jon move.
So Jon could not be a creepy house. (HOWEVER I really must point out that "I'm afraid the worms will eat me from the inside out" is really more a fear for houses than people. On average.)
Be there's nothing to say that Jon won't become a creepy house.
Ep 200: Jon's apothe-house-is
My current theory is: the fae.
Episode 37 features what is very clearly a fae forest circle. Do not enter the forest circle. Do you want to be cursed by the fae? Because this is how you get cursed by the fae. (And guess what? He got cursed by the fae.)
Whatshisface Michael buy books out of an empty bank account is obviously an update on the fairy gold myth.
The weird tunnels behind the institute are the Otherworld under the hill. like. Duh.
Simon FUCKING FAIRCHILD -> Fair. Child. I rest my case. (also: him telling the guy to enjoy the fall through endless sky is 1000% pure fae trolling)
It took so fucking long for anyone to actually use the word "changeling" when referring to the weaponised Capgras Delusions that it got reeeeeeeally conspicuous ngl. Ways in which they are changelings: replace people, Not Human, have weird morality
At this point you're probably like "you have listened to the s2 finale, right?" To which I say NOT TO BE A ONE TRICK PONY BUT YEAH IT IS 1000% THE FAE
Massive troll? Fae
Time distorsion? Fae
Looks human but is not? Fae
Also in order to work magnetic tape use iron, which would explain why they are unaffected by changeling et al. Fae hate iron
Plus they had to ask permission to enter Leitner's home
SO YEAH FAE
You know, it's funny because in breton myth/folklore the border between human and fae is a lot more porous than what I know of English myth/folklore (eg you can be a human and become fae under massive trauma/special circumstance*), and I kinda feel like what Simon did to that parachute guy would qualify... I am not sure that's what he was doing or even that that framework is applicable here? Or whichever Michael it was that jumped out of the tower. That would also qualify.
*Cf:Statement of King Gradlon concerning the events before his founding of Quimper the human Dahud becoming a mermaid/siren when she drowned the city of Ys
Had a TMA-related dream one night. I think I was about halfway though s2.
A bunch of eldritch horrors where like "you can see us so you must become one of us or die" (having previously tricked me into revealing I could see them). One of them was a serpent woman. One of them was Captain Ahab (????? have not thought abou Moby Dick in years wtf).
I was like "I WANT A CONTRACT" so they were like "ok fine. Elias get in here". Then Elias was the eldritch horror contract lawyer in that he was a lawyer working for eldritch horrors, a lawyer working on an eldritch horror related contract AND ALSO a lawyer who was himself an eldritch horror. Meanwhile I am trying to stall so I can text some people that Elias is a horror so when the contract was done I was like "i want a witness. A NEUTRAL witness". Elias called up Archivist Jon to be the witness?! So much for neutrality etc. And then the eldritch horrors had Enough so told me to sign (not in blood, in earwax ???) which I did but as I transformed into an eldritch horror i tried desperately to write out that Elias was a horror in letter pasta but it fell under the "people can't see eldritch horrors" thing so turned out like gibberish. And then I was an eldritch horror and Captain Ahab didn't like me anymore (?) But other than that it was fine.
Sources of horror: creepy crawlies vs meat vs caves vs THE SEA
I really REALLY dislike bugs and other things that fall under the "creepy crawly" heading (worms, spiders, etc). These come up several times in TMA in various capacities, which has allowed me to realise it's not fear I feel, it's visceral disgust. And also that just hearing about them is mostly ok.
There are also multiple episodes about Meat. Not sure how else to describe them? Some are about how people are made of meat, some are about how all meat was once a living thing or how all meat-eating is inherently predatory behaviour. I find these really fascinating! In large part because they mirror a lot of my thinking about meat-eating and whatnot (though I have to confess they are missing the more obviously possible-ED based parts of that thinking). Also, as a consequence of the focus on meat and the fact that I usually listen to TMA before dinner, my main reaction to those is "I HUNGER want meat for dinner".
There's two episodes I can think of that deal with being stuck in small spaces. One is Lost John's Cave which is apparently THE WORST for multiple people and left basically no impression on me. In another, someone gets locked inside a crate and tbh my first thought was "so nap time, then?". (Tbh it makes sense bc sleeping lowers your breathing rate and so would make your oxygen supply last longer.) I guess this isn't really a fear I get on a gut level. TMA apparently works quite well for helping me figure out what I'm actually afraid of.
(One of the items on my 2020 todo list is "caves" and part of the reason it's there is that parts of it scare me, and know I am better aware of the fact it's to the fact it's underground that scares me, but possibly getting hurt/lost/running into unpleasant people -- same as when I got lost in Seoul. the "underground" part is only relevant in that it makes these possibly more likely.)
I'll tell you what episode really stuck and still sticks with me to this day. It's episode 51. In this episode, a deep sea diver opens a submarine door into an endless sea -- and something in my heart just lurched with yearning. I just... The diver makes the choice to return to the surface and I don't know that I'd make that choice. Drowning is so alluring... fascinating? Seductive to me. I'm not afraid of the sea or drowning, in the same way I'm not afraid of heights -- I'm afraid I'll jump. /mangled metaphor.
MISC.
The fucking irony of the voice of Elias "leave me and my money spreadsheets alone" Bouchard doing the Patreon shoutouts nice
The Magnus Institute is creating Statements on Patreon
I have spent waaaaaaaaaaaaaay too long trying to rationalise the lack of canopic jars in the fourth Dynasty tomb in episode 64. Because canopic jars were definitely a thing in the Fourth Dynasty! And canopic jars are a massive deal in Ancient Egyptian tombs/funerals/etc so it was weird that they just... weren't there, and that this was not remarked upon. The narrator is an Egyptologist!
So anyway I figured out that the missing canopic jars was An Eraly Clue that sense of place was gonna get fucky -- due to the (much later than fourth dynasty) association between each canopic jar with one of the four cardinal directions.
Leitner: I came out to have a good time and I was attacked. BY A GOTH.
Jon: i luv my smol son gerard way
me: yeah, hard same
I refer to Jonathan Sims the character as Le Big Dumbo regularly because damn if he isn't a spectacular dumbass at regular intervals. (Much like Jonathan Harker, lmao)
I refer to Jonathan Sims the author/actor as Jonny D'Ville because this man named his main character after himself and that is confusing.
Speaking of Mechanisms, Grifter's Bone is absolutely The Mechanisms under a different name. short man in brown coat murders local bar with music??? I SEE YOU
While listening to episode 42 I was going GOSH JONNY DRAG YOUR BAND HARDER WHY DON'T YOU. Though I later realised it is a compliment in context, actually, hahaha. If you're not getting murdered by music did you ever truly live?
Usually I don't really care about spoilers but in this case I am enjoying coming up with bullshit theoris way too much so please no spoilers.
My first TMA Theory was that Jon was a creepy house. Based on the many creepy houses in TMA and how we had never seen Jon move. Then we saw Jon move.
So Jon could not be a creepy house. (HOWEVER I really must point out that "I'm afraid the worms will eat me from the inside out" is really more a fear for houses than people. On average.)
Be there's nothing to say that Jon won't become a creepy house.
Ep 200: Jon's apothe-house-is
My current theory is: the fae.
Episode 37 features what is very clearly a fae forest circle. Do not enter the forest circle. Do you want to be cursed by the fae? Because this is how you get cursed by the fae. (And guess what? He got cursed by the fae.)
Whatshisface Michael buy books out of an empty bank account is obviously an update on the fairy gold myth.
The weird tunnels behind the institute are the Otherworld under the hill. like. Duh.
Simon FUCKING FAIRCHILD -> Fair. Child. I rest my case. (also: him telling the guy to enjoy the fall through endless sky is 1000% pure fae trolling)
It took so fucking long for anyone to actually use the word "changeling" when referring to the weaponised Capgras Delusions that it got reeeeeeeally conspicuous ngl. Ways in which they are changelings: replace people, Not Human, have weird morality
At this point you're probably like "you have listened to the s2 finale, right?" To which I say NOT TO BE A ONE TRICK PONY BUT YEAH IT IS 1000% THE FAE
Massive troll? Fae
Time distorsion? Fae
Looks human but is not? Fae
Also in order to work magnetic tape use iron, which would explain why they are unaffected by changeling et al. Fae hate iron
Plus they had to ask permission to enter Leitner's home
SO YEAH FAE
You know, it's funny because in breton myth/folklore the border between human and fae is a lot more porous than what I know of English myth/folklore (eg you can be a human and become fae under massive trauma/special circumstance*), and I kinda feel like what Simon did to that parachute guy would qualify... I am not sure that's what he was doing or even that that framework is applicable here? Or whichever Michael it was that jumped out of the tower. That would also qualify.
*Cf:
Had a TMA-related dream one night. I think I was about halfway though s2.
A bunch of eldritch horrors where like "you can see us so you must become one of us or die" (having previously tricked me into revealing I could see them). One of them was a serpent woman. One of them was Captain Ahab (????? have not thought abou Moby Dick in years wtf).
I was like "I WANT A CONTRACT" so they were like "ok fine. Elias get in here". Then Elias was the eldritch horror contract lawyer in that he was a lawyer working for eldritch horrors, a lawyer working on an eldritch horror related contract AND ALSO a lawyer who was himself an eldritch horror. Meanwhile I am trying to stall so I can text some people that Elias is a horror so when the contract was done I was like "i want a witness. A NEUTRAL witness". Elias called up Archivist Jon to be the witness?! So much for neutrality etc. And then the eldritch horrors had Enough so told me to sign (not in blood, in earwax ???) which I did but as I transformed into an eldritch horror i tried desperately to write out that Elias was a horror in letter pasta but it fell under the "people can't see eldritch horrors" thing so turned out like gibberish. And then I was an eldritch horror and Captain Ahab didn't like me anymore (?) But other than that it was fine.
Sources of horror: creepy crawlies vs meat vs caves vs THE SEA
I really REALLY dislike bugs and other things that fall under the "creepy crawly" heading (worms, spiders, etc). These come up several times in TMA in various capacities, which has allowed me to realise it's not fear I feel, it's visceral disgust. And also that just hearing about them is mostly ok.
There are also multiple episodes about Meat. Not sure how else to describe them? Some are about how people are made of meat, some are about how all meat was once a living thing or how all meat-eating is inherently predatory behaviour. I find these really fascinating! In large part because they mirror a lot of my thinking about meat-eating and whatnot (though I have to confess they are missing the more obviously possible-ED based parts of that thinking). Also, as a consequence of the focus on meat and the fact that I usually listen to TMA before dinner, my main reaction to those is "I HUNGER want meat for dinner".
There's two episodes I can think of that deal with being stuck in small spaces. One is Lost John's Cave which is apparently THE WORST for multiple people and left basically no impression on me. In another, someone gets locked inside a crate and tbh my first thought was "so nap time, then?". (Tbh it makes sense bc sleeping lowers your breathing rate and so would make your oxygen supply last longer.) I guess this isn't really a fear I get on a gut level. TMA apparently works quite well for helping me figure out what I'm actually afraid of.
(One of the items on my 2020 todo list is "caves" and part of the reason it's there is that parts of it scare me, and know I am better aware of the fact it's to the fact it's underground that scares me, but possibly getting hurt/lost/running into unpleasant people -- same as when I got lost in Seoul. the "underground" part is only relevant in that it makes these possibly more likely.)
I'll tell you what episode really stuck and still sticks with me to this day. It's episode 51. In this episode, a deep sea diver opens a submarine door into an endless sea -- and something in my heart just lurched with yearning. I just... The diver makes the choice to return to the surface and I don't know that I'd make that choice. Drowning is so alluring... fascinating? Seductive to me. I'm not afraid of the sea or drowning, in the same way I'm not afraid of heights -- I'm afraid I'll jump. /mangled metaphor.
MISC.
The fucking irony of the voice of Elias "leave me and my money spreadsheets alone" Bouchard doing the Patreon shoutouts nice
The Magnus Institute is creating Statements on Patreon
I have spent waaaaaaaaaaaaaay too long trying to rationalise the lack of canopic jars in the fourth Dynasty tomb in episode 64. Because canopic jars were definitely a thing in the Fourth Dynasty! And canopic jars are a massive deal in Ancient Egyptian tombs/funerals/etc so it was weird that they just... weren't there, and that this was not remarked upon. The narrator is an Egyptologist!
So anyway I figured out that the missing canopic jars was An Eraly Clue that sense of place was gonna get fucky -- due to the (much later than fourth dynasty) association between each canopic jar with one of the four cardinal directions.
Leitner: I came out to have a good time and I was attacked. BY A GOTH.
Jon: i luv my smol son gerard way
me: yeah, hard same
I refer to Jonathan Sims the character as Le Big Dumbo regularly because damn if he isn't a spectacular dumbass at regular intervals. (Much like Jonathan Harker, lmao)
I refer to Jonathan Sims the author/actor as Jonny D'Ville because this man named his main character after himself and that is confusing.
Speaking of Mechanisms, Grifter's Bone is absolutely The Mechanisms under a different name. short man in brown coat murders local bar with music??? I SEE YOU
While listening to episode 42 I was going GOSH JONNY DRAG YOUR BAND HARDER WHY DON'T YOU. Though I later realised it is a compliment in context, actually, hahaha. If you're not getting murdered by music did you ever truly live?
Usually I don't really care about spoilers but in this case I am enjoying coming up with bullshit theoris way too much so please no spoilers.
(no subject)
Date: 2020-09-02 05:07 pm (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2020-09-05 11:40 pm (UTC)YES
I TELL YOU
THE APOTHE-HOUSE-SIS WILL HAPPEN