2025-08-29 1:06:32 ¶ ●

The Magnus Archives but it’s what I think a Not Them version of each character would be like.

A Not Them version of Jon would be a signifyingly worst Archivist but a better stalker. They’d ramp up surveillance on members of The Institute, both to monitor them on the circus’s behalf, and to increase Tim, Sasha, and Martin’s paranoia as they start noticing “Jon” lurking around their private lives more often.

A Not Them version of Martin slightly sabotages Jon in ways that increases his paranoia but aren’t overt enough to get on Tim and Sasha’s radar. They add a small amount of salt to his tea. They “accidentally” break some of Jon’s tape recorders. They stare at him for just a little too long. It sets Jon on edge and it makes Sasha and Tim even more distrusting of Jon because from their perspective he’s being overly suspicious of sweet Martin for no reason.

A Not Them version of Melanie King is extremely accommodating and kind to Jon. They bring him snacks unprompted. They help Jon tidy his desk before work. They bring him small gifts that they think he’ll enjoy. It freaks Jon all the way out because he knew how Melanie felt about him before her sudden shift in personality, but Basira, Daisy, Martin and Tim keep brushing him off because “Why are you scared and agitated that Melanie wants to be your friend?”

A Not Them version of Tim Stoker get’s really into clowns and circuses all the sudden. They starts decorating their desk in odd clown memorabilia and when their coworkers ask what that’s about they just shrugs and says it’s a new hobby of theirs. Jon wouldn’t think too much about it since Tim could be a bit excitable in the past, but he’s also noticed that they’re being FAR more open about Danny than they ever have been before. They even go into unsettling details about his death. Something that Jon notes as particularly weird after Tim spent years not mentioning that he had a sibling.

A Not Them version of Elias Bouchard sabotages the Institute workers jobs. Jon comes into work and finds a bunch of statements related to The Strangers have been misplaced. Martin goes to take a follow up statement on “Elias’s” request and finds himself at the address of an decrepit building, meanwhile Jon is getting himself into trouble. Sasha keeps finding things missing in artifact storage, and Tim has been demoted from doing anything even slightly important.

A Not Them version of Peter Lucas starts to hang around The Institute a lot. They’re always in Elias’s office to talk about “updates” on the circus situation, or just hanging around the break room trying to ask Martin how stopping The Unknowing’s going. They’re just this looming presence that no one in the main cast knows what to make of.

A Not Them version of Gertrude starts to send her assistants on more and more terrifying tasks. They ask Eric to stick his arm in the mouth of a flesh creature to “make sure nothing’s in there.” They ask Fiona to work in the dark because “studies have shown it increases productivity.” They give Michael conflicting and confusing tasks that he could never actually complete then act disappointed when he “fails.” They fed off the fear of Gertrude’s assistants like a five course meal.

A Not Them version of Daisy encourages Jon to add less security to The Archives since they’re there to protect everyone now. They don’t need all the sprinklers, or panic rooms, or fire extinguishers. All they need is good old reliable Daisy.
A Not Them version of Basira is extremely encouraging of Jon to put himself in danger to find answers. They tell him it wouldn’t be a half bad idea to explore the theater alone since, “less numbers mean less of a chance of getting caught.” They tell him that if they find the singing coffin he, Martin, Tim, and Sasha should consider going inside so “they know for sure what’s in there.” They tell him that he should handle the artifacts in storage more to make sure they don’t have any answers. They’re Jon’s worst enabler so they can fed off the fear that comes from his bad decisions.

A Not Them version of Georgie really wants to be involved with Jon’s statements all of the sudden. They start sitting with him while he reads, and asking him follow up questions because they’re just so nervous about what Jon’s got himself into. Jon is so happy to have the support that he would completely unaware that anything was wrong if The Admiral didn’t start hissing at Georgie all the sudden.

A Not Them version of Gerard Keay starts to collect Leitner’s instead of burning them. They tell Gertrude that they should rethink the way they view Leitner’s as they could be used if they were hoarded while they can’t if they’re discarded. Gertrude catches on within a day.