I actually think it’s extremely important from a character standpoint that Jon and Martin bicker so much throughout Season 5.
From the standpoint of Martin’s character: Martin is someone who’s always been entangled by The Lonely. When we first met him he was passive, and kind, and really just wants to be liked despite Jon’s irrational annoyance.
That’s why it’s so important that he learns to stand up for himself and advocate for his own feelings. Not just to anyone either, but to Jon, who he’s always wanted the approval of.
If Martin bit his tongue and just went along with everything he wanted, then it would show that he hasn’t grown a lot since the early seasons where he put “keeping the peace” over his own feelings. in this case his loud disagreement is a good thing because it means that he’s grown into someone who’s comfortable standing up for himself in his relationship.
From the standpoint of Jon’s character: Jon need’s someone to be willing to disagree with him in Season 5.
At the start of season 5, Jon has basically given up. He’s wasting away in the cabin, blaming himself for the end of the world and thinking that he can’t fix it. It’s Martin’s willingness to contradict Jon and go “I think there’s still hope. I think there’s still a world to be saved,” that pushes him to get out of bed.
Then during the apocalypse when they start disagreeing on how to handle saving the world and the merits of vengeance, Jon still needs to have those disagreements. Both because those new relationship hurdles are a reminder of the human connection he’s working to keep, but also because it forces him to consider a perspective that’s not his own.
The Eye is chipping away at his humanity, and everyone else in the apocalypse is treating him like he’s a God. He DESPERATELY needs someone to remind him “ Hey. You aren’t inherently right because you’re The Archivist. Let’s also consider other people’s points of view,” due the situation.
From a character standpoint I think a lot of Martin and Jon’s arguing is actually a really interesting showcase to where they both are as people by Season 5 and indictive of their character development. Also they’re in the apocalypse and that totally contributes.
It’s so hot today that I made that I’m headcanoning The Magnus Archives characters favorite ice cream flavors:
Jon - Rum Raisin
Martin - Vanilla
Tim - Cookies And Cream
Sasha - Neapolitan
Melanie - Birthday Cake
Georgie - Cheesecake
Basira - Salted Caramel
Daisy - She doesn’t like ice cream but she really likes snow cones. The blue ones in specific.
Peter - Mango
Elias - Coffee
Gertrude - Cookie Dough
Gerard - Mint Chocolate Chip
Michael Shelley - Cotton Candy
In a world of fears that manifest into real monsters, people still probably have very mundane fears. So here are my headcanon’s on the more normal fears the TMA characters have that aren’t related to their day to day fear dealing.
Jon is terrified of public speaking. It’s a bit ironic considering how much he makes statements, but statements can be redone while mispronouncing a word or having a vocal crack at the wrong time can’t. At least in Jon’s mind. He wants people to take him seriously so the idea of having a flub in public is terrifying.
Peter Lucas is scared of frogs. He found one in his cabin bed one time right after boarding and it jumped at him. He hasn’t liked them since.
Melanie King is scared of vomit or vomiting. No “real” reason as to why, it’s just really gross.
Before the college incident happened Georgie was terrified of the concept of The Headless Horseman. It was one of the first scary stories she read as a kid and it stuck with her so deeply that just the sound of a horse walking around at night could freak her out a little.
Gerard Keay doesn’t like horses. He doesn’t like that something is that large and NOT a fear entity. Their eyes being on the side of their face freak him out too.
Martin is scared of thunder. He doesn’t like loud sudden noises and that’s basically the entire bit of what thunder is.
Michael Shelley was scared of empty rooms. Being in a new house would freak him out so bad because he hated not having furniture set up. It made the space look unnaturally wide and he didn’t like it.
Elias has a fear of germs. He’s very generous about giving people sick days because he’s being very honest when he says he doesn’t want anyone coming in if they have the flu or something.
Sasha is scared of large bodies of water. She likes knowing what’s going on around her at all times, and it’s hard to know what’s going on in a sea. The idea of a fish grazing against her foot while she swims is her worst nightmare.
Basira doesn’t do roller coasters. She hates the speed, the fast movements, and having to trust that it’s well built. Nothing about them is enjoyable to her.
Daisy doesn’t like dentists. She doesn’t do teeth stuff in general and she really doesn’t like the feeling of vulnerability that comes from someone poking around your mouth.
Tim is scared of geese. He got attacked by one in college and ever since then he sprints by geese whenever he see’s them. Sasha has so many videos of him in a dead sprint on her phone.
Gertrude has a fear of developing a phobia.
What I think The Magnus Archive character’s smell like:
Jon - Jon smells like old books that were left in a room with an air freshener all day, meaning that he smells like any library that’s existed for more than a decade. The way he smells is not helping the “Jon is old” allegations that his coworkers give him.
Martin - Martin smells a bit like tea, which isn’t a surprise to anyone considering how much he makes. But he also smells a lot like peppermint because of a hand lotion he uses. (Bonus headcanon that Jon used to not like the scent of mint, but by Season 4 he has a bowl of peppermints on his desk.)
Tim - Tim smells like a noticeable body spray that would be applied by frat boys and apparently Magnus Institute workers. Most people couldn’t pull the scent off, but there’s something about his general demur that makes the smell seem to suit him more than it should.
Sasha - Sasha smells like a coffee shop. She smells warm and sweet like hot chocolate and cinnamon rolls being served as a treat. The way she smells is very comfortable and welcoming.
Melanie - If you asked Melanie this question she would say that she doesn’t smell strong of anything. However, if you Georgie would say that smells faintly like coconut deodorant and hair dye. This is because Georgie likes women.
Georgie - Georgie smells like green apple because of the soap and shampoo she uses.
Basira - Basira smells like a mix of coffee and a room full of house plants combined into one. Being around her is like being around the physical embodiment of a sunroom.
Daisy - Daisy smells like a spring day. She smells like soil soaked by rain and a forest full of pine trees who’s cones are in bloom. She has this very natural smell about her that couldn’t be replicated by any cologne or shampoo.
Peter - Peter smells like saltwater. No matter where he goes he the the ocean follows him.
Elias - Elas somehow smells exactly like an eye doctor’s office. It’s not on purpose, he just achieves that uncomfortable clinical smell naturally.
Gertrude - Gertrude has smelt like the wick of a candle that was just went out ever since her ritual with The Desolation. Before that she had a slight orange smell that she expects clung to her clothes from her daily lunchtime snack, but that was a long time ago.
Gerard - Gerard’s clothes reek of smoke. Between his cigarette habit and his book burning he smells like a dirty chimney being lit most of the time, with the only expectation being late at night when he paints. He smells like watercolor and acrylic then. Though it’s always fleeting.
Michael Shelley - Michael smells soft like laundry that was just taken out of the dryer. When Distortion Michael has a smell he smells like laundry that was just taken out of the dryer but also tv static mixed with coffee cake and lilac. Maybe.
Helen Richardson - Helen Richardson smells like her favorite strawberry lotion and perfume. Distortion Helen smells like strong lemon cleaning products, making her smell like a sterile hotel lobby in a way that’s both familiar and distressing. She has a much more consistent scent than Distortion Michael since she’s a bit more stable. But it’s still unsettling.