Elias is, first and foremost, a genius businessman. He’s not a threat because he’s powerful (either physically, supernaturally, socially, or economically– although it’s clear he could be a threat on all spheres), but because he’s fantastic at all the necessary skills for running a business.
Excellent at forward planning. Excels at scheduling. We make fun of how sloppily it seems he was in leading Jon to getting the Marks, but given the time frame, it’s incredible that he somehow got all of them in in under two years.
Sends the Oh No It’s The Apocalypse statement when Jon is far, far out of the country and can’t just walk up to the panopticon and stab him a minute later.
Sets up a whole respectable academic organization where he not only feeds off of his employees (as per this post) but also has a passive stream of endless Food coming in (as per @archivalhaven’s post), just delivering their fear on a silver platter.
Was willing to wait 200 years for an employee who fit his longterm goals. Incredible. I can’t even wait 2 minutes to microwave frozen pancakes, this guy’s willing to wait 2 centuries for some good yummy delicious food.
tim: the only reason you’re not head archivist is because elias bouchard is sexist. this would never have happened under james wright!
sasha: yeah! james wright believed in woman’s rights! Most of gertrude’s assistants were women too!
tim: he knew how to hire qualified and competent women!
[camera pans to the state of the archives. it’s in complete disarray. there are stacks of papers everywhere. nothing is filed properly]
tim: … qualified women. they were qualified at least.
sasha: there’s a pile of takeout receipts in this box labeled ‘unsolved’.
tim: 😐
sasha: 😑
interviewer: given the chaotic state of the archives, why do you believe gertrude robinson was hired?
sasha: she probably had blackmail on James Wright
tim: or maybe he was into her, and her promotion was some sorta flirting attempt
elias: I heard her cat passed away shortly before her promotion. I suspect she got it out of pity.
…
jon: James Wright just closed his eyes and chose a name at random.
jon: Jonah Magnus would be rolling in his grave if he saw James Wright’s hiring process.
the magnus archives asks the question of What if you went through something horrible. what if you experienced unspeakable trauma. and whether or not you survive is irrelevant, because it changed you so fundamentally that not only does no one extend any sympathy towards you, but you’re now looked upon with fear and disgust for what you’ve become. you will forever be seen as a monster.
and maybe you are.
back on my soap box screaming about how these Fear Entities aren’t even feeding off of fear.
There seems to be two ways the Fear Entities feed: actively and passively
Actively is when they manifest into the world. Instances of something blatantly supernatural happening. Every statement recorded is an example of the entities actively manifesting and feeding.
Passively, however, is when natural things happen, causing people to feel negative emotions associated with the entities. Elias feeding off of the Institute employees’ discomfort and paranoia, for example.
These negative emotions that they feed off of are often not even fear. ‘Fear Entities’ is practically a misnomer. As for what each feeds off of, let’s try for a messy quick run-down:
corruption -> disgust
end -> sense of finitude
extinction -> existential dread
vast -> nihilism
buried -> helplessness
desolation -> greif, loss
hunt-> fight or flight reflex. prey instincts.
slaughter-> anger. jump scares; flinch instinct. basically Fear Classic ™.
flesh -> feeling of a lack of (bodily) autonomy, your (physical) body being used in a way you don’t approve of (as opposed to the web, which uses you and your personhood in a way you don’t approve of.)
web -> powerlessness; loss of control, lack of autonomy
spiral -> distrust (in yourself, in others, usually both at once)
stranger -> paranoia, generalized unsettled feeling
lonely -> numbness, apathy with a hint of self-loathing
eye -> shame, guilt, feeling of violation
dark-> anxiety. over possibilities that you can’t even imagine. because you’re.. you’re in the dark about them–
(follow-up post)
