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.