2025-10-03 16:38:23 ¶ ●

Trying to word this correctly…

Coming back to the series starting with season 3 has me realizing that, maybe, my true beef when it comes to the concept of the others being ‘mean’ to Jon (not gonna get into that) is that the narrative just seems to be punishing Jon for… being in the narrative.

Like. Like I said. Trying to word it correctly.

The narrative is very. Meta. Very aware of its existence as a horror podcast. In a way. After a point. It starts to treat Jon. Enacting? Being a part of the tropes? Of doing the things horror podcasts do? Okay. Let me. Hmm.

The characters and the narrative essentially say that, if Jon didn’t record or read the statements then, obviously, none of the plot would have happened to him. He wouldn’t have become compelled to and he wouldn’t have Become™️. But. Then there wouldn’t have been a podcast. It doesn’t feel like Jon is having the natural ‘consequences’ for choices HE made within the plot because the ‘choices’ were necessary to the vehicle that the plot was delivered to the listeners.

Does that make sense?

It’s like. If one of those found footage horror movies had a moment where it’s revealed that had they not decided to record anything that nothing bad would’ve happened to them. That’s what it feels like.

If Jon didn’t read the statement and record them then he wouldn’t have been a linchpin to the apocalypse. Full stop. None of his worse actions would have happened. But that’s a part of being in a horror podcast. That’s nothing to do with the horror itself. The Magnus Archives cannot be adapted to any other medium in any faithful way because it would remove that aspect. It would fall apart, narratively.

I don’t know. I’m not a smart person. This is just what it feels like EVERY. TIME. I get to the part where they’re constantly telling Jon to stop recording and stop reading. He CAN’T make that choice. There wouldn’t be a podcast otherwise.