Literature degree:[]
Can someone who is able to edit this page (I cannot as it is protected) add that Jon has a literature degree. Source is the deluxe MAG 17 transcript ( https://www.patreon.com/posts/nobles-mag017-47153765 )
Jon's name[]
i am a sleep deprived high-schooler but autism be damned i am still here, obsessing over tma. and i need his name to be jon not john its just because he's referred to that way much more often thank you for taking the time out of your hopefully lovely day to read my poorly grammared opinion im literally an author im sorry GO DRINK WATER AND EAT SMTH AUTISM BE DAMNED
"unspecified pronouns"[]
In the source which is connected to John's pronouns Jonny states that the use of they for John, by his editor in a transcript, does not reflect anything within the canon text. And if said thing is not canon I dont think it should be listed on the Wiki. Within the text John is referred to entirely with he him and as far as we know has no objection to this.
- Yeah, that edit should've been reverted, it must've snuck past me.
- DrTeatime (talk)
Jon's Powers over the Tapes[]
I've never added anything to a wiki page before, let alone a talk page, so I apologize if I don't do this correctly. I literally just made this account about an hour ago so I could put this here, so again I must apologize for any improper etiquette. With the excuses out of the way I will make my point. I do not believe there should be a "wrongly assumed powers" section where it claims that the tapes purely manifested due to Annabelle Cane and the Mother of Puppets.
I believe this view of the nature of the tapes and recorders originates from episode 197 "Connected." However, I strongly disagree with the current wiki page's assertion that "They do not manifest due to Jon's connection to The Eye but the work of Annabelle Can and the Web." Annabelle never claims that she nor the Mother manifested the tape recorders. Jon himself does not know for sure, either. Basira asks "So. The tapes. They’re from the Web, then?" and Jon replies, "Looks like it." but he does not Know, simply says it appears that way to him. If he knew for sure, he would just say "Yes" like he has for every other question he has definitively Known the answer to. And I believe in this instance Jon is getting caught up (heh) on how the Web clearly planned to use the magnetic tape to spin this web this whole time, and focusing less on the actual physical manifestation of the tapes or his will to turn them on. I feel as though if we were expected to understand that explicitly the tape recorders turning on and off and appearing from the ether were supposed to be entirely from the Web, then such ambiguous language would not have been used.
During their actual conversation with Annabelle, she says specifically "We found the one we believed most likely to bring about their manifestation. We marked him young, guided his path as best we could. And then, we took his voice. His, and those he walked with. We inscribed them on shining strands of word and meaning, and used them to weave a web which cast itself out through the gate and beyond our universe." She does not say anything about controlling the tape recorders, simply that they "took" Jon's voice, which in my mind invokes the imagery of a spider snatching a tape that has already been made. Additionally, if tapes had randomly been going missing so that Annabelle could spin this web, wouldn't Jon have noticed? I feel as though its implied that the Spider was simply listening through the recordings (there are many comments made throughout the series akin to "do you even know whos listening?"), and then making their own copies to use in their grand endeavor. For example in episode 147, Annabelle had a copy of episode 1, but I do not recall it ever being mentioned that that tape went missing (of course I could be mistaken or have forgotten that being mentioned). I also feel the need to note that Annabelle could very well be wording things in a deliberately manipulative way, as instilling paranoia that Jon's actions are not his own is a very potent way to emotionally compromise him. A lot of what Annabelle said directly conflicts with what Jonah said in episode 160, where he put an extremely strong emphasis on how Jon was no one special, just someone Jonah Chose. It could be said that this is just Jonah's own inflated ego, being either unable or unwilling to See that his choices and desires were all actually in service of the Web. And while all of those are important considerations, ultimately all of these things are meant to invoke the existential horror of what is and is not personal choice. Annabelle with her "your entire life has been a setup for this moment" perspective and Jonah with his "this was simply your own bad luck" perspective. Where you land in your own personal beliefs after finishing the show is up to you, but should ultimately be up to the listener. It is my own personal belief that the tape recorders, at least for the majority of the time, manifest at Jon's will. I know this is not an unpopular opinion, but I will specify it nonetheless. The way I see it, they correlate too strongly with what Jonathan personally wants to hear and wants others to hear. For example, in season 4, tapes don't turn on when he feeds on innocents, because he does not want them to. The Web has no vested interest in keeping Jon's secrets, and the tapes have exposed him for things before. If anything, Jon assuming they would "just turn on when they're important" sounds like he's using the Spider as a scapegoat to avoid acknowledging that his own desires are what prevented the tape from turning on. Additionally, tapes do not begin randomly manifesting or turning themselves on until Jon's powers develop past a certain point. It's noted that the tapes have a fondness for Martin. Martin speaks into the tapes as if they are a direct line to Jon (and in many cases, for all intents and purposes, they are.) On the boat in episode 141 the tape recorder turns itself on, because Jon can sense that there is someone there to take a statement from. Martin holds up a tape to Jon in episode 146 and Jon just Knows what's on it without even trying, which I always felt implied the tapes were extensions of him. Tapes will often turn on when Jon is just about to enter a room. There are many more examples but these are all off the top of my head.
I do not doubt that the Web could control tape recorders if it wanted to. I would not even dispute the possibility that there have been moments specifically recorded by the Mother. In fact, I could easily believe that the tape recorders are a joint manifestation of both the Eye and the Web. That feels thematically poignant to me, if nothing else. The Eye imprints the Meaning, and the Spider spins its Web with that Meaning.
Ultimately, I am ambivalent as to whether the section about tape recorders be removed entirely, changed to clarify that it is unclear if it is truly Jon's power or not, or acknowledges he probably largely controls them. It just bothers me that something that is not explicitly canon (in my view, based on the evidence I have) has been placed on this wiki page as if it is fact. On Annabelle's own wiki page, her entire personal history has a warning at the beginning clarifying that she could simply be lying or altering information in order to manipulate Jon or the listeners. I think this is a good practice, and in the case of Cane's wiki page, the warning is there even for all of her directly stated claims. I personally feel as though calling tape recorder manifestation a "wrongly assumed power" does a disservice to the purposeful ambiguity of much of the show between what is immutable destiny and what is simply bad luck, and prefer these types of things to be left up to the listener. Or at the very least have some kind of caveat next to them.
Thank you for your consideration.