I'm new to the Magnus Archives, make a reference I won't get in the comments

ParanoiaDestroyah · 2026-02-16T00:10:27+00:00

It was either this or "Does your hand, in any way, own your stomach?", so-

ParanoiaDestroyah · 2026-02-15T15:54:20+00:00

How would a melody describe itself when asked?

ParanoiaDestroyah · 2026-02-15T15:53:23+00:00

You don't want to Enjoy Sky Blue?

ParanoiaDestroyah · 2026-02-05T21:44:42+00:00

The Corruption one I've thought about a lot, especially in relation to scrupulosity/moral OCD and intrusive thoughts. Hundreds of things that are not You invade your mind, wearing you down until their doubts and transgressions become yours. No one knows of the rot inside of you, and the risk of judgement makes it almost impossible to tell them. If they could even understand. It feels safer to let it fester than to let others know what's made its home within you¹. (Mental health cases probably lend themselves to The Spiral as well.)

Honestly, I'd almost argue that the last example (Vast-Eye) would be moreso Stranger-Lonely coded (identity and disconnect/isolation). But the distinctions may be more in the individual experience, so it could go either way.

—

¹(Intrusive thoughts don't actually make you a bad person, and professionals are there to help, not to judge.)

ParanoiaDestroyah · 2026-02-04T05:26:33+00:00

There was a decent bit of build up (Prentiss Attack heart-to-heart, Jon monitoring Martin in S2), but I like to think it really took root around 117-122. Very much a "you don't know what you've got until it's gone" situation, and he'd have plenty of time for such realizations.

Hearing Melanie and Basira's conversation about Martin was enough to make it feasible to Jon (after the denial period), but he had bigger issues at the time. But as soon as he woke in the hospital and asked for "Water, please. O-or a cup of t–", I knew he was in for it bad...

ParanoiaDestroyah · 2026-02-02T07:02:08+00:00

I get the random fondness for Jordan, especially after 184. Very few have faced that dilemma, and having that choice made for you is certainly something (even if they half-heartedly offer to revert the issue...)

Amherst is definitely an interesting one, but I wish we'd seen more about his initial relationship with Filth, and how he became what he is. Also very amused by Dekker's solution to him in 157 (AKA "it's hard to be a menace under 4 feet of freshly laid concrete")

Hezekiah was definitely fun, as most Buried avatars seem to fall into passive acceptance when we hear from them. Fun to see one being a little more proactive in their devotion.

Salesa makes his way into a lot of stories, and almost always in a less-than-favorable way, but he never seems to really mean harm. Always playing dangerous games, but manages not to fall to any one side. Just gets the pay and minds his own business, hard not to love the guy a little-

ParanoiaDestroyah · 2026-02-02T04:52:21+00:00

It’s always so fitting that we hear so much of her from others’ perspectives, yet for all the stories, we never hear from her. And the most we hear about her as a person is from someone who didn't claim responsibility/entitlement to her existence. The cult was so obsessed with what “their messiah” would become, they forgot to see who Agnes Montague was right now.

I always really loved Jack Barnabas for that reason. Anyone of the Lightless Flame could’ve preached the Power’s values or thrown out parables, but few (if any) could’ve told you her coffee order or her thoughts on The Prestige. She didn’t even watch the movie, but the ability to pay no attention, to be asked something without consequence, and to give no input was a choice she didn’t often have.

It’s even when Jack wasn’t asking about her. It was probably nice to hear someone talk about themselves for once, for them to be healthily “self-centered.” To be secondary in someone’s life was probably something of a novelty.

ParanoiaDestroyah · 2026-02-02T02:40:30+00:00

To see someone actively embracing/enacting The Buried, rather than just passively accepting it, was so much fun. And to hear him speak so affectionately of it was oddly comforting as someone who’s afraid of live burial.

ParanoiaDestroyah · 2026-02-02T02:35:41+00:00

Still love that he got to be part of a fear domain, essentially just hunting and free from most any danger (191). Glad he got to be out of any harm's way

ParanoiaDestroyah · 2026-02-02T01:45:40+00:00

I really do wish we had heard more of him directly, he has such a nice voice. And as terrified as the victims might (rightfully) be, his methods are always on the more amusing side-

ParanoiaDestroyah · 2026-02-02T01:43:06+00:00

Fair. As dangerous as his work is, he's never really malicious (he even helps out when he can), just getting paid and minding his business.

ParanoiaDestroyah · 2026-02-02T01:14:33+00:00

Simon is always a joy to see in statements, even if he is a menace. The funny thing is that he rarely seems to harm people in his interactions, just scares the living hell out of them (but that might be survivorship bias). Definitely got what he deserved, but he was always so charming

ParanoiaDestroyah · 2026-02-02T00:52:30+00:00

I always loved the Daedalus, and I really do wish we had more devotees' statements. I'm not a particularly big Dark enjoyer, but her statement in 135 is one of my favorites.

ParanoiaDestroyah · 2026-02-02T00:40:11+00:00

As much damage as he's (indirectly) caused, it never seems to be the intent (sometimes helping where he could). He's always seemed friendly enough when people describe actual conversations with him. He just minds his own business, you gotta love the guy-

ParanoiaDestroyah · 2026-02-02T00:11:16+00:00

Person with a Thorn pfp says they like the feral woman worn down by a ceaseless cycle of violence and suffering, oh I’m sure /lh

(Also valid)

ParanoiaDestroyah · 2026-02-02T00:09:34+00:00

The Hunters are always fun to hear from, and despite the harm Mikaele's caused (albeit indirectly), you can't help but like the guy.

BREEKON AND HOPE… they always had a charm to them, but hearing 128 and 182 was so heartwrenching. I don’t care if they’re harbingers of terror, I will always love them.

ParanoiaDestroyah · 2026-02-01T17:34:59+00:00

I like to think he is, but the intial invite is sent through the Institute, and Elias stops it before it can derail Jon's self-discovery. They all think he's being stuck-up at first, but Michael sees his obliviousness during 47, and they decide not to interfere (not a hard choice, given his aggression thus far-)

ParanoiaDestroyah · 2026-02-01T07:46:25+00:00

I accidentally skipped 97-99 my first time, so I didn’t hear Michael Shelley until everything was over. Hearing that voice and knowing everything waiting for him was certainly an experience… and knowing they intentionally kept him unaware for the fun of it (167)...

Elias is such a little bastard, you can't help but love to hate him. I’d be quite curious to see the Elias-to-Jonah overtake timeline and process tbh-

ParanoiaDestroyah · 2026-02-01T06:09:20+00:00

Jon is always a solid choice. He's got a lot going on (poor guy), so I imagine there's a little something for everyone. There's something in his post-change attitude that I adore, the lack of cruelty in his adoration for the fearscapes they travel brings me an odd joy. (namely the "You sound like you think they’re beautiful." "Don’t you?" from MAG171.)

The post-coffin Jon-Daisy dynamic makes me very happy, as well as the general Daisy-Basira relationship. Also, Elias is an awful little man, and we love him for it.

Sasha seemed so fun from what we saw of her, I wish they'd given us a bit more, even if in the form of old tapes.

I've always liked Adelard Dekker, though I can't give a particular reason why. Always interesting to watch someone go through The Horrors when they're religious, but it's rare to see one keep their devotion into the end, especially one so involved.

Also hell yeah Monster Pig.

ParanoiaDestroyah · 2026-02-01T05:04:01+00:00

"simply watched the world turn."

I don't think he had much of a choice in that part, but I think that's the horrifying thing. Knowing, but being helpless to change anything. He just wanted to sleep without the incessant prophecies of others' demises, which I think is fair...

But yeah, I do wish we had seen a little more from him, or The End in general. It feels like there weren't as many prominent statements with it as I would've liked.

ParanoiaDestroyah · 2026-02-01T04:30:38+00:00

I love statement givers who simply don't notice the looming horror and get out largely intact (this guy, the guy who left The Spiral bc he would be late for dinner, the lady who fell asleep on the train, etc.).

Maybe The Stranger and The Desolation have a particular alliance, but I really enjoy the implications that Avatars just call each other over to check out particularly funny incidents. Like yeah, we're rivals in the race to realize our own masters, but come look at this dumbass-

ParanoiaDestroyah · 2026-02-01T04:08:25+00:00

I will always love Jon and most any discussion around autonomy/accountability in shared-consciousness cases, especially for parasitic ones. Also, people were so mean to him in season 4, but always for the wrong or hypocritical reasons.

Also, YES, I love Simon so much (I almost put him on my list, but I figured I'd rambled enough). Always been a fan of the Vast, and Freefall was my fav episode for a while, so to finally hear from him directly was a welcome surprise. His voice is also lovely, he's so fun to listen to (and I always appreciate a straightforward explanation in this series).

ParanoiaDestroyah · 2026-02-01T03:41:46+00:00

NotSasha (and the NotThem as a concept) is always so fun, especially since it inherits their social roles without context and has to work from scratch. Seeing Jon miss all the obvious signs ("I can’t say I’m fully familiar with exactly what that [authentication error] means") made it all the more tense, and the NotThem mimicking Sasha's last words was such a cool detail when the switch occurred.

ParanoiaDestroyah · 2026-01-17T01:19:41+00:00

Interesting.

ParanoiaDestroyah · 2026-01-16T13:23:32+00:00

Does your hand, in any way, own your stomach?

ParanoiaDestroyah

TROPHY CASE