Entry 2

The Magnus Archives Speculations

Since items can be associated with Entities, and I feel like Gertrude was associated with the Eye, could the tape recorders that Martin and Jon use be connected to the Eye? Are people with predispositions to specific Entities drawn to their items?

The 14 spoke room under Leitner’s office is the biggest, shiniest red flag

Side note: false walls have come up twice now.  Are there more false walls that we need to be on the lookout for?

Does Gerard keep a journal, or his own set of tapes, or can he record things on his phone?

How often does the Lukas family boat sacrifice someone to the Lonely? Is it every trip? Every season? Any astrological connections?

Who is Elias affiliated with? Who was Sasha affiliated with? I'm leaning towards Tim being associated with Balance, if anything. Are their affiliated Entities aligned?

Jonah Magnus-what was his affiliation? Did he know Smirke? (Should be able to look that up). Why did he build the institute?

note: based on future eps, yes; he knew Smirke and they did not get along. 

Episode 49:

Loreda (connected to the Lukas Family shipping?)

Episode 50:

The Balance is it’s own problem 

Tim is adorable and a dork and I wonder if he’s actually a cat burglar 

I’m also glad that Jon is getting physical therapy

I really appreciate that we get these little snippets of Jon actually trying to take care of himself. Or at least someone is bullying him into it and I appreciate that person

You know who I’ve face claimed for Tim? Chris Hemsworth in that one movie where he’s the pretty one and everyone else is a competent woman. You know the one?

GHOSTBUSTERS!! That one

I feel like I need to start writing down landmarks and keeping track which architect built what. I'm also this close )( to making an excel spreadsheet that tracks dates and Entities. This is ridiculous. But also feels slightly saner than just a mssive board with red string. Jon, stop doing Archivist speedruns. 

Episode 51:

Simon Fairchilde comes up again. I’m beginning to trust him as much as I trust the Lukas family

I wonder who covers the Sea: The Vast and The Buried prolly

Entering a state of meditation or something like it is also a common thread through all theses events - fear or deep calm

The thing Simon yelled after: was it “Enjoy Deep Blue”? Because it’s a riff on what he said to Robert Kelly (ep 21) but it makes more sense for the Sea

We’re seeing a lot more of the entities as they really are

The Buried is a squat man with keys

The Flesh is a Maw

The Vast is .. Vast (exactly how Ex Altiora described it)

Was this entire trip an actual thing that Simon was interested in or was it simply an offering to his Entity? It seems like the latter. Do they pick people who match the temperament of their Entity? That seems likely based on a few of the stories

Jon is an idiot:

Oh look, there’s the scalpel likely from 45- Bloodbag

Oh look, an eye like the one that showed up when Gerard was doing his shit with the fire

The oak wardrobe is interesting: the Vast? The Buried? Is there a Darkness Entity? I’ve tried to stop spoiling myself if the Entities so I only know a few 

Is Disease an Entity?

Now why would Sasha suddenly have a lot of insight into the table, Jon? Don’t you think that’s important, Jon? No?

You DipShit (I say in the most exasperated, loving way)

Anyways, oh look: the table is related to the Spider, not the Eye. Good to know. 

Episode 52:

Jon, you awkward piece of shit. Also, Bassira trying to let him down gently is adorbs. 

A little cruel: “you know, with scars like yours but he can pull it off” - that must have hurt

I wonder how Martin feels about the fact that Jon is “straight” at least based on gossip from Tim. Or does he listen to the gossip from Tim?

Episode 53:

Wow, there is a lot to unpack there. 

Implication: at that time, September 1997, Gertrude Robinson was not affiliated with the the Eye. She died in March 2015. That’s 18 years to change her mind. She was 52 at time of recording. 

Bronze or Brass keep the Eye at bay? Were there other signs or symbols there that Walter didn’t notice that could have been doing it??

The Archive is property of the Eye. I get the feeling that the Archivist is a chosen of the Eye whether they like it or not

Side note: why the hell did Jon stab himself with a bread knife???? Was it a reaction to the feeling of worms or was it due to Michael? It sounds like a cover story for the thing with Michael. In that case, why a bread knife?? Those aren't effective. Even saying a plastic knife broke in your hand and ricocheted makes more sense. 

Overall, this feels like an episode that needs to be relistened to

Not!Sasha is “dating” someone. Can the Nots date or do they go through the motions to blend in? Is she dating another Not or is she actually dating someone to keep cover? Also, why does Tom sound so much like Tim?

Episode 54:

Daniel Rawlings and Sarah Baldwin - the smoking to hide a strange smell - the Flesh??

Something else?

Is the tiger in the window the Tiger from the Strange Circus? Weird long shot, but here we are

Oh look: the cockney boys are back. So, the Stranger, not the Flesh

Does this mean Sarah Baldwin is associated with the Stranger?

Oh hi Angler Fish

I love Jon for being all “I don’t trust my assistants but I don’t knowingly send them to their deaths or worse”

Of fucking course Not!Sasha volunteers to go check out the Not hideaway. And of course she finds nothing. 

Daniel Rawlings - episode 1 angler fish - fucking called it

Also; really Jon? You broke into her place?? Smart, real smart. I wonder if Tim or Martin could have given him tips. 

Other note: how and why did Gertrude Robinson pay for her flat for about 2.5 years past the point of her death??? That’s both really weird and expensive. That’s 2.5 years of rent. Most people don’t have that kind of disposable income lying around. 

Oh look, the Eye is showing up connected to Gertrude again. Quel surprise. 

Of more interest to me would have been what histories was she interested in. 

Episode 55: 

“I even got a good night’s sleep. I miss those days.” Oh Jon, baby. I'd recommend therapy if I thought it would do any good. Maybe a nice benadryl nap?

Beyond that: sickly sweet smell of rot and insects. Sounds like the Worm?? But more than that. 

Srsly: there has to be a Disease of some description. 

Can Entities corrupt each other? Or corrupt scions of Entities???

Episode 56:

Incredibly ominous title

The Hunt. It can’t be anything but the Hunt. 

Jon’s little “what” when Martin confesses is the most hilarious thing I’ve heard in a while. Martin, if you don’t suspect Jon is up to something, I have no more respect for you. 

Episode 57:

Oh look, the Lukas family. So, the Lonely is showing up. 

Also, I expected Simon Fairchilde to show up, since Space = The Vast

Oh look, there he is. Fairchilde, Lukas, Lietner. I’m so surprised /s. 

I wonder if the Lukas Family owning the Institute a very long con to gain control of the Eye? 

I suspect Elias. Of what, not sure. I suspect him. 

Also, Not!Sasha not liking being recorded: why? Side note: Jon, Michael straight up (the most straightforward thing in this entire series up to now) told you not to trust Sasha. Maybe consider it?

Episode 58;

How the shit did the Magnus Institute get this?

The implication seems to be that there is only one (1) Institute. It has many incarnations and they move around, but there is Always One. 

“Come meat, be my guest and let thy gifts to me be blessed”. I wonder if others say that?

Jon; while I respect your paranoia, you need to get help. Why the heck does Martin still like you?!

Episode 59:

Intro: spider or hermit?

Raymond Fielding - name from episode 8. I wonder if Annie will mentioned? She seems to show up in quite a few of these. 

7:55- No, the shit?? An Entity that cares?? That is very weird

Placid- like Robert Montauk? It feels familiar

10:41 - The Spiral?? 

The Spider (its both)

Given all the other things that have happened in that house, with the little girl; it feels like several Entities fighting over a patch of land that’s important to them. 

Living there lulled them into a sense of complacency like a spider lulls it’s prey. 

Each Sunday, those were worship sessions to the Spider, weren’t they. 

Also, apples seem to be a big thing across several of the Entities. The apple tree that got uprooted in ep8, with its roots full of spiders. 

It’s weird that Raymond was a devout churchgoer. 

14:49 - that kiss, was a benediction? A protection against Raymond? Had Anges chosen Ronald Sinclair for something?

Does the Spider do those monotonous repetitious tasks because they take up time? Because they make the meal/sacrifice sweeter?

18:38 - not a Spider but a Web!!!

Also, called it. Agnes did something with that kiss. She chose Ronald for something. Spared him for some reason. It might have been just a random stroke of luck. 

Fire/intense Heat relates to an Entity but not the Web. 

After supplemental: Jon, they’re avoiding you because you’re scaring them, not because they’re planning something

Episode 60:

Oh look, the Eye (I’ve now made a game of guessing who the Entity (ies) involves are just based on the opening statement 

This is the first time he hasn’t given a date of statement. The hell? Nope, my memory is just shit. There’ve been a number of times. 

Before supplement: Huh. This statement kinda wreck my supposition that the Institute is a hallmark for the Eye. Unless it really is, and she was planning to destroy it. Then, this supports my theory. 

Christ, I feel like I need to make a timeline and put dates/affiliation for each event together. There are clearly “holy” days associated with each Entity. 

I wonder if Christopher died of a stroke caused by something else?

Oh look; the intervention. Saw that one coming. I’m at the beginning and I wonder if Jon will get violent. It feels fitting that this happened in an episode that involves being watched, observed, and Known. 

Entry 1

The Magnus Archives. So, despite being a weenie and hating (Japanese) horror, I started listening to it because friends recommended it. Oh no, I love it. And because I started feeling bad about talking my friend’s ear off, I decided to start this, just to have a place to dump all my fan theories and speculations, because I don’t want to read all the spoilers. I think spoilers are a thing that can ruin a mystery. I will post what episode I’m on at the beginning of each post; please don’t spoil things for me!

For context; this is after I finished listening to season 1 and am 5 eps deep into season 2. I have spoiled myself of a few things, but not many.

Anyways, on with the speculative rants:

-Not!Sasha is creepy and I love/hate it

-I’m surprised that Spiders and Worms got broken out into 2 different entities instead of having 1 for insects. Would have made more sense. Also strange that there doesn’t seem to be an Entity around the Pain. If the Eye is knowing and being known, then there should be an Entity related to being hurt (emotionally).

- The Distortion is great

-While I understand from a meta reason why a Fear will destroy your love of something because that is what fears do. They take something you love and they twist it until you can’t do it anymore. Regardless of that; I hate that there are several very clear examples of a Fear/Entity taking something that a woman loves doing alone and destroying it. That doesn’t sit right with me.

- Gerard just keeps turning up everywhere. Did Gertrude Robinson speak on behalf of Gerard about his mother’s murder? Did the Lukas Family? Did someone else associated with the Eye?

- Was Gertrude Robinson associated with the Eye? (BTW, the voice actor for her is perfect. Her voice is exactly what I would have imagined. Like an older Mary Poppins.)

- Smirke is interesting. Which leads me to Tim and how he’s confusing. He likes Smirke and Smirke’s work. Recognizes that there is an inherent balance to it. Is Tim associated with the same Entity as Smirke, and that’s why he was one of the targets? Was Jon a target because he is the Archivist, or because an Entity is clearly interested in him. Smirke also worked on the bones of the Magnus Archives and that seems to have some effect on the Entities/their powers based on the effects it had on the Worm. Was he a disciple of something like Balance? Is that even possible? Could the structure of the Magnus Archive actually enhance the power of some entities, because it was built on top of instead of in Smirke’s work? Clearly it works to slow the Worms down. Also, Smirke and the room with the 14 doors? Not that subtle in retrospect. Which is a good thing to go back to and figure out which door they came from.

- Did Smirke offer himself as an architect for religious buildings to create null zones as a safety precaution? Did he know of anyone else who was like him?

-Anyways, back to Tim and why he’s weird. Jon pointed out that Tim doesn’t seem to have a particular interest in the paranormal but starts working at the Magnus Archives, and hasn’t left despite the whole Worm Thing.  Could Tim have been drawn there for the same reasons as Smirke, or something else?

- It seems like becoming connected with the Entities has 3 components: an interest/exposure to them, a choice from them, and a choice from you.

                - Subpoint: Lost John’s Cave is interesting because it’s someone very clearly choosing NOT to be affiliated with an Entity, despite being pretty suited and the Entity accepting that. The Entities are really big on consent, hilariously. It can be encouraged consent, but in the end, it’s the choice of the human. The Stranger seems to be the exception to that hypothesis (that I’ve seen so far), based on Not!Sasha. Unless there is more happening in that background that we don’t know about that supports that theory.

                - Can families be associated with an Entity/have a pre-disposition to being chosen by an Entity? The Lukas Family and the Keay family seems to support this.

                - Is there any way to get out of being part of an Entity? Can you change affiliations? It doesn’t seem like it. Tangent: Leitner seems to have a habit/interest in collecting books that relate to/encourage a connection with a specific Entity. This, in turn, allows the books to be used as an expeditated way/roadmap for connecting with one. Michael Crewe seems to have been chosen from an early age (the lightening strike) and even a book that clearly relates to a specific Entity (the Boneturner’s Tale) wasn’t enough to shift his “alignment” from the Vast to it. He had to find the book for the Vast. And then he chose to give himself over to it as a defense??? That scene (Literary Heights) was weird, in hindsight.

-Sarah Baldwin: what’s going on there??

-Looking back: how many Not! People are there? How do you know? How can you tell? Are they always just a little Not Right? Side note: Anatomy Class (ep34) is hilarious because it comes across as a bunch of Not!s that “Have Read a Book on How People Talk”. Is there a point where a Not! Has spent so much time being normal/human that they become one and stop being off (ala Aziraphale and Crowley)?

- I like that they’re branching out in terms of geographic locations that the statements are coming from.  I look forward to them branching out more.

-Jon is a fucking idiot. “Oh yes, Martin gave me an urn to calm me down (which, side note: is it really her ashes? Did Martin really go that far??), keeps checking in on me, keeps bringing me tea. Clearly this man is Out to Kill Me.” To be fair, Jon can't seem to recognize that someone has a crush on him. Being in the midst of completely reasonable paranoia is probably not helping him in the slightest. My point stands: Jon is an Idiot. Also, he keeps going down into the tunnels despite almost dying several times???? To be fair: I don’t think you get hired to work in the Magnus Institute is you let your fear stop you from doing something/if you are completely sane and rational.

-The difference between Jon’s reading voice and speaking voice is wonderfully stark. He also is very good at conveying emotion. Props to the actor for that.

-Poor Jon getting so many things confirmed because of Basira Hussain. That must have been a shock.

-Heat seems to be associated with several Entities. The process of burning up/burning alive. Which I’m surprised isn’t a distinct Fear, but I can understand weaving it into a bunch of the others. It works well as a clear manifestation of Shit Got Weird.