#tma entities challenge

[zoeandquinn]

TMA Entities Challenge Day 3

The Hunt

The Hunt, also known as Everchase, is based on the primal fear of being prey. There is something out there that is tracking you, that is hell-bent on finding you and bringing about your demise. Something deep inside you responds to the age-old dance of hunter and hunted, and you begin to run though the woods, dodging trees and trying not to trip. No matter how fast you run, though, it is always faster, and it will catch you. The only question is when.

Lessons

Sometimes, what you want runs from you.

Chase your dreams! (and that person)

The struggle makes the reward taste sweeter.

Possible Activities

Dress in active friendly hiking gear! Bring a bag for the treasures you find!

Take action towards your goals.

Take a walk (or run) through the forest.

Grab your dreams and don't let go until the twitching stops.

If anyone is really into music, I thought it could be cool to make a playlist with a single song for each entity. I'd do it, but I'm horrible at thinking of specific songs. I'd love to post a song-of-the-day though, so if anyone is interested, let me know!

[fox-guardian]

yknow the entities in tma are so useful from an artist's perspective cuz it's such a perfect list of prompts for an art challenge. "draw the entities as x" is such a perfect recipe for delightful art exercises. I started drawing them each as dragons once. I should go back to that. I also wanna do landscapes/domains.

[regainingparadise]

Relistening to TMA Season 5, I am again struck by how goddam badly Martin and Jon need couples counseling.

I love them both. I ship them very much. But oh lord they have issues

Like, these are two individuals who, under the very best of circumstances, would really need therapy both individually and together. They are both people with plentiful quantities of relational trauma from childhood that neither of them have worked through even the slightest bit.

And then you throw them into the apocalypse. And you add a metric fuck ton of guilt, helplessness, and the dynamics of being "The Antichrist and +1"?

On a surface level--Jon is in a perpetual state of information overload. Martin is in a perpetual state of "can you please just explain the basics of what's' going on in a given situation and not just say "it's complicated" or launch into a gruesome monologue"

But on a deeper level, their childhood relational traumas have left them each with opposing avoidant tendencies: Jon is unwilling to broach a difficult conversation, which leads him to hide information until he's confronted. Martin, on the other hand, has a finely honed ability to ignore information that he doesn't like until he no longer can hide from it.

Biggest example of their avoidance tendencies: Martin's Domain

Way early on, when we barely understand any of how the hellscape works, Jon mentions it, Martin shuts it down hard and deflects quickly with a bid for affection from Jon

Martin is in deliberate denial, but Jon admittedly wasn't particularly clear to start with.

"We all have a domain."

Jon means it, presumably, as "Me, You, and other 'Avatars.'" Jon is used to being grouped with those empowered by the Entities. Martin isn't. (see also: MAG185: Martin" Is that how these creatures see us now? As one of them?") But that's not what Jon says. And this is MAG167--they've only been through four domains, at least that we've seen. Jon is speaking from a place of knowledge, and assuming his listener has that same knowledge.

And when this issue comes up much later in MAG183, Martin has spent 17 episodes ignoring or forgetting that he has a domain, not letting that information in so that he has never processed it. (See also: Mag170: "Sometimes I wonder if I forget things on purpose. Easier not to think about them, I guess. Easier to just let them… slip away. They can’t hurt you if you don’t think about them.").

Martin confronts Jon on his avoidance (because while Martin may be good at ignoring things he doesn't like, he's far better at bringing up challenging topics), Jon is able to manage some A+ communication on his feelings and the genuine challenging of figuring out how to share upsetting information when he has All The Information, Martin accepts that. I just desperately want a therapist to be there and make them continue this conversation and practice ongoing good communication skills!

Though they resolve this, even though Jon has an explanation that makes sense...he was really leaving this conversation to the last minute. Would he have "[brought] it up at the crossroads" as he claims to Helen? Or would he have avoided it entirely, as she accuses, or waited till they were at the threshold, as he does with The Desolation and the Hunt, leaving Martin to confront terrifying situations without forewarning or planning or explanation.

Again, Jon kind of tried to bring up some of the potential issues with Basira and Daisy before entering the Hunt domain, but kept it Vague and Ominous ("Things aren't...good"). Martin took that vagueness as an opening to avoid engaging with potential bad news. The teensiest bit of therapy for either of them about their communication issues could have let Jon add "I know you're exited but FYI here are some specifics that you should know" and/or Martin go "I'm excited to see them but given that nothing is good right now, can you be more specific?"

Instead, Jon approaches difficult conversations by being Vague and Ominous, Martin gets snarky or passive-aggressive at the vagueness, upset or aggressively avoidant at the Ominousness, Jon closes back up like a turtle into his shell, and the conversation only comes back up when the situation has drastically escalated, leaving them both more upset.

Jon wants Martin to trust him, because explaining what he knows implicitly is an ordeal for him, and because his upbringing by his grandmother has suggested that communicating is generally unwanted and burdensome (See: MAG081 A Guest for Mr. Spider).

Martin wants to know what is going on, because he's in an awful hellscape of shifting rules about what can and cannot hurt them, completely dependent on a brand-new romantic partner for his survival and purpose, and also because his upbringing and coping mechanisms as a caretaker rely on him knowing enough to help, and his time as an archival assistant has given him some not-inconsiderable trauma about being left in the dark (See: MAG118 The Masquerade) (There's also another post in my head about how MAG118 primed Martin for both the Lonely and his development as a more confrontational character in S5)

All that to say.

Martin needs therapy to deal with the way he chooses not to absorb information he doesn't like. Jon needs therapy to understand that sometimes it's ok to bring up important topics even if the other person will be upset. They both need therapy to cope with all the guilt and helplessness around the apocalypse so they stop taking it out on each other. They need therapy together to learn how to work through their conflicting coping mechanisms.

[sunny-reacts-to-stuff]

tma 77 "the kind mother"

Unreality, Psychosis, Gaslighting, Abuse, Death Of Family Member, Imposters, Emotional Abuse From A Parent, Paranoia, People Being Replaced And Only You Notice, Mentioned Unhealthy Romantic Relationships/Cheating

OMG THOSE TRIGGER WARNINGS ARE STRAIGHT UP MY LIFE :D

hello gertrude! :D

SHE IS JUST LIKE MY MOM !!!!! :D :D :D

lucy you just like me fr

WHICH LAWRENCE

tf does she know about LAWRENCE

lucy i get you

is it laurence or lawrence

laurence

whats emblezzement

fraud

ehh could be worse

AN EVIL LADDER

OPEN ARMS MENTION

the vicar looks suspicious

i hope jon seems very fucking devastated about the fact sasha is dead and i do not want to hear anything about his paranoid ass being in danger /hj

ohh changelings :0

oh the "mother" killed him

ENTITY NAME REVEAL

the stranger.

got it.

goooot it.

got it.

thank you gertrude.

well because what does an evil entity with the power to alter reality have that ALT GHOST-HUNTER QUEEN MELANIE DOESN'T?

the analog world saving us once again

wait does this mean tessa was spreading misinformation

"Magnetic tape may be analog or digital" thank you american association of archivists for solving nothing

breathe jon breathe

HE KNOWS.

me when i have been playing "lose the trust of your coworkers challenge level hard" all year and as a result i lost the trust of my coworkers

YES. AVENGE HER.

[sarcasticscribbles]

Make a TMA Avatar with me

Hello! I'm doing a little challenge where you vote characteristics, and I'll draw a TMA oc of it! I'm doing the entity on Tumblr, Traits on Twitter and Name on Instagram! I've already done The Eye and Vast; here's the start of the next one!

[bloedgetuige]

reading gods worst article on tma (Narrating the (Queer) Gothic in the Podcast The Magnus Archives, Maria Juko) and its so bad that its funny. btw this got published in a book (Rethinking Gothic Transgressions of Gender and Sexuality, edited by sarah faber and kerstin-anja münderlein, 2024) and I can only assume the editors didn't listen to tma themselves because good lord what are these takes. come with me as I read this mess

strong start when it claims the entities seek to torture and destroy humanity. patently untrue. we know they have some sentience, but the focus on humanity does a disservice to gerry explicitly saying "you think people are so special its only our fear that counts?". also "destroy". how are you going to get fear if the entirety of humanity is destroyed. we know what the entities wanted (or at least what the web wanted) it is explicitly stated in mag 200. it says so right there so explicitly that I find it impressive if Juko missed it.

calls the beholding the antagonist? if you want to call Any fear the antagonist id go for the web, but even then, antagonist is not the role id ascribe to a lovecraftian entity

"with the podcast’s final season set in a world dominated by the Eye that Jon et al. ultimately overcome to save the world" / "The world comes to depend on [jonmartins] relationship, with the two of them becoming queer heroes." save the world??? heroes?

4. stupidly funny implications. interesting citation for georgie but that's not important right now. the point is the fight against evil and the reading alleging tma says being queer will get you Heroic Powers. Juko's forgetting about the queer characters that get Evil Powers (all of them. all of the powers are evil. that's the point.) did the archivist utilize ace and bi power when he became the lynchpin of the apocalypse and tortured strangers

5. "As a case in point, inclusivity starts at the level of casting: female police officer Basira Hussain is voiced by Frank Voss, who uses they/them pronouns." very true but idk. frank voss and jonny sims are just pals, ill allow Some implications from this but the author is using it to imply more intentional focus on inclusivity then I think jonny was doing

6. "First, the podcast’s main character, the asexual biromantic Jon, is bestowed with supernatural powers, challenging not just heterosexual but all sexual norms of society." BESTOWED? stop using the word bestowed here oh my God. he is not a superhero!! did Juko listen to the entirety of tma without any moral grayness happening here??? also ?? jons bestowed supernatural powers are in no way related to his asexuality & biromanticism??

7. christ. this isnt a bad tma take but it is reminding me why I wanted to quit my literature analysis bachelor

8. did jon utilize ace and bi power when he betrayed martin. did martin utilize gay power when he stabbed jon. jesus christ what do you mean humanity's salvation. the apocalypse isnt fixed at the end by the power of love.

9. i guess? if you felt like it? tma really isn't a queer narrative in my option but I guess?? you could read it like that. if you wanted to. I'm unsure if you should though because these people are deeply unwell

10. "And particularly in the first seasons, Jon and his colleagues often fail to control the evil entities, losing for example colleague Tim at the end of the second season, which leads to a rift between some of the Institute’s members" yeah because truly they were thriving before that. they were the bestest of friends before tim died. they all held hands and danced in circles

11. unsure how much longer i can take this. this isn't the X-Men

12. "[Jon] could be defined as an asexual biromantic who uses his love for Martin as a form of power to save the world." no he couldn't. next

13. "With this in mind, Jon’s exploration of the Archives becomes a metaphor for accepting his (a)sexuality." HUH. NO IT ISNT? jons asexuality isn't relevant narratively At All. go home.

14. for the love of god can anyone hear me. its so dark in here. were the beholding and jonah magnus asexuality allies when they helped jon become an avatar. the sentence after this calls jon the hero of the narrative again btw. patently untrue

15. "Only by accepting his power can Jon save the world." jon didn't save the world.

Juko discusses melanie & georgie but her takes on them are pretty normal and decent in my opinion. if anyone wants a pdf of this horror let me know & ill send it. I'm so annoyed I'm considering writing an email about this. btw it called jonmartin "enemies to lovers" trope and also said their relationship "starts heteronormative and changes to a more equal footing, whilst retaining heteronormative elements". about the gay couple.

to conclude: I don't know which podcast juko listened to about a heroic narrative about queer love that saves the world, but its not the magnus archives. did you know that the eye is an asexuality ally?

[fallen-and-holy]

Personal writing challenge day eleven!!

The Magnus Archives (It's a great many things)

This is the one that I've been waiting for!! I’m very excited to write about these identities and experiences :33

So. The Magnus Archives. I’m tied to it in a great many ways that all intersect with each other. It’s been a special interest of mine since 2020, and has simply become inextricably interwoven with my identity and sense of self. 

The first major part of my life that TMA changed was religion. As soon as I listened to it and it lodged itself into my brain forever, I knew that I was an Avatar in some way. That I was/would be warped and reformed by the Entities. I started getting curious about the concept of working with and worshipping the Entities, which led me to discovering the concept of pop culture paganism. I made a post here detailing how I was Marked by my Entities and Became their Avatar. I am a follower of the Hunt, the Vast, and the Corruption. I’ve been working with them for 4-5 years now. Over time, my practice with, understanding of, and relationship with Them has changed. At first, i thought that my flicker ‘types were caused because of my Work with Them, but now as it has evolved i understand that my Eldritch Practice is, in itself, alterhuman. It has changed me, warped me, irrevocably altered my sense of self and identity. I do not regret it, though, and I would not change it. They have consumed me, and I Feed them in return. Pop culture work with the Entities is a big commitment, and not to be taken lightly. It can change your life for the better, or the worse- but it will change you. This, you cannot avoid if you Devote yourself to them. For more information on TMA PCP, i highly recommend checking out this website: www.tildrunscraftnotes.web.id As well, feel free to reach out to me with any questions, or just to chat! 

(continued in next post)

[lostonehero]

New tma mechs au

Or

The one where Jonah is bullied viscously

Mech chat minus Martin

Marius: This is Jonah Magnus, the man who currently halfway possesses Marius, who has asked me to aquaint myself with you guys since I am now a plus one mechanism.

Nastya changed Marius name to Dead guy

Dead guy: Ah, I see the humor you celebrate.

Jonny: you sound like a right prick

Tim: not to sound like Jonny but why the fuck do you want to live forever

Ashes: to be fair we all sound like Jonny when we ask that

Dead guy: Death would hinder my plans.

Naysta: What are your plans?

Ivy: Oh! I know that one. Jonah Magnus wants to bring all fear entities into the world, having his so-called God the Beholder to be the ruler to leave him the king of a broken world.

Jonny: dude that's lame

Tim: what's the point of ruling a world? I rather just blow it up.

Ashes: you rather blow up everything Tim

Tim: and? You want to set the world on fire

Ashes: I'm just saying

Tim: also I quite like baking and I'm getting better at knitting I'm gonna make myself a sleeping pod.

Jonny: I want one

Nastya: ask your boyfriend

Jonny: I will do that.

Dead guy: Well what's a better plan?

Brian: Mr. Magnus, you have to understand most of us have done it all. I've been left on a sun for over a 100 years.

Jonny: dramatic as always.

Tim: I blew up the moon

TS: I Made Friends.

Ashes: I burned my home planet to ashes

Jonny: killed my father, became king, got stuck underground for a bit, interrupted a civil war, and many other bullshit

Ivy: I collect books.

Brian: I was a prophet... still kind of...

Tim: Life gets boring, and I'm the youngest here.

Jonny: fuck me forgot that

Raphella: I want to separate you two

Dead man: You won't be able to.

Dead man: this is Marius don't take that as a challenge

Tim: too late Raphella is heading straight for you two.

Dead man: fuck

[th3lightyougaveme]

QUICK!!!!!! TMA FOLLOWERS!!!!! even though i havent made it through MOST of the series yet....... i challenge you to assign me a fear entity:)

[thatpodcastkid]

Magnus Archives Relisten 18, MAG 18 The Man Upstairs

Thanks for sticking with me with these! I'm much less busy now and will be posting more consistently. I've decided to keep with the Saturday/Monday schedule rather than spamming to catch up, but I might post an extra during the week once and awhile. I also recently went through my old posts and uploaded the spoiler free versions. Thanks, enjoy this MAG 18 analysis!

What an incredible thing to hear after being assigned to a first-floor apartment. Really encouraging, thank you Jonny.

Facts: Statement of Christof Rudenko, regarding his time in the first floor flat of Welbeck House. Statement given December 12, 2008.

Statement Notes: The Magnus Archives is a 200-episode long work of anti-smoking propaganda designed to scare teenagers into never lighting up due to fear of the meat monster. In this essay I will,

In all seriousness, everything that becomes "evil" in TMA smokes. Smoking is consistently the indicator that shit is about to go down. Anytime a cigarette is mentioned, you know someone will disappear under mysterious circumstances in the next 15-20 minutes. So, stay tuned!

The foreshadowing in this episode is really subtle, but that's what makes it so smart. Rudenko has a party during which his neighbors come over and ask him to turn the music down. Presumably, if the walls are thin enough that they can hear Christof's music, they should be able to hear what's going on upstairs--as well as smell it. Yet, they never complain about the hammering or the rotten meat smell. But they're not the victim. The horrors in TMA, in spite of having large scale goals, work in isolated circumstances. They instill huge amounts fear in small numbers of people at a time. There's a practical aspect to this; if 500 people discover meat covered walls in the flats above theirs, there will be enough conversation that the avatar might be found out. But by creating small centers of fear in multiple places through a variety of methods, the entities minimize their exposure while still creating significant amounts of fear. This proves that there has always been an organized mind at work; whether that mind is the entities' or the avatars' is harder to say.

The other aspect of this episode I truly love is one of the most realistic, reoccurring themes of the show: anger can supersede fear. It's essentially a truism that a sufficiently angry human being can overcome any challenge. Spite is God's greatest motivator. Allow a person to become angry enough, and they won't be afraid anymore. Anger is what pushes Rudenko to go upstairs and confront Carlisle, Martin to burn statements, Tim to blow up the museum, and Jon to kill Jonah. But of course, just because you're so angry you stop being afraid, doesn't mean there's nothing to be afraid of. Carlisle gets sick in the upstairs flat, Martin is tortured by Elias, Tim dies, and Jon is somewhere else. Anger treats the symptoms, not the cause of the disease.

Entity Alignment: "Where was he getting the meat?"

It came in boxes. Someone or something was giving it to him. He wasn't ordering it, and he wasn't killing anyone otherwise the institute would have found out.

So where was Toby Carlisle getting the meat?

There's a little movie playing in my head when I think about Carlisle. A movie about a lonely guy in a crappy flat with a crappy life who really doesn't have anything else to do. Then he gets a package. It's unmarked box with no postage and no return address, but it's addressed to him. Inside is frozen meat. It's weird, but he assumes it's steak or pork and puts it in the fridge. Then it keeps coming. His fridge fills, then his freezer, then his whole kitchens full of the stuff. But he still doesn't mind, after all it's something to do. Something to keep him intrigued and busy as life gets duller and duller. It stops coming frozen. It stops being identifiable. He doesn't know why but he's driven to plaster it across his house. It becomes an obsession. It becomes his whole life. It becomes his whole apartment. It becomes who he is.

The Flesh sent a recruitment letter. Toby Carlisle replied. Even he doesn't know where he gets the meat.

Character Notes: Martin is still "out sick." Also Sasha definitely hacked a bank? And everyone is just okay with that? Alright.

[ember920]

the Dark and the Desolation both have religious cults.

They have links to each other in that respect. It does make me wonder, do their avatars work together? The Desolation has ties to the Stranger. Jude Perry and Nikola Orsinov worked together before (In case of Sebastian Skinner). The Desolation is all for teamwork, but would the Dark be?

It also draws up the question of how the cults work in relation to the avatars. Is it possible for an avatar of the Dark to be created with no idea the Church of the Divine Host even exists? Would they feel pressured to join? What if the cult had a member who for some reason didn’t become an avatar (maybe they had too many ties to another entity to become fully realized)? Would they get killed/casted out?

We only ever see the Desolation really active in statements, Jude Perry is the only scary Desolation avatar Jon meets. We know some of how that cult works, with Arthur Nolan being challenged and ultimately replaced by another member. Agnes is already dead by the time TMA starts. This all gives the Desolation an almost passive role in the series. We don’t learn much about what they’re like in modern day.

All this also makes me think (along with the Dark’s opposition to the Eye and the Desolation’s antagonism towards the Web) that the Forever Blind and the Lightless Flame will be having a main role in the Magnus Protocols.

The original series had two or three main entities. The Eye (obviously), and the Web. You could also argue that the Lonely had a substantial role.

The Magnus Protocols I think will have three main entities. The Dark as the main one, the Desolation, and the Flesh. These three are united by their religious themes. While the Flesh doesn’t have an entire cult, it is implied to have ties to old Christianity.

Idk just a few thoughts sewed together

[zoeandquinn]

TMA Entities Challenge Day 9

The Spiral

Also known as The Twisting Deceit or It Is Not What It Is, The Spiral deals in lies and tricks. It is the fear of madness, of falsehoods and things that can not be true. The world is made of doors that can not exist and left turns in a forever hallway, and you can't tell if you are laughing or screaming.

Lessons:

Life doesn't make sense, so why should you?

Societal conventions are limitations.

If people think you're weird, you're doing something right.

Possible Activities:

Dress in bright colors and conflicting patterns.

Say weird phrases and laugh to yourself.

Prank your friend. Blame your other friend. Refuse to tell the truth.

Be gay, do crimes.

Am I just giving you all a chance to be wacky, queer, and lie a lot? Yes, yes I am. I suggest you take the opportunity.

[the-casual-cheesecake]

what tma fear do you think would plague each member of exo?

I love this question SO much, what a good thought!

Minseok: the flesh/the corruption

This one is a bit obvious because he goes for cleanliness/purity when he's anxious. So, one can only assume that impurity and flashiness would unsettle him.

Junmyeon: the spiral

He is such a put together person, in that he's constructed himself very thoughtfully and with intent. He doesn't like being caught off-guard and he doesn't enjoying things being out of his control. The spiral would have MUCH fun with him.

Yixing: the lonely

😥Listen...

There is an argument that could be made for The Flesh because he's a dancer and his injuries do not fill him with joy. But The Lonely would could screw with him so thoroughly. He works so hard all the time to earn people's affection. His self worth is tied up in it. Who is Yixing without people to love him? (the answer is the little boy whose mother kicked him out of the house and made him bang on the door for hours, barefoot and crying in the cold, because he didn't want to practice the piano, that's who...)

Baekhyun: the hunt

Baekhyun is a pack animal, he feels safest and most powerful in a pack. Take him out of that and he struggles. The idea of him being rejected by his pack would murder him outright.

Chanyeol: the hunt

Chanyeol and Baekhyun are actually very similar people, that's where most of their issues and their strengths come from. Chanyeol needs to surrounded by people who are reflecting who he is back at him or he forgets who he's supposed to be and gets into existential crises. Being hunted by his pack, ousted and alone and hated by the people who know him best is a surefire way to traumatize him.

Jongdae: the spiral (?)

Really what his fear is to not be who he thinks he is. So, I think the spiral possibly fits best? But I'm unsure. Jongdae is a very principled person. He prides himself on not being moved by things he doesn't believe in. I think the thing that would unsettle him most is for his self image of that righteousness to be shaken.

Kyungsoo: the web

Kyungsoo wants to be Just A Guy so bad. He wants his life to be simple. He wants his thoughts to be uncomplex. He wants his problems to be neat. He doesn't tend towards paranoia or conspiracy. But I think the worst you can do to him is to put him in the middle of something like this anyway and challenge all his views on the world and make it so no matter how much he tries for neatness, everything goes weird and tangled anyway.

Jongin: the slaughter (?)

The worst thing that could happen to him is violence to people he loves, I think. He plays with violence in his music and flirts with the concepts of corruption and horror. But I think fear and kink hold hands always. I can't imagine a worse thing that could happen to Nini than... say Taemin being kidnapped or something. The question mark there is because more than one entity could feast on that fear depending on how you take it.

Sehun: the eye

Sehunnie does not want to be perceived. He doesn't offer personal information often. He is a diplomatic and charming person that anyone would find it extremely difficult to get to know in any way past the surface. So, I think the fastest way to fuck with him is to put his innermost intimate thoughts on display for the world and make it so he cannot ever have a secret.

[atomic-madness]

New art challenge for my fellow tma fans: Start an episode and by the time it’s complete either

A) draw the entity/monster featured in the episode

OR

B) draw a character from said episode

((And reblog with your art if you want to share!! I love seeing everyone’s tma headcanons))

[gloomtownfags]

I'm challenging myself to try to make ocs for every single Fear Entity in TMA because I hate myself apparently

[solar-eclippse]

3, 17 and 29 for the ao3 wrapped ask game!

3. What work are you most proud of (regardless of kudos/hits)? So I have a predictable answer for this, and a not-so-predictable one:

The predictable answer is The Oni's Child. I never expected to get so much positive attention on a fic that's just... an even darker take on an already messed up ship. I also love the story itself and the process of developing it.

The less predictable answer is you should have looked after her better. It's currently sitting pretty on 8 hits, but it was written in a moment of creative fervor about my underrated faves from TMA and I loved the way it turned out. It's also my 50th published fic, which feels like a pretty big milestone!

17. Your favorite character to write this year? I really enjoy analysing a character's speech to figure out how to write their dialogue and narration, and figuring out how to write Abijah Fowler is was... a very fun challenge. I need to write more from his point of view, because the way his rambly, vaguely theatrical speech patterns translate to narration is an absolute blast to write. There is also so many things wrong with him, and that makes it even more interesting.

29. Favorite line/passage you wrote this year? So this is a pretty hefty passage, but I was reading through some of my works earlier in December, and this conversation from Try Again, my post-canon JonElias fic, stood out to me, just for how much it feels like it could be an actual piece of dialogue from the podcast.

Warning for mild TMA S5 spoilers, and your typical Elias manipulation.

"And before you ask, no, I don’t have more power here than you do. I think we were… cut off from Beholding, when we arrived in whatever reality this is.” Jon let out a dry laugh, narrowing his eyes at Elias. “That has to be frustrating for you. So many lifetimes spent bound to your patron, chasing immortality, and just like that, I get to cut you down and make you just as human as the rest of them. How does it feel?” Elias met his gaze, and Jon had to fight himself not to look away. “I’ve picked myself up before. I can do it again.” “How? The Entities are gone-” Jon fell silent as Elias laughed, slowly shaking his head. “No, Jon, but it’s very optimistic of you to think so. The Entities aren’t gone. They never could be, as long as there exists a world where things are afraid. There is no less fear in this world than the old one - children terrified of centipedes, a woman walking home a little faster after nightfall. An old Archive worried about losing its purpose.” “Elias-” “Becoming useless. Powerless.” Elias still didn’t break eye contact, and Jon realised that neither was he. “Lost in a world that doesn’t have a place for it anymore.” “No. That’s a lie.” “Is it really?” he asked, raising an eyebrow. “I-I have a job, I’m a librarian-” “A job you resent, where you do the bare minimum to not get fired. You don’t leave your flat. You still haven’t spoken to Martin-” “I’ve been meaning to-” “No, Jon, let’s not lie to ourselves, now. It’s been months. I’m the one you turn to, instead of him, and I think we both know why.”

Thank you so much for the ask, and happy New Year!