LenSmiles

NARRATOR - Who is telling the story?

Consider as many personal factors as are relevant to the story: age, gender, sexuality, race/ethnicity, class, nationality, religion, etc. If any of these things have a direct impact on the contents of the story or how the story is being told, make a note of it somewhere

What time period does the narrator live in? This can greatly affect the way they write/talk (compare any letter to Jonah Magnus to a statement given in, say the 2000s; the difference is quite stark)

What is the narrator's personality like, and how does that affect their experience of The Horrors and how they choose to recount it?

How honest is the narrator about their emotions regarding the experience? Are they trying to appear braver than they actually are? Are they trying to emphasize how terrifying the experience was? Are they trying to come across as "normal" or rational?

Are the narrator's emotions or motivations seemingly at odds with how a normal person would react to the situation? (e.g. Jane Prentiss feeling loved by the Hive)

How reliable is the narrator? Are they intentionally withholding information or trying to mislead the audience?

Do you, as the writer, believe the person/people affected deserve what happened to them? (see: MAG 14 "Piecemeal")

Followup - does the narrator believe that the person/people affected deserve what happened to them?

Is there anything the narrator misunderstands about the experience that leads them to draw incorrect conclusions about what happened and/or what they should do next?

STATEMENT - What is the story about?

Is the story more grounded in reality, or more fantastical?

Are there any themes or kinds of characters/character dynamics you want to focus on?

Is the story mainly focused on one fear, or does it blend multiple together?

Is this an individual experience, or does/did it affect multiple people?

Is it based on a specific, personal experience or fear, or something more general/societal/primal?

Is it related to a ritual or creating/becoming an avatar?

Is the experience due to actions (or inaction) by the narrator, or due to actions (or inaction) by someone else?

Could the experience potentially be understood as some kind of poetic justice for the person/people affected, as punishment or justice (or a combination)?

Was it simply a case of bad luck/wrong place, wrong time?

Is this an isolated incident that isn't really related to other statements or events in TMA?

If not, how does it connect to other incidents, characters, objects, etc?

RECORDING - What format does this story take in-universe?

Is this a written document, and audio recording, or a description of a video?

If it's a written statement, here are some format options:

Formal document created for/at the Magnus Institute

A letter (or a series of letters) written to someone

A diary (including digital diaries, e.g. personal blogs)

Emails, text messages, DMs, etc.

If it's an audio or video recording, here are some format/context options:

Formal audio recording created for/at the Magnus Institute

Voice messages

Viral video/meme audio

Online content creator (vlogger, ghost hunter, influencer, etc.)

**NOTE: make sure you have a good sense of the narrator's speech patterns if you're writing about them talking into a mic/camera

WHY - Why are they telling this story?

Is the statement being given voluntarily?

If voluntary - are they telling someone else?

If yes - who are they addressing? What are they trying to gain from sharing their story? Reasons include closure, clarity, convincing themself it did or did not happen the way they remember, clearing their name or confessing to wrongdoing, incriminating someone else for wrongdoing, attempting to avoid some kind of disaster, etc.

If no - how did this personal record get to the Magnus Institute? Was it made publicly available by the narrator? The chosen format may offer some guidance here

If involuntary - is the narrator being coerced, threatened, or compelled into giving their statement?

If yes - is it to gather information? to torment the narrator? is there some other reason they're being forced to give their statement?

NARRATOR - Who is telling the story?

Consider as many personal factors as are relevant to the story: age, gender, sexuality, race/ethnicity, class, nationality, religion, etc. If any of these things have a direct impact on the contents of the story or how the story is being told, make a note of it somewhere

What time period does the narrator live in? This can greatly affect the way they write/talk (compare any letter to Jonah Magnus to a statement given in, say the 2000s; the difference is quite stark)

What is the narrator's personality like, and how does that affect their experience of The Horrors and how they choose to recount it?

How honest is the narrator about their emotions regarding the experience? Are they trying to appear braver than they actually are? Are they trying to emphasize how terrifying the experience was? Are they trying to come across as "normal" or rational?

Are the narrator's emotions or motivations seemingly at odds with how a normal person would react to the situation? (e.g. Jane Prentiss feeling loved by the Hive)

How reliable is the narrator? Are they intentionally withholding information or trying to mislead the audience?

Do you, as the writer, believe the person/people affected deserve what happened to them? (see: MAG 14 "Piecemeal")

Followup - does the narrator believe that the person/people affected deserve what happened to them?

Is there anything the narrator misunderstands about the experience that leads them to draw incorrect conclusions about what happened and/or what they should do next?

STATEMENT - What is the story about?

Is the story more grounded in reality, or more fantastical?

Are there any themes or kinds of characters/character dynamics you want to focus on?

Is the story mainly focused on one fear, or does it blend multiple together?

Is this an individual experience, or does/did it affect multiple people?

Is it based on a specific, personal experience or fear, or something more general/societal/primal?

Is it related to a ritual or creating/becoming an avatar?

Is the experience due to actions (or inaction) by the narrator, or due to actions (or inaction) by someone else?

Could the experience potentially be understood as some kind of poetic justice for the person/people affected, as punishment or justice (or a combination)?

Was it simply a case of bad luck/wrong place, wrong time?

Is this an isolated incident that isn't really related to other statements or events in TMA?

If not, how does it connect to other incidents, characters, objects, etc?

RECORDING - What format does this story take in-universe?

Is this a written document, and audio recording, or a description of a video?

If it's a written statement, here are some format options:

Formal document created for/at the Magnus Institute

A letter (or a series of letters) written to someone

A diary (including digital diaries, e.g. personal blogs)

Emails, text messages, DMs, etc.

If it's an audio or video recording, here are some format/context options:

Formal audio recording created for/at the Magnus Institute

Voice messages

Viral video/meme audio

Online content creator (vlogger, ghost hunter, influencer, etc.)

**NOTE: make sure you have a good sense of the narrator's speech patterns if you're writing about them talking into a mic/camera

WHY - Why are they telling this story?

Is the statement being given voluntarily?

If voluntary - are they telling someone else?

If yes - who are they addressing? What are they trying to gain from sharing their story? Reasons include closure, clarity, convincing themself it did or did not happen the way they remember, clearing their name or confessing to wrongdoing, incriminating someone else for wrongdoing, attempting to avoid some kind of disaster, etc.

If no - how did this personal record get to the Magnus Institute? Was it made publicly available by the narrator? The chosen format may offer some guidance here

If involuntary - is the narrator being coerced, threatened, or compelled into giving their statement?

If yes - is it to gather information? to torment the narrator? is there some other reason they're being forced to give their statement?

“Th-th-this–” He gestures wildly at Jon. “This child??!! He’ll be working here in the archives– isn’t that illegal– isn't that free– wait, is he getting paid? Is this paid child labor? I mean– either way I’m pretty sure that it's illegal.”

“Th-th-this–” He gestures wildly at Jon. “This child??!! He’ll be working here in the archives– isn’t that illegal– isn't that free– wait, is he getting paid? Is this paid child labor? I mean– either way I’m pretty sure that it's illegal.”

“Th-th-this–” He gestures wildly at Jon. “This child??!! He’ll be working here in the archives– isn’t that illegal– isn't that free– wait, is he getting paid? Is this paid child labor? I mean– either way I’m pretty sure that it's illegal.”