Does anyone else ever obsess over the fact that The Magnus Archives makes you, the listener, complicit in the horrors?

I believe we’re sucked into it the same way Jon is. Sure, you know that everything you’re hearing is because it was recorded on a tape recorder, but that’s just a fun framing device(?). (I think it counts as an epistolary narrative? But those usually refer to books that are written as a collection of letters or journal entries). It’s not until you get deeper into it that you realize it’s a bit weird just how often the tape recorders show up and start recording at the perfect time.

Then the characters start addressing you. You the tape recorded, you the listener, you the Watcher.

Blaming you for what’s happening. For just listening, Watching, as they suffer. Enjoying their pain and finding it entertaining. And you can’t refute their accusations, because this is entertaining. We wouldn’t be listening otherwise.

And through conversations, first about Jon’s nightmare walking then from people trapped in Eye fearscapes, it’s made very apparent that Watching isn’t a neutral action. It makes the suffering worse to know that someone is Watching you but actively choosing to do nothing. Is even enjoying your torment.

You could turn it off.

You could stop listening.

It wouldn’t get Rusty Quill to make a happy ending with a fluffy epilogue where all the characters that died are revived and all their problems are resolved and all your favorite ships are living in domestic bliss. But it would stop them from tormenting the characters worse.

But you won’t do that.