So I Got Into Grad School Today With My Shitty 2.8 Gpa And The Moral Of The Story Is Reblog Those Good

This is how the game ended right?

Jonelias thought of the day is that Elias must come across as so stuffy and boring to those at the Institute - which, you know, very much helps hide his true nature - but as an avatar of the Eye and a man determined to avoid the End, Elias is someone whose entire being revolves around the interplay of knowledge and experiences. He's compelled to Know it all and his efforts to avoid death invite him to Experience it all too, a fascinating combination of passive observer and, by virtue of being a 200+ year-old in search of true immortality, an active participant too. This is a man whose longevity and thirst for knowledge invites an obsession with life that contradicts the 'Sits in his office doing nothing but spreadsheets all day' image he's learned to cultivate. (Though, to be clear, he does love the spreadsheets.) And I don't just mean "obsession with life" in the sense of him avoiding the finality of death, but actually loving the act of being alive.

I think a lot of what the fandom (rightly) jokes about in regards to his characterization is a reflection of that obsession. Elias has a relationship with Peter Lukas that goes far beyond the cold practicality of an alliance, hinting at a romance (if you steer towards a LonelyEyes reading), or just Elias' desire to still be able to place bets with someone while he's trying to end the world. Similarly, his powers ensure that he's never truly alone - if he dies, he takes the rest of the Archive with him - forever supplying him with a warped companionship that doesn't threaten him like he perceives he was threatened as Jonah Magnus, with his acquaintances working to complete their own rituals. In true Beholding style, he's got the heart of a fucked-up scientist who's endlessly curious about the world around him: 'Oooh what happens if I let my friend waste away in the Lonely?' He shows up at Jon's birthday party not just to secretly gloat and keep an eye on things (ha), but because he legitimately wants cake. Who wouldn't want cake? What's the point of living forever if you can't have cake?? Well, for an avatar the exquisite sweetness of fear is just as good, but my point stands. Beyond his fear of death, that enjoyment is at the heart of Elias' goal, with Jon describing his experience as the Pupil as a kind of agonized bliss and Elias confirming this by saying he was having the most wonderful dream. Morality aside, he likes interacting with the horror of the Entities, something we saw all the way back during the "[PLEASURED EXHALATION]" scene. Learning new things feels good. Experiencing news things is enjoyable. Learning and experiencing Bad Things is especially nice given his patron. Consistently, Elias' setbacks are met with interest, or a mild annoyance that then eventually settles into satisfaction because they are also new experiences for him and the Eye: going to jail, getting to psychologically torture Martin, having his own secrets exposed. There's a lot throughout the series to imply that Elias enjoys watching Jon become the Key, not just because it means he's succeeding in his goals, but because there's genuine interest and pride in seeing him "grow" by Elias' standards. The repetition of "our world," "our patron," etc. implies a connection; the intention to experience this new world with another, to enjoy it rather than simply exist in it for the mere sake of existence. Elias is a man whose entire essence boils down to, "I NEED TO KNOW ALL THE THINGS, EXPERIENCE EVERYTHING, AND LIVE FOREVER WHILE ACHIEVING THAT, TO UNDERSTAND IT ALL SO I CAN CONTROL IT ALL AND HAVE A DAMN GOOD TIME IN THE PROCESS, EVEN WHILE I SUCCUMB TO THE PRIMAL FEAR THAT DRIVES ME I WILL PARADOXICALLY EMBRACE IT, AND YEAH THAT'S LARGELY BECAUSE I SERVE THE LITERAL GOD OF JUDGY SURVEILLANCE BUT ALSO THAT'S JUST ME."

So anyway, I keep thinking about how this characterization could intersect with S1-2 Jon: prickly, awkward, semi-isolated, desperate to be recognized by someone whose authority he believes in. AKA the boss who, at an unprecedented young age, rose to the top of the Institute they both work at, perceived by those around him as far less interesting than he actually is. Parallels, anyone? Imagine Jon getting to really talk to Elias, realizing how much he has to offer after 200 years of life (though of course he doesn't know that), and just constantly being blindsided by not just the knowledge, but the enthusiasm for everything he's learned and been through - the good and the horrifyingly awful that, despite himself, Jon is equally drawn to. Elias recognizes every quote Jon drops into a conversation and has another witty line to pair it with. He doesn't just indulge his nerdy rambles, but participates in them. He's refined in all the ways that Jon expects - books, opera, music, etc. - and also casually drops in references to acid trips and fucking orgies. Imagine an early series Jon who forms a strong bond with Elias outside of the web (ha x2) he's been weaving, becoming dependent on his friendship and just a little bit completely in love. Elias is inherently fascinating, but he's also just Some Guy, and the combination of that is just perfect for a necrotic Archivist who simultaneously wants to be guided by his 'betters' and prove that he's an equal. Why Elias would be interested in turn barely needs stating: Jon is literally Elias' everything, in a horrifyingly tragic and like, Gothic Romance sense? What would that kind of relationship have changed? It would have likely made Elias' job even easier, but what about Jon?

...I'm not saying that Jon's drive to protect humanity would have been warped into something tragically dangerous if he'd first come to see his intelligent, complex, shockingly kind (from his nonexistent self-esteem POV), secretly-an-eldritch-monster boss as the epitome of humanity... but I'm also not saying it couldn't have!

AAAAAAA!!! oh my goodness you are so talented and I love the way you draw Jonah and Jon! Your character designs and composition skills are 10/10 and oh my gosh, I’m really honored that you made this from my goofy story i’m-

This is a comic I made for @paptato Fic! It’s a time travel Magnus Archive fic and it’s my favorite, honestly fantastic read.

A Game of Cat and Mouse:

 https://archiveofourown.org/works/23988727/chapters/57704170

Text in the comic (because my handwriting is not good):

[First panel] “Magnus’s face is unreadable” [Second panel] “He barely hears the clacking” [Fourth panel] “He is not being made to speak the words of a mad man. He is in control. He is safe. He is no longer a puppet.” [Fifth panel] Magnus says “Jonathan I-” and Jon cuts him off saying “Don’t.”

jonelias thesis statement

FRIENDLY NEIGHBOURHOOD PUNK ASS ARCHIVIST HERE WITH A MESSAGE

if you cannot protest or donate, and you’ve been retweeting and reblogging your ass off, here’s another thing you can do from home to help out later on down the line.

we are dealing with a fascist police state. fascists love nothing more than controlling the media and taking away primary sources of their evildoing, so lets take some steps toward taking that power away from them.

the wayback machine is a tool from the internet archive, a nonprofit website that seeks to capture websites as they change over time. the wayback machine is free to use and will be able to help protect all of the first-person accounts of the crimes being committed by the state during these protests for human rights.

this is what the homescreen of the wayback machine looks like:

that blue circle is where you put a permalink to a tweet you want to add to the wayback machine

that red circle is how you find the permalink to a tweet. click “copy link to tweet” and put it in the blue circle above, and there you have it! save what you see. don’t let anyone take away all of the documentation of these crimes the state has committed and declare it fake news.

fuck the cops. fuck orange mussolini. fuck racists, and fuck fascist government regimes.

dont forget: there’s nothing more punk than voting, libraries, and loving each other.

So I just finished watching good omens and you can't tell me Crowley wouldn't do this

Based off of that one ProZD skit

just stalked your spotify a bit- love money money money on gus’s playlist it’s bop after bop

(also your lacho playlist having No Children which is thee obligatory Lacho anthem ugh we could have and should have had it all truly)

Thank you! I'm really happy you like my playlist of tunes these characters would definitely not listen too, haha (though I do headcanon that Gus would listen to ABBA, he has that kind of vibe when he's not scheming decade long revenge plots)

Also!! We truly could have had it all! Was really hoping for a Lacho confrontation this season where they could possibly murder each other with unspoken, but inevitable, romantic tension ✊😔

Icon I made for Jonelias Week 2024 :)

Jesse and Kim meeting Jesse and Kim meetingJesse and Kim meeting