THE MAGNUS ARCHIVES
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- Опубліковано 13 тра 2020
- MAG138 - Case #8671302 - Robert Smirke
Statement taken from a letter to Jonah Magnus.
The Magnus Archives reads the final correspondence of this noted architect who feared his death was approaching and regretted some of his observations and associations.
Content Notes: Paranoia, body horror
Starring: Elias Bouchard - Ben Meredith; Martin Blackwood - Alexander J Newall
Writer: Jonathan Sims
Director: Alexander J Newall
Producer: Lowri Ann Davies
Editors: Alexander J Newall, Elizabeth Moffatt, Brock Winstead
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!["We could leave here" - [The Magnus Archives Animatic]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/LYyOG2FR5QE/mqdefault.jpg)
Robbie Smirk: Jonah please stop colluding with dark forces I'm going to die.
Jonah: no❤️
At this point it’s just everyone Jonah worked with. Like the doctor, and that guy with the book.
@@tmaxgo6696 anyone who's exposed to the powers is either killed or trapped by them (whether it be as a victim or an avatar)
Yeah! Jonah was always a bastard hah!
The horrid little man
I misread colluding as cuddling and quite honestly? How sweet.
Jonah's exes want a chat with him.
So Elias is basically that meme of tuxedo mask going "my work here is done" and Martin/Sailor moon "but you didn't do anything"
This is the best comparison, it's so true! XD
I'll just make some popcorn over here
Martin : "elias come on whats wrong, you've barely gaslit me today?? you love manipulating people!"
Martin: I-
The Eye: 👁👁
Martin: Stay safe
The Eye: 😤🔥🔥
I WHEEZED
*Angry blinking noices*
😂😂😂 For reals!! I just want an actual love confession!!!
Whenever I hear Elias speak my eyes narrow and I whisper _”Elias”_ in the same way Timmy Turner’s Dad goes _”Dinkelberg”_
**shakes fist** Bouchaaaaaard!!!
Big same
GOD WHAT A MOOD
Me: *sharpens sword with malicious intent*
jsgdhgsd same
Matin: I-
Me, water gun to his head: Say it coward
The way Elias said "Just like old times" just killed me. THE SASS.
I love Elias so fucking much
Edit: Nevermind, just watched 160, I hate Elias so fucking much.
@@MrGeneralHeavy this, combined with someone saying something bad happens in episode 160, scares me
I don't know why, but I always assumed Smirke was an evil figure. But, hearing this, I realize he's a lot like Lightner, a man trying to control the fear to protect the masses.
I think that while they're similar, they're more similar in their hubris at believing (or once believing) that they could be contained, channeled, harnessed. Leitner was a straight up fool, not understanding anything. Smirke's work was always horrible, but he never understood the damage that he could do with it as demonstrated by the fact that he unwittingly orchestrated the entirety of the series. He also, similar to Leitner, only thought he understood what was going on, considering his resistance to accept that Fear could perhaps be a single entity
"you love manipulating people" "this makes two of us" *martin webcoded agenda intensifies*
My theory is that Martin would do a 100% better job than Elias. 🙃
web avatar martin!??!? now _there's_ a concept...
BROOOO he could do it, but I think he would have a different style than Elias. He could manipulate people by being nice and pretending to be harmless.
Ok but here me out I think Elias made a deal with Peter Lucas and basically sold Martin to The Lonely and Peter without Martin's consent because he wants to prep Jon for a life of lonliness and self reliance the way Gertrude was self reliant
The moment when Martin starts to talk to Jon direktly :'(
Another one with Jonah and his angry exes. I love that Robert Smirke really existed. Makes the whole think feel more real.
Calling them “Jonah’s exes” really fuckin sent me. Jonah the heartbreaker, forcing man and monster alike down on one knee (though for differing reasons)
Both of these comments are a win
@@eabhaishere4558 i was wondering , i mean , my dear jonah is formal yet so romntic in my pov , like dude , when martin narrates those letters it sounds as jonahs exes got involved and got hurt but still cant let go of their affection for jonha , the tone of voice , regardless of what they are saying ....its prob bc martin / mr newall is a great narrator
@cak01vej yeah i know , its the formal style of wording , but my dumbass brain reads it as that
@cak01vej I think I'll keep on calling them fuq boi letters.
Martin: "I- .... stay safe."
Me, violently pausing and rewinding it to listen again: wot was that m8? no wot wer yew gonna say??? ets okey m8 wot didya want ta say there before???????
HELP NOT THE BRITISH ACCENT ('KDMC
SAME I RAN TO THE COMMENTS AFTER I HEARD THAT LOL
I think 🤔 I love you Jon but who knows 🤷🏾♂️
@@SuperClass3000
I'm 99% sure it was that or "I miss you"
Smirke: my dearest Jonah, what the fuck
Jonah: 👀
If the sky blinks, you need to blink back at it to let it know you’re being friendly and peaceful UwU
i don't know if the blinking sky is being entirely friendly and peaceful-
denda krmelová don’t hate on the eye, it’s just vibeing!!
denda krmelová it’s okay, I’m following cat rules! 🐈
I'm crying laughing. Thank you
Iant that nightvale quote
Jonah Magnus reading this letter like “rip to Robert Smirke but I’m different”
First-time viewer, but possible *spoiler* in my speculation
The difference is that Jonah probably gave in and became an Avatar
I'm willing to bet he might even still be alive (in some form or the other) to this day
I love how Martin was clearly going to say "I love you" at 21:34 but he said "stay safe"
why must this podcast hurt me like this :"(
@@miserablemajor6407 just gimme my gay Martin already ;;
Could be "I miss you" as well but yeah, both options are there :'D
Think so too
ouch................ the pain
I love his character and his involvement with the plot makes everything more enticing, but everytime Elias opens his mouth I can feel my self being consumed by the slaughter.
see, i have a very _different_ reaction, but maybe im just gay pfft
Ahh, I know, ¨Rip and Tear" starts playing in your head, and for a moment, your fist closes, sure that the hilt of a machete will be waiting, but alas, the target is fictional and so is the machete.
That's me but with Peter Lukas
To Smirk's benefit, the fact that anybody was capable of maintaining neutrality in the face of a cadre of Lovecraftian gods of fear made tangentially manifest is an impressive feat that should be applauded
Smirke is up there with "I Survived A Coffin In My Flat For A Whole Year" Man, and Sebastian Skinner the Welsh Plumber, and the Taxidermy-visiting Tax man.
@@-S.L. Don't forget the girl who saw the burning ghost and then just went back to sleep!
@@zGabazAnd the guy who espaced the Spiral because it was dinner with mom time
so smirke wanted out? ok, wow, so all these jonah magnus breakup letters are people telling him to stop mingling with the spookies and he doesn't listen to any of them. not a great look mr magnus not a great look
Yeah, ol’ Jonah isn’t really one to let the opinion of others deter him...
@@TheNitpickChick well. let's just say im on episode 160 now and i get exactly what you mean
Filipa Maria Costa Oof, Yeeeaaaahhhhh.... 👀
"Jonah magnus breakup letters" yes, that's the vibe
For some reason this comment is giving Bailey Sarian
The fact that this isn't the first time someone essentially sent Jonah Magnus a breakup letter is hysterical. I'm calling it, the next letter is going to start with "my dearest Jonah, all your belongings are out on the street"
“Though if my hypothesis is correct, you already knew that”
smirke: i always feel like... somebody's watching me
smirke @ jonah: stop it. get some help
literally everyone: jonah no
jonah: >:D
Jonah yes
JONAH Y E S!!
“What do you have??”
“A book!!”
“No!!!!!”
@@mixedbagmixesmusic1967 area man permanently banned from the library for countless atrocities too terrible to name
"And then the sky blinked" is one of the hardest lines I've ever heard
Real
Every episode when someone mentioned in a lot of previous steatemesnts gives their own feels so good! It's like hearing a celebrity give one
Right? When I heart Martin say ‘Robert Smirke’ I sat upright in my chair with excitement lol
Michael Crew's direct statement remains one of my favorites of all time
@@hamburgerdog25poor Michael deserved so much better
@The-Busy-Beeeee Nah he deserved it. I'll never forguve him for killing the poor guy at the Tour Montparnasse
@@CamilleChauTempsDesCerises okay yea fair enough but how he went was not all that badass which is disappointing
Let Martin say "i love you" he deserves it😭
Or "I miss you" at least
Elias: "...the end of the world as we know it" at 3:10
My brain: *a sudden surge of old rock music*
This comment on its own is giving me Good Omens vibes and idk why
@@yeetusdeletus84 because of the rock music, naturally xD
(No, I know, that song is the embodiment of the Nah-pocalypse :'D)
I'm like: Is that a Good Omens reference?
@Athena Sprague The End of the World as We Know It by R.E.M is what it reminded me of
Rem gang
2:47 “tired of running budgets for Peter? I know I would be”
Ah, that’s the reason for the most recent divorce then.
at this point I enjoy Elias. he's just chillin' in jail, making sassy comments and being a bastard 💅
What an amazing episode this was. Smirke, like Leitner and Gerry, just dropped a ton of lore about these powers and how the Magnus gang tried to harness them safely for their own purposes. Now everything makes sense: just a bunch of rich men trying to reach apotheosis and immortality by harnessing eternal evils, only to become pitiful enthralled cultists instead. What a tragedy. What a waste of human talent.
With all these dreams of the Fears, I thought at the begining of the episode that Smirke was a kind of archivist as well... but I guess not. It's nice to remember that the Eye is as dangerous as the others, which makes me wonder : will Jon be able to stop his patron's ritual ? Will he want to ? Will he be able to refuse ??
Anyway the plot thickens like a fine soup, I'm over enjoooooying it :))))))
well, considering Jon was able to burn Gerry's page despite it being "destruction of knowledge"... I think he probably COULD resist if he fought hard enough
*SPOILER*
however we know he's forced into it in a very different way :'D
This just made me realize, the reason why we don’t see a any Eye statements until much later is probably because the Eye wanted the archives to think they’re in the good side
@@aubarlowethis is just speculation, but if he used the lighter that’s typically on him, it’s probable that was the Web’s influence
WHEN MARTIN TALKS TO JON--- OH GOD MY HEART AAAAGHHHHHH
As someone recently diagnosed with BPD, Martin's manipulation style really hits home. Like, The "Do things people like to trick them into giving me attention" and "Make myself unthreatening and pitiful so people don't yell at me" is SO REAL
@woolfishingI agree, “manipulation” has such a negative connotation and implies ulterior motives, I think what Martin does is just cause and effect stuff
I was wondering why Martin was recording statements even though he doesn't need to that anymore, he just want to help Jon, that's so sweet
I love Martin so much, hearing his voice makes me instantly happier ❤️
mood.
@@SI-nx3fo btw you have the greatest username ever
@@vX-ter_ haha thanks!!! c:
Wow. Martin's voice reading the statement is so deep I got chills
Seriously this is the first statement he read that halfway through I completely forgot it was Martin speaking. When the statement ended and he switched back to his normal speaking voice it was like a shock to my system lmao
When Eluas showed up i couldnt help but mutter “bastard” under my breath
Real
Jonah really out here like Ramona Flowers with the league of evil exes (except he's the evil one and they're all just begging him to stop destroying everything)
I love this episode cause I finally got the moment of “oH so THATS what he was doing.” with Smirk
Jonah's exes: Hey strange things have been going on, can you help?
Jonah: I'm sorry, I'm too busy doing work for the Eye. :)
the sky: *blinks*
me, having listened to this podcast before: ohhohOHOHOHOHOHOH
let me tell you, i *screeched* at the end of the episode. out loud. this show is going to kill me
Istg Martin was abt to say that he lived Jon
I-
I almost wonder if Smirke was being influenced by that which he called The Spiral.
Think about it, he was staring at the infinite expanse of fear, and demanding that it fit neatly into his own taxonomies - even though from the stories we've seen and heard, many stories don't neatly fit into tidy categories.
Hell, even Lukas pointed out the key flaw in the idea of keeping the fears balanced - The End doesn't have to do anything, and in fact pursuing a ritual would probably harm it, because if everyone dies, then there is no-one to feed it and then it too dies.
He has probably been touched/dicked around by all of them.. But I agree. Specially since everyone describes his architecture and hallways as warped, moving and impossible (like the tunnels under the Archives). Trying to use the spiral to shift the fears into categories they never properly fit in... But he failed... kinda.
Those dark fears can be found in those twisting hallways...... All of them. They just arn't trapped in there.
Ky0dar the end is just vibin
Martin: "it's fine... I'm fine..." ... 'everything's fine' -> The straight-faced comedic references, in the face of the horror of their existence, is one of the things that make TMA so amazing... IMNSHO
My theorie right now is, that milbank was designed like a panopticon, the prison with one watchtower in the middle to gaze over all the cells like, you know, an eye
ye that was confirmed in an early episode
Elias's curt formalism never fails to piss me off in the best way. He could be describing an episode of Mr Rogers' Neighborhood and I'd be like "UGH this asshole 🙄😏". Or he could be making a horrible intestine rope and I'd be like "UGH this asshole 🙄😏"
Pretty sure I heard Mr. Lucas enter the room again during the statement recording, though this time he had the misfortune of the statement ending abruptly before he had a good chance to close the door.
Still would mean that he heard the message Martin was trying to pass on to Jon, and I expect bad things to happen because of it.
I think that was Martin flipping the paper over to figure out where the rest of the letter was, but that would be so interesting
Robert Smirke: * explains how Laura's turning towards him and his match goes out, about to lighten a new one *
Me: * sudden flashbacks to the Weeping Angels * Uhh buddy- 🤠
"My relationship to the Apocalypse is more... complicated"
Damn I love this bastard
Elias sure is petty 👀 damn
THAT PAUSE OF "I-" 😭😭😭😭 SAY IT MARTIN!!!! SAY IT WITH YOUR WHOLE CHEST
S5 SPOILERS BELOW:
"My relationship to the apocalypse is
more... Complicated." How the fuck did I not see that coming
MARTIN YOU ARE NOT LUCAS ASSISTANT YOU ARE THE ARCHIVIST ASSISTANT DAMMIT!! It really upset me to hear him say that D:
I swear every time that a break up Jonah letter appears is like "HOW DO YOU HAVE ANY OF THIS STILL". Like collecting trophies man, wth.
In the other hand my brain couldn't stop repeting that song "Somebody's watching me" in a loop.
No offense but Martin was gonna say i love you
Hi Alex! James here.
hi james! vsauce here
@@f_mva What is... fear?
Hi vsauce! Rat Baastared here
I can get paranoid and getting into tma was the worst best mistake I've ever made
[INT. PRISON, VISITATION ROOM]
[TAPE CLICKS ON.]
ELIAS
There. Much better.
[HIS HANDCUFFS JANGLE AS HE SPEAKS, AND THERE’S THE USUAL PRISON BACKGROUND NOISE WE’VE COME TO EXPECT.]
MARTIN
You know I don’t care if John hears this.
ELIAS
Come on, Martin. It’s been so long since I’ve seen you. Let’s not start with lies.
[MARTIN TAKES A STEADYING BREATH.]
MARTIN
(sigh) Fine.
ELIAS
I am very pleased to see you.
MARTIN
Mhm.
ELIAS
No time for pleasantries? Very well, then. To business. What can I do for you? Tired of running budgets for Peter? I know I would be.
MARTIN
I’m - I need to - (inhale, then short hm) Is he telling the truth?
ELIAS
About what?
[HIS HANDCUFFS RATTLE.]
MARTIN
About any of it.
[ELIAS INHALES HEAVILY.]
ELIAS
Everything Peter has told you is true.
MARTIN
(huh, really?!) Oh…
ELIAS
For all his… many faults, Peter is legitimately trying to stop the end of the world as we know it.
MARTIN
So why haven’t you helped him?
ELIAS
My relationship to the apocalypse is more… complicated.
MARTIN
(overlapping sigh) Seriously?
[RATTLE RATTLE.]
ELIAS
Seriously. Anyway, I have helped him. I’ve given him control of the Institute, I’ve provided him with -
MARTIN
Me?
ELIAS
- any manpower he might require.
[MARTIN SCOFFS: YEAH, RIGHT.]
MARTIN
(increasingly heated) Yeah, but if - if he’s right about the Extinction, what it is, then why didn’t you say anything before; why am I only hearing it about it now; and why doesn’t John know?
ELIAS
In my case, while Peter has talked of it before, it was only very recently that I was forced to admit the Extinction is real. And as for our dear Archivist, I’m afraid I no longer have any real control over what he does or does not know, unlike yourself. I notice you haven’t told him either.
MARTIN
Yeah, well. I’m still not sure I really believe it. (long exhale) A,And I don’t… I - I’m -
ELIAS
(rattle) Worried he might charge off into another coffin.
[HE MAKES A SMUG LITTLE SOUND.]
Quite. (rattle) As for why I’ve done so little about such a looming existential threat, (sigh) to be blunt, I have been rather busy.
[MARTIN MAKES A SPUTTERING NOISE THAT EQUATES TO: YEAH, RIGHT X2.]
Don’t forget, I - (rattle) - am still living at Her Majesty’s pleasure, due in no small part to your actions. So by this point, all I can do is confirm that everything Peter has told you is true.
[SHORT PAUSE.]
MARTIN
I think he wants me to join the Lonely.
ELIAS
Then it sounds like you have a decision to make.
[PAUSE.]
MARTIN
What? (small dry laugh) That’s it? No, no monologue, no mind games? You love manipulating people!
ELIAS
That makes two of us.
[RATTLE.]
No. This is too important for me to jeopardize with cheap - (rattle) - mind games. I simply have to trust that when the time comes, you’ll - (rattle) - make the right choice.
MARTIN
Great! (small sigh, under his breath) Great, great. (to Elias) So what you’re actually saying is that you’re gonna be - no help whatsoever!
[YOU CAN HEAR THE GRIN IN ELIAS’S VOICE WHEN HE SPEAKS.]
ELIAS
Just like old times.
[RATTLE.]
MARTIN
I don’t know what I expected. (shaky inhale) Right, we’re done here.
[He starts to walk away.]
ELIAS
Don’t forget to keep in touch, Martin. There are so many people in here, but without one’s friends…
[MARTIN UNLOCKS/OPENS THE DOOR TO LEAVE.]
It does get rather lonely.
[TAPE CLICKS OFF.]
[INT. MAGNUS INSTITUTE, ????]
[TAPE CLICKS ON.]
MARTIN
M-Martin Blackwood, Assistant to Peter Lukas, Head of the Magnus Institute, recording statement number… 8671302. Statement of Robert Smirke, taken from a letter to Jonah Magnus, dated 13th of Februrary, 1867.
[HE CLEARS HIS THROAT.]
MARTIN (STATEMENT)
My dear Jonah,
You will forgive me, I hope, for being so forward, but I feel I must break the silence that has characterized our acquaintance for these past few decades.
You see, Jonah, I feel the hour of my death approaching, and, though you have always been reluctant to pay due heed to my warnings or counsel, I continue to see in you the reflection of my own past hubris. I could not go easy to my grave without offering one last plea for your restraint. What we built at Millbank should be left well enough alone, resigned to the nightmares of the reprobates and brigands contained within its walls.
I have been blessed with a long life, something few who cross paths with the Dread Powers can boast, but now, at the end of it, my true fear is that I have wasted it, chasing an impossible dream. To speak plain, I have begun to lose faith in the possibility of balance, of any sort of equilibrium among them.
It is telling, that of those I have brought into my confidence, it is only you and I who have continued this far without falling to one power or another, despite all my instruction and work. This is, of course, assuming you have not taken the path of the Eye that I know has called you, called us both for so long. Even since before we began our work on Millbank.
I suppose I had to believe that the darkened natures of our terror could be kept in check, weighed against each other so that the great wheel would keep turning forever, without reaching the velocity I feared would crush us. Perhaps my sin was to see them as something that could be knowable, and harnessed.
I’m sure you recall what happened with the Reform Club, but you may be unaware of some of my other experiments below the very streets of London. Places I have tried to cover with churches, of all things, in the faint hope that… perhaps the site of our Saviour will be enough to contain them. A rather feeble hope, for my own salvation.
Did I ever tell you about the dreams? I’m sure I must have. I would dream about them, you see, as a young man, long before I devised my taxonomy. I would find myself in nightmares of strange, far-off places: a field of graves, a grasping tunnel, an abattoir knee-deep in pig’s blood. I believed then, as I still believe now, that these places I saw were the Powers themselves, expressed in their truest form, far more entirely than any “secret” book can claim.
And if, as I came to believe, the Dread Powers were themselves places of some sort, then surely with the right space, the right architecture, they could be contained. Channeled. Harnessed. So yes, hubris. Not simply in that, I suppose, but in believing that those I brought into my confidence shared my lofty goals.
So many have abandoned us, casting about for rituals that I helped design. In my excited discussions with Mr. Rayner, I perhaps extrapolated too much from his talk of a grand ritual of darkness. The Dark, I thought, was simply one of the powers, so it stands to reason that each of them should have its own ritual. Perhaps they already did, even before I put pen to paper.
They certainly do now, and I shudder to think how Lukas, Scott, and the others may use this conception.
Fourteen powers, with their opposites and their allies, each with an aim no more or less than manifestation. Apocalypse. Apotheosis. I wonder, did my work bring about these dreadful things, or - did I simply develop the means by which they can be known?
I should have realized, of course, when we first discussed the Flesh, for how can there be true balance, each one to its opposite, when new fears can emerge and change as civilization itself grows and alters, when a new power can birth itself screaming from the torn remnants of others?
I know you say the Flesh was perhaps always there, shriveled and nascent until its recent growth, but to grant the existence of such a lesser power would throw everything into confusion. Would you have me separate the Corruption into insects, dirt, and disease? T,To divide the fungal bloom from the maggot? No. No, I - stand by my work, and thus, we must conclude that the only explanation is a new Power, created from what was once others, yet also distinct. And if such change is possible, how, then, can any true balance be achieved through immutable, unchanging stone?
I have been dreaming again, Jonah. The same every night for months, now. I imagine myself a boy again at Aspley. I awake, cold and alone in the dormitory. The sky outside is dark, and I see no stars. I light a candle, to better see my way, and step down the silent corridor. The master’s rooms are empty, the fire in the kitchen is dead. Eventually my steps lead out into the courtyard. It is so quiet that the sound of my feet upon the grass is painful to my ears. I stop, and look up at the sky, that empty black nothing, and I see the edges of the horizon becoming a dull white. I cannot understand what I am looking at.
And then the sky blinks.
And I awake.
I am not a fool. I know well enough what this dream is likely to mean, and I warn you again, that if you have any remaining ambitions to use our work, to try and wear the Watcher’s Crown, you must abandon them! Not simply for the sake of your own soul, but for that of the world! I have always had the utmost respect for you as a man of dignity and learning. Donot allow yourself to fall to this madness.
I have been thinking, of late, about the first origin of the Dread Powers, if such beings can really be said to have true origins. Are they eternal? Or were they created from our own fear by some - grand accident, or, worse, some grand design? I believe the latter to be the case, as you well know, for I have in vain struggled to reconcile their creation with the existence of a loving god.
They are not demons, of this I am sure, though we have drawn parallels with their acolytes and certain monstrous figures from ancient myth. No, I feel certain they were brought into existence by some - ancient civilization, some foolish tribe from pre-history.
Do you know of Alexander Cunningham? He’s been working with the viceroy of India on the Indus Valley digs, and has discovered some quite remarkable things. Burial pits full of burned bones and ash; skulls with markings, as if the eyes were removed; and others that seemed buried alive. Perhaps a dying civilization sought to harness its own terror, as we once thought to harness its results.
Of course, such things are pure conjecture. (long inhale) I have not brought Cunningham into my confidence on this, nor do I believe there will be any cause to, even if there was still time remaining to me. (soft hm) Perhaps you’re wondering why I’m so convinced of my imminent demise, and why I should see it as cause to reach out to you, after so much silence and distrust has passed between us. Certainly, you must either wonder, or you already know all too well.
I have been watched for some time, now, since shortly before the dreams began. It was subtle at first, easy to ignore and dismiss. What possible harm could there be in the idle glance of a footman, staring at you as you leave your home? And no doubt the shopkeeper is permitted to watch whomsoever he pleases within the confines of his own establishment. (inhale) So I have been reassuring myself, as I attempted to ignore my own growing disquiet.
But what is not to be dismissed is when your driver, on the long road from London, takes his eyes from the horses and begins to turn his head, slowly at first, but with a clear determination, inch by inch without ceasing, neck cracking and skin stretching, until his whole head seems as though it were placed atop his shoulders in reverse by some careless sculptor.
The others in my carriage seemed not to mark this awful sight, but I could scarce look away, and the eyes of this twisted figure locked on my own, tears streaming from their corners. It was such a dreadful spectacle that it took every ounce of my composure not to hurl myself bodily from the coach.
The journey was not a short one, and for all those hours the driver did not once for a second look away. The horses seemed to take it all in stride.
Since then, I have attempted to avoid such situations, and have traveled primarily by the railway - but, even then, it seems I cannot avoid the ceaseless gaze of those silent figures who gather along the side of the track to stare at me as I pass. I count the billowing smoke as a blessing, for though it sends me into coughing fits, it at least serves to hide me from their relentless eyes.
I am choosing to assume that these manifestations are unintentional, Jonah, and you have not simply decided to implore a dark patron to end the life of an old man. I further find myself supposing that they might emanate from your own intrigues and preparations to culminate those plans which we agreed to abandon so many decades ago.
I beg you, do not pursue this goal; if only a single lesson may be gleaned from my life of long study and longer hardship, it is that the fear of death is natural, and to flee from it will only bring greater misery. Repent of your sins, Jonah. Seek forgiveness. I am certain the Dread Powers cannot take a soul who keeps faith in the Resurrection.
As for myself, I must cling to hope, for I cannot ultimately deny the wavering of my own faith. I have pleaded with the Lord to give me strength, to help shield me from the things I have sought these many decades, to protect me, as my end draws near. I do not believe my prayers have been heard.
Last night I was awoken by a noise from the drawing room. I was in my own bed, and the moon shone through the window, casting the place in a pale and sickly hue, though it was illumination enough to assure myself I was alone. The noise came again, however, and I called out to Laura, asking if she had woken in the night. There was no reply. I struck a match, and lit my meager candle, clinging desperately to its small pinprick of warmth and light, and I crept towards the drawing room.
The door opened slowly, and the room within was in pitch darkness, the heavy curtains having been drawn across the window. In the sputtering glow of the candle, I could see a figure stood in the corner opposite the door. It wore a long nightdress, and seemed at a glance to be my dear, sweet Laura. I let out a breath and began to settle myself, asking her what she was doing out of bed. She did not respond, however. She remained silent instead, facing into the corner of the room.
I approached slowly, that restored confidence fleeing me as swiftly as it had arrived, and asked her again. This time, she began to turn, with such a slowness I was reminded instantly of the driver. I started to speak again, but at that moment my candle went out, plunging me into abject darkness. I fumbled desperately for a match, and, finding one in my nightgown, I struck it in a panic, casting a sudden light on my surroundings.
Laura’s face was inches from my own, her eyes staring into mine, so wide that they seemed to take up half her face or more, bulging grotesquely from their sockets. I screamed. Just once. She gave no response of her own.
I wanted to run, to - lock myself in my room, but under the sight of those horrible eyes, my entire body seemed to freeze, and I stood there, match held aloft, eyes locked with this awful parody of my daughter.
After an eternity, the flame reached my fingers, and I dropped the match, letting the relief of darkness wash over me. I stood there until morning, only to find Laura gone. It was then I began composing this letter.
Laura, of course, claims no knowledge of the night’s events, having no memory of even leaving her chamber. The Eye has marked me for something, of this I have no doubt. My humble hope is that it may be a swift death, an accidental effect of your own researches, which I once again implore you to abandon. It is likely too late for me, but I will not -
[MARTIN BREAKS OFF, FLIPS THE PAGE OVER.]
MARTIN
Um… He, um… the letter ends there. Uh - apparently Robert Smirke was found collapsed in his study that evening, dead of, uh… apoplexy. Hm. I-I don’t know how the letter reached the Archives - I mean, (noncommittal sound) I can guess, but…
So. So what; what does it mean? Am I supposed to be reassured that new entities can be born, that there’s some - some kind of precedent for the Extinction?
(slight pause) Peter? (pause) Huh. Maybe he has gone to a party. (clipped exhale) Anyway.
(inhale) Smirke was clearly wrong about the Powers balancing each other, at least. I mean - i-i,it’s obviously impossible. There’s too much variation in, in how much something is feared by people any one time, an-and if that’s the case, I suppose it’s… not impossible that Peter…… might be telling the truth.
I don’t know what he’s talking about when he mentions Millbank. The old prison I guess? Tim said the tunnels under the Institute were all that was left of it, but - John said he’d checked them pretty thoroughly.
(sigh) I’m not the one who knows all about this stuff. I wish - (he breaks off) N,no. No, it’s fine; I’m fine; (huff) I can do this.
(slight pause, inhale) I don’t know what Peter’s planning; my, my guess is that it might involve something below the Institute. Hopefully by the time you get these tapes I’ll have something more concrete for you.
Good luck, John; I -
Stay safe.
[TAPE CLICKS OFF.]
@@petraivan6778 thank you!!!（〜^∇^)〜
You're welcome!
"[HE MAKES A SMUG LITTLE SOUND.]" That send me-
The trouble with Smirk's hypothesis that The Meat is new is that The Wendigo is a truly ancient story in North America. That is a horror of Meat plane and simple.
Never thought of it like that before! Maybe it wasn’t extremely powerful previously, and could only manifest in less ways than the other fears? Or it’s a classic case of White Victorian Men ignoring other cultures
Idk, in itself it reminds me more of the Hunt, it's a never anding hunger and a never ending hunt because of it. But the lines between some entities are strange.
My understanding based on what Gerry said was that the Flesh gained power with the creation of factory farming
I disagree there and would side with Smirke. The fear of meat, of becoming meat, would have existed for most of life on this planet. But it's not a strong fear, it's not a primary fear. It only grew to current size with industrialisation and the creation of factory farming. Compared to now, the flesh would have been so small to practically be insignificant. And if a Entity could be that small, then there would be dozens more entities comprising less common fears. But they don't exist, we only have the 14/15 currently. So The Flesh must have split off from another Entity. I would suppose The Hunt or The Slaughter
Aaaand caught up. With the youtube side atleast
So much excellently subtle foreshadowing in this statement, holy shit! Well done! I love picking up on all the little details on re-listens!
I don’t want to spoil things for new listeners, so I won’t go into details, but damn! Bravo! 😁
Another guy we assumed was bad, was not
Yeah that means he really WAS annoyed and angry with his protege who didn't understand trying to keep the balance and just created evil buildings instead...
Not Martin cutting himself off and saying “stay safe” like 🤨🤨 Jon most likely already knows about his crush since of the “office gossip”
When our dear ol' Martin stopped at,'-I wish-'
The way Martin says ashume instead of assume 😣
i love all their accents so much
Hang on, is it not supposed to be pronounced 'ashume'?
...My life is a lie. I shall retreat to my cellar and live a life of fish soup and mispronounciations.
@@fiddlesticksmeow6269 depends on your accent entirely. americans often say assume with a sharp S
@@monke2229 I know, don't worry. I was making a joke.
@@fiddlesticksmeow6269 fiss shoup
Jonah had a lot of exes jeez
...if only a single lesson may be gleaned from my life of long study and longer hardship it is that the fear of death is natural, and to flee from it will only bring greater misery...
The accent Martin does for the statement 😂😂😂
Martin, I love and believe in you
Everyone: Jonah no
Jonah Magnus: Jonah yEs- >:D
*Architecture studies
At 21:38 he was totally gonna say “I love you” 😭 😭
Been listening in for almost a month now and I'm in too deep to turn around. Can't wait for a new season!
Some how I listened to episode 136 and 139 yet not 137 or 138...I am very distressed
Lol couple of days ago I jumped somewhere from 70s to ep 132 and was glad that I stopped to check the number before the ep really began.
I skipped over like 12 episodes back when I was listening to season two and only very late through season three did I realise I had missed stuff.
👀 wait what do you MEAN Martin has been manipulating people. W h o. Am I not paying attention again. God dang it, brain.
elias is just taking a dig at martin because he's the reason he's in jail. martin came up with the plan to distract elias so that melanie could steal the tapes with evidence of the murders he committed. it's just another villain saying 'aha, you used the same tactic against me that i use against the innocent. don't you see how you're just as bad as me?' and hoping the protag doesn't know anything about nuance.
That's the question I have as well
He manipulated Elias into his trap, he distracted Melanie so she woudln't make a scene, he's nearly the only one who's ever gotten Jon to listen to him, and now he's gotten him to leave him alone... Martin is good at manipulating people, and he likes it.
man, when i originally wrote that first reply i was pretty salty about an asinine 'martin's been evil the whole time' theory that was going around. Obviously that's not what the op here thought, nor, i imagine, is it what you think. But i also think the perception of martin as manipulative gets pretty overblown and used as 'martin isn't actually good or nice' fodder.
the reason elias' comment makes me roll my eyes so hard is that yeah, they are both pretty good at guilt-tripping, withholding information, and lying. but the intent and consequences of their actions are so wildly different from each other. elias is solely motivated by self-interest and has caused the suffering of basically the entire cast. martin does what he does to try to keep others safe, and thinks of potential harm to himself as an acceptable risk. also i don't think martin actually does like being good at manipulation. i think it's a skill he had to learn in order to deal with a mother who was resistant to accepting his care, i think it's something he feels a lot of guilt over anytime he catches himself relying on it, and i think that's the only reason it works as a dig on him for elias here.
@@bridgetb.7965 whoa I missed a a lot.
Yea no you right. That's not what I meant at all. I meant I genuinely missed whatever possible examples elias was referring to. It was like a "bitch w h e r e" response. 😂
Martin isn't perfect but I wouldn't say he's a skilled manipulator. Helen and Elias are the pros here. Gaslighting 101 team.
Jonah Magnus como sempre falando
"Ah você não recomenda? Vô fazer mesmo assim"
i feel like elias was giving martin a hint with his last statement, the keep in touch with your friends part
I assumed that was Elias giving away that he already judged that Martin would never be able to join the Lonely, because people who think lovingly of another person just get kicked out. Martin thinks about Jon too much.
martin has been avoiding everyone because he has been doing paperwork.... there are a lot of patreon names he has to go through after all
If faith really does relinquish one from being marked by any single entity, now I know why that one priest was hanged up by all 14 entities for no reason
We have been shown that the fears are weak against items of traditional faith, the antique hypodermic of a celebrated doctor, a piece of cup with an owl on it (the symbol of Athena). If this world contains no spirits other than the Fears, this is a revelation that the Fears are shaped by human belief. It does not matter if Jesus isn't a god in this universe, it matters that many humans BELIEVE the Fears are weak against that. The Fears avoid direct confrontation--which would reveal their weakness--but look for ways to show their adversaries as failing, which weakens human belief.
Did Elias break out of prison? 👀
Oh nvm I hear stuff other noises so probably not
I'm crying and laughing...i love the guys so much my goodness
Wow, what a great idea it was to listen to this at 3.30 in the night 🤠
(Yes yes I know this was a risky idea in the first place but I've done this before and I thought why not, welp now I just hope I'll be able to fall asleep hh)
Wonder how that driver felt afterwards.
Elias: speaks
Me: *snarks* Elias
Elias: schemes
Me: fckin *Elias* /w love & exasperation
Extremely late first time Watcher here
I might just be a little stupid. In fact, I'd believe that very easily. But with how Jonah was very clearly intending to go through with The Watcher's Crown and how the rituals are supposed to make the world closer to the Fears... is it possible that they already did it?
The modern day is known as the Information Age, after all--technology and knowledge progressed rapidly in the 20th century...
I'm not really sure, but it felt like an interesting thought to me
21:34 he was absolutely going to say i love you
HOLD UP ROBERT SMIRKE HELPED CREATE THE RITUALS??? (first time listener)
I know why are doing it. But the names at the start of the video are really taking me out of it. I would prefer them at the end instead.
They do that in season 5.
Elias and peter are SO divorced
tim ☹️☹️☹️☹️☹️ I still miss tim dear god head in hands despair pure despair rahhh
when he said robert smirke !!!!!
we like to do a little trolling
6:33 for personal ref
21:15
Start 2:21
15:24
2:06
1:33
am i the only one who thought of anime girls when he said wide eyes
yes apparently
Big bulging anime girl eyes and their nonexistent blank spaces where their mouths should be =)
“I’m sure the powers can’t take a man who believes in the resurrection.”
The Priest from Hilltop Road: 🧍♂️