@@Kyman102 Yes it does and it's the funniest fucking thing I've ever been presented with in these transcripts BASIRA Ah, John. What’s this? [SHE PICKS SOMETHING UP.] ARCHIVIST Hm? Oh. That’s… I, th, uh - that’s my rib. BASIRA (Pythagorean theorem, volume of a cone [side note, this is not just a stage note, its an actual link to the meme]) Right. [SHE PUTS IT BACK.]
Jon: “for sacrificing my humanity, I would like to know just something regarding to the possible demise of my world.” The Eye: “.....” The Eye: “...wanna know how Basira’s 3rd grade gym teacher died?”
You know it's actually an eldrich manifestation of knowledge, because it cannot stop itself from only speaking in fun facts. Take it from anyone with intelligence, they only know the most worthless stuff at any given time, and moments of knowing what they need to are functionally random. I doubt the Eye could tell him what he needed if it wanted to. And judging from how much it's giving Jon, it wants to.
I was considered smart in school and know a lot of random nonsense-I know a ton about hyper-niche subjects that would never be helpful in any given scenario. Though, the fact that I could remember a song I hadn’t listened to in about a year (after trying to remember for about 2 days) is one of my few claims to an impressive feat. Another issue is that 98% of my word knowledge comes from context. I can’t define words. I can just go “well uh… I know what it means but I can’t describe it to you.” I also never learned how to “properly study” because I can efficiently store knowledge in the short term before it gets locked away in a filing cabinet somewhere and I only find it after several months or years.
The point of my very long comment was to wholeheartedly agree by providing anecdotal evidence by the way (I can’t edit my comments for some odd reason)
Jonny Sims the writer has a habit of using historical figures in this series, and sometimes it's less than respectful. John Amherst, an avatar of the Corruption, is implied to be a relative (possibly descendant) of Jeffery Amherst, a figure most well-known for ordering smallpox blankets to be given to native Americans.
I just love how the eye decided to help jon saying how it only gives him useless knowledge by informing him how bassira's 3rd grade p.e. teacher died to prove it. And not proving him wrong with any useful info
this is actually such a mood lol. i can't for the life of me commit anything important to memory, but have countless random facts that could never be useful in any practical sense
The eye is Encyclopaedia from Disco Elysium, a voice in your head that feeds you useless facts. Character "a contact mic is a microphone that pics up audio through the vibrations on an objects surface." Encyclopedia (We think you should know, there was a professional boxer names Contact Mic.) Detective (Thanks, do you remember anything useful. Like my mother's name? Or my age?) Encyclopedia (Nope 😉)
I believe that part was about Isaac Newton, actually. He was like "Newton is a bitch and I pity him, but let him burn in hell peacefully; Halley though - yeah, I've always wanted to murder the bastard".
This is actually super common in old letters between rivals of almost any kind. They will always be nice and respectable to eachother immediately before burning eachother as intensely as possible. See the letters talking about the relationship between Thomas Jefferson and Alexander Hamilton. Both very civil and kind-spoken men who nevertheless difinately wanted to see the other burn.
I’m pretty sure he was referring to Isaac Newton when he said he didn’t hate the president. I think Halley lied to Newton about his work and Newton believed him. The statement giver said that even though he wasn’t bitter toward Newton, he was toward Halley.
@@americantoastman7296 It is my pleasure to also issue an episodical reminder that Jon is utterly disinterested in anything to do with anatomy below the belt.
@@clayxros576 Hello, ace here, just wanna add: libido (and relieving it if needed) =/= sexual attraction and having sex. But yeah, the Archivist doesn't seem to be the type lmao
As a kid, I had half a canine jawbone on my shelf. Thankfully I never had a “um, that’s my rib” moment. Everyone knew to expect the unexpected from me.
“You know we’ve actually got a group chat going called British cops who love to do extrajudicial spook killings on foreign soil.” She didn’t have to go for Jon’s neck like that.
Basira: Ah, Jon. What’s this? Jon: Hm? Oh. That’s… I, th, uh - that’s my rib. i laughed for like 5 minutes because of this,,,i sometimes genuily forget that tma is a horror podcast
“I can still read” “that would imply it tells me anything useful” poor Jon. Everyone (cough Barissa) assumes everything he knows was gained via dark powers XD
@@clayxros576 omg the eye floating drunkenly around the air 😂 JON jahn liiiisten she had hair extensions. And pancreatic cancer. And that one is gay for YOU specifically. (jk that last one would be way too helpful)
I love how Jon just unconsciously used his powers to know how bassira's 3rd grade pe teacher died when she talked about 'the spook' he had for that delivery guy 😂
Damn, Magnus Archives really just threw Halley under the bus as a member of the Dark. Meanwhile, this Flamsteed guy inadvertently made him into an Avatar. That'll teach him to kill off a dude at a cult ritual site. XD
To be fair, most of the time that works. These avatars aren't particularly durable to conventional means, and are only really durable against supernatural means. Which is ironic.
Basira: "What's this?!?!?!" Jon: "Oh, er, that's, umm... my rib." B: "Right... and these ashes??" J: "NOT mine-- I mean, they BELONG to me, but they aren't-"
ok I haven't finished the episode yet but I've been thinking about how the Eye seems to give Jon a lot more special treatment than Gertrude or Jonah. I mean idk what happened with Jonah, but he clearly didn't "become" anything despite being so dedicated to the Eye (or at least appears to be dead), and Gertrude, for all her ruthlessness against the other Fears, still died in the end. Jon however, was given the option to live as an Avatar when he was basically dead. Maybe Gertrude had that choice as well, but I have some doubts since she died in the midst of preparations for stopping the Unknowing. I'm curious as to why The Eye seems to care more about Jon and is more willing to help him than it did with any of the previous archivists. Whatever it is that makes Jon different, I have a feeling it has something to do with the Watcher's Crown ritual. This is just my little theory but I'm really looking forward to seeing how this plays out. (no spoilers about it please)
Y'know, I read a comment a while back saying that Gertrude is a way better Archivist than Jon and has stopped lots of rituals in the past...but this is now 2 full on rituals our gang has to end mere years after Gertrude's death. And considering Peter said it takes hundreds of years to prep for a ritual, it makes me think that all she did was delay the inevitable until it wasn't her problem anymore.
Lmao the comment about the rib had me rolling. Also for some reason I thought the ritual of the dark had already happened. Keeping everything that has happening compared to what will happen straight is becoming increasingly more difficult.
As far as Jon and Basira are currently aware at this point, the Dark hasn’t tried their ritual yet. **slight spoilers** . . . . . However, you are correct. The ritual for the Dark has already been attempted. It failed. Jon and Basira will soon find that out. 😊
oh? what do you have in your office drawers? sticky notes, pencils, paper clips, spider webs, a rib - mine of course, and some ashes. ya know, the essentials. the snort that left me at the mention of santa tho- to be fair i wouldn't put it past them to add santa to a Spooky Cult™ what with the 'he knows when you are sleeping, he knows when you're awake' bit. sounds kinda Eye-ish to me.
So Santa is Mr. Pitch and the cult are his elves trying to summon the eldritch chaos known as Rudolph with his nose that devours all light. Then that would make Rainer/Halley a claymation snowman with a mustache. This makes me happy.
I know that Halley and Flamsteed have been mentionned off handely in previous episode. By Tim? I think ? Can't remeber exactly when or why though EDIT: episode 108 Monolgue. not Tim, Basira
Silly Jon. Of course Santa isn't an avatar of the Dark. He clearly works for the Eye. 🎶He sees you when you're sleeping. He knows when you're awake. He knows if you've been bad or good, so be good for goodness sake.🎶
Basira: Ah, Jon. What’s this? Jon: Hm? Oh. That’s… I, th, uh - that’s my rib. that caught me so off garud, i was taking a drink of some soda when that happened and I choked
Gosh I just hope Basira doesn't die, PLEASE. I'm not ready for just Jon and Basira to do this alone. Aaaah!!!! Also I love the small banter between characters. Its enriching to the soul
I love that jon has the ashes of... someone in his desk. It was supposed to be Gertrude but obviously he has been lied to about that so he just has a random persons remains lying around
Yes but.... as the person who thinks 'I'm the only one sane enough to plan anything'. ... it's understandable. Specially since in reality she's trapped and powerless and I think that fact is still sinking in on her.
Look at it this way. She'd had 8 months of Peter Lukas working his Loneliness on each of them, exploiting some weakness of each. Melanie's anger, Martin's desire to sacrifice to protect Jon, and Basira's feeling of being able to rely on only herself. That feeling, of being the only adult in the room, would lead to an attitude like that which Basira has had this season.
I put the podcast on shuffle, and this is the first one it gave me... I literally just walked by a poster about Haley's comet today and thought about this episode 😵💫
[INT. MAGNUS INSTITUTE, ARCHIVES, JOHN’S OFFICE] [TAPE CLICKS ON.] [THE ARCHIVIST TAKES A DEEP BREATH.] BASIRA Coffee. [SHE SETS DOWN A CUP OF COFFEE IN FRONT OF HIM.] ARCHIVIST What? BASIRA Coffee. Drink it. ARCHIVIST I’m really, uh… Fine. BASIRA You look awful. You try drinking with Daisy again? ARCHIVIST (overlapping) She was here last night, as you know. BASIRA Drinking alone, then. ARCHIVIST It’s not a hangover. Well, not - I wasn’t drinking. BASIRA Drugs, then? Sick? Got some weird monster disease? ARCHIVIST Seriously? BASIRA (no-nonsense) We’ve been over this. You need to tell me stuff. Communication works both ways, you know. [THE ARCHIVIST SIGHS OVER HER LAST WORDS.] ARCHIVIST Y-Yesterday I tried something I - (slight pause) I, I deliberately tried to… Know something, like I did in the coffin, but there was too much, (he sighs) and, uh - BASIRA What did you find out? ARCHIVIST (dry laugh) Nothing. There was too much. BASIRA You don’t remember any of it? ARCHIVIST You drink the whole contents of a bar, you don’t remember what the Merlot tastes like. (sigh-adjacent sound) It just hurt. BASIRA Sure. [SOME RUSTLING, AS SHE TAKES OUT SOME PAPERS.] ARCHIVIST What’s that? BASIRA Statement. You in a condition for it? ARCHIVIST (immediately) Yes. (long inhale) Yes, what’s this one about? [MORE RUSTLING.] BASIRA Took me a while to hunt it down again, but - you remember Maxwell Rayner? ARCHIVIST Yes, of course; your - warehouse showdown? BASIRA Yeah, well, whole thing kinda stayed with me. ARCHIVIST Mm, I can imagine. BASIRA Well, there’s more history there than we thought. Capital H History. ARCHIVIST John Flamsteed? Basira, this is from way before the Institute! BASIRA The first Astronomer Royale. Had the post until his death in 1720. ARCHIVIST 1719. He died on New Year’s Eve. (second to realize what he’s done) Sorry, I didn’t - Can’t really help it. [HE GIVES A SMALL LAUGH.] BASIRA Well, either way, he really hated the man who succeeded him. His former assistant, Edmund Halley. ARCHIVIST As in… Halley’s Comet, Halley? BASIRA Yep. And Flamsteed had a… what’s the opposite of a pet name? Like a nickname for someone you hate. ARCHIVIST Uhhh… I don’t - BASIRA (overlapping) Well, he had one of them for Halley. Called him ‘Reimer.’ ARCHIVIST Reimer? And, and you think - BASIRA Names shift over the years. ‘Specially if you’re not keen on keeping the same body. ARCHIVIST (pure, wondrous shock) Right. BASIRA Just - have a read. Let me know when you’re done. ARCHIVIST You’re not staying? BASIRA Watching you do your thing? No. [THE ARCHIVIST MAKES A SOUND THAT SOUNDS RATHER LIKE HE’S MENTALLY KICKING HIMSELF.] ARCHIVIST I - suppose I understand. [AS THE DOOR CLOSES BEHIND BASIRA, HE TAKES A DEEP BREATH.] ARCHIVIST (still breathy) Right… (stronger) Statement of John Flamsteed, taken from a partial unsent letter to Abraham Sharp, 1715. Audio recording by Jonathan Sims, The Archivist. Statement begins. Um - (flips page) Uh - ARCHIVIST (STATEMENT) But my affliction in writing to you is of a wholly different character. And were I not well sure of your firm alliance and counsel, I should under no extremity impose it upon you. For I have killed a man, and barely do I have the covering of great passion for it, for I was well within my senses at the time.
You are familiar of course with my persecuter and tormentor Edmond Halley. The one so oft descending upon me as Nemesis with her sword to avenge upon my hubris. It was he, who with the president of the Royal Society, Isaac Newton, printed my catalogue of stars without my knowledge, robbing me of the fruits of my labor, turning my triumph to naught but ashes. I have had - many a contest with the president, but I harbor little true bitterness toward him. He is a blockish creature of vanity, concerned with his appearance only, and likely to fly into an indecent heat and knavish talk at any dispute. He has no reverence for God, and I pity him the fire that awaits. But in life, my thoughts of him are simply those of disdain, and hold no corner for true hatred. I put no such chain upon my spirit when I make my considerations of Halley, who I have long called Reimer to you in my letters, for as the odious Nicolaus Reimer persecuted the great Tycho, and ran his noble genius to exile, so, too, has my own Reimer pushed me toward ruin. I have detailed much of his offenses in my letters to you, but as much again I have concealed within my soul and given no voice. Simply know the robbery of my celestial catalog was but the least of it. I will admit, that in my heart, I nurtured such dreams of revenge that when they came to me the name of God felt hollow upon my lips. Another dignity stripped from me by mine enemy. Such were the depths of the hatred that I found within myself that whereupon I would spy Reimer at the Royal Society, if I were unobserved in turn, I would to no deliberate end begin to follow him. Oft it was that I would follow his path until my better humours overtook me, or I was seen by my quarry, who would smile, and offer his insufferable greeting. So it has been this past year, though I have never had fear he might know my intentions. Yet this month past, it has been… much changed. Reimer’s wanderings, hitherto aimless or meandering through the gardens and pathways of the Royal Society, or the coffeeshops of Fleet Street, have of late drawn him almost out of London entirely, to a strange and shrouded wood not a league from what might draw the interests of the pompous fool with whose whims I was now well-acquainted. And in that quiet seclusion, while I looked on in silence and astonishment, he would meet with figures both man and woman alike, with dull clothing and eyes that in the darkness of that wooded place seemed wholly black and empty. Their words were soft and impenetrable to me from the spot wherein I was concealed, but they had much impact upon Reimer, who would often stagger backwards as though struck. They led him further through trees of gnarled and twisted woods, where the thick roof of leaves permitted not the light of moon or stars, and there they knelt around a pool so black, if it had been India ink it could have scarcely been darker. I held back a cry that threatened to force itself from my lips, for I am not so blind as to be ignorant to the practices of vile pagan exultation. And I can describe what I saw around that pool as nothing less. And dismiss as you will my words as the shaken memory of a man appalled, but at that awful moment, their cries of worship seemed to form shapes that stirred in the water, such as I have never seen in my time upon this earth. I fled, of course, and considered the courses such as I might pursue to relieve myself of this dreadful burden of knowledge. No longer was my concern purely for revenge upon Reimer, but a quite acute terror of the savage rites the practice of which were clearly among my peers. I had not seen with clarity those compatriots alongside whom Reimer had joined in awful raptures, and could not state with confidence that any among the faculty to whom I might make report of his debauchery would not in turn make it known that I was telling such things of Halley, an astronomer of note, whose conduct to all others has been unimpeachable. No. If there was to be a confrontation or action taken against Reimer, it would be I, and I alone that would have to take it. I know it was the second of May when this took place, for it was no doubt the crowning glory that he had stolen from me that occupied his mind that eve, and caused his steps to quicken and grow careless. Again he traced his path under that dark and hidden wood, and again I followed, quiet in my manner, keen in my observance. I cast around for other figures, but in that moment, Reimer was alone. He proceeded then, as before, to the pool of blackest water, and the clear skies of night were lost amongst the leaves. All was quiet as he gazed into that smoothed and liquid darkness. This, I knew, was to be my chance. I stepped from my place of concealment and began to decry him, casting my censure upon Reimer and naming before him the vile acts of pagan villainy which I had myself observed. His mute shock was but for a moment, before he let out a noise the likes of which I can scarce describe, and charged towards me, his fingers curled to claws that sought my face and eyes. I wasted no time, and drew my small sword, and praised to God, who gifted me foresight to carry it. I struck Reimer a fierce blow to the leg. He fell, still clutching at me, and in a moment, cast my sword away into the trees and grabbed at my coat. With a fierce strength never before awakened within me, I gripped the head of my foul adversary, and forced it down, into the dark pool before us. There I held it, the water so cold upon my skin the marks have yet to fade. And Reimer thrashed, and kicked, and made such sounds as I have never before heard of the dying. And he was still. I drew him up with the black water still thickly flowing from him. He was dead at my hand, and though I well knew it to be an act of defense and retribution, I felt within me a sudden terror of discovery. I took my sword and returned to hiding in the dense growth of the forest, fearing that, should I return upon the path, my passing might be met and marked. Better to wait until I had the surety of unseen passage. And as I waited there, the enormity of my actions settled upon me like lead, and Reimer’s dark-eyed compatriots arrived to attend him. Seeing him prostrate and lifeless upon the ground was clearly a shock, and their distress was marked upon them. And yet there seemed no sadness or horror within their passion, but surprise and confusion, and the question they cast between them was that of what was to be done, for it seemed Reimer was vital to a task as yet unfinished. His body was borne up by them and taken away, at the time, I believed, for burial. And when I was certain I was once again alone, I fled, leaving those infernal waters for good and all. And were that the end of my poor story, you may well imagine my confession of such to you, for laying it in writing is an unburdening beyond what I could have foreseen. And yet it was not this that inspired in me the need to write you an account. It was what occurred but two days past, for I was in my observatory making my notes of adjustments, as my position requires, when I was called upon, not unusually, by the president of the Royal Society. I was astonished at how cordial his conduct seemed, his temper even and his heat steady. But it was not the attitude of the president that robbed my tongue of speech. It was that in his visit, he was accompanied by Edmund Halley. My dear Reimer, whose body had gone cold and still in my own cruel hands. He had - little to say, it seemed, as the president went over, once again, some - detail of my equipment, and Reimer, who was and is dead, simply watched me in solemn silence. Were it not for his handing books to the president, I should have thought him a shade or haunt, but his substance was far more than such could ever achieve. At length, Mr. Newton took his leave, and Reimer went to follow. Before his departure, an exit that could not come too soon for my nerves, he turned towards me, and grasped me firmly by the shoulders. In my shock and fear, I offered no fight, and returned his gaze as he began to thank me. His gratitude was so plain and sincere that I could scarce understand it as he spoke, but he repeated it again and again, thanking me for his life. For his freedom. I stared into his eyes, and though they met mine, I saw spreading inside them the darkness and mist. Whether he be blind now, I know not, but those were not the eyes of Edmond Halley, though they were the eyes of my Reimer, the one I couldn’t destroy. It is with this at the forefront of my thoughts that I write to you, Abraham. I know you have some small acquaintance with him, and I must warn you Halley is no longer Halley. He may appear as such, and - ape those previous observations of his own, and those more skilled, but it is not him. Look into his eyes, and you will know. You will - know.
ARCHIVIST (heavy inhale, hint of surprise) Statement ends. (long exhale) Right. [TAPE CLICKS OFF.] [INT. MAGNUS INSTITUTE, ARCHIVES, JOHN’S OFFICE, SOME TIME LATER] [TAPE CLICKS ON.] BASIRA So? ARCHIVIST So Edmund Halley was Rayner. Or, at least - whatever was inside him. You said it was dead, though. BASIRA I thought it was. We shot him to hell before he could, uh… pour himself into that kid. ARCHIVIST Hm. BASIRA But I mean - didn’t you say he got blown up in World War I as well? ARCHIVIST Ah, uh, possibly the - the details are, um - (exhale) it’s not exactly clear. BASIRA You don’t- Know? ARCHIVIST No, and I’m not about to push my luck and try to force it. Besides, I, I rarely get anything when the Dark is involved? It’s a bit of a blind spot. BASIRA Hm. Point is, we can’t be sure. ARCHIVIST Agreed. BASIRA You don’t know what the ritual for the Dark is, right? ARCHIVIST Not really, no; um, based on this and everythi - uh, something to do with the Sun, I would guess? I, um - an eclipse, maybe. BASIRA I don’t think so. There’s not one due for a while, and I’ve been wondering for ages - why Ny-Ålesund? I mean, sure, that far North, it gets dark for a long time, but - there’s also really long days in the summer. ARCHIVIST Okay. BASIRA But I think - Have you got a pen? ARCHIVIST Uhh - Yeah, i-in the drawer. [BASIRA OPENS THE DRAWER.] BASIRA Ah, John. What’s this? [SHE PICKS SOMETHING UP.] ARCHIVIST Hm? Oh. That’s… I, th, uh - that’s my rib. BASIRA (Pythagorean theorem, volume of a cone) Right. [SHE PUTS IT BACK.] ARCHIVIST Yep. BASIRA And… the jar of ashes. ARCHIVIST (stress.exe) Not - not, m,mine - I mean, it belongs to me, I, I, I guess, but it’s not - stationery is in the, uh, other drawer. [SOUNDS AS THE STATIONERY IS RETRIEVED.] BASIRA Right, thanks. ARCHIVIST Mm. [THE DRAWER IS CLOSED.] BASIRA Okay. [RUSTLE OF PAPER.] BASIRA Now… Look here. ARCHIVIST R-Right, ye-yes, I, I know where it is. BASIRA I don’t think Ny-Ålesund is the ritual location. ARCHIVIST Right. BASIRA I think it’s a, a staging ground. ARCHIVIST For what? BASIRA The darkest place on the surface of the Earth. The North Pole, during the winter solstice. ARCHIVIST I hope you’re not suggesting that Santa works for the People’s Church. BASIRA (exasperated) John. It’s eleven weeks of pitch-black night, as far from the Sun as you can get on the planet.
ARCHIVIST Alright. So, why haven’t they done it already? BASIRA I think they were waiting for Rayner to get his new body. But my source is telling me now that they’re gearing up for something. ARCHIVIST These… sources, are they same ones that sent you to the Australian Outback while I was… burying myself alive? [BASIRA SIGHS OVER HIS WORDS.] BASIRA Their info is normally good. ARCHIVIST (yeah, right) Hmm. BASIRA There is one more thing that might convince you. ARCHIVIST They have an eldritch ball of some sort of manifested dark matter that’s going to be the focus of the ritual. BASIRA I thought you said you couldn’t Know things about them. ARCHIVIST I can still read. Actually, you should - probably see that stateme - you know what, no, later. (heavy inhale) So what’s the plan? BASIRA I’m getting us passage on a boat heading up there. ARCHIVIST Right. BASIRA I bring all the guns from Daisy’s old stash, you bring the spooks you used to mess up that delivery guy. [LONG PAUSE.] ARCHIVIST What - That’s it? Christ, I thought my plans were half-assed. BASIRA It’s all about when we go. ARCHIVIST I don’t follow. BASIRA Summer solstice is the 21st of June. So, we leave in a fortnight. [THE ARCHIVIST BEGINS TO TAKE A HEAVY BREATH AS SHE SPEAKS.] BASIRA (CONT’D) And should arrive about a week before. No danger of sunset or darkness for a long time. Stands to reason that they’ll be at their weakest. ARCHIVIST I don’t know. Is Daisy coming? BASIRA (short pause) No. ARCHIVIST Oh. I, I just thought - BASIRA We’ve talked about it. If the Hunt takes her again, we don’t know if she’s coming back. And neither of us want that. ARCHIVIST No, o-o-o-of course. And I, I don’t imagine Melanie would be keen to come. BASIRA She wasn’t. ARCHIVIST Why am I always the last to know about these things? BASIRA By this point, I just assume the Eyeball tells you. ARCHIVIST That would imply it tells me anything useful. Now I’m stuck knowing how your year eight PE teacher died. BASIRA Miss Peterson? ARCHIVIST Pancreatic cancer. If you’re interested. BASIRA I - wasn’t? ARCHIVIST (struggles for a moment) No - no, o-of course not. [HE CLEARS HIS THROAT.] ARCHIVIST (CONT’D) Alright, so just - me and you, then. (sigh) I don’t suppose you could get some of the team that helped you take Rayner down last time. BASIRA Oh yeah, sure. I’ll just drop them a message. [THE ARCHIVIST SIGHS.] BASIRA (CONT’D) You know, we’ve actually got a group chat going called ‘British Cops who love to do extrajudicial spook killings on foreign soil.’ [MORE SIGHING.] BASIRA (CONT’D) I’ll just see if they’re free Saturday - ARCHIVIST (overlapping) Yes, yes, alright! Alright. (sigh) You’re sure about this? BASIRA No. But if I’m right, this is the best chance we’re going to get. And I can’t do it alone. ARCHIVIST Okay, then. (inhale of bolstered confidence) Let’s do it. [EXHALE.] [TAPE CLICKS OFF.]
The dark is like the antithesis to the eye. The forever blind. While Beholding sees all, the Dark hides and obscures. I’m guessing it’s a bit hard to see anything in pitch black darkness. (I think it was Gerry that explained this? I don’t really remember...)
"Thats...my rib." "Why are there ashes here?" "Uh" Pfffft. Its questionable that hes human, Basira doesnt really trust him, and he has a rib bone and Not!Sashas ashes in his drawer! Very...normal of him 😂😂😂
Technically, Jon's body is a relic of the Eye. One of the statements said that Jan Kilbride didn't have to have his whole body thrown into The Buried's ritual pit, just part of it. They could literally use Jon's rib against anything weak to the Eye. Honestly, sharpen it into a weapon and make it a RIBEYE STAKE. (I stole this joke, but its still a good idea, this is my first watchthrough no spoilers)
Imagine every time you complain your Eldritch boss gives you useless info like "I bitched about not getting info now I know my 5th grade teachers irregular bm." 🤣
Jon’s Knowing: lets him know the precise death date of historical figures, despite official records Also The Knowing: has No fucking idea what the word is for a nickname for someone you hate
Well I’m glad to know that fortnite doesn’t exist in the universe of the Magnus Archives, because if it did, there’s no way someone like Basira would be caught DEAD using “fortnight” as a unit of time in a serious conversation with a man who I would assume was born in the nineties
"Communication works both ways" says the woman who hasn't been communicating anything she's been working on for the past few months
I suppose for all we know they're working together better now and hiding it from the tapes
the silence after jon says 'that's ....my rib' gkfjgkfjgkfj i can imagine basira's face so perfectly
I think the transcript for this episode presents Basira's tone with the stage notes "Volume of a cone. Pythagorean Theorem" which is accurate
@@Kyman102 Yes it does and it's the funniest fucking thing I've ever been presented with in these transcripts
BASIRA
Ah, John. What’s this?
[SHE PICKS SOMETHING UP.]
ARCHIVIST
Hm? Oh. That’s… I, th, uh - that’s my rib.
BASIRA
(Pythagorean theorem, volume of a cone [side note, this is not just a stage note, its an actual link to the meme]) Right.
[SHE PUTS IT BACK.]
@@fridaespinosa7387 read this reply, laughed, went and checked it within the transcript itself, laughed again lmao
I imagine her litreally just going like: ಠ_ಠ
She just goes, “….right..and the ashes?” She didn’t even sound surprised 😂
Jon: “for sacrificing my humanity, I would like to know just something regarding to the possible demise of my world.”
The Eye: “.....”
The Eye: “...wanna know how Basira’s 3rd grade gym teacher died?”
You know it's actually an eldrich manifestation of knowledge, because it cannot stop itself from only speaking in fun facts. Take it from anyone with intelligence, they only know the most worthless stuff at any given time, and moments of knowing what they need to are functionally random. I doubt the Eye could tell him what he needed if it wanted to. And judging from how much it's giving Jon, it wants to.
My ADHD at 3am
Year 8 is actually 12 year olds so would be abt grade 7 lol, but again that’s not important
I was considered smart in school and know a lot of random nonsense-I know a ton about hyper-niche subjects that would never be helpful in any given scenario. Though, the fact that I could remember a song I hadn’t listened to in about a year (after trying to remember for about 2 days) is one of my few claims to an impressive feat.
Another issue is that 98% of my word knowledge comes from context. I can’t define words. I can just go “well uh… I know what it means but I can’t describe it to you.” I also never learned how to “properly study” because I can efficiently store knowledge in the short term before it gets locked away in a filing cabinet somewhere and I only find it after several months or years.
The point of my very long comment was to wholeheartedly agree by providing anecdotal evidence by the way (I can’t edit my comments for some odd reason)
Basira: "it's at the North Pole"
Jon: "we're not suggesting Santa works for the People's Church"
Christmas is the yearly sacrifice/devotional round-up. :D
😂
"That's... my rib."
"And this jar of ashes?"
"Oh, that's not mine. I mean it belongs to me, but- the stationary is in the other drawer"
asdfghjhgfd
If he said it was Jane Prentiss she might’ve dropped the thing :/
i respect how you took Halley, well known historical figure, and went “well actually he was part of a cult”
Robert Smirke and Wilfred Owen (episode 7) were both historical figures, too.
They also mentioned several famous explores in the one about the forever chase
And also Grimaldi
@@hithedragon7842 Grimaldi renowned for bumming cigarettes off people and wearing their skins
Jonny Sims the writer has a habit of using historical figures in this series, and sometimes it's less than respectful. John Amherst, an avatar of the Corruption, is implied to be a relative (possibly descendant) of Jeffery Amherst, a figure most well-known for ordering smallpox blankets to be given to native Americans.
I just love how the eye decided to help jon saying how it only gives him useless knowledge by informing him how bassira's 3rd grade p.e. teacher died to prove it. And not proving him wrong with any useful info
The eye is a petuliant child: You complain I´m not usefull? Well then I´ll do JUST THAT because you´re mean to me!
this is actually such a mood lol. i can't for the life of me commit anything important to memory, but have countless random facts that could never be useful in any practical sense
The eye is Encyclopaedia from Disco Elysium, a voice in your head that feeds you useless facts.
Character "a contact mic is a microphone that pics up audio through the vibrations on an objects surface."
Encyclopedia (We think you should know, there was a professional boxer names Contact Mic.)
Detective (Thanks, do you remember anything useful. Like my mother's name? Or my age?)
Encyclopedia (Nope 😉)
"I feel awful"
"Do you want this statement?"
"YES YES GIVE IT HERE I NEEEEED IT"
As any junkie 😅
"and I thought MY plans were half assed" glad you're getting your sarcasm back, jon. it's a key part of being human
Oh as the eye mutates him, Jon has been getting more and more human. It's rather curious considering the other entities.
Elias is looking in the camera like in the Office
Elias looking into the camera is just him making eye-contact
Flamsteed: "Sure, I've butted heads with Halley, but I wouldn't say I hate him."
Also Flamsteed: *proceeds to insult Halley for five minutes straight*
I believe that part was about Isaac Newton, actually. He was like "Newton is a bitch and I pity him, but let him burn in hell peacefully; Halley though - yeah, I've always wanted to murder the bastard".
Reminds me of Season 1 Jon to Martin
@@purplecatloverrandompizza Ikr that moment when Halley came back from the dead and he called him "my dear (sweet?)" Halley???? Shipping.
This is actually super common in old letters between rivals of almost any kind. They will always be nice and respectable to eachother immediately before burning eachother as intensely as possible. See the letters talking about the relationship between Thomas Jefferson and Alexander Hamilton. Both very civil and kind-spoken men who nevertheless difinately wanted to see the other burn.
I’m pretty sure he was referring to Isaac Newton when he said he didn’t hate the president. I think Halley lied to Newton about his work and Newton believed him. The statement giver said that even though he wasn’t bitter toward Newton, he was toward Halley.
I find it so hilarious that jon just stores his *rib* in a office drawer
Where else would he put it? Not like he can shove it back in his body😂
Episodical reminder that according to well known urban legend, Jonathan Sims, the archivist and avatar of the eye can now perform fellatio on himself.
@@americantoastman7296
It is my pleasure to also issue an episodical reminder that Jon is utterly disinterested in anything to do with anatomy below the belt.
@@clayxros576
Hello, ace here, just wanna add:
libido (and relieving it if needed) =/= sexual attraction and having sex.
But yeah, the Archivist doesn't seem to be the type lmao
@@macabrecitrus2127get help
This whole season so far has been like
Everyone: we hate u and everything is ur fault
Jon: ok, sounds fair
Apart from Daisy, surprisingly.
I-- 😢
Well, Martin didn´t do that... he just doesn´t talk to jon to save him. Not really makes me feel better but still
I've never liked how the archive staff treated Jon. Like as far as I'm concerned besides some mild stalking he has done exactly jack to them.
@@nateds7326 and unconsenting surgery, but I get your point
as someone who collects fossils and as a result currently has a femur sitting on a bookcase, I relate to Jon's "um, that's my rib" moment
Same lol. I have a deer(?) rib bone hanging from my bedpost. What was the femur from? :o
@@trs16 ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
ive got 2 little skulls on my bookshelf from an owl pellet ^-^
As a kid, I had half a canine jawbone on my shelf. Thankfully I never had a “um, that’s my rib” moment. Everyone knew to expect the unexpected from me.
but its not YOUR bones
Human remains on the left, stationary on the right.
It really just hit me that Jon literally does have a drawer specifically for human remains now. Lovely.
@@ZeroOhClock i aspire to this level of weird
“You know we’ve actually got a group chat going called British cops who love to do extrajudicial spook killings on foreign soil.”
She didn’t have to go for Jon’s neck like that.
Yeah. We all know that group chat is just her and Daisy's chat with that one dude who got darkness-eaten in the raid.
no that was daisy's job
I know it would be very active.
The rib and ashes scene still makes me laught every time. Also Santa as an avatar of the dark XD
This is late BUT he only travels at night.
@@sarahwoods6317 😳
That awkward moment when your colleague searches for a pen in your drawers and finds your rib and your past enemy’s ashes instead :/
Basira: Ah, Jon. What’s this?
Jon: Hm? Oh. That’s… I, th, uh - that’s my rib.
i laughed for like 5 minutes because of this,,,i sometimes genuily forget that tma is a horror podcast
I laughed because of the Ashes bit. It was like "Wait why does he have ashes again? Oh right Martin gave them to him to ease his paranoia" and? ?? 😂
@@ZeroOhClock That didn't even occur to me, I just assumed that he kept Gerry in a little jar or something. Man, s4 is just sad, isn't it?
You have skin...Let me help you with that...😆😁😁😘😘🥰🥰😍😅😇😜😛😛😋😋☺☺😀😀😃😃😄😄😁😁😆😆😂😂😂🤣🤣🤣🤣🥵🥵🤓🤓🧐🧐
YAY!!!!!! 🗣️🗣️🗣️🗣️🗣️🗣️🗣️🗣️🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥
𝚈𝚎𝚙.
Basira and Jon are gonna mess up santa.
Punk's had it too good for too long.
The "good guys" are making their way through the emoji list destroying lives
🤡👀💪👨🚀🧛♂️💃👨❤️👨🐜🕷🦍📓📜📑
@@seanthebluesheep hey I know you from oxbox!
@@polkarrty hey I know you from one specific poster in a German airport!
@@seanthebluesheep ah yes the time oxboxtra went crazy
@@seanthebluesheep are you fully updated with TMA?
“I can still read” “that would imply it tells me anything useful” poor Jon. Everyone (cough Barissa) assumes everything he knows was gained via dark powers XD
Pffftt hahahahaha! Jon just casually storing his rib and a jar of Jane Prentiss' ashes in a drawer
Love that he's collecting a spooks drawer
Ashes for the Corruption, a rib for the Flesh AND the Eye, twelve more to go.
I would too
thank you beholder, eye of infinite knowledge, very helpful
Eye: Hey remember what the Archivist said about drinking a bar? Yeah it's no easier for me.
@@clayxros576 omg the eye floating drunkenly around the air 😂 JON jahn liiiisten she had hair extensions. And pancreatic cancer. And that one is gay for YOU specifically. (jk that last one would be way too helpful)
A rib? In MY drawer? More likely than you think.
*𝚜𝚒𝚐𝚑* 𝚆𝚑𝚊𝚝 𝚒𝚜 𝚝𝚑𝚒𝚜 𝚛𝚎𝚏𝚎𝚛𝚎𝚗𝚌𝚒𝚗𝚐?
*𝚜𝚒𝚐𝚑* *
𝙾𝚑 𝚒𝚝 𝚍𝚎𝚕𝚎𝚝𝚎𝚜 𝚒𝚝.
@@Eileen-d1i a meme 'A virus? in MY computer? More likely than you think' You can google that phrase
Jar of ash, his rib, lot of scars and trauma, a lighter, ... john really is sort of a collector, isn't he?
I love how Jon just unconsciously used his powers to know how bassira's 3rd grade pe teacher died when she talked about 'the spook' he had for that delivery guy 😂
Damn, Magnus Archives really just threw Halley under the bus as a member of the Dark. Meanwhile, this Flamsteed guy inadvertently made him into an Avatar. That'll teach him to kill off a dude at a cult ritual site. XD
To be fair, most of the time that works. These avatars aren't particularly durable to conventional means, and are only really durable against supernatural means. Which is ironic.
Basira: "What's this?!?!?!"
Jon: "Oh, er, that's, umm... my rib."
B: "Right... and these ashes??"
J: "NOT mine-- I mean, they BELONG to me, but they aren't-"
*StationaryIsInTheOtherDraw*
"You see, the ashes are those of an enemy of mine, and were a gift from my crush to help me ease my paranoia"
@@macabrecitrus2127 yea, that’s basically it
@@DeadBore
Yay ! What a loving gift from Martin
Stationary is in the other draw*
i adore how jon "eats" statements
he's such a cat for that
AOM!!!
So canonically in TMA Edmund Hailey was possessed by the embodiment of the fear of darkness, and lived on for 300 years. Ok got it.
The Eye: Holds multiple knowledge.
Also the Eye: Here are fun facts, my chosen one!
Also, I love foreshadowing. >:)
Uh Oh
>:) ?!!??!???!!!???
when you click on the ''volume of a cone. Pythagorean theorem'' on the transcript it transports you to the meme, lmao
That's the funniest shit djfnfshd
This episode is truly Jon realizing his potential as theatre kid icon
ok I haven't finished the episode yet but I've been thinking about how the Eye seems to give Jon a lot more special treatment than Gertrude or Jonah. I mean idk what happened with Jonah, but he clearly didn't "become" anything despite being so dedicated to the Eye (or at least appears to be dead), and Gertrude, for all her ruthlessness against the other Fears, still died in the end.
Jon however, was given the option to live as an Avatar when he was basically dead. Maybe Gertrude had that choice as well, but I have some doubts since she died in the midst of preparations for stopping the Unknowing.
I'm curious as to why The Eye seems to care more about Jon and is more willing to help him than it did with any of the previous archivists. Whatever it is that makes Jon different, I have a feeling it has something to do with the Watcher's Crown ritual.
This is just my little theory but I'm really looking forward to seeing how this plays out. (no spoilers about it please)
"-a bit of a blindspot"
Hehe, pun
AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!! HHHH
I absolutely love the attention to detail of the mini rises in static even with the mini tidbit info bout her P.E teacher, lovely
Jon: statement recorded by Jonathan Sims, The Archivist. Statement begins.
Ad: pOoP iS oNlY nAtUrAl!
YAY!!!
At least he admits his plans are, in fact, half-assed.
Y'know, I read a comment a while back saying that Gertrude is a way better Archivist than Jon and has stopped lots of rituals in the past...but this is now 2 full on rituals our gang has to end mere years after Gertrude's death. And considering Peter said it takes hundreds of years to prep for a ritual, it makes me think that all she did was delay the inevitable until it wasn't her problem anymore.
Dinkelberg meme:
*RAYMERRrrrrrr.*
Why are so many PE teachers' names Peterson???
It was a nice callback to the jar of ashes.
Lmao the comment about the rib had me rolling. Also for some reason I thought the ritual of the dark had already happened. Keeping everything that has happening compared to what will happen straight is becoming increasingly more difficult.
As far as Jon and Basira are currently aware at this point, the Dark hasn’t tried their ritual yet.
**slight spoilers**
.
.
.
.
.
However, you are correct. The ritual for the Dark has already been attempted. It failed. Jon and Basira will soon find that out. 😊
oh? what do you have in your office drawers? sticky notes, pencils, paper clips, spider webs, a rib - mine of course, and some ashes. ya know, the essentials.
the snort that left me at the mention of santa tho- to be fair i wouldn't put it past them to add santa to a Spooky Cult™ what with the 'he knows when you are sleeping, he knows when you're awake' bit. sounds kinda Eye-ish to me.
oh no. hadn't thought of santa like that. o_o
Everytime the Eye reveals anything it's like that old meme, the "thank you Kanye, very cool" one lol
So Santa is Mr. Pitch and the cult are his elves trying to summon the eldritch chaos known as Rudolph with his nose that devours all light. Then that would make Rainer/Halley a claymation snowman with a mustache. This makes me happy.
The rib?
Mine, yep
I love Basira pointing out but not questioning how much weird shit is at Jon's desk
Love this series ! Twilight zone mixed with welcome to NightVale! Thank you for your daily updates getting me through this lockdown.
There are even more episodes out on their webside. The fifth season is coming out now weekly.
"You're not suggesting that Santa works for the Dark" made me snort with laughter at work
Im honestly really glad for her common sense we havent heard from Georgie in a while but i miss her.
the eye chooses avatars but doesn't fully take them over, but goes inside them instead, as it would prefer to just watch and see.
Jon storing his... curiosities is something I can relate to /looks at the bottle of my teeth on the shelf/
Jon talking in old English feeds my soul for some reason
Old English? this is Early Modern at the earliest. Old English is very different
@@mimkyodar oh. Well thats my bad then lol I dont know very much about linguistics if im honest
the dark being a blind spot for the eye lmaoo
I know that Halley and Flamsteed have been mentionned off handely in previous episode. By Tim? I think ?
Can't remeber exactly when or why though
EDIT: episode 108 Monolgue. not Tim, Basira
Thank you
and Flamsteed is menioned by Gerry in 111 Family Business
Thank you!
Silly Jon. Of course Santa isn't an avatar of the Dark. He clearly works for the Eye.
🎶He sees you when you're sleeping. He knows when you're awake. He knows if you've been bad or good, so be good for goodness sake.🎶
"British cops who love to do extrajudicial spook killings on foreign soil" i am SOBBING
Basira: Ah, Jon. What’s this?
Jon: Hm? Oh. That’s… I, th, uh - that’s my rib.
that caught me so off garud, i was taking a drink of some soda when that happened and I choked
Anyone know how can I join British Cops Who Love To Do Extrajudicial Spook Killings on Foreign Soil ? 👀
Homoerotic pet names but for hatred
“Basera, that’s my grizzly trophy drawer. Try the one below it.”
Lmfao Basira asking if Jon might be on drugs. See at least SOMEONE thinks Jon can be on drugs *looking at you Georgie*
Gosh I just hope Basira doesn't die, PLEASE. I'm not ready for just Jon and Basira to do this alone. Aaaah!!!!
Also I love the small banter between characters. Its enriching to the soul
Ribeye
i don't know why no one has acknowledged this amazing pun yet. given some of the episode titles, im sure jonny would be proud of you
Filipa Maria Costa HAHAHAHAHHA thank you I totally forgot I wrote this tbh lmaoooo
I am shaking internally, my skeleton yearns for such greatness.
Appreciate the pun kcjdifhdis
if we can get trevor and julia back, we could have ribeye stake! :)
Losing it at this comment 😂
Half in season 4 and I still expect him to say head archivist of the magnus institute, london
I love that jon has the ashes of... someone in his desk. It was supposed to be Gertrude but obviously he has been lied to about that so he just has a random persons remains lying around
Didn't Martin get him the ashes of Jane Prentiss?
yeah they're prentiss' ashes from s2
Basira's really getting on my nerves this season,,,
same fucking here
Yes but.... as the person who thinks 'I'm the only one sane enough to plan anything'. ... it's understandable.
Specially since in reality she's trapped and powerless and I think that fact is still sinking in on her.
Look at it this way. She'd had 8 months of Peter Lukas working his Loneliness on each of them, exploiting some weakness of each. Melanie's anger, Martin's desire to sacrifice to protect Jon, and Basira's feeling of being able to rely on only herself. That feeling, of being the only adult in the room, would lead to an attitude like that which Basira has had this season.
This may well be the saltiest episode of mag yet
TMA!!
Sassy Basira is best Bassira
I put the podcast on shuffle, and this is the first one it gave me...
I literally just walked by a poster about Haley's comet today and thought about this episode 😵💫
Catch on the episodes by checking out the podcast on Acast!
This seems like an origin episode, seems like its time again for the end of a tale.
I adore that John is a little paranormal packrat lol
The ritual for the Dark involving An Eclipse
Me driving south to catch the 2024 eclipse and listening to this: Shit. Shit. Shit.
im glad basira and jon are getting along again :]
[INT. MAGNUS INSTITUTE, ARCHIVES, JOHN’S OFFICE]
[TAPE CLICKS ON.]
[THE ARCHIVIST TAKES A DEEP BREATH.]
BASIRA
Coffee.
[SHE SETS DOWN A CUP OF COFFEE IN FRONT OF HIM.]
ARCHIVIST
What?
BASIRA
Coffee. Drink it.
ARCHIVIST
I’m really, uh… Fine.
BASIRA
You look awful. You try drinking with Daisy again?
ARCHIVIST
(overlapping) She was here last night, as you know.
BASIRA
Drinking alone, then.
ARCHIVIST
It’s not a hangover. Well, not - I wasn’t drinking.
BASIRA
Drugs, then? Sick? Got some weird monster disease?
ARCHIVIST
Seriously?
BASIRA
(no-nonsense) We’ve been over this. You need to tell me stuff. Communication works both ways, you know.
[THE ARCHIVIST SIGHS OVER HER LAST WORDS.]
ARCHIVIST
Y-Yesterday I tried something I - (slight pause) I, I deliberately tried to… Know something, like I did in the coffin, but there was too much, (he sighs) and, uh -
BASIRA
What did you find out?
ARCHIVIST
(dry laugh) Nothing. There was too much.
BASIRA
You don’t remember any of it?
ARCHIVIST
You drink the whole contents of a bar, you don’t remember what the Merlot tastes like. (sigh-adjacent sound) It just hurt.
BASIRA
Sure.
[SOME RUSTLING, AS SHE TAKES OUT SOME PAPERS.]
ARCHIVIST
What’s that?
BASIRA
Statement. You in a condition for it?
ARCHIVIST
(immediately) Yes. (long inhale) Yes, what’s this one about?
[MORE RUSTLING.]
BASIRA
Took me a while to hunt it down again, but - you remember Maxwell Rayner?
ARCHIVIST
Yes, of course; your - warehouse showdown?
BASIRA
Yeah, well, whole thing kinda stayed with me.
ARCHIVIST
Mm, I can imagine.
BASIRA
Well, there’s more history there than we thought. Capital H History.
ARCHIVIST
John Flamsteed? Basira, this is from way before the Institute!
BASIRA
The first Astronomer Royale. Had the post until his death in 1720.
ARCHIVIST
1719. He died on New Year’s Eve.
(second to realize what he’s done) Sorry, I didn’t - Can’t really help it.
[HE GIVES A SMALL LAUGH.]
BASIRA
Well, either way, he really hated the man who succeeded him. His former assistant, Edmund Halley.
ARCHIVIST
As in… Halley’s Comet, Halley?
BASIRA
Yep. And Flamsteed had a… what’s the opposite of a pet name? Like a nickname for someone you hate.
ARCHIVIST
Uhhh… I don’t -
BASIRA
(overlapping) Well, he had one of them for Halley. Called him ‘Reimer.’
ARCHIVIST
Reimer? And, and you think -
BASIRA
Names shift over the years. ‘Specially if you’re not keen on keeping the same body.
ARCHIVIST
(pure, wondrous shock) Right.
BASIRA
Just - have a read. Let me know when you’re done.
ARCHIVIST
You’re not staying?
BASIRA
Watching you do your thing? No.
[THE ARCHIVIST MAKES A SOUND THAT SOUNDS RATHER LIKE HE’S MENTALLY KICKING HIMSELF.]
ARCHIVIST
I - suppose I understand.
[AS THE DOOR CLOSES BEHIND BASIRA, HE TAKES A DEEP BREATH.]
ARCHIVIST
(still breathy) Right…
(stronger) Statement of John Flamsteed, taken from a partial unsent letter to Abraham Sharp, 1715. Audio recording by Jonathan Sims, The Archivist. Statement begins.
Um - (flips page) Uh -
ARCHIVIST (STATEMENT)
But my affliction in writing to you is of a wholly different character. And were I not well sure of your firm alliance and counsel, I should under no extremity impose it upon you. For I have killed a man, and barely do I have the covering of great passion for it, for I was well within my senses at the time.
You are familiar of course with my persecuter and tormentor Edmond Halley. The one so oft descending upon me as Nemesis with her sword to avenge upon my hubris. It was he, who with the president of the Royal Society, Isaac Newton, printed my catalogue of stars without my knowledge, robbing me of the fruits of my labor, turning my triumph to naught but ashes.
I have had - many a contest with the president, but I harbor little true bitterness toward him. He is a blockish creature of vanity, concerned with his appearance only, and likely to fly into an indecent heat and knavish talk at any dispute. He has no reverence for God, and I pity him the fire that awaits. But in life, my thoughts of him are simply those of disdain, and hold no corner for true hatred.
I put no such chain upon my spirit when I make my considerations of Halley, who I have long called Reimer to you in my letters, for as the odious Nicolaus Reimer persecuted the great Tycho, and ran his noble genius to exile, so, too, has my own Reimer pushed me toward ruin.
I have detailed much of his offenses in my letters to you, but as much again I have concealed within my soul and given no voice. Simply know the robbery of my celestial catalog was but the least of it.
I will admit, that in my heart, I nurtured such dreams of revenge that when they came to me the name of God felt hollow upon my lips. Another dignity stripped from me by mine enemy.
Such were the depths of the hatred that I found within myself that whereupon I would spy Reimer at the Royal Society, if I were unobserved in turn, I would to no deliberate end begin to follow him. Oft it was that I would follow his path until my better humours overtook me, or I was seen by my quarry, who would smile, and offer his insufferable greeting.
So it has been this past year, though I have never had fear he might know my intentions.
Yet this month past, it has been… much changed. Reimer’s wanderings, hitherto aimless or meandering through the gardens and pathways of the Royal Society, or the coffeeshops of Fleet Street, have of late drawn him almost out of London entirely, to a strange and shrouded wood not a league from what might draw the interests of the pompous fool with whose whims I was now well-acquainted.
And in that quiet seclusion, while I looked on in silence and astonishment, he would meet with figures both man and woman alike, with dull clothing and eyes that in the darkness of that wooded place seemed wholly black and empty. Their words were soft and impenetrable to me from the spot wherein I was concealed, but they had much impact upon Reimer, who would often stagger backwards as though struck.
They led him further through trees of gnarled and twisted woods, where the thick roof of leaves permitted not the light of moon or stars, and there they knelt around a pool so black, if it had been India ink it could have scarcely been darker. I held back a cry that threatened to force itself from my lips, for I am not so blind as to be ignorant to the practices of vile pagan exultation.
And I can describe what I saw around that pool as nothing less. And dismiss as you will my words as the shaken memory of a man appalled, but at that awful moment, their cries of worship seemed to form shapes that stirred in the water, such as I have never seen in my time upon this earth.
I fled, of course, and considered the courses such as I might pursue to relieve myself of this dreadful burden of knowledge. No longer was my concern purely for revenge upon Reimer, but a quite acute terror of the savage rites the practice of which were clearly among my peers.
I had not seen with clarity those compatriots alongside whom Reimer had joined in awful raptures, and could not state with confidence that any among the faculty to whom I might make report of his debauchery would not in turn make it known that I was telling such things of Halley, an astronomer of note, whose conduct to all others has been unimpeachable.
No. If there was to be a confrontation or action taken against Reimer, it would be I, and I alone that would have to take it.
I know it was the second of May when this took place, for it was no doubt the crowning glory that he had stolen from me that occupied his mind that eve, and caused his steps to quicken and grow careless.
Again he traced his path under that dark and hidden wood, and again I followed, quiet in my manner, keen in my observance. I cast around for other figures, but in that moment, Reimer was alone. He proceeded then, as before, to the pool of blackest water, and the clear skies of night were lost amongst the leaves. All was quiet as he gazed into that smoothed and liquid darkness.
This, I knew, was to be my chance.
I stepped from my place of concealment and began to decry him, casting my censure upon Reimer and naming before him the vile acts of pagan villainy which I had myself observed. His mute shock was but for a moment, before he let out a noise the likes of which I can scarce describe, and charged towards me, his fingers curled to claws that sought my face and eyes.
I wasted no time, and drew my small sword, and praised to God, who gifted me foresight to carry it. I struck Reimer a fierce blow to the leg. He fell, still clutching at me, and in a moment, cast my sword away into the trees and grabbed at my coat. With a fierce strength never before awakened within me, I gripped the head of my foul adversary, and forced it down, into the dark pool before us.
There I held it, the water so cold upon my skin the marks have yet to fade. And Reimer thrashed, and kicked, and made such sounds as I have never before heard of the dying.
And he was still.
I drew him up with the black water still thickly flowing from him. He was dead at my hand, and though I well knew it to be an act of defense and retribution, I felt within me a sudden terror of discovery.
I took my sword and returned to hiding in the dense growth of the forest, fearing that, should I return upon the path, my passing might be met and marked. Better to wait until I had the surety of unseen passage.
And as I waited there, the enormity of my actions settled upon me like lead, and Reimer’s dark-eyed compatriots arrived to attend him.
Seeing him prostrate and lifeless upon the ground was clearly a shock, and their distress was marked upon them. And yet there seemed no sadness or horror within their passion, but surprise and confusion, and the question they cast between them was that of what was to be done, for it seemed Reimer was vital to a task as yet unfinished.
His body was borne up by them and taken away, at the time, I believed, for burial. And when I was certain I was once again alone, I fled, leaving those infernal waters for good and all.
And were that the end of my poor story, you may well imagine my confession of such to you, for laying it in writing is an unburdening beyond what I could have foreseen. And yet it was not this that inspired in me the need to write you an account.
It was what occurred but two days past, for I was in my observatory making my notes of adjustments, as my position requires, when I was called upon, not unusually, by the president of the Royal Society. I was astonished at how cordial his conduct seemed, his temper even and his heat steady.
But it was not the attitude of the president that robbed my tongue of speech.
It was that in his visit, he was accompanied by Edmund Halley. My dear Reimer, whose body had gone cold and still in my own cruel hands.
He had - little to say, it seemed, as the president went over, once again, some - detail of my equipment, and Reimer, who was and is dead, simply watched me in solemn silence. Were it not for his handing books to the president, I should have thought him a shade or haunt, but his substance was far more than such could ever achieve.
At length, Mr. Newton took his leave, and Reimer went to follow. Before his departure, an exit that could not come too soon for my nerves, he turned towards me, and grasped me firmly by the shoulders. In my shock and fear, I offered no fight, and returned his gaze as he began to thank me.
His gratitude was so plain and sincere that I could scarce understand it as he spoke, but he repeated it again and again, thanking me for his life. For his freedom.
I stared into his eyes, and though they met mine, I saw spreading inside them the darkness and mist. Whether he be blind now, I know not, but those were not the eyes of Edmond Halley, though they were the eyes of my Reimer, the one I couldn’t destroy.
It is with this at the forefront of my thoughts that I write to you, Abraham. I know you have some small acquaintance with him, and I must warn you Halley is no longer Halley. He may appear as such, and - ape those previous observations of his own, and those more skilled, but it is not him.
Look into his eyes, and you will know. You will - know.
ARCHIVIST
(heavy inhale, hint of surprise) Statement ends. (long exhale) Right.
[TAPE CLICKS OFF.]
[INT. MAGNUS INSTITUTE, ARCHIVES, JOHN’S OFFICE, SOME TIME LATER]
[TAPE CLICKS ON.]
BASIRA
So?
ARCHIVIST
So Edmund Halley was Rayner. Or, at least - whatever was inside him. You said it was dead, though.
BASIRA
I thought it was. We shot him to hell before he could, uh… pour himself into that kid.
ARCHIVIST
Hm.
BASIRA
But I mean - didn’t you say he got blown up in World War I as well?
ARCHIVIST
Ah, uh, possibly the - the details are, um - (exhale) it’s not exactly clear.
BASIRA
You don’t- Know?
ARCHIVIST
No, and I’m not about to push my luck and try to force it. Besides, I, I rarely get anything when the Dark is involved? It’s a bit of a blind spot.
BASIRA
Hm. Point is, we can’t be sure.
ARCHIVIST
Agreed.
BASIRA
You don’t know what the ritual for the Dark is, right?
ARCHIVIST
Not really, no; um, based on this and everythi - uh, something to do with the Sun, I would guess? I, um - an eclipse, maybe.
BASIRA
I don’t think so. There’s not one due for a while, and I’ve been wondering for ages - why Ny-Ålesund? I mean, sure, that far North, it gets dark for a long time, but - there’s also really long days in the summer.
ARCHIVIST
Okay.
BASIRA
But I think - Have you got a pen?
ARCHIVIST
Uhh - Yeah, i-in the drawer.
[BASIRA OPENS THE DRAWER.]
BASIRA
Ah, John. What’s this?
[SHE PICKS SOMETHING UP.]
ARCHIVIST
Hm? Oh. That’s… I, th, uh - that’s my rib.
BASIRA
(Pythagorean theorem, volume of a cone) Right.
[SHE PUTS IT BACK.]
ARCHIVIST
Yep.
BASIRA
And… the jar of ashes.
ARCHIVIST
(stress.exe) Not - not, m,mine - I mean, it belongs to me, I, I, I guess, but it’s not - stationery is in the, uh, other drawer.
[SOUNDS AS THE STATIONERY IS RETRIEVED.]
BASIRA
Right, thanks.
ARCHIVIST
Mm.
[THE DRAWER IS CLOSED.]
BASIRA
Okay.
[RUSTLE OF PAPER.]
BASIRA
Now… Look here.
ARCHIVIST
R-Right, ye-yes, I, I know where it is.
BASIRA
I don’t think Ny-Ålesund is the ritual location.
ARCHIVIST
Right.
BASIRA
I think it’s a, a staging ground.
ARCHIVIST
For what?
BASIRA
The darkest place on the surface of the Earth. The North Pole, during the winter solstice.
ARCHIVIST
I hope you’re not suggesting that Santa works for the People’s Church.
BASIRA
(exasperated) John. It’s eleven weeks of pitch-black night, as far from the Sun as you can get on the planet.
ARCHIVIST
Alright. So, why haven’t they done it already?
BASIRA
I think they were waiting for Rayner to get his new body. But my source is telling me now that they’re gearing up for something.
ARCHIVIST
These… sources, are they same ones that sent you to the Australian Outback while I was… burying myself alive?
[BASIRA SIGHS OVER HIS WORDS.]
BASIRA
Their info is normally good.
ARCHIVIST
(yeah, right) Hmm.
BASIRA
There is one more thing that might convince you.
ARCHIVIST
They have an eldritch ball of some sort of manifested dark matter that’s going to be the focus of the ritual.
BASIRA
I thought you said you couldn’t Know things about them.
ARCHIVIST
I can still read. Actually, you should - probably see that stateme - you know what, no, later. (heavy inhale) So what’s the plan?
BASIRA
I’m getting us passage on a boat heading up there.
ARCHIVIST
Right.
BASIRA
I bring all the guns from Daisy’s old stash, you bring the spooks you used to mess up that delivery guy.
[LONG PAUSE.]
ARCHIVIST
What - That’s it? Christ, I thought my plans were half-assed.
BASIRA
It’s all about when we go.
ARCHIVIST
I don’t follow.
BASIRA
Summer solstice is the 21st of June. So, we leave in a fortnight.
[THE ARCHIVIST BEGINS TO TAKE A HEAVY BREATH AS SHE SPEAKS.]
BASIRA (CONT’D)
And should arrive about a week before. No danger of sunset or darkness for a long time. Stands to reason that they’ll be at their weakest.
ARCHIVIST
I don’t know. Is Daisy coming?
BASIRA
(short pause) No.
ARCHIVIST
Oh. I, I just thought -
BASIRA
We’ve talked about it. If the Hunt takes her again, we don’t know if she’s coming back. And neither of us want that.
ARCHIVIST
No, o-o-o-of course. And I, I don’t imagine Melanie would be keen to come.
BASIRA
She wasn’t.
ARCHIVIST
Why am I always the last to know about these things?
BASIRA
By this point, I just assume the Eyeball tells you.
ARCHIVIST
That would imply it tells me anything useful. Now I’m stuck knowing how your year eight PE teacher died.
BASIRA
Miss Peterson?
ARCHIVIST
Pancreatic cancer. If you’re interested.
BASIRA
I - wasn’t?
ARCHIVIST
(struggles for a moment) No - no, o-of course not.
[HE CLEARS HIS THROAT.]
ARCHIVIST (CONT’D)
Alright, so just - me and you, then. (sigh) I don’t suppose you could get some of the team that helped you take Rayner down last time.
BASIRA
Oh yeah, sure. I’ll just drop them a message.
[THE ARCHIVIST SIGHS.]
BASIRA (CONT’D)
You know, we’ve actually got a group chat going called ‘British Cops who love to do extrajudicial spook killings on foreign soil.’
[MORE SIGHING.]
BASIRA (CONT’D)
I’ll just see if they’re free Saturday -
ARCHIVIST
(overlapping) Yes, yes, alright! Alright. (sigh) You’re sure about this?
BASIRA
No. But if I’m right, this is the best chance we’re going to get. And I can’t do it alone.
ARCHIVIST
Okay, then. (inhale of bolstered confidence) Let’s do it.
[EXHALE.]
[TAPE CLICKS OFF.]
@@petraivan6778 thank you :3
No problem :)
how do you just casually.. keep a rib in your drawer ?
“capital Haytch”
So the guy who discovered Hailey's comet is a possible immortal creature of the dark which worships an elder god
Why is it that Jon can't see into the dark?
The dark is like the antithesis to the eye. The forever blind. While Beholding sees all, the Dark hides and obscures. I’m guessing it’s a bit hard to see anything in pitch black darkness. (I think it was Gerry that explained this? I don’t really remember...)
"Thats...my rib."
"Why are there ashes here?"
"Uh"
Pfffft. Its questionable that hes human, Basira doesnt really trust him, and he has a rib bone and Not!Sashas ashes in his drawer! Very...normal of him 😂😂😂
minor correction, it's jane prentiss's ashes, but yea. xD
16:18 the rib
Goddamn, this episode was AWESOME :D
Technically, Jon's body is a relic of the Eye. One of the statements said that Jan Kilbride didn't have to have his whole body thrown into The Buried's ritual pit, just part of it. They could literally use Jon's rib against anything weak to the Eye. Honestly, sharpen it into a weapon and make it a RIBEYE STAKE. (I stole this joke, but its still a good idea, this is my first watchthrough no spoilers)
Imagine every time you complain your Eldritch boss gives you useless info like "I bitched about not getting info now I know my 5th grade teachers irregular bm." 🤣
fuck yah when they said it's not an eclipse I was thinking winter solstice, I was right
She shrugged off a direct question. Interesting.
"though they were the eyes of my Reimer" what a gayass line
Jon really needs the eagle scope
Jon’s Knowing: lets him know the precise death date of historical figures, despite official records
Also The Knowing: has No fucking idea what the word is for a nickname for someone you hate
16:19
*THIS*
I know that... is not exactly her fault but Basira is starting to piss me off a little. Just a little.
Hopefully this doesn't end in a murder
Well I’m glad to know that fortnite doesn’t exist in the universe of the Magnus Archives, because if it did, there’s no way someone like Basira would be caught DEAD using “fortnight” as a unit of time in a serious conversation with a man who I would assume was born in the nineties
17:11 I CACKLED
Casually keeps rib in drawer
glad im not the only one laughing for once
Start 1:46
halley and the statement writer should kiss
Maybe he mayde that boy his new vessel
Time to deck the fucking halls
(Simplesmente tira uma costela da Gaveta)