THE MAGNUS ARCHIVES

MAG124 - Case #0121112 - Julian Jennings
Statement regarding a cable car journey up the Untersberg mountain range in Austria.
The Magnus Archives tells the nervy tale of a family holiday to the Alps, wherein an extraordinary accident left them vastly unprepared.
Content Notes: Cancer, direct violence, emotional trauma, extreme heights, grief, suicide, vertigo
Starring: The Archivist - Jonathan Sims; Martin Blackwood - Alexander J Newall
Writer: Jonathan Sims
Director: Alexander J Newall
Editors: Alexander J Newall, Elizabeth Moffatt, Brock Winstead
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EMAIL: [e-mail]

[@voidmatic]

the switch between Jon making excuses to get Martin to leave while he's working to seasons later with Jon trying his best to keep talking to Martin sure is something huh

[@tomisabum]

Oh, yearn?

[@f_mva]

it's all about that Yearning

[@ash.g1310]

The *_Yearning_* people the *_yearning_*

[@hermazingbartels2377]

how the turntables

[@ThatOneArchivist]

Jon throughout the seasons! S1: well I mean ..Martin..isn’t really a person, more like a insufferable unintelligent incompetent sack of flesh S2: Martin is supposedly caring for me, I think he is going to murder me and everyone else in the office. S3: I hope Martin is okay. S4: I would and most likely will kill for this man. Please. Please let me have him, I cannot lose him.

[@sanyaminhas9793]

imagine having an awkward conversation with your crush only to realize it was now recorded for eternity, like your personal cringe compilation. my man the archivist has it bad

[@devil_caat]

PERSONAL CRINGE COMPILATION

[@sadsapph3794]

@@devil_caat its wild seeing u outside of gayclan damn

[@devil_caat]

@@sadsapph3794 LMAO gayclan located in TMA comment section

[@no_s1eep]

😭😭

[@marinao4412]

hearing jon trying to talk to martin and martin being so clearly not himself.............. :((((

[@bellatrixharrieblack]

I've been waiting for them to meet again, but I'm not sure I like this :((

[@a.b.6689]

@@bellatrixharrieblack seriously, the moment it was clear Martin is not gonna show up relieved in the hospital, I knew this is going to be bad. But it hurt even more...

[@clarizamae09]

S1: Denial Jon S2: Paranoid Jon S3: Kidnapped Jon S4: "MY ASSISTANTS WON'T FUCKING HELP ME" Jon

[@LurkerPlus]

S5: 'Going for a walk, for some fresh air and a cigarette' Jon

[@randomhuman4623]

I suppose you could say his assistants won’t… *assist* him

[@ablynn_thegalewinds]

It's Jon's turn on the pining-for-man-who-tries-to-avoud-talking-to-you machine

[@f_mva]

jonny said it was MY turn to yearn

[@lucyhunter8583]

@@f_mva it only took him a few years..... these gay slowburn stories arent fair AAAA

[@f_mva]

@@lucyhunter8583 actually, a year and some months! all this madness has gone down RATHER QUICKLY! (unless you mean irl time, ofc)

[@savingplayer1613]

Well Well Well, how the turns have tabled

[@clovercard22]

Oh poor Jon awkwardly trying to connect with Martin. Well well, how the turntables...

[@matthewhaggar]

Jon and Martin need to learn how to do emotions and attachments better

[@Forlorn_Overseer]

Turntables....... Dave...

[@whentheskittlesfightback]

we share the same thoughts​@@Forlorn_Overseer

[@bellatrixharrieblack]

It sucks to be Jon in this season. Nobody knows if he can be trusted, and he himself doesn't know if he can trust himself. They're basically isolated from each other. (Hello, Fear of Isolation)

[@DerMoerpler]

Well their new boss is an avatar of The Lonely, so he probably engineered that.

[@americantoastman7296]

Oh wow, thank you, I JUST realized that there might be a connection between Lucas being in charge and all characters being extremely distant from each other. It just didnt occur to me before but thats so obvious :D

[@arandomguy7367]

The Lonely be like: it's free real estate

[@sweetmars1979]

It’s pay back for s2 jon 😭

[@drakenhoff]

@sweetmars1979 I know people give season 2 Jon a lot of grief but he was 100% right that 2 of his coworkers were inhuman murderers. I feel that no one ever gave him credit that he had a damn point.

[@nanahuatli2144]

I thought Jon needed hugs before, but now he needs twice as many.

[@skyclaude8847]

Looks like they didn't take that free counselling Lukas offered

[@nrpbrown]

TBH I can't imagine that would have helped too much with their inhumanly absurd situations even assuming Lukas wasn't picking the counselor (which i wouldn't trust)

[@faksyan]

Honestly, the Vast seems like the most chill fear to serve out of all of them. Avatars of other forces are loosing sense of who they are, starting cults or getting half-eaten by worms, while the Vast guys are just having the time of their lives. Simon Fairchild and Mike Crew always seem so excited about their lives as scary monster people. No moral dilemmas, no complicated plans, no end of the world drama, just vibing. Good for them

[@table2.0]

Well, until Mike got shot.. oof.. tbh I have bad acrophobia, so I’d be chill serving the Vast. Maybe I’d encapsulate the feeling of a wind tunnel making it hard to breathe and the blistering feeling of wind, but without the falling?

[@StardustLegend]

I theorize that it has to do with the Vast being tied to the feeling of insigificance. People who accept their insigificance in the grand scheme of the universe often are more care free in an optimistic nihilism sort of way I wonder if perhaps this personality type attracts the vast

[@thechevyferrari9559]

They definitely seem like my Patron if I ever went monster-y, and my propensities for mathematics & astronomy definitely assist with that. The Buried seems very… clingy by comparison, or maybe more The Corruption.

[@charliegibson4016]

I definitely would end up joining the stranger. I always have been fascinated by the uncanny, and they also seem genuinely pretty nice and funny when they aren’t skinning you. Plus I love being intentionally confusing. And I love the circus!

[@grumpygato99]

what the FRICK happened to Martin. "Peter", "its good", "I'm busy", these dont sound like our boy. WHAT happened during Jon's coma

[@randomdoodlesandye5922]

Peter Pukas happened thats what happened

[@a.b.6689]

@@randomdoodlesandye5922 IM CRYING AND JUDT CHOKED ON MY FOOD

[@randomdoodlesandye5922]

@@a.b.6689 \SFJFWER😭😭

[@nrpbrown]

"Er, How's the poetry?" Oh my god, this is hard to hear. Martin is easily one of my favorites and damn i don't wanna see him go to the Lonely

[@LinaStoia]

Martin, in episode 117: “I need them to be safe... I need HIM to be okay...” Martin, five episodes later: “Jon, I know you’ve been half dead for six months but can you fUck off”

[@sabresister]

Im gonna puke I hate this turn of events 🥲

[@dallydaydream]

I... I think that interaction between Jon and Martin might be the first time this podcast has made me cry.

[@teleutenachtigaller2762]

Same sadly

[@dipsterboy]

Samee

[@AshEnbyy]

Same :'(

[@laurengardella9524]

I feel you so hard. 😭😭😭😭🫰🏻

[@BriarBeeBenson]

honestly yeah this! I teared up at Sasha, at Micheal, at Tim’s brother, at Tim but this made my tears fall and nose run like just… ouch

[@pLanetstarBerry]

Me, listening to this episode: "Jon's so starved for human interaction he's gonna end up crawling through the air vents just to talk to somebody." 21:11 *happens* My brain: *pictures Jon skittering out of the air vents just to catch up with Martin* Me: "WTF brain"

[@broblerone413]

okay i love this

[@mjamin9124]

the door was further away

[@furby9619]

Something that really stood out to me in this episode was how Martin called Peter by his first name. I forget what episode it was, but I remember Martin insisting on 'Mr Lukas' even after Peter suggests he call him by his first name. Perhaps it's just Martin becoming familiar with him and I'm just reading into it too much tho lol

[@micah2879]

I don't think you can read too much into the show. I really like the observation!

[@IrishMorgenstern]

Martin is finally being validated. After being the butt of the team joke I can understand his appreciation of being valued by something that is actually respecting him.

[@hermazingbartels2377]

@@IrishMorgenstern but I feel like he’s letting Peter manipulate him at the price of feeling needed

[@IrishMorgenstern]

@@hermazingbartels2377 of course. Loneliness does that to you. Martin is very intellectually intelligent. He knows what is happening. But his emotional state is that he is willing to take this hit. It's kinda like if a person is starving to death but all they have is Big Macs. Sure. That shit is so not good for you to eat so frequently. But if it's all you got vs. starving? Ya eat.

[@hermazingbartels2377]

@@IrishMorgenstern that’s an ace summery. You’re totally right, I feel like Martin is very acutely aware of the situation he’s in, but because he was so badly effected by grieving Tim and daisy, and worrying about Jon, and he didn’t really have anyone to support him all those 6 months, the second he’s given ‘positive’ attention- or at least someone showing interest in him and offering him support and showing that he has value, he’s all eager- despite knowing full well it’s not a good idea. Also there’s always the possibility of the ‘magic’ (for want of a better word) of the Lonely getting involved. Which might just cloud martins judgement or make it harder for him to keep a clear when when Lucas is involved. Idk, Lucas seems so nice but I’ve got a feeling he’s going to be worse than Elias. And I’m really worried for Martin falling deeper into the isolation and not being able to seek help because he doesn’t really know he’s in danger

[@amphitritemists4595]

Guys I was looking forward to one happy reunion that Martin would at least be overjoyed to see that Jon was awake and alive...WHAT DID THIS PETER LUCAS DO TO MY SON?! Someone pass me the tissues

[@anastasiabender2156]

Came to the comments for this. What did Peter do to my cinnaboi????

[@screech8771]

the way no one is really excited to see jon again makes me super sad :(((

[@Companion92]

That evil old guy is having way too much fun again

[@mrjones2721]

Companion92 The only people enjoying themselves in this series are the monsters.

[@late_prince8945]

He was the one from the story with two brothers? One where one of them disappeared? I have trouble keeping up with names

[@nanahuatli2144]

@@late_prince8945 He was the one from Freefll (guy is eaten by the sky), the one about the deep sea diver, and that one, where one of the brothers has vertigo and falls/disappears down a tower.

[@late_prince8945]

@@nanahuatli2144 oh thanks. Yhe this guy is actually really creepy.

[@americantoastman7296]

@@nanahuatli2144 oh the last story was the one with Michael Crew, I remember. That one was strange!

[@Anna-hb4uy]

Intentional or not, Martin’s relationship with Peter Lukas is an excellent illustration of how abusive people isolate you from friends and loved ones and can make you feel like you’re doing the right thing by cutting them off. Not just abusive romantic relationships- everything from friendships to, well, employers. They’ll all try to make you feel alone, embarrassed, hopeless. Another excellent bit of social commentary by TMA.

[@BreadGolem]

Static sure came in clutch when Jon spotted Martin 🤔🤔🤔🤔

[@Raua12]

He Knew where Martin was as soon as he started thinking about him :D

[@AbstractQueer]

Probably wouldn't have known Martin was there without using his powers.

[@ashnesslinguistics3570]

yeah the Lonely has got him man, if Jon didn't have Eye powers he probably wouldn't have had the ability to notice him at all. :(

[@nanahuatli2144]

@@ashnesslinguistics3570 OH NO. That makes a disturbing lot of sense. Gdi.

[@fluffsnake]

I wonder how Peter influences Martin's attitude though, like he didn't even go see Jon and wasn't happy of his return or anything

[@gallifrey_falls]

Simon is just vibing, and honestly good for him

[@skyclaude8847]

Also traumatizing people here and there just a normal Simon day :')

[@debbiebishop86]

@@skyclaude8847 Some peope??? Traumatize innocents fro no reason???? To cope????

[@Queer_Nerd_For_Human_Justice]

@@debbiebishop86 Please, not that meme. It's propping up abuse towards childhood sexual assault victims, I feel gross every time i see it and I'm sure others do too

[@TheDoomBlueShell]

@@Queer_Nerd_For_Human_Justice According to Know Your Meme it started as "Some People?? Use Soda?? To Cope???" I don't doubt it could evolve to worse things, but the first one was about people drinking soda every day

[@americantoastman7296]

good for him? How you gonna stan for someone tossing dudes out of cable cars and sucking people into the sky for no reason. Self care isnt valid if its hurting other people.

[@AckermanYuki]

he called him PETER damn martin ur in too deep in this crap

[@loading7496]

Y'all I wanted to like Peter but Martin giving the cold shoulder? Jon trying desperately to keep a conversation going? Heartbreak. Poor Jon was expecting a happy reunion and a hug and that was NOT what happened I could feel his confusion.

[@kyberserpent6397]

hOWz-the-POetry??

[@late_prince8945]

Oh god, that was so awkward

[@mimkyodar]

Jon: How does one do this "social"?

[@f_mva]

he's _trying_

[@broblerone413]

@@mimkyodar mood

[@findekano1981]

How do you talk to your crush please help Ohmygodisher Think fast HOW IS POETRY

[@lydiac9118]

The statement giver: "y'see... I've never done so well with heights" I can already smell that mean little old guy all over this statement and we're only 5 minutes in ◖⚆ᴥ⚆◗

[@TheJuliana0901]

:( why is Martin making excuses for Lukas. I was just thinking about how much I missed him and... this still isn't him, not really

[@HyacinthoIgnis]

i love when the episode titles reference both the statement and the plot progression. makes me want to relisten and pay more attention to how those connect in earlier seasons

[@Companion92]

Like Anglerfish luring us all into it

[@f_mva]

mr sims and his puns....

[@yeetusdeletus84]

What is it with Simon and the vast? Bro I- - Martin go BACK to normal before I THROW hands

[@nanahuatli2144]

You're probably much further along and hold more answers now, but I think Simon is, maybe not an avatar, but a "priest" of some sort, like what I feel Elias is to the Eye, Amherst to the Corruption or that other guy who got killed to the Dark. I'm probably getting it wrong, maybe there are multiple avatars per entity, but so far it seems to me there's a main one.

[@americantoastman7296]

@@nanahuatli2144 thats actually a really good point. I feel like Simon is definitely the "main dude" to the vast, Michael was more of a minion, thats why he was bonked so easily.

[@frostpersonal3758]

listening to jon trying to talk to martin... that hurt

[@MyAnanin]

I realy love the Vast and Simon, he seems fun. Everybody else is always so gloomy, life a little people!

[@nanahuatli2144]

Michael Crew was chill if you didn't press him. And Peter Lukas is a jolly fellow. Life's probably better if you submit to the bad guys. xD

[@frostpersonal3758]

enjoy sky blue :D

[@americantoastman7296]

yeah except for the whole killing and traumatizing people for the lulz part :D

[@teleutenachtigaller2762]

Enjoy sky blue!

[@River_StGrey]

@@americantoastman7296 Nah, that's honestly the most endearing part of him tbh.

[@hannahcartwright8190]

Oh how the turns got tabled, Jon getting a TASTE OF HIS OWN MEDICINE

[@hannahcartwright8190]

Also the usage of ads are making me cackle, talking about how this womans father died and we get a TikTok ad

[@f_mva]

martin is clearly getting in too deep with the lonely and I DO NOT LIKE IT OH MY GODDDDD also that static, was it jon using his powers to find martin? isn't that a little like elias' ability?

[@birdbrainiac]

or was the static the same ability Lukas uses to suddenly appear, and Martin is using it now too? (no spoilers please, just thinking aloud here)

[@io_online]

Pain. Agony, even. Jon trying to keep Martin talking to him while Martin tries to get out of it (which is weird as all heck Martin what's happening-) Also I was just thinking, remember how Martin said ages ago that one of the institute workers, Hannah, had gone off to have a baby... Well that baby might be walking by now. It would be roughly eight months old now in cannon I think.

[@katc7382]

God I love Simon, hes really out there living his best life

[@TheNitpickChick]

Simon’s just vibin’ in the void. Anytime he’s mentioned, I smile a little. I still feel bad for his victims, of course, but of the avatars out there Simon and The Distortion are definitely in my top favorites. 😁

[@Gooberpotomous]

It's hard not to like him, I think

[@manamisenda2422]

Jon trying so hard to start and continue a conversation and Martin giving the cold shoulder is just 💔💔💔💔💔

[@Rin-qj7zt]

Oh no you will NOT take Martin away! Keep at it Jon! Don't let him go qwq

[@pianoguy222]

"Enjoy Cable Car Blue."

[@losingaces]

no hearing jon desperately wanting martin to stay actually physically pained me

[@Emidretrauqe]

Martin Blackwood is definitely forming a connection with The Lonely... Victim or avatar?

[@bonsaigecko9153]

gosh i would say jon needs a break but he just had a 6 month one. i guess he just needs a hug,,,when was the last time he had one of those...

[@himeow7454]

Does having the same nightmare on loop really count as a break though

[@princesssparrow4530]

okay but its. SO SAD to have a great bond with your mom, to the point you go on vacations with her, and then to have it be destroyed. It was so sweet to hear and then FUCKING FAIRCHILD comes along!

[@pyrosianheir]

Freakin' Simon Fairchild... "Everythingsss... Fine." No it isn't, Martin! Why are you lying! Jon's desperate for connection, and especially one to you! T.T

[@AnanasVert]

Glad to see old man simon still having fun while the world ends. I bet the vast doesnt have a ritual, they just like vibing around.

[@alicepatton3040]

Simon seems like a true Mad lad tbh

[@V_Cerra]

I'm acrophobic, but seeing how much fun Simon's having doesn't make it a problem for some reason. Also i think this is the 69th comment and i just can't ignore it. *nice*

[@Thisone109]

Who wouldn't wanna fall forever with funky sky grandpa (^ム^)

[@rotemsosna8893]

well that wasn’t the reunion i wanted

[@sololad2423]

15:53 Yoink!

[@klaushargreevesstanaccount8835]

well peter it looks like your therapy is not workingTM

[@mrs.han_whitethorn]

What happened to baby boy Martin???

[@namaschu9418]

Listen there was no need to shatter my heart like this

[@billedeverre7769]

HmMm... Going on first name basis with dear old Pete then... Jon, get jealous already !

[@Rin-qj7zt]

It seems like he is too be honest lol

[@paulablue7734]

The vast episodes are definetly the ones that get more on my nerves

[@teleutenachtigaller2762]

The ending broke my heart and almost made me cry. Poor Jon, nobody wants to talk to him, they all blame him or suspect him for something. Even Martin doesn't have time for him. It's so sad😭

[@lemmetalkaboutthis]

So turns out you _can_ take psychic damage from second-hand embarrassment

[@nateds7326]

Love how you can easily tell which power is at play from the titles of these episodes

[@sordid_morbid]

hey uhhhh has anyone else noticed that these statements are obviously very long but we never hear any pages turn (sometimes papers shuffling is audible but not during statements)

[@himeow7454]

The pages could just be not bound or stapled together. In that case, Jon just has to lay them all out on the table before he starts reading.

[@dragonfire5308]

Maybe some part of him already knows what it says

[@planet_dawsey595]

@@dragonfire5308 ooh 0o0

[@habihabitat]

Yeah I've noticed that too.

[@daughtersstormcrow553]

@@himeow7454 no, he pins them to a corkboard like a conspiracy theorist (plot twist: he used the flip side of said corkboard to store his stalking stuff back in season two)

[@pho_is_not_interesting]

I actually grew up in Salzburg, and this was one of my biggest fears as a kid, so this one hit close to home lmao

[@hauntedteethcupboard]

I’m currently trying to binge the entire rest of the series so when everyone else is sad about the ending I can be sad too.

[@petraivan6778]

[INT. MAGNUS INSTITUTE, ARCHIVES, JOHN’S OFFICE] [TAPE CLICKS ON.] ARCHIVIST Statement of Julian Jennings regarding a cable car journey up the Untersberg mountain in Austria. Original statement given 11th December, 2012. Audio recording by Jonathan Sims, The Archivist. Statement begins. ARCHIVIST (STATEMENT) The part that really gets me is that it wasn’t even our first time going up that cable car. I mean, none of it makes sense; it was all impossible, and the terrible things that happened while we were hanging there absolutely could not have happened. But given that they did, I don’t understand why they happened to us. There was nothing - special about us, nothing remarkable about our trip. Were we just random bystanders to something awful? We must have been, because I don’t see why anyone would choose for something to happen to us. It must have been the old man, of course, but again, why? My father passed away almost twelve years ago, now. Pancreatic cancer. I’m sure I don’t need to explain that it was devastating, probably the first true grief I’ve ever felt, but in the years that followed, I found that it brought me much closer to my mum. Her and dad were always something of a unit, you see, and growing up I feel like I had less of a specific relationship with them as people, and more of a relationship with my parents. Not unusual, but once I moved out and started to get on with my own life, we ended up becoming a bit distant. And on the few times a year that I would see them, it was, again, going to visit my parents, without any real thought for the individual relationships. This all ended with my father’s death. Grief brought mum and me closer than we’d ever been before. I would call her regularly, and I’d make the trip up to Swansea at least once a month, until I finally moved back there four years ago. It was the second year after dad passed that we started our annual holiday together. At first it was just a way to get Mum more… interested in the world again, but soon enough it was a highlight of our year. We’d go for a week, normally, maybe two if I’d kept back enough annual leave. Mum wasn’t great with flights, so we tended to keep ourselves to central or western Europe, though I got her as far as Corfu one year. Her big passion was mountains; we always had to go up a mountain. Well, to be fair, it wasn’t mountains she loved, specifically; it was views. There was little that delighted Mum quite as much as to see the whole of creation spread out before you like a carpet, and we would always burn through a good number of euros using whatever coin-operated telescopes they’d set out at the lookout spot. She also found an affinity for the thinner air of high altitudes. I never really understood how that worked, as I thought it was meant to make it harder to breathe, and after a few hours I always tended to get a bit of a headache. But mum took to it like nobody’s business and after a minute or two was always more spry than I’d seen her the whole rest of the year. Of course, at her age actually… climbing a mountain would have been a bit much, so our holidays were very much intended to be the highest peaks in central and western Europe that could be scaled by coach, train, or cable car. Well-supplied as many European mountains are with public transport options, this did limit us a bit. So, that’s why this year we found ourselves returning to Salzburg, one of our first ever destinations, and to Untersberg, one of our favorite mountains. It towered distantly over the city. It was a marvelous view, if I recall, although the quickest and most reliable way to reach it was unfortunately by cable car. You see, I don’t do amazingly with heights. I wouldn’t describe it as full vertigo, and certainly when we’re actually at the top of the mountain, I don’t have any problem at all if I steer clear of the edges. But, traditionally, getting from sea level up to the top is something of a trial to me, to say nothing of coming back down. I’ve never really shared these fears with Mum, of course; she got so much joy out of it that I wouldn’t want to worry her. Anyway, I remember the cable car up and down Untersberg was a particularly uncomfortable one for me. As the car accelerated towards the rickety looking pylons, there was this judder as the runners abruptly changed angles, and the car would swing back and forth in such a way that I had to sit down on the floor. I told Mum this was because I found hard to balance, but honestly it was so I didn’t have to look out the window at the ground almost a mile below. When we arrived at the cable car station this time I was relieved to see that they had seemed to have replaced a lot of the structure since the first time we were there. The cables stretched up the mountain, fresh and strong, though still with that disconcerting curve t them, and there was a shine to the cars themselves that I really hoped wasn’t just a fresh paint job.(laugh) Mum appeared quite composed, but in that way she does when she gets excited, and we bought our tickets and joined the queue without any problems. It was near the end of the season, and we’d arrived as early as possible, so the queue in this case only comprised of one other passenger: an old man with stark white hair and a gentle, amused smile. He had a walking stick in his hand, though his back was straight as an arrow, and it seemed like he only remembered to use it in those moments when he noticed he was still holding it. The day was clear, and the sun illuminated the inside of the car as we stepped over the gap from the platform. I knew we would be able to see for miles and miles from the top, something I was looking forward to doing when I had my feet firmly on the mountain, less so from the swinging car. The driver stood in the corner of the tiny metal box, looking at us with a bored expression and making some final checks on the controls, which amounted to two buttons and a phone. I sat, slightly unsteadily, on the rough steel bench, as mum and the old man took positions at two of the windows with the best view. The driver nodded to himself, slid the door closed, and turned a key in the control panel. There was a shuddering through the whole structure of the car as the wheels above us began to turn, and we began to climb towards the peak. In some ways, the first minute is the worst. The climb takes just over eight minutes in total, but in those first few seconds you can see all the detail of the ground as it falls away from you, and you feel every meter of that widening space of open air beneath your feet, held at bay by a floor that seems… far too thin. By the second minute, I’d calmed down slightly, the angle of the cable and our speed of ascent having leveled out, and the third minute was… almost peaceful. I risked a look over to mum, stood at the window looking out with a serene smile at the retreating ground. I glanced over to the old man, whose face beamed with excitement and… anticipation.

[@petraivan6778]

Minute four was when we hit the first of the three support towers, and the sudden change of angle and speed sent me gripping the edge of my seat, staring resolutely at the floor and willing myself to ignore the swaying of the car. The fifth minute, I risked another look out the windows, just as we hit the second tower, and my stomach lurched. I sat back down again quickly, hoping the shaking of my legs wasn’t audible to my mother, still staring out of her chosen window. The sixth minute was the last stretch with just open air below us, and it would have been the final part before we hit the last tower and started traveling over the mountain itself. But that’s when the car came to a sudden, juddering halt. Panic immediately pumped through me, and I clenched my teeth together to try and hold in a cry. I took a moment and let out a shaky breath. It was fine. This sort of thing happened all the time, no doubt; just a small delay. Someone at the top taking too long for the car coming down the other way, maybe. I glanced at the driver, and, sure enough, he had a look of puzzlement and irritation on his face, but nothing that could be read as concern, or fear. He picked up the phone next to the controls and started speaking annoyed German into it, but from his expression it didn’t seem like he was getting any answers. I heard similar sounds of irritation from Mum, and gingerly looking over, I noticed that some low-level clouds had come about us, and the window was now covered with a fine, swirling mist, obscuring the view below. The weather had been forecast as clear skies - but it wasn’t unheard of. I would have hoped that not being able to see the earth, far below us, would have blunted the terror I felt as we hung there, swinging gently, but instead it seemed worse, as all I could now picture was an unending, terrible void, stretching out below me. I heard a small chuckle, and looked over to see the old man smiling to himself, his walking stick discarded on the floor. What happened next was so fast I barely had time to process it. The old man turned towards the door of the cable car, the door I had seen the driver secure and lock when we first boarded… and he walked over to it. He gripped the handle, and with a single, easy motion, flung it open. The driver saw what was happening and started to lunge to grab him, but it was too late. The old man turned back for just a second, looked me in the eyes and gave me a huge, theatrical wink. Then he fell backwards, out of the car, and was gone, into the swirling air beyond. The driver shouted - something - and my mother let out a shriek, but the sounds disappeared into the muted skies surrounding us. The driver was back on the phone, desperately trying to get someone on the other end as the door just hung there, open into the nothingness beyond the car. I wanted to act, to help, to do something, but I was pinned to my seat, with a confused fear. Then, without warning, and without any input from the driver, the car began to move again. It traveled upwards, gaining speed and swinging with such force I was afraid that we’d all we thrown out of the open door. One minute. Two minutes. Three minutes. We should have hit another tower, or the top of the mountain by now, but we just kept going, higher, and higher, the clouds surrounding us tighter, flowing in through the open door. My mind had all but seized up, and I felt helpless to do anything but watch as events progressed. I don’t know how long we climbed before the car stopped again. Mum was crouched on the floor, now, gripping the handlebars above her for stability, and the driver was trying to get any response from the controls. The brakes finally started again with such grinding force that we must have pitched almost 45 degrees forward. Then back again. Then forward. I could feel nausea wash over me as I was almost thrown forward onto the floor. Then everything was still again, save for the gentle swaying. The car remained in place for some time. I think we were all just waiting, for whatever was coming next. None of us spoke, and looking over at Mum I could see my own fear mirrored across her face. After a while, when everything had calmed down, the driver looked over to us. We were all quiet, afraid, I think, of breaking the stillness we found ourselves in. But I saw him start to edge towards the door. I knew what he was trying to do. He wanted to close it, lock it back in place and get some semblance of control back. I wanted to tell him to stop, to warn him about - whatever was about to happen, because I knew something was about to happen. But I could only stare at him as he slowly, achingly crawled towards his doom. Sure enough, as he approached the opening, his hand just starting to reach out into the mist, I heard something on the cables stretched out behind us. I didn’t turn around, but I could hear rhythmic, scraping sounds of something crawling rapidly towards us. I saw Mum’s eyes focus on something behind my head, and she screamed. It was a sound I’ve never heard her make in my whole life, and one that I will never forget. There was a thump from above, the sound of something heavy landing on the roof of the car, and the driver froze, arms still outstretched. His eyes widened in sudden realization, but before he could pull back from the edge, an arm, long, grey, and completely inhuman, reached down from above with terrible speed. It grabbed his wrist, just for a moment, and then he was gone, his own scream vanishing into the abyss beyond the door. In the quiet that followed, Mum and I just stared at each other, neither of us knowing what we could do except wait for whatever fate was…squatting on top of the cable car. Then came three bangs, one after another on the roof of the car. Knock. Knock. Knock. Then a laugh. A terrible whistling sound, like the howling of a gale. And then… I don’t know when I noticed the green light on the control panel. The one next to the button the driver had held when we first started the journey. It certainly hadn’t been lit the last time we were moving. Maybe not since the first time we stopped. I couldn’t afford to let hope come into my heart, knew that would be too cruel, but I also knew I couldn’t ignore it. I finally, painfully stood up. My whole body was shaking so violently I thought I would collapse before I’d even taken my first step, but little by little I inched my way towards it, never taking my eyes off the green light. Never looking towards the door. When my fingers finally found the button, I slammed it with all the strength I had left in me, and I felt the car begin to move upwards again. I have no idea if whatever was on top of the car was still there, but when I saw the third tower rising up out of the clouds, I could feel myself weeping with relief. I didn’t even feel the juddering as we hit it. I don’t remember much after that. I don’t think I was making much sense. I know it took them a long time to get us back down from the top of Untersberg without using the cable car. I remember talking to the police, even if I don’t remember whether I told them the truth.

[@petraivan6778]

I think the official story became that the driver, a man named Otto Hessler, had killed himself halfway up the mountain by leaping to his death. The body was never found, and the report made no mention of an old man. I still get nightmares, of course, and my fear of heights has worsened considerably. I’ve tried talking to professionals about it, but for the most part they treat it as though I’m talking in metaphors. And I generally let them believe that. The worst part is the strain the whole affair has put on my relationship with my mother. She… refuses to admit any of it happened, repeating the same version of events given by the Salzburg police. She looks me right in the eyes and tells me she doesn’t know what I’m talking about, that there was no old man or clouds. Nothing climbing the cables behind me. We both know she’s lying. I don’t know if there’ll be any more holidays, certainly none that involve mountains. (shaky breath) ARCHIVIST Statement ends. (sighs) Simon Fairchild is one of the… recurrent figures that I think disquiets me the most. Not simply for what he does, the endless spaces of height or depth to which he’s so quick to condemn his victims, but… the joy he seems to take in doing so. And I don’t think there is much to this tale beyond that; an evil man tormenting and killing simply for his own pleasure, and to feed the power that sustains him. (sigh) In other cases, I might…think the location noteworthy, might try to piece together some wider plan, but Fairchild seems to travel far and wide for his victims, with no motivation other than… variety. I do not think I ever wish to meet him. Of course… even if I did want to do research into this statement I wouldn’t have any help doing so. It’s been a week and Melanie’s attitude towards me hasn’t softened. And Basira, though she is very willing to talk, still doesn’t seem to trust me enough to let me in on whatever plans she might have. If she has any plans at all, of course. I could - make her tell me; I know that, but… I can’t afford to burn any more bridges. Still no sign of Peter Lukas of course, (sighs) or Mar - [A SMALL STATIC BEGINS TO BUILD SLIGHTLY IN THE BACKGROUND.] ARCHIVIST (CONT’D) Wait. Wait. [HE GETS OUT OF HIS CHAIR AND OPENS THE DOOR.] ARCHIVIST (CONT’D) Martin! (slightly louder) Martin! MARTIN (surprised) Oh - (pause, seems to compose himself) Hi, John. ARCHIVIST Martin, i-i-i-it’s - I-I, I-I haven’t seen you! MARTIN Yeah. Sorry. ARCHIVIST W-What, where, where have you been, I, I mean I,I thought - MARTIN Oh - No, no I’ve, I’ve been here, I just, um, y’know… been busy. ARCHIVIST Busy. MARTIN Yeah. ARCHIVIST Right. Working for Lukas. MARTIN Ah, N-no, P-Peter’s - (sighs) [[clipped syllable]] (composes himself) It’s complicated. [BEAT.] ARCHIVIST Right. [PAUSE.] MARTIN Anyway, I… should, uh [get back to] - ARCHIVIST (overlapping) H-how are you, Martin? I-Is everything… MARTIN Yeah. Yeah, no, I’m, I’m alright, uh… everything’s… fine. ARCHIVIST Right. Um… how’s… h-how’s the poetry? MARTIN Oh, uh, well, I haven’t exactly had a lot of time recently, so… ARCHIVIST Yes, of course. (Martin *hm*s) You’ve been busy. MARTIN Yeah. [PAUSE.] MARTIN (CONT’D) Look, John, I - (sighs) I’ve really got to go - [THE ARCHIVIST SIGHS.] ARCHIVIST Oh. Okay. MARTIN (overlapping) I’m sorry. ARCHIVIST (overlapping) W,w,we’ll - it was - good - (softer) It was good to see you. MARTIN …Yeah. [THE ARCHIVIST SIGHS UNDER HIS BREATH AS MARTIN WALKS AWAY.] ARCHIVIST Yeah… [TAPE CLICKS OFF.]

[@islaridland]

Thank you! ｛・ω-*}

[@petraivan6778]

You are welcome! :)

[@bonniecornelius3836]

Petra Iván thank youuuuuuuu also jon needs a hug they all need a hug ):

[@youveupsettheegg3103]

The wink did make me giggle

[@birbelle]

That was so awkward oh my goodness. The pining from Jon just- whoooooooooop

[@purplecatloverrandompizza]

Can my man's PLEADE GET A GOOD REACTION TO HIM NOT BEING DEAD like Jesus yall

[@cupcaketv5673]

I like how the title of this episode applies to not only the statement but also to the interaction between Martin and Jon

[@somnia268]

😭😭

[@cyber_runner]

😭

[@StrawberryBunnyBoba]

Everybody talking about sad jonmartin (which is fair) but I see so few people talking about how awesome this episode's statement was! Genuinely terrifying, I almost want to see an extended version, like a longer written story or even a short film or something

[@fauxclaws]

oh this is gonna be a painfyul season I can tell. We went from season 2 jon trusting no one to season 4 and no one trusts him now. He didn't even do anything to earn it he was in a coma

[@1408alejandro1408]

Having grown up with someone who suffered from intense vertigo and not being able to understand their fear to this day, this episode had me most of the time being pretty chill unlike episodes featuring the dark, to the point of bringing memories of being stuck in a gondola while being surrounded by clouds and just talking nonstop during the whole ordeal being non the wiser to the "danger" (i was a dump child) honestly I literally said out loud "F@ing Diva" when Simon wink and jump out of the car, that I'm so done acknowledging the fear of heights, sounds terrible don't need to tell me what I already know keep reading, so imagine my surprise when during the whole ordeal my only thought was "close the door....close the door...CLOSE THE DARN DOOR" no out of fear but because of the inherent danger of having something like that opened, like that's dangerous close the darn door, I suppose my take away from this is that I would be the dumb ass in a horror movie to die without even noticing something spooky was going on.... I thought I was doing fine, keep your head down don't call upon the attention of the dark lords BUT NOOOOOO the moment vertigo is mentioned my self preservation goes out the metaphorical window and I turn into a casual Karen

[@darcieclements4880]

Weirdly, vertigo appears to be largely medical. I did not have it as a child but when I had an undiagnosed food allergy before it was figured out I have atypical reactions and was living with a chronic rash mistaken for ugly skin for 10 years, that whole 10 years I had horrific vertigo. I couldn't handle a stepping stool. As soon as I was diagnosed and fixed my diet, the vertigo vanished, completely. Ever since I have wondered how it works in others. I'm not immune, I get a little at extreme heights, but nothing like that stretch of time.

[@audzmncra]

holy yes

[@3n3my33]

The amount of comments calling Simon "a vibe" is seriously disturbing

[@River_StGrey]

Nah, he's a vibe. Come and be free in the wide expanse of all creation, it hardly makes a difference where you're falling from.

[@Badficwriter]

Its just like how people approved of Michael eating people. If they're part of the abuse then they don't have to feel bad. The victim is uncool for being upset. How many times have I heard people claim responding to abuse with more abuse is the only way..

[@xxzavier42]

ikr i get that some people find the avatars cool like i thought distorted michael was cool but are we forgetting that there have been like 4 statements about how he’s killed and traumatized people for fun? ik it’s fiction and everything but like its interesting how some many comments are connecting with simon as if they wouldn’t be more likely to be victims of him in this situation who were doomed to a horrible death just cause he thought it was funny 🤦🏾‍♂️ idk i relate more to the person who unfortunately fell out with their mom cause they went through a horrible experience

[@foodforfaeries]

Then came three bangs, one after another on the roof of the car, and man door hand hook car door

[@achnav3762]

Come on Martin hug him ! We know you want it ! Please !

[@oburci9596]

"There was only one other person in line today" "It was an old ma-" Oh we're doing a skyblue story today huh

[@silversforest]

I think I could hear a very faint sound of static when Martin entered nice touch

[@coraa232]

Martin and Jon reunion!!! 🥺

[@waffleartz8581]

this was not the jon and martin reunion i was hoping for :(

[@mirjam8581]

I wanna cry. O^O. Poor myrtin. Poor Jon!!!

[@daughtersstormcrow553]

Frankincense and myrtin

[@Drak_buddy]

Jon being so happy to see Martin and then Martin just trying to get away and back to what he was doing my heart I can’t please

[@thebreadofknowledge2350]

I guess you could say that Martin... left him hanging

[@minuspi8372]

I love the double entendre titles, Left Hanging as in the statement, and as in Martin brushing off Jon

[@thatgirlendy5294]

This reminds me of that one episode of gravity falls with the spider lady

[@saraberg7601]

Why is no one happy that Jon is back!? I hate this

[@trobertson3951]

WAS MARTIN CRACKLING or was that just me-

[@racoon_in_ankhmorpork]

Wow, you really had to go and break my heart with that interaction, didn’t you?

[@connorhood89]

It's so rare to hear my home city mentioned in anything that I did a fucking double take. I guess it's not great to hear it on a horror podcast though😂

[@_kai2702]

im really not vibing with all the foreshadowing these past eps about martin. i just want him to be okay >:(

[@River_StGrey]

[Spoilers Below] The Web: Come work for six months to a year on a website and/or a movie while I drive you slowly insane. The Lonely: Come live in my specially engineered high rise isolation pods for a year until you go slowly insane. The Eye: literally the entire series. The Flesh: EAT. PEOPLE. But also make sure its of four star Michellan quality and have the oven burns to prove it. The Corruption: Hey come over here and gestate for six months to a year, infecting dozens of other people in the process, and slowly tunnel into places. The Hunt: Never. Stop. Moving. Or. Going. Slowly. Insane. The Slaughter: Complicated schemes? Please. Oh, by the way, JAZZ MUSIC. The Stranger: Help me organize a world traveling circus spanning centuries without ever missing a show. The Spiral: You better start walking if you want to escape the infinite twisting halls and stairways I've laid out both flippantly and in pain staking detail. The End: Trillions of years will go by but the heat death of universe isn't going to plan itself! The Dark: Yo, check out this whole ass moon we made and that we did a bunch of international travel with group rates to call down upon the skies! The Desolation: Burn a whole forest down, do a bunch of ritual glasswork, and make a live sacrifice all so your avatar can get a nice kiss from a pretty boyo. The Buried: I will deftly navigate the postal service with impossibly heavy, same-day delivery of large items! The Extinction: I am the culmination of all fear, conscious or otherwise, and the infinite processes which preceded me. I emerge from all and all is a mechanism by which the new age of fear and revelation are birthed into the world with resigned and screaming fear. Meanwhile... Simon Fairchild: I will throw you off of a building UwU

[@nialls.9939]

is peter the lesser of 2 evils or is he worse?

[@ThatOneArchivist]

If I have to listen to that exchange again I might actually cry.

[@L_Aster]

How the turns have tabled

[@tomboi941]

martin makes me think of sayori

[@julisantillan6379]

AGHHHH THAT CONVERSATION BETWEEN MARTIN AND JON WAS SO AWKWARD

[@paz9044]

I'm sorry he WINKS at them? lmao so dramatic

[@kaydeejohnson2028]

“Left Hanging” is 1000% a double entendre (what happened in the statement and martin’s attitude towards Jon)

[@ThatOneArchivist]

99.99.9% sure that Jon literally *Knew* Martin was there. Could have been subconscious but like man Knew Martin. THEM GUYS, THEM!!🎉

[@ShadowyKatz]

Martin Protection Squad here

[@takeoats]

RELATIONSHIP UNO REVERSE

[@Fillyann11]

First time listener here, but i genuinely do not understand why Elias, who appears to be an avatar of The Eye would appoint Peter Lukas, an apparent avatar of The Lonely to be in charge of The Magnus Institute, noted organization for The Eye. Elias is evil, sure, but he isnt stupid. Why would he do something that would be directly against the best interests of The Eye? Im sure this will make more sense soon but jesus christ right now it makes no sense

[@wonderwhatsgonnahappen579]

As a person who's afraid of heights, i agree: Also Jon 😢 (He's pining and yearning for Martin) i can hear him smiling when he saw Martin after 6 months. God i love both of them 😔 Their like the last people on s1 left (except Elias 😠) DONT KILL EITHER OF THEM (i mean technically Jon kinda died, but DONT. KILL. MARTIN 😢 Peter better not hurt my boy.

[@ann-margretparke9525]

Last cable ride I went on the folks behind us got stuck, I was so jelouse. The DRAMA! Kinda know why my hopping up and down with excitement annoyed some people on the ride now. Martin, keep the poetry up!

[@AIDragon_2]

My heart! 😢Martin come back! Good job Jon you keep trying!