THE MAGNUS ARCHIVES

Case ########-21 Preparation and recuperation. Audio recorded by the Archivist, in situ. Content warnings: - Dissociation - Memory loss / Mental deterioration - Schadenfreude / Vicarious embarrassment - Mentions of: suicide, alcohol, excessive drinking.
Thanks to this week's Patrons: L Lunovick, Clay Cameron, Krisp Dreemurr, Robert Hubert, Zoe Dapore, Lindy McLosin' It, Moriah Day, Shay Topaz, Ida Karoliussen, Patrick Lusk, Frood, Bella Choy, Daniela, Johnathan, Lauren Smithwick, Gill, Taro, Desiree Certain, Maggie Benson, Mundetiam, Ruth Harris, Abel Strictly, Neeley, Chiara Di Filippo, Beau, Molly Bushby-Medlen, Bee Murray, Van Bedard, Harrison Regan, space-gh0sts, M Whalen, seven goblins in a trench coat, escherzo, Kiah Benedict, Destiny Rivers, Dani Urbina, lare Nick Gilbert, pj bradley, cinderrain, Eliot Bonetto, Amanda Boltz, Monica, Rhys Whittemore, levee!, Cliffe, Sarah Bensch, Ellen Mcloughlin, Sirka, Leah, Allie, and Jekara. If you'd like to join them visit www.patreon.com/rustyquill.
Edited by Nico Vettese, Elizabeth Moffatt, Brock Winstead & Alexander J Newall;
Written by Jonathan Sims;
Directed by Alexander J Newall;
Produced by Lowri Ann Davies;
Performances: "Martin Blackwood" - Alexander J. Newall; "The Archivist" - Jonathan Sims; "Annabelle Cane" - Chioma Nwalioba; "Mikaele Salesa" - Ray Chong Nee.
Sound effects this week by koraps, VithorMoraes, Timmeh515, j1987, vckhaze, klankbeeld, Omar Alvarado, kyles, o_ciz, MAJ061785, Iamgiorgio, mlsulli, 190042, davethetech , megashroom, shall555, Handfan, 13GPanska_Gorbusinova_Anna, gpag1, AlfredHitch, Clearwavsound, mrh4hn, oddmonolithsound, ultradust, sethlind , altfuture, dynamique, sacredmatt, straget, huskpodcast.com, sturmankin, 3bagbrew, & previously credited artists via freesound.org Additional sound effects from www.zapsplat.com Music  - "Sechs Deutsche Lieder - Zwiegesang" by Louis Spohr, performed by Alavedra, McColl, Levine and provided under a Attribution-ShareAlike licence freemusicarchive.org/music/Al... - "9th Symphony, Finale" by Beethoven, available in the KZbin Audio Library kzbin.info_...
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[@N8O12]

6:12 I'm glad Salesa called Jonatansimsheadarchivistofthemagnusinstitutelondon by his full name, as everyone should

[@patrickhutsler7544]

In that place Jon wasn’t the ARCHAVIST he was really just Jon. An unfortunately Jon died in an explosion fighting the STRANGER.

[@atlander4204]

⁠​⁠​⁠@@patrickhutsler7544 Yeah. Jonathan Sims the man is dead, but lives on as the human heart of the Archivist-his morals and emotions. The Archivist could survive without being Jon (and most Avatars do), but Jon can’t survive without being the Archivist. If he stayed in Upton House, he’d waste away like John Amherst in his concrete coffin.

[@ArtsyLaz05]

i am gonna shorten that and call him London from now on

[@thatonepersonyouwontremember]

All the main evil guys just really like Martin which I think is great

[@miratarnish6316]

He's a likeable guy. He's too wholesome to torture

[@thebanditking8502]

AH omg a starkid fannn!!

[@daniellecollins8257]

Everyone likes martin

[@rorygiambalvo2955]

Salesa comments that Martin reminds him of Leitner. And for a long time, they were both librarians. Salesa's biased, but maybe for a reason?

[@bladenot-runner1795]

Who wouldn't like Martin? He's adorable.

[@harshadasamant6211]

Martin can take so much advantage of the fact jon can't remember the house lmao.. "oh yeah I recited my poetry and then everyone clapped"

[@angelaphsiao]

There's something really sad about the fact that Jon can't stay in the safe place, and he can't remember it once he leaves. He's just straight up not allowed to have nice things in the apocalypse. But then again no one is.

[@rorygiambalvo2955]

He probably slept away the only couple days where he would have been alright. Really highlights how connected to the Eye he is at this point. He no longer feeds it, it's feeding him. He can't function on his own anymore, and it's sad but his transformation has been such a long time coming that I'm not surprised.

[@lonewaffle231]

I mean he is the MVP in this new world. Hes the biggest boss. No one can do anything to him

[@GarethOfByzantium]

Except Salesa.

[@anastasiabender2156]

Jon did say that no one gets what they deserve in this new world.... :(

[@emppu1012]

"I'd rather be stuck in a post-apocalyptic wasteland with you than spend another moment in paradise with her". Oh Martin, you flirt

[@xCiari]

"No, I assumed the thread holding her head together was due to a childhood knitting accident!" SOBBING

[@xCiari]

"Your powers won't work here, 'Jonathan Sims, Head Archivist of the Magnus Institute, London'" this man is killing me

[@anyoom9031]

i love how everyone's favorite joke is "don't be a stranger" LMAO

[@f_mva]

so i think we can all agree the only reason martin didn't throw hands is that annabelle is buff as fuck

[@parrottarot995]

I can just imagine her flexing while it was silent

[@emilybarclay8831]

My head cannon is a short skinny darkskinned girl with brightly coloured braids and biceps the size of her head lmaoo

[@emilybarclay8831]

@@sabrinasutter115 apparently according to the wiki she is short, dark, thin and has a weird caved in head so we weren’t far off!

[@mimkyodar]

@@emilybarclay8831 Nah, its not totally caved in. She buffed it out with webs.

[@rorygiambalvo2955]

@@mimkyodar brain is buffed with webs and so are her biceps.

[@pyrosianheir]

Mikaele Salesa was every bit as interesting as all the references to him made him out to be, and I'm so happy that that's the case.

[@rorygiambalvo2955]

Where is the fanart of Jon and Martin waking up in a nice bed and eating breakfast quietly in a VERY nice estate in their ratty apocalypse clothes. Also I find it interesting that while the Eye cannot see inside Salesa's house, the recorders still appear. Maybe they're more Web than Eye, and somehow the Mother of Puppets is using them to keep tabs on any interesting developments while the Ceaseless Watcher feeds on any fear it captures? Who knows. It's also neat that Martin hates Annabelle so much, when it was theorized he was Web-aligned.

[@biancamlf288]

Oh, lovely, I hope you were able to come back to this comment after 200.

[@cupcaketv5673]

I imagine the house to be filled with plants, trees, some birds maybe etc and the sun shining in warmly haha

[@marylii04]

@biancamlf288 I'm on my first listen and keep seeing people being cryptic about Martin, the Web, and whatever's gonna happen in the end. At this point I'm not sure if I'm more excited or scared

[@rorygiambalvo2955]

@@marylii04 don't worry too much, just enjoy the journey. It's a doozy and a jam.

[@RainWelsh]

My absolute favourite thing about TMA is hearing all these rumours and statements about various spooky folks, all out in the world spooking shit up... And then we meet them and they’re actually chill as fuck. Admittedly they’re usually still slightly sinister at best, actively bastards at worst, but still a lot of fun to talk to.

[@someoneawesome8717]

Yes! Considering how "monsters" in this world are just people who have accepted the parts of themselves that society tells them are wrong it makes total sense a lot of them would actually be super nice

[@AlexPinna531]

This is how I felt abt hearing Gertrudes voice for the first time, theres something especially interesting about hearing the voice of a character whos dead

[@Badficwriter]

@@someoneawesome8717 Its kooky how you term various kinds of torture "what society tells you is wrong." Like, there is no Consensual BDSM Domain. Its victimizations.

[@miratarnish6316]

Someone needs to compile the times that the villains and spooky characters jarringly answer character's dialogue with a dramatic/sassy "no."

[@ti_moth_y]

i remember micheal distortion did that at some point

[@Ceaseless_Watcher]

No.

[@stevbe1723]

@@ti_moth_y "Are you gonna kill me?" "No???" "Oh"

[@moony3335]

My favorite is nikola gojng "NNNOOOOOOEHHHH XD!!! 😍😍🫶💅" to jon telling her to stfu

[@someoneawesome8717]

I like to think the tape recorders have a sort of autonomy, they follow people they vibe with and turn on when something interesting is about to happen

[@miratarnish6316]

I read a theory somewhere in the comments that we the audience are essentially the entity of the eye, and our devices are the tape recorder. Technically, we are the reason Jon keeps recording, both the character and the voice actor himself.

[@AlexPinna531]

@@miratarnish6316That theory could also imply that the other entities have their own “audiences” which would be cool to explore

[@coletteb.8889]

My theory is that they are a part of Jon because in season 2 so much of his personal fear and paranoia was channeled into tape recorders through his supplemental recordings that were in case he died. So once he started having powers they manifested through his way of dealing with his fear. The other avatars mention that they are still afraid of the powers they serve, they just like it, so it stands to reason that Jon's powers come from a place of his own fear.

[@citra1885]

So like a pet

[@roy-nyan]

"I like dis one" We all do buddy..we all do

[@neither_emonor_punk9355]

Salesa: this my house, entry please! she is my neighbor, Annabelle Cane, she is pain in my assholes he's truly one of my favorite sharacters, so charismatic and laid back. I mean, yeah, people died because of him, but mostly rich bastards, no need to feel bad for them :3 hearing Jon spasing out and when forgetting everything was so sad, he literally can't rest in safety

[@alphalilly8207]

When Salesa asked what it was like out there Jon stumbled on his words and martin had to discribe it. I think Jon forgot the horrors on the outside, just as he forgot the pleasant memories when leaving the "safe zone". Perhaps his mind is more connected to The Eye then we thought 0-0

[@someoneawesome8717]

Martin really said "I'd rather face literal Hell than spend time with her

[@bluepotato1371]

The way Jon just kept spacing out made my stomach churn.

[@Adonys_Alyx_Andy]

HE SAID THE THING!!! "HeAd arChiviSt oF tHe mAGus iNstItuTe" 😂😂😂

[@cantaloupegodling352]

Calling him Jonathan Simms: Head Archivist Of The Magnus Institute, London is very funny but also hurts a little because it illustrates that here, disconnected from the Eye, he's just Jonathan Simms. But out there he's The Archivist.

[@trin-is-late]

Poor baby Jon. Martin could have led him into a blazing furnace, and he’d have happily gone with an “Oh, okay.”

[@AlysidaMagica]

I really don’t like the way Annabelle said “open-minded”. Now I’m worried about Martin

[@a_jae_doe]

Salesa: he messed with things that could get you killed.... Or worse My brain immediately: expelled

[@holycarp1676]

I think I can confidently say that Salesa said something like "but beware it comes with a terrible price *ominous laughter ensues*" at least once

[@cantaloupegodling352]

He definitely did it every time. Even when he was fairly certain whatever he was selling wasn't even touched by the Entities.

[@Companion92]

Jon losing his memories of the egood times they had in the safe house is really sad

[@DejectedJester]

Salesa sounds *exactly* how I envisioned him sounding

[@Spar10Leonidas]

The phrase “open-minded” coming from Annabelle sounds particularly ominous. Not the way she said it, mind you. Just the choice of words, especially if you recall the injury she has in her head.

[@v3pic]

Why do I feel like that "open-minded" comment is a pun on something that's coming

[@EduardoVazquez-hh5tz]

It could also be a comment on Annabelle’s skull dent, same thing to the “Don’t be Strangers”

[@empanado8304]

"jonathan sims, head archivist of the magnus institute, london" HAVSHAVDHEGFHAGSHAHS OMFG

[@murawei5333]

Martin's "He'll behave" >>>>>>>>>

[@freamoonlight9395]

20:24 Martin's little "a-pfff" it's so adorable omg

[@dynamicloss1492]

The man who spends years building a safe place for the apocalypse is a fool every day but one

[@Cangeltibon]

I’ve never been so sad to catch up to a show, to think 14 days ago I didn’t know thing existed

[@F0rsythi4]

EXCUSME 14 DAYS????

[@daniellecollins8257]

I think I did it in about 20 but yeah it be like that

[@oracleiscool]

respect

[@Luna-wl6ce]

9 days for me. I'm afraid for the end

[@wileatsglass]

It's been 14 days for 9 minutes now and im planning on finishing it all before the sun rises, another knitting project here i come

[@rigulur]

i cant help but imagine annabelle having a permanent ">:3" expression

[@epiphanierosenstern5635]

I love how everytime we encounter a monster that was souding like the worst bitch in the world we end up "heeyyy i like this one it's funny" evant when we hate them

[@Dani_1012]

Omg after Martin said "He'll behave" me and Jon sighed at the exact same time 😳

[@CamilleChauTempsDesCerises]

Jon was so outraged by Martin laughing at him not being able to use his powers. My poor boy 😭

[@racoon_in_ankhmorpork]

I didn’t trust Mikaele or the safe zone further than I could throw them, but apparently I ended up being (at least partially) wrong. I expected to be the kind of situation where you aren’t allowed to leave, or where the hosts actually capture you for one of the villains to do some harm. It was neither of those things, so yay :) I think that TMA does a really good job of making you rely on the Eye like Jon does, which means feeling weak, exposed, and paranoid when its support can no longer be counted on. It was a really immersive experience, so good job ;))

[@sugarcrystals5649]

Jon forgetting and remebering things based on where he is is like when one eye is open and the other is closed. No depth perception.

[@ZenBearV13]

Even more Frodo&Sam vibes from the pair. “I can’t recall the taste of food...”

[@CamilleChauTempsDesCerises]

How this didn't come to my mind sooner ?

[@semiengima]

Salasa is going into my Bae bag with Simon, Oliver and Elias

[@justeundonut-moi.7979]

Why is Elias in there ?! (Jk, same)

[@elesaknowles5664]

Martin’s sass let’s go!!

[@belalima9908]

"I don't like you >:( "

[@alphalilly8207]

6:12 Is no one going to comment on the fact that Salesa just recited what Jon used to say at the beginning of every statement? Dis he hear the tapes or something? Or is he not as he seems?

[@elliottgaylord6212]

Getting this far into the series and seeing how few comments there are here is something else....... How are we feeling about only having 20 episodes left til the finale guys

[@bulletmonkeyxp]

To quote John "sad. Very sad"

[@confused-as-ell]

oh my god you're right

[@luxill0s]

I feel sad watching how the like count progressively drops over time

[@spawnofheck504]

I have a sinking suspicion I know *exactly* how this it going to end... and I'm not sure I like it.

[@dimsunstuff]

Im wondering, wasnt it martin who first noticed that the recorders had mind of their own? Even Gertrude who worked with them forty years didnt seem to notice for some reason

[@ShadowyKatz]

Salesa is the avatar of capitalism

[@moony3335]

The 16th fear. The worst fear.

[@aeacussanctus3710]

I swear most of the avatars are just so damn interesting

[@stirrcrazy2704]

Saleza getting along with Martin is the most unexpected part of this show lmao

[@ann-margretparke9525]

Jon is worried he can not protect them, protect Martin. Aw…

[@melshinta2966]

SALESA!!!!!!! Omg he's also charming too I can't xDDD

[@someoneawesome8717]

I'd buy a cursed item from him

[@daniellecollins8257]

6:02 martins little snort I love him so much

[@rivercrow5151]

Martin just: *"He'll behave."*

Sounds like a father speaking of his particularly unruly child xD

[@Fellin.]

huh, that place is beyond the eye. completely beyond the eye. so who is responsible for the tapes? it's not the eye. is it the web? some other being of knowledge? Us?

[@grfrjiglstan]

So the Eye doesn't work in the oasis, but the tape recorders still do...Ladies and gentlemen, I propose that we as an audience are, in fact, the Ear.

[@KingOfGayBisciuts]

Ough jon zoning out in this episode got to me bc i know *exactly* how that feels. And tbh, yeah it can be spooky when your brain wont stay with you but mostly its just frustrating

[@Mark-fc7tu]

Salesa was very content to surround himself with comfort and profit at the expense of others. Not entirely different from Leitner himself. There are many like him, and they meet a variety of fates.

[@Badficwriter]

I am always cynical when people dismiss the suffering of those better off than themselves. Because people love playing the Suffering Olympics. They compete over whose backstory is the saddest, who DESERVES to receive pity. If you don't win? No pity, no empathy, no compassion. You're just an It. People will laugh and treat your pain like a spectacle. Just like the old lynchings. Some have literally gotten angry with me for pitying someone they feel didn't deserve it. Not out of some personal connection, just because they don't want that person to be pitied by anyone. And I do pity Salesa, even if I think he was like a drug dealer. Knowing giving people what they craved would tear them apart. The voice actor did a good job. He is a charming old man, but the casual cruelty is like a Nazi reminiscing on good times. And yeah, he really was a lot like Leitner.

[@bridgetb.7965]

ray chong nee did such a great job bringing mikaele salesa to life here! he plays the role of cursed items peddler so charmingly. i need the tapes to be explained before the end of the series! i know the theories about it being the web or jon or us the listeners, but at this point i'm done thinking about them, i'm just ready for their narrative justification. speaking of webs, what is annabelle's deal???????? she's so enchantingly and infuriatingly cryptic, on purpose! i'm gonna speculate on her comment to martin about meeting again when he's more open minded: when things seem to be at their most dire and hopeless, she's gonna offer a solution. i don't know if this will be in service to the web or against it, and i don't know if what she proposes will fix things (at devestating cost to jon and/or martin) or just doom the world further. interested to see where it all goes. the end of this episode gets me so bad. jon not getting to keep the memories of peace and comfort in this oasis is such an achingly soft tragedy. it reminds me of martin telling simon fairchild "i think our experience of the universe has value. even if it disappears forever." it matters that jon and martin got this time together.

[@flynland7366]

Ignorance the perfect name for the most chill episode!

[@104snowstorm]

I'm sorry, while I am here for Martin's delivery of the line, what do they mean by behave? When did he not? Why is Jon on the naughty step? I was affronted on his behalf 😂😂

[@belalima9908]

Martin represented me so well in this episode, about the whole situation XD

[@Arya-el9ps]

I have feelings for miss Cane ok

[@mimkyodar]

Spider wife is great.

[@AJ-pq5zx]

Don't we all

[@user-th3tg4fb5g]

ikr 🥺

[@sarah-bz8of]

I can't trust Helen and when Annabelle opened the door to let them out I really thought she was trapping them in the spiral until salesa talked, the door was a bit too loud

[@user-wu3ee7li4f]

Annabelle: I know you are but what am i Martin: That's it. Jon we're leaving. Come on. Jon, who's been unconscious for the last 10 minutes, pretending he's been a part of the conversation: Old houses.... Have spiders.........

[@Badficwriter]

LOL Annabelle's rationalization that she was trying to rile Martin up to strengthen him for the trials to come has "It was a social experiment" vibes. Its sort of horrible to realize that viciously dedicated online trolls belong to the web.

[@user-wu3ee7li4f]

@@Badficwriter as a dedicated troll myself it's a fine craft that yeah i'd def put to web

[@semelecook3623]

12:36 you know I’m an HP nerd because my brain automatically supplied (in Hermione’s voice) “Or worse... Expelled.”

[@ErrorNotFound-nl1sh]

Oh my god exactly 😭😭😭

[@minuspi8372]

Annabelle try not to say "perhaps" challenge

[@faxonii]

[CLICK] [CLASSICAL MUSIC IS PLAYING. SOUNDS OF CROCKERY AND LIQUID BEING POURED.] SALESA Hmmm. Interesting… [THREE KNOCKS ON A WOODEN DOOR] Ah, of course! Come in, come in! [DOOR OPENS] MARTIN Er… Mr… Salesa? SALESA Mikaele, please! Come in. Did you sleep well? Have you had something to eat? Annabelle said she’d shown you the pantry. [SALESA CEASES THE MUSIC] ARCHIVIST [Uncomfortable] I…er… We slept. I-I don’t know - H-How long’s it been? SALESA About seventy-one hours, by my clock. How’re you feeling? ARCHIVIST Disorientated. It’s like, um, like I’ve lost my sight or, or - SALESA Well, you have, haven’t you? [HE CHUCKLES. IT ISN’T THE FRIENDLIEST SOUND] Annabelle tells me you work for The Eye. ARCHIVIST Well… I-I w-wouldn’t exactly say I-I ‘work for’ it. MARTIN Well… I-I-I mean, you say that, but when you stop to think about it, it was literally our employer, John, so… ARCHIVIST I-I suppose. SALESA [Friendly chuckles] I like this one. Come on, sit down, have a drink. [CLINKING SOUNDS OF GLASS AND ICE] MARTIN You’re sure? What time is it? Oh. Huh. I can actually ask that question here. SALESA You can indeed. MARTIN And the sun’s high, so… SALESA Good eye… Martin, was it? MARTIN Er, er… Yes. SALESA Well Martin. It’s about ten in the morning. More or less. MARTIN And you’re drinking? SALESA Of course! Even in my little bubble of peace, I find drinking after dark leads to some rather morbid thoughts. MARTIN Right. ARCHIVIST What is… this place? SALESA I just told you, it’s my little bubble. My silver lining on an otherwise cloudy day. ARCHIVIST That’s not- SALESA Now tell me, do you know why there’s a tape recorder here? I noticed it just now, but I don’t believe I actually own one. ARCHIVIST Uh… Not really. MARTIN They sort of just … follow us round. SALESA Hmmmm. Interesting. Did you carry it in? Things shouldn’t be able to manifest in here like that. ARCHIVIST You had one in your… bag, I-I think, Martin? Did, did you drop it here? MARTIN Er, I don’t think so. SALESA Very well. In that case, we shall leave it to be. It’s hardly valuable, and it’s probably best not to upset whatever it might be involved with. Besides, I have no secrets to hide. ARCHIVIST So… you wouldn’t mind answering a few questions? SALESA … I am an open book. MARTIN [Scoffs] In my experience, open books can actually be pretty dangerous. SALESA Ha! I do like this one! Now you mention it, you actually remind me of Jurgen a bit. In his younger days of course. You’re sure you won’t have a drink? We definitely had some tea around here somewhere? MARTIN Er, I, I already had some, thank you. Some of us know how to be polite guests. ARCHIVIST [Sharply] I don’t intend to accept anything offered by Annabelle Cane. SALESA Oh, you know Annabelle? ARCHIVIST Sort of. You do know she’s part of The Web? SALESA [Sarcastically] No, I assumed the thread holding her head together was due to a childhood knitting accident. [CHUCKLES] Of course I know she’s with The Web. ARCHIVIST And that doesn’t bother you? SALESA Not especially. And even if it did, what good would it do? MARTIN So what’s the deal with you two anyway? SALESA It’s an odd situation, but not a complicated one. Shortly after I decided to stay here, she arrived. Wandered in from the chaos out there, and told me she was going to stay with me. I didn’t get this far by pitting myself against The Web, so I welcomed her in. ARCHIVIST And…? SALESA And sometimes she cooks. ARCHIVIST She ‘cooks’? SALESA I don’t know what you want me to say. It’s a big house and I don’t see her much. Can’t even say which corner she’s made her nest in. Whatever she’s doing, all I can do is hope it doesn’t wreck my little oasis. And if it does, then I hope that by keeping her in good graces she’ll at least do me the courtesy of killing me first. … Anyway, let us talk of happier things. Or perhaps just take a moment to enjoy not being out there. You are, of course, welcome to stay as long as you like.

[@faxonii]

MARTIN Th-That’s very generous. ARCHIVIST What is this place? How did you find it? SALESA [Slightly curt] I didn’t find anything. I made it. ARCHIVIST [Compellingly] Tell me what happened. SALESA No. ARCHIVIST I - uh… W-What? [DEEP CHUCKLES FROM SALESA] SALESA The look on your face! Look, he’s so confused! [MARTIN LAUGHS A BIT TOO] ARCHIVIST Martin! MARTIN Sorry. Sorry. Y-You did look kind of funny. It was l-l-l-like you were flunking an exam or something. [MORE CHUCKLING FROM SALESA] SALESA Yes! Exactly that! Your powers won’t work here, Jonathan Sims, Head Archivist of the Magnus Institute, London. The Eye can’t see this place. ARCHIVIST So, what now? SALESA Ah, no need for the suspicion, I’m not going to hurt you. You’re quite safe. I’ll tell you soon enough. Like I said, I have no secrets. But it will be in my own time. ARCHIVIST Right. SALESA You know, Gertrude once used that little trick to ask if I was trying to sell her a forgery. Admittedly I was, so I don’t hold a grudge, but I didn’t much care for the experience. Anyway, for now, just relax, and no doubt I’ll get there eventually. I haven’t had anyone to talk to properly in months. MARTIN I thought… what about Annabelle? SALESA She keeps mostly to herself, and when she does talk, it’s usually more of the sinister monologue variety, or cryptically telling me I’ve got ‘guests’. MARTIN Er, yeah, that sounds familiar. ARCHIVIST I’m trying to be less cryptic. MARTIN I-I know, I know. SALESA So what’s it like out there? I assume the Archivist must be rather a powerful position, since you seem to be travelling through it pretty freely. ARCHIVIST It’s… uh… um… MARTIN John? ARCHIVIST Sorry I just, er… Hmm. MARTIN I-It’s bad. Really bad. It’s all carved up between the powers, and everyone has just been, sort of scooped up, and chucked into their deepest fears. Just nightmare after nightmare after nightmare, and, er… Why are you smiling? SALESA I’m sorry, you’re quite right - it’s inappropriate. It’s simply… I have spent the last decade preparing for this to happen. Not just something like this, but almost exactly this situation. There was every chance, in fact the great likelihood, that I was wasting my time, and throwing away years of my life on a ridiculous precaution. But I was right. I. Was. Right. And now here I am, safe, warm and comfortable while out there the whole world screams. I don’t mean to sound… a-as if I’m happy that people are suffering - MARTIN Good, ‘cause it does sound a bit like that. SALESA Then I apologise. I’m just not sure I can fully communicate the sense of… of vindication that I feel. All those long nights I spent wondering if I was paranoid or overreacting… But no. I am here. And I am safe. MARTIN I mean… I guess that makes sense. SALESA So what of you two? What… Wh-Where are you going? You seem to be travelling with some purpose. ARCHIVIST Did Annabelle not tell you that? SALESA She said you were travelling to the Tower. The Panopticon, she called it, whatever that might be. She didn’t say what for. [Suspiciously] Nothing that might cause me trouble, I hope? MARTIN We’re going to try and end this. Turn the world back. ARCHIVIST Martin! MARTIN What? Okay. Maybe he can help. We could use some support. And it’s, it’s not like he wants the world to stay like this either. SALESA You are right, to a point. I would welcome a return to the real world. Ha! To be the only man to weather the greatest disaster in history of reality utterly unharmed. What an achievement that would be, quite the boast. But alas no, I can’t help you. MARTIN What? Why not? SALESA I have nothing to offer. Well, except perhaps for some… basic provisions. I have food, drink, a few luxuries. But none of that would help you out there. And I’m certainly not going to follow you. No, I think the best thing I can do is to welcome you to stay in my sanctuary as long as you wish. MARTIN Oh, well, thank you. I think we just might. John? ARCHIVIST I can’t use my powers here. I-I can’t protect us. MARTIN Protect us from what? ARCHIVIST I-It’s going to be difficult to relax with a spider lurking around. SALESA It gets easier with practice. ARCHIVIST … Alright, I-I guess we can stay. Just for a bit. SALESA Excellent! I haven’t had guests since the world ended! ARCHIVIST [flat] Lovely. SALESA Oh, saying that, I suppose there was that insect thing that stumbled in here a month or so back… MARTIN Er, insect thing? SALESA Some creature of the Crawling Rot. Anyway, it didn’t actually make it into the house before Annabelle managed to get rid of it, so I refuse to count it as a guest. MARTIN Mmm. ARCHIVIST I suppose that makes sense. SALESA Of course, I can’t actually stop things crossing the border into my hideaway, as you both discovered. Another reason I’m content to leave Annabelle to whatever schemes she might be weaving. ARCHIVIST How big is your safe zone? Is it, is it always the same size? How did this happen? SALESA [Chuckling] Look at him. Not three days without his master spooning knowledge into his head, and he can’t bear it! I thought ignorance was meant to be bliss. [SOUND OF A FRUSTRATED ARCHIVIST] MARTIN F-F-For what it’s worth, I’d also quite like to know how this all happened. SALESA Fine, I’ll tell you how it happened. But you must sit quietly while I tell you. MARTIN Don’t worry, I have had lots of practice. SALESA And you? [SOUND OF A DISGRUNTLED ARCHIVIST] MARTIN He’ll behave.

[@faxonii]

SALESA (STATEMENT) My story is not a long one. Not the parts that you care about, at least. The powers, I first learned about from Jurgen Leitner. You’re familiar with him? Then I don’t need to explain further. When I say I was one of his assistants, you know exactly the kind of education that would be. Terrifying, fascinating, misguided. The man was a genius and an idiot. It didn’t take me long to see what he was blind to his whole life: that trying to control the Fears was a good way to get yourself killed, or worse. I left long before he got what was coming to him, and tried to forget what I knew. I lived my life, and I lived it well, Successful, wealthy, and a little bit feared. Smuggler to the rich and famous. There wasn’t an art dealer or curator out there who didn’t pretend not to know me. But the trouble is, once you’ve seen backstage, it’s hard to believe in the show anymore. You understand, I’m sure. You can never quite shake off the desire to have a peek. To see what’s waiting in the wings. When I first stumbled across one of the cursed objects, I recognised what it was immediately. It took the form of a leather pouch, filled with 1888 Morgan silver dollars. It was aligned to The Slaughter and… well, let us call it ‘blood money’ and talk no more of the grisly details. Selling them, well, it went very badly for the buyer… But not for me. I walked away unharmed, and with a healthy profit and counted myself lucky. And then it happened again. This time it was a painting: a drab English pastoral that pulled you into The Lonely. Again, I made a lot of money and remained untouched. It’s the sort of thing to set a man thinking about his life, you understand? I began to think hard about the world, about my place within it, and about fear. About the figure of the merchant, the trader who deals in strange and dangerous goods, how it can be found in so many myths and fables, dealing in second-hand nightmares. And how rarely the merchant themself is ever punished in those stories. I would love to pretend that it was out of self-preservation that I committed to my new trade, but that would be mostly a lie. To tell you the truth, I got a real kick out of playing my role. To think of myself as a purveyor of curses, walking softly through the most dangerous edges of reality so that the rich and arrogant could buy their own doom. Sometimes people would come to me for solutions, protections or talismans to ward off the attention they had already called down on themselves. I sometimes did what I could to help, but I had to be careful. I could never afford to forget who I actually was working for. And do you know what? I managed to walk that tightrope for decades without falling. You know, I think there were times when I was perhaps skirting close to The Stranger, but I kept my name prominent and, well… [chuckles] I’m not exactly a small personality. Anonymity just wouldn’t have suited me. But the years, they wear on you, and as I talked to more and more people versed in that secret world, more acolytes and would-be cultists about rituals and destinies, I began to come to a conclusion. As the number of people in the world grew, and the amount of fear grew with it, I began to become convinced that it was only a matter of time before one of them succeeded. Before the world was transformed into… Well, you’d know better than me. So I began to plan for my… retirement. I spent most of my fortune preparing. Some on supplies, but mostly hunting down an artifact that I hoped might give me some… protection. One I had sold right at the start of my career: an old broken camera. One that through some quirk had the ability to hide you from the Powers. It was in the possession of another scared old man, one who had long been running from his own supernatural debts. I believe it operates as a sort of, er, battery, charging itself on all the quiet worries that come from living in hiding, and then when the sanctuary collapses, all that fear flows out at once. No doubt, if my oasis breaks before I die, The Eye will get quite the feast from me, but in this new world I would hope it has other things to keep itself busy. Anyway, it took a lot of resources to find it again, and even more to retrieve it. Staging my death was a comparative, erm, afterthought - in some ways just a happy accident. And so I waited, and lived out my days in comfort. For the longest time I thought that, well, maybe I had simply entered normal retirement really dramatically. But then… well… I was right. I. Was. Right. Both about the world and about the camera. It hid me from The Eye, which, in the new order of reality, also protects where I am from the hellscape all around us. And when I realised that the power moves with the camera… Well, let’s just say I loaded up a truckload of supplies, and went on some journeys of my own before I found this place. [MORE CLINKING GLASS AND ICE] No reason not to live out the apocalypse in style. [STIRRING NOISES] In the end, I find myself quite happy. I have supplies for a good few years, and then I plan to take my own life. I think perhaps that’s the greatest blessing the camera can bestow. I can die here. Escape this place. Not yet, of course, and maybe the wine will do me in before I have to take matters into my own hands, but still, it remains a comfort. Anyway, no more stories, I think. Let us relax, and talk and drink. And not worry about who might be… listening. [CLICK] [CLICK] [PACKING NOISES] MARTIN You’re sure we can’t stay longer? ARCHIVIST Yes. I-I-I’ve been…um… Er, these last few days I’ve been getting weaker. Dizzy spells, vagueness. You’ve seen it. Being cut off from the Eye… It’s not good for me. MARTIN Yeah, but if, if you’re that connected, that dependent, what happens if we actually, y’know, do manage to - ARCHIVIST We’ll cross that bridge when we come to it. For now, I just need us to be moving on. [FOOTSTEPS, AND A DOOR CREAKS OPEN] ANNABELLE All packed? ARCHIVIST Mm. MARTIN Oh! Finally showing your face? ANNABELLE I’m sure I don’t know what you mean. MARTIN Pffft. All week you scuttle around with… with food and drinks and all that other stuff, whatever we need, just when we need it, but if we actually try to talk to you, you’re gone. ANNABELLE [Smilingly] I’m very busy. ARCHIVIST Martin, don’t bother. We’re not going to get any answers out of her. MARTIN Y-You’re joking right? She’s been lurking at the edges of this whole thing since the beginning, and now we can finally actually talk to her, and, what, you’re just going to pass? You don’t have any questions? Nothing at all? … John? John! [MARTIN CLICKS HIS FINGERS IN FRONT OF THE ARCHIVIST] ARCHIVIST [Distant] Wha… Oh, yes… sorry. Look, it’s no accident we finally meet face-to-face in the one place I-I can’t get any answers out of her. ANNABELLE [Smug] I’m sure I don’t know what you mean. MARTIN Why are you here? Hmmm? What’s your game? ANNABELLE Perhaps I just value my privacy. MARTIN Fine, fine. Why did you call me before? ANNABELLE Perhaps I thought you could use a friendly voice? MARTIN Friendly!? You told me John didn’t need me! ANNABELLE Objectively true. And more importantly, perhaps I thought that you might need a little bit of righteous indignation to help you power through the next steps. MARTIN I don’t like being manipulated. ANNABELLE Then we probably aren’t going to be friends. [SOUND OF FRUSTRATED MARTIN] For what it’s worth, I’m sorry. The call was… clumsy. There are so many things to keep track of at the moment. I must confess it did perhaps lack my usual… nuance. ARCHIVIST And perhaps you’re now just trying to humanise yourself so we underestimate your next move. ANNABELLE Perhaps. MARTIN … So… So that’s it, then? We-We’re just going to leave her here? ARCHIVIST Yes. MARTIN We could make her tell us. ARCHIVIST No, we couldn’t. I don’t have my powers, and if it came to a physical fight I really don’t rate our chances. MARTIN Hey, I can handle myself! ANNABELLE But can you handle me? MARTIN … I don’t like you. ANNABELLE I know. MARTIN God… Fine. Fine! [BAG IS GRABBED] Come on, John. ARCHIVIST [Vague] Oh… I’m sorry, what? MARTIN We’re leaving. ANNABELLE Don’t worry, Martin. We’ll meet again. Hopefully when you’re feeling a little bit more… open-minded. MARTIN I wouldn’t count on it. ANNABELLE I would. ARCHIVIST That’s the trouble with old houses, I suppose. Full of spiders. ANNABELLE You boys better take care of yourselves. I’m sure we’ll see each other again very soon. Here, why don’t I show you out. ARCHIVIST Fine. [FOOTSTEPS PROCEED THROUGH THE HALLWAYS AND DOORS OF THE MANOR] SALESA Ah, you are off, then? [FAINT SOUNDS OF MUSIC IN THE BACKGROUND] ARCHIVIST Yes, uh… MARTIN Thank you for all your hospitality. SALESA You are sure you won’t stay a little longer? You’re more than welcome. ARCHIVIST No. I… uh… got to, um, leave. MARTIN What he said. SALESA Ah, such a shame. And you’re sure I can’t give you a little something for the road? Food? Wine? MARTIN Er, no, thank you. [Sighs] Nice things, they… tend not to stay nice out there. SALESA True enough. Well, best of luck I suppose. And if, in the end, you can’t save the world… you know where I am. ANNABELLE Actually, he doesn’t. [SALESA CHUCKLES] SALESA Ah, of course. What a shame. Well, then I guess it really is goodbye. Travel well. Don’t be Strangers! [MORE CHUCKLES, LOWER AND MORE DARK] MARTIN Heh… Yeah. Come on, John. Let’s go. ARCHIVIST Mm? What? Oh, yes, r-right. Yes. [FOOTSTEPS WALK OFF] [CLICK]

[@faxonii]

[CLICK] [THE WASTELAND WINDS SWIRL AND MOAN ONCE MORE] MARTIN Feeling better? ARCHIVIST Um… yeah. I’m afraid I am. MARTIN Alright. ARCHIVIST I’m sorry. It would have been nice to stay. MARTIN [Wistfully] Yeah. I’d almost forgotten what it was like, you know? A bit of peace. ARCHIVIST I mean, you could have - MARTIN No, don’t say it, John. You know I never would. I c-can’t just forget all the people out here. Besides, I’d rather be trapped in a post-apocalyptic wasteland with you than spend one more moment in paradise with her. ARCHIVIST [Smilingly] That might just be the nicest thing you’ve ever said to me. MARTIN Yeah, yeah. Come on. We’ve got a job to do. ARCHIVIST I suppose we do. [FOOTSTEPS HEAD OFF ACROSS SOFT GROUND] Pity. MARTIN What? ARCHIVIST It’s, er… going away. That peace, the safety, the memory of ignorance… MARTIN That’s… Yeah, I guess that makes sense. Do you remember any of it? W-What Salesa said? Annabelle? ARCHIVIST Some, I think. It’s, uh… Do you mind filling me in? MARTIN Wait, you need me to tell you something for once? ARCHIVIST I guess so. It’s, er… It’s gone. Like a dream. What was it like? MARTIN … Nice. It was… It was really nice. [CLICK]

[@SuperClass3000]

For some reason the ending made me feel very sad something in Jon voice just... I don't know I think maybe it was the something like a dream

[@Badficwriter]

Its like someone starting to suffer from senility. The gradual realization that they are never going to be the person they used to be. That all you can do is hang on to what's left and be kind.

[@Sxcheschka]

this is gonna be a based mindfuck

[@Ellen-sq4nt]

Just a heads up, on Spotify there's a glitch in this episode that skips from about 19:13 to 20:15 I think? It cuts Salesa off when he's talking about his plans when he runs out of supplies directly to Annabelle saying "I am very busy". Love the podcast, can't wait to delve more into what you've all created over the years!

[@EyeofAchillesArgusheel-ni4lo]

"Wandered in from the chaos out there and told me she was going to stay with me" I'm afraid I have fallen in love

[@erinbathie-moore8478]

I find it interesting and fun that most of the villains we've met have been oddly pleasant to be around? Like, some of them are still sinister to a degree, but I actually like listening to them. Well donw writting team!! :D

[@wonderwhatsgonnahappen579]

Man, Salesa be living the dream in an Apocalypse. Love this dude.

[@dandeliondaffodyls1426]

I know I'm not ready for whatever master plan the Web has in store

[@midnights2631]

Salesa is such a chill dude, he seems like a pretty good dude. A shame Jon couldn't stay a bit longer and remember being there. I hope Jon and Martin get a break again.

[@cocoTr33]

"open-minded" is definitely foreshadowing of something

[@jamesmortimer4016]

Hi Alex!

[@lilaboxx]

Salesa sounds a little bit like the guy on my meditation app xD

[@minuspi8372]

Mikaele has wares, if you have the coin...

[@Ghostrecall_M]

Bastard gave me a cursed sock.

[@stopprocrastinating4181]

Damn it was so tense at their departure i rly thought smth was gonna jump at them, anyways salsa Guy is rly cool actually just planning his own retirement like proper capitalist

[@Chiffoid]

That feel when all is going to hell, but at least you can say I TOLD YOU SO

[@somnia268]

20:07 hopefully not foreshadowing 💀💀 i have had my suspicions but...

[@tadasuko8935]

This was a nice little break from hell.

[@drzeworyj]

so Salesa turns out to be an Italian prepper, ok edit: he actually sounds more Finnish tho

[@Idran]

he's Samoan :D the VA too; apparently RQ had a devil of a time getting hold of a Samoan VA during the pandemic to pay Salesa

[@schmohobzsia7216]

I don't know why Mikaele Saleda reminds me of Zevran Arainai so much, but he definitely does. Anyway, loved his character.

[@daniellecollins8257]

I love this man so much

[@carmelwolf129]

seeing the likes from this episode onwards drop below 1K is very disheartening :( tma deserves so much more attention than it has

[@Ceaseless_Watcher]

I think the vast majority of listeners access it in other ways. Had 4m downloads a month at one point, so I doubt KZbin likes are much of a concern :)

[@charliemclean6382]

Is Salesa drinking wine with ice cubes in it?

[@imchoosingnottoexist6894]

I don't think it's wine, just liquor

[@user-th3tg4fb5g]

annabelle is waifu material fr

[@Pineapplecrispy]

I really like Salesa all of a sudden

[@AlexPinna531]

I saw a theory on another comment saying the tape recorders are more aligned with the wen than the eye, and I think I can expand on it, the tapes know exactly when to start recording and when something interesting is happening, as if they know what will happen after, Jon is obsessed in the early seasons with the tape recorders and using them to document whats going on, so what if he isn’t doing it voluntarily early on and the web is making him do it, but he does it so much it feels like second nature and no other character questions it because they always see him with one. Not to mention how the imagine for this season is a tape recorder with what looks like webs around it, which could be a hint that the tapes are connected to the web not the eye.

[@Badficwriter]

Jon's reaction to them is most interesting. He's urgently protective of his connection to them, more so than the Eye itself. He makes excuses for their teleporting, tries to hide them when they'e disapproved of..He's willing to question and discuss everything about the Eye. But the tape recorders? Blindspot. Martin too. He could ask Jon in Jon's omniscient mode, "Why do the tape recorders just pop into existence? Can I take batteries out of them and get infinite batteries?" But it just doesn't cross his mind to question them. The negative space of not thinking about them is highlighting them.

[@AlexPinna531]

@@Badficwriter That is interesting, I do believe that the reason Jon doesn’t question them is because of what he said in season 1, “I don’t want to be another mystery” so he believes the tape recorders will help let people know what happened to him if he did die

[@unlimitedbug]

literally dont know if this makes sense but this salesa is cool in the same way uncle monty from series of unfortunate events (the books only) was

[@sarah-bz8of]

Your mind is incredible

[@moony3335]

"Welcome, traveler." ahh episode.

[@kehlcassidy9562]

"Killed, OR WORSE..." Did anyone else hear a silent " *expelled!* '' ?? No? Just me? Okay then.

[@Cylus1527]

Ok, very late comment, but I've got to say that Salesa might be one of my absolute favorite magnificent bastards in all fiction

[@bmilano1580]

What about the famous Russian doll story?

[@tanisnewby5380]

Why does Salesa sound exactly like Guillermo from Family Guy.

[@laurahenriksen19]

I changed the like counter from 88... apologies! 8 is my favourite number haha x

[@Pietra-ml6tj]

WHY DOES MIKAELE KINDA SOUNDS LIKE NANDOR THE RELENTLESS??? ESPECIALLY HERE 6:11

[@ramennoodle1981]

YOU'RE SO RIGHT

[@jessbarrance5830]

Mikaele sounds like nandor a bit ...

[@lardjass4146]

First I think lol