THE MAGNUS ARCHIVES #40 - Human Remains

MAG040 - Case #0160729-A - Staff of the Magnus Institute
Statements regarding the infestation by the entity formerly known as Jane Prentiss.
The Magnus Archives tells the tales of its own staff who set down their thoughts and actions during the attack on the Archives by Jane Prentiss.
Starring: The Archivist - Jonathan Sims; Martin Blackwood - Alexander J Newall; Tim Stoker - Mike LeBeau; Elias Bouchard - Ben Meredith; Not!Sasha - Evelyn Hewett
Writer: Jonathan Sims
Director: Alexander J Newall
Editors: Alexander J Newall
MERCH:
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EMAIL: [e-mail]
The Magnus Archives is distributed by RustyQuill.com and licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International Licence.

[@gretablackwell495]

Hearing characters complain about being quarantined hits differently now

[@Lightning-ik3so]

It's oddly therapeutic hearing other people dealing with it lol

[@raphthebard1616]

Omg

[@tomisabum]

[MEMETIC HAZARD REDACTED]

[@Makujah_]

Only they had to have a real quarantine, while we just sit in the comforts of our homes, with good food and all the virtual entertainment possible. The only downside is having no income because your workplace had to shut down for a few months, and most people don't even have that.

[@Lightning-ik3so]

@@Makujah_ that's valid

[@voidmatic]

the "I'm sorry I left you" broke me ngl

[@sidney9796]

absolutely, i gotta protect this boy

[@smokewthedevil]

saAAAME,,,

[@vX-ter_]

Martin is too pure for the world

[@ocean7889]

@@vX-ter_ He is!

[@sad_hedgehog]

i wept a bit

[@EduardoVazquez-hh5tz]

“Just quarantine you know? Not as much fun as it sounds.”

[@Lightning-ik3so]

I mean at least we can listen to tma

[@jojoceda]

Yeah....

[@cassandrabailey1407]

Lightning 107 I mean.. you’re not wrong

[@horrificreader4084]

Quarantine listening to this is fun. Except I always need to do something with my fingers while listening to this.

[@noamratner8058]

Oooooof that really aged well huh

[@Penelope-rc6xl]

sasha saying yes instead of yeah is the worst part

[@ot7biasedmashups]

Like she would have been FREAKING OUT about finding Jon covered in worms too, not just say "Yes. I understand" when he reacted badly. Like stop playing

[@TIGGYQUE]

Yeah.... Remembering how she was talking in the tunnels, and hearing her making a statement.... too composed, too confident, too cold....

[@dull_demon4717]

So that's why it felt so wrong

[@theeternaljinx604]

The not-sasha thing. A little too composed. A perfect impression of what a human SHOULD sound like, like a textbook not tinged with reality.

[@moonlight_scribe]

Yes

[@jayschertzberg6680]

The minute I heard Sashas voice I was like “thAT AIN’T SASHA”

[@kezkriune]

It’s just a few semitones lower, but it’s so noticeable.

[@revelliot]

Her intonations were so different, at first I wanted to say she was just being quieter but after a few seconds I knew it wasn’t her and hearing the Not!Sasha in the credits hurt

[@kaitlynmorgan4613]

man i never even noticed a difference in their voices until my, what, 6th listen now? cause i was actually paying attention to the difference 💀💀

[@moonfall5124]

SAAAME I WAS LIKE WHO ARE YOU AND WHAT HAVE YOU DONE WITH SASHA

[@carpiioo.806]

RIGHT!????

[@scubatuba3294]

"Checking it" yea ok Mr Joe spooky

[@ocean7889]

That was amazing

[@Forlorn_Overseer]

Tim: Oh hey have you seen Joe? Jon: Tim for the last time- Tim: Cmonnn have you seen Joe? ',:) Jon: ***sighs with REVERB*** Who is Joe Tim: JOE SPOOKY HA GOTTEM-

[@jakethelanguid4720]

“It’s fine Martin, everybody’s... Everyone’s fine.” *But not everyone was fine.*

[@megannnB]

In fact, everyone was not fine

[@SerOrenji]

Not!Sasha: "I used to think it was the most dangerous place in the Institute". Sims: "Not anymore". Not!Sasha: "Yes. Not anymore". Chills.

[@leejeevas]

OH MY GOD, I DIDN'T EVEN NOTICE D:

[@Rin-qj7zt]

Tims naive humor and chipper attitude is completely gone. So sad the trauma

[@ocean7889]

Well shit... I loved him so much in this

[@everythingcoffee8901]

I forgot when, I think in the assistants round table, but the actor talked about how at the start he got into character being like the embodiment of sunshine and such and then as the story progressed he got into character by thinking about everything that has ever gone wrong in his life and that kinda broke me ngl

[@duskadown6751]

yeah, but at least he doesn't sound like Sasha o_o

[@theonionqueen3519]

Martin’s delivery of “She was shot.” It’s so fucking good. It’s like the words are being physically dragged from his mouth by a string.

[@sucroseisbest3756]

With the context of later seasons this actually makes a lot of sense...

[@phoebeschweikert7597]

the way martins voice is so small and hurt when he says im sorry i left you, that kills me

[@lemmetalkaboutthis]

The Magnus Archive would now like to proudly introduce: Paranoid!Jon :D

[@rafaelduarte2730]

Did I enjoy this first season: Yes Do I recommend it: Yes Did I watch it in a span of 24 hours: Yes Do I recommend doing that: No Would I do it again: Undoubtedly

[@erinbathie-moore8478]

You absolute madlad!

[@tearez13]

“Just quarantine you know? Not as much fun as it sounds.”

[@alexacox7136]

I relate watched it in the span of three

[@mxxnlight111]

i watched it all in 4 days. did you stay up from like- 12AM to like idk, 3PM? because damn thats dedication.

[@tobymidnight1957]

I think it's been 2 or 3 days for me. Not as extreme but I have finals I have to worry about.

[@izzyliberty8720]

I knew it wasn't Sasha, but hearing Not!Sasha said in the credits still made my skin crawl.

[@inkdragon3455]

Isabella Liberty you sure it wasnt the worms?

[@f_mva]

@@inkdragon3455 oh fuck

[@zealotoftheorchard9853]

the way she said yes was hella sus

[@nateds7326]

It's funny, I didn't remember what her voice sounded like and I don't listen to the credits so I didn't even realize she was replaced.

[@bennettfrazier1742]

Same. At first, I thought the voice acting was just weird, but then I felt my skin crawl when I realised this wasn't the real Sasha.

[@fluffsnake]

Sasha: I'm not a very brave person also Sasha: saves literally everyone xD

[@alexandratsankova5825]

Well... except for herself 😥

[@turbo_snailx]

I finished the first season yesterday. Tonight, a spider with long, thin legs has appeared behind my room's door. Take it as you will, but if I die, use this comment as a statement.

[@Rudymentary]

short statement

[@turbo_snailx]

@@Rudymentary sorry if it is underwhelming. I thought it'd be a funny/ dramatic way to word an anecdote, wasn't trying to write an actual short story

[@chimedemon]

@@turbo_snailx statement ends.

[@noomre9105]

@@turbo_snailx are you willing to come in for another interview

[@turbo_snailx]

@@noomre9105 sure, why not?

[@kimmy_future4265]

"It's like, 'my eyes are up here' but they're not, you know?" Gold.

[@SkyP9812]

Underrated

[@scubatuba3294]

She mentions here that she didn't have worm marks, but she had worms pulled out towards the beginning of "infestation." Definitely not sasha.

[@hosannapyles8201]

That's a really good catch!

[@ianmorse9381]

I believe in "infestation" she only mentioned that she didn't complain as much when her worm was pulled. This might have been in reference to the worm "Michael" pulled.

[@scubatuba3294]

@@ianmorse9381 oh I didn't think of that!

[@mariebaillet9800]

Also the "so it must have been bad". She sounds so weird, like... Nope. That is not Sacha. WHat did you do to my wife you monster

[@wakipaki7381]

The Not!Sasha is entirely related to something from the artifact storage. Not sure what, but I'll bet it's revealed when she gets properly identified.

[@ray-the-lame]

I was already confident this wasn’t Sasha, but I just realized something fascinating. Sasha refers to Michael with it/its Not!Sasha refers to Michael with he/him

[@eyesgalore2971]

i know that's not the point of your comment but we stan a he/it king

[@megannnB]

Ohhh good catch! I'm on my third listen and I never realized that haha

[@whiterosesj]

Everything not-Sasha was saying about her account was what she heard real Sasha say through the recording. She had *NO* extra information except what was already said. Makes me think that not-Sasha stole the tapes containing Sasha's voice to learn more about her 👀👽

[@b-blythe6763]

This gives me hope the deception will be seen through quickly, because damn this creature did not do their research.

[@phymateus7709]

She also has a more "dead" voice. Sasha always sounds so passionate and lively

[@ryantoth676]

NotThem seems to be able to retain *some* of the original person's memory

[@grogdocr]

@@phymateus7709 I miss real Sasha already!

[@Dragoriax3]

Yeah wow. This is my second time through and knowing how things end up.... you notice Sasha's voice is way different. And all the hints, being the 'things' limited knowlege of what's going on and even Elias giving her weird looks. Damn this podcast is so meticulously written I give it the highest respects.

[@conandenz8413]

SASHA SOUNDS BAD SASHA SOUNDS BAD SHE DOESN'T HAVE THE SAME TONE SHE DOENST SPEAK THE SAME TOO FORMAL DONT LIKE NOPE NOPE NOPE!

[@conandenz8413]

REGISTER! THAT'S THE WORD! SHE DOENST HAVE THE SAME REGISTER!

[@gilbertmolina8621]

Its A "NOT SASHA"

[@alessiapalma8823]

SHE DIDN’T EVEN MENTION THE THING THAT SCARED HER IN THE OBJECTS ROOM, SHE’S A SHAPESHIFTER

[@pyrosianheir]

And just like that, a maybe-problem for the next season was planted... *continues to said next season*

[@jackbelmont4389]

SASHA USED TO SOUND SO UPBEAT AND JOYFUL AND HAPPY AAAAHHHHHHH. NOT SASHA SOUNDS SO WRONG AND SERIOUS AND CREEPY.

[@UnhingedArtist7]

Jon: *breathes* Not!Sasha: "Y e s"

[@jarojam5908]

The second I heard Sasha's voice I was like, "wtf she doesn't sound the same???" and checked the credits in the description and my heart fuckin d r o p p e d when I read not!Sasha

[@dannymern6425]

Sasha's voice was so robotic... or, well, not sasha

[@neonavaro25]

That is definitely NOT Sasha.

[@charliem.1368]

i thought it was odd how straightforward her story seemed, but thought that maybe she was just eager to go home... that’s not it, though, it can’t be that simple

[@TalesByMax]

Every "Yes" sounded so automated it was the creepiest part of this episode for me.

[@wrath2509]

24:36 they even credit her as NotSasha

[@jaykatara5467]

"I'm sorry I left you." Jesus this part broke my heart and practically had me in tears. Martin sounds like he feels so bad about it, and Jon is just so reassuring and ah I love my boys

[@RubyBlue2005]

Not!Sasha is more confident in her recount whilst Sasha has a more soft sisterly jokes voice. Edit: Not!Sasha doesn't seem to know a lot about Jonathan. Like, it seems that they know the basics. Also, Not!Sasha asks "Is it really that important?" When Jonathan talks about the missing tape.

[@fluffsnake]

oddly enough she knew some details that I thought it'd be impossible for Not!Sasha to know xD I wonder how... you'd think it's an imposter but it's more than that 🤔

[@L_Aster]

@@fluffsnake If you're talking about working in the artifact room, Sasha talked about it just before she was replaced ;)

[@fluffsnake]

@@L_Aster ah well, it doesn't really matter anymore haha

[@scottdick296]

@@fluffsnake She listened to the tapes Sasha had on her when she died. Then, she stole every tape with Sasha on them, so she knew everything the audience did.

[@piratehalfdroid7370]

That quiet whisper "Thank you Martin." "...sure" M Y H E A R T

[@nateds7326]

Hearing Elias actually discourage Jon from archiving is hilarious after listening to this whole series

[@Timburtonbarbie]

Legit

[@channelwhatchamacallit2614]

ikr

[@melissaharris3389]

I think he's checking on Jon's 'progress' as The Archivist. The very fact Jon _needs_ to record their statements and doesn't want to leave the archives is probably making 'Elias' giddy with joy realizing his plan is working.

[@milaachan4561]

elias is seriously sus???? idk how to explain but i dont like the vibes

[@purplecatloverrandompizza]

The fact this is hearted concerns me

[@midnights2631]

@@purplecatloverrandompizza How do you feel now

[@purplecatloverrandompizza]

@@midnights2631 idek man, Elias really fucked shit up didn't he

[@midnights2631]

@@purplecatloverrandompizza He really did

[@kennethsmith383]

Same. And it's funny. The youtube generated transcript alwayd seems to call Elias "a liar".

[@sandymcneish7820]

Hey I forgot to mention you have to make a separate podcast about Martin's poetry. YOU HAVE TO

[@RustyQuill]

Funny you should mention that... We have actually recorded a number of pieces of Martin's poetry, which are available as a bonus reward to folks who subscribe at the top tier to our Patreon (www.patreon.com/rustyquill).

[@sandymcneish7820]

@@RustyQuill WHAT NO WAy nice

[@cawareyoudoin7379]

That's some good motivation...

[@Panroles]

@@RustyQuill I am once again depressed about being broke.

[@joserobertozazueta2227]

@@Panroles well, now we’re two depressed broke individuals

[@HyacinthoIgnis]

oh man, sasha was my favorite :( it broke my heart a little hearing how not!sasha talked... it was all wrong. i'm gonna miss real!sasha, i guess jon is going to miss her too, since she was his favorite so he'll catch up soonish :( i came here for cool lore, not to cry guys

[@mayormarshmallow]

even worse, he won't remember anything about the original Sasha

[@HyacinthoIgnis]

@@mayormarshmallow dude i see your comments under every video, are you rewatching (relistening?) again?

[@mayormarshmallow]

@@HyacinthoIgnis yah

[@fluffsnake]

@@mayormarshmallow wait, but that girl living across from Graham did remember about the OG Graham so why would Jon forget about OG Sasha...?

[@mayormarshmallow]

@@fluffsnake she was a small part of his life and unlikely to disrupt it's integration into Grahams life, unlike Jon

[@AckermanYuki]

omg "i'm sorry i left you" MARTIN I CRY OMG

[@dalekslayer14]

The thing that gets me about Not!Sasha’s account is how… rehearsed it sounds. How distant and detached. It’s really really chilling

[@pyrosianheir]

Ignoring that you can hear some very faint audio distortion whenever NotSasha is present, there's also that bit with Elias looking at her strangely after... Because he freaking Knew. Rat bastard.

[@kapitan_igloo3821]

thanks for spoiling!

[@tshn8363]

​@@kapitan_igloo3821Right like im looking at commets to see if anyone caught something i didn't want to see spoilers

[@Arkangel630]

Its most likely been said somewhere else before but for the record the missing tapes are 0051701 = MAG024 0160204 = MAG026 Together with MAG038 these are all the tapes Sasha appears in I was sure there were more instances with her appearing but I guess not. How it knows the relevant tapes I do not know since it only came to the archive at the end of MAG036, I do wonder if there's a link between the events and the packages received since they are so close together.

[@hosannapyles8201]

When Graham was replaced w/ Not!Graham, any records of previous Graham were gone. It's probably the same with Sasha.

[@chimedemon]

it's more like the objects that were affiliated with that person disappears. also I should point out that it's SUPER FASCINATING to see who notices Sasha's disappearance, and who doesn't. not!Graham was noticed by the girl due to her constantly observing other people. that's her hobby, and who she is as a person. Jon only semi notices because he notices what people say, rather than actually observing their actions; hence why he doesn't notice her physical appearance. he only notices how she's speaking. Alias totally notices more, showing that there's way more to his character that we don't know fully... yet. he observes people, how they speak and what they speak. he's a genius when it comes to language and knows how to change a subject or sway a person. fascinating stuff here!

[@a_blitz]

@@chimedemon any objects related to the person disappear. With what we know about the old chinese cup and the thing with long and this arms that came out of it and not graham. I think that they might be the same things.

[@mackenziedillon295]

Sasha got Grahamed

[@nanahuatli2144]

@@a_blitz Iirc, Graham's records didn't all disappear, but some of them were modified to match not!Graham's appearance.

[@OnigiriKewn]

"Just quarantine. Not as much fun as it sounds" Me in 2020: oh really? Don't you say.

[@Syurtpiutha]

Honestly, having just listened to this episode for the first time, I interpreted it as incredibly dry wit from someone completely done with the situation in general. It got a hearty chuckle, is what I'm saying.

[@marykilgallon]

How forcefully Not!Sasha said "YES" when Jon mentioned the tape recorder was... unnerving, to say the least.

[@mackenziedillon295]

Not!Sasha is a different voice actrice than Sasha. HOLY HELL!!

[@Beepmeeps]

I love this series. It might sound stupid, but since ep.3 i had this small notebook where I just wrote down little notes and certain things i noticed tbroughout, and i drew lines connecting certain notes with things i thought could be related, finished the first season in three days and my notebook looks like I'm cooking up a conspiracy theory.

[@spiderq848]

I should have done that lol. Instead I'm at the end of this season now going, wait, I think that person was mentioned before but who were they again? And I really don't feel like re-listening to 40 episodes before going on to season 2 XP

[@edelbrosnan6222]

I've got several pages in my notebook myself :)

[@Beepmeeps]

@@edelbrosnan6222 lol, we got to compare notes

[@Beepmeeps]

@@spiderq848 oof sometimes reading the comments help

[@spiderq848]

@@Beepmeeps Lol I actually couldn't bring myself to go on to season 2 without making sure I hadn't missed anything so I went back and skimmed through the transcripts (which is faster than listening to all 40 episodes again) to make sure I hadn't missed anything. Turns out there wasn't much I hadn't picked up on the first time around but it was nice to do anyway.

[@daringromanVA]

Sasha's death just broke me :((( we didn't see n hear much of her. But god, she sounded so terrified. Too me she saved tim, Martin and jon. The best she could. :((

[@candlelight7600]

"He looked at me strangely" Because her faced used to have holes. But now she was fine.

[@klltsun_2576]

Martin sounded so distressed at accidentally losing them. Also, that is NOT Sasha Jon!

[@mimkyodar]

I never thought I would ever feel so damn unsettled by the word... yes.

[@rorygiambalvo2955]

Poor Martin apologizing for himself getting lost in the tunnels and finding a dead body. This man had a leg up in a "running from flesh-eating worms" situation and he feels guilty over accidentally using it. I'm glad Jon worked through his pain and exhaustion to try to soothe him because there was no good move in that situation. And at least it spared Martin being just as scarred and wounded as Jon and Tim.

[@proinsiascassidy2888]

Well, thanks to the Corona quarantine I finished the entire first season in a little under a week and I'm officially addicted. I enjoyed every minute of this amazing podcast so far and I already kinda dread the moment when I'm done with the rest of the series and have to actually wait for more to come out.

[@loganisanerd5566]

In case you don't know, they have up to episode 160 on their website! Glad we have a good show to binge and keep entertained in isolation

[@aosterman66]

I've been doing the same thing

[@charlieb2700]

omg it took me a day and thank god i dont have work because i cant sleep TT

[@ann-margretparke9525]

Let the re-listening begin!

[@nyxia8446]

I just wait a month or two and then listen over again.

[@macabrecitrus2127]

Interestingly, the missing tapes are the ones from "Strange Music" and "A Distortion", so it's the ones where you can directly hear the real Sacha's voice... Not!Sacha is very sneaky

[@MClicious]

Yessss scrolling through the comments to find someone say which tapes were missing because I didn’t want to look myself !!!

[@macabrecitrus2127]

@@MClicious Glad to help ^^

[@LydiosVidias]

@@MClicioussame lol

[@data6022]

god this podcast is addicting, im at ep 40 and i started like a week ago

[@Anna-zi7sx]

godikynat I started yesterday

[@Companion92]

@@Anna-zi7sx Me too

[@Anna-zi7sx]

Companion92 and i finished ages ago xD it’s great

[@Ben-vf5gk]

Same

[@chimedemon]

I started like a few days ago...

[@nanahuatli2144]

AAAAAA her voice actress changed. I find that terribly unsettling. And poor Martin. Jonathan keeps barking at him and he replies "sorry" in such a small voice, it breaks my heart. I also feel bad for Jon, he's gone though so much. But now I'm dreading he'll be paranoid and treating Martin even worse. >.< I just finished the first season for the first time. Thanks for your excellent work!

[@ElForrest-Okey]

Not sasha creeps me out

[@maryagrimm8412]

Jon is so stubborn about getting everything on tape I love him

[@mrs.han_whitethorn]

WHEN MARTIN APOLOGIZES I WAS TEARING UP WHAT A GOOD BOY

[@frogonthebikeheh]

"Paranoid Jon era" has officially begun

[@marinterry3055]

How soft Jon gets here with Martin is SO GOOD. The way their characters are developing is EVERYTHING

[@JaneDoe-uf1ok]

This little sniggering from Jon when Alias mentioned Martin's stealing extinguishers on 3 40? Absolutely adorable

[@fantabulousstar4722]

Evelyn Hewett is such a good actor, that when she isn't as convincing as usual, you realize that somethings horribly wrong

[@ot7biasedmashups]

Yeah it's like your mind wants to tell you that it's bad voice acting but you KNOW it's not and that makes it even more unsettling

[@darlingrosiebun8952]

Honestly the only reason I haven't made notes on episodes is cause comments will remind you why the names are familiar or connect it for you as a refresher and I enjoy that

[@halfchiangel88]

The whole time Not Sasha was talking I was freaking out, like that's definitely not Sasha because you can hear it in her voice and how she speaks though it does vaguely sound like her, man I'm just hoping she's okay and not dead

[@TheNitpickChick]

😢

[@midnights2631]

;-;

[@InsidiousClouds]

I just realized what makes not!Sasha so unsettling... she sounds like a chatgbt. Her words don't sound right, but its hard to place why. They sound impersonal.. disconnected from herself or her feelings. She's written so well, it's absolutely fantastic.

[@nateds7326]

I love how you can tell the not Sasha has the ability to know all of Sasha's memories, but the way she recalls things feels off. It's because she knows all of these things, but she didn't do them she doesn't have any emotion about it.

[@ot7biasedmashups]

I don't think not Sasha has her memories. It seems to only have taken in the information Shasha had already recorded. It didn't add anything except for after it took over. That's why it sounds so weird too, it hasn't figured her out yet.

[@Solarstormflare]

"Thank you Martin"

[@RandomlyThinking]

elias is actually so funny "You look like a mummy" is sending me

[@jellywiish1340]

Glad I was not the only one that did a doubletake on Sasha’s part. Especially when she said ”proper”, just seemed like such an unsasha thing to say (O_O) I had to go back to hear Sasha being reintroduced by Jon to make sure it was supposed to be her

[@fays.p.5663]

Brooooo I'm so freaked out wtf unghhhh that doesn't sound like Sasha I'm not vibing #notmysasha

[@2001Pieps]

Wait, "Michael with the bones in his hands". The same thing as the father from ep. 8 "Burned Out" was referring to?

[@HyacinthoIgnis]

pretty sure it was. since the table and the vase were both described as having hypnotic patterns im guessing they were both covered in something fractal-like. guess pops didnt lose it completely.

[@mayormarshmallow]

Mikey McFuck Hands

[@viriandelar9303]

But did anyone in the archive ever make that connection? Or was it something Not!Sasha knew about?

[@spaceyrogue]

"Yes." :(

[@fluffsnake]

Just me who thought Jon's insistence at the beginning to stay @ the Institute and take everyone's statements odd? Well, not odd, just... concerning. It's like an obsession for him. Hmmmm.

[@theartistswings9810]

coping mechanisms be wack

[@mechengr1731]

I think he's still scared about winding up like Gertrude.

[@amandanaoexiste]

it could be. but also when martin says Gertrude's death isn't totally known Jon kinda "makes" him speak after, which could be an early manifestation of the 👁️

[@TheMildOne]

Martin sounds like he's gonna cry! BABY! NO!

[@cupidcalling5599]

"quarantine, you know? not as fun as it sounds" 7:18

[@orionsbelt25]

They killed my worm wife I cannot believe this :(

[@rilla5058]

Hah I was listening and went, out loud "that is _not_ Sasha" and I look in the credits, and sure enough, it really is... Not!Sasha. Martin sounds so sad :((

[@racoon_in_ankhmorpork]

It’s funny how the main indicator that it wasn’t Sasha (at least to me) was that she (it?) said “yes”. She doesn’t strike me as the type to say “yes” instead of “yeah”-it sounded so unnatural…

[@marykilgallon]

"Quarantine: not as much fun as it sounds" understatement of the year

[@jaderush4141]

I was like: "It'd be cool if they changed Sasha's voice for Not!Sasha" and I didn't notice they did! Holy moley, this is a lot to unpack.

[@mun_404]

the two cases that Jon mentioned (#0051701 and #0160204) are the two statements where you can hear Sasha speak. The last one is her own statement that she gave after meeting Michael the Distortion

[@mariamelkhlagy186]

ARCHIVIST [Weary] Statement of, uh… ELIAS John… as your boss, I’m telling you to go home. ARCHIVIST I’m fine. ELIAS Look. You look like a mummy. You need rest. ARCHIVIST Our friends in the hazmat suits gave me a clean bill of health, bloody holes notwithstanding. And they seemed quite keen to quarantine anyone showing even the slightest sign of infection. It’s just pain. ELIAS The paramedics said your lungs need fresh air. Tim’s as well. ARCHIVIST It’s fresh enough down here. ELIAS A basement filled with a thousand rotting worm carcasses? Surely we could do this in my office? ARCHIVIST No. I need to be here. Keep watch. I need to be sure… ELIAS John! She’s gone. I went with the ECDC people when they took her away. I watched her body burn. Jane Prentiss is dead. You can relax. ARCHIVIST You know why I can’t. When Martin found… ELIAS That’s a matter for the police. ARCHIVIST Fine! Fine. I’ll go home as soon as I have everyone’s statements. ELIAS Very well. ARCHIVIST Statement of Elias Bouchard, Head of the Magnus Institute, regarding the… infestation by the entity formerly known as Jane Prentiss. Statement recorded direct from subject, 29th July, 2016. Whenever you’re ready. ELIAS There isn’t a lot to tell for my part. This afternoon, just after lunch, I was going over some budgets in my office, as I normally do on a Tuesday, when the fire alarm started going off. It was annoying, but not too worrying at first. I packed my work away, and began to calmly head towards the evacuation point, when Sasha came barrelling through the door, babbling about worms, and clutching a tape recorder. I told her that whatever was wrong should wait until we were out of the building, as there may be a fire. She told me she had set off the fire alarm to get everyone out, and that you and Martin and Tim were currently trapped by Jane Prentiss. Obviously this got my attention, and I suggested she turn the tape recorder on, largely so this sort of debrief wouldn’t be necessary. Did you not get the tape? ARCHIVIST No. There was… some sort of problem. Sasha tells me the tape was lost. ELIAS Hmm. Well, I explained to her about the recently installed fire suppression system, and said that, as there was no actual fire, we’d need to activate it manually. We hurried down, and it was clear everyone else had already evacuated. We… had reached the ground floor when… well… I… know I have often seemed dismissive of your concerns before, and in fact I was getting ready to raise the issue of Martin’s continuing to live in the Institute’s basement, especially as I believe he’s been stealing fire extinguishers. But… honestly, I didn’t fully appreciate what you’d been talking about until I turned that corner and we saw what I can only describe as a… a tidal wave of filth rushing towards us. I feel somewhat ashamed to admit I didn’t really pay any attention to Sasha as I ran, and must have lost her at some point. We became separated. I composed myself, and decided on a more roundabout route to the boiler room. Luckily, it seemed the things were mainly concentrated in that one mass, leaving the other corridors largely vacant. It took me ten minutes, maybe fifteen, but I made it with only one close call. The sight of rows and rows of huge, red CO2 canisters was certainly something of a comfort. I do apologise that it took me quite so long to figure out how to actually work the system. If I’d been quicker… ARCHIVIST It’s fine. We’re alive. ELIAS Yes. Well. I turned on the fire suppression system. And… that’s when I heard the scream. I can’t really describe it but… well, I’m sure I don’t need to, you were a lot closer to it than I was. ARCHIVIST It’s the last thing I remember before blacking out. Tens of thousands of… things without mouths screaming as one. ELIAS … Yes. Horrible sound. Anyway, I called the fire department, ambulance and a contact at the ECDC who had previously been involved in the Prentiss investigation. Once I was sure most of the gas would have dissipated, I headed down to the Archives to see what had happened. Sasha was already there, but you and Tim were in bad shape. It looked like a few dozen worms had been going into each of you when the carbon dioxide killed them. Was like bloody Swiss che - ARCHIVIST Yes… thank you. I remember everything from when the ambulance arrived. Quarantine, bandaging, et cetera. When did Martin get back? ELIAS It was about an hour after they’d taken you and Tim away. They were prepping Prentiss’ corpse for disposal, when Martin burst out of that trapdoor you found, screaming that he’d found a body. So we called the police.

[@mariamelkhlagy186]

ARCHIVIST Tell me what happened to Gertrude Robinson. ELIAS John, how many times do we need to go over this? ARCHIVIST We’ve never got it on tape. ELIAS You can barely stand. Just… why don’t we just do this tomorrow? … Fine. On the 15th of March last year, I had a query about a statement one of our researchers was after and went down to the Archives. Gertrude wasn’t there, but her desk was covered in blood. I called the police, and there was a huge search, but there was no sign was found of Gertrude, alive or dead. She didn’t have any assistants, so there were no witnesses, and no-one saw or heard anything. The police tested the blood and confirmed the DNA matched to Gertrude, though I don’t know why they had her on file. They judged there to be almost a gallon of blood spilled, far more than the human body can lose and survive, so I assumed she was dead and left the investigation to the police, for all that good it did me. And I appointed another archivist. Martin finding her body in the tunnels is as much a mystery to me as it is to you. ARCHIVIST Right. Right. Thank you, Elias. Statement ends. Can you send in Tim? [CLICK] [CLICK] TIM [Tired] Do you need much? I’d really like to go home. ARCHIVIST I sympathise. It won’t take more than a few minutes. I just… I need the parts that weren’t on tape at the time. TIM Sure. Just… quarantine, y’know? Not as much fun as it sounds. ARCHIVIST You were certainly in there longer than I was. Everything alright? TIM Yeah, I just made some joke about itching and suddenly they were doing a whole bunch more tests. ARCHIVIST Well, itching is one of - TIM I know! I know. I was trying to lighten the mood. I’m fine, though. Except for the holes. And the pain. And the blood and the nightmares. Could’ve been worse though, eh? Another couple of minutes and- ARCHIVIST Yes. Yes. It was… Anyway, statement of Timothy Stoker, archival assistant at the Magnus Institute, regarding the infestation by the entity formerly known as Jane Prentiss. Statement recorded direct from subject, 29th July 2016. Just take it from when you got back from lunch. TIM Well, I could tell something was wrong as soon as I got back. It was quiet. I mean, it’s normally quiet, but it was dead quiet. I spotted the tape recorder lying on the ground, and went over to, er, see if it was damaged, and as I was checking it I heard Sasha shouting. It’s a bit of blur, to be honest, ‘cause when I turned around, there she was. Prentiss. Her face so full of holes it’s like, “my eyes are up here”, but they’re not, you know? They’re just… She tried to say something, but I don’t know, I couldn’t really understand her through all the… So, I could see the worms were coming through the floor, the walls, everywhere. The whole “we’re safe inside the Archive” thing” Not so much. I don’t know what I was going to do, I think I was going to try and hit her, but that’s when Sasha knocked me to the floor. It, it was a good move, actually. Prentiss didn’t seem to expect it, and we crushed a lot of worms when we fell. They were slow to react, and we were running before they really went for us. I mean, all this happened in the space of a few seconds, so I’m not exactly certain. Sasha had to basically drag me behind her. I saw the shelf in front of us was about to topple. There were so many worms on it so, being the hero I am, I let go of her hand and told her to get help. She made it out the main door. I turned to run into the office. I was just trying to get a door between me and Prentiss. I didn’t know that’s where you made the first hole. There were loads of them. Some jumped at me as I ran inside so I dodged out the way, but ended up sprawling into this pile of boxes that I thought were case files. Instead, I found myself lying on top of a whole bunch of CO2 canisters, which are damn hard by the way. The worms were still coming, so I used them. I mean, I went full Gas-Rambo. After that… my memory gets a bit fuzzy. I think the paramedic called it ‘respiratory acidosis’… from breathing in all the carbon dioxide, rather than your more traditional oxygen. I remember finishing the first few extinguishers killing the things, but they kept coming, so I grabbed a few more, and saw the massive hole in the wall. There didn’t seem much point staying, so I went into the tunnels. They were cold, dry. You know that worm smell? That earthy rotten smell? ARCHIVIST Oh yes. TIM Well, yeah. There weren’t so many down there. I think they were almost all in the Archives. I have a theory, actually. I think they weren’t ready to attack when you found the tunnels. It’s like, something in the Institute slows them down, and makes them, um, heh, sluggish. And that noise they make? That squirming sound? They don’t make it when they’re in the tunnels. I don’t know why. It was only when they came into the Institute. Maybe the light, or the aircon, or something? I’m not sure, but I think it made them weaker, and they’ve been down there for months, breeding, building up their numbers until there were enough to properly bury us. Except you found that hidden passage, and they had to act. ARCHIVIST Maybe. Could you… describe the tunnels? TIM You were there. ARCHIVIST Humour me. TIM I remember they sloped down and up and around. I couldn’t keep track of where I was. I did see some more worms, though. They were fast. I only saw a couple, but it was still proper jumpscare territory. I got them, though. It was really surreal. I only had my phone’s torch, and it was hard to keep an eye out, I was so light headed. I wandered for, I don’t know, maybe ten minutes before I found a wall that seemed different. It looked like someone had just put some plasterboard over an entrance, and I could hear you and Martin on the other side. I broke through and, well, you were there for the rest. ARCHIVIST Quite. You… you weren’t there when Martin found the body, though, were you? TIM No. I was quarantined, same as you. ARCHIVIST And you didn’t see it in the tunnels when you were first exploring? TIM No. I did see… uh, I mean, maybe… ARCHIVIST What? TIM No, it’s just… I think I was still gassed, and it was dark, but… I found a room. ARCHIVIST Go on. TIM I didn’t stay long, ‘cause it had a lot of worms in, and they weren’t acting like the others. They were sort of… wrapping around each other, like they were trying to form a… thing, like a structure or something. A ring. I was probably still out of my skull, and half-hallucinated the whole thing, but it looked like they were trying to make a doorway. ARCHIVIST A doorway? Is it still there? TIM No. I pumped two full extinguishers into that room. Nothing was getting out. ARCHIVIST Good. Good. Go home, Tim. Get some sleep. TIM Heh. Yeah. Sure. [CLICK] [CLICK] ARCHIVIST Statement of Sasha James, archival assistant at the Magnus Institute, regarding the invasion by the entity formerly known as Jane Prentiss. Statement recorded direct from subject, 29th July, 2016. In your own time. NOT!SASHA Yes… Where do you want me to begin? I was with you until I ran out to save Tim. Then we were separated, and I fled into the Institute proper. I pulled a fire alarm, because the worms were following me, and I didn’t want anyone else to get hurt. I went to Elias. We talked. We were going to save you, but the worms came, and I fled into the Artefact Storage room. You know I hate the Artefact Storage room, so it must have been bad. ARCHIVIST You used to work there, didn’t you? NOT!SASHA Yes, for three months. It was dreadful. I used to think that it was the most dangerous place in the Institute. ARCHIVIST Not anymore. NOT!SASHA Yes, not anymore. It was safe enough. The worms didn’t get in, and I stayed there until the fire system deployed, then I ran out to get to a window. I saw the worms in the main Institute. They shrivelled and died. I don’t think I’ll ever forget that scream, though. I could hear Prentiss screaming even from there.

[@mariamelkhlagy186]

ARCHIVIST Well, it’s thanks to you, to be honest. If you hadn’t met that ‘Michael’ thing… NOT!SASHA Yes, Michael… With the bones in his hands. We still don’t know much about him, do we? ARCHIVIST No, not yet. Sorry, getting… distracted. You got as far as Jane Prentiss’ death. NOT!SASHA Yes, I returned to the Archives, and all the worms were dead. You and Tim were lying there, but you weren’t moving. You just lay there, the dead worms still half inside of you. The trapdoor was open next to you, and more were inside. I went over to check, and you were alive, so I pulled you back to where there was more air, and began to remove the worms. Are you alright? ARCHIVIST Sorry, just… difficult to hear, you know. NOT!SASHA Yes, I understand. That was when Elias arrived with the fire brigade and doctors and the hazmat people. They talked to me for a long time, and I did my best to explain the situation. They checked me for worm-marks, but I was fine. They took you away, so I waited with Elias. He was looking at me strangely, but we were both quiet. It had been a very strange day. After an hour or so, we heard cries from the trapdoor. It was Martin. He was shouting about a body. We got him out, and Elias tried to get him to calm down and explain. He said he’d found the body of the previous Archivist, Gertrude Robinson, and that was when Elias called the police. I tried to calm him down, but he was in bad shape. The police arrived, and I gave them pretty much this same statement. ARCHIVIST Right… Right. What about the tape? You had the tape recorder, the one I’d just recorded Mr. Ramao’s statement on, but when you gave it back, it was empty. NOT!SASHA Yes, I dropped it a few times. The eject button must have been hit. I didn’t notice until you pointed it out. It’s probably around somewhere. Is it that important? ARCHIVIST It’s important to me. Are you feeling alright? You seem a bit out of it. NOT!SASHA Yes, I’m very tired. It’s hard to keep track of things sometimes. ARCHIVIST Right. Go get some rest, Sasha. NOT!SASHA Yes. I will. [CLICK] [CLICK] MARTIN [Tired] I mean, I already told the police. ARCHIVIST Well, now tell me. I need to hear it. I need to record it. MARTIN I… alright. Are you okay? ARCHIVIST Fine. Painkillers are starting to wear off, but… It’s fine. Statement of Martin Blackwood, archival assistant, etcetera, etcetera. Go. MARTIN Right. Well, I was doing some background checks for case 0081709, when you and Sasha started screaming, so I went to ch- ARCHIVIST Yes, yes, I was there! I was with you for almost the whole time, and that tape survived just fine. MARTIN Sorry. ARCHIVIST Ah, it’s fine. I just… I only need from when you got separated. From when you got lost in the tunnels. MARTIN No, I mean… I’m sorry I left you. ARCHIVIST … Oh, Martin. MARTIN [Tearful] It was an accident. I thought you two were with me! I mean, the worms came at us, and they were so much faster, and then there was the gas, and the running, and I just… I, I thought you were right behind me. But when I turned round you were gone. You were both gone. It was an accident. ARCHIVIST I know. It’s fine, Martin. Everybody’s… [sigh] Everyone’s fine… I just need you to tell me what happened next, and then it’s finished. MARTIN Alright. So, um, yeah, we got separated so I, I tried shouting, but you didn’t answer. The walls seemed to kill the sound dead and there wasn’t any echo. They were old stone, like, really old, and there was no light except my torch. I, I always keep my torch on me, ever since I moved into the Archives, so I had that, at least. I wandered for a while. It’s a, it’s a maze down there, John. I don’t know how far the passages go. Maybe miles. I think it must be the old Millbank Prison, like Tim was saying before. I even found some stairs at one point, but I really didn’t want to go down them. I hadn’t seen any worms for a few minutes, and weirdly enough that actually started to worry me, like, if there weren’t any worms then I’d gone too far from the Institute. And there was more dust in those corridors too, and dead rats, even some discarded wine bottles. At one point there was an empty packet of mint imperials- ARCHIVIST Martin… MARTIN Sorry. Yeah. Um. I was trying to go back, not that I knew what back even meant down there, when I heard the scream. I don’t even know how to go about describing it, but I thought… well I hoped… Well, when I started to find the shrivelled bodies of worms all over the place, I knew she was dead. So I wanted to get out of there. I was looking for a way up, but it felt more and more like I was trapped. Every turn just led me to another empty corridor. When I finally found a door, I thought it might actually get out, but instead… It was a small room. Square. There was dust on everything. Cardboard boxes were piled around. They were full of old cassette tapes. ARCHIVIST That’s where you found her? MARTIN Yes. She was sat in a wooden chair in the middle of the room. No worms. No cobwebs. Just… an old corpse. Gertrude Robinson. She was slumped forward, but I could see her mouth hanging open. So I ran, and I found the trapdoor soon afterwards. ARCHIVIST Could you find the room again? MARTIN I don’t know. Maybe. The police certainly expect me to, although I got the feeling they’re not too keen to explore the tunnels either. ARCHIVIST Martin, how did Gertrude Robinson die? MARTIN I don’t know. Not for sure. It was so dark, and I only saw the body for a few seconds. The police were quite clear that the cause of death could be absolutely any- ARCHIVIST MARTIN! How did she die? MARTIN She was shot! Three times, that I could see. Three shots to the chest. ARCHIVIST Right. Right. Thank you Martin. MARTIN … Sure. [CLICK] [CLICK] ARCHIVIST Gertrude Robinson, the last Archivist at the Magnus Institute, and my predecessor, was murdered. There were no worms to infest her, no strange, ghostly apparitions to warp her mind, or caves to entomb her. She was killed, in the Archives, by someone who used a gun, and that scares me far more than any spectre or twisted creature. Because that means someone here is a killer. The police will investigate thoroughly, I have no doubt, but… given their track record in this matter I am not optimistic. There is something in these files, in these statements. I know that now, some deeper mystery. I think Gertrude Robinson found it, and I think that is why they killed her. Some of my tapes are missing. Maybe it was Prentiss, but she seemed more interested in the written files, and the other tapes seem fine. There’s no sign of debris, or anything that would indicate they’ve been destroyed, but, in addition to the tape Sasha lost earlier, the tapes for cases 0051701 and 0160204 are gone. I don’t know why these two specifically, but I cannot trust anyone. I’m going to figure this out, and I’m not going to stop. They’ll have to kill me first. End recording. [CLICK]

[@bonniecornelius3836]

thank youuu

[@world_loading1305]

three days and finished season one

[@kuroneko6691]

Same

[@pendingauthor2536]

Yup

[@characteroftheweek2880]

Same

[@cupidcalling5599]

same dude! it's so addicting

[@em-wg7xg]

same

[@purplecatloverrandompizza]

Its like Sasha is trying to remember lines or something Like you can tell that somethings off and it doesn't feel like she's talking about her own experiences

[@nightberry7]

Reminder for myself, 23:28 The tapes that have went missing are the tapes in the episodes 24= strange music & 28=skintight

[@AngelusAnsell]

First time listener, and I have to say I am a bit suspicious of Elias. He knows way more than he lets on.

[@pyrosianheir]

"Tape was lost," Cool, so Sasha's gone. Don't care what else they say, the real Sasha isn't there any more. He's drilled the tape thing into them too well for that. Edit: Yeah, no, that ain't Sasha. Her cadence and everything is all wrong. Michael - if it's the same Michael - helped them, but only by swapping their Sasha for a Not-Sasha. That, or Actual Sasha is going to show up later...

[@Fuzzycryptid]

The Artist Formerly Known as Jane Prentiss

[@Rin-qj7zt]

Wait as not Sasha? I feel like I I missed something important.. something happened to Sasha when she looked at the table.. gotta be.. she did sound different.. I think..

[@iFoxtrotEcho]

yep. remember the "skinwalker" from MAG3 Across the Street? i guess it was that guy. idk. lol

[@hosannapyles8201]

Remember how Graham was replaced w/ not Graham? He was originally the one with the table.

[@alilweeb7684]

Unfortunely i think sasha is dead. whatever is in the table probably killed her and took her from. she then took the recordings sasha apears thats why they were gone

[@alessiapalma8823]

@@alilweeb7684 maybe she’s just trapped somewhere..

[@AbsintheFairy1985]

Just finished Season 1 and I am LOVING TMA. Can't wait to get onto Season 2. A nice touch - I noticed the archive assistants all have surnames of well-known horror writers. Sasha James - M.R. James Tim Stoker - Bram Stoker Martin Blackwood - Algernon Blackwood

[@fluffsnake]

I'm a little scared the worm business is not completely over :( whatever turned Prentiss into that... well... it's not really like it lived within her, I think. More like Prentiss was some kind of conduit but the source is still out there... Also,.... not Sasha 😭 that makes me so sad!! Gdi, why did something have to happen to Sasha :((( I hope it's not permanent, that Not!Sasha can be banished and replaced again... Michael where tf were you, YOU WERE SUPPOSED TO PROTECT HER 😭 monster bf useless =_=

[@SmokeyMountainSuccubus]

Not!Sasha: "You know I hate the artifact storage room so it must have been bad." Not!Sasha internally: Fuck that doesnt make any sense he's definitely gonna be able to tell i constructed this lie entirely from the tapes im so screwed. Oh well time to murder the archi- Jon: "Yes that makes sense, go on.'

[@bagsnbistros3646]

Ok so sasha's voice and personality has either dramatically changed or they made a very bad casting decision by replacing her with a different VA....did the worms eat her and replace her with another person and conveniently lose the tape recorder?? Edit: just read the credits. CRAP!! I KNEW IT

[@breonapimental2830]

Hearing that small female "hey" at 10:43 scared the crap out of me when I'm watching in a completely dark and quiet room at 4a.m

[@farahch7466]

Wait wait did Gertrude die May 15th or March 15th, in Growing Dark, John says she died in May, but now Elias said March ??

[@missW42]

sa..chA. I'm going to lose my mind over how much i love this podcast. I can't wait to get to season 2!!!

[@Nizati]

Martin bordering on tears for leaving Jon behind..... oh boy why didn't i notice the obvious the previous time I listened to this?

[@ianbirchfield5124]

That ain't Sasha, boi!!

[@poe864]

The way Tim sounded so dead this episode was like seriously painful to hear, especially since we JUST started to figure out his personality, also every time Not!Sasha said yes, I felt my blood run cold. Like everything she was saying was creepy but the “yes.” was just so unnatural

[@LyneSoco]

jon: [breathes] not!sasha: y e s

[@beans_of_jelly]

Hearing Jon say "everyone's fine" just after realising that I'd been listening to Not!Sasha, and that actual Sasha must be dead, was a little heartbreaking, and very spooky.

[@MegaAlex576]

I wonder if the Lukas family have anything to do with Gertrude's death. A prominent family like that wouldn't want anyone to air out any dirty laundry they may or may not have

[@Makaan]

As an avid horror listener, this podcast has been a wonderful recent discovery for me. While the stories themselves are not always great, they are never uninteresting and so far seem to be on the preternatural side. Being picky as I am with voices, I applaud the narrator voice (s) for not overacting (yes im looking at you nosleep podcast). The quiet tone of the speaker helps a lot to the overall horror atmosphere + that violin theme. Just finished listening the first season, hope the second is as good or better. Best regards.

[@yeetusdeletus84]

I swear to god if Sasha is the new host for the hive I'm going to CRY

[@mimkyodar]

She isnt. Feel better yet?

[@sherbeauxs]

please be careful when posting abt hosts and the hive on a season 1 video! ;-;

[@Totally.0riginalUser]

@@sherbeauxs ,,OH GOD IS IT EVEN WORSE???

[@tost_trump]

"I'm sorry I left you" I'm crying

[@localvampire]

not!sasha sounds like she’s reading for a english class speech she barely prepared for sasha come back i miss you

[@dragonfire5308]

Little differences between Sasha and Not Sasha: the voice of Not Sasha was just a touch lower and spoke with almost no emotion even in the concerning parts of her statement, Sasha had made at least some attempt at comedy in her previous statement(which she probably picked up from working with Tim) and near constantly had an edge of nervousness in her voice, Not Sasha basically just repeated what everyone had already said, using Sasha's recording word for word, Sasha had made attempts to document what she had been seeing to report back to Jon and hopefully have him believe her, Not Sasha criticizing Jon for looking for a tape and dismisses his concern about it