THE MAGNUS ARCHIVES

MAG150 - Case #0140911 - Herman Gorgoli
Statement regarding a period trapped alone in a suburban area of Cheadle.
The Magnus Archives hears the tale of how a bad break-up and subsequent return of property led to loss of time driving around identical-looking streets of suburbia.
Content Notes: Isolation, self-harm, human remains
Starring: The Archivist - Jonathan Sims; Melanie King - Lydia Nicholas
Writer: Jonathan Sims
Director: Alexander J Newall
Producer: Lowri Ann Davies
Editors: Alexander J Newall, David Devereux, Brock Winstead
MERCH:
Crowdmade: crowdmade.com/...
Teepublic: www.teepublic....
Redbubble: www.redbubble....

[@chiarag2756]

I love how Jon asks "...could...you describe your therapist to me?" so carefully, because he doesn't want to force the information out of Melanie. He's really trying.

[@frogonthebikeheh]

Yess, he has to be protected at all cost

[@_rainbowwolf_]

@@frogonthebikehehhello👁️👁️recent comment..? kind of? lmao

[@Flower_Does_Thingz]

@@_rainbowwolf_OTHER RECENT FAN SPOTTED

[@grey5606]

@@Flower_Does_Thingzhi also a recent fan

[@Suthek]

It's interesting how he now said "I was having a statement." instead of "reading a statement". Shows how it's become like food to him.

[@nanahuatli2144]

He's no longer doing it for his job; he's using them for nutrition to avoid eating humans. My poor monster boy. He's trying. It kinda reminds me of the Twilight vampires who ate animal blood to instead of human, despite it tasting terrible to them.

[@table2.0]

@@nanahuatli2144Jon needs a live statement soon tbh, the diminishing returns on the old, stale statements must be stressful for him..

[@bluewolf619125]

Lowkey thought it was just a joke.

[@anisasahai4922]

' oh hey Jon what did you pack for lunch?' 'S T A T E M E N T'

[@islaridland]

Jon saying "I was just having a statement" makes me think of him just sitting in his office with and knife and fork with a statement on a plate

[@f_mva]

munch munch

[@jacthing1]

Would definitely need a cup of tea too. Paper is quite dry after all...and bland

[@andyshade1747]

And a recorder on the side

[@cupcaketv5673]

That could be an album cover

[@phosismyb1tch717]

And he's wearing those cloths that were used way back by rich people so that they don't get their clothes dirty with food

[@freamoonlight9395]

"I probanly would've stayed away forever, if it hadn't been for the moose." I was so dumbfounded!! I legit went "m-MOOSE??!" out loud

[@domenicaaugusta7733]

Same here hahaha

[@midnights2631]

Same, I wad like 'Moose?'

[@RoxieJoy19]

😂 I was like "Wait moose? Sam winchester moose?"

[@TheProtoChimp]

I really hoped it was an evil moose.

[@a_jae_doe]

​Iiterally same😂its been 5 years since I watched an ep and I still immediately went to spn

[@coinlockerbaby578]

This is like the opposite of the homophobic vase. Relationship counselling infinite cul-de-sac.

[@royalknightsleipmon2345]

The fact it's labelled as "The homophobic vase" is still so funny to me

[@table2.0]

@@royalknightsleipmon2345it literally deleted half a gay marriage certificate, that’s so homophobic of it tbh XD

[@SkyP9812]

Cul-de-sac supports gay rights AND gay wrongs

[@whentheskittlesfightback]

you know some of the comments on these can be taken out of context and seem very weird

[@Yusei1Fudo]

You know, it took me a sec to remember that story, cause I'd never seen that name for it before.

[@AnanasVert]

The girls having brunch with helen: "and then he said IM HAVING A STATEMENT ugh can you believe this man, utterly unredeemable" Helen: last night i ate a man after toying with him for 30 years :3 The girls: lmao you do you darling we love you bestie 🥰💋💅

[@frogonthebikeheh]

Frrr

[@kaleidawscope]

ngl that's so valid tho i love helen and i support both women's rights and women's wrongs 👍 (john definitely deserves better though i hate how they treat him)

[@wildwolf3860]

Ong. I support women's wrongs but Basira excusing Daisy's POLICE BRUTALITY WHEN SHE IS A MINORITY IS INSANE.

[@nrpbrown]

I swear if Jon doesn't literally eat a statement at some point in the series I'm going to be a little disappointed.

[@reachingzenith7772]

"Statement begins..." *tears off a piece of the paper and starts chewing on it*

[@yourlocaltheatrekid900]

@@reachingzenith7772 I love how all these episodes are all spooky and shiver inducing, and then this is the comment section 😭 I love it here

[@marinao4412]

"I tried to reply to explain but all I could manage to say to get through the shaking sobs was 'I love you'" :')

[@DerMoerpler]

Another proof of love being able to act as an anchor for people in The Lonely, just like that woman in Face in the Crowd, who remembered her mother. I wonder if that's how Jon gets Martin out of the Lonely's grasp.

[@beltaya276]

my heart :( now im thinking of martin and jon

[@germanerd6148]

@@DerMoerpler And maybe Martin can save Jon afterwards from becoming a monster

[@MadiW2000]

@@DerMoerpler hey so have u got any thoughts on this since you left your last comment

[@maximusthedude8305]

@@DerMoerpler Also, it was a vision of Evan Lucas that helped his fiancée to escape the field of graves. It seems that love is definitely the constant which allows people to escape the Lonely. In a way, it's kind of sweet. Better than Fears like the Corruption which prey on feelings of love, then fill you up with maggots. Honestly that connection is well established too. The guy who got sexually transmitted worms (gross), the bartender who fell in love with a bug, and a few episodes ago there was one of the strangers john pulled a statement from: "A man rejected by all who knew him. Searching ever darker places for love. When he told me his story he started weeping maggots." It's odd, the Corruption preys on people who are lonely as well, but rather than being defeated by love it manipulates the desire for it and, well, corrupts it. Turns it evil. Even stranger, I'm not sure I remember a statement about the Lonely where the victim had been alone all their life, yet many corruption statements begin that way. Maybe... you don't fear isolation when it's all you know? Maybe you fear loneliness once you've had connection, and then lost it. A recent divorce, your fiancée passing, or just suddenly being plucked into an empty world. And when you've never known love, it's so much easier to corrupt your idea of it.

[@krystalvalentine4164]

(10:00 - 10:05) My brain immediately went back to episode 100 at this moment 😂 Robin - "So, at that point, I left." Basira - ".... I'm sorry?" Robin - "Yeah, I would've been late to dinner, so...." Basira - So you left?" Robin - "So I got out of the spiral, & went to dinner." Basira - "......" Robin - "......"

[@frogonthebikeheh]

Frrrr, the one with the dog

[@oftheangels777]

Ah yes, humanity’s greatest fear, suburbia. Edit: I know the idea of “almost words” and not really understanding people talking from the tv channels is meant to be unnerving but as someone with ADHD that’s my whole existence

[@pianoguy222]

You know how even if you can't really understand a language, you can still sometimes pick out what language it is? I imagine it sounds a lot like that. kzbin.info/www/bejne/jKWXdZmXacuCe7s

[@faxonii]

also an apd mood lmao

[@nemnyoom]

this guy just got stuck in the sims for a little while

[@MadiW2000]

SHIT ME TOO I’D BE LIKE “damn i guess im putting on the subtitles again”

[@macabrecitrus2127]

@@nemnyoom Jonathan *Sims* 👀

[@selenkocali7025]

did jon really say "I was HAVING a statement" instead of reading or recording?!? alright then....

[@matthewhaggar]

Well, I guess in a way he DOES feed off of reading them... he called the ones already in the archive stale. I find that concerning. I’m not entirely sure what’s going on, but whatever it is it’s fueling my love for characters that are more or less Eldrich beings, so I ain’t complaining!

[@selenkocali7025]

@@matthewhaggar yeah I am concerned for them but it's because I love them. It suprised me to hear it said so casually and how jon himself started to see statements as "meals".

[@matthewhaggar]

Selen Kocali Y E P

[@bee8975]

nom nom :'(

[@f_mva]

same energy as "im going to go eat something" *click* "statement of..."

[@epiphanierosenstern5635]

THE LONELY ACCIDENTALLY MAKE TWO PERSON BACK TOGETHER AM I THE ONLY ONE WHO FIND THIS HILARIOUS?

[@cantaloupegodling352]

The Lonely supports Gay People. So real of them, the opposite of the Homophobic Vase.

[@loading7496]

People getting mad at Jon for accidentally using his power in a fairly harmless way thanks I hate it

[@bladenot-runner1795]

It's gotta be hard to know what *you* know and what you *know,* you know?

[@spiraling8388]

@@bladenot-runner1795 yeah, you know?

[@NerveUnderscore]

I know, you know?

[@-Nari-]

You know, I don't think you know but I know. I know I know

[@haveaniceday9995]

Indeed you know I know but I don't know you know I know but you know?

[@geordiekennedy2197]

My dude wandered into the Sims

[@MT3A]

Pun intended 😂

[@eiriankt]

When he said they were speaking non-words I was literally like "Oh, so, Simlish."

[@Companion92]

So love really is the consistent way to get out of the Lonely. Also Melanie is so consequent. i respect that.

[@micah2879]

I love it so much!!

[@matthewhaggar]

Hmm, maybe once he finishes doing whatever it is that he needs to do, Jon is Martins ticket out of whatever bullshit Peter dragged him into? Also I just kinda want them to get together, and do the character development and emotional growth

[@nanahuatli2144]

I love the part where he points out the lies you tell yourself to disconnect yourself from others, like not wanting to be a burden, turn you into possible victims of the Lonely.

[@dyld921]

There was a reason this man drove back to the suburbs to deliver the moose instead of sending it back in the post. He wanted to see his ex again. He was thinking of him in his moment of despair. That ultimately saved him.

[@Matheus-ql7mn]

Yes! I didn't really think of it at the moment, but it's right. The same way the traveling woman at the first episodes was saved by thinking at her mom when she got lost in the weird city. Love this little details.

[@eitakou]

​@@Matheus-ql7mn I forget, was that the one with the large crowd of empty blurred faces or there was another crowd type of statement?

[@Matheus-ql7mn]

@@eitakou yes, it's that one. Episode 48.

[@rosemarycat5]

The statement was really attacking Jon personally at the start there with the bad decisions

[@f_mva]

the eye is not being very subtle is it? "jon read this statement. see this? this is you making bad decisions."

[@table2.0]

@@f_mvathe eye be like “hey, you, go say ‘I love you’ to Martin. Do it. Idiot.”

[@Deadflower019]

Seriously it is so pointed 🤣

[@achnav3762]

The Lonely really get me. Because it's not only being alone. It also means having no responsibility whatsoever. Nothing to do besides caring for your own needs. Who didn't wish, at least once, for the world around you to stop. Just for a few minutes or a couple of days. Nothing to do and no one to see so you can finally rest.

[@GarethOfByzantium]

Yeah.

[@nastiatonkaia]

What really gets me is inability to properly live alone. No shops working, no food to get, nothing. It would be only you and your crops and it's really hard to live on nowadays. And being captured in the suburban area also means no useful seeds or anything of that sort to help you. Probably no books either. Having safe space is great. Being trapped alone... not so

[@waxingmoon2726]

"at least none of us are suffering alone" DD: no! martin isnt ok! D:

[@gabbieb305]

"She thinks I'm working for the tories" LMAO

[@azulBjort_1406]

Truly a worse fate then death😅

[@TheJuliana0901]

really love that (human?) connection is what gets you away from the lonely. really simple but GREAT

[@riotb4719]

my goodness! the specification of 'human' here is interesting. i wonder if the love for a family pet would work the same way? i wanna hear a statement of someone escaping the lonely to feed their dog

[@elliottgaylord6212]

I know that the Magnus Archives has been LGBT-friendly since the beginning but it still makes me so happy every time I hear that a character just happens to be LGBT :') it's the little things that count. I've also been wondering if they would mention quarantine in more recent episodes, so it's cool to get that answer

[@biancamlf288]

s5 was written before the plague even started, so any real world ties to the whole thing are just coincidence, especially considering that this is still s4.

[@trucetruce335]

This was a trip to listen to while lost looking for a friends house in a suburban neighborhood.

[@Deadflower019]

Do they happen to live on Road? Or perhaps Street?

[@nanahuatli2144]

I've always hated US suburbs with their identical houses and manicured lawns, and it looks like English ones are no better. If you're reading this, call your loved ones.

[@dg674]

I think "Love is the enemy of fear" could be the central thesis of this series

[@fluffsnake]

the couple in this episode has me so soft ;-; I know it's fictional but I still hope they work it out slkdjfksj

[@macabrecitrus2127]

Yeah ! You go guys, I hope you'll be ok !

[@TheBlackSquirrel]

25:25 "She thinks I work for the Tories" *Me, singing to the tune of 'Everything's on the Up for the Tories'* My therapist thinks I work for the tories~ 🎵 I didn't tell her of the spooks and gories ~🎵 Or of The Eye that feeds on fears and storieees~🎵 Yeah, my therapist thinks I work for the torieees~🎵

[@ze_Candlestick]

omg i love this

[@christopherfloody5555]

I feel like Mel is being a bit stupid. Like, stop working, stop feeding the eye, sure. But "we saved the world, but how many people did it cost?" One. It cost one. Tim. He died destorying those who had killed his brother, and saved the world. Would it be better if he hadn't died? Yes, but the world would have been destroyed if he hadn't. Sometimes the characters here are irrational, and thats ok, but its frustrating when other characters dont point it out or acknowledge it in any way. Still loved the episode though

[@poenpotzu2865]

Yeah trauma doesn't really help with rational and logical thinking. That's basically me with every severe anxiety attack, making stupid decisions and judgements due to high intense stress and fear.

[@Badficwriter]

Ugh. Thank you. Seeing comments praising Melanie for taking control of her choices or something is just.. She's acting like she lives in a safe world. She's literally seen monsters. She knows they're preying on people. But she's so desperate to escape that she's pretending the monsters might all be some trick by her magic boss. This doesn't feel like positive action. It feels like she's making excuses to regress into a depressive state where she doesn't take any action whatsoever. Not even her ghost research. (And yeah, maybe if she admitted that her choice to chase ghosts is what led her to this path, that would be something.) I feel like there are pacifists who think these sorts of ideas. "An action must be bad if it cost lives." I'm not a pacifist, I know people worked in agony and died for every good thing humanity enjoys. So this sort of argument seems like utter nonsense. But pacifists have magical thinking. If you just don't fight, people will magically feel for you and disapprove enough to make the bad things stop. That can work in a world that relies on public approval. The world of monsters doesn't.

[@FlyingWolfWings]

Local man gets stuck in a Sims game

[@schmohobzsia7216]

Suburban houses that all look alike, deserted streets that lead nowhere and people speaking gibberish on TV.... Clearly our man got sucked into a Sims 2 neighborhood!

[@EVind-xz8km]

Was listening to this ep in wireless headphones and went into the kitchen to get a sandwich. At about 18:20 I turned around and saw my partner standing right behind me, smiling at me. Reader, I screamed. (I thought she was still at her computer! I didn't hear her come into the kitchen!)

[@jaderush4141]

I am just really happy the statement giver worked it out with their partner. That was. Very nice.

[@macabrecitrus2127]

This one reminded me of the fear of never escaping the cishet lifestyle... Pretending to be something you are not. Cis passing, straight relationship, getting married, getting a bland ugly house, having kids, then divorce idk... I mean I know I'm not gonna do it, I can't, but the pressure to conform to expectations is still there. Being disabled and unable to study or work "the normal way" add to those feelings too. So yeah, being queer and disabled can really get _lonely_ . Anyway, I liked that there's a bit of hope with the couple at the end, that was quite sweet actually

[@notlurking2128]

The feeling of being stuck in suburbia has a very real feeling to it, even if it isn't literal. And also "just having a statement" lol

[@seanthebluesheep]

The man talking nonsense trying to sell a brick to no-one is such a mood for some reason?

[@cylyte2436]

Ever since we got the 14(+1?) fears reveal every episode became a fun guessing game of which-Fear-is-it?

[@josephnarvaez9507]

Out of all the episodes, this is what I remember the most.

[@100lizards8]

same, this and binary

[@amphitritemists4595]

This one will be pretty forgettable for me but I love Grifter's Bone and Anatomy Lesson

[@azulBjort_1406]

I can't believe I actually missed this one on my first go 😅✌️

[@paigefuentes1055]

Also, OMG MELANIE'S THERAPIST SOUNDS LIKE NIKOLAI 👀

[@Nizati]

oh god.....

[@paigefuentes1055]

@@Nizati hahahahah it's all good, they actually just didn't have anymore actors so they just reused her HAHAHAH

[@thistleywistley681]

Paige Fuentes :0!!! 👁👁

[@amphitritemists4595]

Its weird how she dodged the question though. We still dont know what the therapist looks like which makes me more suspicious reminds me of the Anatomy Lesson where those kids looked normal but you couldnt picture how they look like if you tried🤔

[@mimkyodar]

@@amphitritemists4595 You;re over-reading. It's legitimately not a clue.

[@lavenderlaceration]

Litterally my neighborhood but ok

[@f_mva]

the post-statement comments about the lonely... increasingly worried for martin!! especially given that he seems to already have freaky lonely powers!!

[@anerrantecho]

OOOOO HELL YEAH COSMIC TIMING GOT ME HERE 35 SECONDS AFTER THE UPLOAD!

[@lesliepauline]

I just discovered TMA and have been bingeing it while knitting. "Street" and "Road" cracked me up. I live in Philadelphia, home of Street Road. Also Jon and Martin make me feel very sad. This is a beautifully written audio novel.

[@agentschnoogie8114]

This is the best auditory description of A.I-generated art/video I’ve ever heard.

[@pyrosianheir]

Melanie - "This place is evil!" Me - She's right, y'know.

[@nateds7326]

This one of the scarier statements to me because it feels like an actual nightmare someone can have.

[@laughingmask3118]

I love that this one single Statement had a happy ending. That was so fucking wholesome that it put a tiny speck of light at the end of the tunnel of this saga for me.

[@jodic4823]

The story is so much like the beginning of the movie Vivarium, only this story had a better ending

[@troutfeather]

I thought of vivarium throughout the whole episode. Especially when she tried going through the gardens by foot

[@christopherfloody5555]

@@troutfeather pretty sure the character is a he

[@Primus011]

Vivarium but if it was interesting at all lol

[@ellendavis9272]

Oh God this is awful. Reminds me of the time my dad and I walked through one of those newer neighborhoods, it didn't have trees and all the houses look the same.it was definitely normal, people walking around ect, but ugh I was so happy to get back to my older street and all it trees

[@henrylark4778]

I thought that was the spiral. An experience like that would make me question my sanity more than whether I still have friends.

[@CamilleChauTempsDesCerises]

Aoutch... As much as I love the Spiral and the Vast and, somehow consider them my favourite fears, it's crystal clear I'm way more align to the Lonely. That part with "not wanting to be a burden for the others", yeah, I may know a bit about it

[@emppu1012]

I want to say that isolation is one of my greatest fears. But honestly? It's not being alone that gets to me. It's boredom. Lack of distractions. Being left with just my own head and thoughts inside it. The mind can be a truly horrifying place. I imagine that is the true fear of isolation for many. Not the lack of people, but the too big of an awareness of yourself

[@Sxcheschka]

And yet introspection is how one grows as a person.

[@lyxandrast0ttr0n1x8]

This one made me cry.

[@stirrcrazy2704]

See this is the first REALLY scary subject they’ve covered on this show. Single family zoning is the Cthulhu of urban planning

[@cantaloupegodling352]

It's official, Gay Love can defeat the Lonely. Martin and Jon have to get together for purely practical purposes.

[@giuliam7737]

Oh yes the one true most feared phenomenon of humanity: gentrification

[@hiihavebrainrot]

gotta love the shade thrown on the British government -- "she thinks I work for the Tories"

[@lilaboxx]

I know this is the lonely but I'm also getting stranger vibes from this

[@smokespekter]

I love all the casual queer representation in this podcast!!

[@mrs.han_whitethorn]

Ooh tea I'm finally caught up with the KZbin portion of the podcast ~ time to go to their website

[@Eyepocampix]

I recently moved to a really boring, maze-like suburb like the one described in this statement, and I was thinking a few weeks ago about what kind of statement I would give to the Magnus institute. I remembered a mildly creepy bike ride I had gone on earlier that week, where I found myself lost trying to get home, turning street corner after street corner, and found they all looked the same. I imagined what a statement based on that experience could be like, and decided it would be set in a domain of the Spiral. Getting to this episode was extra creepy, cause it was like having my own thoughts played back at me, even touching on some of the same ideas and experiences I had imagined-like houses with no numbers and streets with no names. Spooky!

[@silverquill101]

Ahhhhhhhh noooooooo I hate itttt

[@broblerone413]

the entire time i was listening to this Suburbia Overture by Will Wood was just constantly playing in my head

[@Piper_____]

Reminds me of playing Gary’s Mod, maps which try to evoke life but are empty. I loved exploring the infinite stretches to see if I could find anything unique in any of them, but they were always the same, always empty, always pretending. Depressing.

[@reaperassasin11]

I don't quite remember which episode this happened in, but a lot of the comments in this season remind me of that talk Tim and Martin had a while back (S2? S3?). There's the side that's like Martin (which is like the vast majority of comments) where everyone focuses on what Jon feels, how he's doing, how he's going through the worst more than everyone else, and then there's Tim's side where he think he's not obligated to make Jon (someone he's not even particularly close with) his priority when he has his own life/safety to care about and thinks Jon should pull it together and not hurt innocent people (which is far more difficult to do /now/ than in past seasons, admittedly). And the short scene where Martin is like "He's been under a lot of pressure, he's been messed up [since Prentiss]" and Tim's like "HOW MESSED UP /HE'S/ BEEN [when we've been messed up too]?!"..... IDK. It's interesting that a talk from way back is still a deep part of the show and the reactions

[@fromsage2you]

Me: *zoning out, scrolling pinterest* Herman: I probably would have stayed away forever, if it wasn't for the moose. Me: *tunes back into the story so fast I got whiplash* I'm sorry the what

[@LucasDimoveo]

As someone who grew up in NYC, this is how I view the suburbs

[@lemonwater1108]

This statements couple made me genuinely tear up, i hope they worked it out in the end even if they are two dysfunctional old bastards

[@trobertson3951]

i hate listening to people eat

[@plutoandpolaris]

I remember a friend and I took a walk after their birthday party and we ended up in a suburban neighborhood a lot like this, and actually full on got lost. I remember we got to the end of a street and the road just…stopped. And past the neighborhood was just a vast, empty field of dead grass. It really did feel like we somehow wandered to the end of the world and that there was nothing past that point, like a video game that had stopped rendering. This might be one of the freakiest episodes so far, at least to me

[@epsyblue7714]

I'm really hoping Melanie's therapist is normal.

[@pennymcclimon1557]

if the eye consumes knowledge, him mentioning daisy sounded like a knowledge burp lmao

[@thesandwich5321]

Never has my head snapped up so fast when someone mentioned a moose.

[@CamilleChauTempsDesCerises]

Yup. Definitely. After a rewatch I can confirm: this is my favourite statement (plus the little note on how the Lonely works 👌)

[@ginnytara2441]

"The Lonely is the most insidious of the powers, I believe. It doesn't meed to tell you any lies. It just waits foe the lies you twll yourself." "Martin has it the worse, of course, but it still seems to be his choice. And I have to trust he knows what he's doing."

[@wyattwaggener6380]

the backrooms would fit perfectly into TMA, the spiral, the lonely, the vast, etc would all be right at home

[@marcuslambroza7353]

I'm not sure, but this episode really gives me Welcome To Night Vale Vibes

[@autumn-876]

honestly what ppl are saying abt "oh why dont ppl just trust jon" n all that shit, u have to remember. There once was a time in which EVERYONE could trust jon. There was never a time in which they could trust the distortion. It's more emotionally significant to them to see their friend like this

[@midnights2631]

The suburbs are scary, so identical with no uniqueness. I hope those two work it out.

[@hamburgerdog25]

Lydia Nicholas is one of my favorite voice actresses as of listening to this show

[@ZaphodJan]

Being trapped in an endless liminal space sure is terrifying

[@ShayTheBean]

I'm pretty sure I'm an avatar of the Lonely. Also, anybody else notice the crackling every time Melanie walks in? Because I did.

[@alphalilly8207]

Boi I love the liminal space vibes lel.

[@arifhossain9751]

If you are reading this, MAG171 is up. Maybe you should sue Vivarium for stealing this. The Lonely. A terrible curse. Being trapped inside yourself in a feedback loop of lower and lower self esteem. An endless suburb is a curious choice though. So is the offending item being a moose statue of all things... If the concept of the lonely holds true, maybe there was really only ever one house... Repeated infinitely. Body and all. Curious as to how Utanday (am I spelling that right?) retained her identity in a place like this and how Herman could... Just... Know... It... Oh my god was that an avatar?! I'm hitting the Discord I need answers. I go by Gremlin horn cis Slay the Spire is the best roguelike deckbuilder. See ya there. Like in video description.

[@lavenderlaceration]

Theres a discord?

[@arifhossain9751]

Yeah. Apparently they didn't put the link in the description... No matter. I'll probably put a link in my next comment. MAG171 was grotesquely exquisite tho...

[@tomisabum]

Already commented on this, but if you dug this episode? Check out the indie horror game 'Anatomy' by Kitty Horror Show for similar vibes. A few good lets players have done full runs of it if you don't wanna run through it alone, I'd be surprised if the Rusty Quill crew haven't checked it out (I'm woefully out of touch).

[@dyld921]

He saw her ID card. You know, that thing with people's names on it.

[@arifhossain9751]

@@dyld921 yeah. picked that up on my relistens. Discord still says the statement giver has a high probability of being an avatar.

[@hollynotholy]

"Part of some huge, miserable fear machine" - Oh boy.

[@bunnysenpai7471]

Reminds me of vivarium the movie. Also Melanie's therapist is definitely a spider

[@ThatOneArchivist]

The door gag evolution!!!!

[@Wilbehr]

Reminds me of going to a project review at the intersection of Corporate Cir and Conference Pl

[@atonedudeatsnotsubscribed8313]

Lonely is by far the easiest to understand the modus opperandi of and who it targets. It doesnt go after those that fear being alone specifically, hell the monologue guy reveled in it. It goes after those who already are alone, those who are unlikely to have an anchor to escape from it with. It’s usually a creeping terror realizing its all wrong, slowly everyone either turns into zombies or youll slowly notice how NOT normal it all is.

[@physicallyateabag3185]

god i love the spiral

[@lisawilson1010]

I'm not liking the static I heard during bits of the statement, it's kinda spooky in a bad way

[@f_mva]

it's happened in every statement sometimes, i think

[@kee_do]

Usually happens when the words/situations are affected by anything of the paranormal (like in this one, the lonely do be liking their streets as they are gaha)

[@camo2156]

I absolutely did think they meant the Cheadle in greater Manchester because I'm from Stockport, so im glad for the clarification (There was already a statement that occurred in woodley and it took me so òff guard)

[@hermazingbartels2377]

The Tories

[@sketch-x4412]

Despite the circle that is the TMA and Will Wood Venn diagram I am surprised that I haven’t seen anyone mention The Normal Album

[@sketch-x4412]

Ok I made this comment about halfway though listening to the episode. Jon just said “better than the alternative” Need I provide you with any more evidence?

[@Starry_clown_gutz]

​@@sketch-x4412OH MY GOD I WAS LOOKING FOR A COMMENT LIKE THIS I FR WAS TWEAKING

[@Falcon-doing-doodles]

Can't say I blame Melanie for her choice, though I'm not sure we can really apply morality to the eye. It doesn't really think or feel, it just consumes. Bit like a tree really, feeding off things that exist regardless of it's interference. But yeah, good for her

[@Climbergirl]

"It wasn't that there was anything abnormal about the situation, it's just that the normal seemed to go on forever." Chills...

[@kehlcassidy9562]

God damn but this episode gives me weird vibes. I spent two years in a suburban house, being physically, financially, emotionally and sexually abused- it looked so normal from the street, pretty, even- we had a rose garden and fruit trees. Inside was my own personal hell. The number of times I drove him to work, then drove home to his kids, thinking 'I don't actually have to get off the freeway THERE, I could just keep driving, just leave,' except I couldn't. So this one hit me right in the amygdala. Also, am I the only one who thinks that Melanie's therapist is sus af??

[@blytobyn5437]

Yk, they say everyone has an episode that really scares them. This is mine.

[@emerz3530]

*Suburbia Overture by Will Wood starts playing*

[@krimes1419]

Anyone else find it a little eerie Jon pronounces "Patreon" like "patron" at the end of every episode? Idk just to spooky cherry on top to me

[@Nuclear_Gandhi]

Trapped in the Sims

[@charlesward1866]

I imagine the lady was just singing Priscencollinsinaichul while she was playing with a thawed turkey. Nothing to be concerned about.

[@HellRayOff]

Great, now I have a Will Wood song stuck in my head (Edit) 2 songs. One episode, two Will Wood songs. A coinsurance? Maybe.... (Suburbia Overture & Well, it's better than an alternative)