The Magnus Protocol 8 - Running on Empty

CAT2RBC3366-12072023-28022024Architecture (liminal) -/-hunger [coursework]
Incident Elements:· Temporal Distortion· Spatial Distortion· Altered Reality· Isolation· Graphic Violence· Canibalism· Mentions of - stress, trauma, psychological breakdown, starvation
Transcripts: shorturl.at/gzF15
This Episode is dedicated to Gabriel Spencer, thank you for your generous support! You can a complete list of our Kickstarter backers rustyquill.com/the-magnus-pro...
Created by Jonathan Sims and Alexander J Newall Directed by Alexander J Newall  Written by Alexander J NewallScript Editing with Additional Materials by Jonathan SimsExecutive Producers April Sumner, Alexander J Newall, Jonathan Sims, Dani McDonough, Linn Ci, and Samantha F.G. HamiltonAssociate Producers Jordan L. Hawk, Taylor Michaels, Nicole Perlman, Cetius d’Raven, and Megan Nice Produced by April Sumner Featuring (in order of appearance) Alexander J Newall as NorrisAnusia Battersby as Gwendolyn BouchardBillie Hindle as Alice DyerJon Gracey as Gerry KeayLowri Ann Davies as Celia RipleyShahan Hamza as Samama Khalid Sue Sims as Gertrude Robinson
Dialogue Editor - Lowri Ann DaviesSound Designer - Tessa Vroom Mastering Editor - Catherine RinellaMusic by Sam Jones (orchestral mix by Jake Jackson)Art by April Sumner
SFX from soundly, Freesound (CCO): vckhaze, deleted_user_2104797, & previously credited artists.Support us on Patreon at / rustyquill Check out our merchandise available at www.redbubble.com/people/Rust... www.teepublic.com/stores/rust... our community:  WEBSITE: rustyquill.com FACEBOOK:  therustyquill TWITTER: @therustyquill REDDIT: reddit.com/r/RustyQuill EMAIL: [e-mail] Magnus Protocol is a derivative product of the Magnus Archives, created by Rusty Quill Ltd. and licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution Non-Commercial Share alike 4.0 International Licence.

[@malaizze]

Starting TMA team: Friends with a few minor secrets Starting TMP team: World’s worst gifted kid trauma, insane computer guy, Alice, girlboss blackmailer, ex-apocalypse-cultist multiversal time traveler

[@cindygrotz5109]

Yeah, that about sums it up

[@huntercharleston5812]

And then there's just Alice 😂😂😂

[@jae4520]

Alice 👍

[@Speckaboo]

I have no idea what's up with any of these people, it honestly feels doomed from the start and unlike the Archives crew, they're doing it to themselves.

[@Matheus-ql7mn]

Yes 😅 TMA is a group of regular people in an insane environment TMP is a group of people with massive baggage/mysteries on a kinda regular job Also, the TMA gang started being good friends falling apart along the way, while everybody at TMP seems to low-key hate each other 😂

[@Shmizzybelle]

Every Thursday I become S2 Jon and every Thursday I'm thankful for that

[@cuppatea5882]

Just don’t go accusing your coworkers and/or friends of murder, and you’ll be fine :)

[@catnerdadrian7601]

Martin can I talk to you about Pepe Silvia? I've been dying to talk to you about Pepe Silvia all day.

[@ThatOneArchivist]

@@cuppatea5882 no promises. They keep telling me “stop shrieking and shaking when you get the TMP notfc” and honestly that's something only somebody who is a murderer would say

[@Shmizzybelle]

@@cuppatea5882 sure I won't, I would never do that! never....

[@somedouchemcbag987]

Everyone freaking out about TMA references and doesn't notice that Martin is reading a statement about architecture

[@waffleaffle231]

Nobody noticed the statement giver basically got stuck in the sims

[@dekuloveshair5667]

Crying shaking gnawing on the walls of my enclosure These past two episodes have really been “let’s make something for the tma fans to go wild about “

[@hamburgerdog25]

Celia kept asking really coy questions about TMA and I'm like "we GET IT shes here to fuck with us" Ok so I'm going to have to go back to season 5 of TMA and relisten to the spider verse episodes because I think that might explain this a bit better

[@dekuloveshair5667]

@@hamburgerdog25 like we didn’t already have enough of a time just with “Chester” and “Norris” (they put them in the computerrrr)

[@waffleaffle231]

It's being so heavily implied that Jon and Martin are both in the computer, I'm going to be so upset if they don't get out of the computer and can be together again

[@hamburgerdog25]

@@waffleaffle231 do you think big bad spider momma deliberately put them in the computer in this universe in order to curse them to read statements forver? (Trying not to name drop to avoid TMA spoilers for thsoe who haven't listened to it)

[@waffleaffle231]

@@hamburgerdog25 could she see into the other dimensions? I know she knew they existed but I'm not sure she had any control over where they ended up. If anyone I think mr ceaseless watcher's special little boy would have that control

[@elliesteele2027]

GERTRUDE IS GERRY'S GRANDMA?? W H A T

[@TheAntiChristsPlusOne]

THATS WHAT I SAID! WHAT IS GOING ONNN

[@The.-.Distortion]

​@@TheAntiChristsPlusOne i keep seeing you everywhere 😭

[@elizabethpemberton8445]

Well, that’s what she *said.* She is Gertrude, and unlike Gerry, she still *sounds* like Gertrude. Possibly less battle-hardened but still pretty wary and NEVER to be taken at face value.

[@zahi1world]

OH MY GOD THE LORE

[@TheNitpickChick]

I mean, she went around telling people she was Gerry’s mom in TMA, so it’s likely just an easy label to adopt to stop people from asking questions. Or maybe she’s his actual adoptive grandmother or something in this universe! 😅

[@saturnbatista2726]

I swear, Gertrude being Gerry's grandma and him calling her Gee Gee reads like a Wattpad fanfiction. I love it.

[@Yumeki-san]

"following a protracted divorce which cost me the majority of my friendships." Well, he sounds pretty lonely to me.. don't you think so too, Norris?

[@lunammoon8503]

he sounds like exactly the kind of person the fucked up apartment complex was meant to be for

[@user-xi4fk1oe2g]

Oh fuck!

[@broblerone413]

@@lunammoon8503 that's exactly what i was thinking! was immediately reminded of the Lonely apartments

[@theoneguyoverthere]

Suddenly, Colin destroying Sam’s phone makes a lot more sense. I was wondering how we would hear anything going on outside of the range of the office computers, but I forgot that, technically, we all carry recording devices around with us at all times 😰

[@adderous]

Sam not having that phone is 100% going to be relevant at some point.

[@ethanduncan1646]

I love that the equivalent for the magical tape recorders teleporting around when needed instead it's just good old government surveillance on our cellphones that is our window to the world outside the office.

[@Mythicalwaters]

colins so real i hope hes ok

[@mnndstrs]

Okay, aside from the obvious details, something I noticed was how similar the tower with the restaurant was to the Panopticon. Even the phrasing used to describe it: "unmatched panoramic VIEW on all sides." & "The tower still stands, OVERLOOKING the surrounding countryside."

[@tayloradams3993]

AND now it sees nothing, it's patrons are starving and trapped up top and IN THE PAST.

[@bublesXD]

Omg that's sounds like you are onto something

[@richardiv385]

This is the second location of the eye that the spiral took over then, after the Magnus Archives themselves, although that one is rather more complicated but also seemed to have flesh undertones

[@Nikowo1610]

Oh and this case is from a couple days ago btw, so there's definitely the chance it'll be mentioned again

[@user-xi4fk1oe2g]

Now that you mention it!!! The story overall gave me a lot of the Spiral vibes with the liminal spaces. But also when it came to the empty windows I was thinking the Vast. I guess I'm still thinking in terms of entity connections and not just the Eye. You do make a very interesting point though

[@Rye.Akai4869]

When Alice bitterly says Boss i just got angry Tim flashbacks

[@jellyghost9834]

thats why it hurt so much, oh dear

[@cassiemoyles4177]

RIGHT? Oof

[@aduroatrox]

Alice has always reminded me (and I assume a fair chunk of listeners) of early Tim and it's made me wait for the other shoe to drop

[@alexanderbenavides912]

also alice saying "you sound stressed" like tim did to nikola🥲🥲

[@MollyC-uh5pv]

OH MY GOSH SAME

[@user-up2qz6pu4x]

Don't let gary and Gertrude overshadow that Celia is looking into *alternate dimensions and timetravel* also i think it's safe to say that freddy glitches when somebody lies on recording. It happened when gary says he remembers nothing about the youth recruitment program (or whatever it was) and again when celia said she's helping Georgie with the podcast.

[@maximusthedude8305]

Oooo, great catch!! That’s super helpful information!

[@maximusthedude8305]

Listened again, and I'm very, VERY convinced this is the case. It lines up super well. If it is true, though, that means Sam wasn't just making up a cover when he said he was in a Magnus Institute 'gifted kids program' as a child. There was absolutely no glitching whatsoever. Interesting... very interesting... no wonder he's latched onto this mystery

[@CamilleChauTempsDesCerises]

​@@maximusthedude8305 Tbf, we already knew he was part of it since we saw his name in the list ing the ARG

[@Speckaboo]

holy shit you're a god at listening. I didn't even catch that, it's so subtle

[@maximusthedude8305]

@@CamilleChauTempsDesCerises Oh, neat. I didn't know, since I didn't keep up with the arg. I actually only just finished listening to TMA about a week ago. I should probably watch that video about the arg now, it seems interesting

[@Yumeki-san]

"Similarly, as I looked closer at the diners themselves, I noticed oddly repeating elements to them. Three women were wearing the same blood-red heels. Two men, the same blue coats and worse, there were even recurring features iterating on different faces: the same green eyes on two women, identical moustaches on three men." Don't worry! These are just the usual background characters

[@lemmetalkaboutthis]

they sound like a bunch of cheap NPCs lmfao, I was too amused by the idea of a bunch of low-poly NPCs mimicing a restaurant to get the spooky vibes

[@OctopusOwl]

Felt like looking deeper at AI art, and seeing those hands😮. Gotta say, whoever manifested those “people “ did their best to create a realistic environment with limited resources. And I appreciate them at least mixing it up, rather than just having copy/pasted the entire outfits/persons. Shows higher level awareness’s and creativity

[@jazmineraymond7495]

Feels like the crowd that's not a crowd from tma along with the end circus.

[@Yumeki-san]

@jazmineraymond7495 Yes, the episode with the crowd also crossed my mind while listening, and I remembered that Gerry was in that episode.. so imagine my surprise when I realised that he was in this one too

[@zeecaptainsgirl]

Sounds like the apocalypse sighting

[@AlexDeMiro]

21:04 weird static when he LIES 23:28 weird static, when SHE lies

[@BeautifulEarthJa]

FR!

[@elliesteele2027]

Firstly, excellent catch. But I think that first static is from Gertrude's lie. Notice how she sighs (quite possibly with relief) after Gerry says he doesn't remember. I think Gerry _can_ help Sam, but Gertrude doesn't want him to be put in danger by getting [re?]involved with the supernatural.

[@AlexDeMiro]

@@elliesteele2027 there is definitely something going on - in the previous episode, Celia also lied, twice, and there was a static noise too... But it sounded familiar somehow.

[@cassiemoyles4177]

I did not catch that!

[@Ren_zilla-dh8uz]

must jonny continue to do the equivalent of jangling keys around to get our attention with constant tma references? i am going insaneeeeeeeee. I'm DEADDDDDDD

[@CryingARiver]

This one was written by Alex, actually :D But I wholeheartedly agree dkfjghfhwj

[@Ren_zilla-dh8uz]

@@CryingARiver how dare both of them then QWQQQQ they are both just as bad. XDD

[@ThatOneArchivist]

Consuming my goldfish while clipping through the floor out of excitement

[@scipi3590]

Yeeessssss

[@twentyninedoesnotlastforev5455]

That poor fucking goldfish...

[@elliesteele2027]

The Magnus Institue was destroyed in 1999. Gertrude is neither dead nor blind. So who was the Archivist?

[@DestinyPromise017]

It was a completely different institution! It was a place for gifted children instead of research into the paranormal. No archivist needed ig

[@bublesXD]

Ja I still think it's the same dough

[@hotcoco2789]

@@DestinyPromise017doing one singular study of gifted children does not mean thats all they do, especially when they could just. be lying about the purposes of the study.

[@Ceaseless_Watcher]

There were two. Mr Breekon and Ms Hope.

[@zypalitra8080]

Wait, was Gertrude meant to be blind?

[@TheNitpickChick]

This episode made me go absolutely _FERAL!!!_ 🤩🤩🤩 1) Cool statement! Definitely Spiral forward, but with strong elements of Flesh, Vast, Stranger, Lonely, and maybe a hint of Extinction? (When the dude mentioned a tall, thin woman in a well-fitted suit holding open a door, I can tell you my heart _stopped_ for a moment because all I could think was HELLEN? DISTORTION? But it wasn’t actually them. lol) 2) Interesting that Gwen hasn’t been given further details of her “promotion” yet... Also, she mentions that Alice “deliberately tries to find” spoken statements in order to bother Gwen. If the spoken statements are _supposedly_ random, then how would Alice potentially try to seek them out? Does she somehow know what statements might be talkers?! 3) Colin has been put on leave for his mental health… I’m concerned for my boy. ☹️ 4) NAME DROPS!!! My boy Gerry! Good ol’ Gertrude! And Georgie, still podcasting!!! (Also confirmation of ARG info that both Sam and Gerry were in the gifted students program at The Magnus Institute, which is awesome!) 5) Celia is looking into dimensional jumping and such, you say?! Doing a “favor for Georgie”, you say?! 👀 Theory brain is in _overdrive_ right now!!!!

[@OctopusOwl]

It’s so exactly what I was hoping for!

[@valeriyav2149]

4) I think Alice or her brother was a part of that program too. One of the gifted kids on the list was Connor Dyer - the same last name as Alice. so it's either Alice before the transition or maybe her brother/cousin. I think the first option is more probable

[@TheNitpickChick]

@@valeriyav2149 True! I’m guessing it was Alice before transition, as we know her brother’s name is Luke. (I suppose she could have more than 1 brother, but that hasn’t been established yet) 😊 Edit: Although, if it was Alice, then it’s odd that she didn’t seem to recognize the name of The Magnus Institute in episode 2, or mention much about it otherwise in episode 4, when telling Sam not to look into “the protocol”. It’s possible she’s just playing ignorant, putting on a front, but maybe she’s like Gerry, and she doesn’t really remember her time there in any detail, so she didn’t consider it important enough to mention. 🤔

[@JoTheJo93]

I thought it was Helen too-

[@carolineartley2703]

​@@TheNitpickChick On one hand, I feel like both Gerry and Alice are lying about their lack of knowledge relating to the institute, but on the other its possible Sam is the only one with intact memory of the Magnus Institute. He definitely knows way more than he's willing to say and is just good at playing it off as casual curiosity.

[@cielle.b3859]

HOLY FUCKING SHIT THE LOVE OF MY LOVE IS HERE MY BABY, MY SWEETHEART, THE BELOVED

[@lemmetalkaboutthis]

Screaming, crying, flipping out with joy and worry!!! Even the _script_ wants to just stab you in the heart!!: "GERRY Oh, don't take it too much to heart. It's such a lovely morning. [Gerry sounds so deeply, plainly _happy_ .]" I CAN'T- I _CAN'T-_ HE BETTER BE SAFE FROM ALL THE HORRIBLE THINGS THIS TIME!! LET THE BOY PAINT AND BE HAPPY AND _NOTHING ELSE!_ Also, crack-theory, since Celia knows Georgie - the voice of "Chester" sounds familiar bc she met this-world Jon through Georgie lmao

[@maximusthedude8305]

oooooooh, that's a great theory at the end there, I like that.

[@CamilleChauTempsDesCerises]

The real horror is being a scholar, listening to a podcast to have some leisure and having to listen another damn paper

[@aduroatrox]

I'm so sorry, you didn't deserve this misery.

[@schmohobzsia7216]

High five ; I'm in the same situation! :')

[@dragonicdoom3772]

What an interesting story: hungry architecture and liminal space. Definitely a combo of Flesh and Lonely, reminds me of MAG 48 Lost in the Crowd with the way it describes the crowd of fake people. Also I love the detail of the smell of fried pork since human meat is apparently most similar to pork.

[@richardiv385]

The combination of spiral and flesh was present in the Magnus Archive as well. The second post eye location within this universe considering the view

[@Nikowo1610]

It also really reminds me of Cul-de-sac, that one with all the houses that looked the exact same

[@justlittleoldme4589]

there wasnt really much flesh in here besides canibalism , it feels more like stranger and lonely working together in a liminal world

[@kehlcassidy9562]

I got major spiral vibes from this one

[@CasuallyUndead]

To me it felt like a Spiral-Lonely team up with hints of The Flesh

[@TheAntiChristsPlusOne]

Spoilers for quite late in the episode GERRY??? GERTRUDE??? WHAT THE FUCK???????? AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH GRANDSON?????? WHATTTTTTTTTY THEEEEWEEEEEE FUCKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKK He is literally my absolute favourite character I realllllllllly hope this is actually them And not me holding on to the hope that it might mean Michael is still alive … Couldn’t be me Edit: personal time stamp for an animatic ignore this 19:01

[@someone1353]

Same reaction

[@user-xi4fk1oe2g]

Basically yeah. I'm really losing my shit freaking out speechless squealing

[@linkthefrog]

If Michael is still alive I will cry LITERAL tears of joy

[@malaizze]

Michael 2 will be real in 5

[@kehlcassidy9562]

I mean, it sounds like *Helen* is still alive, soooo, I'm going to guess no, unfortunately.

[@cantaloupegodling352]

For once I was alone so I didn't have to suppress my absolutely Insane reaction to this episode. I yelled when I heard Gerry (barely even recognised him because he sounds so much happier) but yelling doesn't even begin to cover what I did when I heard Gertrude. And just for good measure they mention Parallel dimensions and Georgie once I'm all out of screams. It would be incredibly funny if Celia was a cultist for her in this world too and Georgie is incredibly confused about the whole situation.

[@kehlcassidy9562]

Where's the Admiral? WHERE IS THE ADMIRAL?!

[@GarethOfByzantium]

Or… Georgie and Melanie brought their cult to this universe to rescue Jon and Martin.

[@kehlcassidy9562]

@@GarethOfByzantium I like this. New headcanon.

[@OctopusOwl]

Me too. Headcannon confirmed

[@kiaratoo]

Same, I didn't realise that was Gerry or Gertrude until I went to the comments - I was just like 'Yo, is that Grandma Sims, best VA ever!?'

[@N8O12]

THREE G'S CONFIRMED!!!!!!

[@frog-pz8yy]

I have feelings for the liminal space building

[@amnesiacsanonymous]

GERRY SOUNDS SO HAPPY???? I'M GONNA FREAK OUT

[@azest]

The gifted kids program could have been a way for Jonas (or whoever the leader was) to find/make their own messiah, lightless flame style

[@ethanduncan1646]

Or maybe pick out his next body to take over? It could also be the program he used to groom Jon to pull off his grand plan. Jonah realized after his own failure that a ritual was always going to fail without all the powers on board.

[@lincaxus6841]

-BIG SPOILER- Okay if Gerry and GG are alive, what does that mean for other characters like Tim, Sasha, my boy michael or even avatars like Agnes and etc??

[@drawindragons8172]

Hoping praying manifesting sacrificing animals performing occult rituals and BEGGING for Michael to come back- Gertrude did that boy so dirty he NEEDS a redemption arc

[@BillErak]

That would depend, I guess. Agnes was born for the explicit purpose of being a Desolation avatar. The entities seem to manifest in different ways here, so chances are she wasn't born at all, or if she was, she lived a normal life and is an normal old lady now.

[@bublesXD]

That's the true mystery isn't it. Selia sad sometimes about e time travel so she has at least some connections to the original cast.

[@TheAntiChristsPlusOne]

@@drawindragons8172EXACTLY I am actually shaking throwing crying screaming at the idea that maybe Michael is alive

[@mairenflanagan7181]

He wouldn't be Door Husband, but Michael Shelly is probably alive!

[@mcr00kes]

I checked Thornton Services and I can see why the tower was an inspiration for this episode. It looks like something out of a Dr. Who episode from the 1970s!

[@kehlcassidy9562]

Oh shit! That place is real?! Cause no joke that abandoned tower sounded pretty epic. Googling...

[@mcr00kes]

@@kehlcassidy9562 It is. It's an odd design and wouldn't want to fall from it. Certainly fits the brutalish liminal aesthetic!

[@OctopusOwl]

Forton Services tower is shorter than I was picturing but much more survivable irl. Also, would be an amazing restaurant.

[@kehlcassidy9562]

@@OctopusOwl yeah, it's like a tiny space needle!

[@cassiemoyles4177]

Thank you i never wouldnt assumed it was real but thats cool af

[@ArloPoltergeist]

GERRY SOUNDS SO HAPPY PLEASE DON'T HURT HIM AGAIN GUYS

[@deathwish6352]

First episode with spiral elements being a banger

[@The_Eskime]

I love using the term "Spiral Bound" for anything relating to The Spiral, it's such a perfect term!

[@Yumeki-san]

G-g-g- Gerry?!?! Gertrude?!?! Georgie?!?! TﾛT There is no way T=T!¡!¡! And he sounds so happy.. T^T

[@cantaloupegodling352]

I honestly kinda hope he never appears again so that nothing bad can happen to him and we can just imagine he's happy.

[@theoneguyoverthere]

@@cantaloupegodling352I dunno, it sounded a little… eerie. Almost as if he is desperately striving to be positive in spite of past circumstances. And even if it is genuine, that’s not necessarily a good thing. Remember how happy-go-lucky Tim used to sound in the first series? And how that ultimately turned out?

[@CryingARiver]

It sounded almost fake-happy, to an extent. Idk, I fear for him

[@Yumeki-san]

@@CryingARiver that is what they want, to feed off of your fear

[@CasuallyUndead]

I feel like he didn’t tell them all that happened to him in the institute

[@bea-trix6545]

GERRY???! GERTRUDE???! AND GEORGIE??? WHAT THE FUCK AJXIANZKKS

[@maximusthedude8305]

GERRY!!!! GERTRUDE!!! Even a reference to Georgie and her podcast!! Man, I honestly didn't expect so many relevant TMA characters to show up in TMP, especially not this early, but I'm pretty excited to see what they're up to! Knowing Jon and Alex there's no way it's just simple fan service, I'm sure they have some kind of important plans for them in the story. Also, for those curious, Gerry is officially listed as Gerry Keay, and 'GG' as Gertrude Robinson in the credits. No way she's his actual grandmother, I wonder if she met him and in whatever 'gifted kids program' they were talking about and took him in? Maybe she managed to get him away from Mary in this world - or maybe Mary was never evil, though I find that unlikely. Either way, I feel like Gerry has already lived a happier life in this world than he got to in the original. Gerard told Jon "If I ever had friends, I wanted them to call me Gerry." It's basically official - the man has friends : )

[@Squarmptin]

"My grandson" when I tell you I genuinely started sobbing

[@220theprofessor220]

One of my favorite things about protocol is that the stories so far feature multiple fears in them than the usual single fears significance.

[@tayloradams3993]

personally I suspect they were... remixed in transit.

[@OctopusOwl]

The entity gets to mix and match its aspects creatively! I’m liking how unpredictable and complex it is choosing to be.

[@naturevalleygranolabar5696]

Yep just a nice standard lonely episode, nothing too crazy he- *AND IT'S GERTRUDE ROBINSON WITH A STEEL CHAIR!!*

[@kehlcassidy9562]

Okay, but real talk- DOES THIS MEAN THE ADMIRAL WILL BE MAKING AN APPURRANCE IN THIS UNIVERSE?!

[@jellyghost9834]

if he doesn't Imma riot

[@abigailmclaughlin2399]

this statement is almost exactly the same as MAG 156 with the abandoned carnival ground. going through some kind of entrance, finding a population of strange uncanny people that are emaciated looking that attempt to cannibalize the statement giver, and escaping by diving through a exit that seems to have nothing on the other side

[@leokalani3518]

I've noticed something interesting. In Ep. 1-7 we have only the audio from the Computers and CCTV cameras inside the office. But now we are listening through Sams Phone. Remember last episode when Collin was super mad that Sam brought his personal phone with him? I think he knew that this 'thing' that listens can spread to other electronics. That's why he was so angry with Sam, but it's too late now and Sams Phone is infected as well.

[@Runeinc]

The title is wrong on the video. My disappointment is immeasurable and my day is ruined

[@demon_marlon]

LMAOOO yes you're right I only noticed when you pointed it out wtf

[@Ben-dd5nb]

Ha lol

[@nadiapenn8480]

Omg and here I was just not getting it 😅 I hope they’re able to edit without having to take down the upload completely 😊

[@kehlcassidy9562]

Noticed that immediately, spent a bunch of time distracted wondering if it was intentional, or some kind of clue, or red herring, or? Realized I'd missed half the episode and had to go back to the beginning 🤦

[@fruitygarlic3601]

Love that because the "my disappointment" meme comes from ReviewBrah, whose show is called Running On Empty.

[@BillErak]

[SPOILERS FOR MAG] So until now I hadn't quite believed the general theory that seems to be running around the fandom on the entities mixing, as I could easily explain all previous cases as a single entity just manifesting in a new way--but this was definitely not a single entity's deal. The Lonely and the Spiral for sure, but... Maybe extinction managed to fully emerge after MAG? The windows could still be the lonely but they kinda felt like The Dark. Of course, chances are the multiversal expansion forced them to sort of mix. Though The two Eye cases so far seem... well, completely devoid of the others. Perhaps its privileged position at the time of change made it so that it's now the only one standing alone. That would be ironic for the Lonely.

[@ApioFluorescente]

It gave me Extinction vibes too! But I also feel like the fears are more mixed than in Magnus. There could be an in-universe explanation as you're saying. Or, I'm also thinking it's maybe Jonny and the team experimenting more with how fluid the fears are, I mean, in Magnus they said they can never be truly separated from each other, they are more like colors, they can bleed into each other.

[@kehlcassidy9562]

The windows seemed very Vast to me, and that crowd at the restaurant was quite Strange.

[@adderous]

I think you can pretty easily cut it down to two entities: lonely and extinction. There's a clear divide between the restaurant and the time lapse, and the restaurant fits the extinction well. Emaciated cannibals living in what's left of the old world, pretending to be human but not. I think this is two entities fighting over a meal, and if you do want to add more in, then the vast and maybe the flesh were there waiting to take a bite. The first wasn't clearly present of course, but he never sat down, and there was something being cooked. It almost feels like a CYOA book where every path is a different fear.

[@maximusthedude8305]

I said this on a previous episode, but I'll say it again here: If the Fears really are mixing more, as I believe they are, then the Extinction becomes a MUCH bigger threat than it ever was in TMA. In TMA, each Fear had it's followers who would try to spread it's influence, and the most critical way they did this was through the rituals. However, those rituals were a sham, and could never bring a single fear to the power they wanted without sharing with the rest. But now, imagine that instead of preforming a ritual, a Fear simply mixes with the Extinction in a large scale manifestation - this essentially makes the Extinction a vehicle for massive spread of another power in the world without ever having to pierce the veil and enter it fully. And most of all, a central tenant of the extinction is that whatever twisted world it creates, there will always be new creatures or once-humans to fear it - which makes it self-perpetuating. I bet even the End could farm terror forever if it fully manifested in collaboration with the Extinction. Tl;dr: Extinction was just an infant threat on it's own, but it's a HUGE, almost ritual-level problem when it can team up with the other Fears - and mark my words, we are going to see it try firsthand.

[@caramel9154]

Architecture of torture? Oh boy, I love the prison tunnel's glow up!

[@MedusoJuegos]

19:38 "wait is this guy who i think it is?" 19:56 "AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH SADAALKFAASDHAFLDASHFLKHAFALFHLSDHAADSKHSDFLKHDSFLHDSFOHDSAAODSHODSODSDSAHHSÑSDAHLKDASHDSLHAADSHDF"

[@samjohnson4751]

Hearing Gerry so happy and Gertrude with him in a motherly role! I'm sobbing ;-;

[@herddragon9215]

got to admit, as someone who really loathes Brutalist architecture, but adores Liminal spaces, I found this both disorienting and fascinating... I don't know how I had never really made the connection between the two. it's so obvious. harsh angles and long empty corridors make excellent liminal spaces, and many liminal artworks uses brutalist buildings and designed. ah! frustrating, but know I feel like a fool for never having connect the two. anyways thanks for the episode.

[@eggowaff3379]

Magnus protocol comes out at like 10:50 in the morning for me I’m ignoring school stuff this is much more important 😌

[@adderous]

22:06 Gerry: I like them! Gertrude: Of course you do. That along with how overly generous and cheerful Gerry was, and Gertrude being so protective makes me think something happened to him. Is Gerry no longer capable of disliking people after whatever happened to him in "testing"?

[@The_Good_Fiend]

GG (Gertrude) knows the truth, I can feel it. I bet she is the reason the institute burned down in this universe.

[@elliesteele2027]

1:30 Case (Extinction) [Coursework: Norris] 16:59 Post-case Edit (05/03/24): I now believe this case to be a manifestation of The Extinction, not The Flesh. Not only does this seemingly have elements of several entities (prolonged isolation, lifts that shouldn't be there, uncanny almost people, a vast dark void, cannibalism, etc) but it is also uniquely modern (based around a supposed newly developing style of architecture). These are both common features in likely Extinction manifestations due to its status as a still emerging power.

[@elliesteele2027]

Note also that a strange world of emaciated cannibalistic "people" is remarkably similar to the statement in episode 156 which Adelard Dekker believed to be The Extinction.

[@chs9999]

I was thinking lonely/stranger

[@LonelyArchivist]

I think it was more of a Lonely thing

[@BillErak]

This case didn't seem like the flesh at ALL. Sure it had cannibalism but it wasn't the same sort of meaty fear in actual flesh episodes, it felt more like the extinction

[@dylanbednarz4430]

@@BillErakwas thinking the lonely as the garbled speech and no one was really there seems more like their deal

[@fiendfoliorealnotfake]

as someone who has been to the irl forton services i can tell exactly why they made this episode. i have never looked at forton services and NOT wondered if something spooky was going on in the tower

[@_DragonHero_]

Our boi is using the name Gerry!! He is so happy and even has his mommy issues fixed here. i swear if something bad happens to him i will riot And we all agree that thats Helen, right? Because im absolutely sure thats Helen Distortion...for a second i was even expecting her to talk with her voice in the middle of that statements

[@kehlcassidy9562]

💯 Helen being a boss bitch

[@patrickbailey2799]

Did anyone else take notice of the camera zooming in sound during the conversation between Alice and Gwen? They are being spied on, I think. Also, I was very happy to recognize Gertrude's voice and realize that was her name. Gerry was a nice turnaround from his old self, too.

[@MedusoJuegos]

This statement made me think a ton of the videogame Control and that Jacob Geller video about haunted houses. The idea of a place that has a will of its own and has grown malicious or harmful and angry is one of my favorites (tho is something really hard to do well). This was a pretty fun episode and that little lore bomb at the end was fun lol.

[@tasminaverbena]

Spoiler spacing . . . . Ooohh hi Gertrude and Jerry! We missed youuuuuu! And also Georgie. Wow. I’m here for it

[@chs9999]

THURSDAY SPOOKY TIME *CLAP* *CLAP* THURSDAY *CLAP* *CLAP* THURSDAY SPOOKY TIME YAY

[@mairenflanagan7181]

Screaming, crying, foaming at the mouth

[@Watchers_Puppet]

Whoooo, Thursdays been a lot brighter with weekly eldritch horrors :>

[@racoon_in_ankhmorpork]

This is already way more tma stuff than I was expecting us to get on tmagp!! Now, don’t get me wrong, I would’ve loved this anyways, but the tma references are what I LIVE for, I’m so excited to piece together everyone’s role in this universe!

[@nadiapenn8480]

Well I guess we’ll know what the next episode will be called ! 😅 Seriously though I hope they can edit the title without having to reupload 🤷🏽‍♀️

[@F4GBOY]

The cannibalism and liminal space stuff really makes me think of extinction but Im pretty sure protocol doesn’t do the fears so singularly still im taking this as an extinction win

[@anosaxo]

Over here racking my about the spiral and THEN WE HERE GG AND GERRY GERTRUDE OUR OLDE QUEEN!!!

[@mostprofoundquiet]

Everyone (rightly so) freaking out about the reveal of certain characters, meanwhile I'm still snickering at Sam's "And what mystery is that? 👀" "... Oh."

[@TheGrinningViking]

Brutal liminality sounds bueatiful. But then again, I've often found items others called "cursed" oddly compelling and attractive. Perhaps the idea is just cursed. I won't argue, I just like the idea personally.

[@sascharuler]

I hated how fucking sad Gerry's life was in TMA so I legit started happy crying hearing him

[@cigard6706]

A look into Smirke's work and why the Dread Powers tie themselves to architecture AND Gertrude and Jared making full appearances? Wow

[@alexisricardoalejandrecarr7361]

I'm sorry but as someone who worked in an office, I could say with confidence that I too would fight with Alice for letting the coffee machine almost empty!

[@krishadyn5211]

Oh yeah. Theres lots you can blame others for, but Alice is definitely the villain here.

[@waffleartz8581]

My jaw dropped when gerry and getrude popped up and georgie is mentioned...

[@ethanstine426]

“I’m doing a favor for Georgie”. Georgie who has a podcast. Does this universe have alt versions of all the original cast?

[@MW-ug1zq]

Guys, guys, maybe the real Magnus was the Celia we met along the way

[@NowhereButHereAndThere]

This episode reminds me of the Extinction. The description of the people as thin, the fact that the event happened when there was arriving at the truck stop for a day, and the people lunging at the poor guy all remind me of the theme park the one raver found when entering the funhouse mirror.

[@Wragnaroq]

Holy shit. Lots of Gs in this episode.

[@undergnomes6248]

Really leaning into the this is a world wear Gertrude destroyed the archives theory now!

[@w1th3rsh1ns8]

I worked as a writing tutor for the last few years and I had to keep viciously beating back my running internal commentary on the written assignment in order to actually *listen* to the episode

[@FiendishAura438]

Gerry!!!! This is almost definitely the same Celia as the TMA one, and if that’s the case then when do you think she’ll tell Sam about what’s going on? Also Gewn still doesn’t what she got herself into which is interesting to me And to add a final point I noticed, Gwen said something about Alice giving her the talking cases. How would Alice know what cases are talkers?

[@kehlcassidy9562]

Alice definitely knows more than she's letting on.

[@mcr00kes]

If she is the same, and therefore the Eyepocalypse has happened in this world, what I am looking forward to finding out is how come nobody is recalling this event, since it appeared to be remembered after the world was reverted to normal. What happened since to cause this amnesia? Exciting stuff!

[@spenceduggs8449]

I swear to god, with all of these familiar faces popping up, I'm going to shit if Michael makes a comeback.

[@ChaosTsuki]

I GASPED SO LOUD WHEN HE SAID I GERRY

[@kehlcassidy9562]

I love Thursdays ❤ New TMP, new Foil, Arms and Hog, and new John Oliver. Yay Thursday!

[@fourth_wall_broken3550]

I feel so sorry for whoever had to grade that fucking essay

[@ahare7095]

THIS IS A CERTIFIED SPIRAL CLASSIC

[@bublesXD]

I'd say so too

[@iwannabeyahtzee8056]

Oh my God, Gerry! And he sounds HAPPY! 😍😍😍

[@seras1231]

My only question is, is Gertrude blind?

[@elliesteele2027]

Gerry: Visitors, Geegee! Gertrude: Yes I can see that.

[@undergnomes6248]

Could be figure of speech,a cheeky joke of hers,or flat out lie she says. After all this is the same woman who said she was going after the entities because her cat was killed

[@kehlcassidy9562]

She MUST be blind, she doesn't like Gerry's paintings!

[@captaincrazycreative]

Gerry is so happy! 😭😭😭

[@Yumeki-san]

I've literally rolled off of my bed and started freaking out when I realised that it really is him! TﾛT My father came into my room to see if I was okay.. xd

[@TheAntiChristsPlusOne]

I’ve been squealing and my family have been so worried about me 😭

[@Yumeki-san]

@@TheAntiChristsPlusOne same TﾛT my father said he thought I was possessed by a demon or something xdd

[@smudgeyfluff610]

i love this story as the idea of, what if buildings got lonely. what if they needed people to be in them to stay alove. what would a building see of the masses of humanity? what would it do to try and keep the people who constantly pass by, in sight by always out of reach?

[@trs16]

GERRY KEAY MY BELOVED

[@trs16]

Also I love that you can tell how much he delights in acting like Gertrude is his “GeeGee”

[@pyrosianheir]

I am SCREAMING on the inside. Gertrude was clearly still on the inside - might've even adopted Gerry as her grandson from the program - but the biggest thing is the references to Georgie! HA!

[@melissaharris3389]

These last few episodes are really starting to show the Fears aren't as differentiated into separate domains as they were in the other universe (if they ever really were). This was heavy on The Spiral and Lonely but with aspects of The Stranger, and even The Flesh. I don't think it was The Vast or Dark, but the void between universes that was 'outside' the windows. The restaurant being an interpretation of the entities waiting hungrily and desperately malnourished just outside of reality.

[@beans_of_jelly]

The spiral! My beloved

[@pygien]

HOLY SHIT GERRY IS BACK AND GERTRUDE IS ALIVE?! Edit: OMG HES HER GRANDSON Edit: YIPPIE WHAT THE GHOST IS REAL AND GEORGIE MENTION

[@belen.asteinle426]

You're playing with my heart! GG and Gerry 😭😭

[@alycat8413]

I'M GNAWING ON THE BARS OF MY ENCLOSURE WITH THIS ONE FRIENDS

[@spicybc8846]

Spoilers ahead Can we all agree that Celia got screwed big time? Imagine going through the hell world of the last show, only to end up in another dimension with all the fear entities running around again. I bet she's trying to find a way back home since now that's the *only* reality that won't have the fear entities

[@hamburgerdog25]

Okay real quick I love that Gerry finally got a happy ending. He was always my favorite. Also, why does this episode have two titles?

[@DickKickley]

Well fuck. Time to break out the corkboard, the index cards, and the colored yarn.

[@robyniguess5983]

vague spoilers 18:58 for any of my fellow gerry fans who plan to relisten to this part as many times as physically possible :)

[@fruitygarlic3601]

This is... Running On Empty food -- review!

[@dragonspen.trading4589]

It is interesting how you can see the original fears mixed together! Georgie! I love how I am seeing how it ties in with the original.

[@mo44majere95]

I AM SO CONFUSED RN!!!

[@dwell7315]

so this statements is interesting because the space messing with your head feels Spiral, especially liminal spaces, but then the empty mall feels Lonely, and the tower with a 360 view of the city feels Eye. Then the diners sound almost exactly like the crowd in Genoa, that Gerry helps that one woman get out of. THEN the diners start sounding like the Extinction carnival that one kid found by accident and told Adelard Dekker about. Once again a TMP statement seems to combine elements of many of the old entities. Also yeah Georgie (and maybe Celia as well) remembers coming from another dimension/world, Colin's being haunted by the Eye, Gertrude and Gerry are both alive? And related?? INsanity.