#and archive 81 is... also just ok

[flame-cat]

no spoilers but- does woe.begone have any whump in it? asking for... well. me.

[camlannpod]

3 from the Podcast Creator Ask Game

Ooooh thank you!!!! (Anyone who wants to play, link is here!)

3. What are some audio dramas that inspire you? Both in general and for your podcast.

Oh boy oh boy oh boy. Ok well first up I'm a certified Archive 81 girly, I have listened to s3e06 more than 10 times and I will listen again. I am also (somewhat controversially) a big fan of s2 and The Golden Age, as well as s3 (obvs), s1 and Left of the Dial.

I once interviewed @thesiltverses for BBC Radio 4 and what's really funny is that I am audibly significantly more excited to meet Jon and Muna than I was to talk to Neil Gaiman, in the same episode.

I adore Midnight Burger, I think it has such a beauty and a kindness to it that just fills my heart with joy.

Somewhere between inspiring me generally and inspiring Camlann is Unseen - man that show can do spectacular things with a monologue. Especially the university lecture episode and Disasterpiece. I regularly play Disasterpiece to students to teach them about sound storytelling.

For Camlann specifically - they ended up only releasing a few episodes before disappearing, but The Fause Knight was great. I love love LOVE what @nightshiftpodcast did with urban fantasy, especally queering fantasy and myths in really interesting ways. And I think in terms of the Buffy-esque shenanigans of it all, both The Haunted Hour and The Viridian Wild come to mind!

[cruesuffix]

Mick Mars Tattoo Tour

A criminally insane look into all the tattoos mick has, along with estimated guesses on when he got them. and because we’re once again losing the plot on the mick mars tag… an entirely too insane look into my mick brainrot. this is a two parter so this is the first post!

to begin, we’ll start with ‘83 (aka when i think he stared getting his tattoos) UPDATE: they all got this one done in may of ‘84 actually!!

as you can see, he��s most likely getting the mc tattoo that the entire band got together around ‘82. I think they even brought their tattoo artist out with them when they went on tour, just to get these tattoos. i wouldn’t say this was his first tattoo cause i suspect he got the forearm tattoo first!

according to kevin brady who designed this (along with other crue tatts), this is a guitar, skeleton, and flaming axe- backed by a crossed axe and a saber. i do think he got this right forearm tattoo around ‘83 cause i can’t really find any pics of it from ‘81-82. (first photo is around ‘81 (at least i think so) and as you can see his forearm looks pretty bare!) i do think he got the forearm tattoo before the motley tattoo but i can’t really prove that tbh…

(update: while chroncrue lists the date mick got his first tattoo as somewhere in may of ‘82, they mixed up what tattoo it was. he didn’t get the scorpion tattoo until much later, so that leads me to believe he got the skull guitar first before the motley tattoo.)

so… we skip right along to ‘86

yes, the right pic is from ‘86. this looks like it was around the time they filmed the uncensored video. of course, he got a tattoo of the bands mascot, allister fiend. i’m not sure if he had that tattoo in the video as well and i might have to rewatch it to see if i can see it. his hand doesn’t have the scorpion tattoo so i don’t think he got that one at this point, but im sure he got it a bit after this either way so it counts for both imo. so, he gets the second forearm tattoo around ‘86 and then the scorpion probably closer to the recording of the girls album.

then, things actually got a bit complicated for me and i really had to search through my archives for these:

i didn’t choose the best photos for these ones but i promise you this is true. he got the skull crossbone during the decade of decadence era and… to be honest, i thought he got it during the self titled era! i was going to spread my own misinfo on this site and wow… thank god i did a bit more searching!

from this, we go to ‘94, where he got that weird blocky tribal thing… i can’t explain it but you’ll see as we go further.

(update: chroncrue says the entire band got a “til death do us part�� tattoo around ‘92-93 (the og title of self titled) but… i don’t see any of them have a tattoo like that (that i know of), especially mick. so im not sure that’s 100% true. unless it is and im the liar here… i’ll have to do some extra research. anyways chroncrue says mick got his tattoo on his upper left arm, though these pics are very much focusing on his right arm but… i don’t know. im trying here folks!!)

update on the update: i actually think chroncrue was right. it does look like it’s says ‘til death do us part’ im shocked. im so dumb i thought it was just weird blocky things, no those are words Lily! ok so they were right. in like ‘93-ish he got their first album name for self titled tattooed on his left(??) upper arm. the entire band did actually.

alright, seeing as though i just hit my limit… i’ll have to make another post. this was really fun to make, also it just gave me an excuse to look at pics of him in my archive! see you in the next post!!

[lyss-overcomplicates-everything]

@len-the-neverending

Tsuki: any pronouns but he/him I use they/she in my head when civilian, it/ it's when vigilanteing. Lesbian, demi sexual. Lil bit of the ‘tisim, anxiety and PTSD. Also experimented on as a child, leaving a scar above and below their left eye and up their arms. They wear long sleeved dark shirts to hide this. They can turn into living shadows (as seen in the comic) and her powers are darkness/ moon themed. They have darkness tendrils, can functionally become invisible, mild teleport, can interfere with technology, can cause darkness, and their voice is changed to the point of unrecognizability. They do not need to eat or breathe while in that form, as well as having enhanced strength, speed, durability, etc. Their eyes were messed up really badly so they have really bad sensitivity to light and color, hence wearing goggle things when in human form. The goggles also kinda cover their eye scars, which they like. They gain more power with the moon. They sunburn ridiculously easily. When they were 19, they started doing vigilante stuff for personal benefit. Being a theater kid at heart, they gave themselves the name Nyx (after the Greek god of darkness).They don’t have a really rigid moral code, though they don’t like killing when unnecessary (as seen in the comic, they are fine with killing bigots). The government is also after them though they’re spotted a lot less than Flame. Nyx occasionally works with Flame and Crystal (who they do not know are their girlfriend/ friend) and enjoys their presence, but enjoys their own more. Normally, they’re a college student dating Ember and friends with Sunny. They are majoring in history (probably of super powered people) and minoring in creative writing. They’re quiet and reserved if you don’t know them, but sensitive. (now for all the projecting onto them) their main way of coping is to exit situations but when they cannot, they start to cry (no matter how badly they don’t want to) This gets Ember and Sunny defensive of them. They often have headphones in. They like books and audio dramas (but not TV due to their sensitive eyes) Adores Ember though has no idea how to show it, so they just kinda. Give her stuff. And exist in her proximity. And occasionally, out of the blue, say something along the lines of “I love and appreciate you and your company very much”. They also feel the need to state whatever emotion they’re feeling, especially if it has relevance to the people around them. (ex: “I’m concerned about your statement regarding your mother”) They like sarasam, though their visual/ auditory processing glitches so they often ask people to repeat themselves. They get quite defensive of their friends, however. Ok I’m done projecting. Their dynamic with Sunny is kinda chill, they like a lot of the same media and get in intense fandom conversations often enough that Ember secondandlidly knows the plot of several books/ audio damas. Tsuki’s favorites are Malevolent, Archive 81, and Wolf 359 (though I haven’t finished it yet ToT), and their favorite books are the Murderbot Diaries (though I haven’t finished that either) and their guilty pleasure, Skyward. (Their 3 favorite characters in all of them are (in order listed, then favorite to 3rd favorite) (Also if you don’t know any of these I know you like W359 and Skyward by Brandon Sanderson gives off like the same opposite vibe it’s literally so good you should give it a try because idk I think you’d like it (this probably is too many parentheses but basically it’s about this planet of humans who are trapped there by aliens and the mc is GREAT Arthur Lester would love her) anyway it’s great) Back to the favorite characters now: Lilith, Noel, John; Dan, Static Man, Chris; Lovelace, Eiffel, Hillbert; Murderbot, Captain Mensah, the Sexbot in book 2; Ironsides, M-bot, Jorgen)

THAT was a long ramble but you’ve opened the floodgates >:] ok. Physical description of Tsuki: Tall, 5 '11, they have short dark hair with quite pale skin. They wear thick goggles with a blue tint. They wear a tight, long sleeved and necked shirt that is a dark blue or purple. However, they have large, bulky cargo pants with many obviously stocked pockets and sturdy black boots. They wear dangly crescent moon earrings and a sun moon necklace. Nyx (vigilante persona): made completely of shade, short slicked black hair with blue highlights. Only the three left eyes are visible markers on its face.

[jarchivism]

Ok ok we need to settle a debate

A little context here, we have some TMA fictives (noteable mentions include Sasha who is the only reason we have our shit together, and Avatar swap Jon or as we lovingly call him Axe Murder Jon because well The Slaughter be like that but that’s a conversation for another day) despite never actually listening to the podcast because systemhood be like that

However that’s sparked some debate as to the hypothetical fear alignments of some people in front rn (we have literally nothing better to do). I mean me and Francis are shoeins for The Vast and The Stranger respectively but there’s one man we cannot agree on what his alignment would be. That being a certain Daniel Powell from Archive 81

Now the arguments right now are

1: The Eye, because well Archivist

2: The Spiral, because the guy does just occasionally lose his shit thanks to some source shit but yeah he goes just a little mad on occasion

3: The Lonely, because like he was isolated for fucking forever in source

Anyways we need a second opinion before this devolves into even more chaos

- 🌺🎨

For this, I have skimmed through the synopses of his source and I have decided to go with The Beholding. It feels reminiscent of what I have been through with this life. The spiral and lonely-ish style is also something I took notice, but it is more of being affected by those entities, and not being an avatar of them.

[libertineangel]

Hey Clashblr, check these out

Since there's a few of you around now that are still getting into some of the deeper cuts, I thought I'd put together a post highlighting some of the oft-forgotten obscure material for you to check out. Gonna stick it under a cut, 'cause there's a fair bit and Youtube links take up a lot of space on the dash.

Fasten your seatbelts, hold onto your hats, let's go yeah?

First up we have The Escapades of Futura 2000, lyrics by the man himself with music written & played by the Clash. Futura was the rapper on Overpowered By Funk, and also a graffiti artist who accompanied the band on the Combat Rock tour across the US painting stage backdrops live through the gigs. This particular upload is the 12" mix, which has a good extra minute over the version released last year on The People's Hall.

Here we've got the complete double-sided 12" 19-minute experience of This Is Radio Clash - the track we all know and love to open, then the more commonly remembered B-side Radio Clash (almost identical, not quite the same), then things get real funky with Outside Broadcast, and Radio Five ties it all together. Those last two have never seen a reissue on any compilation whatsoever, probably the most obscure tracks in their entire official discography.

This one's Robber Dub, a remix of Bankrobber from Mikey Dread (not to be confused with Rockers Galore, his other remix that actually features him on vocals). Featured on Super Black Market Clash but interestingly not in the "complete" Sound System box set, an omission that's always perplexed me.

Speaking of, I'd thoroughly recommend checking out both of the mentioned collections if you're not familiar, between Super Black Market & Sound System you've got every officially-released song other than those two Radio Clash extras - so, with that in mind, let's dive into the real offcuts that never even made it onto a record.

How's about seven and a half minutes of Topper playing around with a drumkit & piano to start us off? Some people still don't believe this is even The Clash, that someone scrounged up some random sounds and stuck it on a bootleg, but that's bollocks because I'm pretty sure bits of it ended up in Hell W10, their endearingly crap short film from '81 (watch it here, it's a 50-minute London crime drama). What people are wrong about is that it was ever going to be on Rat Patrol From Fort Bragg, because this is the real tracklist; relatedly, there's alternate mixes of most of those tracks around if you care to look for them, they're not hard to find, except for the high-quality acetate rip that surfaced two years ago that has been scrubbed off the face of the fucking internet, from the 20 minutes I just spent searching it seems even Internet Archive wasn't able to withstand the might of CBS. Anyway...

OK, so technically this one has made it to a record, but that record was the Vanilla Tapes bonus disc of the 2004 reissue of London Calling, it never actually got beyond demo stage. Honestly I doubt they ever really expected or intended it to, sounds to me like the band having fun in the studio, but fun it is. There's actually a few demo-only Vanilla Tapes tracks I could stick here, but this is long as fuck already so instead I will simply give you the lot to peruse at your leisure.

Sticking with demos that eventually got an obscure release, this one is from the Give 'Em Enough Rope sessions but wasn't heard until the On Broadway compilation in '91. It's a solid number of course, they hardly put a foot wrong, but it's nothing groundbreaking.

This is from that same compilation, from the same sessions, it's a cover of the classic soul tune and I like it. Understated, gentle but with that pained passion in the vocals Mick carries so well, and that nice subtle bass is a sweet touch.

Our last couple of tracks are live numbers, and this one's a special one-off performance with the great Beat poet Allen Ginsberg, from the 10th June date of their infamous Bond's residency. He wrote it specifically to perform with the band, six minutes of cantankerous complaining about just about any ideology you care to name while the band (and their sound man, gotta credit those perfectly-timed dub echoes) give a strident backing. Topper was on fucking fire for those gigs, just listen to that kick drum.

And finally let's close out where they began, way back in '76 with Keith Levene. This one's probably my favourite of their earliest offcuts, but personally I prefer an even earlier version of it that Youtube doesn't seem to have, from their third ever gig (and first known recording) at the classic Screen on the Green punk showcase. Five of the thirteen tracks on that setlist never made it to the studio, plus it includes the original lyrics to I'm So Bored With You, and it's all here.

[jamiekb]

Listening to TMA for the first time (Part VII)

Part I II III IV V VI

81-100

#81 A Guest for Mr. Spider: Ok, that was an interesting way to begin the season for sure. I do like the narrative that John has always been surrounded by these Entities, just out of reach until one day he won't be. Barely managing to get away time after time until he fulfills his purpose I guess? Anyway, good to know that Leitner books can take anyone away as long as they are able to read, no age requirement necessary. And I'm sorry John but I didn't doubt for a second that you were an annoying child (like outside the autistic coded aspect, or maybe it’s just that huh)

#82 The Eyewitnesses: Damn no wonder she doesnt go around sharing the origin of her nickname. It's so interesting to get to see more of Elias, up until now he's been just kinda doing his own thing, not really helping anyone too much. He can arrange for the CO2 cans but not security cameras, just decides to give John the key to the tunnels, only intervenes with the others when tension is too high. Is he like a manifestation of the Eye? He can tell your life story from a glance or at least when youve encountered the supernatural, knows everything about the Institute and its employees, and I'm sure will have something to do with John coming back to the archives. Weird guy. Also maybe he was the one to turn on the recorder? Or is it just sentient?

#83 Drawing a Blank: Ah ok so if I understand them the Stranger is anything that isnt quite human, just a bit off, just a bit uncanny. But is it enough that they are uncanny or do they need to take the place of someone? Or are those two different things/beings? Also may I just mention how nice of Georgie to let John stay at her house, and how gratefull they should be that John never takes about his other connections? friends??

#84 Possesive: Oh really can't trust Elias even a little bit anymore can we? Poor Martin with no way of knowing what he might do to anyone can't even warn Melanie properly. Hope we get to hear when Tim finds out and they should also really read her in on what they've gathered so far. I like her and wanted to see more of her, but not like this. Although I have to saw I'm not actually surprised, it felt like it was building up to it, maybe cause she was in the Institute so much it claimed her? Oh and what is that "to whoever is listening"? If they're just records then it's not completely unusual that who reads them switches, why the need to point it out? narrative reasons maybe but feels a bit obvious.

#85 Upon the Stairs: I think all of the possibly perspectives to look at the statements John has recieved are valid. Michael is dangerous. Many were once people but can't go back in a sense. And I'm sure they are sent by someone in the Archives, like Elias maybe? Love that John can interact like "normal" people with someone, can make a joke about a guy your friend is gonna date.

#86 Tucked In: I find it quite funny that both Martin and Tim are not confortable making statements for whatever reason, maybe because it's something only The Archivist does or just the general situation. This does go with my headcannon that John can give it that extra emphasis and feeling because he's the Head Archivist, kinda like Elias in a way. Although Melanie was quite good, love how she's still hesitant to believe the whole thing. And nice of her to agree to meet John, and of course he's paranoid enough to record just out in the world.

#87 The Uncanny Valley: wow, that was a dense episode. So this poor man encountered the operation by which these things wear human faces (like the mannequin at the store, the humans stuffed with saw dust, maybe even changelings), which is run by I Do Not Know You. They want to carry out the Unknowing, in collaboration with the Lightless Flame. Those are th ones seen with Agnes who could burn things and maybe the delivery guys??? The woman that had accompanied Agnes more closely is Jude Perry. Still a ton of questions: is the Devastion and the Unkowing the same? Have we encountered Jude Perry in a statement before? Who is Orsinov and is he related to the circus? Why is the circus now stalking John? And can someone please give Georgie and explanation and a medal for being such a good friend.

#88 Dig: Damn so it's the same calliope, how did they get a hold of it? Was it Elias? Did the Eye just kinda facilitated it to the circus? Also love how unsettled they all seem when they finish reading statements, nvm just John, the institute just kinda gives them the ability to really tell it how it is. I'm guessing Melanie was asking around because she's helping John. Weird that they don't remember the statement about the calliope, maybe they really just do some research but don't really read the statements.

#89 Twice as Bright: that was so cool!!! finally an insight into the Lightless Flame, kind how that lot feels, a bit of how the Eye also works. Also interesting how Perry says that it will consume you if you don't feed it. So maybe Gertrude investigating into things fed it and she was only killed because Elias deemed it so. So maybe John having like something to investigate is making him more stable??? And nice to know that John has an actual ability, weird as it may be. But also is there gonna be anything left of him by the end??? Scars from worms, burnt hand, what's next?

#90 Body Builder: I'm still wondering (maybe I'm slow on picking it up) is the tape just pressing itself whenever someone enters the room???

#91 The Coming Storm: web imagery but that's not the main thing obviously. Good to see John finally starting to learn what he can do, but still not enough John. So Daisy just goes around trying to kill the manifestation of entities? And hoefully that's not the last of Mike we see, it was nice to see how he operates. And would that work? Sure John is the Archivist but Elias is still part of the Institute, the Eye, who could triumph over the other? Or maybe just a stillmate? omg only when i listened to the next did I really understand that John was strangled, he's really just gonna be scars by the end of this.

#92 Nothing besides remains: well thanks Elias I guess for explaining most of those things. So Daisy will remain basically hired muscle for when Elias wants to, Basira is now tied to the Institute, indeed Elias has near unlimited power for aything pertaining the Eye but needs things to naturally develope so it doesn't interfere (or something??? so that it goes with the nature of the Eye i guess), John is back to work and will continue to slowly investigate more on this Unknowing ritual to stop the world from ending basically. What a good buildup to all of this it was, still hoping we'll see more of Michael, sure Elias doesn't like him but more because its a loose canon.

#93 Contaminant: well don't just leave it at that Georgie, give John a statement. Was she one of its victims?? Also I really hope that John manages to keep a nice normal friend outside the Archives, though I'm not hopeful. At least I hope nothing happens to the Admiral.

#94 Dead Woman Walking: I knew I would eat my words about Georgie being normal as soon as the last episode ended but still, damn. Well at least she's still alive and can maybe understand John so there's that. And yes John they have already told you that it still takes some effort, both Mike and Elias said that i believe, at least Elias, you're the Archivist now learn to listen and process.

#95 Absent Without Leave: Poor Martin, can't even have a breakdown in peace, but yeah it sounds like Basira that she would just stroll along, that's been her life since she's been sanctioned anyway.

#96 Return to Sender: Good to know that John still has a ways to go before he really gets how to compel. So he still needs to learn what to ask, how to ask and that his questions can give them as many answers as he gets. So now the Mimic thing knows that the Skin is loose somewhere or at least that the Archivist doesn't know where it is.

#97 We All Ignore the Pit: not a big surprise, but nice to know that the things that are mimics are the same at the circus. Weird to want that skin but okay to each their own. I just hope Orsinov didn't use Georgie's or the Adminal's voice box. Again John really is the punching bag of the entities

#98 Lights Out: oh Melanie, please be careful, i really like you. Hope John can come back soon so that poor Martin can stop reading statements, it kinda takes even more out of him than it usually does John. Good to know the Eye just kinda records whenever it can and wnats to. I understand how frustrating it must be Tim but it still recorded a conversation, get used to it.

#99 Dust to Dust: I think I'm starting to understand the running joke of "you look away for a second and John has been kidnapped again". Well that doesn't sound good for him, wonder if anyone will notice him or what they'll do to him. Give him a break you things, hes basically new to the whole thing, even Perry said it took her a while to understand.

#100 I Guess You Had To Be There: so you can really tell when John doesn't show up at work I guess. So which Lukas is that? Is that the fiancé? Or the one at sea? Or maybe they're the same, I'll be honest I have difficulty retaining the names. Even if they were all over the place the stories do bear resemblance to known entities: Agnes, the thing about the tunnels and the spider thing.

[alivehouse]

(While sending this ask I've accidentally found out what cool wallpapers (literally) you have on your desktop blog theme.)

Well, good day, my dearest horror podcast Virgil,

I, surprisingly to myself, actually finished "I am in Eskew" and enjoyed it quite a bit (which, I guess, could have been deduced by how much I spammed in the tag) even more surprisingly, considering I'm absolutely not a horror person - I substitute horror movies with their wikipedia retellings. Unironically.

Anyway, firstly, thank you! I definitely would have never discovered it without your recommendations!

Secondly, maybe you have something else like that stashed up your sleeve? I definitely need some time to recuperate, but I would like to explore more cool podcasts. (The only two limitations: short-ish - not much longer than this one, the view of a hundred+ episodes scares me; not gorier than this one/no actual jump scares - again, I'm a scardicat.) I remember you talking about "Mabel Podcast" and at the first glance it seems neat, but I'd like to hear your comments on it first.

Thanks in advance. :)

(thank you! its a william morris thing i edited a little lol) glad you liked eskew! its been fun seeing your thoughts on it popping up in the tag, not spammy at all.

i do want to mention that the creator of eskew also has another podcast called The Silt Verses, personally i havent listened to it for weird brain reasons so not sure how well it fits your criteria but ive heard its also very good

mabel podcast is another favorite! the creators of mabel and the creator of i am in eskew were both inspired by shirley jackson's the haunting of hill house to an extent iirc, so even though the stories are very different some elements of them have a similar 'feel' to them imo. i will say that mabel is very different stylistically though (especially the earlier episodes) which in my experience people seem to either love or hate. whereas in eskew you get a pretty continuous narration from david or riyo, in mabel youre mostly listening in on a series of somewhat disjointed voicemail messages. id definitely recommend at least giving the first few episodes a go, dont get discouraged if you dont feel like you dont understand whats happening right away. all you really need to know about the story going in is that youre following Anna, whos a live-in carer for an old woman named Sally. Anna is trying to contact Sallys next of kin (the titular Mabel), but shes strangely out of reach.

ok i know you said youre not a huge horror person but if you ever are feeling a little more daring id suggest trying out The White Vault. theres a small amount of gore (descriptions of finding hearts and teeth) and some uh. wet ripping sounds in it but its really not that bad all things considered, just know that it is straight horror though. its a found footage podcast that follows a group of people whove been hired to check out a remote outpost in northern norway thats gone dead, but a storm leaves them stranded there, and as time goes on it becomes clear that they arent exactly alone. this ones a little longer i think, but tbh ive only listened to the first two seasons, it felt like a natural place for the story to end to me

and then on the complete opposite side of the spooky podcast spectrum, if you want something thats a ghost story but really not horror at all imo, i just finished listening to Midnight Radio a few weeks back. this ones *really* short, like 10 episodes that are ~20 minutes each short, so its definitely lower commitment. in this one youre listening in on a radio show hosted by Sibyl, who died decades earlier but can still be heard waxing poetic about her hometown in the dead of night.

ok LAST ONE havent finished it so wasnt sure if i should rec it but a lot of people on my dash hype up Archive 81 so i thought id mention it at least. guy is hired to listen through a bunch of creepy tapes in some archive out in the middle of no where. classic horror podcast stuff. similar to eskew in that it pivots from mostly being mostly anthology into an overarching plot as you go on

[leefi]

TFTBN Read-through | Part 3: Chapters 22-34

Part 1: 1-14 | Part 2: 14-22 | Part 3: 22-34 | Part 4: 34-64 | Part 5: 64-80 | Part 6: 81-90 | Part 7: 90-100 | Part 8: 100-127 (caught up here)

I was flipping through the pages, looking for interesting parts, when a sheet of parchment suddenly came loose from another section much deeper into the book. Unlike the rest, the material looked new, probably only replicated in the last year or two.

Curious, I lifted it up, and folded it open. To my surprise, the text was dark red, and said--

YOUR LIFE IS IN DANGER

DO NOT TRUST ANY WITHIN THE INNER CIRCLE

FIND THE ARCHIVE ON THE TOP FLOOR OF THE MAIN BUILDING

REMEMBER YOUR OATH ⬇️ SHES GONNA GET MURDEREDDDDDDD WOOHOOOOOOO SWEEP SWEEP SWEEP SWEEP SWEEP

actually I wonder if Theodoros chan’s gonna get murdered actually. Son of a high-ranking member, asked Su to go to his room last night in front of everyone, was walking around alone with Su and Bardiya and milf mentor. Su would be the prime suspect with only Ran to vouch for her.

He was a young man, though not resembling of the others in our class. He had ear length, light brown hair, a light-bronze complexion, and quite delicate-looking features... Yet they somehow didn't come across as immature. In fact, he was surprisingly good looking, to the point that there was something reminiscent of a statue in his appearance. ⬇️ LUKA???????? Oh my god this guy acts exactly like Luka too Su said he was looking at her funny...does he recognize her, but she doesn't recognize him? I know a luka when i SEE ONE. THAT BOY KNOWS WHAT'S GOING ON. HE IS A LOOPER LIKE SU!!!

or maybe he's just silly idk!!! hehe

but why does he seem to remember/recognize her and she doesn't? does it have something to do with her request in the first chapter??? did she REQUEST TO FORGET??? how could u leave ur looping bestie like that wtf su that's so mean did he leave the note for her? he wasn't at the dinner!! maybe he slipped it into the book and knew she would read it then! hmmm but the note could have also been placed there long before they met and that wouldn't really explain the timestamp on when it was written...what was it 1-2 years ago? i guess not. omgggg iim so excited to see more of him i hope he doesnt die in five minutes ill be so sad forever

Falafel, pita bread with various stuffings, steak and egg porridge, cheese salad; high quality Ysaran food, all well prepared by Yantho, SWANA CUISINE SWEEPING THE NATION I still remember the shakshuka and lahmebajeen from ran and su’s lunch

I feel like kam has a crush on su and has no idea how to contextualize it beyond an academic rivalry — su is hopelessly in love with ran and completely unaware of the fact that she is — ran holds a dislike for su for some reason, but still cares for her. her feelings seem extremely complicated.

The ransu(? no names given but assuming) childhood scene on the beach omg…that was cute oh noooo 😭 ok they did get my ass with that one.

hmm idk if that was ransu because the other girl's personality was very different from ran's. but also this could have been long enough ago that ran's personality has drastically changed since then

Big brother is very good at his role! Sekhmet said. Unfortunately, he is also extremely stupid. He can only really think about the things he has been told to do. I have seen him try to think about other things, and it is slow and bad and embarrassing for everyone. ⬇️ Kindest younger sibling interaction

Ok here’s my death prediction list 1. Utsu (botched - she’s meant to be killed but someone dies in her place) 2. milf mentor 3. Theo 4. Another inner circle member/staff (probably a combination with 1+2) Regrettably I think kam is going to live forever

I’ve disagreed with kam on literally everything so far but especially this aversion she has towards solving a problem she won’t get to benefit from (“let us be the last”). She’s so…childish? It’s a very childish point of view.

this adherence to gender a lot of characters hold really surprises me...i figure this far out in the future everyone would be a lot more fluid!!! what's with this obsession with antiquity (@ the characters/setting not lurina)

What I also don’t understand is why humanity didn’t just clone from the original 10k then continue having children biologically (or like test tubeically. ykwim). Are 10k humans enough to avoid a genetic bottleneck? whats the minimum viable population size for humans I’m not a biologist

Ok according to one article the number is 98. That is too low. who said that. lets kill him Another says 14,000 ok if you average those two guys out you get 7k 🙄 they’re fine. assuming good genetic diversity from the source group you probably wouldn’t even need to monitor for inbreeding. Why are they doing this complicated shit and causing mental prolapse.

THAT BRINGS ME BACK TO THE POINT ABOUT THE CLONES TOOOOO CLEARLY THEY HAVE THE TECH TO MAKE VIABLE CLONES WITH A CLOSED & SAFE SOURCE SUPPLY WHY ARE YOU WORKING AGAINST BIOLOGY…UR EFFORTS WOULD BE BETTER SPENT DEVELOPING A WAY TO TRANSFER HUMAN CONSCIOUSNESS FROM ONE BODY TO ANOTHER RATHER THAN MAINTAIN AN AGING BODY!!!!

Hmmm. Actually I wonder if Su’s grandpa had a similar idea. Considering the weird identity thing she has going on. Nothing to explicitly suggest this yet i think? just somethign to keep in mind considering he was voted off the polycule

I also wonder if that was related to the conversation regarding the Phoenix and the Dragon. maybe transfer of consciousness leads to loss of memory? But that wouldn’t make sense if the tech was perfect, everything would move over, leaving the old body a blank slate…what would that do to a brain, psychologically, seeing one’s former body in a dead state? also what would it do to an empty brain to suddenly be inhabited by foreign electrical synapses harboring thousands of memories preferences likes/dislikes etc. would it fight back/resist?

Im thinking back to those scratches on the wall in the kitchen. Obviously super freaky shit like 10 chapters ago but we had no context to it (we still don’t) so it was like whoops! There’s that. lol. Couple things: - did someone bake the missing chef into 🤔 a roast? - those tally marks may have been the missing chef’s and she was trapped in that room for years (thousands of marks, I think they said. Denoting days, maybe?) and then she died - But that doesn’t explain the distinct lack of skeleton in the room. Or in the roast - who would have it out for the chef - why - Hmmmm - You guys ever read that short story in high school english about the lady with the rack of lamb and the officers

Anyways that chef is definitely deads. In the kitchen? Probably not. In their tummies? Noooo (<- secretly hoping yes). Floating in the abandoned plane ocean? Yassss

Lurina is AMAZING at dropping really disturbing nuggets in the middle of a passage then distracting the characters/keeping things going. I just wish I was more engaged with the pacing :(

Good heavens," Kam exclaimed. "Are these guns?" They were, and in no small number. I could see at least fifteen rifles and ten pistols, and they weren't antiques. They looked like refractor weapons, the bronze still carrying the vivid sheen of recent production ⬇️ If this story turns into a COD lobby in the next 5 minutes im reading it forever

WTF DEAD CHEF SWEEP

Ok I have to put a bookmark on where I am in the story so far. Chapter 33! I will continue to read through it slowly but am done with the reactions for now :) bye byeeeeee

[clownhonkbonk]

to any interested here are my reactions i remembered to write down for the magnus archives in it's entirety :3 it's not too many bUt this is what you get

the episode numbers are written with them!!

ft me trying to understand the story with a great deal of pain writing on my phone in my notes app mostly at 1 am

REACTIONS 👀

56 sub statment thinf w martin

avtually got tears in my eyes. i love you martin. i love you jon. im so happy he just went " avtually, im rather relieved " or whatever bc hell yes girl u are so unwell.

this show is so addicting.

57

OMG 28 DAYS LATER MENTION!!!! THE END IS EXTREMLY FUCJING NEIGH!!! not the reference but excited

spooky.

WAY too attached to them

58

only just skipped the add and " episode Fifty-Eight. Trail Rations" And immediately went " oh NO !! cannibalism :( " and the read the description like LMAOO everytime there's anything relating to food in this podcast i just go " oh no it's cannibalisim "

holy shit it's a woman cannibal, diversity WIN

WHAT THE FUCK I REALISED WHATS HAPPENING WHEN THEY'RE BOTH DEAD

benjamin wtf homie this is NOT good bedroom foreplay

ouuugg auch good writing.

i understand the possible cannibalisim thing now

YES JON OFC THEY R WORRIED ABT YOU YOU DUNBASS IM CRYING PLS

at lwast he doesn't think it's martin as much anymore ❓❓❓❓

i NEEEED to stop going through s1 animatics but QOW this fanvase is awesome i love all the designs.. i used to think martin and tim were the same person for a few episodes

65

honestly hell yeah tim. shout at jon for being weird. but also sike you can't leave.

66

insane.

81

ok im like halfway through this but like so for the deities / entities that r silly

we got

eyes, spider, diseases / insects ( though they maybe different ) and meat maybe???? maybe there's just three..

83

oh oh the guys r all core fears / most common fears, one extra is THE STRANGER OOOOoooOooooO

84

i love you martin for filling in n trying to take over for jon ur such a cutie

idk how much i believe that elias did it but like all evidence does point to that

86

actually love their lil dynamic. cuties.

103

OUUUGH JON WHAT THE FUCK DID U USE UR BRAIN POWERS ON HIM WTFFFFF

104

martin is getting spaceyyyyy uh oh.... be careful bb..

107

jon have you been DRUGGED?!?! (8:00)

jon bb mayb take a break you seem to be like having iron deficiency LMAOO

111

ok we got 14 whores of the universe

1 end - death

2 eyes

3 vertigo

4 the stranger

5 the spiral - madness

6 isolation - fear of being alone / seperated form ppl

7 burning/fire

8 the desolation

9 the slaughter violence

10 the web - also being manipulated

11 the vast

12 filth disease insexts

13 claustrophobia

14 darkness

the meat ❓❓❓

124

OUUUGH HE LITERALLY DITCHED THE RECORDING JUST TO RUN AFTER MARTIN the gays r getting to me

126

WHAT HTEH FUCKKK !>??!?!?!? !??

bro this is NOT therapy. bro ham lukas peter you dickwad what the fuuuuuuuuuuuck.

ISOLATION??????????????????????? WHY IS THE ISOLATION GOD POKING AT MARTIN ?!?!?!?!?!?!??! DICKWAD??!?!?! ?criyng asobbign why

i actually low key love lukas " dynamic duo " is sO funny sjkdjk

martin i miss u come back it;s not woRTH ITTTTTT

fuck i draw jon like trent crimm if he was a twig and gayer and green

131

i physically recalled at the start they've IMPROOOVED their aUDIO... fucking crazy.

also bitches be bitching ( jon AND melane )

honestly fuck yeah helen girl

133

girl is dealing wth SOOO much trauma poor girl........... jeez.

cannot stop thinkin about martin :(

i miss tim.

134

WOOOO MARTIN

WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH HE LEFT THE TAPES FOR JON WTF

the buried / cave

the end

the corruption / filth

the dark

the desolation

the eye

the flesh

the hunt

the lonely

the slaughter

the spiral

the stranger

the vast

the web

135

feeks like they're reading together but w a wall in the way which is sad

142

MARTIN PLEASADEEE

also jon what the fuck please don't be a dick this lovely lade lost her job and gained so much trauma.

143

jon stop using ur thing constantly on people it makes me worried for you and insanely pushes you to not being human.

jon i know she tried to hurt you both but ur being so mean, im WORRIED.

hell YES hellen

144

martin im still upset at you for going " why does no one tell me anything !!!! " while literally avoiding them and asking yhem not to talk to you!!! wtf broham.

anyway loving this story

145

gertrude what a girl holy cow<3

146

IM SO WORRIED ABT MARTIN AND JON GUUUUUUH WHAT THE FUCK.

150

jon u r so self destructive...

151

holy ahit simon fairchild..

154

what the fuck im sobbing what is this good omens bullshit i love it but im crying not really but like heartbreaking????

171

i don't know if jons gonna survive if he doesn't stop getting weird and weirder.

also adorable "is he your boyfriend?!"

" yes actually "

jon what the fuck w u n these flesh flowers

ok hi!! thst was the last one.:3

i didn't write down reactions for further episodes but if we can bring our attention to me writing at some point ( in early season 5 ) in my sketch book " 10 bets jon or martin dies at the end "

[charlemane]

it feels kind of dumb to complain about something as niche as bad prosopagnosia representation? but also every time i see this condition depicted in fiction they do it so, so stupidly

[poly-space-nerds]

i started watching the Archive 81 show first and I really, really enjoyed it. I went in to the podcast thinking about certain scenes in the show that i was excited to hear. Then I learned that it is a completely different show. Like they share names and thats it. I still love the show for what it is (although fuck netflix for changing so many things) i wish they had said ‘based on’ and named it something different. I can see why ppl who listened to the podcast first are upset. Still, I’m excited for the second season of the show and for the fourth season of the podcast.

[hotmothsummer]

Falling back in love w archive 81 so hard oh no

[measureyourlifeincake]

anissapierce replied to your post “something feels kind of off about the pacing of this (especially in...”

I listened in s1 in 2016 n the pacing didnt rlly feel off but on ky relisten it was fast ? But i profoundly prefer it, marcs stated his disinterest in mystery boxes n im w him on tht

ok so my thing with the pacing is this: it’s not so much about the pacing of the mystery itself (which felt a little weird, but in a way that i can accept more easily), it’s about the change in dan. or at least... his acceptance of it, i guess? i mean, we got enough in the show that i could understand what was going on, but i didn’t really feel it. like, the fact that in one conversation he’s like “fuck this i’m leaving” and after basically a few words from his boss he appears to just accept that he Needs to Listen To The Tapes and he is a Different Person Now. And it definitely makes sense, but something about it just felt sudden to me.

now part of this may just be a product of binge listening vs. listening as it comes out, because if you have two weeks to sit with every episode and think about the characters, then your brain can easily fill in the gaps that seem to exist when you’re listening to 8 episodes in a row or whatever

also, again, i’m used to tma pacing where, not only are the seasons about 4 times longer, but also it took a journey of hundreds of episodes for the protagonist to truly understand what/why he was doing/becoming and become comfortable with that (which he still hasn’t? maybe? sort of?). i am. phrasing this badly but i hope you get my point. it’s just different. i’m used to a different thing but it’s similar enough that my brain expects it to be the same

[lostnlucky]

ok here are my two cents on the archive 81 netflix show. this is just for catharsis at this point.

i’ll start with this: i tried to enjoy the tv show as a stand alone story. i knew going in that a lot of the source material wasn’t going to be preserved for the visual adaptation because? it can’t be, the original show was so tied to the audio medium that they were going to have to gut the story in general to make it work for netflix (which is a point for a whole, separate post about why podcasts don’t need tv adaptations, but i’ll let it rest for now).

what i wasn’t prepared for was how thoroughly the plot was gutted. netflix’s archive 81 is a shell of a narrative, even when not compared to the source material. it’s a story without a theme. there’s no purpose. there’s no meaning. it’s a cult narrative about a world-destroying demon that doesn’t examine anything about our world.

the plot doesn’t take risks. it doesn’t present me with anything new. it doesn’t introduce anything fresh or compelling. i’ve heard this story a thousand times in a thousand horror movies, except this time its just rewrapped in old cassette tapes. 

beyond that, the cult narrative that they concocted for the story doesn’t fit cleanly into the world. the “other world” that the demon resides in isn’t meant for this story, it’s just a remnant of the previous narrative that got left over. i almost wish they had removed it entirely in favor of trying to make a better, more compelling, and more complete story.

this isn’t to say that the show didn’t have its moments. the visuals were fun. the short introductions to each of the episodes were interesting and well-done. the casting for the most part was pretty nice. as a podcast listener, i really enjoyed the subtle nods to dead signals and golden age in mark’s job, the deep vault posters, the auction tapes, etc.

but beyond that? you have a story that’s painfully mediocre at best. it’s basic, predictable, an ok watch. if i wasn’t someone invested in the podcast, i’d never think about it again. maybe i wouldn’t have picked it back up after the first episode.

now that i’ve done the basic “here’s what the show is without comparing it to the podcast,” let’s just get into this.

this show sucks as an adaptation. queer erasure (and also? making more characters lesbians to try and make up for it and then that character being evil? was a Choice (derogatory)), melody’s characterization, and the thousands of other valid criticisms that people more knowledgable than me are discussing aside, this show is gutted of its original purpose.

archive 81 was, at its heart, about corporate greed. this is a podcast about a man being driven to paranoia by the constant surveillance of a corporation that doesn’t care about him or his well being, which is driven home in season 2 (which, spoilers, is entirely about a new world being seen as a frontier for corporate greed and profits, and employees being dehumanized in order to further those goals).

the crux of the show is how far a corporation (LMG) is willing to go for profits, to the point of essentially sacrificing dan in order to unlock the tapes and creating people like Suit (who is a person who has literally been turned into a meat suit for executives of LMG to wear so they can interact with employees in the other dimension without risking the dangers of going there themselves). 

and as a reaction, archive 81 becomes a story about people fighting for survival in a corporate hellscape. how far people have to push themselves to get some modem of power (see marc and the golden age). how powerless these people are in the face of greater, unthinking things that don’t care about them or view them as people (see payphone and visser, as well as everyone employed by LMG). 

netflix’s adaptation preserves none of that. and how can they? its a story that critiques the company that they are, and netflix falls into the same hole that many large film/tv show companies do by missing the point of their narratives because they can’t bear to be introspective for a moment.

by gutting that meaning out of the narrative, they create something flimsy, weak, and forgettable.

[a-mag-a-day]

S3 Trailer

With our first sentient of its kind in MAG 80 there is now again focus on tape recorders right at the beginning.

Daisy seems to be very wary of this place and its people after what she experienced with Jon.

Oh, I totally forgot we hear the calliope in this! I totally thought the trailer was just about the interviews for the murder on Leitner. I mean, yeah, this season's big bad is the circus.

I already said it in my ask to MAG 80, yay we finally reached the plot! xD I mean, of course things happened in S1 and 2, Prentiss, Gertrude, Not-Sasha, the Archives being "haunted". But this is nothing compared to how the story progresses from now on, especially when Jon starts to meet with avatars, leading up to MAG 92. I do like both. I like the story which is happening to our archive crew and I like the statements and their meta-plot. Every season has it's pros and cons. But I think, after S2 I was properly gripped by it, seeking out more activities, that would allow me to listen. So to get a feel for my progression: MAG 1 bis 19: Start of September 2020 - July 2021 (11 months) MAG 20 - MAG 40: July 31st 2021 - August 19th 2021 (20 days) MAG 40 - MAG 80: August 19th 2021 - September 2nd 2021 (15 days) (Season 3 did have a bit of a break in it for me because I went on vacation when I was done with MAG 93 on September 5th and couldn't listen for a week. Which also means that I listened to MAG 81 to MAG 93 in 4 days, oops xD)

So as the story gets faster and faster, so did I xD I think the structure does make sense as well. In-universe, Jon had to be eased into this to have enough time to develop his powers, but it couldn't have happened too fast or he would have simply died (ok, he probably could have handled a bit more than your average Archivist because the Web was rooting for him). Now that these powers are developing and getting stronger it makes sense to push him more. And it also makes sense for us as audience for a very similar reason. We had enough time to get to know the world. There's little more I hate in stories than when they immediately introduce too many character and too many not yet connected story lines and get into the action way too fast so I lose track of what happened. TMA was starting a biiiit too slow for my liking (That's why it took me 11 months for the first half of S1. This and S1 prick!Jon), but I guess I also wasn't in the right headspace for it at the time. Sorry, rambling too much about the seasons in general^^

Wow that's a pretty comprehensive recollection of your experience! I don't have good memory, I just know I binged tma pretty quick

I have to say I think the tape in MAG 80 was not supernatural but intentionally planted by Elias for... Later use as we'll see :)