THE MAGNUS ARCHIVES
ฝัง
- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 6 เม.ย. 2020
- MAG122 - Case #0150102 - Lorell St John
Statement regarding zombies.
The Magnus Archives tells the tale of a person whose encounters suggest there may be more to zombies than are dreamt of in their philosophy.
Content Notes: Body horror, existential horror, impostors, mortality, stalking, undead
Starring: The Archivist - Jonathan Sims; Basira Hussain - Frank Voss; Georgie Barker - Sasha Sienna
Writer: Jonathan Sims
Director: Alexander J Newall
Editors: Alexander J Newall, Elizabeth Moffatt, Brock Winstead
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Jon,5 minutes after waking up from a 6 month coma: "Statement of-"
Nothing like a quick pick-me-up after a 6-month nap. lol
I THOUGHT THAT WAS A JOKE UNTIL I GOT TO THAT BIT
He must have been famished
I mean an Archivist's got to eat
@@lordbaphie agreed 😂
the way Jon said "what did he do to Martin" sounds like this man bouta be outta the hospital and directly into a fistfight lol
As well he should. Martin is to be protected.
he fucking would lmao
he rly said (ง'̀-'́)ง
My thoughts exactly! His tone was so dark all of a sudden
Finally found a comment that is not too formal lmao
This is the first time Jon has refereed to himself not as “head archivist of the Magnus institute” when opening a statement, but simply; the Archivist. Someone sure has grown into their avatarhood!
Just wanted to comment the same xD
It is telling that Gertrude kept referring to herself as the head Archivist up until her death, she never accepted her role as an Avatar
@@rachelheer7715 I don't think she ever said head archivist in previous season.
@@AL-jg4prYep she always said "Gertrude Robinson recording"
@@rachelheer7715 yeah, based on her just saying her name when recording, it seemed like she was avoiding becoming an avatar of the eye (though how she managed to do that for 50+ years while Jon became one after less than five is something I'm unclear on) on purpose. and this is why Elias was able to kill her. she may've been given the same choice Jon was, but I suspect not-- even if she had, why would she choose differently after fifty years?
basira saying she'll get him *better* clothes sent me, what sort of grandpa outfits did jon wear these previous seasons
This is an excellent question. Thank you for sharing this enlightenment, as now all I can picture is Jon having a Hawaiian shirt recording statements.
@@Mothlocks that's awful I love it
ive been drawing him in a shirt and boring sweater vest lmao
@@f_mva or like, a brown jacket with patch elbows.
@@Barely_Here oh that's awful, he _definitely_ wears that
I love how they're just sitting on the end of the bed and Jon rises from the dead and their reaction is just "JEEZ YOU SCARED ME eww why are you awake"
The Avatar racism is real.
Remembering the season 1 crew and realising Martin and Jon are the only ones left
I still miss Sasha
My heart aches for Sasha and Tim every day
Elias is still around. He's not dead!
@@mimkyodar don't remind us
@@mimkyodar if we work hard enough we can change that
jon: statement recorded by jonathan sims-
me: head archivist of the magnus institute, london
jon: -The Archivist
me: 👁👄👁
👁
@@voidjockey82 VOID WHAT THE FUCK
LITERALLY THOUGH
I swear I could HEAR a tiny little smile when Jon woke up and scared the girls. That or I've officially lost it.
I heard it too
I heard that too…I think it made me certain that he hasn’t lost himself completely to the eye
it honestly made me happy hearing him jump outta no where dnxnxnbxxnnx
Our little jokester 💖💖💖🌸🌸🌸🫰🏻🫰🏻🫰🏻
same tho
Jon really said "what did he do to martin?" like his skinny ass is gonna jump out of the hospital bed and fist fight Elias and/or Peter in a dennys parking lot if he found out either of them did do something to martin
hospital gown & all with his frail fists up
Just gonna pick up the IV-Drip and use it as a club.
@@voidjockey82 the mental image of this is absolutely sending me 😭
I wanna thank this comment section for the mental images lmao
BRO IM CRYING IDK Y I FIND THIS SO FUNNY
*Lorrell:* describes identifying these zombies by the way they fake emotions and reactions
*Me, an autistic person who has to fake my emotions and reactions to fit in with a neurotypical society:* sweats
Masking is a weird social construct indeed
LITERALLY SAME
Eyyy, glad I'm not the only one thinking that
I literally had the same thought
Neurodivergent, disabled, and deeply traumatized people: *exist*
Lorrell: I've cracked the fucking code
Man, Jon was stuck in that horrific avatar dream loop for 6 months? Oof.
I mean, he had lots of dreams to go through at least???
Oh dear I thought I was only a week. 😥
@@mimkyodarnot that many though, especially since Martin burned some of them. When Elias narrates in 120, they're specifically mentioned. More horrifyingly, all of the people who gave those statements were experiencing SOMETHING during that six months. Probably nothing good.
It's interesting that despite accepting his role as an Avatar of the Eye, he's still trying to retain his humanity. He still very much sees himself as human. I'm really worried about what this season will do to that humanity he has left.
Honestly SO RUDE he gave your comment a heart. That's like, a threat, might as well be mocking your fear.
Well, that heart scares me more than any story we heard so far. Great
I came back after finishing the show and yeah, that was a freaking threat
@@bananaboatcharlie I hate this heart so much now that I also finished the podcast
The best way to describe my feeling of seeing the heart of this comment, as a very-late-to-the-party first time viewer:
Backing in a corner, wielding a crucifix, screaming nonsensically
Did Jon just fucking wake up from a 6 month coma cause he heard the word "statement"
I feel like it had more to do with having heard a live statement beforehand too
i just want one person to be happy Jon woke up from a 6 month coma. is that too much to ask
Right?? I bawled
I'm holding out hope for an excited Martin
Some creepy dead avatar of the End seemed to want him back more than any of them, lol.
I don't really understand Georgie. Why are they demanding answers from him and getting upset when he can't be sure about the answer? He's been mostly dead for the last 6 months, c'mon!
Wait until Martin sees him ^^
@@jaderush4141 I think because she knows that if he is fine then hes not really human anymore and it probably worries her.
Lorell: *has autism*
The Lonely: It's free real estate.
Feels more Stranger to me - that twisting of perception, that idea that you don't actually know what or who other people are.
Ky0dar Thought the same
This feels more like Sociopathy as it has been explained to me. Granted my Autism might manifest differently than this person's. But while I have trouble figuring out people's expressions, I rarely think they have no inner life.
Jessamyn Pratt
Sociopaths don’t (usually) think that either. It’s just easier for them to disregard.
Ky0dar honestly it feels like the Spiral, the Lonely and the Stranger, like she feel like her sense don't quite make sense anymore (in a way) lost in a crowd of unknown (well the zombies but the way she describe it they're not people anymore, and that "because" of the Spiral) and alone by her own
jon wanting but not having a cup of tea, the hallmark of martin's presence.............. ouchie
Big oof! Apt beginning for this season, honestly... 😞
They always make fun of Martin for solving everything with a cup of tea well whos laughing now🤣
yeah i was thinking the same thing...
God... Thinking about how in the last episode, Oliver mentioned how Jon "wasn't human enough to die" but wasn't "inhuman enough to escape" and had to "make a choice" between the two. I know him waking up was already telling enough, but man, that "the Archivist" at the beginning really cemented it.
I noted that too and thought it was a cool and subtle way to do it.
when rusty quill creates characters, do they all have to drink I Hate Jon Juice as the final step of the process?
martin went home early that day
jonathan sims, mad genius, ruthlessly torturing his namesake
@@f_mva that might've been meant as a joke but that's exactly what he told his parents to do a couple episodes back
Jonny sims himself bathes in it every night
Basira coming in with statements
Jon: I smell drugs
Well, well, well, how the turns have tabled... And Georgie thought Jon didn't have it in him to do drugs.
What kind of nerd is addicted to reading lmao
@@table2.0 The eye entity
I'm kinda hurting for Jon,,, like he comes out of coma of terror to Georgie saying she wished he hadn't woke up and Basira not all that happy to see him either. I understand both their reactions, Georgie simply wishing Jon didn't have to get involve with anything in the first place and Basira missing Daisy and possibly blaming Jon for her death. Jon needs an 8 year paid vacation.
Why is everyone hating on Jon. He has almost no control on what happens to them.
Longer he needs early retirement
@@horrificreader4084 He's the easiest punching bag theyre too scared to lash out at Elias anymore
I guess they think he’s not human anymore (which isn’t wrong) and they’d prefer him dead over becoming like the other avatars they’ve met
I think Georgie is actually disappointed he chose to become an Avatar instead of staying human. He would've died if he stayed human, but now he chose life and isn't human anymore.
Do I understand her? Not really, I'm listening to it for the second time and I remember getting very angry at her the first time... But I think I understand her train of thought, though. She was kinda stuck in his comatose dream, too.
Georgie: What does it mean?
Jon, immediately waking up from a 6 month coma: *that’s a very good question-*
welp... its official... tim is vibin with sasha, gerry, and michael in the afterlife now... *my heart is not doin good rn...*
They're kayaking.
From all the "Tim's kayaking" comments I saw before the episode, I... I really thought Tim had gone kayaking on a trip with a deathwish to never come back to the Institute and that was how he died. :( I guess saving the world isn't as bad, but idk, the kayaking trauma hasn't left me.
@@mimkyodar ok but genuinely where did the kayaking joke come from
@@odditycat2716 i believe it Was a post-season Q&A?
@@-S.L. genuinely thought the same too so i was in huge denial till they confirmed his death :(
some people are dead inside lorell that's called depression not being zombie
thats what i was thinking too lol
Does that mean we can blend in with them?
Of course Georgie of all people can see avatars of Death...
Takes one to know one.
What?!!! She is an avatar too?
@@aaronpaul2651 Connected at least.
Aaron Paul of the End
@@aaronpaul2651 She's not an avatar of the end like, say, Jon or Daisy are. She's more... marked by the End, like how Melanie is marked by the Slaughter.
she doesnt feel fear but sees it instead
Jon wants tea= Jon wants Martin
This makes total sense here but I can't stop thinking about "tea is gay, phone is love" from the Sherlock fandom. *shudders*
YESSSSS
yeah i was thinking this too!
in that case jon is just like me fr
Our brains r connected
I sWEAR TO GOD IF PETER LUCAS DID ANYTHING TO MARTIN I WILL probably cry, a lot.
Offers you a box of tissues. "Just in case"
This is late but would you like a cup of tea
give martin a break challenge (ง'̀-'́)ง
👀
the clock going in this room reminds me of the clock in elias's office. ive a feeling he's still watching...
most likely is :P I don't think such a detail would be left to chance
also sounds like a small crowd outside his room when listening with head phones.
he most likely still is, but it also just sounds like a normal hospital room. tho there's more people talking outside then i've ever heard.
He’s got nothing to do BUT watch in jail, I guess
Jon [after waking from a 6 month coma]: WHAT DID ELIAS DO TO MARTIN?
Basira: Elias is in jail. We have a new Head of the Institute. It's Peter Lukas.
Jon: WHAT DID PETER LUKAS DO TO MARTIN?
My man has his priorities straight upon waking up, I see 😌😌💙💙
Also, "Water, please..
.... or- or maybe a cup of tea-!"
Not straight, his priorities are more gay than that
the way his voice got suddenly panicked when he asked "oh god, martin, is he okay??" and then furious when he demanded "what did he do to martin"
"Statement by Jonathan Sims, *the Archivist*"
No more "head archivist of Magnus Institute" i see... Jon accepting fully his role
as someone with ocd who suffers from intrusive thoughts similar to the statement giver this is one of the first statements where my emotional response isnt "wow cool horror story" and is instead actual terror
big same
there's always that one statement in this series that terrifies you, specifically. like it appeals to your set of deep fears so well that it makes you shake with terror the way none of the others do.
There's an old adage - if you're afraid of it, The Magnus archives has an episode about it :P
Wow, cool comment~
6 MONTHS????? Also, hearing Tim's death be confirmed without a doubt... it's really depressing. It feels so weird knowing he won't turn back up
my heart hurts for tim... i miss him :(
He's with Sasha and his brother now!!
Rest peacefully king
statement giver: I can't recognize the emotions in other people, and struggle with empathy
also statement giver: I can totally make an Accurate Judgement on whether this person's feelings are real
JON ASKED FOR A CUP OF TEA, AND I CAN'T REALLY TELL IF IT'S BECAUSE HE MISSES MARTIN OR BECAUSE HE IS JUST *THAT* BRITISH
Is the soulless horde what we're calling the kids these days?
ye. didn't you get the pamphlet?
@@tin-_- damn this guy didn't get the pamphlet
@@f_mva There was a pamphlet?? Damn. Guess I mustve missed that meeting
As someone with OCD, troubles with empathy, and dissociation.. Rusty Quill is really out here just, like, calling me tf out huh
I don't know if you'll see this after two years, but I've got OCD and troubles with dissociation and I was wondering if you could explain how the two play into each other? Because this episode hit far too close to home for me, and I'd like to understand a bit more of why my brain is like this.
i relate, but i like to imagine the actual zombies are different and we're just the ones who can blend in with them? or are on the cusp of becoming them ourselves if we're in the universe?
@@Tristan-M-1i have reality issues and OCD, obvi not the same thing but for me the intrusive thoughts kinda twist reality for me so it might be those mixing together
"Oh, or a cup of t.." I see you Jon ;)
This one went from “local jaded woman discovers video games” to “local paranoid woman discovers autistic people” to “local aspect of the lonely chooses violence” VERY quickly
Jon: “The Archivist”
Me: whoa careful buddy ur starting to worry me
“can i just have a cup of tea?”
that’s it. i’m officially dead.
Nice timing on the wake up jon. Nice jump scare. Also the slow recovery of jon's voice as he reads the statement is amazingly done, plus the topic has alil irony in it.
jon: escapes death
first thing to do: read statement
Me: of course
Man i feel really bad for jon. Also "What did he do to Martin!" and "or a cup of t-" (betting my money he was gonna say tea) really shows how much Jon cares and listens. He may not seem like the nicest in s1 but he has grown alot on me since then.
I love how this statement is simply, “schizophrenic person discovers autistic people”
Seems like The Stranger.
Also I just need at least one raised voice from happiness because Jon woke up. Please, where the f is Martin.
To me, it felt more like the Lonely, especially considering that this is the first statement that's been read since Peter was put in charge of the institute; makes sense thematically.
I clocked it as more Stranger, with the person repeating things mechanically and being hollow inside. Very uncanny.
But there are certainly elements of Lonely. Being alone in a crowd and all that.
The Fears do tend to bleed together. There’s no harsh delineations between them. This seems like it’s in that grey area, with a slight lean towards Stranger.
How the guy in the statement talks about other people is the most creepy thing in this episode. Wait, is this the npc-meme?
The Stranger does that to weaker minds...
That's just how social anxiety be, tho /s
Nah you're just neurotypical
Nah but fr
I'm hurting for Basira and Daisy, man
"Statement recorded by Jonathan Simms. 'The archivist'." I squealed!!!!
"Starring: The Archivist - Jonanthan Sims;" woooooooooooooooo !!!
I like how the statements are becoming a "guess wich entity is this"
Like i was listening to this with how all the people seem empty and i thought "The End, The End, The End" but then i remembered the "i feel like the only one" and had the realization "The Lonley!"
This specific aspect of the Lonely also seems kind of connected to the Stranger to me
could be both, as the entities were said to overlap sometimes.
“Oh, or, uh, a cup of t-“ had no right making me cry this hard
This is the kind of statement that Jon would immediately dismiss as a joke in season 1.
Good Lord, the man hasn't even been fully in the world for more than 10 minutes and he's already got a statement in his hand. And I love that jon slowly got better as he read into the statement and I love that detail
Edit: This statement made me question my reality and I am not liking it one bit
John being sad that Martin isn't here when he wakes up is just the best thing!
Well, me too, I am sad that Martin wasn't here when John waked up.
The jig is up gamers, we've been found out
SCATTER
The Archivist. Not head archivist of the Magnus Institute. He just says the Archivist, with a capital A.
"How do you know you're the same person who went to sleep?"
You may be interested in: "The Trouble with Transporters", CGPGrey
NO
Please, as a lifelong Trekkie, I can't handle the stress of transporters, don't inflict it on others 😂
@@bananaboatcharlie if it helps, in Star Trek it's pretty clear the mind/consciousness/soul actually exists and is measurable and detectable as "consciousness energy", and the transporter just zips it into the reconstructed body (or sometimes accidentally duplicates it)
look at cathexis, lonely among us, and realm of fear for evidence of the science soul, plus all the episodes about body swapping, plus the concept of the katra~
Jon NEVER pronounces the ‘T’ in Martin. It’s always Mah’in. But not now. You can really see how worried he was- “what did he do to MarTin?” Shivers.
Lorell: I ran at him.
*Naruto runs at t-shirt guy*
I love that he said “the Archivist”. He’s embraced it-it isn’t a profession, it’s _what he is_ now. Realistically I should be scared that more and more of his humanity will leave him, but I just love when characters get more powerful, and it is clear that Jon has taken that path now. It’s just… SO cool. I do hope he mantains as much as he can, I don’t want to be left with the Archivist if it isn’t Jonathan Sims anymore…
After having listened to the entire episode: that sublimely angry “what did he do to Martin?” suggests there’s still a place for his care of people (*cough cough* especially Martin, of course *cough cough*), which is very good.
When he says "I feel *more real* " it sounded like double? Oh boi. Ain't that a subtle
That or I'm very suspicious of Jon. Well well how about them turntables
I don't know if John dropped the "headarchivist of the Magnus Institute" just because he's tired or because - as Oliver said - he had to choose and finally did so. After all, there's no denying that he's The Archivist™
The way you can hear Jon’s voice get back to normal as he reads the statement is truly brilliant
the slow ticking of the clock... hearing jons gradual voice recovery as he looses himself in the statement. refering to himself as the archivist..... the sound design is fantastic
Honestly it's really cool seeing people comment saying this resonated with them and their own experiences as neurodivergent, and really interesting to me cause my own experience is almost the opposite.
Being someone with big time anxiety and adhd (also potentially autism), I couldn't get through this one because some of the ways the statement giver described other people felt too close to things I've heard about myself. When I got to them mentioning the "emotions they didn't get quite right" I had to skip to the end cause it felt too real and brought about some bad memories.
Good episode, though, I think, for managing to bring about such different responses! That's good horror imo
Ouch. I am the same. But I'm old, and gave up trying. I get so tired of people looking searchingly into my face for the proper cues. Ironically, I'm highly empathetic though I don't want to be.
Jon misses Martin😍
Listening as Jon reads the statement and his voice just gradually getting better is the best transition of voice ever
You can really hear the capital A in “the Archivist”
oh no what's happening to Martin
[INT. HOSPITAL, JOHN’S ROOM]
[TAPE CLICKS ON.]
[THE CLOCK OF THE HOSPITAL ROOM TICKS ON STEADILY IN THE BACKGROUND.]
BASIRA
Well?
GEORGIE
It was just there!
BASIRA
Could he have come back? Moved it?
GEORGIE
I guess?
BASIRA
And you’re sure you didn’t recognize him.
GEORGIE
No, no- he was, um- I’d never seen him before.
BASIRA
But?…
GEORGIE
He, uh, he felt like death.
BASIRA
What, capital ‘D’ Death?
GEORGIE
Yeah. Y’know, one of your… dark gods -
BASIRA
(frustrated) They’re not -
[SHE CUTS HERSELF OFF.]
BASIRA (CONT’D)
Look, I’m trying to help. You came to me.
GEORGIE
I came to Melanie.
BASIRA
Well sorry. Right now, I’m it.
[SILENCE, BUT FOR THE CLOCK.]
BASIRA (CONT’D)
So John told you, then.
GEORGIE
Some of it. Not - everything.
BASIRA
Right. So how exactly is it that you’re able to identify an avatar of the End on sight?
GEORGIE
Honestly Basira, it’s not your business. (pause) Sorry.
[BASIRA SNIFFS.]
BASIRA
Alright. And you don’t know why this guy would have left a tape recorder?
GEORGIE
You’re the detective.
BASIRA
And you’re sure it was him who left it?
GEORGIE
I mean - the nurses said there were no other visitors, so (breath) unless it appeared by magic?
[PAUSE.]
GEORGIE (CONT’D)
(disbelief) What, seriously?
BASIRA
I don’t know. The whole tape thing is… I don’t know.
GEORGIE
Right, well… I showed you like you asked, so -
BASIRA
Shh.
[RUSTLING AS SHE MOVES DOWN, GETTING CLOSER TO THE TAPE RECORDER.]
BASIRA (CONT’D)
Down here.
[MORE RUSTLING.]
GEORGIE
I told you -
BASIRA
This is the one?
[WE HEAR THE ARCHIVIST BREATHING HOARSELY, QUIETLY IN THE BACKGROUND.]
GEORGIE
Sure.
BASIRA
You don’t sound very sure.
GEORGIE
I mean - I don’t know. It might be a different model maybe? I thought it was plastic - but yeah.
[MORE ARCHIVIST BREATHING/SIGHING AS SHE’S SPEAKING; BY THE TIME SHE’S DONE THE ROOM IS SILENT BUT FOR THE CLOCK AGAIN.]
GEORGIE (CONT’D)
So - what does it mean?
ARCHIVIST
(hoarse, tired, drained) That’s a very good question.
GEORGIE
(overlapping) John!
BASIRA
(overlapping) Jesus.
ARCHIVIST
(bit of a dry laugh) Sorry. (breath) Didn’t mean to scare you.
GEORGIE
(overlapping) I’ll get a nurse.
BASIRA
Wait.
GEORGIE
Basira!
BASIRA
John, is it still… you?
ARCHIVIST
Uhh. Y-yes. Y-yes, I-I think so; I, I don’t know how you’d prove it, though.
BASIRA
Hm.
GEORGIE
Enough - just - stay still; I’ll get a nurse.
ARCHIVIST
I, no, I, uh, (he starts to sit himself up) I’m alright, it’s -
GEORGIE
(overlapping) Stop it!
ARCHIVIST
(overlapping) - I’m okay.
GEORGIE
John, you are not okay; you have been in a coma.
[RUSTLING.]
ARCHIVIST
Wait - wait - how long?
BASIRA
Six months, give or take.
ARCHIVIST
Six… Uh, the others. T-Tim. Is he…?
[SILENCE.]
ARCHIVIST (CONT’D)
Oh.
[HE LETS OUT A BREATH.]
BASIRA
Daisy too.
[PAUSE.]
ARCHIVIST
I’m sorry.
BASIRA
Yeah.
[PAUSE.]
ARCHIVIST
Alright - g -
[SOUNDS OF EXERTION- TRYING TO SIT UP FURTHER?]
GEORGIE
John.
ARCHIVIST
It’s alright.
GEORGIE
Stay still. Please.
[THE ARCHIVIST SIGHS, THEN TAKES A SHAKY BREATH.]
GEORGIE (CONT’D)
How are you feeling?
ARCHIVIST
Honestly, I - I, I think I’m alright.
[GEORGIE SIGHS IN EXASPERATION.]
ARCHIVIST (CONT’D)
I mean that’s - good, right?
[GEORGIE SIGHS AGAIN.]
ARCHIVIST (CONT’D)
I -
GEORGIE
After a six month coma? No - it’s not. This isn’t how it’s supposed to go, John.
ARCHIVIST
I - what? Y-y-you’d prefer I was - brain-damaged? Dead?
BASIRA
John.
ARCHIVIST
(shaky sigh) W,W,What?
[PAUSE, BASIRA SIGHS.]
BASIRA
Georgie, could you give us a minute? There’s some things we should probably discuss.
GEORGIE
(overlapping) Fine.
ARCHIVIST
D - Georgie, I -
GEORGIE
John. If this really is a second chance, please try to take it. But I don’t think that it is.
ARCHIVIST
(breath) Georgie, I don’t underst -
GEORGIE
Take care of yourself.
[THE ARCHIVIST LETS OUT ANOTHER SHAKY BREATH. GEORGIE LEAVES, CLOSING THE DOOR BEHIND HER.]
ARCHIVIST
Wh - I - (sigh) (quicker) What about you? Disappointed to see me alive? Basira?
BASIRA
We can deal with it later.
[THE ARCHIVIST SIGHS.]
ARCHIVIST
(small) Yeah.
(breath) Yeah, okay.
[MORE HEAVY BREATHING.]
BASIRA
Do you want me to grab you some water, or…?
ARCHIVIST
No - ah, the, the, uh, the statement. In your, in your bag.
BASIRA
Oh. Yeah, I uh, (unzips her bag) I just grabbed one on the way out; I thought maybe you’d need it for -
ARCHIVIST
(overlapping, quick) You, you were right - I, I think it would do me some good. Do you have a tape re - Oh.
[HE SIGHS.]
BASIRA
How did you know I brought one? (pause) Right.
[THE ARCHIVIST SIGHS.]
ARCHIVIST
Thank you, Basira.
BASIRA
Hm.
[SHE LEAVES, AND WE CATCH A WHIFF OF HALLWAY BUSTLE AS THE DOOR SHUTS BEHIND HER. JOHN LETS OUT ANOTHER DEEP SIGH.]
ARCHIVIST
Statement of uh, (something catches in his throat, he swallows) Uh, Lorell St. John regarding, uh… (huh) (disbelief) …zombies. Original statement given 1st February, 2015. Recording by (labored breath) Jonathan Sims. The Archivist.
Statement begins.
[AS HE READS THE STATEMENT, HIS VOICE SLOWLY, INCREMENTALLY STARTS TO IMPROVE.]
ARCHIVIST (STATEMENT)
People always used to tell me I was… solipsistic. They said that I- never really engaged with other people, never acted like they really existed, or mattered, at least not in the same way that I did. I suppose in, in many ways they were right. It’s hard to explain without sounding stupid.
Obviously other people are real - (stammering) O-obviously, the, the way a building is real, or my watch is real. They exist. If people weren’t real, I’m sure I’d find them much less of a chore.
So no, I don’t not believe in other people. I just find it very difficult to feel for others, I, I can’t understand them, and they’ve always seemed…oh there’s no tactful way to say it- they’ve always seemed… pointless. I know what my pain feels like, and I know what my joy feels like, but when I see those same things on the faces of my friends, or my enemies, I feel… Well that’s it, isn’t it? I don’t really feel anything. Their emotions and suffering feel as distant to me as a character on a movie screen. More distant, really.
I-In many ways I find those crude characters that wander through ridiculous plot after ridiculous plot more relatable than the people watching next to me. That said, Danielle did tell me once that films tended to depict characters like that so it’s easier to project yourself onto them. So maybe it isn’t quite as surprising as all that. I like animals, too. They don’t pretend to be important. So, assuming you can understand anything, I would hope that you could understand why the philosophical concept of zombies might worm its way into my mind.
Danielle studies philosophy. W-Well, she studied philosophy. And she was one of those people who loved to talk to other people about it, try to explain it as a way of internalizing the information, so come exam season, her favorite revision method was to try and explain a year’s worth of dusty old white men thinking about existence to me.
She said it really helped, and, well - sometimes I didn’t have anything better to do. It never stuck, of course; it’s all kind of rubbish, really- people trying to think the universe into making sense, coming up with all sorts of nonsense and trying to claim that ‘if you can imagine it it must be true.’ I’m, I’m grossly oversimplifying, of course, but I don’t care. I don’t think Danielle did very well in her exams.
I remember the night she told me about zombies. It was dark outside and must have been late. It was high summer, and the days were long. And sweltering. Our building really kept the heat, and had very few opening windows, so even in the evening that humid warmth seemed to stick around. One of our housemates, Liam, was sat at the other end of the living room, playing some obnoxious video game. He had the lights at that end of the room turned off, and the screen lit up his blank, gormless face as he stared at some space monster or other that he had to kill.
Danielle explained that a philosophical zombie is someone who outwardly displays all the signs of life and consciousness: they talk; they laugh; they scream; they even appear to think. But they have no inner life at all, no actual subjective experience. It’s all a, a rule, a, a conjuring trick. If you cut them, they’d bleed, they might even cry out, but they wouldn’t actually feel any pain, because they can’t actual feel anything. It’s all just an act.
(laughing) I said to Danielle, “Like Liam,” a-and she laughed, at what she assumed was a funny joke, and tried to explain it again, told me they weren’t real, that it was all a, a thought experiment, and the fact that you could imagine them was supposed to counter some other philosopher, who sounded equally meaningless.
But, like I said, I don’t think she got a very good grade, and looking at Liam, blankly staring into that glowing square on the wall, I, I knew she was wrong. They were real. His eyes were so dark, and - dull. Empty windows to a soul that- he didn’t really have.
I started to do some… experiments on him. N-not many, just a few little ones here and there to… see. I suppose you might’ve called them cruel, if Liam was capable of suffering; he certainly pretended to cry out in pain when I accidentally cut his hand while chopping onions, and he did a good impression of grief when his fish died. But his eyes were always the same: cold. And empty.
I didn’t do anything about it, obviously; what was the point? There was no real harm in him going out into the world pretending to live his life; it was no skin off my nose, certainly.
It wasn’t just him, though. There were… so many more of them out there. At one point I did legitimately entertain the notion that they might all be zombies. Every one. That it was just me. That I was the only real person that existed. But, no, that wasn’t right; it was just certain people; I watched their reactions, the emotions they didn’t quite get right, and I knew they were a facade.
It became like a game to me. Watching out for those… soulless husks. Whether on the bus, the street, or even meeting a client for work, I would look into their eyes for just a second, and see the emptiness inside. I tried to make it a game, at least. The truth was, they scared me very deeply. What were they? How did it happen; were they- born hollow, or did something scoop them out, leave them like that?
And the question that kept me up, staring into the darkness late at night- why did it seem like I was the only one able to see them? I saw so many people, real people, chatting with these zombies, talking to them as if they were able to understand what was being said to them, rather than simply pretending. How was it that they couldn’t see the quiet void that lurked behind each of their smiles. And there seemed to be more and more of them every day. Sometimes I found myself utterly alone. Facing down a room full of nothing eyes, willing myself to take action.
I never did, though. Not even when one of them started following me. I first saw him in the street; it wasn’t difficult to guess what he is; half the people around him were just as hollow and soulless. But there was something else, to him. He was tall. But not so tall as to stick out. Thin, but not unhealthily so. He wore a blue t-shirt despite the falling temperature, and his short, dark hair and pale skin surrounded a smile so fake, it practically glowed.
He stared at me as I walked past, not making a move to follow or stop me; nor did his eyes seem to actually… move. It was like one of those paintings that watch you; it just seemed that whatever place I looked at him from, he just happened to be focused on me. In as much as there was any focus in them at all. Vacant.
The next day he was there again, this time in the hallway outside my office, standing in the center, so that I had to hug the wall to avoid touching his… motionless form. He was identical. Except that his t-shirt was now a dull orange.
I asked my colleague Norma what she thought of him, why he was there, and if she noticed anything strange about him. She looked out into the corridor, then, back at me and shook her head. She told me he seemed normal enough. But her eyes were like blank pits, and I knew she was lying about all of it.
Had he done this? Had he taken Norma’s..s-self, h-her soul, or… or had she always been a zombie? * Cramped, into a little open-plan desk, patiently listening to client complaints, and I just hadn’t *noticed? I looked around my office, a low dread starting to build as he waited outside. A numbing cavity wrapped in skin.
I tried to talk to him, when he stood next to me on the bus. I played as casual as I could, trying not to seem afraid when I asked him how his day was going.
“Just fine, thank you for asking,” came the flat, uninterested response.
Then I, I asked him his name. “Just fine, thank you for asking,” he said.
I have never wanted anything as much as I wanted in that moment to cut him, and see if he pretended to scream in pain.
By the time he appeared outside my house, this time wearing a rotten green t-shirt, I could feel a numbness in myself even as I looked at him. Was I finally becoming like them? My internal world melting away into nothing but a pantomime? I remember I ran at him, all my rage burning inside my chest as though desperate to remind myself that I could still feel something.
I think I might have been screaming, but the memory is fuzzy. I remember I punched him in the face, though. When my fist connected, it was like punching a canvas. Taught, dry, and - yielding, ever so slightly, until all at once it broke with a tearing pop and all that resistance was gone, my fist falling into the empty space behind it.
Inside his head, I-I pulled my hand back in sudden disgust, and he looked at me, through the torn and bloodless hole in his head. I could see one blank eye hanging down off his face, still following me, as his split mouth moved to try and form the words that I could hear clear as day: “Just fine, thank you for asking.”
They’re all like that now. You’re all like that, I suppose. I have no reason to believe anyone will - (sharp breath) - read this who would be any different, no reason to believe- (same breath) - you’ll be able to read this, that you won’t simply stare blankly at this page before - performing your response, your artificial opinion. There is every chance that I am -the only one left. And the whole world has fallen to a - soulless horde, devoid of life and feeling. Even so, thank you for.. pretending to care.
ARCHIVIST
Statement ends.
(sigh) Well that - (breath) - certainly helped, I think. No notes or - followup in the statement, and… (dry laugh) obviously no research done by myself or, uh… my team. I think we can safely say that Ms. Saint-John is not the only person left in the world, though, whatever (inhale) she might be doing now. And whatever might be with her.
They can be hard, though, other, other people. Feelings. I-I’m - I’m trying to focus, trying to make sure I’m the same me as before, but… how can anyone really remember that? How do you know you’re the same person that went to sleep?
[HE SIGHS.]
[THEN THERE’S A FAINT KNOCK-KNOCK-KNOCK ON THE DOOR.]
ARCHIVIST (CONT’D)
(quiet) Oh. (calling) Ah - Uhh, yes - I’m done.
[THE DOOR OPENS, WE CATCH A GLIMPSE OF THE HALLWAY BUSTLE. THE ARCHIVIST TAKES A SHAKY BREATH.]
ARCHIVIST (CONT’D)
Georgie, is she, um -
[HE SIGHS.]
BASIRA
She’s gone. Didn’t see where.
ARCHIVIST
No, I, I wouldn’t have, uh.
[HE SIGHS AGAIN.]
ARCHIVIST (CONT’D)
Probably for the best.
BASIRA
Yeah.
[PAUSE.]
BASIRA (CONT’D)
Better?
ARCHIVIST
Yes. Yes, thank you.
BASIRA
Right. Then I’ve got questions.
ARCHIVIST
So do I.
BASIRA
Me first. What are you?
ARCHIVIST
I - (sigh) (shaky inhale) Honestly? I don’t know. I don’t feel… inhuman, or… I want to say I’m the same. But I don’t-really know if that’s true. I know I’m different. I feel… more real, somehow.
[BASIRA HMS, UNIMPRESSED.]
BASIRA
So what does that actually mean?
[THE ARCHIVIST SIGHS.]
ARCHIVIST
Probably nothing good.
[PAUSE. HE TAKES ANOTHER, LONG SHAKY INHALE.]
ARCHIVIST (CONT’D)
My turn. What happened to me?
BASIRA
How much do you remember?
ARCHIVIST
I don’t… Music. Everything was wrong. Gertrude was there, and then… dancing, I think. Then, pain. And I was somewhere else. Dreaming.
BASIRA
Dreaming.
ARCHIVIST
Yes. (pause) …You’re… sure, a-about Tim.
BASIRA
Yeah, they um… They found his remains a few days later.
[PAUSE.]
ARCHIVIST
And- Daisy?
BASIRA
They still haven’t found her body. Probably never will. I thought for a while she might, um… (she sniffs) But, it’s been months. She’s gone.
ARCHIVIST
Just you and me. And - Melanie and M-Martin, I, I guess. (breath) Honestly, I’m surprised Martin isn’t -
[BASIRA TAKES A DEEP BREATH.]
ARCHIVIST (CONT’D)
What? (realizing) Oh god - the, the plan, it’s - Martin i-is - is he okay, w-what - (he takes a breath to compose himself) What did Elias do?
BASIRA
No, nothing. Elias isn’t the problem.
ARCHIVIST
So - what?
BASIRA
Elias is locked up.
ARCHIVIST
Wait, Martin’s plan worked?
BASIRA
Yeah. A bunch of sectioned officers took him in. He made some sort of deal, I think, but he’s not getting out anytime soon.
ARCHIVIST
Oh. (pause) Wow, uh - o-okay, so - what’s the problem?
BASIRA
He appointed an interim director. Guy named Peter Lukas.
ARCHIVIST
Oh.
BASIRA
Yeah.
ARCHIVIST
I’ve read about him.
BASIRA
Yeah, I’ve hunted down some of those old statements, and - (small sigh) Yeah.
ARCHIVIST
What did he do to Martin?
BASIRA
I… don’t know. We don’t see him around the Archives much these days. Best I can figure? He’s working on something with Lukas.
ARCHIVIST
No, that - (breath) No, that - that - There must be something else.
BASIRA
Maybe. I don’t know.
ARCHIVIST
And Melanie?
BASIRA
A lot’s happened, while you’ve been gone.
[THE ARCHIVIST SIGHS.]
ARCHIVIST
Right. (sigh) Well I guess we should probably let one of the nurses know I’m awake. (sigh) I’m sure they’ve got all sorts of - tests to do, make sure I’m not a - zombie, or… (hah) I don’t suppose you brought in any - clothes?
BASIRA
No, I just, you know, grabbed that statement on my way out.
ARCHIVIST
Right, well, uh - I kept some in the - uh - Archives, uh, in my office.
BASIRA
Yeah, those got um - we had to throw those out.
ARCHIVIST
What?
BASIRA
Like I said, a lot’s happened.
ARCHIVIST
S-since I’ve been - (inhale) Fine.
[HE LETS OUT A DEEP EXHALE.]
BASIRA
I’ll get you some new ones. Better ones.
[PAUSE.]
BASIRA (CONT’D)
Anything else?
ARCHIVIST
(swallows) Water, please.
BASIRA
Sure thing.
[SHE OPENS THE DOOR AND LEAVES.]
ARCHIVIST
Oh, or, uh, a cup of t -
[THE DOOR FALLS SHUT.]
[LONG PAUSE. THE ARCHIVIST SIGHS.]
ARCHIVIST (CONT’D)
(almost a whisper) Okay. (sigh)
End recording, I suppose.
[TAPE CLICKS OFF.]
Thank you!☆=(ゝω･)/
You are welcome!
Petra Iván thank youuuu
Man, wandering those nightmares for 6 months must've been hard without even a single cup of tea -
Especially if you're British _and_ had the chance to get spoiled by Martin
That moment about 1/3 of the way through the statement when I got lost in it and then came back to myself and went “hey waIT A SECOND WHEN DID THIS TURN BACK INTO A NORMAL STATEMENT”
👏GET👏THIS👏MAN👏A👏CUP👏OF👏TEA👏
Get him a Martin to deliver him a tea and warm his heart
My theory is that the “soulless people” are just people with depression.
that's what i thought literally right up until their hand went through the guy's face
the guy saying "just fine, thanks" when asked his name just sounded like something a bone weary, emotionally exhausted person would do
This podcast help me learn so much more about myself. For instance, I just discovered I'm a philosophical zombie.
jon sounded so protective over martin when he was talking about him kbfahbkjfaeb
As someone who's pretty alexithymic, this episode sure did happen! Sometimes I worry I'm like those zombies, with no real feelings or opinions or passions, but that's dumb. Emotions are just weird and hard to put a name to. And this podcast's been helping me a lot. for some reason. I laugh at jokes a lot more! :)
Hey I have that too!! This episode definitely hits different than the others XD I agree that TMA helps though...I wonder if it's because it's listening with no visuals, so I'm concentrating more and being more conscious of what they're expressing? Whatever it is, it's cool
@@Vi_Vi_1 oh wow, it’s cool to see someone else who’s experienced the same! That definitely sounds plausible, it’s weird
I'm alexithymic too, the biggest thing is I don't experience grief or mourning [I've never cried at a funeral, to my knowledge] so whenever something happens I feel so lost and like I have to fake the sadness because everyone will think I'm a heartless, psychopathic monster if I don't. I have actually been yelled at by a relative and accused of being a psychopath for not crying at a funeral, so I mean that from experience unfortunately.
Why can't anyone just be happy Jon is now awake?! The poor man was in a six month coma!
the OCD esque feeling in the thoughts in this statement feel Too Real
I LOVE THAT THEY ARE GETTING ADS but when mr beasts screams about his mom not installing honey and it jolts me out of my sleep deprived ass thats drawing i fucking cry
Ah yes. The npc theory
I am going to cry. Jon wakes up and immediately is like “didn’t mean to scare you, are my friends okay? Oh. They are dead? DAMN. GUESS IM FUCKING RESPONSIBLE FOR THAT TOO”
LIKE AT THIS POINT NEARLY EVERYONE HAS IT OUT FOR HIM AND I CAN UNDERSTAND WHY HE JUST..SEEMINGLY STOPPED CARING ABOUT ALL THE TERRIBLE THINGS HAPPENING TO HIM. I FEEL, SO BAD, FOR JON. although I do know he and Martin end up being boyfriends I think,, so I hope he gets some emotional healing. Before his possible death of course
ALSO THEY BARELY WANT HIM *ALIVE.*
Basira basically just said 'your fashion sense is shit, Jon'
The fashion police
I love the way John says “what did he do to Martin” my mans just woke up from a half year coma and is ready to curbstomp Elias for hurting his boy
hearing jons raspy voice is hurting my heart ouch (but my angst loving heart is totally here for it tbh)
RIGHTTTTTT MY WHUMPY LITTLE HURT/COMFORT LOVING BRAIN AND HEART IS EATING IT ALIVE
"Or a cup of t-" SLAM.
Poor Jon. Martin's making tea for his NEW boss Peter Lukas now.
some people are depressed, zombie dude
Noooo Georgiiiiiiie, don't leave Jon !!!! You were the smart one. You were the protective one ! You were the best of all of them. YOU WERE THE CHOSEN ONE. PLEASE, QUEEEEEEEN.
Yeah. Georgie really drops the ball in this season. She spends months telling Jon he needs to let people help him, and the moment he's at his lowest and clearly needs help, she bails. It made me reevaluate her as a person and what must have happened to end their romantic relationship. Having finished the series and done a relisten, I think Georgie must have done something similar on a smaller scale in the past. Ended their relationship when Jon was in some sort of vulnerable state because she can't deal with someone that is actually in _need_ .
I've know people like Georgie. They say all the right things and say they want to be supportive, but the moment you put weight on them, they disappear. They're like quicksand, deceptively soild until stepped on.
Guy: ZOMBIES
The rest of us: Sounds like depression my dude
jon almost asking for tea at the end broke me
"six months"
me, out loud: jesus christ
as an autistic person who does not express emotion the same way as most other people this statement giver just seems extremely yikes. Who thought philosophy was a good idea, I will fight them
07:55
Me, who dies over the suffering of my favourite characters every time and cares for them more than for real people: /wheeze/
How you can hear John slowly getting better as he reads the statement.
Wait, wait. Tim's dead? What about the kayaking trip?
You ever notice Jonathan seems to always know what a statement is "regarding" before he really starts reading it...
You gotta know what your drugs are before you take them
i think the statements are written on forms and the reason is likely written down / summarized
@@dull_demon4717Yes. There's a summery along with the date given and statement givers name. It's when Jon or Elias know what a statement is about from a live subject _before_ they take it that's a show of their power.
@@melissaharris3389 wouldn't the people tell them what it's about before the recording starts?
"The Archivist" just doesn't tickle the brain in the same way as "Head Archivist of the Magnus Institute, London"
I havent heard the entire episode yet but Lorell is one of the most terrifying statement givers so far. That "other people arent real and their pain is fake" vibe just unsettles me to the bone, it feels highkey sociopathic.
six months??? holy shit i thought it was only for a week or two at the most holy fuck!